Red Heretic
8th August 2005, 05:30
Herewith I am posting the English translation of an interesting
article that appeared in Andhra Jyothi, a mainstream daily newspaper
in Telugu, a south Indian language. The writer, Ms C Vanaja had
visited the central Indian thick forests and stayed with guerillas
for over a week. Her visit was to make a film on the emerging
people's power and she shot hours of footage that is under process
to become a documentary film. She had already made a successful film
earlier on the agony of mothers of Naxalite activists killed in fake
encounters. While the film making is under way, she was asked by
Andhra Jyothi to write a piece on her experiences. Since the
newspaper's Sunday supplement had both ideological and space
constraints, she feels she could not bring out all of her ideas into
the piece. Anyway it is a good reading. It was published by Andhra
Jyothi as the main story on its Sunday supplement on April 10, 2005.
Ms C Vanaja can be contacted at [email protected]
Revolutionary greetings
Venugopal
__________________________________________
Janatana Sarkar
A Parallel Government in the Dandakaranya
First hand report on Janatana Sarkar (People's Governmnet), a
parallel government run by Maoists in the Bastar and Dantewada
districts of Dandakaranya – dense forest spread over thousands of
square kilometers in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh,
Chattisgarh and Orissa.
++
- A lake is being dug there! Hundreds of people are silently
digging the soil and constructing a bund for the lake. Except for an
occasional giggle, there is no hustle or bustle. No supervisors'
shouts or earthmovers' loud buzz. Everything is happening like
clock-
work.
- That is a drinking water well! And the villagers are
building a parapet wall for that well. They have spent just four
thousand Rupees for that 40-feet deep well.
- It's school time! And little kids rush towards that thatched
hut. The teacher's dress is rumpled and many kids don't even
have
proper clothes, but their discipline is what is hard to miss.
All these scenes are from the Dandakaranya…
And they are administered by `Janatana Sarkar'
`Area-wise Liberation', `Guerilla Zones', and
`Liberated Areas' are
some of the new jargon that have become day-to-day stuff in the
media, thanks to the ongoing talks between the Government of Andhra
Pradesh and Naxalites. The media, which has always tried to
sensationlise the issues related to the Naxalite movement, has
little knowledge about what is actually happening on the
battlefront. And for journalists like me, who think getting a chance
to interview a Naxalite leader is by itself a lifetime achievement;
the actual happenings in the thick jungles have always been a
mystery.
Our attempt to get a first hand look at what is happening at ground
level succeeded after much effort. We toured the dense forests of
Bastar and Dantewada districts, in an attempt to understand the
working of Janatana Sarkar.
Gotti Koyas and Gonds:
That welcome note was from the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee
and it read: "We welcome media friends to India's first
Liberated
Zone in the making". We were also handed a document titled
`Janatana
Sarkar – Policy Statement' by the West Division Secretary
Ganesh
Ouki.
What is this Janatana Sarkar? An alternative form of governance
established by the Maoists overthrowing the present government
system is what is called Janatana Sarkar. Local Administration,
Development, and Defence are the three areas that this People's
Government will basically maintain.
Dandakaranya is still a home for various primitive tribes, which
have not yet stratified on the basis of caste and religion. The area
visited by us is mostly inhabited by Gotti Koyas and Gonds. But they
prefer to be called as Koya Doras. Koya is their language. The
language sounds interesting as they generally speak in a low voice
with a distinguishable stress on the last syllable. Barter system is
still in practice in this part of the country. In weekend santhas
(market), we can still find traders exchanging soaps and provisions
for tamarind and mahua flowers. Most of these traders are from
Andhra Pradesh.
Some members of the Maoist squad, and few locals who knew Telugu or
Hindi acted as interpreters for us. We could talk to many village
elders with the help of these translators.
"Twenty years ago, when these dadas first came here, we used to
flee
mistaking them for bandits. We thought they would rob us and molest
our women. They used to visit all our villages. They came repeatedly
whether we gave food or not. Gradually our fears came down.
