A Challenging Period In The Life Of Ekta Parishad - Newsletter February 2014

„BackToTheVillage”– Ekta Parishad’s new
campaign heralds a change of strategy for
the organization. In a letter by Rajagopal
PV, which is published in the current
newsletter, the leader of Ekta Parishad
explains the inherent message of the new
campaign and describes its impact on the
organisation’s near future: “a challenging
period in the life of Ekta Parishad.”
In “Empower The People”, we follow
the new campaign into the villages of
Madhya Pradesh to answer the question:
how have non-violent actions of Ekta
Parishad changed the way of thinking in
the communities?
Bhopal, February | 2014
“The Long Way to a Life of Dignity”
follows a similar path and highlights both
the improvements and setbacks in a rural
Baiga village.
“Millions Can Walk” is a breathtaking
movie on Jan Satyagraha, which
premiered at the “Solothurner Filmtage”
in Switzerland. It is going to be shown in
several countries around the world later
this year.
“Ekta Parishad’s European Tour” gives
you an insight into the European visit
Winter & Spring Issue
Dear friends,
A challenging period in the life of Ekta Parishad
Issue
IN THIS
Ekta Parishad Newsletter
www.ektaparishad.com
of Rajagopal and other activists which
included meeting several partners and
representatives of the United Nations.
Finally, “Economic Activities” takes a
closer look at some of Ekta Parishad’s
projects in the villages.
We hope you enjoy this newsletter and
we welcome your feedback at info@
ektaparishad.com. Meanwhile, very best
wishes for 2014.
Jai Jagat!
- Back To The Village
- Millions Can Walk
- Empower The People
- Ekta Parishad’s European Tour
- Economic Activities
- A Long Way To A Life Of Dignity

by Rajagopal PV -
Mobilization of marginalized
communities by Ekta
Parishad began back in the 1980’s. This
was a time taking process. Many years of
cadre building followed by many years
of expansion leading to many years of
foot-marches and other actions finally
shaped an organization with energy
and commitment to influence policies
and programs at regional and national
government levels.
What we witnessed in 2007 during
Janadesh and again in 2012 during
Jansatyagraha was a culmination of
nonviolent energy that was building
since 1980.
For many years the major thrust was to
address the policies of the government
through struggles and dialogue. Having
brought about many policy changes,
now it is time for the organization to
guarantee implementation of these
policies and programs.
While Ekta Parishad focuses on policies
related to land there are others who are
trying to bring about a change in policies
pertaining to information/transparency,
employment, food rights etc and we have
a responsibility to support such efforts
whenever possible.
The basic agenda of the ‘Back to the
village’ campaign is reorganizing the
political, social, and economic space of
the village. We are also planning to give
a special focus to the economic space
by setting up an economic committee at
the national level. This committee, with
the help of activists and village leaders
will create a database of people’s current
economic positions by including the
current land holding of our communities
and activists. Identifying the quantum
of land our community members
got because of struggles, the current
utilization pattern of these lands, the
next steps to further develop these lands,
the kind of agriculture that is suitable for
different contexts will be some of the
focus areas of this database.
Identifying the resources that are needed
to increase production, storage facilities
that are needed to take advantage of
agricultural production, encourage
communities to move from individual
agriculture to group agriculture, from
individual assets to group assets are
some agenda items within the economic
domain.
In areas where the community did not get
land we need to be exploring non land-
based economic activity. This will include
medicinal plant collection, beekeeping,
bamboo crafts, forest produce collection
& processing etc. In the process of
building a village economy around what
is available today, each community can
start saving for our next action in 2020.
A strong village level economy will
provide greater possibility for this action.
Exploring financial resources through
governmental institutions will be helpful
in developing a live economic space for
marginalized communities.
Organizing non-violent actions on Forest
Rights Act and shelter land provision at
the village level can bring more land to
the people. Provisions like the Mahatma
Gandhi National Rural Employment
GuaranteeActandRighttoFoodalsooffer
possibilities for organizing non-violent
actions to bring justice to marginalized
communities. It will also be important
to work on using and expanding the
political space within the gram sabha and
panchayat. Opportunities in the socio-
political spaces that open up at various
points of time need to be fully used.
These interventions in the village in the
economic and political space can also
be used for training and promoting new
leadership that will carry out the action
in 2020. In a globalizing world that seeks
to transfer land and livelihood resources
from communities to corporations and
where democratic space is shrinking
to enable this using available spaces
effectively and bringing a positive
change in the villages is indeed a big
challenge but I believe that we at Ekta
Parishad are ready and capable to take
up this challenge.
With thanks and regards,
Rajagopal PV
Back To The Village
A challenging period in the life of Ekta Parishad

