Another life story of a tribal - Exploit as much as possible
Baneshwar Singh watia is a resident of the village Boeraha in the western karanjiya range. A small farmer, every day of his life is a fight against misery and hunger. He lives in the extreme Western corner of the village isolated from the rest by the fast currents of the river Seoni.
Having to live in a hostile environment he has managed to adjust himself and under the adverse conditions manages to earn a decent livelihood.
His father who is now in his late sixties was once a renowned hunter of the area and he proudly twirls his moustache while recalling his glorious past. But bad health, the scourge of malaria and old age have all taken their toll and it is left to banaehwar to provide sustenance for his father and mother. He has also to look after his small brothers while one brother elder to him live in the adjacent house. Being industrious by nature, he has managed to convert a wasteland into a productive unit. And by a stroke of good luck, he has been the first beneficiary of a canal that starts from a recently constructed check dam about 100 metres from his house. He uses the water from the canal to irrigate about half his fields, while being dependent on rain water for the rest as they are located in a slope.
In a village of extremely poor people, he is among the few who own almost 4 hectares of land along with his brothers. He augments his family income from collecting minor forest produces from the adjacent forest located just a few metres from his house. His brother lives most of the time inside the forest, as he is cowherd. The whole family collects sal and kusum seed that they sell in the weekly market in Gopalpur, 6 km away.
In a good year, he may get upto two months as labour. Lady luck was generous to him as he got employment during the construction of the check dam for almost a year. The money collected still serves to provide relief during hard times. Recently, owing perhaps to the location of the house, he got employment in the recently constructed PPA site as a chowkidaar. The 700 rupees he earns have increased his status in the village and he managed to buy new clothes for his family. Yet his story is full of uncertainties. After getting the job, he has been rendered as a virtual slave under the local forest guard who uses him as a virtual slave. Being illiterate and simple person, he has sleepless nights as he dreads the moment the guard may call him to do some or the other menial work for him.
Considering that he manage to earn a decent income from his land and the forest, it is a mystery why would he still want to suffer the ignominy of being a virtual slave under the guard. But the answer he provides is very simple. He says that since his father is the patta holder, the guard has threatened that once the time come to renew the patta, he will prevent his family from getting the patta. So much for ignorance for a poor person who hardly knows that it is not in the hands of the guard to renew or reject patta. At the expense of a poor tribal, the guard is enjoying a king’s life.
Having to live in a hostile environment he has managed to adjust himself and under the adverse conditions manages to earn a decent livelihood.
His father who is now in his late sixties was once a renowned hunter of the area and he proudly twirls his moustache while recalling his glorious past. But bad health, the scourge of malaria and old age have all taken their toll and it is left to banaehwar to provide sustenance for his father and mother. He has also to look after his small brothers while one brother elder to him live in the adjacent house. Being industrious by nature, he has managed to convert a wasteland into a productive unit. And by a stroke of good luck, he has been the first beneficiary of a canal that starts from a recently constructed check dam about 100 metres from his house. He uses the water from the canal to irrigate about half his fields, while being dependent on rain water for the rest as they are located in a slope.
In a village of extremely poor people, he is among the few who own almost 4 hectares of land along with his brothers. He augments his family income from collecting minor forest produces from the adjacent forest located just a few metres from his house. His brother lives most of the time inside the forest, as he is cowherd. The whole family collects sal and kusum seed that they sell in the weekly market in Gopalpur, 6 km away.
In a good year, he may get upto two months as labour. Lady luck was generous to him as he got employment during the construction of the check dam for almost a year. The money collected still serves to provide relief during hard times. Recently, owing perhaps to the location of the house, he got employment in the recently constructed PPA site as a chowkidaar. The 700 rupees he earns have increased his status in the village and he managed to buy new clothes for his family. Yet his story is full of uncertainties. After getting the job, he has been rendered as a virtual slave under the local forest guard who uses him as a virtual slave. Being illiterate and simple person, he has sleepless nights as he dreads the moment the guard may call him to do some or the other menial work for him.
Considering that he manage to earn a decent income from his land and the forest, it is a mystery why would he still want to suffer the ignominy of being a virtual slave under the guard. But the answer he provides is very simple. He says that since his father is the patta holder, the guard has threatened that once the time come to renew the patta, he will prevent his family from getting the patta. So much for ignorance for a poor person who hardly knows that it is not in the hands of the guard to renew or reject patta. At the expense of a poor tribal, the guard is enjoying a king’s life.
