Episode 2/Chapter 17: What, If our Dreams Come True! An Uncommon Meeting With Lord Siva

Chapter 17

One night, we all huddled into the temple and burnt the midnight oil. Our strategy was drawn and we all committed ourselves to the cause of constructing the dam. We were growing confident by our swelling kitty and the continuous flow of money for the project. Now, money seemed to be the lesser of our concerns. The world was full of noble-minded people, willing to support genuine causes.

In the next several days, one could regularly see labor colonies springing up near three dam sites we identified. Yes, we decided to construct not just one big dam, but three smaller check dams across Tamirabarani, which would hold water in good days and also provide water for agriculture. We were convinced that check dams would meet the requirement of the region better than big dams. Flash floods would become a thing of the past, we were repeatedly assured by Mr. Krishnamoorthy. He had had his engineering degree at a prestigious university from England and had worked both in England and in India, for the British. He was one of our important brains and he was actively involved in planning for the dam. Lakshmana Iyer was the one to initially contact Mr. Krishnamoorthy through one of his students who was distantly related to him. Nearly three thousand laborers moved into these colonies located at different places up the hill. Forest clearances could not be avoided, but we kept it to the minimum so that some of the wild animals for whom the hills were the regular habitats were not disturbed.

Everything went on silently. One day, the Government woke up and was surprised at the massive accumulation of labor at the dam sites. They came down heavily and slapped a notice on us that we were indulging in unlawful occupation of government owned land and that we should vacate within a week. We were equally adamant in not vacating the place until the construction work for the dam started. We came to know later on that a few politicians who were very jealous of Devendran and his growing popularity were at work, determined to scuttle our dam project.

A week later, a strong police force landed in all the sites and they issued an ultimatum for vacating the place. At the same time, a negotiating team from the government too landed at our place, to avert any serious confrontation, especially when such a massive build up of the labor force had taken place at the dam sites. We decided to make a tactical retreat. We felt we had made the first impact. We woke up the government. We vacated the camps near the dam sites and some in the government thought we had buckled under the pressure.

But we decided to surprise them the next day. Five thousand workers and their families were assembled in front of the office of the District Collector in Tirunelveli and went on a mass hunger strike. We declared to fast unto death. It was a massive show of solidarity. A popular daily newspaper covered our Movement very widely and news flashed all over Tamilnadu the very next day. The Collector of Tirunelveli was in a fix. Our protest was ‘satvik’, peaceful and silent. There were reports and comments for and against the project as well as our pressure tactics to force the government to our way of thinking. A section of public thought anarchy would reign in if everyone resorted to such tactics to force the government to take decisions and that there would be no government at all. Many others commented that it was a people’s project and they had every right to have a say in this project. But soon our project and our struggle caught nationwide attention and the government started feeling the heat. They were frantic to find an end to the problem, but without giving up their conditions on a number of issues.

 

Devendran shuttled between the higher-ups in the government and our management team. He was caught in a dilemma and he used all his might in convincing both about the need to have a compromise. Our fast entered the eighth day without much progress. Many frail participants were forcibly removed to hospitals as they fell terribly ill and there was a fear of contagion and infection among the remaining.

I was becoming restless, as summer heat started scorching everyone, adding to our woes.

“Oh, Lord Siva, you brought me here. What are you doing now?” I cried out, one night, in silence.

His answer came in the next twenty-four hours.

*****

The very next day, the Sun disappeared in the early morning in the sky covered completely by gray clouds. It was mid-May during what is known as ‘Agni Nakshatram’ period (In Sanskrit, Agni is fire and Nakshatram means a star). It is usually unbearably hot for about three weeks every year during this time, as summer peaks out in South India. But that day, the Sun decided to play hide and seek and as the day progressed, reports started flowing in about heavy cloud formations in Southern Tamil Nadu over the Western Ghats and specifically those areas around Podhigai hills. By the early evening, it started drizzling in scattered areas over the hills and by the early night, it turned into rain. Then it continued into whole night and became torrential, before the next morning. River Tamirabarani swelled and breached almost every bank on the way.