1
Christoph Schaub and Kamal Musale created a film on Jan
Satyagraha which highlights the power of non-violent action
in a philosophical and emotional way. The film premiered to
an international audience in January.
Hundreds of thousands of
Indian men and women,
many landless farmers and Adivasis –
Indian aborigines – are underway on foot
along dusty roads through villages and
cities on the National Highways.
Large-scale exploitation of mineral
resources, the construction of
immense plantations and tremendous
infrastructure projects have resulted in
these people being driven from their
homes and robbed of their peaceful
existence.
Led by Rajagopal, the charismatic leader
and pioneer of the movement they have
come together from all across the country
to fight for an honorable existence.
Their protest march leads from Gwalior to
Delhi – 400 kilometers away. They endure
the heat, defy illnesses, suffer hardship
and deprivation. But one thing is clear to
them: they will persevere and only return
home once the government heeds their
demands.
Millions CanWalk
Premiere in Switzerland
It is as if the poor and oppressed of the
whole world are rising up and speaking
out. They insist in pointing out that they
are not willing to accept the violation of
their rights.
Theirmarch,basedontheideaofGandhi’s
philosophy of passive resistance, will go
down in history and will be covered by
the most important international media.
The world can no longer look away.
How can one fight for one’s rights
without using violence? Since this is
such an important question, this film
spreads far beyond the borders of India.
It shows the multiple layers beneath
this impressive protest march, revealing
what is happening along their way. And
it focuses over and over again on some of
the participants and their moving stories
as well as into daily life of these proud
people.
“Millions Can Walk” is a political yet
philosophical and emotional film with
surprising images of great metaphorical
power. It is captivating to the very end:
Will these men and women be successful?
Willthegovernmentfulfilltheirdemands?
The March For Justice
More information on the movie is
available on the official website and
the facebook page:
www.millionscanwalk-film.com
fb.com/millionscanwalk.film
In January, „Millions Can Walk“
premiered at the Solothurner
Filmtage, where the film has been
nominated for the Prix de Soleure
the prize of the festival. The whole
filmcrewandRajagopalPVattended
the festival and earned rave reviews.
The event was accompanied by
media coverage from a number of
Swiss newspapers and magazines.
Rajagopal gave several interviews
and was invited to a discussion
on Swiss national television SRF1.
A recording of this discussion is
available online on the website of
SRF1.

