Coimbatore, October 29, 2010: Accusing the Tamil Nadu Agriculture University (TNAU) of taking up research that benefits only agri-business corporations in various collaborative research projects and of facilitating appropriation of farmers’ varieties, hundreds of farmers raised and donated money to the TNAU, urging it to take up research for them and not just for corporations. This was done as part of the Kisan Swaraj Yatra, which arrived in Coimbatore today, on its last day in Tamil Nadu. Farmers here also picked up the issue of land appropriation for more than 150 SEZs, road construction and airport expansion and demanded that the government of Tamil Nadu stop appropriating farmers’ resources.More...

It was amazing – the TNAU Vice Chancellor had deputed the Controller of Examinations to meet with us in response to a letter that the South Indian Coordination Committee of Farmers’ Movements (SICCFM) had given him some time back. Even this, after a long wait and some persuasion after the VC pulled out of the commitment made some time back to meet the Yatris and the Tamil Nadu farmer representatives. More...

Palakkad (Contact No. Sri Narayanan, Jaiva Karshaka Samithi – 9447962242) 9.00 am : KSY to reach Palakkad via Coimbatore 9.30 am to 11.30 am :... Read More

10 am, Perumanallur village : Farmers’ Memorial, to pay homage to farmers killed in police firing 01.00 pm – 03.00 pm : Public protest meet... Read More

The second day in Puducherry began on a note of surprise. The yatris were invited to the Raj Nivas for breakfast with the Governor. As we left our place of stay, St.Francis, Xavier church, Uppalam, the bus drove down the beach road paying witness to morning walkers and several young school children with their bags packed dressed in browns and blues. The welcoming French town off the road with its simple ambience soon opened its way into a poised new location where the Raj Nivas stood. More...

6.30 am : Planting of saplings by the Yatris at “Kudumbam” farm 10.00 am : Yatra reaches Salem and visits several villages affected by industrial... Read More

After an evening meeting with Chennai’ites the earlier day and a sumptuous millets-based dinner the earlier night, we started early on October 26th to reach Tiruvannamalai by 11 am for an interactive session with scores of farmers. For the first time in this Yatra, an overwhelming majority of farmers in any meeting said that they would like to continue in farming. More...

We set off for Chennai early this morning at 6 am. Though there were no breakdowns of the bus (thankfully! For now, the replaced tyres seem to be holding up), progress was very slow. For one thing, we did not get to pay the road taxes as soon as we entered Tamil Nadu on the Hosur Road. By now, it looks like these RTO checkposts at the border are designed to be invisible so that vehicles that go in unawares could be caught later and penalized. More...