Harassment by village chiefs, Forest and Police personnel decreased
only after the dadas set their foot here," said one elderly
villager. From what they were telling, it seems that these hapless
tribals were severely harassed by government officials and traders.
The tribals, whose livelihood is dependent on the forest, were taxed
for everything. Grazing, firewood collection, house construction or
a marriage - for everything they were either taxed or fined. Failing
which they were arrested and sent to jails.
One of the village elders told us another interesting story.
"Even
though we had pattas for our lands, our patel told us that our
rights were restricted to the top 6 inches of that land. It was
government land below that! We were fined if we ploughed a little
deeper or dug a pit in that land".
Agriculture, Tanks
Those were the conditions under which the Naxalite movement entered
this area. But the movement was not confined only to organizing the
tribals against atrocities. The movement understood that these
tribals, who have not yet fully progressed to production of food,
and are still dependent on gathering food, needed to develop their
skills in agriculture. The tribal agriculture was primitive by all
standards. They only knew to sow when it is right and harvest when
it is ready. They never used to look back at the crop they have
sowed. They were ignorant of common practices such as plotting,
ploughing, manuring or weeding. Collecting mahua flowers and
tamarind was their main livelihood
"Teaching them all these things was a Herculean task,"
recalls a
Maoist leader, showing us the rows of nursery fields. He is working
in this area for the last 20 years. In initial days erratic rains
had rendered most of their efforts useless. The idea to excavate
lakes was borne out of an urge to guarantee at least one crop per
year. That idea to dig lakes was the foundation for today's
Janatana
Sarkar. From 1995, hundreds of such lakes were dug in the Bastar and
Dantewada districts.
"We were not aware of tanks, we only knew about small ponds. It
took
us a while to understand the working of sluices, digging of
irrigation channels, and watering our fields," told a commander,
who
hails form this area. Thus lake excavation became a crucial element
of Janatana Sarkar. These lakes were multi-purpose. They were also
used to breed fish. The tribals retain a portion of the catch and
sell the rest. The revenue so generated will be utilized for the
village or lake maintenance.
In many villages, Janatana Sarkar redistributed land. This was
mainly done to stop the tribals from clearing forest for agriculture.
Co-operation Vs Commune
Another experiment of Janatana Sarkar was the co-operative teams.
Generally five families used to come together to form a co-operative
team. The team used to work combinedly in the fields of the team
members. However, only the work was shared, but the harvest belonged
to the landowner only. Today, these co-operative teams are running
successfully in many villages. "This was not achieved
overnight,"
says one of the team in charges. Even in this system, clever and
large farmers gained. They generally got their work done first and
by the time the other farmer's turn came, the season was already
over. After many such trials and errors, the system is now more or
less fool-proof.
The existence of private property means that the society is class
based. And here too it is no different. The absence of caste and
religion does not mean that class and patriarchy are absent. Maoists
believe that the experiments that are taking place here will serve
as a model for tomorrow's class-less society.
Militia Protects
Village militia acts as a shield to the Maoists in the Dandakaranya.
The confidence of squads was surprising for us who are used to
regular stories of encounters in Andhra Pradesh. If police wants to
comb the area, they have to first cross villages and to cross the
villages they have to negotiate a village militia armed to the teeth
with arrows and burmars. Puncturing this militia is not an easy
task. Most of the informers and spies usually land in the hands of
this village militia.
Fruits of the Forests
Dandakaranya is home for a variety of wild fruits. But spotting
Banginapalli Mango, Jackfruit and Banana orchards in those forests
is really surprising. Raising orchards is one of the new habits of
these tribals. They generally grow curry plantains but after it
ripens they eat it directly. Plantain curry was the only nutritious
food that we got during our entire trip. The tribals are also
growing some vegetable crops. Initially they used oil engines, but
as maintenance of these engines became a problem, they switched to
drawing water manually from a nearby stream. Whether it is
vegetables or fruits, the production is entirely for local
consumption.
Mobile Medical Help
Malaria is a very big enemy for the adivasis and Maoist squads.
