MEDHA PATKAR

Social Activist and Environmentalist

Medha Patkar, (born December 1, 1954, Bombay [now Mumbai], Maharashtra state, India), Indian
social activist known chiefly for her work with people displaced by the Narmada Valley Development
Project (NVDP), a large-scale plan to dam the Narmada River and its tributaries in the Indian states
of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Maharashtra. An advocate of human rights, Patkar founded her
campaigns on two basic tenets in the Indian constitution: the rights to life and to
livelihood. NBA has been engaged in a struggle for justice for the people affected by the dam projects
related to the Sardar Sarovar dam project, especially those whose homes will be submerged but have not
yet been rehabilitated. She is also one of the founders of the National Alliance of People's
Movements (NAPM), an alliance of hundreds of progressive people's organizations. In addition to the
above, Patkar was a commissioner on the World Commission on Dams, which did thorough research on
the environmental, social, political and economic aspects and impacts of the development of large dams
globally and their alternatives. She was the national coordinator and then convenor of National Alliance of
People's Movements for many years and now continues to be an advisor to NAPM. Under the banner of
NAPM, she has participated in and supported various mass struggles across India against inequity, non-
sustainability, displacement, and injustice in the name of development. Her work
challenges Casteism, Communalism, and all forms of discrimination. She has been a part of numerous
teams and panels that work on initiating and formulating various national policies and enactments
including those related to land acquisition, unorganized sector workers, hawkers, slum-dwellers and
forest-dweller Adivasis. NAPM filed several public interest litigations including those against Adarsh
society, Lavasa Megacity, Hiranandani(Powai) and as well as other builders.
Born to socially active parents, Patkar grew up in an environment imbued with a sense of
social justice and freedom. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in science from Ruia College
in Mumbai and earned a master’s degree in social work from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in the
early 1980s. Received the 1992 Goldman Prize Recipient, Asia, Medha Patkar mobilized massive
marches and peaceful protests against the construction of India’s Sardar Sarovar Dam, which
displaced thousands of tribal peoples and submerged vast stretches of forests and farmland.
Medha Patkar has been a central organizer and strategist for Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA), a people’s
movement organized to stop the construction of a series of dams planned for India’s largest westward flowing
river, the Narmada. The World Bank-financed Sardar Sarovar Dam is the keystone of the Narmada Valley
Development Project, one of the world’s largest river development projects. Upon completion, Sardar Sarovar
would submerge more than 37,000 hectares of forest and agricultural land. The dam and its associated canal
system would also displace some 320,000 villagers, mostly from tribal communities, whose livelihoods depend on
these natural resources.
In 1985, Patkar began mobilizing massive marches and rallies against the project and, though the protests were
peaceful, was repeatedly beaten and arrested by the police. She almost died during a 22-day hunger strike in 1991.
Undaunted, she undertook two more long protest fasts in 1993 and 1994. With each subsequent summer monsoon
season, when flooding threatens the villages near the dam site, Patkar has joined the tribal residents in resisting
evacuation. To date, as many as 35,000 people have been relocated by the project; however, they have not been
adequately resettled and hundreds of families have returned to their home villages despite the constant threat of
submergence.
Medha Patkar is a lady who is deeply admire by all, as she oozes an aura of middle-class simplicity and
conviction to stand for a good cause.

She is hounded and accused, she is attacked and abused, but she has remained who she is a person driven
by empathy and nothing else.

She has tirelessly worked for the poor and the marginalised for decades by living alongside them, sharing
their lifestyle, and hence she is class apart from the Gucci-carrying charity-dinner-hosting modern
crusaders fighting poverty by tweets. 

She is almost a dinosaur from the long forgotten Gandhian era where India was teeming with such impossible
people.

Medha Patkar had the main quality of fighting for human rights. She had found that the labor
community is suffering from conditions like fewer wages, no medical facilities, loaded working hours, etc.
like conditions.

