Rajagopal PV is the key character of the three coming movies.
He was born in 1948 in Kerala, South India. In his early life, he was a kathakali dancer (traditionnal art form from Kerala). He moved to Seva Gram (Maharashtra) to do his agricultural studies. In 1969 he joined the Gandhian leader SN Subba Rao for a one year train exhibition across India, to celebrate Gandhi's birthday. Then he worked in Subba Rao's ashram in Joura, Chambal Valley. Rajagopal played a substantive role in the surrender of more then 500 outlaws in 1972 and brought peace in the whole valley.
After his first non-violent significant success, he moved to different places in India, like Nagaland, Orissa, Chhatisgarh which helped him to understand the structural causes of violence.
In the eighties, Rajagopal was appointed by the Supreme Court of India as an Enquiry Commissioner on the issue of Bonded Labour which affected millions of Indians. Thanks to his action, thousands of people were released from that form of slavery.
In 1990, he realized it was time to build a huge platform for organizations working on common goals. As a result Ekta Parishad was created. It aims at promoting a pro-poor society with non-violent values. It focuses on land redistribution to landless people and protect the rights of the dalit, indigeneous, women...
Its first padyatra (non-violent foot march) which covered Madhya Pradesh and Chhatisgarh states for 6 months (1999-2000) and all the others that followed in different states (Bihar, Orissa, Tamil Nadu...) proved the capacity of Ekta Parishad to make the voices of the weakest sections of the Indian society. heard.
Ekta Parishad received support from various organizations in Western countries. Peasants' unions all over the world, like Via Campesina, Confederation Paysanne (France), MST (Brazil), Kenya Land Alliance, also expressed their solidarity.
In October 2007, Rajagopal and Ekta Parishad story culminate with the Janadesh...
Look at this interview, published in “Ahimsa - Nonviolence”, (IGINP), vol. II, n° 1, Jan/Feb. 2006.
Look at José Bové's interview, recorded on 18th January 2008.
