'Jal satyagraha': Braving the scorching sun and saline water

Balancing delicately, they faced every advancing wave shoulder-deep in the waters of anti-nuke protest.
As the day progressed, the severity of the waves increased but it failed to deter the thousands of fishermen and women who observed 'jal satyagraha' at the coastal Idinthakarai village near the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP).
'Our protest will continue. We will not retract without a tangible result,' said Rev. M.P. Jesuraj, a leading light of the People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy, spearheading the agitation.
A group of protesters form a human pyramid as they and hundred others stand in the waters of Bay of Bengal during a jal satyagraha against the Kudankulam nuclear plant
A group of protesters form a human pyramid as they and hundred others stand in the waters of Bay of Bengal during a jal satyagraha against the Kudankulam nuclear plant

Demonstrators stand in the waters of the Bay of Bengal as they shout slogans during a protest near the Kudankulam nuclear power project
Demonstrators stand in the waters of the Bay of Bengal as they shout slogans during a protest near the Kudankulam nuclear power project
The people agitating in Tamil Nadu also include a large number of women
The people agitating in Tamil Nadu also include a large number of women

Neither the surveillance by an aircraft nor a coastguard vessel docked at a distance could make the protesters retreat.
The Kudankulam protesters were inspired by villagers in MP's Khandwa district, who started the water protest
The Kudankulam protesters were inspired by villagers in MP's Khandwa district, who started the water protest
The idea of holding a 'jal satyagraha' was to step up the protests against the KKNPP.
SC CLEARS WAY
The inspiration came from the recent successful protest in the Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh.
The MP villagers called off their stir two days ago after an assurance from the state government that the affected villagers would be given land as compensation and the height of the Omkareshwar dam would be reduced.