BanabarataQuarterly News Letter Issue-80 March 2018

Editorial....

A number of dimensions of structural violence against womenand their rights were touched upon during a discourse conductedahead of the International Women’s Day. Violence against womenhas its manifestation in several forms. Apart from the directviolence like rape, murder and other which we can see, there areseveral forms of violence ingrained in our social system and awoman has no option but to suffer silently. Women, who constitutehalf of the population, constantly fight for their rights and dignity.

Rural women, most of whom, depend on natural resources forsustenance, are the worst sufferers of structural violence. The rapidurbanisation and the wave of the so-called development jeopardizetheir lives by squeezing their livelihood options. Noted speakerswho represent various sectors ranging from social to academiashed light on the less-discussed form of violence that is widespreadand deprives a significant portion of the population from theirbasic needs.

Apart from agriculture, collection and selling of minor forestproduces have been the major source of livelihood for ruralwomen. Most of these women had their remarkable contributiontowards enriching and protecting the natural forests, which wenta long way in attaining sustainability in their livelihood. They havenever demanded a penny from the government or any agenciesfor their service to Mother Nature. This unwritten agreementbetween the Nature and the rural and tribal women which hasbeen continuing since time immemorial is being interruptedconstantly due to numerous interventions. These unwantedinterventions not only have their negative impacts on theproduction of forest and uncultivated food, it breaches the naturalstability created by the interdependence of human and the nature.

Here are a couple of flaws in our legal system which finds itsexpression in the form of violence against women.

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BanabarataIssue-80, March 2018

EditorsPuspanjali Satpathy

Y.Giri RaoManas Ranjan Mishra

Contains

Editorial... 1

Cultural Disintegration... 4

Environmental .... 9

Our endangered .... 17

Tale of a Forest Hamlet 19

Machhakunda Displaced..23

River, a metaphor ... 26

Supported by

Translated byPragatipravaDesigned by

Sakuntala Acharya

In several instances, natural forest environment is ruined due tounjust plantations under various schemes. Creepers, shrubs andbushes are cleared from forest land on the plea of ensuring healthygrowth of huge trees. Species like teak, acacia and chakunda areplanted in the place. All these destroy the natural habitat and createa surrounding that is harmful not only for the human beings andanimals, but for the environment too. This harmful practice reducesthe production of varieties of uncultivated foods like mushrooms,greens, roots, fruits and berries and thus negatively impacts thefood security of the tribals. Women are the worst victims of thispractice as they are the primary gatherers of the forest produce.As the grazing land of wild animals gets ruined due to this practice,they are forced to stray into human habitations – the reason behindhuman-animal conflict.

The irony is that while plantation is being adopted for expansionof forest cover, theforest department under its working plan iscontinuing the practice of coupe felling. Even though they justifythis measure as helpful for forest regeneration, a sapling is notequivalent to a grown-up tree, which enriches the nature with itsflowers, fruits, roots, shades and many other things. Further, naturehas its own regeneration potential to create a balancedenvironment maintaining its diversity to cater to the needs of wildanimals and forest-dwellers. Tribal women feel secured in the lapof the Nature as all her necessities like food, shelter, clothing andeven medicines get fulfilled. Apart from food security, the forestproduce also makes them economically sound and thus provides asense of social security. But practices like CAMPA and coupe fellingnot only have their adverse impact on women, it creates the groundto make them prone to be the victim of violence. The humaninterference through CAMPA plantation and forest department’sworking plan destroys the valuable natural resources.

In the run for development, sustainability has taken a backseat.The glitz of ephemeral development seems to allure even theresponsible citizens. Displacement comes up as a major problemduring the implementation of developmental projects. Gettingdisplaced from one’s native place and settling in an alien landwithout basic facilities makes the forest-dwellers insecure and thewomen are the worst sufferers. Even the government’s system ofcompensation is discriminatory so far as gender is concerned.

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Women’s marital status and age are counted asthe parameters of their eligibility to availcompensation. While they are regarded as weakand vulnerable in our social system, thegovernment, instead of taking initiatives tostrengthen their position, makes the womeneven more helpless through its variousprovisions. It is unfortunate that gender bias iseven ingrained in the government law.

Just recently, two villages were displaced fromDebrigarh sanctuary in Bargarh district. Insteadof rehabilitating them as per the rules, eachfamily was given a compensation of Rs 10 lakh.While the rules have it that compensation shouldbe given to each person aged above 18 years,it has imposed conditions in the case of women– the women eligible to get compensation needto be single. After the issue was raised, the male Puspanjali Satpathy

Email:puspanjali@vasundharaorissa.orgMobile:09437241220

persons aged above 18 years were givencompensation as per the rules. However, at least18 girls of these two villages are yet to get thecompensation amount. In a social system, girlsare more vulnerable so far as their educationalqualification and level of awareness isconcerned. In such a situation, while thegovernment system should prioritize theinterests of women, it is unfortunate that thebenefits elude them.Such discrimination is aform of structural violence.

In the current scenario, when issues like genderbias and degradation of natural resources aremaking headlines, it is high time we joined handsto restore our natural resources and bridge thegaps to attain gender equality.

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Cultural Disintegration; Tribes at receiving end

By Umakant Dash

Old gets replaced by the advent of new. This isvery apt when we talk about culture. There hasbeen a huge transformation in the culture,language, attire and lifestyles of the Indians

thanks to the British who were able to rule thesubcontinent directly.

The English-educated layer of the Indian societyand even others absorbed the values, notions,culture and lifestyle of the Britishers. Theyremained Indian only in their physicalappearance and colour, but became Europeansin their thoughts.They are considered asprogressive – who tend to accept changes. TheIndian consciousness has taken a certain formso far their inclination to accept changes inconcerned. But the people in a number ofregions, failed to adapt to the wave of the so-called progress and accept transformation. TheBritishers created the impression that they needto be educated in order to adapt to the waveof ‘progress.’

If we look into the tribes of India, they havebeen residing inside the forests for generationswith very littleinteraction with the outside world.However, they have their special presence in

the history of Indian civilization. They foundsignificant mentions in Indian mythology. Theyare treated with utmost respect and given adignified place. Our great epics ‘Ramayana’ and‘Mahabharata’ have mentions of tribes likeKirata, Nishada, Shabar and many others.

While Ramayana has the mention of Shabar kingGuhaka, it also talks about Shabari, a destitutewoman of Shabar community, who fed KingRamachandra with her left-over wild berries.Pandav brothers Bhima and Arjun’s maritalalliance with forest dwellers and fightingbetween Arjun and Ekalabya, a Shabar boy, areglorified in ‘Mahabharata’. Thus the forestdwellers are a significant part of the Indianculture since time immemorial.

If we see the tribes from the prospective of theirtransformation following colonial exploitation,the colonial consciousness has least impact ontheir lives, lifestyles and culture. Even thoughacceptance to British culture was regarded assynonymous to progress and the society wasready to accept the new wave of Europeanthoughts, the primitive tribes of India prefer tocling to their originality. But in due course oftime, the tribes too absorbed the colonialthoughts.

If we look at the tribes in America, Africa andAustralia, the aboriginal inhabitants weretortured and slayed by the Europeans on theexcuse of making them civilized and bringingthem to the mainstream. Those who survivedthe torture, had no option but adopted atransformed culture, language and systemimposed upon them by their oppressors. Thesurviving communities are now talking inEuropean language and adopted their religion.Fortunately, the Europeans who had come to

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India to establish a trade relationship with thecountry being attracted by its prosperity, richcivilization, culture and traditions, did not dareto do the same in India.

