ARUNDHATI ROY - Diary of a Walking Butterfly

32 Pages·2010·6.49 MB·English

ARUNDHATI ROY
WALKING with the
COMRADES
RememberingTheMartyrs: Picturesofslaincomradesdisplayed
onBhumkalDay
Bob-CutBrigade:InBastar,womenwithabob-cuthaircut
cangetyoukilled
DatelineDantewada:RoywiththeMaoists
Theterse,typewrittennoteslippedundermydoorina AcrosstheIndravatiriver,intheareacontrolledby
sealedenvelopeconfirmedmyappointmentwith theMaoists,istheplacethepolicecall‘Pakistan’.
India’sGravestInternalSecurityThreat.I’dbeen Therethevillagesareempty,buttheforestisfullof
waitingformonthstohearfromthem.Ihadtobeat people.Childrenwhooughttobeinschoolrunwild.
theMaDanteshwarimandirinDantewada,Chhattis- Inthelovelyforestvillages,theconcreteschoolbuild-
garh,atanyoffourgiventimesontwogivendays. ingshaveeitherbeenblownupandlieinaheap,or
Thatwastotakecareofbadweather,punctures,block- theyarefullofpolicemen.Thedeadlywarthatis
ades,transportstrikesandsheerbadluck.Thenote unfoldinginthejungleisawarthattheGovernment
said:“Writershouldhavecamera,tikaandcoconut. ofIndiaisbothproudandshyof.OperationGreen
Meeterwillhavecap,HindiOutlookmagazineand Hunthasbeenproclaimedaswellasdenied.P.
bananas.Password:NamashkarGuruji.” Chidambaram,India’shomeminister(andCEOofthe
war),saysitdoesnotexist,thatit’samediacreation.
NamashkarGuruji.IwonderedwhethertheMeeter
Andyetsubstantialfundshavebeenallocatedtoitand
andGreeterwouldbeexpectingaman.AndwhetherI
tensofthousandsoftroopsarebeingmobilisedforit.
shouldgetmyselfamoustache.
ThoughthetheatreofwarisinthejunglesofCentral
India,itwillhaveseriousconsequencesforusall.
TherearemanywaystodescribeDantewada.It’san
Ifghostsarethelingeringspiritsofsomeone,or
oxymoron.It’sabordertownsmackintheheartof
something,thathasceasedtoexist,thenperhapsthe
India.It’stheepicentreofawar.It’sanupsidedown,
newfour-lanehighwaycrashingthroughtheforestis
insideouttown.
theoppositeofaghost.Perhapsitistheharbingerof
InDantewada,thepolicewearplainclothesandthe whatisstilltocome.
rebelswearuniforms.Thejailsuperintendentisinjail.
Theantagonistsintheforestaredisparateandun-
Theprisonersarefree(threehundredofthemescaped
equalinalmosteveryway.Ononesideisamassive
fromtheoldtownjailtwoyearsago).Womenwho
paramilitaryforcearmedwiththemoney,thefire-
havebeenrapedareinpolicecustody.Therapistsgive power,themedia,andthehubrisofanemergingSu-
speechesinthebazaar. perpower.Ontheother,ordinaryvillagersarmedwith
traditionalweapons,backedbyasuperblyorganised, eraltimes,againsttheBritish,againstzamindarsand
hugelymotivatedMaoistguerrillafightingforcewith moneylenders.Therebellionswerecruellycrushed,
anextraordinaryandviolenthistoryofarmedrebellion. manythousandskilled,butthepeoplewerenevercon-
TheMaoistsandtheparamilitaryareoldadversaries quered.EvenafterIndependence,tribalpeoplewereat
andhavefoughtolderavatarsofeachotherseveral theheartofthefirstuprisingthatcouldbedescribed
timesbefore:Telanganainthe’50s;WestBengal, asMaoist,inNaxalbarivillageinWestBengal(where
Bihar,SrikakulaminAndhraPradeshinthelate’60s thewordNaxalite—nowusedinterchangeablywith
and’70s;andthenagaininAndhraPradesh,Biharand ‘Maoist’—originates).Sincethen,Naxalitepoliticshas
Maharashtrafromthe’80sallthewaythroughtothe beeninextricablyentwinedwithtribaluprisings,which
present.Theyarefamiliarwitheachother’stactics,and saysasmuchaboutthetribalsasitdoesaboutthe
havestudiedeachother’scombatmanualsclosely.Each Naxalites.