When it rained, a few smaller rivers that were tributaries to Tamirabarani in the upstream flowed down the slopes with tremendous force, carrying with it heavy soil and rocks, uprooting trees and plants on the way. When they joined the mainstream of Tamirabarani, they inundated lands, fields, gardens, villages and towns. There were flash floods in the entire Tirunelveli district. Not many check dams were there on its path and even the few existing ones were poorly maintained.

The government was in shock, caught unaware and completely unprepared to meet the devastations. Several thousand acres of paddy fields went under water and the crops were damaged, several huts and houses were washed away along the banks of the river, cattle and birds reportedly floated along the river. For the first time, water entered several towns even. The people were panicky and feared a repeat of earlier calamities.

The only miracle was if that was any solace, no human loss was reported anywhere. It was unbelievable but was true. It appeared Lord Siva decided to spare humans this time.

The District Collector of Tirunelveli came to us, with folded hands and requested us to withdraw the hunger strike that we were determined to continue despite the flood situation. He promised action in the next few days. Realization dawned at least at his level about the urgent need to have smaller dams - as many as possible – to effectively divert flood water through a number of channels. He exhorted us to support the administration’s flood relief efforts.

There was a sudden upheaval all over the country, about the lackadaisical attitude and the approach of the government towards public woes. The government was under tremendous pressure. The Central Government decided to intervene and called all parties for urgent consultation.

We decided to temporarily withdraw our agitation, to afford the government a chance to calmly think and come to a fast conclusion. Surprisingly, the Government decided to give in to our demands.

Some of the important conclusions arrived at were:

Firstly, there would be three check dams as proposed by us.

Secondly, there would be a Citizen Committee who would oversee the implementation of the dam project. 

This committee would be headed by Krishnamoorthy and include local citizen recommended by us.

Thirdly, the committee would have substantial powers over the finances for the project.

Fourthly, on our suggestion, a special independent audit team of professionals and a few prominent local citizen would conduct a financial and social audit during the entire period of implementation of the project.

Fifthly, for the first time since the World War II, a technical team consisting of both English and Russian engineers would work together to implement a project. They would combine the older technologies of ancient Southern India along with the modern technology.

Finally and most importantly, the government would bridge any gap in financial arrangements, if there were any.

We couldn’t ask for more. Work on the project started in all earnestness in the next three months. Details were sorted out. The committed labor force moved back to the project site. Old and new technologies melded together and over the next about three years, stone by stone, brick by brick and inch by inch, the check dams emerged at three places over the upper regions of Tamirabarani.

The families and children of the labor force too moved into the site. For the first time, a self-contained society came up there, where everyone supported everyone else mutually. Schools for the children, hospital, post office, banks, playgrounds, gardens, transport, markets and every other facility sprang up around the project sites. This was a tremendous achievement for the people.

On the day the three dams finally got inaugurated by Devendran, I walked alone, all the way to Papanasam, to pay my gratitude to Lord Siva, for the first time in all my seven years of stay in this region. I knew people were searching for me for the inaugural function. But here I was, alone with the Lord at Papanasam. He sat inside the magnificent temple on the banks of Tamirabarani down the slope. I went down the twenty and odd steep steps to the river and stood in the water. As the cool water washed my feet, a large swamp of green colored fishes surrounded my feet. I remembered to bring a bag full of ‘rice pori’ for them. As more fishes joined, I sat on a small rock nearby, listening to the tantalizing music coming from the gushing water, tearing down on its way the small and big rocks.

‘Don’t thank me. Thank Lord Siva for sparing you and your species in the process of building dams across the river?’ I seemed to be telling the fishes.

I happily fed those fishes with more and more of ‘Rice Pori’. A sudden flash of memory reminded me about the visions I had in the dark cave at Courtallam and it struck me that those visions were, in fact showing me the things that lay ahead for me. And I lost myself, sitting on the small rock surrounded by gushing river water.

*****

Episode 2/Chapter 16: What, If Our Dreams Come True!

Chapter 16

A couple of months passed by and they were some of the gloomy months of our life. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion and we had no choice than to go with the flow of life – slow or fast.