They had tried their best to infuse the Europeanlanguage, religion and thoughts in theindigenous language, culture and traditions ofthe tribals, but failed. They used terms like‘tribes’, ‘tribal’ for the aboriginals of America,Australia and Africa. By these terms they meana community inferior from Europeans, savage,black and hateful. Though they used the sameterms – ‘tribes’ and ‘tribal’ – for the aboriginalsof India, they did not mean to indicate them asinferiors or mean it in an insulting way. Theyused it to categorize them as different fromother communities. Later, the Constitution ofIndia adopted the word with an Indiansynonym of ‘Adivasi’ which is a reflection ofrespect for the community. Now-a-days, wordslike ‘Vanabasi’ and ‘Janajati’ are also frequentlyused. The constitution also marked somegroups of Janajati as scheduled category. Post-independence, a number of steps are beingtaken and crores of rupees are being pumpedin to bring the community to the mainstreambut the results are not as expected.

A major part – North-East, South and CentralIndia – is dominated by tribals and Odisha isspecial state so far as the population of tribalpeople is concerned. At least 62 scheduled castecommunities reside in the state. The tribals

constitute 23.22 per cent of the total populationof the state. While the tribals exist in everydistrict, their number is centralised in thedistricts like Sundargarh, Mayurbhanj,Kandhamal, Koraput and Ganjam. Thedevelopment of the state depends on thedevelopment of these tribes who are laggingbehind so far as their socio-economic status isconcerned. It is the responsibility of the wholenation to educate the communities.

Whilethe diversity in culture, religion and otheraspects have unified India, the diversity isregarded as one of the unique characteristicsof the country. The difference on the basis ofgeography is also the highest in the country. Sofar as geography concerned, the tribals residein forests and hilly terrains – they take birththere, grow there and perish there. Theypractice agriculture, collect forest produce tomeet their needs of food and other necessities,live, sing, dance and observe their religiousrituals on the lap of the nature. Their culture,religious beliefs, festivals, social systems andeconomyare based on nature and forests. Theycannot imagine their lives without forests. Apartfrom trees, minerals, and rich natural resources,the tribal people coexist with wild animals andthis is their way of life. While the forests are onthe verge of extinction, they are alsoundertremendous pressure of mining extraction, roadconstruction, industrialisation and electricityproduction. This pressure on the nature, putsterrific burden on the tribal way of living. Theyare at the receiving end of all these processesof the so called development. The happy dwellersof forests are not only displaced, their livelihoodalso undergoes massive change. It putssurvivaland development of the tribals in jeopardy.

As their culture is complementary to theirlifestyle and livelihood, the destruction of forestsand their habitat it is a major bolt to their culture.The tribal community lack potential do not havethe potential. Though efforts are being made by

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the government to check the disintegration oftheir culture, all its attempts have proved futileas these are aimed at making them adopt a non-tribal lifestyle and culture. The government hasits logic behind it – bringing the so-calledbackward section of society to the mainstream.But, it is a wrong strategy adopted by thegovernment.

Now let’s take a look at the valiant Kondhs andhow the British left no stone unturned todisintegrate their cultural and social identity. Anumber of tribes reside in districts like Koraput,Kandhamal and Sundargarh. Kandhamal is theoriginal place of Kondhs – a race that is regardedas indomitable and heroic. During British rule,they were ruled by Ghumusar kings. Later, theydeclared their fights against the British underBhanja king Krushna Chandra Bhanja.

rebellion was strengthened after the Kondhsjoined it. The revolt of Kondhs of Ghumusar areaalso spread to Boudh, Dasapalla and Nayagarh– the areas which are dominated by Kondhs.The British rulers took a pledge to defeat thewarrior race as they were sure that withoutdefeating the race, it will be impossible for them

to spread their empire. To take a stockof the situation and devise a strategy todefeat the tribal community, the rulersdeputed George Edward Russel fromMadras to Ghumusar. The cunningRussel took a stock of the situation andsent a report to the governmentregarding the situation in Kandhamal.

The report suggested two strategies tokeep the Kondhs in grip – first: Entry ofBritish military force into the Kondh-dominated area on the excuse ofchecking human sacrifice (Meria), the

practice that was rampant at that time; second:Identifying the forts of the indomitable Kondhsand destroying those. The British military forceentered Kandhamal and started attacking theKondhs mercilessly. The cunning leadersucceeded in creating an impression that it isthe responsibility of the British to bring anuncivilized and barbaric race into the fold ofcivilization. The heroic race succumbed to thetorture and wrath of the British. Other tribes inthe state too faced the same fate.

The victory of British during Palasi war in 1757,laid the foundation of British rule in India. Tenyears later, when the British managed to enterOdisha and were in their attempt to strengthentheir roots in the state, the Kondhs started theirrebellion. During the Paik Rebellion (PaikaBidroha) in Odisha in 1817, around 400 Kondhsfrom Ghumusar marched to Khurda to extendtheir support to the Paiks in their fight againstthe British. They entered Banapur and raidedthe police station. The British was in constantterrorof this aggressive community. The Paik

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The valiant struggle of the Kondhs, however,failed to get a proper place in the history. InDecember, 1837, Ghumusar went under the ruleof the East India Company and later it cameunder the direct rule of the Ganjam districtcollector. In 1848, the rebellion of Kondhsspread toBoudh, Sonepur, Angul, Kalahandi andJeypore.

Even in the United States of America, which isregarded to be in the peak so far as developmentis concerned, the aboriginals existed at the timewhen the Europeans reached there. They havebeen residing there for ages according to theirown norms. They have their own rich culture,but the Europeans termed them barbarians andsavages. They took all possible measures todefeat them on their own land and succeededin their mission to a great extent. They managedto exterminate a majority of them.

A lot of communities from across reached thenewly-discovered piece of land and started theircivilization there. They used the aboriginals asanimals and engaged them in agriculture andother menial work. The freedom-loving racewas engaged as slaves in industries. They alsoimported people from African countries to usethem as slaves. Gradually, the originalinhabitants of America became aliens in theirown land. At a point of time, they lost their

existence. They remained the same in colourand physical structure, but their costumes,cuisines, religious beliefs, thought process, andviews on life changed. They adapted toeverything that is European – lifestyle, language,religion, food habits, education system andthought. After losing all their history and identity,currently, the next generation began searchingfor their identity. The same is going on in Africatoo. It indicates that advent of a new culture andits hostility slays the original one andunfortunately we accept the new culture as anintervention for progress.

Suppression of schedule tribe people is goingon everywhere and unfortunately thegovernment remains on the forefront. It is thegovernment employees, money lenders andtraders, who exploit the tribal people and inflictsubhuman treatment to them.

Recently, during a conference, of which I was apart, four scheduled tribe community membersfrom north Orissa were expressing theiranguish maintaining that they are beingdestroyed in the name of development. “They(the government) took away our forest, ourland, minerals and later displace us from our ownland. We lost our language, belief, culture, ourfree laugh, spontaneous song, and gracefuldance. We lost the rhythm of life in the name ofeducation and development. We lost our identity,our belief and contribution to the great Indianculture. While some of us embrace Hinduism,some others Christianity and others Islam, but

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where is the tribal culture, our unique systemof marriage and other things.

They continued, “The non-tribals, thoughacceptedthe wave of development, a foreignlanguage, customs, costumes and cuisine, theyhave not left their original thoughts. They arewriting books after books on Bible, Bhashyason Veda and conduct researches on severalissues, but the tribals have shed everything theiroriginal. A number of so-called scholars havecome up to research on tribals but there is noreflection of their originalculture and lifestyle.Their literature is devoid of the feel andvibration of the tribals.

A tribal’s identity is not necessarily in hisappearance and clothing, it lies in the vastnessof his thoughts, his simplicity, communityfeeling, empathy and brotherhood. Like a river,a tribal knows how to sacrifice for others. Histruthfulness and love for justice are his identity.”

“While on one hand we are being exploited, onthe other we are shown sympathy kindness.Even when a tribal suffers from utmost poverty,he never feel impoverished. Because, a tribalhas indomitable faith on Mother Earth and heknows that she will never disappoint him.”

They further added, “Whatever his clothing maybe, whatever his education or occupation maybe, but his consciousness should be a tribal’sconsciousness – vastness and generosity. Butin the current systemof development, there islittle chance of revival of the tribal’s identity.”