by Jim Knopf* -
“Whenwewentthereinthefirstplace,
some other villagers were gossiping
and joking about us, saying we were
too lazy to work. It was only when we
came back from Jan Satyagraha, that
they realized its true value.” - Adivasi
women in a rural village of Madhya
Pradesh
Most articles about Jan
Satyagraha 2012 have
focused on the institutional impact. The
10-point agreement on land reforms
signed by Rural Development Minister
Jairam Ramesh in Agra led to the Draft
National Land Reforms Policy in July
2013. Some experts say that about 80%
of the agreement has been implemented,
but two major points are still lacking.
The national land reform is one and the
other is the “right to land for shelter”. The
present article brings a less discussed
aspect of Jan Satyagraha 2012 had an
“As an individual
we have no power,
but together we are
strong!”
Two Baigas in front of their home
Empower The People
Another view on the legacy of Jan Satyagraha
equally powerful effect. This is the direct
impact of this non-violent mass action on
the people who were actively involved.
In November 2013 a delegation of
Ekta Parishad supporters and activists
visited several villages in the rural parts
of two districts of Madhya Pradesh. We
took this opportunity to speak to some
of the people actively involved in Jan
Satyagraha in 2012. One year after the
march of 100 000 landless people from
Gwalior to Agra, we asked them what Jan
Satyagraha’s impact on their lives was.
An experience of unity and dignity
On our visits to the villages hundreds
of Adivasis shared their stories with us.
Shocking and moving stories of defeat
and loss, as well as impressive stories
of hope and triumph. They told us
about their lives, the issues they have
to face and the goals for which they are
struggling. In the center of the discussion
stood Jan Satyagraha and the effect it
had on them. One of the most frequently
mentioned impacts was the fact that they
gained the ability to meet on an equal
footing as the authorities. Some Adivasis
told us that they were no longer afraid of
uniforms and did not hide when Forest
Department or police authorities came to
their village. Instead they were ready to
answer their questions with dignity and
self-confidence.
Jan Satyagraha spread the knowledge
and the strength to fight on a non-
violent level in discussion of the issues
they face. The whole mobilization
campaign and the march itself equipped
them with knowledge of their rights
and possibilities within the system
to address their problems as well as
an understanding of the strength of
community. “As an individual we have
no power, but together we are strong!”,
said one woman. “When the police or
the Forest Department officials arrive,
we stand together, they don’t have the
power to take someone in custody or
away from us.”
Thereductionoffearintherelationship
between villagers and local authorities
Itisobviousthatfearhasbeenreducednot
only with regard to the Adivasi’s behavior
and enthusiasm but also in the way the
authorities treat them. Some people are
critical that the expected visible impact
on the ground in terms of land titles has
not yet arrived. However, the authorities
have started to listen to the people
and are now taking their issues more
seriously and show them respect. “After
Jan Satyagraha the Forest Department‘s
behavior changed completely”, an old
man explained. “There has been a lot
of harassment in the past, Adivasi’s
property was taken away, huts and fields
were burned down and destroyed by
authorities. Now they tell us that we
should leave these old bad stories behind
and focus on our future relationship. This
changed after Jan Satyagraha. They allow
us to collect products of the forest. They
are not harassing us anymore.”
Besides a decreasing level of fear and
increasing self-confidence among the
While most of our readers
know about the political
achievements of Jan
Satyagraha 2012 the
psychological impact has
been even more extensive
for Adivasi and particularly
on Adivasi women.

Adivasis, the incentive and motivation
to continue the struggle was clearly
noticeable during our trip to the villages.
The attention from the media in 2012 and
from people around the globe as well
* the author of the present article is a Swiss volunteer, who worked for Ekta
Parishad for half a year
** joint pattas are land titles issued not only on the men’s name but also on the
women’s name.
Baiga Family
talking about issues like domestic
violence is not longer out of bounds
and in some places it is even put on the
political agenda. The women are able to
claim their rights at village level as well as
from higher authorities.
Concerning joint pattas**, some women
who have already got their land titles
expressed their satisfaction that the
woman’s name is shown first on the
document. One woman told us: “Even
if this might be only a symbolic act, it
makes me happy.”
Some of the Adivasis have a decades-
long history of cultivating their land
without any legal documents. They faced
harassment of government authorities
as well as from landlords. In addition,
some were displaced by dam-projects,
others by national parks, still others by
multinationalaswellasIndiancompanies.
Only a few received compensation.
Land is the main source of income
and dignity for these communities. It
is a sustainable ground for livelihood
and might be more important than
government welfare actions and funded
food programs.
After their non-violent action against
these inequities, some Adivasis finally
got their land titles. But they are still
a minority. The large majority is still
struggling, but Jan Satyagraha increased
their courage to keep on fighting for their
dignity to struggle for their own piece
of land. Land on which they were living
for generations, land that was taken
away or is in danger of being grabbed by
corporations and politicians under the
cloak of “development”.
“After Jan
Satyagraha the
Forest Department‘s
behavior changed
completely”
as the gathering of different Adivasi
tribes from all over India gave them the
acknowledgment that they are fighting
for a significant and important goal: We
realized that it is a big issue which affects
a lot of people and that something can
be done about land, water and forest.
Ekta Parishad’s campaign of ‘no land
no vote’ is getting increasingly popular
and some people told us, that they
are already looking forward to a new
march to keep the pressure up on the
politicians.
The empowerment of women
Women’s are playing an increasingly
important role in the land-struggle
and many took part in the march. They
now get out of their houses, engage
in activities and organize meetings.
In some villages women groups have
formed and there are some Adivasi
women representatives in the village
councils. Thanks to their empowerment

