Bhan Sahu thought being poor meant walking a kilometer to school and then having to drop out when she was eight years old, until she started working at an NGO and realized there were others even less fortunate than herself. Her interest in education didn’t wane, however. Using video as a tool to bring people together, her Community Correspondent reports…

Bhan Sahu

90 families in Indawani village in Rajnandgaon district, Chhattisgarh who have been fighting the acquisition of land for a food park that threatened to displace them for nearly 2 years have had a taste of victory.
The victory did not come easy. The families conducted rallies in and around their village day in and day out. The protest was initiated by the Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha but the momentum and success of the struggle rested on the shoulders of the people themselves who conducted themselves in terrific fashions.
The villagers understood that their eviction would cause a serious threat to their livelihood. They knew that food park would only benefit the government and the food park users and not the farmers.
Their victory has made the village an inspiration to the other people’s movements in the state. In a state notorious for grabbing lands of its own citizens, Indawani has put the power back with the people.