During these months, I discovered William’s growing anxiety about the dam project. More than anyone in our camp, he believed in the dam project becoming a reality. I found him writing letters to his friends in England about the project, with great enthusiasm. When I probed him, I found him quite serious about his promise to give away all the money from the sale of his estate for the dam project. He appeared to love this place and his company with us and genuinely wanted to do something that would benefit the people here at large. He found the Podhigai hills very peaceful and rejuvenating for his body and mind. He found it difficult to hold back his tears when he repeatedly heard the stories of the people who suffered in the last flash floods. He was a true friend in our group and resourceful too. Some of his friends back home were willing to take the message among the larger public in England and help mobilize funds for the dam project, if the government approved it.

‘We were small fries and would we be in a position to raise money for a large project like this?’ We were skeptical.

The weather and climate change over time. That is a certainty anywhere on earth. Slowly, our fortunes too changed.

Devendran was visiting Tirunelveli, the district headquarters on the banks of Tamirabarani. He stayed in one of the lodges along the Sri Nellaiappar High Road. This lodge was very famous those days and many leading personalities in politics, film world and business stayed there, on their visits to Nellai –a fondly shortened name for Tirunelveli. He sent word for us to meet in Nellai.

With rising expectations again, we rushed to Nellai and our meeting with Devendran could take place only in the midnight, after he returned from a public meeting in Vagaiyadimukku, a popular junction in the town, around the main Nellaiappar temple. 

He looked fresh while we looked tired out of anxiety.

Another businessman from Sivakasi was with him when he entered his room.

“What do you say, Muthuvel? Here are the people wanting to sell the estate. Talk to them!” He told the accompanying businessman, then lay down on his bed and closed his eyes.

Muthuvel was direct and businesslike. William explained in brief about the estate and in all honesty, told him about the problems in the documentation. Muthuvel didn’t appear to be perturbed about the documents part and quoted a price. We were taken aback. The price was way below what William had hoped to receive. We were not sure whether Devendran had slept or not, and we wondered how to proceed with the discussions.

There was silence in the room. Some fifteen minutes passed and none of us wanted to disturb Devendran, as we all thought he was sleeping.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes and said, ‘Muthuvel, pay them two hundred and fifty thousand rupees for the estate. I think that would be fair for you and for them. As you know, that Englishman is going to donate the entire money for constructing a dam across Tamirabarani in the upper hills. What do you say?”

He then turned to William and asked him, ‘Do you still want to give that money to the project?’

‘Of course!’ shot William.

Muthuvel thought for a second and agreed to proceed with the purchase of the estate. We were very pleased that we were able to strike a deal. During the next two months, the papers were signed and the money was deposited in the State Bank of India in Tirunelveli. Simultaneously, another account in the name of “Nellai Citizen Endeavor for Hill Dam Project” was opened as advised by Devendran. We organized a ceremony in the Vaagaiyadimukku junction in Nellai town and a cheque for two hundred and fifty thousand rupees was presented by William to Devendran for the dam project. The volunteers went around, spreading out a ‘dhoti’ (a common practice among political parties to collect donations) and collected another ten thousand rupees as a donation. Ours was one of the first ever known self-help projects that was floated and funded by the community and its people. The local government could still not fund the project, but it had no objection to it if the community was able to mobilize the funds.

There was euphoria all around in our camp. We all felt that we had taken a great leap in implementing our dream. Things really moved fast from that stage.

Lakshmana Iyer proved to be particularly helpful, with his students. More than five thousand hand written appeals were prepared by his students, adding a personal touch to our appeal for donations and were sent out to many prominent citizens all over India.

The Prime Minister sent a personal cheque for five thousand rupees blessing the project as a very novel attempt. Devendran really moved many in the government and every day we received cheques from different parts of the southern states and from many prominent people in politics, industry and the government. Several philanthropists too sent in donations for the project in small and big amounts.

*****

It was the year 1920. Mr. Brooke, an English commander, was sent to Palayamkottai to suppress the freedom struggle and overpower extremist groups hiding in the Podhigai hills. He was very successful with similar operations in Darjeeling hills, the year before. He was known to be ruthless with rioters and very loyal to the Queen. Ever since he moved into Ambasamudram from Palayamkottai, the rioters were forced to shift their base constantly. Brooke chased them into the hills, but didn’t succeed in capturing any of them. The search operations were carried out with a vengeance and the extremist group also retaliated with great force from time to time.