Every rainy season, malaria takes the lives of hundreds of people in
this area. Everyday, at least one member of the squad is down with
malaria. Janatana Sarkar tries to address this problem with the help
of a unique mobile hospital idea. Every village has a small team of
people trained to administer a few medicines and injections. To
simplify things where people are illiterate, each person of this
team is in charge of a particular medicine. So you got to one person
for medicine if you have fever and another person if you have loose
motions…
Tamarind Kg 3:50
It is no doubt a wonder for us who buy tamarind at Rs 30-40 per Kg.
Owing to high yield, the prices of tamarind have plummeted this
season. It is being sold at Rs 3.50 per Kg. Earlier the condition
was even worse. The rate of tamarind which used to be a rupee or two
at the beginning of the season, used to fall drastically as the
season progressed. Traders used to cheat the innocent tribals in
weighing and also in the rate. Women were cheated at village fairs.
All that is now history.
Bastar Menu
Chutney prepared from ant eggs is a favourite Bastar dish. It is a
must for locals who suffer with fever. Rice porridge and tamarind
soup constitute the staple diet of these tribals. They also prepare
curries with some leaves collected in the forest.
After 5-kilometer long walk a dal prepared with red gram and green
gram naturally tastes great.
Meeting at the stroke of a button
Maoists conducted Anti-Imperialism meetings between March 20th and
24th in Dandakaranya. One day before the planned meeting, the radio
kept on beaming news that the Dandakaranya was under seize. But the
Maoists seemed unperturbed. They only delegated an extra sentry that
night.
We reached a stream at 10 AM the next morning. Where we saw a steady
line of adivasis carrying utensils and food grains marching to the
meeting venue. That rally was joined by many small rallies coming
from different directions.
The meeting took place for about three hours. Local leaders of
Janatana Sarkar addressed the impressive gathering. These speeches
were interspersed with songs and dances. Everything went as planned.
No volunteers, and no appeals to keep calm. An estimated six
thousand people attended the meeting and after the meeting ended,
every one vanished into those forests like magic. Not a small trace
of the mammoth meeting that just took place!
While this itself was a surprise to us, the criticism by some women
squad members at a review meeting was even more surprising. The
criticism was about women not getting enough representation in that
day's meeting.
Feminism in the Forests
In the past it was commonplace for Adivasis to usually kidnap young
girls and marry them forcibly. These `jabardasti marriages'
were
simple – just take the girl you like to your home and throw a
treat
to the villagers with toddy. That itself was deemed marriage. Even
if the guy is already married, he had the right to remarry any
number of times. The girls had no choice but to comply otherwise
they were beaten and subdued.
The movement played a crucial role in putting an end to
the `jabardasti marriages'. The adivasis women were not
allowed into
the granary, they were also not allowed anywhere near the deities in
festivals. As soon as the party started its activity, the women
started fighting such injustices.
There are two main peoples' organizations for the Maoist party in
Dandakaranya. They are Adivasi Kisan Majdoor Sangh (Tribal peasant
and workers association) and Krantikari Adivasi Mahila Sangh
(Revolutioanary tribal women's association). While the first one
strives to improvise tribal agriculture, the second one works
towards upliftment of tribal women. The Mahila Sangh had to indulge
in a very big fight with the village heads for the `right to wear
a
blouse for married women'. As result of Mahila Sangh's
activities,
today, we find a lot of recruitment of women in squads. Women
generally constitute about 30% of all squad members. While Janatana
Sarkar committee in Dandakaranya comprises of five divisions, women
head two of them.
--
It's Kondapalli's Brainchild
The idea to establish a guerilla zone in Dandakaranya was first
mooted by Kondapalli Seetharamaiah, the founder of People's War.
Way
back in 1979, a squad was sent to Dandakaranya to conduct recce.
Another 5 squads were sent in the subsequent year. Together they
numbered 25. All of them were from Andhra Pradesh and none of them
knew Koya language. Today, those 25 multiplied into many squads and
platoons. Most squad members hail from Andhra Pradesh.
