Kailash Singh is a farmer, indigenous rights activist and member of the Gond tribe.

He is content with the natural environment that the residents of Sidhi have maintained and coexisted with for years. “We get clean air, clean water and grow pure food. We are largely a community of farmers and we use what’s available in the forests,” he says, with affection and gratitude. However, he is sceptical of the future and says that “on one hand the government says that they’re going to provide water, electricity and land, but on the other, they’re also displacing [indigenous communities like his] in the name of conservation.”

He has been committed to ensuring water, land and other rights to the residents of Sidhi district with the Ekta Parishad since 2001 where he has led andolans (movements) and dharnas (non-violent sit-in protests). With VV, Kailash has covered a range of issues from school infrastructure to forced evictions, from property rights to water access. 

Kailash believes that while laws are in place, access to justice is reserved for wealthy citizens who, despite their formal education, engage in caste and class discrimination. “Those of us who are not formally educated are often deemed as ‘weak’,” he says, adding that they may not have the money but they do have the strength.

He values watching other CC’s videos and learning with the community, “during meetings, I write down things I don’t know and try to act on those things” he says. A patient listener and speaker, Kailash deeply values VV’s role, “My voice is soft but through VV, it is amplified.”

Kailash has dreamt about working in the film industry and had a firm conviction that he will be able to get there. He envisioned and believed he would appear on TV. “One day I want to and will do this.” His dream is an uncommon one in a place where most people are farmers, but we are certain that it will come true!