The four tribal youth ended their conversationwith a line from Nehru’sPanchsheel Treaty(FivePrinciples of Peaceful Coexistence): The tribalsshould be allowed to progress in their own way.

We should think over it. The intellectuals andthose who research on tribals should spare agood thought on this before planning strategiesfor tribal development.

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Environmental Thoughts of Gandhi for aGreen Future

By Sasikala A.S.(Dept. of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT,

Madras, Chennai-36)Abstract: The environmental concern as we understand today was not there at the time of

Gandhi, but his ideas on development, technology, self-sufficiency, village Swaraj etc. disclose hisenvironmental concern. Different streams of environmental philosophy have paid their

indebtedness to Gandhi.

Introduction

We live in a world in which science, technologyand development play important roles inchanging human destiny. However, over-exploitation of natural resources for thepurpose of development leads to seriousenvironmental hazards. In fact, the idea ofdevelopment is itself controversial in the presentsituation as in the name of development, we areunethically plundering natural resources. It istrue that a science that does not respect nature’sneeds and a development which does notrespect people’s needs threatens humansurvival. The green thoughts of Gandhi give usa new vision to harmonise nature with theneeds of people.

Gandhi was not an environmentalist in themodern sense. Although he did not create agreen philosophy or write nature poems, he isoften described as an “apostle of applied humanecology.”1 It is a fact that environmental

concerns were minimal in Gandhi’s time; buteminent environmental writers likeRamachandraGuha consider him an earlyEnvironmentalist.2 His views on nature arescattered throughout his writings. His ideasrelating to Satyagraha based on truth and non-violence, simple life style, and developmentreveal how sustainable development is possiblewithout doing any harm to nature and ourfellow beings. His idea that “nature has enoughto satisfy every one’s needs, but not to satisfyanybody’s greed” became one line ethic tomodern environmentalism.

Gandhi considered the earth a living organism.His ideas were expressed in terms of twofundamental laws: Cosmic law and the Law ofSpecies. Cosmic Law views the entire universeas a single entity. Nothing could malfunctionoutside the threshold limits built into the grandsystem that includes both living and non-livingphenomena.3 He believed that “the universewas structured and informed by the cosmicspirit, that all men, all life and indeed all creationwere one.”4 He wrote: “I believe in the advaita(non-duality), I believe in the” essential unity ofman and for that matter, of all that lives.Therefore, I believe that if one man gainsspiritually, the world gains with him and if oneman fails, the whole world fails to that extent.”5Regarding the law of species Gandhi believed

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that without the cooperation and sacrifice ofboth human and non-human beings evolutionis not possible. Being rational human beings, weare the custodians of the rest of creation andshould respect their rights and cherish thediversity. It is for this reason that taking morethan the required resources is seen as theft.Gandhi evolved these principles from his vastreadings and understandings of religioustraditions of Hinduism, Jainism, Christianity andIslam. His social, economic and political ideaswere framed on the understanding ofinterdependence of the whole universe.

Truth, Non-violence and Satyagraha

Truth and Non-violence are the fundamentalsof Gandhian Philosophy. Nonviolence or Ahimsameans non-injury, but to Gandhi non-violencewas much more than the absence of violence.He used it to mean non-injury in thought, wordand deed. Ahimsa, Satyagraha and Tapasya werethe basic principles that guided his life.6 Truthand Ahimsa are intertwined terms. To Gandhitruth is that “which determines the spirit inwhich one lives or the religious and ethicalcriteria which governs the way in which hethinks and acts.”7 He believed that truth can beachieved only by means of non-violence. Itaffords the fullest protection to one’s selfrespect and sense of honor. If truth is thehighest law, then non-violence is the highestduty. Gandhi claimed that truth was the mostcorrect and fully significant term that could beused for God. To practice Ahimsa is to realizetruth and to realize truth is to practice Ahimsa.The concept Satyagraha gave practicalexpression to the religious and ethical ideals oftruth and non-violence. Tapasya or self sacrificeis necessary to achieve the highest truth. Itinvolves freedom from fear and a willingness

to die. Gandhi believed that Satyagraha isnothing, but tapasya for the truth. The sufferingthat has to be undergone in Satyagraha istapasya in its fullest form.8Gandhi explained hisconcept of non-violence in the following terms.

1. Non-violence is the law of the humanrace and is infinitely greater than and superiorto brute force.

2. Non-violence affords the fullestprotection to one’s self-respect and sense ofhonor.

3. Individuals and nations who practicenon-violence must be prepared to sacrificeeverything for the welfare of the whole world.

4. Non-violence is a power which can bewielded equally by all - children, young men andwomen or grown up people, provided they havea living faith in the God of love and thereforehave equal love for all mankind. When non-violence is accepted as the law of life it mustpervade the whole being and not merely appliedto isolated acts.

5. It is a profound error to suppose thatwhilst the law is good enough for individuals it

is not for massesof mankind.9

Satyagraha is anactive form of non-violence. Gandhiconsidered it astruth force or soulforce. Satyagrahais based on the ideathat the moralappeal to the heartor conscience is

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more effective than an appeal based on thethreat or bodily pain or violence. Satyagrahaitself originates from the belief that whileviolence to persons and property diverts theminds of the parties concerned from the realissues involved, non-violent action invites theparties to a dialogue about the issuesthemselves.

The ecological scope of non-violence isunlimited. Gandhi’s faith in non-violence andvegetarianism made him a votary ofconservation of all diversity including all formsof l ife, societies, cultures, religions, andtraditions.10 Arne Naess, the pioneer of deepecology argued that ecological preservation isnon violent in nature.11 Naess introduced andThomas Weber systematized the relationbetween non-violence, self-realization andmutual dependence of all living beings in thefollowing points.

1. Self-realization presupposes a searchfor truth

2. All living beings are one

3. Himsa (violence) against oneself makesself-realization impossible.

4. Himsa against a living being is himsaagainst oneself

5. Himsa against a living being makescomplete self-realization impossible12

Naess used these principles to evolve a broaderphilosophy of environmentalism i.e, deepecology. He believed that Gandhi’s Utopia is oneof the few that shows ecological balance.13 AsGandhi envisaged, non-violence has the powerto solve all our problems, including ecological

crisis. Many thinkers considered the IndianEnvironmental Movements l ike Chipkomovement, Narmada BachaoAndolan (NBA) etc.as the l iving example of GandhianEnvironmentalism and they consider Gandhi asa “man with deep ecological view of life, a viewmuch too deep even for deep ecology.”14 Thekey agenda of the Chipko movement was thatcarrying forward the “vision of Gandhi’smobilization for a new society, where neitherman nor nature is exploited and destroyed,which was the civilizational response to a threatto human survival.”15 All these together madeGandhi an exponent of Indianenvironmentalism.

Gandhi’s Critique of Modern Civilization

Modern industrial civilization has had a hugeimpact on human kind as well as on theenvironment. It made a small part of thepopulation wealthy at the cost of exploiting theworld’s natural resources. Gandhi believed thatit propagates nothing other than the hunger forwealth and the greedy pursuit of worldlypleasures.16 Hind Swaraj, published in 1909,criticized the modern civilization as” ‘satanic’. Heobserved that ‘machinery is the chief symbolof modern civilization; it represents a great sin.It is machinery that has impoverished India.’17The distinguishing characteristic of moderncivilization is an indefinite multiplicity of wants,whereas ancient civilizations were marked byan imperative restriction upon, and a strictregulating of these wants.18 Gandhi believedthat the ancient civilizations were religious innature which would surely l imit worldlyambitions.