His wife, Mrs. Romela, was pregnant and stayed back at Palayamkottai. She was a childhood friend of British Queen herself and she automatically enjoyed many privileges. Brooke visited her on all the weekend and the couple was anxiously awaiting the arrival of the baby during the next few weeks. A Gujarathi nanny was with her, twenty four hours, and a reputed local maid was going to be the midwife.

Brooke was passionate about hunting and frequented the nearby forests and hills. The place was known for wild animals that frequently entered many villages at the foot of the hills. He captured many of them while hunting and displayed their skeleton remains in his residence, with great pride.

As Romela approached the delivery date, she was haunted by horror dreams about her husband. She insisted on either Brooke returning to Palayamkottai or her joining him at Ambasamudram. The former was completely out of the question and so against all his wishes, she moved into Brooke’s residence at Ambasamudram, along with her nanny and maid. She felt better being with Brookes, though Brooke did not. He worried for her safety. He knew that the terrorist group was after terminating him. Because of Romela’s connections, even the Queen of England took a special interest in her safe delivery and their safety.

One day, he had received information about the hideout of a small terrorist outfit near Kalakkad hills, a place he had frequented for hunting. He set out with a team, to capture those people. No one knows to this date if it was a trap, but he never returned from Kalakkad hills – only his blood-stained outfit was found in the forests and there was no trace of him.

On the very same day, Romela went into labor and the delivery developed complications. While the army waited to transport her to Palayamkottai, all of a sudden, in the darkness of night, Brooke’s residence was attacked by powerful bombs and fire broke out. A few guards were killed in the crossfire. A group of two terrorists rushed to the upper floor where Romela was rested for her child delivery. They carried guns and torches setting everything to fire. The Gujarati nanny and the maid fell at their feet and pleaded with them to spare Romela. Romela watched everything helplessly. The youth who were about to kill Romela, suddenly changed their mind. They not only spared her, but helped her move safely outside to the garden where she delivered a boy. Wishing Romela and the baby well, the boys ran away to join the fight. The entire revolutionary group including those boys who saved Romela was finally killed in the fight.

Romela returned to England at the earliest opportunity and she lived somewhere in Southern London. Her son George was a frequent visitor to the Queen’s palace. Eventually George studied with William when they were growing up and one of our appeals for help landed in the hands of George who took that in all earnestness to the Queen and showed it to her.

So, when we received an envelope bearing the seal “On her Majesty’s Services”, we were most pleasantly surprised to find a cheque for one thousand British pounds, from the British Queen herself from her personal accounts, for the dam project.

*****

Devendran was quite young, dynamic, forthright, and honest. When it came to politics, he was very ambitious. He believed that in a democracy one could achieve a lot only if you were in politics and that too in power. He played his cards very skillfully and he rose in power and popularity. He moved between central and state leaders spreading his influence and soon came to be recognized as a principal opinion maker, very astute negotiator, and even a king-maker. His words carried a lot of weight and at his behest a special fund for dam projects across Tamirabarani was floated. The fund sought contributions from the public, though, not much contribution came in.

During those days, the country needed a strong international ally, but was suspicious of the Americans. India was attracted to the socialistic models of governance and naturally leaned towards Soviet Russia that was more willing to take India’s side on many international issues and help India financially and technologically so that they could tilt the power scales in their own struggle for supremacy with Americans. We needed to import a lot of heavy equipment, fertilizers, arms and ammunitions, military hardware, aircrafts and a host of things that needed substantial foreign currencies. We were strapped for American dollars which remained the principal trading currency worldwide and Russia was amenable to rupee transactions for trade with India. They were ready to send their engineers and provide us the technology. We came to know that Devendran was already talking to a few powerful officials in Soviet Russia about his dream projects to build several dams in Southern India.

