Medha Patkar

Medha Patkar was born on December 1, 1954. Prior to being a social activist, Medha did her M.A. in Social Work from Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS). She left her position on the faculty of TISS as well as her unfinished Ph. D. when she became involved in the tribal and peasant agitations in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, which eventually led to the organization of the Narmada Bachao Andolan.

On March 28, 2006, she started a hunger-strike to protest against the decision of the authorities to raise the height of the Narmada Dam. She ended her 20 day fast on April 17, 2006, after the Supreme Court of India refused the Narmada Bachao Andolan's appeal to stop the construction of the dam. Linking the Narmada Bachao Andolan with hundreds of peasant, tribal, dalit, women and labour movements through out India, Medha Patkar is a Convener of the National Alliance of People's Movements - a non-electoral, secular political alliance opposed to globalisation-liberalisation based economic policy and for alternative development paradigm and plans. She has served as a Commissioner to the World Commission on Dams, the first independent global Commission constituted to enquire on the water, power and alternative issues, related to dams, across the world.

Awards and Honours