Thislegacyofrebellionhasleftbehindafurious
peoplewhohavebeendeliberatelyisolatedandmar-
In DANTEWADA,
ginalisedbytheIndiangovernment.TheIndianCon-
stitution,themoralunderpinningofIndiandemocracy,
wasadoptedbyParliamentin1950.Itwasatragicday
the POLICE wear plain clothes, fortribalpeople.TheConstitutionratifiedcolonial
policyandmadetheStatecustodianoftribalhome-
lands.Overnight,itturnedtheentiretribalpopulation
the REBELS wear uniforms. intosquattersontheirownland.Itdeniedthemtheir
traditionalrightstoforestproduce,itcriminaliseda
wholewayoflife.Inexchangefortherighttovote,it
The jail SUPERINTENDENT is in jail; snatchedawaytheirrighttolivelihoodanddignity.
Havingdispossessedthemandpushedthemintoa
downwardspiralofindigence,inacruelsleightof
THE PRISONERS ARE FREE. hand,thegovernmentbegantousetheirownpenury
againstthem.Eachtimeitneededtodisplacealarge
population—fordams,irrigationprojects,mines—it
talkedof“bringingtribalsintothemainstream”orof
givingthem“thefruitsofmoderndevelopment”.Of
time,itseemedasthoughtheMaoists(ortheirprevi- thetensofmillionsofinternallydisplacedpeople
ousavatars)hadbeennotjustdefeated,butliterally, (morethan30millionbybigdamsalone),refugeesof
physicallyexterminated.Eachtime,theyhavere- India’s‘progress’,thegreatmajorityaretribalpeople.
emerged,moreorganised,moredeterminedandmore Whenthegovernmentbeginstotalkoftribalwelfare,
influentialthanever.Todayonceagaintheinsurrection it’stimetoworry.
hasspreadthroughthemineral-richforestsofChhat- Themostrecentexpressionofconcernhascome
tisgarh,Jharkhand,OrissaandWestBengal—home- fromhomeministerP.Chidambaramwhosayshe
landtomillionsofIndia’stribalpeople,dreamlandto doesn’twanttribalpeoplelivingin“museumcultures”.
thecorporateworld. Thewell-beingoftribalpeopledidn’tseemtobesuch
It’seasierontheliberalconsciencetobelievethat apriorityduringhiscareerasacorporatelawyer,repre-
thewarintheforestsisawarbetweentheGovern- sentingtheinterestsofseveralmajorminingcompa-
mentofIndiaandtheMaoists,whocallelectionsa nies.Soitmightbeanideatoenquireintothebasis
sham,Parliamentapigstyandhaveopenlydeclared forhisnewanxiety.
theirintentiontooverthrowtheIndianState.It’scon- Overthepastfiveyearsorso,thegovernmentsof
venienttoforgetthattribalpeopleinCentralIndia Chhattisgarh,Jharkhand,OrissaandWestBengalhave
haveahistoryofresistancethatpredatesMaobycen- signedhundredsofMoUswithcorporatehouses,
turies.(That’satruismofcourse.Iftheydidn’t,they worthseveralbilliondollars,allofthemsecret,forsteel
wouldn’texist.)TheHo,theOraon,theKols,theSan- plants,sponge-ironfactories,powerplants,aluminium
thals,theMundasandtheGondshaveallrebelledsev- refineries,damsandmines.InorderfortheMoUsto
translateintorealmoney,tribalpeoplemustbemoved. playallthepartsinTelugumythologicals—thegood
guysandthebadguys,allatonce,inthesamemovie.
Therefore,thiswar.
ThisCSRmaskstheoutrageouseconomicsthatun-
Whenacountrythatcallsitselfademocracyopenly
derpinstheminingsectorinIndia.Forexample,ac-
declareswarwithinitsborders,whatdoesthatwar
cordingtotherecentLokayuktareportforKarnataka,
looklike?Doestheresistancestandachance?Should
foreverytonneofironoreminedbyaprivatecom-
it?WhoaretheMaoists?Aretheyjustviolentnihilists
pany,thegovernmentgetsaroyaltyofRs27andthe
foistinganoutdatedideologyontribalpeople,goading
miningcompanymakesRs5,000.Inthebauxiteand
themintoahopelessinsurrection?Whatlessonshave
aluminiumsector,thefiguresareevenworse.We’re
theylearnedfromtheirpastexperience?Isarmed
talkingaboutdaylightrobberytothetuneofbillionsof
struggleintrinsicallyundemocratic?IstheSandwich
dollars.Enoughtobuyelections,governments,judges,
Theory—of‘ordinary’tribalsbeingcaughtinthecross-
newspapers,TVchannels,NGOsandaidagencies.
firebetweentheStateandtheMaoists—anaccurate
What’stheoccasionalcancerhospitalhereorthere?
one?Are‘Maoists’and‘Tribals’twoentirelydiscrete
Idon’trememberseeingVedanta’snameonthelong
categoriesasisbeingmadeout?Dotheirinterests
listofMoUssignedbytheChhattisgarhgovernment.
converge?Havetheylearnedanythingfromeach
ButI’mtwistedenoughtosuspectthatifthere’sacan-
other?Havetheychangedeachother?
cerhospital,theremustbeaflat-toppedbauxitemoun-
tainsomewhere.
