युवानिया डेस्क :

अलीराजपुर, 3 जून

नर्मदा बचाओ आंदोलन के एक अहम स्तंभ और मध्यप्रदेश के पहले डूब प्रभावित गाँव जलसिंधी (अलीराजपुर) के प्रमुख कार्यकर्ता लुआरिया भाई का सोमवार रात (14 जुलाई,2025) निधन हो गया। 

लुआरिया भाई का जाना केवल एक व्यक्ति की मृत्यु नहीं है, बल्कि यह नर्मदा घाटी में बीते चार दशकों से चल रहे जनसंघर्ष के एक महत्वपूर्ण अध्याय का अंत है। वे जलसिंधी गाँव ही नहीं, बल्कि सम्पूर्ण नर्मदा घाटी के संघर्षों की आवाज़ थे। डूब प्रभावितों के हक़, पुनर्वास और सम्मानजनक जीवन के लिए उनका योगदान अविस्मरणीय रहेगा।

उनके परिवार में पत्नी बॉगी बाई तथा बच्चे – लेलसिंह, उदयसिंह, मांगीलाल, सर्मी और दीतली हैं। उनका इस तरह अचानक चले जाना आंदोलन के लिए अपूरणीय क्षति है। नर्मदा बचाओ आंदोलन और समस्त साथियों की ओर से उन्हें विनम्र श्रद्धांजलि। उनके संघर्ष, साहस और सरोकार हमें आगे भी प्रेरित करते रहेंगे।

नर्मदा बचाओ आंदोलन से जुड़े साथियों का लुआरिया भाई के नाम संदेश…
“लुआरिया भाई को लाल सलाम।”

मेधा पाटकर:

बिना संपूर्ण पुनर्वास मौत…..

तुम्हारी जिंदगी पीछे छोड़ गई है सच्चाई! लुआरिया, तुम्हे सलाम!

लुआरिया चला गया! यह खबर धक्कादायक ही नहीं, नर्मदा घाटी के 40 साल से चल रहे संघर्ष के साथियों के लिए दुःखदायक भी! एक ऐसा मूलनिवासी जिसका संकल्प रहा, ‘नहीं छोड़ेंगे नर्मदा किनारा।’

जलसिंधी गाव में नर्मदा किनारे का घर था लुवारिया का, जो बना रहा सालों तक नर्मदा बचाओ आंदोलन के तहत् सत्याग्रह का केंद्र! सभी आदिवासी कहते थे, ‘सत्याघर!’ लुआरिया की लाडी (पत्नी), छोटे बच्चे सबके साथ हम रहते थे…तो महसूस होती थी उसकी सादगी और सच्चाई भी। लुआरिया के माता पिता, भाई , सब सब थे ही आंदोलनकारी लेकिन लुवारिया जैसी एक पहाडी, भिलाली, दुबला पतला आदिवासी जब मुंह खोलकर जवाब देता तो उसमें बहती थी उसकी जिद्द, उसका जल, जंगल, जमीन से रिश्ता और उसका आंदोलन पर विश्वास भी।

लुआरिया के घर पर पहुंचते थे सैंकड़ों आदिवासी, घाटी के निवासी भी! लुआरिया वक्ता नही था, बावा महारिया जैसा, लेकिन उसकी भिलाली बोली बताती थी उसे ‘स्पष्टवक्ता!’ किसी पत्थरपर बैठकर, घर द्वार पर डटकर अपना मन्तव्य व्यक्त करने वाला लुआरिया कभी बनता था नेता लेकिन उसकी गहराई के कारण ही वह बन गया एक कलाकार क्या, ‘हीरो’, लंदन से आयी एक फिल्मकार से मिलने पर, फिल्म ‘Drowned Out’ का!  एक बोट मिलने पर सबका परिवहन करने वाला लुआरिया, शासन के आश्वासनों की पोलखोल करने वाला लुआरिया जंगल, खेती और नदी से जुड़ा हुआ लुआरिया…. गुजरात की बसाहटों की हकीकत जानने वाला भी था।

जलसिंधी आधी अधिक डूबी… लुवारिया को बावा, गुलाबिया जैसे भाइयों के साथ गुजरात में जमीन स्वीकारनी पड़ी, उसमे भी कुछ फंसाहट भुगती। जलसिंधी कायम के लिए दूर न करने वाला लुवारिया, संपूर्ण पुनर्वास न मिलते हुए चला गया। उसने अपने बच्चों को जीवनशाला में, प्रगतीशील शाला में ही सिखाया… आज उसकी जुझारू पत्नी, बच्चे ही नहीं, माँ नर्मदा और हम परिवारजनों को छोड गया, जबकि आज भी शासन के वादे झूठ और लुवारिया के दावे सही साबित हो गये हैं।

लुआरिया, हजारों का पुनर्वास पाते हुए भी, हम शर्मिंदा है,बचे हुए विस्थापितों के लिए!