Gandhi believed that true civilizational valuesare not present in modern civilization. In Hind

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Swaraj Gandhi argued that what we think as‘civilization’ today is an illusion, and that anycivilization that ill treated outsiders could hardlyavoid ill treating its own people. Gandhi’scritique of western civilization and scienceemanates from his dissatisfaction with thedivorce of science and progress frommorality.19 He was not against the technology,but the technologism which creates ahierarchical relationship among men as well asbetween men and nature. Gandhi believed thatthe greatest achievements of modern civilizationhave been weapons of mass destruction, theawful growth of anarchism, the frightfuldisputes between capital and labor and crueltyinflicted on innocent, dumb, living animals in thename of science and technology. He believed ascience to be science only if it afforded the fullestscope for satisfying the hunger of body, mindand soul.

Modern civilization involved an egregiousamount of violence against nature which waslargely seen as man’s property. Thisundermined man’s unity with his environmentand fellowmen and destroyed stable and longestablished communities.20 Natural resourceswere ruthlessly exploited and their rhythm andbalance disturbed while animals were killed ortortured for human needs. Gandhi believed thatvillages would soon disappear due to theurbanization which is part of moderncivil ization, and of which environmentaldegradation is a product.

While the western environmentalists spread themessage of “going back to the nature” Gandhispread the message of “going back to thevillages”. He believed that the “the blood of thevillage is the cement with which the edifice ofthe cities is built.”21

Ecological Economics of Gandhi

Modern economy is “propelled by a frenzy ofgreed and indulges in an orgy of envy.”22 Itmakes man more materialistic at the risk ofmajority and the environment. Gandhi assertedthat “true economics stands for social justice; itpromotes the good of all equally, including theweakest and is indispensable for decent life”.23Dr. J C Kumarappa summed up Gandhianeconomic ideas as constituting philosophy thatsought to create an “economy of permanence”.All nature is dovetailed together in a commoncause”. Kumarappa argued that “when thisinterconnection works out harmoniously andviolence does not break the chain, we have aneconomy of permanence.”24 He identifieddifferent types of economies and realized thatthe highest form of economy is the economy ofservice which Gandhi suggests. Gandhianeconomic Concepts like swadeshi, trusteeship,bread labouretc received attention andacceptance from the whole world.

The swadeshi spirit encourages us to consumecommodities made from our own villages, thuspromoting small scale industries which helpordinary farmers and weavers to live happily.Limitation of wants is another important aspectin Gandhian economics. Gandhi urged us tominimize our wants to minimize theconsumption and thus reduce the burden onnature by avoiding hazardous wastes. Ourcivilization, culture and swaraj depend on therestriction of wants. Gandhi realized that themodern civilization and the market economicshave a tendency to multiply the wants and needsof common people. Bread labour is anotherimportant economic concept of Gandhi. Hevalued bodily labor saying “the rains come notthrough intellectual feats, but through sheer

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bodily labor. It is a well established scientific factthat where forests are denuded of trees, rainscease, where trees are planted rains areattracted and the volume of water receivedincreases with the increase of vegetation”.25The Gandhian concept of bread laborencourages the use of human hands and bodyinstead of machines to produce essential itemslike7 vegetables, cloth etc.

The economic ideas of Gandhi differed fromconventional economics and bore closeresemblances with ecological economics. Theterm sustainable development was not muchdiscussed at Gandhi’s time, but his ideal vision

of the world known as Sarvodaya safeguard therights of future generations, through thewelfare of all. The following table shows thedifference between conventional economicsand Gandhian economics and reveals how itcontributes to environmental sustainability.

Gandhian Conflict Resolution andEnvironment

Conflict resolution is an emerging branch ofsocial science which deals with the techniquesto resolve conflicts between nations or betweenindividuals. It can also be applied to addressenvironmental issues.

Table 1: Differences between Conventional and Gandhian Economics

Economics Conventional Gandhian EconomicsBasic philosophy Materialistic Spiritual

World View Human Centric Eco centric (considers theequal right of human andnon human beings.

Macro Aim Profit Maximization Sustainable commu­nitiesthrough agricul­ture andconstructive programmes.

Views on Science Inevitable part of human progress ‘Scientirism’ the ‘technologism’and Technology makes modern man slaves of

machines

Views on natural Maximum benefit out of natural Limited use of resourcesresources resources

Views on modes of Mass production with the aid of Production by the massesproduction modern technology

Nature of production Capital ‘intensive Labor intensive

Views on the market Large scale market induced by Local and national (Swadeshi)globalization

Nature of Power Power vested in the indus­trial nations Power belongs to peopleor the corporate (centralization of (decentralization of power andpower and resources) resources)

Outcome Urbanization, environ­mental crisis, Village swaraj, and environmentalresource depletion and natural sustainabilitycalamities.

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Whenever there is a mismatch betweendifferent interests, conflicts arise. Gandhiannon-violence or Satyagraha is accepted by manyas an effective technique of conflict resolution.Gandhi never used the word ‘conflictresolution’; instead he use terms like mediationand ‘negotiation’. He never considered conflictsas problems, father, they were opportunities formoral growth and transformation.

‘The contribution of Gandhi in conflictresolution was his “working hypothesis that thenon-violent resolution of group conflict was apractical goal.”26 His philosophy of truth andnonviolence contribute to the theory of conflictresolution. Gandhi believed that truth is one anddifferent individuals perceive it differently.Nobody can claim that their perception iscorrect. If we are not sure about the supremetruth there is no need of violence or conflict. Inorder to realize truth one should have to realize

God. Self realization is the way to realize God.Self realization will lead us to refrain fromviolence against other beings.

So far as the Indian environmental movementsare concerned, the conflict is often betweendifferent interest groups or between the stateand people, and are often led by peasant groupsor tribal people. It is often in the form of strugglefor the protection of livelihood control overresources or some form of self-determination.

Environmental injustice, and marginalization areconsidered as instances of structural violence.As Gandhi believed violence and counterviolence will never help to resolve conflicts, heconsidered Satyagraha as the “only force ofuniversal application be that of Ahimsa or love”to fight these kinds of problems.27 It is entirelydifferent from mere passive resistance, wherethere is no scope for mutual love. In passiveresistance, Gandhi believed “there is a scope forhatred” but “Satyagraha may be offered to one’snearest and dearest.”28

Environmental movements in India usedSatyagraha as the moral equivalent of war.Forest Satyagraha was first used effectively inChipko movement to protest againstdeforestation. Gandhian techniques likepadayatras were conducted to save nature.Conflict resolution techniques based on non-violence and self sacrifice were used byenvironmental activists like Chandi Prasad Bhatt,Baba Amte, SunderlalBahuguna, MedhaPatkerand others.

Conclusion

Several decades before the rise ofenvironmental movements, Gandhi picked upfundamental environmental issues like over-

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consumption, violence to man and nature andso on. There are several movements indifferent parts of me globe fighting againstenvironmental injustice. Some of them areviolent in nature, but in India environmentalmovements have been forged by Gandhiantraditions of non-cooperation and non-violence.The Gandhian definition of non-violence is farmore than mere passive resistance, rather “itis a way of life, which affects everything /fromwhat a person eats through to how they relateto the world around them”29. Gandhian

Satyagraha often functions as a conflictresolution technique. Gandhi wrote much aboutthe colonial power, its impudence, and theheinous destiny it has imposed on the country.He criticized modernization andindustrialization for its lethal effects on thesociety. He believed that “the economicimperialism of a single tiny island kingdom(England) is today keeping the world in chains.If an entire nation of 300 million took to similareconomic exploitation, it would strip the worldbare like locusts.”30 He observed that the Indiansituation demanded a new vision on economicswhich is centered on agriculture and villageindustries. He conceptualized a new economicorder based on ecological balance. The villageromanticism of Gandhi has been considered ascentral to his environmental philosophy.However, going back to the thoughts of Gandhiis essential to build up a green future, wherethere is no place for human greed.

Notes and References

1. T N Khoshoo, Mahatma Gandhi: An Apostleof Applied Human Ecology (New Delhi: TERI,1995), p.9.

2. RamachandraGuha, “Mahatma Gandhi andEnvironmental Movement in india” in ArneKalland and Gerard Persoon (ed),Environmental Movements in Asia (London:Nordic Institute of Asian Studies &Routledge,1998), p.67.