She is hardworking women and an inspiration to all other women’s. She taught us to never hesitate
to raise an issue which is going against you or you find it not good for the people of the country.
 A step into politics
In January 2004 during the World Social Forum held in Mumbai. Medha Patkar and other
members of National Alliance of People's Movement initiated a Political Party 'People's Political
Front also called as 'Lok Rajneeti Manch'. However, Medha did not participate as an active
politician but adhered herself to creating an atmosphere and environment by organizing a fifteen
days Maharashtra state-level campaign. She was accompanied by two young activists, Maju
Varghese and journalist Jaspal Singh Naol (Jal). Meetings were organized under her leadership
in each district of Maharashtra. Most of the members had asked Patkar to stand for election, but
she denied it.
In January 2014, Medha Patkar joined the Aam Aadmi Party, a political party led by Arvin
Kejriwal. She and her organization, National Alliance of People's Movement, provided support to
the Aam Aadmi Party during the Lok Sabha campaign.
Patkar also contested the 2014 Lok Sabha election for the North East Mumbai constituency as
an Aam Aadmi Party candidate. She lost, receiving 8.9% of the vote cast in North East Mumbai
constituency, trailing at third position behind Kirit Somaiya (BJP candidate, winner) and Sanjay
Patil (NCP candidate). She resigned from Aam Aadmi Party's primary membership on 28 March
2015.
 Awards and honours
•1991: Right Livelihood Award
•1992: Goldman Environment Award
•1995: Green Ribbon Award for Best International Political Campaigner by BBC, England
•1999: Human Rights Defender's Award from Amnesty International, Germany
•1999: M.A. Thomas National Human Rights Award from Vigil India Movement
•1999: Person of The Year BBC
•1999: Deena Nath Mangeshkar Award
•1999: Kundal Lal Award for Peace
•1999: Mahatma Phule Award
•2001: Basavashree Award
•2013: Matoshree Bhimabai Ambedkar Award
•2014: Mother Teresa Award for Social Justice.
A brief Gap Analysis between the values I
posses and the given Personality posses
My Personality Traits Medha Patkar Personality Traits

Social worker Fearless &Confident Hardworking

Socialist Confident Responsible Role Model Environmentalist Down-to-earth
Helping Nature Respectfull Cooperative Responsible Patriot
 Values I can inculcate from her!
1. Empathy
• Empathy is the ability to identify with and understand another person’s experience and point of view. NASW defines it as "the act of perceiving,
understanding, experiencing and responding to the emotional state and ideas of another person."¹
• “Stepping into someone else’s shoes” and recognizing that experiences, perceptions and worldviews are unique to each individual enables social workers to
better understand and build stronger relationships with clients. It is a vital skill that helps social workers to determine a client’s needs based on his or her
unique experiences in order to efficiently provide services.
2. Communication
• Communication – both verbal and non-verbal – is a vital skill for social workers. The ability to communicate clearly with a wide range of people is essential.
It is the duty of social workers to advocate for their clients – in order to do this, social workers must understand the client’s needs. In addition to being
cognizant of body language and other non-verbal cues, this means communicating appropriately and effectively with clients regardless of cultural
background, age, gender, literacy skill level or disability. Social workers must also communicate with care providers, colleagues, and agencies, and must
document and report information in a clear manner.
3. Critical thinking
• Critical thinking is the ability to analyze information gathered from unbiased observation and communication. Social workers must be able to objectively
evaluate each case by collecting information through observation, interviews and research. Thinking critically and without prejudice enables social workers
to make informed decisions, identify the best resources and formulate the best plan to help clients.
4. Cultural competence
Working effectively with clients from diverse backgrounds requires social workers to be respectful and responsive
to cultural beliefs and practices. Social workers must be knowledgeable and respectful of their clients’ cultural
backgrounds and must, as stated by NASW, “examine their own cultural backgrounds and identities while seeking
out the necessary knowledge, skills, and values that can enhance the delivery of services to people with varying
cultural experiences associated with their race, ethnicity, gender, class, sexual orientation, religion, age or
disability.” Possessing a non-judgmental attitude and an appreciation for diversity and the value of individual
differences enables social worker to provide clients with what they need.
8. Patience
Social workers encounter an array of circumstances and individuals in their work. It is important to have patience
to work through complex cases and with clients who need longer periods of time to make progress. This empowers
social workers to understand the client’s situation and avoid hasty decision-making and frustration that can lead to
costly errors and poor outcomes for the client.
9. Professional commitment
Being successful in social work requires lifelong learning. Social workers must have a professional commitment
to social work values and ethics, and to continuously developing professional competence. This commitment is
necessary for fulfilling the mission of social workers – “to enhance human well-being and help meet the basic
human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable,
oppressed and living in poverty.”
Thank You!