--
The Ambush Game
The Maoist squads, which have become an inseparable part of
adivasis' lives, have also had a strong impact on the adivasi
children. These kids play games such as Ambush and Lal Salam just
like our kids play the Thief and Police game. While one team plays
the police with sticks (guns) on their shoulders, another team which
hides behind the camouflage strikes and snatches weapons from the
police party. That is Ambush game for them. The way these kids play
this game looks as if they are trained soldiers. In the Lal Salam
game, two teams stand facing each other and conduct a kind of march-
past complete with the usual `Saavdhan – Vishram'. They
disperse
with a characteristic shake-hand.
--
A Home Away from Home
The `mobile tent and walking miles' lifestyle of these squads
is a
perfect example for `minimum living'. Upon arrival, a woman
guerilla
handed us a plastic sheet and told "this is called Jilli and as
long
as you are here, this is your home". And it really was. When the
squad used to camp somewhere, every member of the squad selected a
shade under a tree and spread out their Jilli. And as long as we
have camped there, that sheet is our home. Whether it is reading,
discussing or eating. That sheet doubled as an open-top bathroom
when we went to the nearby stream, or sometimes as a washer man's
platform. In the night, Jilli was our bed.
Coarse ground rice `enriched' with sand and dust was our
regular
meals. A semi-liquid dal was served along with that rice. Curds or
buttermilk are not known in the Dandakaranya. As long as we stayed
there, the raging forest fires kept the mosquitoes away. We enjoyed
the early summer's mild weather. Come rainy season, life in these
forests really gets horrible. When you are caught between lashing
rains and malaria, and can't even boil drinking water, you will
accept what one of the revolutionaries had said. "In the
luxurious
life of a revolutionary, there is nothing you can't get, except
your
meals."
--
Interview with Ganesh Ouki, Secretary, West Bastar Division of the
Maoist Party
Q: Has the Dandakaranya succeeded in becoming a `Liberated
zone'?
A: Withstanding government repression successfully, Dandakaranya
stood as a model for revolutionary movements across the country.
Apart from building people's organizations, we have also brought
in a new awareness about governance amongst the masses. In many
villages, we have overthrown the existing government machinery and
established local alternative governments and alternative judicial
systems . When we look back at what all we have done, we can
confidently say that we have progressed a lot in our endeavor.
Q: What is the basic difference between the government that you have
overthrown and Janatana Sarkar?
A: In governments established by the parliamentary system, the power
is mostly in the hands of a few landlords and capitalists. We are
attempting to establish a true democracy here. We are trying to
build a unified coalition of peasants, workers, petty bourgeois, and
national bourgeois sections.
Q: From where will your government get funds?
A: People are our power. We will take up developmental works on a co-
operative basis. Raising revenues from common property resources is
a crucial element of Janatana Sarkar. We are taking up projects to
fulfill the needs of the people. Not to spend some funds. That is
the major difference. If you take the excavation of a lake, except
to construct the cement sluice, we do not need funds for any other
work. People will definitely raise that kind of small amounts.
Q: You have made the Forest Department defunct in your areas?
A: Yes. The government Forest Department's main activity is to
loot the forest produce and terrorise the adivasis. But banishing the
forest department officials has also led to large-scale
deforestation. As revolutionaries, we are mindful of our duty and
are encouraging plantation of orchards, and animal husbandry
activities in these cleared lands. We are establishing Jungle Bachao
Committees (Committees to protect forest) and regulating
deforestation.
Q: By rejecting Government's development works, are you not
denying people what is due to them from the government?
A: First we have to understand what Government means, and whose
government is this? And for whose benefit is it working? Take
Dandakaranya for example. What people need here is water for
irrigation, education and health facilities. How much is the
government spending on these sectors? Government is treating people
like beggars. It is acting as though it is the `giver' and
people
are `takers'. It is abdicating responsibility in crucial
sectors
like education and healthcare and is encouraging Christian
Missionaries and Rama Krishna Mission to setup schools and hospitals
in these areas. It is forcing the agnostic adivasis to embrace
religion. If the government tries to do something in these important
sectors, we have no objection. We only oppose religious outfits.
Q: Are you attempting to establish a special Dandakaranya State?