3. R P Mishra, “Facing EnvironmentalChallenges; The Gandhian Way”.AnasaktiDarshan, 5, 2 (July-December 2009),p.9.

4. Bhikhu Parekh, Gandhi’s Political Philosophy;A Critical Examination (London: Macmillan,1989), p.72.

5. Young India, December 4, 1924.

6. Daniel M May ton II, Non Violence and PeacePsychology: Interpersonal, Intrapersonal,societal and World peace (New York: Springerand Science + Business Media LLC, 2009), p.6.

7. Glyn Richards, The Philosophy of Gandhi: AStudy of His Basic Ideas (UK: Curzon, 1991),p.33.

8. Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi (CWMG),(New Delhi: The Publication Division, Ministryof Information and Broadcasting, Government

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of India, and Ahmedabad: The Navajivan Trust,1965), Vol. XVI, p.13.

9. Harijan, September 5, 1936

10. T N Khoshoo, op.cit. p.3.

11. Arne Naess, “Self Realization: An Ecologicalapproach to Being in the World” in John Seed,Joanna Macy et.al (ed), Thinking Like aMountain: Towards a Council of All Beings(Philadelphia: Society Publishers, 1988), p.26.

12. Thomas Weber, 2009, p. 18

13. The Selected Works of Arne Naess (SWAN),Edited by Allen Drengson in cooperation Withthe Author, (Netherlands: Springer, 2005), Vol.2,p. xviii.

14. R C Sharma, Gandhian Environmentalism(New Delhi: Global Vision, 2003), p.45.

15. Vandana Shiva and JayanthoBandopadhyay,“Chipko in India’s Civilizational Response to theForest Crisis” in India’s Environment: Myth andReality (Dehra Dun: Natraj, 2007), p. 21

16. Ramashray Roy, Self and Society; A Study inGandhian Thought (New Delhi: Sage, 1985), pp.36-38

17. M K Gandhi, Hind Swaraj or Indian HomeRule (Ahmedabad: Navajivan Trust, 1938), p.81.

18. Young India, June 2, 1927

19. Shambhu Prasad, “Towards anunderstanding of Gandhi’s views on science”,

REFERENCES:1. Environmental Thoughts of Gandhi for a Green Future by A.S. Sasikalawww.satyagrahafoundation.org/environmental-thoughts-of-gandhi-for-a-green-future/2.Gandhi and the Ecological Vision OF Life Thinking BEYOND Deep Ecology by Vinay Lal,www.satyagrahafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Environ.pdf3.Gandhian Philosophy of Education and Its Relevance for Sustainability byDr.Dayananda.K.C,IOSR Journal Of Humanities And Social Science (IOSR-JHSS) Volume 22, Issue 10, Ver. VII (October.2017) PP 41-44 e-ISSN: 2279-0837, p-ISSN: 2279-0845. www.iosrjournals.org

Economic and Political Weekly, 36, 39(Sept.2001), pp. 3721-3723.

20. Bikhu Parekh, op.cit., p. 23.

21. CWMG, Vol.XCI, p. 57

22. E F Schumacher, Small is Beautiful: A Studyof Economics as if People Mattered (London:Vintage Books, 2011), p.18

23. Harijan, Oct. 9, 1937

24. J C Kumarappa, Economy of Permanence:A Quest for a Social Order Based on Non-violence (Wardha, C. P. : All India VillageIndustries Association, 1946), p. 5

25. Young India, October 15, 1925

26. SWAN, Vol V, p.5.

27. CWMG, Vol. XLVIII, p.341.

28. CWMG, Vol. XXXIV, p.97.

29. Timothy Doyle, Environmental Movementsin Minority and Majority Worlds: A GlobalPerspective (London: Rutgers University Press,2005), p.18.

30. CWMG, Vol. XLIII, p. 413.

SASIKALA A S is a Research Scholar attached tothe Department of Humanities and SocialSciences, IIT Madras, Chennai. Email:sasikalaalappattu@gmail.com

(Source: https://www.mkgandhi.org/articles/green_future.htm)

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Our endangered biosphereIt’s time to stop mindless exploitation of nature

By Nadiyachand Kanungo

March 23 is observed as the “WorldMeteorological Day.” It holds immensesignificance as it implies our growing concernover climate change and environmentaldegradation.

March has been chosen by the climatologistsas the month to generate awareness aboutglobal warming and climate change as it is themonth when winter completes its term and thesummer starts its course. The earth witnessesa rise in temperature combined with waterscarcity.

Water, air flow, soil and temperature are veryimportant factors of our biosphere and abalance of these factors contributes to a healthybiosphere. An increase or decrease of any ofthese factorsis responsible for climate change.Nature accords a certain standard to each ofthese factors and other elements whichconstitutes it. If the standard of any of thesefactors is violated, natural disaster occurs andsuch disasters are now occurring morefrequently. Concerned citizens across the globehave now come together to discuss aboutclimate change and how to mitigate its impacts.

Now a days, the term eco-system is widely beingused. The term eco-system means

a community made up of living organismsand nonliving components such as air, waterand soil. Ecosystems include interactions amongorganisms, and between organisms and theirenvironment. Human interference has a verynegative impact on the ecosystems throughoutthe world and this results in climate change.Several species of plants and animals and birdshave faced extinction from the planet due tohuman interference and a lot more are on theverge of extinction.

Ecosystems are diseased throughout the world.If we see the ecosystem in the context of Odisha,the state was rich with dense forests comprisedof variousnative species of plants, birds, animalsand mineral resources. It has degradedconsiderably with depletion of green cover andvanishing of a number of plant and animalspecies.

A major portion of the area, which belongs tothe nine princely states (Gadajata)of yesteryears, is dominated tribals. The area was oncerich with natural resources and was peacefullyinhabited by as many as 62 tribes, who weresolely dependent on nature and naturalresources. Their peaceful existence was throwninto winds with the extensive mining extraction.

These nine-tribal dominated districts aresituated on the Eastern Ghats and the hill rangeused to be their sole means of sustenance. Theextensive mining extraction in the serene hillsnot only negatively affected the ecosystem, italso had its negative impacts on the tribals andtheir way of living.

A healthy climate is closely related to serene hills,the source of rivers, lakes, streams and other

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water resources. Existence of these pristinewater resources cannot be thought of withouthills. The hills too are the parents of a numberof tribes. These nine tribal-dominated districts– Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Sundargarh,Kandhamal, Kalahandi, Gajapati, Koraput,

Malkangiri and Nabarangpur – are parts ofEastern Ghats and act like watersheds.

These mineral-rich districts have enough landto set up industries and another advantage isthat the government faces least protest fromthe inhabitants against the mining andindustrialisation initiatives.The governmentintends to implement its development initiativesin these areas through an agency andthe shapeof development is still unclear.

Apart from the Eastern Ghats, the mother of allwater resources, there is no room in otherareas to set up industry. If any industry comesup on the upper catchment and that too at thesource itself, pollution is an inevitable outcome.Polluted rivers are the reasons behind seapollution. Air pollution is also a natural outcomeof all industrial activities. It does not happen inour state only, the whole world is a victim ofextensive and unmindful industrialisation.Thewater and the air have a certain capacity to bearpollution. If it exceeds the limit, the whole planetwill be a bundle of toxic material.

While theforest cover has reduced considerablydue to industrialisation andurbanization hastaken its toll on the green cover, the matter ofconcern is that the Odisha Forest DevelopmentCorporation (OFDC) is engaged in unmindfulfelling of innumerable trees under severalexcuses.The whole universe has to face thewrath of climate change in its worst form iframpant felling of trees goes on unabated bythe OFDC.