ThedaybeforeIleft,mymothercalled,sounding
WepassKanker,famousforitsCounterTerrorism
sleepy.“I’vebeenthinking,”shesaid,withamother’s
andJungleWarfareCollegerunbyBrigadierB.K.
weirdinstinct,“whatthiscountryneedsisrevolution.”
Ponwar,Rumpelstiltskinofthiswar,chargedwiththe
AnarticleontheinternetsaysthatIsrael’sMossadis taskofturningcorrupt,sloppypolicemen(straw)into
training30high-rankingIndianpoliceofficersinthe junglecommandos(gold).“Fightaguerrillalikea
techniquesoftargetedassassinations,torenderthe guerrilla”,themottoofthewarfaretrainingschool,is
Maoistorganisation“headless”.There’stalkinthe paintedontherocks.Themenaretaughttorun,
pressaboutthenewhardwarethathasbeenbought slither,jumponandoffair-bornehelicopters,ride
fromIsrael:laserrange-finders,thermalimaging horses(forsomereason),eatsnakesandliveoffthe
equipmentandunmanneddrones,sopopularwiththe jungle.Thebrigadiertakesgreatprideintrainingstreet
USarmy.Perfectweaponstouseagainstthepoor. dogstofight‘terrorists’.Eighthundredpolicemen
graduatefromthewarfaretrainingschooleverysix
ThedrivefromRaipurtoDantewadatakesabout10
weeks.Twentysimilarschoolsarebeingplannedall
hoursthroughareasknowntobe‘Maoist-infested’.
overIndia.Thepoliceforceisgraduallybeingturned
Thesearenotcarelesswords.‘Infest/infestation’implies
intoanarmy.(InKashmir,it’stheotherwayaround.
disease/pests.Diseasesmustbecured.Pestsmustbe
Thearmyisbeingturnedintoabloated,administrative
exterminated.Maoistsmustbewipedout.Inthese
policeforce.)Upsidedown.Insideout.Eitherway,the
creeping,innocuousways,thelanguageofgenocidehas
EnemyisthePeople.
enteredourvocabulary.
It’slate.Jagdalpurisasleep,exceptforthemany
Toprotectthehighway,securityforceshave‘secured’
hoardingsofRahulGandhiaskingpeopletojointhe
anarrowbandwidthofforestoneitherside.Furtherin,
YouthCongress.He’sbeentoBastartwiceinrecent
it’stherajofthe‘Dadalog’.TheBrothers.TheCom-
monthsbuthasn’tsaidanythingmuchaboutthewar.
rades.
It’sprobablytoomessyforthePeople’sPrincetomed-
OntheoutskirtsofRaipur,amassivebillboardad- dleinatthispoint.Hismediamanagersmusthaveput
vertisesVedanta(thecompanyourhomeministeronce theirfootdown.ThefactthattheSalwaJudum—the
workedwith)CancerHospital.InOrissa,whereitis dreaded,government-sponsoredvigilantegroupre-
miningbauxite,Vedantaisfinancingauniversity.In sponsibleforrapes,killings,forburningdownvillages
thesecreeping,innocuousways,miningcorporations anddrivinghundredsofthousandsofpeoplefrom
enterourimaginations:theGentleGiantsWhoReally theirhomes—isledbyMahendraKarma,aCongress
Care.It’scalledCSR,CorporateSocialResponsibility. MLA,doesnotgetmuchplayinthecarefullyorches-
Itallowsminingcompaniestobelikethelegendary tratedpublicityaroundRahulGandhi.
actorandformerchiefministerNTR,wholikedto
IarrivedattheMaDanteshwarimandirwellintime stream,ankledeep,easytowadeacross.Acrosswas
formyappointment(firstday,firstshow).Ihadmy ‘Pakistan’.“Outthere,ma’am,”thecandidSPhadsaid
camera,mysmallcoconutandapowderyredtikaon tome,“myboysshoottokill.”Irememberedthataswe
myforehead.Iwonderedifsomeonewaswatchingme begantocross.Isawusinapoliceman’srifle-sights—
andhavingalaugh.Withinminutesayoungboyap- tinyfiguresinalandscape,easytopickoff.But
proachedme.Hehadacapandabackpackschoolbag. Mangtuseemedquiteunconcerned,andItookmycue
Chippedrednail-polishonhisfingernails.NoHindi fromhim.
Outlook,nobananas.“Areyoutheonewho’sgoingin?”