A: No. We are not making any such demand. Our first goal is to
completely liberate this area.
article that appeared in Andhra Jyothi, a mainstream daily newspaper
in Telugu, a south Indian language. The writer, Ms C Vanaja had
visited the central Indian thick forests and stayed with guerillas
for over a week. Her visit was to make a film on the emerging
people's power and she shot hours of footage that is under process
to become a documentary film. She had already made a successful film
earlier on the agony of mothers of Naxalite activists killed in fake
encounters. While the film making is under way, she was asked by
Andhra Jyothi to write a piece on her experiences. Since the
newspaper's Sunday supplement had both ideological and space
constraints, she feels she could not bring out all of her ideas into
the piece. Anyway it is a good reading. It was published by Andhra
Jyothi as the main story on its Sunday supplement on April 10, 2005.
Ms C Vanaja can be contacted at [email protected]
Revolutionary greetings
Venugopal
__________________________________________
Janatana Sarkar
A Parallel Government in the Dandakaranya
First hand report on Janatana Sarkar (People's Governmnet), a
parallel government run by Maoists in the Bastar and Dantewada
districts of Dandakaranya – dense forest spread over thousands of
square kilometers in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh,
Chattisgarh and Orissa.
++
- A lake is being dug there! Hundreds of people are silently
digging the soil and constructing a bund for the lake. Except for an
occasional giggle, there is no hustle or bustle. No supervisors'
shouts or earthmovers' loud buzz. Everything is happening like
clock-
work.
- That is a drinking water well! And the villagers are
building a parapet wall for that well. They have spent just four
thousand Rupees for that 40-feet deep well.
- It's school time! And little kids rush towards that thatched
hut. The teacher's dress is rumpled and many kids don't even
have
proper clothes, but their discipline is what is hard to miss.
All these scenes are from the Dandakaranya…
And they are administered by `Janatana Sarkar'
`Area-wise Liberation', `Guerilla Zones', and
`Liberated Areas' are
some of the new jargon that have become day-to-day stuff in the
media, thanks to the ongoing talks between the Government of Andhra
Pradesh and Naxalites. The media, which has always tried to
sensationlise the issues related to the Naxalite movement, has
little knowledge about what is actually happening on the
battlefront. And for journalists like me, who think getting a chance
to interview a Naxalite leader is by itself a lifetime achievement;
the actual happenings in the thick jungles have always been a
mystery.
Our attempt to get a first hand look at what is happening at ground
level succeeded after much effort. We toured the dense forests of
Bastar and Dantewada districts, in an attempt to understand the
working of Janatana Sarkar.
Gotti Koyas and Gonds:
That welcome note was from the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee
and it read: "We welcome media friends to India's first
Liberated
Zone in the making". We were also handed a document titled
`Janatana
Sarkar – Policy Statement' by the West Division Secretary
Ganesh
Ouki.
What is this Janatana Sarkar? An alternative form of governance
established by the Maoists overthrowing the present government
system is what is called Janatana Sarkar. Local Administration,
Development, and Defence are the three areas that this People's
Government will basically maintain.
Dandakaranya is still a home for various primitive tribes, which
have not yet stratified on the basis of caste and religion. The area
visited by us is mostly inhabited by Gotti Koyas and Gonds. But they
prefer to be called as Koya Doras. Koya is their language. The
language sounds interesting as they generally speak in a low voice
with a distinguishable stress on the last syllable. Barter system is
still in practice in this part of the country. In weekend santhas
(market), we can still find traders exchanging soaps and provisions
for tamarind and mahua flowers. Most of these traders are from
Andhra Pradesh.
Some members of the Maoist squad, and few locals who knew Telugu or
Hindi acted as interpreters for us. We could talk to many village
elders with the help of these translators.
"Twenty years ago, when these dadas first came here, we used to
flee
mistaking them for bandits. We thought they would rob us and molest
our women. They used to visit all our villages. They came repeatedly
whether we gave food or not. Gradually our fears came down.
Harassment by village chiefs, Forest and Police personnel decreased
only after the dadas set their foot here," said one elderly
villager. From what they were telling, it seems that these hapless
tribals were severely harassed by government officials and traders.