If we look at the season system, we used toexperience six seasons earlier. But the numberhas been reduced to three – rainy, winter andsummer. And gradually, summer has begun itssway over other seasons. Unprecedented heat– as high as 40degrees Celsius – is recorded inMarch and that too in coastal region.

Too much of carbon dioxide (CO2) in theatmosphere acts as a blanket trapping heat andwarming the planet. In the absence of greencover to sink carbon, the planet has to bear thebrunt of global warming and the resultingclimate change.

Excessive use of fossil fuels like coal, oil andnatural gas for energy and burning of forestsresults in excessive carbon accumulation whichoverloads our atmosphere. It devoid theatmosphere of its life force and results indepletion of ozone layer. The density of the layeris reducing and the holes are growingbigger,thanks to the excessive use of fridges, airconditioners and other such appliances.Degradation of the layer which checks thehazardous ultraviolet ray of the sun fromentering the earth, is a matter of concern.

Every country tries to achieve a prosperouseconomy. But economy should be sustainable.However, the current economic policy whichexploits the natural resources is destructive not

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only for a particular region or the country, butfor the whole universe.

The growth in the world population has put theability of earth to feed mankind in jeopardy.Excessive application of chemical fertilizers andpesticides has polluted the soil. It is high timewe switched over to application of organicfertilizers and pesticides. But it takes time toprepare fertilizers and it seems we are not ableto afford so much time for it.

If we continue such exploitation of water, air,natural forests and soil, it will increase the paceof destruction resulted by climate change.

Plantation initiatives can never be a substituteof the natural forests. Recently, our ChiefMinister announced that the state recordscreation of 8000 sqkm of forests. However,‘forests’ is a wrong terminology used in thiscase, it can be termed as ‘tree cultivation’instead.

It is high time, we protected our natural forestsfrom smuggling, fire outbreak, and clearing itfor marijuana plantation and at the same timeconserved our water resources and soil.

The reasons behind the formation of hundredsof human settlements inside the forest which areyet to be accorded revenue village status are notonly diverse but their history too is veryinteresting. According to census-2011, thenumber of such villages stands at 613. Besides,there are several such villages which have notbeen included in government records and theyare yet to be identified. Though the names ofthe villagers have been merged with onerevenue village or the other in an urgency togive them voting rights, they are yet to get theright to their land and caste status as per thegovernment rule. They also don’t get the basicamenityof a human being. Though the timingand reason behind the establishment of thehuman colonies is different, one common factoramong them is all the villages still wait to getrevenue village status. Even as The Forests RightsAct (FRA) has all the provision to accord themthe status, not a single forest village andunsurveyed village of the state has accorded

Tale of a Forest HamletPuspanjali Satpathy

such status even after a decade of enforcementof the Act.

Provisions under the Forests Right Act

Forest human settlements have got a mentionin Section 3(1) (h) of the FRA. All the forestvillages, old human settlements whether they arerecorded or not, unsurveyed villages and othervillages inside the forests are entitled to beconverted and settled as revenue villages. Tomake the conversion process clear, detailsexplanations were made in FRA’s amended lawof 2012. On the identification of such coloniesand merger with revenue villages, Section 2(A)says “The list of unrecorded,unsurveyed,unsettled forest villages would beprepared and passed in a resolution throughthe Gram Sabha following which it would besubmitted to a sub-divisional level committee”.

The process of conversion would progress afterthe list is submitted by the sub-divisional

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committee to a district-level committee. Further,a guideline was laid by Union Tribal Affairministry to convert the unserveyed villages intorevenue villages. All stages of conversion areclearly mentioned there in the guidelines.Despite all these measures and several lettersfrom State Scheduled Tribe DevelopmentDepartment to the district collectors, there is noheadway in this direction. To expedite theconversion of unsurveyed villages into revenuevillages, the state revenue department has issueda fresh guideline on February 2, 2017 markingclearly the work and responsibility of thecollectors, sub-divisional level committees,revenue officials and state board of revenueafter several number of discussion at state-levelreview committee. Besides, if the village isestablished before its identification on the basisof the census, it can be accorded to revenuestatus. The list of such villages has been sent tothe respective collectors.

According to the information collected by thelocals, the number of unserveyed villages ismore than the number shown in governmentrecord. The government rule 2(A) says the listavailable at panchayat, sub-divisison, districtlevelsshould be sent to state level monitoringcommittee (SLMC). However, no move has beenmade so far in this direction. Information on afew villages of Sambalpur district has beenproduced before the district welfare officer. Thecollector should notify every village on thatbasis. This is the preliminary process ofconversion of an unsurveyed village into arevenue village.

Status of unsurveyed villages in Sambalpurdistrict

There are seven unsurveyed villages inSambalpur district, according to last census

report. However, locals claim there are 11 suchvillages of which Survejal and Guruapada arethe colonies for the people displaced by Rengalidam. Each family of both the villages has got 6acres and 50 decimal of land each ascompensation. They now live under thejurisdiction of demarcated protected forest andgot their lands there. However, these two villagesare yet to be given the status of revenue villages.The administration has begun the preliminaryprocess for conversion. Many dam outsteesliving in DPF are still struggling with theirdemand for four revenue villages in Deogarhdistrict

Questions are raised over the interest,transparency and responsibility of the officialsas the enforcement of law, clear provision underthe law, required guidelines and mostimportantly frequent reprimand by the higherofficials are yet to bear any result. Forget aboutmaking the forest dwellers aware on the law,conscious common citizens are also not awareon the subject. In view of this, Vasundhara hasmade an attempt to assist the government andadministration to convert the unsurveyedvillages into revenue villages. Meanwhile, a fewunsurveyed villages have been included in thedrive while several others are yet to be touched.After Survejal, Guguapada, Sahajbahal andDangateka, Vasundhara recently touchedKhuntiamba.

Unsurveyed village Khuntiamba

The village is located at the heart of Badaramasanctuary under Jamankira block of Kuchindasub-division. There are 23 to 24 famillies in thevillage and most of them belong to tribal Kondh,Ganda and Kishan communities. There is noroad connectivity to the village due to the

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presence of a canal. The village is surroundedby green paddy fields followed by the boundarywall of the sanctuary. Only two hamlets withsome tile and thatched houses comprise thevillage. While the crops in nearby areas werehit by planthoppers (chakada poka), they wereunaffected in Khuntiamba village. The nearbyforest enhances the fertility of the soil. Evidently,the paddy growers use less fertilisers in theircultivation. Vasundhara came to know about thehistory of the village after speaking to fewresidents.

The government launched a drive to cleanse partof reserved forest to rehabilitate the ousteesof Hirakuda dam project during 1954-55. Somepeople of nearby Dungapal, Ledimul andPandibahal areas were engaged to level the landby felling the trees and removing their roots.At that time the forest was dense and therewere many wild animals in the area. Thedisplaced people had been dropped here in twovehicles. However, they didn’t dare to stay hereand went back out of fear. So, the landlessworkers engaged in the levelling of the landstarted living here and made it suitable for livingand cultivation. Now, every family owns threeto four acres of cultivable land. Apart fromcultivation, they manage to earn a bit fromforest resources and by working as dailylabourers. While the entire state witnessesbonded labourer system, the youths ofKhuntiamba claim none of them ever migrateto other states in search of work. The age ofKhuntiamba is as old as the Hirakud dam projecti.e. about six decades. As regards the Hirakudoustees, the Khuntiamba villagers are not awareabout their place of rehabilitation. It is unlikelythat the government has kept track of them.According to the villagers, the people evicted byRengali dam also came to Khuntiamba in a

vehicle but had to go back after seeing thesettled human habitation here. While it is theprime duty of the government to ensure properrehabilitation of the oustees, the administrationis least bothered about them. The fact came tolight when Vasundhara spotted some villageswhere the displaced people have rehabilitatedthemselves but the villages are yet to get thestatus of revenue villages. Apart from bearingthe pain of displacement, they are leading livessans any rights. There are examples where theevicted people have got provisional pattas – DCPatta for Hirakud displaced and K pattas forRengali displaced – those never provide themthe rights. Further, the forest department alsoforcibly plant saplings on their landsundermining their rights. It is relevant to discussabout the displaced people and the residents ofunsurveyed villages since their problems aresimilar.

