“There are things known and there
are things unknown, and in between are the doors of perception”- Aldous
Huxley
A frail and diminutive woman
wills her body along the muddy road with her back crouched, bent by the weight
of sheer poverty. She treads along, her vacant eyes staring into nothingness.
She carries a frail child in her arms. She will go on to sell that child. For a
pittance of 40 rupees and 2 sarees. This has gone on to become the defining
image of Kalahandi.
Even today, the name conjures up
vivid images of starving people living in desolate conditions. This was the
perception with which we proceeded for our 10-day district attachment in
Kalahandi. Little did we know then that by the end of it, our perception was
going to change.
(Source:www.ketto.org)
We packed our bags and headed for
the district preparing ourselves for the worst.
Instead, we witnessed large houses and commercial establishments on
widened roads that were well-lit with newly installed streetlights. Much to our
surprise, there was even a multiplex with a 13-seater special theatre screening
the latest Bollywood movies, something that cannot be found even in many
metros.
The paradox of Kalahandi is that
it has remained one of the most backward districts in the country, despite
being endowed with a bounty of ecological, mineral, and cultural
resources.
Over the next few days, as we
traversed through the district, we could see lush green paddy fields on both
sides of the roads dotting the landscape, where farmers were busy throwing liberal
amounts of fertilizer onto their fields. In contrast to the parched earth that
we expected to see.
The once prosperous region was
brought down to its knees by a series of droughts and famines that had occurred
in the 1920s. The final blow was the drought of 1965-66 that not only broke the
economy of the region but also the spirit of the people. The lack of rainfall
had resulted in continuous crop failure. The majority of the population, who
were agricultural laborers found themselves without a job. The rich became poor
and the poor became poorer and the poorest became destitute.
And then came the Indravati
Project. Set up in the early 2000s, it has radically changed the face of the
entire district. With a steady supply of water, agriculture started to revive.
The erstwhile fallow land has begun to witness double-cropping of rice. The cultivation of rice has grown to such an
extent that Kalahandi, derogatorily referred to as India’s Ethiopia, today has
become the 2nd largest rice procurer in the state.
With paddy production going over
the roof, rice mills have begun sprouting near the fields that has put the
economic trajectory of the district on the up. So much so that today, people
are migrating from the adjoining districts of Andhra Pradesh to cash in on the
prosperity. After all, not everybody loves a good drought.
*
Kalahandi is home to the infamous
Niyamgiri hills that has been subject to much controversy in the recent times.
Home to the indigenous Dongria Kondh tribe amidst pristine forests, it is also
a rich source of Bauxite- an industrially and commercially important mineral.
Having already ingested several editorials on the issue, we were aware of the
plight of the tribals. A visit to Vedanta Ltd in Lanjigarh enabled us to see
the other side of the coin.
The Vedanta plant was an
industrial behemoth with a large network of pipes, storage cylinders and huge
tanks. Trolley cars were chugging along efficiently transporting the bauxite
from one centre to the other. An aptly
named digestion tank was breaking down the aluminium in it's belly. The entire
plant was coated in a grim red colour, perhaps a reminder of the plight of the
Niyamgiri people who reside on the hills that overlook the factory like a mute spectator.
Discussions with the officials
covered various issues such as hindrances to development and
over-sensationalization of the matter. It led us to conclude that there were
concerns on both the parties involved and had there been some rational heads
involved in the decision making, an amicable solution could have been arrived
with everyone happier at the end of the day.
*
Situated at 72 km from
Bhawanipatna, the district capital, lies the scenic block of Thuamul Rampur.
Which also happened to be one of the most backward tribal areas in the
district. Though the visit was a long winding one that had sapped our energies,
it was definitely worth it.
Known as the Kashmir of Kalahandi
for the snowfall it receives during the winter season, it was once a thriving
tourist destination in the state. Continued neglect and lack of initiatives led
to the tourists moving to better pastures. The erstwhile tourist complex has
today become a dilapidated building, run down by the ravages of time, standing
as a silent witness to the changing times.
There were two defining visits on
that day- both to primary schools very close to each other and both so
different from the other. The first one was an example of everything wrong with
the education system. Absent teachers, broken blackboards, unfurnished
classrooms, poor ventilation, cramped space, dysfunctional bathrooms, and an
erratic power supply. As we walked through the school, we witnessed the
portents of a demographic disaster.
With laden hearts, we proceeded
to the next school which was a stark contrast to the previous one. With
well-manicured gardens running along the boundaries of the walls and tall
imposing statues of religious figures, the school was being run by an
enlightened individual who took upon this institution as his life’s mission.
Motivated teachers, robust infrastructure systems and a speckles environment, it
was a model school for the entire region. We even got a chance to interact with
the highly talented students. Particularly, a young tribal girl who had
enthralled us with her sharp singing.
As I lost myself in her melodious
song, there was only one question haunting my mind- what if there were such hidden
talents in the other school who will remain hidden forever.
*
Traversing back on the long
winding road, we realized that not everything is hunky dory; the recent Dana
Majhi episode bears testimony to the fact. Nor is Kalahandi the same
poverty-stricken district it was a few decades ago.
Kalahandi’s past was a dark one.
The future, certainly is not.
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