The tribals, whose livelihood is dependent on the forest, were taxed
for everything. Grazing, firewood collection, house construction or
a marriage - for everything they were either taxed or fined. Failing
which they were arrested and sent to jails.
One of the village elders told us another interesting story.
"Even
though we had pattas for our lands, our patel told us that our
rights were restricted to the top 6 inches of that land. It was
government land below that! We were fined if we ploughed a little
deeper or dug a pit in that land".
Agriculture, Tanks
Those were the conditions under which the Naxalite movement entered
this area. But the movement was not confined only to organizing the
tribals against atrocities. The movement understood that these
tribals, who have not yet fully progressed to production of food,
and are still dependent on gathering food, needed to develop their
skills in agriculture. The tribal agriculture was primitive by all
standards. They only knew to sow when it is right and harvest when
it is ready. They never used to look back at the crop they have
sowed. They were ignorant of common practices such as plotting,
ploughing, manuring or weeding. Collecting mahua flowers and
tamarind was their main livelihood
"Teaching them all these things was a Herculean task,"
recalls a
Maoist leader, showing us the rows of nursery fields. He is working
in this area for the last 20 years. In initial days erratic rains
had rendered most of their efforts useless. The idea to excavate
lakes was borne out of an urge to guarantee at least one crop per
year. That idea to dig lakes was the foundation for today's
Janatana
Sarkar. From 1995, hundreds of such lakes were dug in the Bastar and
Dantewada districts.
"We were not aware of tanks, we only knew about small ponds. It
took
us a while to understand the working of sluices, digging of
irrigation channels, and watering our fields," told a commander,
who
hails form this area. Thus lake excavation became a crucial element
of Janatana Sarkar. These lakes were multi-purpose. They were also
used to breed fish. The tribals retain a portion of the catch and
sell the rest. The revenue so generated will be utilized for the
village or lake maintenance.
In many villages, Janatana Sarkar redistributed land. This was
mainly done to stop the tribals from clearing forest for agriculture.
Co-operation Vs Commune
Another experiment of Janatana Sarkar was the co-operative teams.
Generally five families used to come together to form a co-operative
team. The team used to work combinedly in the fields of the team
members. However, only the work was shared, but the harvest belonged
to the landowner only. Today, these co-operative teams are running
successfully in many villages. "This was not achieved
overnight,"
says one of the team in charges. Even in this system, clever and
large farmers gained. They generally got their work done first and
by the time the other farmer's turn came, the season was already
over. After many such trials and errors, the system is now more or
less fool-proof.
The existence of private property means that the society is class
based. And here too it is no different. The absence of caste and
religion does not mean that class and patriarchy are absent. Maoists
believe that the experiments that are taking place here will serve
as a model for tomorrow's class-less society.
Militia Protects
Village militia acts as a shield to the Maoists in the Dandakaranya.
The confidence of squads was surprising for us who are used to
regular stories of encounters in Andhra Pradesh. If police wants to
comb the area, they have to first cross villages and to cross the
villages they have to negotiate a village militia armed to the teeth
with arrows and burmars. Puncturing this militia is not an easy
task. Most of the informers and spies usually land in the hands of
this village militia.
Fruits of the Forests
Dandakaranya is home for a variety of wild fruits. But spotting
Banginapalli Mango, Jackfruit and Banana orchards in those forests
is really surprising. Raising orchards is one of the new habits of
these tribals. They generally grow curry plantains but after it
ripens they eat it directly. Plantain curry was the only nutritious
food that we got during our entire trip. The tribals are also
growing some vegetable crops. Initially they used oil engines, but
as maintenance of these engines became a problem, they switched to
drawing water manually from a nearby stream. Whether it is
vegetables or fruits, the production is entirely for local
consumption.
Mobile Medical Help
Malaria is a very big enemy for the adivasis and Maoist squads.
