The village that wanted the truth

Those who led the historic Right to Information movement recall the struggle

- BY NIRMAL JOVIAL

In September 1995, a mass meeting organised by the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan in Rajasthan's Beawar town marked the first public demand for the right to information in law. Nearly six months later, a larger dharna unfolded at Beawar's historic Chang Gate, with rural women forming the largest contingent. Lasting 40 days, the dharna spurred the National Campaign for People's Right to Information, ultimately paving the way for the RTI Act.

Lakshmi Narayan, a 49-year-old vegetable vendor at Chang Gate, recalls, "The place bustled with journalists and others from Jaipur, Delhi and beyond. Protesters came from nearby villages and local traders provided accommodation, food and drinks throughout the dharna."

For the men and women who formed the backbone of this struggle, their battles are more than just memories. In hindsight, they see the real change their generation set in motion.

While Beawar was a crucial site for the movement, its driving force was in a small hut in Devdungari, a village in Rajsamand district, nearly 60km away.

In 1987, three "outsiders"—Aruna Roy, Nikhil Dey and Shankar Singh, along with his family—moved into this hut. Singh's relative owned it.

They wanted to work with marginalised communities to find solutions for their struggles.

Roy, a former civil servant, had quit her job in 1975 to work with the Social Work and Research Centre (SWRC), a voluntary organisation founded by her husband, Bunker Roy. Dey was an American-educated activist, while Singh was a skilled communicator and an SWRC volunteer. "The idea was to live with the people, like them," recalls Roy.