In Kerala, the protest fast led by State Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan demanding a ban on endosulfan pesticide ended in the state capital Thiruvananthapuram on Monday evening. The Chief Minister who began the fast on Monday morning at the Martyr's Column in the capital, accepted a glass of lemon juice from noted Malayalam poet Sugathakumari, marking the end of the fast. The fast was part of the state-sponsored Anti-Endosulfan Day observed in Kerala.Mr. Achuthanandan also came down heavily on Union Minister Sharad Pawar for his stand on Endosulfan. A pledge to continue the fight against Endosulfan was also taken on the occasion. Similar pledges expressing solidarity with the endosulfan victims were administered at various district headquarters in the state, in which people from different walks of life took part.