Every rainy season, malaria takes the lives of hundreds of people in
this area. Everyday, at least one member of the squad is down with
malaria. Janatana Sarkar tries to address this problem with the help
of a unique mobile hospital idea. Every village has a small team of
people trained to administer a few medicines and injections. To
simplify things where people are illiterate, each person of this
team is in charge of a particular medicine. So you got to one person
for medicine if you have fever and another person if you have loose
motions…
Tamarind Kg 3:50
It is no doubt a wonder for us who buy tamarind at Rs 30-40 per Kg.
Owing to high yield, the prices of tamarind have plummeted this
season. It is being sold at Rs 3.50 per Kg. Earlier the condition
was even worse. The rate of tamarind which used to be a rupee or two
at the beginning of the season, used to fall drastically as the
season progressed. Traders used to cheat the innocent tribals in
weighing and also in the rate. Women were cheated at village fairs.
All that is now history.
Bastar Menu
Chutney prepared from ant eggs is a favourite Bastar dish. It is a
must for locals who suffer with fever. Rice porridge and tamarind
soup constitute the staple diet of these tribals. They also prepare
curries with some leaves collected in the forest.
After 5-kilometer long walk a dal prepared with red gram and green
gram naturally tastes great.
Meeting at the stroke of a button
Maoists conducted Anti-Imperialism meetings between March 20th and
24th in Dandakaranya. One day before the planned meeting, the radio
kept on beaming news that the Dandakaranya was under seize. But the
Maoists seemed unperturbed. They only delegated an extra sentry that
night.
We reached a stream at 10 AM the next morning. Where we saw a steady
line of adivasis carrying utensils and food grains marching to the
meeting venue. That rally was joined by many small rallies coming
from different directions.
The meeting took place for about three hours. Local leaders of
Janatana Sarkar addressed the impressive gathering. These speeches
were interspersed with songs and dances. Everything went as planned.
No volunteers, and no appeals to keep calm. An estimated six
thousand people attended the meeting and after the meeting ended,
every one vanished into those forests like magic. Not a small trace
of the mammoth meeting that just took place!
While this itself was a surprise to us, the criticism by some women
squad members at a review meeting was even more surprising. The
criticism was about women not getting enough representation in that
day's meeting.
Feminism in the Forests
In the past it was commonplace for Adivasis to usually kidnap young
girls and marry them forcibly. These `jabardasti marriages'
were
simple – just take the girl you like to your home and throw a
treat
to the villagers with toddy. That itself was deemed marriage. Even
if the guy is already married, he had the right to remarry any
number of times. The girls had no choice but to comply otherwise
they were beaten and subdued.
The movement played a crucial role in putting an end to
the `jabardasti marriages'. The adivasis women were not
allowed into
the granary, they were also not allowed anywhere near the deities in
festivals. As soon as the party started its activity, the women
started fighting such injustices.
There are two main peoples' organizations for the Maoist party in
Dandakaranya. They are Adivasi Kisan Majdoor Sangh (Tribal peasant
and workers association) and Krantikari Adivasi Mahila Sangh
(Revolutioanary tribal women's association). While the first one
strives to improvise tribal agriculture, the second one works
towards upliftment of tribal women. The Mahila Sangh had to indulge
in a very big fight with the village heads for the `right to wear
a
blouse for married women'. As result of Mahila Sangh's
activities,
today, we find a lot of recruitment of women in squads. Women
generally constitute about 30% of all squad members. While Janatana
Sarkar committee in Dandakaranya comprises of five divisions, women
head two of them.
--
It's Kondapalli's Brainchild
The idea to establish a guerilla zone in Dandakaranya was first
mooted by Kondapalli Seetharamaiah, the founder of People's War.
Way
back in 1979, a squad was sent to Dandakaranya to conduct recce.
Another 5 squads were sent in the subsequent year. Together they
numbered 25. All of them were from Andhra Pradesh and none of them
knew Koya language. Today, those 25 multiplied into many squads and
platoons. Most squad members hail from Andhra Pradesh.
