VOA常速英语2007-Thousands of Indian Farmers Hold Protest for Lan

By Anjana Pasricha
New Delhi
29 October 2007

Tens of thousands of farmers have converged¹ in the Indian capital following a month-long protest march. As Anjana Pasricha reports from New Delhi, they are demanding rights over land and livelihood².

Singing and chanting slogans, nearly 25,000 farmers staged a sit-in protest at a public park in the heart of the Indian capital.

They were not allowed to hold a rally at the Indian parliament as they had originally planned.

These farmers have walked for nearly a month from the interiors of the country to have their voice heard by the government. Their demand is simple: they want authorities to give them ownership rights for land where they live or which they cultivate.

Most of these people own no land - but eke³ out a living either by working as laborers⁴ or by farming tiny patches of public land in remote areas. Many of them belong to tribes living on the edges of jungles.

Among the protesters is 60-year-old Mangin Bai, who has marched from Madhya Pradesh state in central India.

She says she has no money or savings⁵. If she falls sick, she will not even be able to sell part of the land that sustains her and her family because she does not own it. She wants the government to give her legal rights over the land.

Organizers have called the march "Jana Desh" or People's Verdict.

They say many farmers are being forced to move away as land is given to industrial zones or development projects.

Vandana Shiva, an activist⁶ supporting the movement for land rights, says the protesters are fighting for survival.

"Their land, which is their base of livelihood, is being appropriated ... for a quick buck⁷ in mining, for a quick buck in making a dam, for a quick buck in setting up a factory, and the price of this globalized economy is being paid by these people who are losing their land," said Shiva.

The farmers want the government to create a national authority to oversee⁸ land reform, and establish fast-track courts to resolve land disputes.

The government has promised to establish a committee to examine the issue of land reforms.

Development experts say the protesters highlight the big challenge confronting India: the need to bridge the widening gap between an affluent⁹ middle class in urban areas and the millions of impoverished¹⁰ people who have no land, no livelihood, and no opportunities in rural areas.

1 converged   

v.（线条、运动的物体等）会于一点( converge的过去式 )；（趋于）相似或相同；人或车辆汇集；聚集

参考例句：

• Thousands of supporters converged on London for the rally. 成千上万的支持者从四面八方汇聚伦敦举行集会。
• People converged on the political meeting from all parts of the city. 人们从城市的四面八方涌向这次政治集会。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 livelihood   

n.生计，谋生之道

参考例句：

• Appropriate arrangements will be made for their work and livelihood.他们的工作和生活会得到妥善安排。
• My father gained a bare livelihood of family by his own hands.父亲靠自己的双手勉强维持家计。

3 eke   

v.勉强度日，节约使用

参考例句：

• They had to eke out a livinga tiny income.他们不得不靠微薄收入勉强度日。
• We must try to eke out our water supply.我们必须尽量节约用水。

4 laborers   

n.体力劳动者，工人( laborer的名词复数 )；（熟练工人的）辅助工

参考例句：

• Laborers were trained to handle 50-ton compactors and giant cranes. 工人们接受操作五十吨压土机和巨型起重机的训练。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Wage-labour rests exclusively on competition between the laborers. 雇佣劳动完全是建立在工人的自相竞争之上的。 来自英汉非文学 - 共产党宣言

5 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

6 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

7 buck   

n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃

参考例句：

• The boy bent curiously to the skeleton of the buck.这个男孩好奇地弯下身去看鹿的骸骨。
• The female deer attracts the buck with high-pitched sounds.雌鹿以尖声吸引雄鹿。

8 oversee   

vt.监督，管理

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts.士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Use a surveyor or architect to oversee and inspect the different stages of the work.请一位房产检视员或建筑师来监督并检查不同阶段的工作。

9 affluent   

adj.富裕的，富有的，丰富的，富饶的

参考例句：

• He hails from an affluent background.他出身于一个富有的家庭。
• His parents were very affluent.他的父母很富裕。

10 impoverished   

adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化

参考例句：

• the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
• They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》