3.30pm, July 27, 2003. Strong winds and a thunderstorm hit Ladang Braemer in Kajang, Selangor, flooding several parts of the estate.

On a stage in the middle of a field, estate workers' committee chairperson D Ganesan slept peacefully. Just 30 minutes earlier, he had brought to conclusion a momentous celebration to end a 10-year-old historic struggle for justice.

Close to 1,0000 people came to the estate that day. Among them were Kajang state assembly person Dr Shafie Abu Bakar, political leaders and NGO activists.

Well-wishers, friends and relatives turned up by the busloads from Klang, Perak, Negri Sembilan, Kedah and Johor. But the day belonged to the 14 grey-haired women and the youths of the estate. It was their day to celebrate a hard-earned victory.

For, on July 2, an agreement had finally been signed to provide alternative housing for these former estate workers.