One year after Satyagraha, Rajagopal and the Ekta Parishad
team test the response to the march in Europe.
One year after the success
Rajagopal and other
activists from Ekta Parishad in India
visited various partners in Europe to share
the impact of the march and explain their
strategies for the years ahead. They also
reinforced the need for European support
for the poor in India.
After a short journey to Belgium and
Germany, Rajagopal came back to
Bordeaux in France for the Pessac
Historical Film Festival. Here he was
invited by the local groups of Peuples
Solidaires and the Collectif SSI of Pessac
to stay with them from November 18th to
23rdandduringthattimehemadeseveral
public speeches on Gandhi’s legacy, non-
violent struggles and agrarian reforms in
India. This was also a good opportunity
to meet not only local activists, but also
policy makers and to make new potential
partners.
More details on the Facebook page of the
Collectif SSI Pessac:
fb.com/CollectifPessacSSI
Rajagopal at Pessac Historical Film Festival
Rajagopal then continued his French
trip with a visit to Nantes, where he
participatedintheInternationalmeetings
of Lascaux, from November 25th to 27th,
on the theme “Thinking about food
democracy”.
More details on the website of Droit
Aliments Terre:
www.droit-aliments-terre.eu
Ekta Parishad’s European Tour
Touching base one year after Jan Satyagraha
From Nantes he moved on to Angers,
where he co-organised a pre-meeting
of young people about a future
International Initiatives training on non-
violent struggles around land in Europe.
Co-organised byTchandra Cochet, Jean-
Pierre Dardaud and Gilles Changeon
(La paix en marche) this pre-meeting
also welcomed young participants from
Germany and other parts of France, and
will hopefully lead to the organisation
of a training on non-violence and land
issues in 2014.
To keep informed about this topic,
contact Tchandra Cochet by e-mail.
tchandra@hotmail.fr
After a couple of days in Angers
and Rennes, Rajagopal rushed to
Montpellier to participate in several
showings of the film made after Jan
Satyagraha by François Verlet and Louis
Campana, Cent mille et une victoires
pour le monde, organised by the MAN
Montpellier in Montpellier and Rhodez
on November 30th and December 1st.
You find more information on the
MAN Montpellier on their website.
Rajagopal then spent a couple of days in
Paris to meet with high profile Members
of the European Parliament (MEP) like
Karima Delli and Noël Mamère (from the
French Green, EELV), and to participate
in a public event co-organised by
Solidarité and Alter Eco on December
4th (read more about this in French:
http://solidarite.asso.fr/Entretien-avec-
Rajagopal-Pourquoi).
The Parisian journey made it possible
to participate in a meeting organised
at Peuples Solidaires with the French
collective against land-grabbing,
together with representatives from
ENDA Senegal, GRAIN, CCFD, MAN,
Confédération Paysanne, Ethiopia and
Indonesia.
More information on Peuples solidaires
Meeting with David Nabarro, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General for Food
Security and Nutrition