Waitingforusontheotherbank,inalime-green
heaskedme.NoNamashkarGuruji.Ididnotknow
shirtthatsaidHorlicks!,wasChandu.Aslightlyolder
whattosay.Hetookoutasoggynotefromhispocket
securitythreat.Maybetwenty.Hehadalovelysmile,a
andhandedittome.Itsaid,“Outlooknahinmila
cycle,ajerrycanwithboiledwaterandmanypackets
(couldn’tfindOutlook).”
ofglucosebiscuitsforme,fromtheParty.Wecaught
“Andthebananas?” ourbreathandbegantowalkagain.Thecycle,it
turnedout,wasaredherring.Theroutewasalmost
“Iatethem,”hesaid,“Igothungry.”
entirelynon-cycleable.Weclimbedsteephillsand
Hereallywasasecuritythreat.
clambereddownrockypathsalongsomepretty
HisbackpacksaidCharlieBrown—Notyourordi- precariousledges.Whenhecouldn’twheelit,Chandu
naryblockhead.HesaidhisnamewasMangtu.Isoon liftedthecycleandcarrieditoverhisheadasthough
learnedthatDandakaranya,theforestIwasaboutto itweighednothing.Ibegantowonderabouthis
enter,wasfullofpeoplewhohadmanynamesand bemusedvillageboyair.Idiscovered(muchlater)
fluididentities.Itwaslikebalmtome,thatidea.How thathecouldhandleeverykindofweapon,“except
lovelynottobestuckwithyourself,tobecomesome- foranLMG”,heinformedmecheerfully.
oneelseforawhile.
Threebeautiful,sozzledmenwithflowersintheir
Wewalkedtothebusstand,onlyafewminutes turbanswalkedwithusforabouthalfanhour,before
awayfromthetemple.Itwasalreadycrowded.Things ourpathsdiverged.Atsunset,theirshoulderbags
happenedquickly.Thereweretwomenonmotorbikes. begantocrow.Theyhadroostersinthem,whichthey
Therewasnoconversation—justaglanceofacknowl- hadtakentomarketbuthadn’tmanagedtosell.
edgment,ashiftingofbodyweight,therevvingofen-
Chanduseemstobeabletoseeinthedark.Ihaveto
gines.Ihadnoideawhereweweregoing.Wepassed
usemytorch.Thecricketsstartupandsoonthere’san
thehouseoftheSuperintendentofPolice(SP),which
orchestra,adomeofsoundoverus.Ilongtolookupat
Irecognisedfrommylastvisit.Hewasacandidman,
thenightsky,butIdarenot.Ihavetokeepmyeyeson
theSP:“SeeMa’am,franklyspeakingthisproblem
theground.Onestepatatime.Concentrate.
can’tbesolvedbyuspoliceormilitary.Theproblem
Iheardogs.ButIcan’ttellhowfarawaytheyare.
withthesetribalsistheydon’tunderstandgreed.Un-
Theterrainflattensout.Istealalookatthesky.It
lesstheybecomegreedy,there’snohopeforus.Ihave
makesmeecstatic.Ihopewe’regoingtostopsoon.
toldmyboss,removetheforceandinsteadputaTVin
“Soon,”Chandusays.Itturnsouttobemorethanan
everyhome.Everythingwillbeautomaticallysorted
hour.Iseesilhouettesofenormoustrees.Wearrive.
out.”
Thevillageseemsspacious,thehousesfarawayfrom
Innotimeatallwewereridingoutoftown.Notail.
eachother.Thehouseweenterisbeautiful.There’sa
Itwasalongride,threehoursbymywatch.Itended
fire,somepeoplesittingaround.Morepeopleoutside,
abruptlyinthemiddleofnowhere,onanemptyroad
inthedark.Ican’ttellhowmany.Icanjustaboutmake
withforestoneitherside.Mangtugotoff.Ididtoo.
themout.Amurmurgoesaround.LalSalaamKaam-
Thebikesleft,andIpickedupmybackpackandfol-
raid(RedSalute,Comrade).LalSalaam,Isay.I’mbe-
lowedthesmallinternalsecuritythreatintotheforest.
yondtired.Theladyofthehousecallsmeinsideand
Itwasabeautifulday.Theforestfloorwasacarpetof
givesmechickencurrycookedingreenbeansand
gold.
someredrice.Fabulous.Herbabyisasleepnexttome,
Inawhileweemergedonthewhite,sandybanksof hersilverankletsgleaminthefirelight.
abroadflatriver.Itwasobviouslymonsoon-fed,so
Afterdinner,Iunzipmysleepingbag.It’sastrange
nowitwasmoreorlessasandflat,atthecentrea
RedShadow:Centenarycelebrationsoftheadivasiuprising
inBastar;Stengunathand
intrusivesound,thebigzip.Someoneputsonthe andawholestackofflattened,empty,corrugatedcard-
radio.BBCHindiservice.TheChurchofEnglandhas boardboxes.Somethingcatchesmyeye.Ineedmy
withdrawnitsfundsfromVedanta’sNiyamgiriproject, spectacles.Here’swhat’sprintedonthecardboard:
citingenvironmentaldegradationandrightsviolations IdealPower90HighEnergyEmulsionExplosive
oftheDongriaKondhtribe.Icanhearcowbells,snuf- (Class-2)SDCATZZ.
fling,shuffling,cattle-farting.All’swellwiththeworld.
