K. A. Rahman
Encyclopedia
Kavungal Amakkode Abdul Rahman (K. A. Rahman) (born 1 January 1940 – 11 January 1999), popularly known as Adhrehyaka or simply Adreyi, was the founder leader of the Chaliyar agitation in Kerala state, South India
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School and then studied at M.M. High School, Calicut. Rahman was elected to Vazhakkad Grama Panchayat in 1963 and has been Vice President of the same. He later became Vazhakkad Panchayath President. He was also the block Panchayath President in Kondotty
Block. K. A. Rahman was the rallying point behind the Chaliyar agitation since the beginning.
and it led to an agreement between the people and the factory management in 1974 known as the Rama Nilayam pact, as it was brokered in the government guesthouse bearing that name. The high point of the agitation was in December 1998 when Rahman marched to the factory gates demanding its immediate closure with around 7,000 villagers behind him.Raw material had become scarce, and the factory finally closed down in early 2000 after Rahman’s death.
is a success story of a people’s environmental movement in the state—perhaps the only one. For the fight against river pollution in this land of rivers continues in other parts of the state.
In Rahman's own words, "There was not enough fresh air to ; nostrils reeked of mercury. Diseases devoured their victims at a frightening pace. Malformation of babies had multiplied. Cancer, heart attacks, respiratory diseases, failing vision and retardation of mental faculties were quite common here."
said it was time to get the killer unit closed, redeploying/compensating the workers and paying compensations to the villagers affected by pollution. And on January 20, ten persons hospitalized after a sulphur dioxide gas leak from the factory and next day Kerala State Pollution Control Board
ordered closure of the CS2 plant.
On January 26, the people embarked on a new phase of struggle by starting a relay hungerstrike in front of the factory under the leadership of Abdul Salim, Rahman's son. Kerala's human rights groups have called for a boycott of Grasim products.
Working relentlessly for the Chaliyar, Rahman finally succumbed to cancer gifted by the emissions from the factory but said, even while dying, that his people would continue the struggle. Ultimately, his people won over the might of pr-industry lobby. Rahman's name can be seen in the cancer death register that he himself introduced three years before his death. Though incomplete, the register itself remain a symbol of the determination of Rahman to fight the mighty. As per the entries in the register, 213 people died of cancer in Vazhakkad village aloneafter facing the brunt of the mercury and cadmium discharged into the river. Another 79 died in the nearby areas.
winner of the Booker Prize "I'm sorry I came on such a sad occasion Wishing you every strength in your fight."
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
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Personal life
Adreyi was the third son of Kavungal Kunhoyi Haji and Poothottathil Biyyakutty Hajumma and married to Zainaba daughter of Kunhahammed Haji Koyyapuram. He had his preliminary education from VazhakkadVazhakkad
Vazhakkad is a village located on the bank of River Chaliyarin Eranad Thaluk, Malappuram district, state of Kerala, India. East and some north part of Vazhakkad boarering with River Chaliyar, South Cheakode and Pulikkal Panchayaths and West Vazhayur Grama Panchayath.-Educational...
School and then studied at M.M. High School, Calicut. Rahman was elected to Vazhakkad Grama Panchayat in 1963 and has been Vice President of the same. He later became Vazhakkad Panchayath President. He was also the block Panchayath President in Kondotty
Kondotty
Kondotty is a growing town in Malappuram district, Kerala, South India. Kondotty is located near the Calicut Airport.Kondotty is famous for the Nercha in the Pazhayangadi Mosque. Kondotty is the birthplace of the great Mappila poet, Moyinkutty Vaidyar. He popularised Mappilapattu by his poems...
Block. K. A. Rahman was the rallying point behind the Chaliyar agitation since the beginning.
Chaliyar Action Committee
Rahman founded the Chaliyar action committee and it was the first public agitation against air and water pollution in KeralaKerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
and it led to an agreement between the people and the factory management in 1974 known as the Rama Nilayam pact, as it was brokered in the government guesthouse bearing that name. The high point of the agitation was in December 1998 when Rahman marched to the factory gates demanding its immediate closure with around 7,000 villagers behind him.Raw material had become scarce, and the factory finally closed down in early 2000 after Rahman’s death.
Environmental Movement In Kerala
K. A. Rahman’s Chaliyar Agitation against Gwalior Rayons factory at MavoorMavoor
Mavoor is the largest village of Kozhikode district in Kerala, India. It is 20 km away from Calicut city.-Etymology:The former name of Mavoor was Pulparambu, or "hayfields" in Malayalam, as grass for thatching houses was stored in this town. .-Grasim:Until the 1960s, Mavoor was like any other...
is a success story of a people’s environmental movement in the state—perhaps the only one. For the fight against river pollution in this land of rivers continues in other parts of the state.
In Rahman's own words, "There was not enough fresh air to ; nostrils reeked of mercury. Diseases devoured their victims at a frightening pace. Malformation of babies had multiplied. Cancer, heart attacks, respiratory diseases, failing vision and retardation of mental faculties were quite common here."
Legend of the Chaliyar
A State Level convention held in the wake of K. A. Rahman's death at KozhikodeKozhikode
Kozhikode During Classical antiquity and the Middle Ages, Kozhikkode was dubbed the "City of Spices" for its role as the major trading point of eastern spices. Kozhikode was once the capital of an independent kingdom of the same name and later of the erstwhile Malabar District...
said it was time to get the killer unit closed, redeploying/compensating the workers and paying compensations to the villagers affected by pollution. And on January 20, ten persons hospitalized after a sulphur dioxide gas leak from the factory and next day Kerala State Pollution Control Board
Kerala State Pollution Control Board
The Kerala State Pollution Control Board is a body of the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of the State of Kerala, India. The board is charged with enforcing laws related to environmental protection.-See also:...
ordered closure of the CS2 plant.
On January 26, the people embarked on a new phase of struggle by starting a relay hungerstrike in front of the factory under the leadership of Abdul Salim, Rahman's son. Kerala's human rights groups have called for a boycott of Grasim products.
Working relentlessly for the Chaliyar, Rahman finally succumbed to cancer gifted by the emissions from the factory but said, even while dying, that his people would continue the struggle. Ultimately, his people won over the might of pr-industry lobby. Rahman's name can be seen in the cancer death register that he himself introduced three years before his death. Though incomplete, the register itself remain a symbol of the determination of Rahman to fight the mighty. As per the entries in the register, 213 people died of cancer in Vazhakkad village aloneafter facing the brunt of the mercury and cadmium discharged into the river. Another 79 died in the nearby areas.
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Arundhati RoyArundhati Roy
Arundhati Roy is an Indian novelist. She won the Booker Prize in 1997 for her novel, The God of Small Things, and has also written two screenplays and several collections of essays...
winner of the Booker Prize "I'm sorry I came on such a sad occasion Wishing you every strength in your fight."