and the collective against land
grabbing: www.peuples-solidaires.org/
les-accaparements-de-terres-menace-
pour-la-securite-alimentaire/
Most of the members of Ekta Europe and
Ravi Badri, Shraddha Kashyap, Ransingh
Parmar, Birendra Kumar and Rajagopal
from Ekta Parishad India then gathered
in Geneva for an international workshop
on «Jan Satyagraha: one year after:
what’s next?». The Ekta Europe meeting
took place over two days. (The report of
the above mentioned workshop is now
available, contact info@ektaeurope.org)
More information can be found on the
Ekta Europe website.
www.ektaeurope.org/
Those days in Geneva also allowed some
meetings of the Indian activists with UN
representatives. After this, the Indian
team flew back to India while Rajagopal
participated in several meetings in Bern
and Zurich. He spoke to former partners
like Swissaid but even more, had some
great exchange with HEKS’s Desk
Officer of Cambodia, India and Vietnam,
stressing the importance of connecting
Ekta Parishad’s experiences with similar
struggles in different countries (e.g. land
grabbing). Rajagopal also had several
appointments with influential Swiss
media editors, to raise the awareness of
Ekta Parishad’s work in Switzerland on a
national level. Within January, there was
print and national television coverage,
which was accompanied by the cinema
release of the movie“Millions Can Walk”,
a documentary capturing some of
Ekta Parishad’s main struggles and the
impressions during Jansatyagraha. All
these actions combined will help Ekta
Parishad to get more acknowledgment
and publicity for its work which will
certainly help to get more support from
Europe.
Following his trip to Europe, Rajagopal
headed to Nicaragua to facilitate a
debate on non-violent struggles and
land rights for International Initiatives.
For more info on the meetings of
Rajagopal in Bern and Zürich, contact
Küde Meier. k.meier@gmx.ch
This was the end of a busy year for
Rajagopal consolidating the links
between Ekta Parishad and Ekta
Europe. These meetings created new
expectations on both sides, new
partnerships, new alliances to unite
against injustice and poverty.
If you wish to get involved and
participate to our struggle, please check
ourwebsite(whereyoucanfindthelocal
contacts of the Ekta Europe members in
various European countries).
Let 2014 be a year of international
solidarity and unity! Happy New Year to
all!
Best wishes,
Marie Bohner,
European communication & advocacy
coordinator for Ekta Parishad and Ekta
Europe

1
Ekta Arthik Manch, Ekta Parishad’s economic wing, is actively
working to improve the livelihood in the villages to reduce
forced migration into overcrowded and polluted cities.
It is crucial to understand the
current economic situations in the
villages and to identify the next steps
to further develop the land that was
successfully gained after many years
of struggle in a sustainable manner, as
it was mentioned in the lead article by
Rajagopal. Ekta Parishad has many years
of experience in providing villagers with
support in the economic domain. Its own
dedicated wing called Ekta Arthik Manch
(economic wing) is actively working
to improve the livelihood of people in
the villages to reduce forced migration
into overcrowded and polluted cities.
Therefore, it is critical not only to give
assistance to people to get the land titles,
but also support them in finding a way to
use that land to provide themselves with
food and basic necessities.
To achieve this aim, Ekta Parishad
works closely with several partners and
institutions:
- Since 2001, The Ekta Foundation Trust
has supported projects intended to
preserve and promote the cottage and
Economic Activities
- In Katni, a project for training on
organic farming is led by Nirbhai
Singh, the convener of the Ekta
Economic Forum. An offshoot of
this includes a collaboration with a
young student from Mumbai led to
a project, where the Panika tribe’s
hand-woven cloths were provided
with a modern-art print to make
consumer items for people in cities.
At exhibitions held to promote the
product, the feedback showed that
customers were impressed by the
quality of the products.
- In addition there are many small
groups working on grain bank
systems in different villages.
This is just a snapshot of some of the
active projects that Ekta Parishad
is running. Future newsletters will
include more information so that
you can get a better insight into Ekta
Parishad’s economic activities in the
villages.
Readers interested in finding out
more about our economic work
will find two great online resources
to get more insight into past and
current work.
Firstly, a great overview is given
by the economic wing that can be
found here.
Secondly, there is a an interesting
movie by Emma Baus that gives a
great insight into the work of Avani
Kumar and Ekta Parishad, who have
worked closely together for several
years. The movie impressively
shows the hard work that is done
by villagers on a daily basis. Avani
helps citizens to create a sustainable
livelihood with their non-violently
manufactured products. The movie
is available online.
handicraft industry and to increase
opportunities for rural employment.
- A project with the aim of vegetable
cultivation by women’s groups is
supported in Kerala. The women
organize themselves in the form of
self-help groups (SHG) which sell grow-
bags containing soil, organic manure
and coir pith to provide an income to
support their families.
- In some villages, ‘mutual help
groups’ (MHGs) can be found. These
are SHGs engaged in saving money
and lending it out to members in need
of investment in individual ventures
and in times of need. The money that
women save in their MHGs is often
used for agriculture, marriage of a child
or health emergency. Generally, these
MHGs are led by a president, treasurer
and secretary who between them
would decide on the management
of the groups and keep records on
the contribution of each member
to the savings fund as well as their
repayments.
A closer look at some village projects