Westartwalkingagainatabouttwo.Inthevillage
Myeyesclose.
wearegoingtomeetaDidi(Sister,Comrade)who
knowswhatthenextstepofthejourneywillbe.
Chandudoesn’t.Thereisaneconomyofinformation
We’reupatfive.Onthemovebysix.Inanothercouple
too.Nobodyissupposedtoknoweverything.But
ofhours,wecrossanotherriver.Wewalkthrough
whenwereachthevillage,Didiisn’tthere.Thereisno
somebeautifulvillages.Everyvillagehasafamilyof
newsofher.Forthefirsttime,Iseealittlecloudof
tamarindtreeswatchingoverit,likeaclutchofhuge,
worrysettlingoverChandu.Abigonesettlesoverme.
benevolent,gods.Sweet,Bastartamarind.By11,the
Idon’tknowwhatthesystemsofcommunicationare,
sunishigh,andwalkingislessfun.Westopatavillage
butwhatifthey’vegonewrong?
forlunch.Chanduseemstoknowthepeopleinthe
house.Abeautifulyounggirlflirtswithhim.Helooks We’reparkedoutsideadesertedschoolbuilding,a
alittleshy,maybebecauseI’maround.Lunchisraw littlewayoutofthevillage.Whyareallthegovern-
papayawithmasoordal,andredrice.Andredchilli mentvillageschoolsbuiltlikeconcretebastions,with
powder.We’regoingtowaitforthesuntolosesomeof steelshuttersforwindowsandslidingfoldingsteel
itsvehemencebeforewestartwalkingagain.Wetakea doors?Whynotlikethevillagehouses,withmudand
napinthegazebo.Thereisasparebeautyaboutthe thatch?Becausetheydoubleupasbarracksand
place.Everythingiscleanandnecessary.Noclutter.A bunkers.“InthevillagesinAbujhmad,”Chandusays,
blackhenparadesupanddownthelowmudwall.A “schoolsarelikethis….”Hescratchesabuildingplan
bamboogridstabilisestheraftersofthethatchedroof withatwigintheearth.Threeoctagonsattachedto
anddoublesasastoragerack.There’sagrassbroom, eachotherlikeahoneycomb.“Sotheycanfireinall
twodrums,awovenreedbasket,abrokenumbrella directions.”Hedrawsarrowstoillustratehispoint,like
acricketgraphic—abatsman’swagonwheel.Thereare fourorfivevillagesandtohelpinthefields,cleanwells
noteachersinanyoftheschools,Chandusays. orrepairhouses—doingwhatever’sneeded.
They’veallrunaway.Orhaveyouchasedthemaway?
StillnoDidi.Whattodo?Nothing.Wait.Helpout
No,weonlychasepolice.Butwhyshouldteachers
withsomechoppingandpeeling.
comehere,tothejungle,whentheygettheirsalaries
sittingathome?Goodpoint. Afterdinner,withoutmuchtalk,everybodyfallsin
line.Clearly,wearemoving.Everythingmoveswithus,
Heinformsmethatthisisa‘newarea’.TheParty
therice,vegetables,potsandpans.Weleavetheschool
hasenteredonlyrecently.
compoundandwalksinglefileintotheforest.Inless
About20youngpeoplearrive,girlsandboys.In thanhalfanhour,wearriveinagladewhereweare
theirteensandearly20s.Chanduexplainsthatthisis goingtosleep.There’sabsolutelynonoise.Within
minuteseveryonehasspreadtheirblueplasticsheets,
theubiquitous‘jhilli’(withoutwhichtherewillbeno
Revolution).ChanduandMangtushareoneand
I’m surrounded by strange, beautiful
spreadoneoutforme.Theyfindmethebestplace,by
thebestgreyrock.Chandusayshehassentamessage
toDidi.Ifshegetsit,shewillbeherefirstthinginthe
morning.Ifshegetsit.
children with their curious arsenal
It’sthemostbeautifulroomIhavesleptin,inalong
time.Myprivatesuiteinathousand-starhotel.I’m
surroundedbythesestrange,beautifulchildrenwith
-
ALL MAOISTS. Are they going to die? theircuriousarsenal.They’reallMaoistsforsure.Are
theyallgoingtodie?Isthejunglewarfaretraining
schoolforthem?Andthehelicoptergunships,the
thermalimagingandthelaserrange-finders?