Rathnam, the former jamindar had an excellent rapport with the labor force and he went around several villages in and around Tirunelveli and enlisted a large work force for the construction of dams, in exchange for food for their family. Ours was one of the earliest public projects assuring food for work. Most people along the banks of Tamirabarani were agrarian and didn’t have work, round the year. Agriculture depended on rains which played ‘hide and seek’ all the time. The river supported them partially through a number of smaller canals built by several, over many centuries.

Easwaran and Lakshmana Iyer became our spiritual centers providing the much needed psychological and motivational support, helping everyone believe that the project would become a reality soon, through regular prayers and chanting of religious hymns in the temple. 

In between, William went back to England to solicit further support for the project and he came back after six months with a bagful of cheques and bank demand drafts. He also brought a list of names of several specialist engineers who were willing to provide technical consultancy for constructing dams. William favored engaging British Engineers whom he considered far more competent than Russian engineers. There were tension and conflict in our camp between the protagonists of the British and the Russian engineering teams, each side claiming supremacy.

In and around Tirunelveli, across Tamirabarani many check dams had been built over millennia by the rulers of those days. I decided to study them in detail in the meantime. Sudalai arranged a bullock cart for me and we took a detailed tour along Tamirabarani, over the next several months. When I returned, I was fully equipped with sufficient information about dams and water reservoirs. To me it appeared that check dams were the best option under the given circumstances and that we should not mind using our ancient indigenous technology and wisdom in building dams. I also made a quick visit to Anicut otherwise known as ‘Kallanai’, a check dam across Cauvery river, built by Karikala Chozhan who ruled Chozha empire during the 2^nd century C.E in Tamilnadu. It still stood the test of time and the design was later adopted by the legendary British irrigation engineer Arthur Cotton, who went on to build various irrigation structures across our country, in the nineteenth century.

Check dams were eco-friendly because they did not submerge nearby farms and property. They also helped recharge groundwater in aquifers and nearby wells. They allowed more percolation of monsoon rains into the soil. Thus, it increased moisture in soil and vegetation. Erosion of soil was controlled and thus flooding too. To the contrary, bigger dams resulted in environmental degradation and loss of biodiversity. People got displaced while building big dams. More significantly, I came to know that the rare plants that were unique to Podhigai hills might disappear if big dams were built.

People around me supported my ideas on check dams. They all agreed that check dams would be more efficient for supporting irrigation for agriculture, than bigger dams. Besides, the nationalist feelings were still running high and we had only recently suffered the commercial exploitation of the country’s resources by foreign powers. So we needed to convince the authorities to use our ancient indigenous technology that even the British had used during their rule across our country, rather than seeking foreign collaboration.

We went through several rounds of discussions with the government representatives. We met roadblocks on several issues. Hoping that Devendran would support us, we went ahead and pressed our claims. We told the government that inasmuch as the major part of the money for the construction of the dam is raised by us, we should have a say in every matter relating to the dam. The land belonged to no one in particular and so it belonged to the society. We had the labor ready to proceed with the work. We had with us a number of independent retired engineers who were familiar with our indigenous technology in constructing dams. Materials required for construction were locally available. All that was required, was a government stamp of approval, cooperation, and support with whatever resources they may have.

The government didn’t agree with many of our stipulations that we considered important for us to have a hold on the project. The government insisted that they would ultimately execute the project once the money was ready with us and that they would have the upper hand in making decisions about various issues relating to the project. They wanted us to deposit the entire money into the government accounts from where they would make it available periodically for the project, as work progressed. We stoutly objected many conditions imposed on us by the government, even while we were cautiously aware that the project wouldn’t come up without the support of the government. We tried to use as much leverage available with us as possible. In the process, the coming up of the dam was getting delayed and we were growing nervous and anxious. At times, we came to suspect the motive and the sincerity of the government in implementing the project.

William gave excellent support to us and I was constantly educated on several issues relating to project planning and execution. His contacts in England and the British engineering team were constantly in touch with us. However, it was a tedious process of writing to them, hoping to get replies from them, waiting for the reply and again getting in touch with them with more questions when we got replies. We educated each other about the kind of peculiar problems of our terrain and the choice of solutions available.

We made several presentations to Devendran who appreciated our concern, but due to several legal technicalities, couldn’t alter government’s stand. However, we pursued with our claim.

*****