The residents of Khuntiamba never put forththeir demand to convert their village into arevenue village. They are in dilemma as to howthey can seek such rights after getting settledown on government land without any rightseven as six decades have passed since theymoved to the forest. They are also ignorantabout revenue laws meant for the landlesspersons. Then their dwelling place is located inthe middle of Badarama sanctuary. They are notaware that there are chances of settlement ofthe land in their favour since they know nothingabout FRA-2006. When asked whether theyever approached the government for revenuevillage rights, one of the villagers said they didn’tknow about it. The level of awareness is sucheven after 10 years of enforcement of the Act.The reason is the department officials have nevertake initiative to make people aware. This is not

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only surprising, this is the reality ofadministrative system.

Apart from their residential houses andfarmland, no other basic amenities are madeavailable to the residents of Khuntiamba. Thenearest Anganwadi centre at Kurulukhmanvillage is two km away while the nearest schoolat Pandibahal is three km from Khuntiamba.The village comes under Chakuliabahalpanchayat and people have to travel nine km tocollect rations under PDS while the nearesthealth centre is at Fasimal, 10 km from the village.They didn’t have electricity facility even after halfa century of this village coming into existence.The village was given the facility only in 2013.There is a cremation ground at one end of thevillage but no pasture land. Moreover, they haveto meet the need of other villages. Explainingtheir plight, the villagers said they cannot raiserabi crops in their land following paddycultivation as the nearby villagers leave theircattle in the paddy fields of Khuntiamba. Thoughthey raise maize by putting up fence aroundthe field, it becomes increasingly difficult forthem to keep elephants away from their crops.They are only trying to save paddy giving theirbest.

It is clearly mentioned in FRA guidelines thatduring conversion of unsurveyed villages intorevenue villages, the residents can identify landsfor their houses, school, hospital, playground,grazing land, cremation ground, place ofworship, community centre and water bodiesand other infrastructural development. But thereis no land in Khuntiamba village to develop suchfacilities while the forest is next to the villageboundary. The forest activists expressed theirapprehension about the status as there werechances of the villagers cutting down the forest.There is provision in law to meet the basic needsof the people once a village is declared a revenuevillage and the law doesn’t permit to chop theforest. The villagers said apart from the areagiven to them, they haven’t touched any tree ofthe forest. Moreover, they have engagedthemselves in the protection of the forest. Theyare dependent upon the forest for their foodand other things. So, they can’t even think ofdestroying it.

A family of Khuntiamba has recently shifted toBaribandh of Kuchinda sub-division and hasgiven a written submission not to return to thevillage. The family cultivating about eight acresof land is still lying unoccupied. They have givena proposal to the villagers to use the land forthe cause of community.

There are certainly problems with the peoplebut the solution lies with them only. It can bedone taking them into confidence. However, theefforts seem missing in this direction.

It is really a great challenge to meet the needsof the people with maintaining the splendour offorest and environment.

The administration can lay emphasis on themass participation in proper execution of

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government laws. Settlement of forest villagesand preparation of their maps would not onlyensure the rights of the forest dwellers, illegallyentry into the village can also be checked in laterstage. This would streamline and protect theforest resources.

Meanwhile, the residents of Khuntiambavillageare gradually becoming aware ofgovernment law and sending the resolutions

passed in Gram Sabhas in the presence ofsarpanch to the sub-divisional committee. Theireffort to get the rights, meant for all Indiancitizens, would definitely bear fruits. However,the commitment of the political leaders,panchayat representatives, administrationcarries a great significance.

Machhakunda, despite being the firsthydroelectric project of Odisha, has not been ableto address the woes of the people who havesacrificed their lives’ best for the venture. Anumber of people are still living under sub-human conditions inside forests and cutoffareas, thanks to the indifferent attitude of thegovernment.

Even though a major part of the project belongsto the state, Odisha claims ownership over 30%of the electricity produced from the project,while Andhra Pradesh enjoys a lion share – 70%of the total electricity produced. So far asemployment is concerned, the project engages30% of the total manpower, while the remaining

Machhakunda Displaced left in the Lurch

By NrusinghanandaPanigrahi

70% man power belongs to Andhra. It is ahistorical injustice meted out to Odisha.Attempts have been made since 2002 to makea 50:50 share, but due to lack of political will,there has been no headway.

Construction of the project was started in 1950and the first phase work got completed in 1957,when three out the six units were madefunctional. Like in every major hydel projects,the problem of displacement and rehabilitationposed a major roadblock in the completion ofthe Machhakunda project. At that time, therewas no rule to rehabilitate and compensate theproject displaced. Due to lack of land settlement,the people too did not possess land records, forwhich, the displaced people were deprived ofcompensation.

Though the government has no proper anddetailed record regarding land acquisition andthe displaced people, some information collectedfrom old files maintained that total 24,000 acresof land was acquired for the water reservoir.While 18,200 acres of land belongs to Odisha,5800 acres belongs to Andhra Pradesh. Out of

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the total 238 villages which were submerged inwater, 156 belong to Odisha and 82 belong toAndhra Pradesh. Besides, the Power GenerationCentre at Jalaput, the Diversion Dam, ValveHouse and Winch House were also situated inOdisha.

Here are the problems of the submerged area:

Problems due to lack of land record: As theresidents did not possess land records due tolack of settlement, they failed to get thecompensation for displacement and otherbenefits. At that time no leader or privateorganisation was there to fight for the rights ofthe project-affected people. The inhabitantsdispersed into nearby forests and high lands andthe tribal community people were badly affecteddue to this.

Basic facility eludes:Basic facilities elude themin their new settlements as they do not possessland records. Most of them were settled downat Malkangiri.

Problems to get caste certificate: The displacedpeople had to run from pillar to posts to getcaste certificates as they did not have landpattas. The tribals and scheduled castecommunities were deprived of all the benefitsmeant for them.

Miserable rehabilitation colonies: Therehabilitation colonies have been running in avery miserable condition. There was no facilityfor education, road communication, electricity,health and drinking water.

Double displacement: Most of the residentsdisplaced for Machhakunda project were earlierdisplaced from Dandakaranya of Malkangiri. Innone of these cases, measures were taken fortheir rehabilitation.

Social problem: Most of the displaced peoplebelonging to Paraja, Gadaba, Rana, Mali andKondadora communities, were settled at placeswhich were inhabited by Koya, Bonda andBidayi communities. The displaced people facedsocial problems. They faced difficulties in gettingbrides or grooms for marriage and other issuesrelated to clash in customs and traditions. Theoriginal inhabitants of the place look the newlysettled people as inferior to them.

Problems of cutoff areas:There are some placesinside the reservoir which are situated in acomparatively high land and inhabited by theoriginal residents. Even though they did nothave to get displaced, they remained cutoff fromthe rest of the world. They had to face severalproblems, some of them are as follows:

Most part of their homestead andagricultural land got submerged in water,but they failed to get compensation. Theywere also not rehabilitated.

Even 50 years after their displacement,they lack very basic facilities l ikecommunication (in water route as thatis their sole means of communication),electricity, drinking water, education andhealthcare.

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All government facilities elude them asthey lack land records

Both Odisha and Andhra Pradeshgovernments claim their ownership oversome villages and the families residingin the cutoff areas are at the receivingend.

A brief note on the displaced families andsubmerged area:

Out of the 24,000 acres of landsubmerged in water, 18,200 acres oflands come under Odisha and the rest5800acres belong to Andhra Pradesh

Out of total 238 submerged villages, 156comes under Odisha and 82 underAndhra Pradesh

There are total 2406 affected families inOdisha, of which, 232 families belong toscheduled caste community and 1309belong to schedule tribe community

The submerged villages in Odisha includeNilaram, Sitamuddha, Petalgua,Banadhalapadar, Sanatalapadar,Ratanpadar, Panaspadar, Palaspadar,Tambaguda, Gunagarh, Kharakonda,Suban, Kanta, Pandarikonda, Tingaliputa,Lali, Sikarpur, Kataraguda and Arapilam.