What for? To turn this into a MINE?
Whymusttheydie?Whatfor?Toturnallofthis
intoamine?Iremembermyvisittotheopencast
iron-oreminesinKeonjhar,Orissa.Therewasforest
thereonce.Andchildrenlikethese.Nowthelandis
likearaw,redwound.Reddustfillsyournostrilsand
lungs.Thewaterisred,theairisred,thepeopleare
thevillage-levelmilitia,thelowestrungoftheMaoists’ red,theirlungsandhairarered.Alldayandallnight
militaryhierarchy.Ihaveneverseenanyonelikethem trucksrumblethroughtheirvillages,bumperto
before.Theyaredressedinsarisandlungis,somein bumper,thousandsandthousandsoftrucks,takingore
frayedolive-greenfatigues.Theboyswearjewellery, toParadipportfromwhereitwillgotoChina.There
headgear.Everyoneofthemhasamuzzle-loading itwillturnintocarsandsmokeandsuddencitiesthat
rifle,what’scalledabharmaar.Somealsohaveknives, springupovernight.Intoa‘growthrate’thatleaves
axes,abowandarrow.Oneboycarriesacrudemortar economistsbreathless.Intoweaponstomakewar.
fashionedoutofaheavythree-footGIpipe.It’sfilled Everyone’sasleepexceptforthesentrieswhotake
withgunpowderandshrapnelandreadytobefired.It one-and-a-half-hourshifts.Finally,Icanlookatthe
makesabignoise,butcanonlybeusedonce.Still,it stars.WhenIwasachildgrowinguponthebanksof
scaresthepolice,theysay,andgiggle.Wardoesn’tseem theMeenachalriver,Iusedtothinkthesoundof
tobeuppermostontheirminds.Perhapsbecausetheir crickets—whichalwaysstartedupattwilight—wasthe
areaisoutsidethehomerangeoftheSalwaJudum. soundofstarsrevvingup,gettingreadytoshine.I’m
Theyhavejustfinishedaday’swork,helpingtobuild surprisedathowmuchIlovebeinghere.Thereis
fencingaroundsomevillagehousestokeepthegoats nowhereelseintheworldthatIwouldratherbe.Who
outofthefields.They’refulloffunandcuriosity.The shouldIbetonight?KamraidRahel,underthestars?
girlsareconfidentandeasywiththeboys.Ihaveasen- MaybeDidiwillcometomorrow.
sorforthissortofthing,andIamimpressed.Their
job,Chandusays,istopatrolandprotectagroupof
Theyarriveintheearlyafternoon.Icanseethem tocallhim),clearlytheseniormostofthemall.Maybe
fromadistance.About15ofthem,allinolive-green centralcommittee,maybeevenpolitburo.I’mnottold,
uniforms,runningtowardsus.Evenfromadistance, Idon’task.BetweenuswespeakGondi,Halbi,Telugu,
fromthewaytheyrun,Icantelltheyaretheheavy PunjabiandMalayalam.OnlyMaasespeaksEnglish.
hitters.ThePeople’sLiberationGuerrillaArmy (SoweallcommunicateinHindi!)ComradeMaaseis
(PLGA).Forwhomthethermalimagingandlaser- tallandquietandseemstohavetoswimthrougha
guidedrifles.Forwhomthejunglewarfaretraining layerofpaintoentertheconversation.Butfromthe
school. wayshehugsme,Icantellshe’sareader.Andthatshe
misseshavingbooksinthejungle.Shewilltellmeher
Theycarryseriousrifles,INSAS,SLR,twohave
storyonlylater.Whenshetrustsmewithhergrief.
AK-47s.TheleaderofthesquadisComradeMadhav
whohasbeenwiththePartysincehewasnine.He’s Badnewsarrives,asitdoesinthisjungle.Arunner,
fromWarangal,AndhraPradesh.He’supsetandex- with‘biscuits’.Handwrittennotesonsheetsofpaper,
tremelyapologetic.Therewasamajormiscommunica- foldedandstapledintolittlesquares.There’sabagfull
tion,hesaysagainandagain,whichusuallynever ofthem.Likechips.Newsfromeverywhere.Thepo-
happens.Iwassupposedtohavearrivedatthemain licehavekilledfivepeopleinOngnaarvillage,four
campontheveryfirstnight.Someonedroppedthe fromthemilitiaandoneordinaryvillager:SanthuPot-
batoninthejungle-relay.Themotorcycledropwasto tai(25),PhooloVadde(22),KandePottai(22),Ramoli
havebeenatanentirelydifferentplace.“Wemadeyou Vadde(20),DalsaiKoram(22).Theycouldhavebeen
wait,wemadeyouwalksomuch.Weranalltheway thechildreninmystar-spangleddormitoryoflast
whenthemessagecamethatyouwerehere.”Isaidit night.
