first time. Earlier, border dispute between Karnataka and Maharashtra was the only issue that came to their mind when Nipani was mentioned. An incident that happened on May 1 is worth mentioning here. Farmers had decided to celebrate that day as the Victory Day by organizing a mass meeting. But the Karnataka Government had banned Joshi’s entry into Chikodi Taluka after his release on 25 April. Eventually an idea came up and it clicked. In Arjun Nagar area of Nipani there was a college exactly along the border of Karnataka and Maharashtra. The College building was in Maharashtra while the compound wall was in Karnataka! It was at that precise spot in the open field inbetween that the Victory Day rally was held. There was a huge police contingent present on the Karnataka side of the border but they could not arrest Sharad Joshi because the stage on which he stood lay in Maharashtra area, while the audience was seated in the Karnataka area! A little amusing incident but it highlighted how trivial and artificial were the so-called borders between different States. The tobacco struggle of Nipani farmers was significant not just in the history of SS but also in the history of social movements in India. The fact that farmers could sit peacefully in one place for 23 days for satyagraha in itself was a rare feat. The full involvement of over two thousand women was also noteworthy. For those who had seen their earlier pathetic conditions and timidity, it was nothing short of a miracle. Tobacco farmers and tobacco workers coming together was also new. Their activities were naturally aligned but earlier they had regarded themselves as separate. Since 95% of the tobacco farmers had small landholdings it was underlined once again that struggle led by SS was not only for those having a large landholding. Smouldering Tobacco in Nipani
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