Amit Sengupta
Gwangju (Republic of Korea)
INDIA is in the eyes of Gwangju this year. All over this beautiful and ancient
city there are huge banners and posters and the national flag of South Korea
fluttering in the breeze. In the midst of this display, there is one face which
strikes a chord in India, that of Irom Sharmila, the stoic 'satyagrahi' from
Manipur, on peaceful fast for seven years, protesting against the draconian
Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA),1958.
Sharmila has been awarded the prestigious Gwangju Prize for Human Rights,
2007, by the May 18 Memorial Foundation,Gwangju, for her magnificent and
incredible struggle in the troubled state of Manipur. She has become an icon of
Gandhiandemocracy in Gwangju and South Korea, a staunch protestor of
human rights violations and the tyranny of the state.
It’s a double celebration for India. Another Indian has also been chosen for
this prestigious prize: young Lenin Raghuvanshi who works withthe poorest of
the poor in Uttar Pradesh, especially in the districts of Benaras, Mirzapur and
Sonebhadra.
The Gwangju Prize for Human Rights
was established to celebrate the spirit
of the May 18 Gwangju Uprising in
1980 by recognising individuals, groups
and institutions in Korea and abroad
that have contributed in promoting and
advancing human rights, democracy
and peace in their work.
The prize
includes $ 50,000, a gold medal and an
honorary certificate.
The prize is awarded "by the citizens
of Gwangju in the spirit of solidarity
and gratitude to those who have helped
them in their struggle for democratisation
and search for truth. It is hoped
that through this award, the spirit of
May 18 will be immortalised in the
hearts and minds of humankind."
The 27th anniversary of the May 18
uprising in Gwangju City has drawn 135 delegates from the Philippines,
Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Burma, Vietnam, East Timor, India and Bangladesh to this city's International Peace Forum. Political leaders, peacemakers,
students, teachers, artists and celebrities fromacross South Korea have
gathered here to remember the hundreds of martyrs who sacrificed their lives,
gunned down by the military, to liberate South Korea and turn it into a democracy
in the 1990s.
Irom's brother Shinghajeet arrived from Manipur to receive the award and
read her message to the citation ceremony, while a flier documenting her life is
being distributed all over the city.
The commemoration organised by the prestigious May 18 Memorial Foundation in Gwangju, is also a reminder that ‘democracy isalways under threat, from the military to the 'development dictatorship' of the cold blooded conglomerates of the market economy.’"History is not complete. Democracy is not complete. Democracy has to be preserved and made better and better. There isalways the fear that it will be crushed or co-opted or manipulated. We have to be alert. The anniversary of the uprising and the prize commemoration is a reminder that the struggle for democracy and human rights must continue," said Professor Rhee Hong Gil, Chairman of the May 18 Memorial Foundation. India is in the news. Everyone is watching India's future – will it also succumb to corporatedictatorship, sacrificing human rights and social justice at the altar of big money? Irom Sharmila joins a global galaxy of greatfreedom fighters and legends of pro-democracy and human rights struggles in Asia: Aung San Su Kyi, the prodemocracy leader of Burma, still under house arrest by the military junta, Xanana Gusmao, president, East Timor, the Korean Association of Bereaved Families for Democracy, Wardah Hafidz, of the Urban Poor Consortium in Indonesia, Dandeniya Gamage Jayanthi of the Monument forthe Disappeared, Sri Lanka, Malalai Joya of Afghanistan, Basil Fernando of Hongkong and Angkhana Neelaphijit of Thailand.
Lenin Raghuvanshi has been working for two decades against bonded labour and child labour. He has been fighting against starvationdeaths, documenting and taking up cases of human rights violations, and most crucially, campaigningin the villages of caste-ivided UP on the need to break caste and communal barriers."We are working in the most remote interiors of UP to create unity andharmony between all sections of rural society: a kind of progressive synthesis which should impact the larger social and politicalstructure of Indian democracy," said Lenin. He is here with his wife Shruti who along with his comrades have been working for a'different kind of politics' through their organisation Manavadhikar Jan Nigrani Samiti and People's Vigilance Committee on HumanRights.“I seldom come to Delhi, though we do join the struggles of the National Alliance for People's Movement (NAPM) of whichwe are a part. I live from village to village. It has become difficult in UP because the mafia has come to dominate most areas. It istherefore more crucial to have a people's vigilance solidarity movement to protect the basic human rights of ordinary citizens, especiallyin remote villages.” Ironically, the Government of India has refused to respond to repeated pleas by the May 18 Foundation to allow Irom Sharmila to visit Gwangju to receive the award. "We have sent repeated official letters, which includes a representation from acommittee comprising a government representative and a National Human Rights Commission member. We have sent letters to theIndian ministry of home affairs and external affairs, to allow her to visit. But there has been absolute silence.
This is amazing. They should be proud of it, isn't it?" says Chris Kim, chief organiser of the May 18 Foundation. Thankfully that has notspoiled the mood here. Springtime smiles spread all over like the lovely sunshine as people remember the brave martyrs whosememories are scattered across the city.
Want to give feedback on this article |
Disclaimer
The views expressed here are strictly personal and civilsocietyonline.com does not necessarily subscribe to them. We shall endeavour to upload/publish as many of the comments that are submitted as possible within a reasonable span of time, but we do not guarantee that all comments that are submitted will be uploaded/published. Messages that harass, abuse or threaten other members; have obscene, unlawful, defamatory, libellous, hateful, or otherwise objectionable content; or have spam, commercial or advertising content or links are liable to be removed by the editors. We also reserve the right to edit the comments that do get published. Please do not post any private information unless you want it to be available publicly.
Your Feedback on this story...
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________