wasokay,thatIhadcomeprepared,towaitandwalk
Thengoodnewsarrives.Asmallcontingentofpeo-
andlisten.Hewantstoleaveimmediately,because
plewithaplumpyoungman.He’sinfatiguestoo,but
peopleinthecampwerewaiting,andworried.
theylookbrandnew.Everybodyadmiresthemand
It’safewhours’walktothecamp.It’sgettingdark commentsonthefit.Helooksshyandpleased.He’sa
whenwearrive.Thereareseverallayersofsentriesand doctorwhohascometoliveandworkwiththecom-
concentriccirclesofpatrolling.Theremustbeahun- radesintheforest.ThelasttimeadoctorvisitedDan-
dredcomradeslinedupintworows.Everyonehasa dakaranyawasmanyyearsago.
weapon.Andasmile.Theybegintosing:Lallal
Ontheradiothere’snewsaboutthehomeminister’s
salaam,lallalsalaam,aanevaalesaathiyonkolallal
meetingwithchiefministersofstates‘affectedbyLeft-
salaam(redsalutetothecomradeswhohavearrived).
WingExtremism’.ThechiefministersofJharkhand
Itissungsweetly,asthoughitwasafolksongabouta
andBihararebeingdemureandhavenotattended.
river,oraforestblossom.Withthesong,thegreeting,
Everybodysittingaroundtheradiolaughs.Aroundthe
thehandshake,andtheclenchedfist.Everyonegreets
timeofelections,theysay,rightthroughthecampaign,
everyone,murmuringLalslaam,mlalslaamlalslaam….
andthenmaybeamonthortwoafterthegovernment
Otherthanalargebluejhillispreadoutonthefloor, isformed,mainstreampoliticiansallsaythingslike
about15feetsquare,therearenosignsofa‘camp’. “Naxalsareourchildren”.Youcansetyourwatchto
Thisonehasajhilliroofaswell.It’smyroomforthe thescheduleofwhentheywillchangetheirminds,and
night.Iwaseitherbeingrewardedformydaysof growfangs.
walking,orbeingpamperedinadvanceforwhatlay
IamintroducedtoComradeKamla.IamtoldthatI
ahead.Orboth.Eitherwayitwasthelasttimeinthe
mustonnoaccountgoevenfivefeetawayfrommy
entiretripthatIwasgoingtohavearoofovermy
jhilliwithoutwakingher.Becauseeverybodygetsdis-
head.OverdinnerImeetComradeNarmada,in
orientedinthedarkandcouldgetseriouslylost.(I
chargeoftheKrantikariAdivasiMahilaSangathan
don’twakeher.Isleeplikealog.)Inthemorning
(KAMS),whohasapriceonherhead;Comrade
Kamlapresentsmewithayellowpolythenepacket
SarojaofthePLGAwhoisonlyastallasherSLR;
withonecornersnippedoff.Onceitusedtocontain
ComradeMaase(whichmeansBlackGirlinGondi),
AbisGoldRefinedSoyaOil.NowitwasmyLoo
whohasapriceonherheadtoo;ComradeRupi,the
Mug.Nothing’swastedontheRoadtotheRevolution.
techwizard;ComradeRaju,who’sinchargeofthedi-
visionI’dbeenwalkingthrough;andComradeVenu (EvennowIthinkofComradeKamlaallthetime,
(orMuraliorSonuorSushil,whateveryouwouldlike everyday.She’s17.Shewearsahomemadepistolon
herhip.Andboy,whatasmile.Butifthepolicecome whatitisnow,theCommunistPartyofIndia-Maoist.)
acrossher,they’llkillher.Theymightrapeherfirst.No
questionswillbeasked.Becauseshe’sanInternalSe-
curityThreat.) DandakaranyaispartofwhattheBritish,intheir
WhiteMan’sway,calledGondwana,landofthe
Gonds.TodaythestateboundariesofMadhya
Afterbreakfast,ComradeVenu(Sushil,Sonu,Murali) Pradesh,Chhattisgarh,Orissa,AndhraPradeshand
iswaitingforme,sittingcross-leggedonthejhilli, Maharashtraslicethroughtheforest.Breakingupa
lookingforalltheworldlikeafrailvillageschool- troublesomepeopleintoseparateadministrativeunits
teacher.I’mgoingtogetahistorylesson.Or,moreac- isanoldtrick.ButtheseMaoistsandMaoistGonds
curately,alectureonthehistoryofthelast30yearsin don’tpaymuchattentiontothingslikestatebound-
theDandakaranyaforest,whichhasculminatedinthe aries.Theyhavedifferentmapsintheirheads,andlike
warthat’sswirlingthroughittoday.Forsure,it’sapar- othercreaturesoftheforest,theyhavetheirownpaths.