A total of 70 villages were acquired forthe project and the Government ofOdisha acquired 20,794 acres. Theprivate land acquisition amounts to13,600 acres and it includes 7,210 acresacquired from STs and 749 acres fromSCs

While Rs 48,1, 490 was given to theaffected families as compensation, atotalof 2015 families including 1089tribal families were rehabilitated.

These families were rehabilitated in 28villages including Tarala, Kota,Sadashibapur, Kenduguda, Somanathpur,Pilokusumi, Atana, Mala, Maheswarpur,Uttarpadar, Jediamba, Janmarai, Diagudiand Arsi.

The total number of displaced people is16,000 including 8200 scheduled tribeand 1700 scheduled caste communitymembers.

The project-affected gram panchayatsinclude Jalaput, Atanda, Paraja, Badapada,Polur, Kularsinga and Padua.

There is no information regardingMachhakunda displaced anywhere, not even inthe office of the hydro-electricity project. Thewriter, had collected some information while hewas the Chief Engineer.

A number of private organisations are fightingfor the rights of the displaced people of Hirakud,Rengali, Upper Kolab, Ang, Indravati, HNL plantand other projects. However, not a singleorganisation has come up to present theproblems of the Machhakunda displaced beforethe appropriate authority. The hapless peoplehave resigned to their fates.

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Mountain and river, river and valley, valley andcivilisation, civilisation and culture, it is as if Ihave been trying to find my place in theseelements of nature. I have got the opportunityto read several poems and novels, history andphilosophy, autobiographies and travelogueswritten based on rivers. I have also seen thecreations on the rivers by the painters and triedto delve deep into their feelings. The attractionof a flowing river is eternal. The zest for life ofa boatman in the river is incredible. I have spentmany moonlit nights sitting on the banks ofriver, flipped through pages of Geography tounderstand the rivers and their distributaries.There is a deep link between the origination ofrivers and at the end their confluence with thesea. While science says it is a water cycle,according to philosophy the riverbeds aremuch like the life’s journey of a human beingand changes at every turn. It has to surpass thehill and make gorges, lakes and waterfalls. Allare beautiful and full of colour. Man has alwaystried to stop the flow of river to create dams,anicuts and canals but has he succeeded. This isan inspiration to start introspection. This is alsoa guiding force to discover one’s self and attainfulfilment. All our lives are like that. The river is

River, a metaphor for life

By Achyut Das

flowing beneath the earth and it would find itsway somewhere. Similarly, man cannot hidehimself. He faces several hurdles, instability andstability in the journey of life.We all have totread the path and no one can deviate from it.We have to walk on it for eternity and keepdiscovering it every moment. Is it not fascinating,the fragrance of life? River joins the sea andloses its characteristics. Similarly, the soul joinsthe super soul and that is the journey of life. Allthe spiritual definition and query lead to thispath. Whether you believe it or not, the riverthat originates from a drop of water has taughtthe human being to discover himself again andagain. River is the recitation of Satya(Truth),Shiva (Good) and Sundaram (Beauty). This isthe reason, human settlements as well as theplaces of worships have developed near the riverbank only. River Ganges is an example. River isour mother and we cannot deny it.

Our city is on the bank of a river. The thoughtsand emotion of childhood seem to have evolvedafter walking to the school on the road alongthe river. The tie of friendship has begun fromthe river bank.

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Someone or the other has rescued me at leastthrice while I was learning the nuances ofswimming. However, I am yet to learn the skill.If a moment of madness drives me to end life,the thrilling idea of jumping into the deep waterstrikes my mind. While travelling in the boats offishermen, the reflection of the cloud on the darkblue water has often given shapes to my queries.The idea of becoming a boatman to operate theboat has often crossed my mind. There is a largegorge at my grandpa’s village and the fishermenrush near due to their occupational compulsion.They catch varieties of fish and the memory isstill fresh in my mind. The boatmen at theupstream of the river use boat made frombamboo and wood. I ask them abouttheirlifestyle. How long they spend on the boatand how they cook and do other things. Theycontinue to catch fish day in and day out. I oftenpropose to accompany them but they just smileand don’t let me join saying I was too young togo for such activities. I fell in love of river beforereading ‘Mahanadire Jyotsna Vihar’ by poetMayadhar Mansingh, Mark Twain’s ‘HuckleberryFinn’, Hermann Hesse’s ‘Siddhartha’, Naipaul’s‘A bend in the river’, Marquez’ ‘Love in the timeof Cholera’. My love has today crossed all limitsas river for me is not only a philosophy. It is ascience and a key ingredient of environment.This is also a cultural festival. River not onlycontains water, it is also a home to countlessinsects, fishes, frogs, plants and other animals.River has contributed to the growth of humanhabitation, language and music. It has alsocreated politics, war and animosity. However,the river has been polluted and carries badname on countless instances. Bigger damprojects have left many families homeless whilefish population is on the wane. The river wateris no more suitable for human utility. The riverhas turned a commodity for business and

commerce. While some riverbeds remain dryacross the year, flood waters of a few otherrivers wash away everything one year afteranother. The meaning of spiritualism has lostforever. Man has converted the river into adrain for its narrow interests. Some rivers haveturned lifeless and the poets have stoppedchurning out heart-touching lines on rivers.

However, I have not lost hope. I continue to lovethe river, be it as a boatman or a pedestrian alongthe river bank. I want to go through the worldliterature written on rivers. It is said that Nobellaureate poet Rabindranath Tagore used to getinspiration to pen his lines on the banks ofKopai River and he has created manycharacters there. Even today people frequentthe banks of Kopai to get the feel of the greatpoet. It is true that the landscape has changedbut the legends continue to mesmerise people.World famous poet Gabriel Garcia Marquez inhis book ‘The river of our life’ says if he can getback his childhood days again, he would like tohave a boat journey in Magdelena river. People,who have never been to this river, can’t get thecharm. Marquez was taking boat rides twice ayear when he was at school. He has learnt morefrom these journeys than from studying in theschool. It takes five days’ of river voyage fromhis birth place to reach Columbia capital Bagota.In case of flood, it can take up to three weeks to

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arrive. Though pace of travelling on a boat isslow, the passengers spend time feasting theireyes with the mind-blowing sceneries.Crocodiles taking rest on the river bank, flockof cranes hovering in the sky, shoaling fishesmake the day of the travellers. However, thestink generated from the rotten carcass offloating cattle with vultures sitting on it becomesunbearable. The screaming of a pack of monkeys

often wakes the travellers from their sleepswhile the chirping of the parrots makes theatmosphere noisy.

But these days air travelling has taken away thecharm of journey through water routes. Thetravelling in river creates a bond between thepassengers and they even go on to plan their

next trip. Most importantly, the longer thejourney, more pleasurable it becomes.

Unfortunately, Magdelena river is almost deadthese days. The water has turned toxic killingmost of the aquatic animals.

But there is a silver lining with efforts beingmade to make the river alive after somejournalists brought Magdelena river’s sorrystate to the fore. Trees are being planted alongthe bank in crores of numbers. Sometimes suchinitiatives also face hurdles as the lands alongthe river are found under the possession ofindividuals. It cannot be assured alwayswhether they would allow plantation on theirlands. The river has turned a dump yard due tothe wastes released by the cities and industrialunits. Making the matter worse, plans are afootto narrow the width of the river which hastriggered a row in Columbia. People living alongMagdelena bank can pick up a new presidentwho would bring solution to the problemregarding the river.

Though the river flowing near my city hasturned toxic like Magdelena, it can be broughtback to life and conserved with political will.Let’s wait for that day.

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