हम जिंदा है…तुम्हारी प्रेरणा, तुम्हारा योगदान भी जीवित रहेगा। तुम्हे सलाम! 

Rahul Banerjee:

One of the most beautiful parts of the Narmada Valley in Alirajpur district in Madhya Pradesh was the Dabaliya lake in the river at Jalsindhi. This was a place where the geological fault in which the river runs is very deep and so it became like a big lake without any visible signs of the river flowing during the winter and summer once the rains had stopped and there were no flood flows. On the rocks on the banks there were huge depressions that looked like feet. The Bhil Adivasis said that the Gods, Dabaliya, had danced and feasted here and these rock impressions were of their dancing feet. It was a lovely place where villagers from far and wide used to congregate to fish and feast. It was such an enticing locale that in the 1980s and 1990s we used to regularly hold the meetings of our organisation Khedut Mazdoor Chetna Sangath there to enjoy swimming and fishing along side our serious deliberations.
All that has become history now as the construction of the Sardar Sarovar dam has submerged this unique place replete with Bhil Adivasi mythology and ecological beauty. Sometimes I recall this lost paradise of my youth and mope. Yesterday this tragedy was driven home once again with sad force as the news of Luhariya’s passing away came through.
The struggle against the dams on the Narmada under the aegis of the Narmada Bachao Andolan, which, even if it failed to stop the dams, definitely succeeded in critiquing their ecological and socio-economic problems, continues to this day because of the grit and ecological wisdom of its many Adivasi fighters. The foremost among them was Luhariya of Jalsindhi who refused to budge from his ancestral lands and when his house got submerged, he moved up into the hills nearby. He bore incarceration in prison, beatings by police and also went on a hunger strike but remained steadfast in his resolve to save the River. Rest in peace my friend.

Nandini Oza:

One of the tallest leaders of Narmada Bachao Andolan, Luhariya, went on an indefinite fast in Bhopal at the cost of his health in the 1990s that eventually helped in halting the Sardar Sarovar Dam for a few years along with other strategies of the movement. Late Pervibai, Luhariya’s sister-in-law, talks in detail about Luhariya’s fast in Bhopal : “Our forefathers prayed to the Gods with jowar grains and then embarked on the clearing of the forests and dominated the wild animals, the tigers and bears.
And yet, the Government is not taking any cognizance of us!
We had to go on a hunger strike in Bhopal because we were seeking land.
My brother-in-law Luharya went on hunger strike for 18 days.
He was like a dead man and had to be taken to hospital. This is because of our troubles otherwise at home we don’t stay hungry and thirsty.
So, we went to Bhopal thirsty and wet from head to toe in the shivering cold.

This is how we went to Bhopal to see my brother-in-law on hunger strike.
I asked, where is my brother-in-law Luhariabhai?
We were told that he was in the hospital where we should go and see him.
In the hospital we found that Luharia was on a diet of biscuits and lemon juice and he had become very weak.
He was not of a very bulky build anyway but he had become very thin.
His eyes had dark circles and I did not find him okay.
He was making this sacrifice for our stomach and for women and children, for justice and to get land.
My brother-in-law had fallen ill with hunger fighting for land.
God did not give him any illness but for no reason at all he was risking life for our land.
The sight of him made me very sad and tears came to my eyes in Bhopal.
We are going all over the country barking like dogs to let everyone know how criminal the Government is in not giving us land.”

Listen to Pervibai on Luhariya’s fast: https://lnkd.in/dhGXFJZR

While Luhariya’s fast benefitted the NBA a lot, it had a severe impact on Luhariya’s health. One relaises the strain of the struggle and displacement as Luhariya was much younger than me. His passing is a huge loss. You will always be remembered, Luhariya, Zindabad.

Madhuresh posted this based on one of his interviews in 2009:
“We were born into this history of resistance. Our ancestors fought the British, and in our time, we stood up to the forest department. My father’s generation gave them chickens and money, our generation said no more. We formed a sangathan. We were arrested, dragged away, but we returned and rallied. When they began building the dam, I laughed. ‘You think you can stop the Narmada?’ I said. We didn’t know law or courts, but sangathan showed us the way. We learnt: if you don’t rise and demand your rights, your trees and houses will be drowned before your eyes. That’s when we gave our slogan: Dubenge par hatenge nahi (We will drown, but not leave). We demanded land-based rehabilitation. What use is money? Adivasi ke haath paisa nahi tikta. Give us land not bribes. We held Monsoon satyagraha at my home for two years. We held fasting. But our houses were submerged and we did not get anything. Land cannot be born or made in the industry. We started Jeevanshala so our children wouldn’t live in darkness like us. Today, they read, write, and speak truth to power. This land is not just our home, it is our memory, our medicines, our fish, our forest songs. And as for politics – we should not fall into it.”

यह लेख सर्वोदय प्रेस सर्विस (सप्रेस) पर प्रकाशित हुआ है, मूल लेख को पढ़ने के लिए लिंक पर क्लिक करें