tisan’sversion.Butthen,whathistoryisn’t?Inanycase, Forthem,roadsarenotmeantforwalkingon.They’re
thesecrethistorymustbemadepublicifitistobe meantonlytobecrossed,orasisincreasinglybecom-
contested,arguedwith,insteadofmerelybeinglied ingthecase,ambushed.ThoughtheGonds(divided
about,whichiswhatishappeningnow. betweentheKoyaandDorlatribes)arebyfarthe
biggestmajority,therearesmallsettlementsofother
ComradeVenuhasacalm,reassuringmanneranda
tribalcommunitiestoo.Thenon-adivasicommunities,
gentlevoicethatwill,inthedaystocome,surfaceina
tradersandsettlers,liveontheedgesoftheforest,near
contextthatwillcompletelyunnerveme.Thismorning
theroadsandmarkets.
hetalksforseveralhours,almostcontinuously.He’s
likealittlestoremanagerwhohasagiantbunchof ThePWGwerenotthefirstevangelicalstoarrivein
keyswithwhichtoopenupamazeoflockersfullof Dandakaranya.BabaAmte,thewell-knownGandhian,
stories,songsandinsights. hadopenedhisashramandleprosyhospitalinWarora
in1975.TheRamakrishnaMissionhadbegunopen-
ComradeVenuwasinoneofthesevenarmed
ingvillageschoolsintheremoteforestsofAbujhmad.
squadswhocrossedtheGodavarifromAndhra
InnorthBastar,BabaBihariDashadstartedanag-
PradeshandenteredtheDandakaranyaforest(DK,in
gressivedriveto“bringtribalsbackintotheHindu
Partyspeak)inJune1980,30yearsago.Heisoneof
fold”,whichinvolvedacampaigntodenigratetribal
theoriginalforty-niners.TheybelongedtoPeople’s
culture,induceself-hatred,andintroduceHinduism’s
WarGroup(PWG),afactionoftheCommunistParty
greatgift—caste.Thefirstconverts,thevillagechiefs
ofIndia(Marxist-Leninist)orCPI(ML),theoriginal
andbiglandlords—peoplelikeMahendraKarma,
Naxalites.PWGwasformallyannouncedasaseparate,
founderoftheSalwaJudum—wereconferredthesta-
independentpartyinAprilthatyear,underKondapalli
tusofDwij,twice-born,Brahmins.(Ofcourse,thiswas
Seetharamiah.PWGhaddecidedtobuildastanding
abitofascam,becausenobodycanbecomeaBrah-
army,forwhichitwouldneedabase.DKwastobe
min.Iftheycould,we’dbeanationofBrahminsby
thatbase,andthosefirstsquadsweresentintorecon-
now.)ButthiscounterfeitHinduismisconsidered
noitretheareaandbegintheprocessofbuildingguer-
goodenoughfortribalpeople,justlikethecounterfeit
rillazones.Thedebateaboutwhethercommunist
brandsofeverythingelse—biscuits,soap,matches,
partiesoughttohaveastandingarmy,andwhetheror
oil—thataresoldinvillagemarkets.Aspartofthe
nota‘people’sarmy’isacontradictioninterms,isan
Hindutvadrive,thenamesofvillageswerechangedin
oldone.PWG’sdecisiontobuildanarmycamefrom
landrecords,asaresultofwhichmosthavetwonames
itsexperienceinAndhraPradesh,whereits‘Landto
now,people’snamesandgovernmentnames.Innarvil-
theTiller’campaignledtoadirectclashwiththeland-
lage,forexample,becameChinnari.Onvoters’lists,
lords,andresultedinthekindofpolicerepressionthat
tribalnameswerechangedtoHindunames.(Massa
thepartyfoundimpossibletowithstandwithouta
KarmabecameMahendraKarma.)Thosewhodidnot
trainedfightingforceofitsown.
comeforwardtojointheHindufoldweredeclared
(By2004,PWGhadmergedwiththeother
‘Katwas’(bywhichtheymeantuntouchables)wholater
CPI(ML)factions,PartyUnity(PU)andtheMaoist
becamethenaturalconstituencyfortheMaoists.
CommunistCentre(MCC)—whichfunctionsforthe
ThePWGfirstbeganworkinsouthBastarand
mostpartoutofBiharandJharkhand.Tobecome