Chennai: Battling brutal weather, a frail, dark woman patiently clears the weed in the polluted Vaigai river.
The initiative of the 39-year-old woman, who travelled from Chennai to save Madurai's river, was meted out khakhi-clad action, as the city police stopped her. But Narmada Nandhakumar, who calls herself as a ‘one-woman army’ is not diminished one bit, as she is now planning to protest to pull down shutters of Tasmac shops.
Once a teacher, Narmada has shouldered the responsibility of lakes, even while taking a plunge against sand mining and wine shops. The Cauvery dispute and the severe water crisis in the city had inspired her to take up the stick, sickle and hoe to single-handedly remove the weeds from Ambattur lake.
She was arrested multiple times for protesting against liquor shops in the state, a recent one being during a protest against a liquor shop at Ilayanar Velur in Kancheepuram.
So what prompted a teacher to turn a hardcore activist? Recollecting her journey, Narmada said, “My otherwise caring father would turn violent when drunk. The dream of an anti-liquor state stemmed from my own miseries.”
None in her neighbourhood of Anna Nagar thought that Narmada, who used to sell milk door-to-door to meet financial difficulties, would go from one lake to the other, to conserve them now.
“As a teacher, you are confined to four walls, but social activities open the whole word before you”, she explains. However, the new life has never been devoid of stones or thorns. The self-made woman, as an independent candidate, stood for the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Elections in 2016 from Ambattur constituency and lost. But the result had no effect on her, as she does not believe in 'power' to bring a transformation.
“I did the campaigning alone on a cycle, pressing for strict rules to stop liquor consumption,” she said. It is the contentment that matters. “After I tried to clean up Vaigai river, the state government has allocated funds for its restoration. The officials have sent me the letter showing the grant of funds. What else do I need?” she asks.
Reiterating fighting her own battle, she says, “I don't want to associate myself with any NGO or a political party as honesty is the deciding factor here. I want to remain this way and I won't let anyone misuse my name. I am poor, but still I want to fight alone. Things are all commercial now.”
The M.Phil graduate pursued her education despite breaking her left thighbone. The iron lady has also stood up against several issues like illegal sand mining in Karur, jallikattu, bike racing, chain snatching and reality shows like Bigg Boss.
“Dressed up in dhoti, shirt and donning a turban, I conducted a bull race in Madurai last December supporting jallikattu,” said the social activist whose penchant is to write to various government authorities, from the Prime Minister down to district administrators.