by Jim Knopf* -
We drive through forests
and valleys, pass Adivasi
villages, shepherds with their cows and
goats, cross rivers and get across country
to reach the village. Mobile connection
was lost about one hour before the driver
suddenly stopped the car. In front of us
appeared a deep hole in the dirt road.
It was late afternoon before the driver
found the courage to conquer the hole
and move on and we decided to walk the
last kilometers to Ranjara.
The Baiga (see info box below) village
lies in the hills of Dindori District in
Madhya Pradesh, the heart of India. The
only motorized vehicles which make
their way to this secluded place are 4x4
and motorbikes. Both of them are rarely
seen. During our stay we once saw an
employee of the Forest Department, who
drove his motorbike through the village,
another time we met a businessman
who visits the village with his vehicle.
Those few Baigas who can afford it buy a
bicycle, but most of them have to walk all
the way on foot.
“On the 25th of
September 2004 the
authorities burned
our crops”
A Long Way To A Life Of Dignity
A report from the Baiga village Ranjara
On the way to the village, we meet a
lot of Adivasi heavily loaded with bags
of rice and salt. In the neighboring
village the authorities are distributing
food rations. The food program of the
government of Madhya Pradesh supplies
essentials to those who are lucky enough
to have a ration card. These rations are a
supplement to the Baigas’predominantly
self-sufficient agriculture. Sometimes
they are able to sell their products in
regional markets, yet a good many times
there are middlemen involved who earn
their part of the deal.
Alongside agriculture, the forest is the
main base of livelihood for the tribe. The
Baigas collect firewood, herbs or other
forest products like honey or bamboo.
In the past, their activities led to a lot of
conflict with the authorities of the Forest
Department:
“They were asking for money, mahua*
and other things”, explains Lalla Singh,
Ekta Parishad-activist and member of the
gram panchayat (village government).
If they were not able to pay, they forced
them to work.
“On the 25th of September 2004 the
authorities burned our crops”, the
activist tells me. After this incident, the
community started to fight (in a non-
violent way) the injustice done to them
by the authorities, with the support of
Ekta Parishad. The struggle spread from
district to state level. According to Lalla
Singh,theyalsowenttocourt,whereupon
the Forest Department promised to pay
them compensation. They have never
kept this promise.
We remember the famous Janadesh
march of 2007, where 25,000 landless
Adivasi walking from Gwalior to Delhi.
This led to the passing of the Forest
Rights Act in January 2008. But in spite
of this provision the authorities still
stopped the Baigas from collecting
minor forest products and firewood, the
activist told us. Nonetheless the march
broughtanimprovementofthevillagers’
situation. Between 2008 and 2013, 54
families got their land titles. According
to Shoba Tiwari, who has spent 12 years
in the area as an Ekta Parishad activist,
they got about 4 million square meters
of land. The land titles were issued in
both husband’s and wife’s names, so
called joint pattas. This is an attempt
to empower women, who were faced
with disadvantage and discrimination
by former land titles issued solely in the
man’s name.
It was as a result of Jan Satyagraha that
the village was allowed to collect from
the forest. The authorities began to
show respect for the concerns of the
Baigas. The march of 100,000 landless
Adivasis, which was covered by media
reports all over the world, showed its
impact on that level as well.
“Is there electricity in the village?”,
I doubtfully ask one villager after
discovering an electrical tower. He
explained to me that the village had
lightfor3monthswhenthegovernment
built these towers. Then the connection
broke down. So far, no one has ever
repaired it. When I ask him how long
ago this happened, he pondered for a
moment before pointing to a young boy
standing next to him: “I was the same
age as he is when that happened. That
was 17 years ago.”
According to Lalla Singh, today Ranjara
is self-sufficient to a large extent. This
fact led to a decrease in migration to
the cities: “Only few people are moving
to the cities, most of them go there to
study.” This is a pleasant development.
In December 2013 a team
of documentary filmmakers
and Shoba Tivari an Ekta
Parishad activist visited
Ranjara, a secluded village,
in rural Dindori District of
Madhya Pradesh.

