Mayilamma (10 August 1937 – 6 January 2007) was an Indian

social activist Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...

whose claim to fame was the campaign against

Coca-Cola Company The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational beverage corporation founded in 1892, best known as the producer of Coca-Cola. The Coca-Cola Company also manufactures, sells, and markets other non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups, ...

in Plachimada in

Palakkad Palakkad (), formerly known as Palghat, historically known as Palakkattussery is a city and municipality in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of the Palakkad District. Palakkad is most densely populated municipal ...

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

. She belonged to a native tribal community. She was the recipient of the Speak Out award by ''

Outlook Outlook or The Outlook may refer to: Computing * Microsoft Outlook, an e-mail and personal information management software product from Microsoft * Outlook.com, a web mail service from Microsoft * Outlook on the web, a suite of web applications ...

'' magazine and the Sthree Shakthi Award. She is also known as the 'Plachimada Heroine'.

Early life

She was born on 10 August 1937 in the village Muthalamada, on the border of

. When she turned 15 years old, her father Raman and mother Kurumanda married her off to Mari Muthu from Plachimada. She came to live with him in Plachimada after her wedding. The couple had four children. Mari muthu died before she stepped into the terrain of grassroots activism.

Fight against Coca-Cola

Mayilamma was directly affected by Coca-Cola's operations in Plachimada, in Kerala's Palakkad district. The

water Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a ...

in her well (in Vijaynagar colony in Plachimada) had been so heavily polluted by Coca-Cola's operations that it has been deemed unfit for human consumption. Mayilamma played a key role in the campaign to hold Coca-Cola accountable for water shortages and pollution in the area. She joined the agitation after one year of its operation. She launched a

Satyagraha Satyagraha ( sa, सत्याग्रह; ''satya'': "truth", ''āgraha'': "insistence" or "holding firmly to"), or "holding firmly to truth",' or "truth force", is a particular form of nonviolent resistance or civil resistance. Someone w ...

against Coco-Cola on April 22, 2002. It was under her leadership that the community forced the Coca-Cola bottling plant to shut down in March 2004. The plant has remained shut down since. Mayilamma, a member of the Eravalar tribe, was the founder of the Coca-Cola Virudha Samara Samiti (Anti Coca-Cola Struggle Committee) in Plachimada which has spearheaded the campaign against Coca-Cola. The Anti-Coca-Cola Struggle Committee has held a continuous vigil directly outside Coca-Cola's factory gates since 22 April 2002, demanding its permanent closure. She never joined a political party as she felt that political parties were detrimental to grassroots based development. Mayilamma lived with her extended family in Vijaynagar Colony in Plachimada, and is survived by three sons and a daughter. Mayilamma died on 6 January 2007. She was cremated in the Sarkarpathy burial ground in Perumatty grama panchayat, Chittur.

References

Activists from Kerala Malayali people 2007 deaths 1937 births Women from Kerala People from Palakkad {{India-activist-stub

Early life

Fight against Coca-Cola

See also

References