Liberation condoles the untimely passing away of J Sri Raman, journalist and leading campaigner against nuclear weapons and communal violence.
J Sri Raman was a lifelong peace activist in the sub-continent, and bold voice against all war-mongering and jingoism. He led many popular grassroots campaigns against communalism. He helped to found several organisations against nuclear weapons, including the Chennai-based Journalists Against Nuclear Weapons (JANW) in the wake of the May 1998 Pokhran-II bomb and resulting chauvinist frenzy in the media; the Movement Against Nuclear Weapons (MANW); and Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace (CNDP). He is the author of Flashpoint: How the U.S., India, and Pakistan Brought us to the Brink of Nuclear War, published in 2003.
Sri Raman, while staunchly demanding an end to nuclear weapons, had not argued for a rejection of nuclear energy. Now that the debate on nuclear energy in India and the world has emerged with a new urgency post-Fukushima, we will miss Sri Raman’s insight in approaching the question anew.
Liberation expresses heartfelt condolences to Sri Raman’s family and friends.
