Remembering K Balagopal

It has been difficult for us in the CL&DR movement to reconcile the loss of Balagopal from our midst. Balagopal has been the face of this movement in Andhra Pradesh for over three decades and its integral component beyond it. The debate that ensued over some fundamental questions he raised about the conception of human rights in APCLC that led to his eventual break up with it had created tremors beyond the boundaries of Andhra Pradesh. For many of us, I included, it had come as a shock that Balagopal, who more than any of us saw and suffered the vicious face of the state, could raise those questions. Some resisted to react adversely and chose to watch but some, prompted by ideological exigency, openly voiced their criticism and antagonistically declared that Balagopal abdicated Marxism. In Andhra Pradesh, expectedly it had raised a storm. If it had not been for Balagopal, whose integrity and commitment to the cause of poor and oppressed humanity could never be questioned by even his worst detractor, it would have been simply devastating. But Balagopal not only withstood it all with his rocklike conviction but went ahead actualizing it by forming Human Rights Forum (HRF) in 1998 and demonstrated that his commitments to CL&DR were unshakable. Read the rest of this entry »

by Dr. Anand Teltumbde (via email)

It was a rude shock to learn about the demise of our dearest friend Dr. K. Balagopal, a legendary civil rights activist and an exemplary human being. I have been travelling here in the USA on a lecture tour from October 1st and was about to start my speech at MIT, Cambridge at that moment. For a few minutes, I did not know what to say. I then dedicated my speech to his memory and carried on. Read the rest of this entry »