In 1989, Narmada Bachao Andolan (Save Narmada Movement), formed to protest the damming of the Narmada River, which displaced hundreds of thousands of people in India — mostly underprivilged castes and adivasi tribes. NBA staged hunger strikes, blockaded freeways and united thousands in mass procession to the dam site. As part of the struggle, many dam-affected people pledged to refuse to leave their homes and drown with their villages. The strength of NBA’s non-violent resistance compelled the World Bank to withdraw from the Narmada Dam project. Despite the movement’s considerable success, however, the Indian goverment continues to push for big dam development and NBA struggles to this day.
Printed at the worker-owned Stumptown Printers, Portland, OR.
This is #53 in the Celebrate People’s History Poster Series.
