The Life-Giver, translated from the Malayalam Jeevadayini, narrates the life of Leelakumariamma, whose struggle against endosulfan spraying in Kerala’s Kasaragod district is a monumental chapter in Indian environmental activism. Joining the agriculture department during the Green Revolution, she witnessed firsthand the deadly toll of chemical pesticides and the marginalisation of traditional farming. When aerial spraying of endosulfan—‘the toxic rain’—claimed her own brother’s life, grief turned into courage. She launched a legal battle that shook the establishment. Facing relentless intimidation, official hostility, and a suspected attempt on her life, she refused to back down. Her historic victory secured a life-saving ban, protecting humans and nature alike. Written in unvarnished, deeply moving prose, this memoir makes an urgent argument for the ethical ecological citizenship our troubled world demands.
The Authors
Leelakumariamma is an environmental activist based in Kasaragod, Kerala. Her legal battle against the spraying of endosulfan in local cashew plantations led to an eventual ban on the deadly chemical pesticide. When sprayed, endosulfan poisons soil, water and human bodies, causing severe brain damage, physical deformities at birth, cancer and lifelong illnesses across entire families and generations. Leelakumariamma was among the first activists to spotlight the plight of victims suffering from endosulfan poisoning across Kasaragod.
T. Ajeesh is an award-winning journalist and writer who works for Malayala Manorama
The Translators
Swarnalatha Rangarajan is Professor of English in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras.
R. Sreejith Varma is Assistant Professor in the Department of English at the Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT).
Foreword by Scott Slovic Preface: Lives Gripped by Poison by T. Ajeesh Preface: Poison by Leelakumariamma Acknowledgements A Note on the Translation Introduction by Swarnalatha Rangarajan and R. Sreejith Varma The Kasaragod Endosulfan Tragedy: A Timeline The Life-Giver Kasaragod and Endosulfan: A Brief Overview Interviews ‘Since I did not choose to relocate’: An interview with Leelakumariamma ‘Where had the rest of the peacocks gone?’: An interview with M. A. Rahman