[Reader-list] A letter from an activist of the Narmada Andolan

[Gitika Talwar]

Atheists forgive me, but I have to exclaim 'Jesus! Do you not read?'

Jagga (Jagadeesha) did not say he did not write the letter and neither did
he say he will die for Narmada. And if you are concerned about fake
identities - let me be that witness who vouches for the fact that THIS Jagga
is a real person and not a lurker out for all the 'goodies' one gets from
writing to a readerlist.

And amazingly, this suspicion makes me wonder - are all online testimonials
to be taken with a pinch of salt since faking identities online is  an
option that you think people exercise?

The main tragedy here is that Jagadeesha's letter was taken out of its
private space and hurled into a public one where it now has to withstand far
more scrutiny than it was originally meant to. There were too many
experiences and contexts that were personal and far removed from the
information we have about NBA, so the shock and disbelief from the list is
understandable. I have deep respect for the movement, but my email right now
is not about that.

It is about protesting someone's taking someone else's testimony into the
public eye without consent and then exposing them to the disbelief and
criticism of people who do not know the 'story before the beginning'. Wasn't
there a rule against this on Sarai, just a while ago?

~ Gitika