Five districts in the southern-most region of Chhattisgarh: Kanker, Bastar, Dantewada, Narayanpur and Bijapur, together form the erstwhile administrative division of Bastar in Madhya Pradesh. These are largely forested and hilly regions, with a predominant tribal population, the major communities being Halba, Gadaba, Pardhi, Kamar, Bhattra, Dhurwa, Muria, Maria, Bison horn Maria, Dandami Maria Gond, Raj Gond, Dorla, Hill Maria, Pardhan and Mudia.
Verrier Elwin, a brilliant Oxford scholar who chose to settle down in Bastar for several years, wrote extensively on the Baigas, the Agarias, and the Gonds. Elwin found the tribals of Bastar "gentle, friendly, with no desire for property or power".
The tribal economy and means of survival are linked inextricably to land. They share a common philosophy that recognizes the dependence of life on water, forests and land – this belief evolved a way of life that is dependent on forest resources yet use them in a sustainable way.
Over the decades, the centrality of Chhattisgarh on the trade map of the country resulted in an unprecedented growth in the settlements of non-tribals. The self-regulating mechanisms also weakened with the distancing of communities from the natural resources, resulting in their over-use and exploitation.
Chhattisgarh was carved out of Madhya Pradesh on November 1, 2000. Its creation offered the elusive promise of access to basic amenities: education, health, secure livelihood and infrastructure facilities like transportation and communication. The densely forested areas in south Chhattisgarh are also the most mineral rich areas which are home to several tribal communities. The creation of the new sate fostered the hope that its enormous wealth of natural resources would benefit its substantial tribal population that had faced marginalization and disadvantage for several decades.
Across villages, thousands of youth have now grown up in an environment of violence in the decades-old conflict intensified by Left Wing Extremism (commonly referred to as Naxalism and Maoist conflict. The socio-psychological impact on the children of the region is acute and increasingly worsening. Women have faced the brunt of the violence, whether in their forested villages or in the State-run relief camps along the highways.
Once hopeful of obtaining their entitlements with support from the Naxals, the communities now face a gradual yet steady disenchantment, with the threat to their lives overshadowing the decades of socio-economic marginalization.
The present conflict in the region, coupled with land acquisition for industrial activity, has disrupted the sustainable way of life, leaving thousands of tribal communities economically vulnerable and uncertain about their access to, and sustainability of, their traditional sources of livelihood.
A tribal leader summed up the situation succinctly when she said, “The people are not anti-industry, but experience has shown us that none of the promises are met. We are displaced from our lands without proper rehabilitation venues or care for our cultural values." |
