Niyamgiri Diaries

As the plane cruises down on Bhubaneshwar and clouds shift, you get the first glimpse of emerald rolling green hills through cotton wool clouds and your heart cannot, but skip a beat if you are a die-hard romantic like me. The magnificent Niyamgiri Hills, home the to the 8000 Dongria Kondhs is situated in the Eastern Indian state of Odisha. A mineral rich state but which, alas lies under these glorious green jewels.  Now you know where James Cameron created the hanging mountains of Pandora from and the story of much acclaimed Avatar, right?

Niymgiri has been in news in the last seven eight years due to setting up of bauxite mining by Vedanta Corporation. Dongaria Kondhs believe their God lies on the tip of the highest pinncale and where exactly Vedanta wants to start its mining business. They speak "Kui", which, has no script and is also getting lost now, as more and more people are speaking Oriya and Telugu, not to mention Hindi in the region. The hills are tucked away in Kalahandi district of Odisha, which, is infamously called the "hunger-district" of India due to low rainfall and lack of education. The human development indices for the district has been dismal since independence. It has taken the district headquarters Bhawani Patna close to 70 years to get a railway station of its own, In 2013 the Bhubaneshwar Bhawani Patna Link Express was inaugurated after 20 years of struggle between the state and central government intent and the growing Maoists interest in the area.

 Today Bhawani Patna boasts of an Engineering college and a Medical college too. Change really has been creeping in at a snails' pace here. But change has definitely made inroads in these rolling tough climatic terrain. Titlagarh which, is just 62 Kms from Bhawani Patna reaches 52 degree centigrade in summer moths. This year Bhawani Patna clocked 47,5 degrees. The soil is deep rich red and black sandy loamy earth quilting the landscape like no other. 

Cotton and paddy is the main cash crop grown here. Fortunately the BT cotton has not yet made inroads in a big way here. The distribution of rainfall is not as bad as we are often told, only its duration is shorter. So, with the changing pattern of monsoons seen in the last couple of years the cotton variety grown here needs to be quicker to flower, hence, new innovations are needed.

Working towards this end Chetna Organic works with small and marginal farmers towards improving their livelihood options. Chetna's strength has been collective action and to improve the supply chain in favour of the farmers.

The Chetna organic farm is located in Bandpari at Lanjigarh block. It is a delight for anyone who is close to nature and organic farming. It has demonstration areas for inter - cropping, rotational cropping, low cost irrigation methods, seed bank and composting sites. It also has a nursery.

The village of Bandhpari is a quaint hamlet with a perennial stream flowing. It is the home of wild magoes, Mahua and Saal trees. Life here is organic and is not yet connected to any mobile network.

The trees are old and remind you of centuries that they have been here. Tall, strong and graceful to the core. The waft of Muhua enamors you through out. Mahua is known as the blessing tree here. It fills your senses like no other. The flowers and leaves add to the essence of this magnificent landscape. The fruit is used as liquor and even fuel. The oil is used for cooking. A very light oil akin to none other I have tasted so far. It has no aroma and almost no trace. Mahua seeds are harvested for oil. 

I met 10 years old Jaggu Harijan who likes his residential school better than home as he gets undivided attention there. Jaggu loves to draw pictures of Gods, specially Ganesha the Elephant God and the landscapes of Kalahandi. English is his favorite subject. Although he is not good at conversation as of yet but he comprehends it clearly. Unfortunately, I was so enarmoured and absorbed talking to him that I forgot to click his picture, Jaggus' cottage too is the coolest building I have seen. Aesthetically laid out and superbly executed with black and red laterite soil. All the villages have electricity, the poll in the foreground is a proof of that. Solar community lighting is also being rolled out. Yes, dish TVs  do indicate you are doing well for yourself. The thatched roofs use terracotta shingles to keep cool in summers.

 Villagers are most cordial and have offered us free mangoes which they collect from the forest and make aam papad or dry mango jelly for the monsoon months when they have no vegetables as the region is hit with torrential rainfalls. They mostly eat rice , daal and onions which are farm grown and buy potatoes from the local market. Once the monsoon lets up they get vegetables in forms of gourds and creepers. The hand pumps are used mostly on community basis. Wells are used for irrigation.

Under a score of mango trees  lies the weekly haat or bazar. The block authorities have built platforms for these markets. It also has water connection. I quickly shot some pictures and bought hand made metal platter and aam papad for chutney. This village had sellers from neighbouring Telegana and local residents. The haat comprised of all possible daily use items ranging from clothes, utensils, vegetables, dried fish to sweet meats. tailors and bangles. A large number of traders are women.

I have no words to express my deep appreciation for their warmth and generosity. I am sure I will go again to meet my new friends in the near future. To learn and value the simplicity of life. I am not sure if I would have had such grace and perseverance if I was in their shoes. I am confident whatever their choice they will choose with much wisdom and enduring love for their land. With that combination they cannot go wrong.