--
The Ambush Game
The Maoist squads, which have become an inseparable part of
adivasis' lives, have also had a strong impact on the adivasi
children. These kids play games such as Ambush and Lal Salam just
like our kids play the Thief and Police game. While one team plays
the police with sticks (guns) on their shoulders, another team which
hides behind the camouflage strikes and snatches weapons from the
police party. That is Ambush game for them. The way these kids play
this game looks as if they are trained soldiers. In the Lal Salam
game, two teams stand facing each other and conduct a kind of march-
past complete with the usual `Saavdhan – Vishram'. They
disperse
with a characteristic shake-hand.
--
A Home Away from Home
The `mobile tent and walking miles' lifestyle of these squads
is a
perfect example for `minimum living'. Upon arrival, a woman
guerilla
handed us a plastic sheet and told "this is called Jilli and as
long
as you are here, this is your home". And it really was. When the
squad used to camp somewhere, every member of the squad selected a
shade under a tree and spread out their Jilli. And as long as we
have camped there, that sheet is our home. Whether it is reading,
discussing or eating. That sheet doubled as an open-top bathroom
when we went to the nearby stream, or sometimes as a washer man's
platform. In the night, Jilli was our bed.
Coarse ground rice `enriched' with sand and dust was our
regular
meals. A semi-liquid dal was served along with that rice. Curds or
buttermilk are not known in the Dandakaranya. As long as we stayed
there, the raging forest fires kept the mosquitoes away. We enjoyed
the early summer's mild weather. Come rainy season, life in these
forests really gets horrible. When you are caught between lashing
rains and malaria, and can't even boil drinking water, you will
accept what one of the revolutionaries had said. "In the
luxurious
life of a revolutionary, there is nothing you can't get, except
your
meals."
--
Interview with Ganesh Ouki, Secretary, West Bastar Division of the
Maoist Party
Q: Has the Dandakaranya succeeded in becoming a `Liberated
zone'?
A: Withstanding government repression successfully, Dandakaranya
stood as a model for revolutionary movements across the country.
Apart from building people's organizations, we have also brought
in a new awareness about governance amongst the masses. In many
villages, we have overthrown the existing government machinery and
established local alternative governments and alternative judicial
systems . When we look back at what all we have done, we can
confidently say that we have progressed a lot in our endeavor.
Q: What is the basic difference between the government that you have
overthrown and Janatana Sarkar?
A: In governments established by the parliamentary system, the power
is mostly in the hands of a few landlords and capitalists. We are
attempting to establish a true democracy here. We are trying to
build a unified coalition of peasants, workers, petty bourgeois, and
national bourgeois sections.
Q: From where will your government get funds?
A: People are our power. We will take up developmental works on a co-
operative basis. Raising revenues from common property resources is
a crucial element of Janatana Sarkar. We are taking up projects to
fulfill the needs of the people. Not to spend some funds. That is
the major difference. If you take the excavation of a lake, except
to construct the cement sluice, we do not need funds for any other
work. People will definitely raise that kind of small amounts.
Q: You have made the Forest Department defunct in your areas?
A: Yes. The government Forest Department's main activity is to
loot the forest produce and terrorise the adivasis. But banishing the
forest department officials has also led to large-scale
deforestation. As revolutionaries, we are mindful of our duty and
are encouraging plantation of orchards, and animal husbandry
activities in these cleared lands. We are establishing Jungle Bachao
Committees (Committees to protect forest) and regulating
deforestation.
Q: By rejecting Government's development works, are you not
denying people what is due to them from the government?
A: First we have to understand what Government means, and whose
government is this? And for whose benefit is it working? Take
Dandakaranya for example. What people need here is water for
irrigation, education and health facilities. How much is the
government spending on these sectors? Government is treating people
like beggars. It is acting as though it is the `giver' and
people
are `takers'. It is abdicating responsibility in crucial
sectors
like education and healthcare and is encouraging Christian
Missionaries and Rama Krishna Mission to setup schools and hospitals
in these areas. It is forcing the agnostic adivasis to embrace
religion. If the government tries to do something in these important
sectors, we have no objection. We only oppose religious outfits.
Q: Are you attempting to establish a special Dandakaranya State?
A: No. We are not making any such demand. Our first goal is to
completely liberate this area.