Nevertheless, Lalla Singh is not satisfied
by all these improvements and the
current circumstances: “I am happy
about the land we got but a majority
of the villagers are still struggling. It is a
long way to go until every villager has
his own piece of land.”
The struggle of the Baigas for a life in
dignity continues.
* The author of the present article is a
Swiss volunteer, who worked for Ekta
Parishad for half a year
** Mahua is a spirit, which is locally
distilled by the tribe.
The Baigas
The Baigas are indigenous people of India, a so called Adivasi tribe. They are recognized as a “scheduled tribe” in the
Constitution of India and their status is acknowledged to some formal degree by national legislation. The Baigas have
their own unique culture and animistic beliefs. They used to live mostly unaffected by external influences in the hilly forest
areas of the Indian states of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand and in many places they still do.
Baigas generate their livelihood through agriculture and the collection of forest products like wood, fruits, herbs and
roots. Other food resources are hunting and fishing. For a long time, the Baigas practiced bewar cultivation, a unique
form of slash & burn agriculture. They slash the trees of a certain area with an axe to cultivate the newly-created crop area.
Today, bewar is banned by law.
The majority of the Baigas are using wooden ploughs to cultivate their land. Tattooing is an integral part of the Baigas’
lifestyle. Baiga women decorate different parts of their bodies like hands, legs and forehead. Most Baiga women are not
covering their heads and do not use a bindi. A majority of men have long hair, rolled into a small knot.
TheBaigasparticipateinvariousdancesandsongsoftencolorfullydecked.Thetribeisknownfortheirin-depthknowledge
of herbal medicine.
Contact and Editorial
Information
Ekta Parishad International Coordination
Gandhi Bhawan, Shyamla Hills
Bhopal, 462002
Phone 07554223821 / 07552661800
Website : ektaparishad.com
Email : info@ektaparishad.com
Questions or comments? newsletter@ektaparishad.com

A Challenging Period In The Life Of Ekta Parishad - Newsletter February 2014

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Similar to A Challenging Period In The Life Of Ekta Parishad - Newsletter February 2014

Similar to A Challenging Period In The Life Of Ekta Parishad - Newsletter February 2014 (20)

More from Ekta Parishad

More from Ekta Parishad (6)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

A Challenging Period In The Life Of Ekta Parishad - Newsletter February 2014