Citizens for Justice and Peace
Covid-19 attacks the lungs, but we are worried about our empty stomachs: Migrant Workers Without employment or income, their lives seem to be in a permanent lockdown
18-Jun-2021
The lockdown may be easing in some cities, and extending in some, but nothing is the same anymore for those who can only eat one meal a day. In this little hamlet deep in West Bengal, the morning azaan from the mosque, and the sounds of the first train rushing on the tracks nearby, wakes up Surmara,…
Where have all the forests gone? Van Gujjars discover dwindling green cover along traditional migration routes
17-Jun-2021
The annual migration of the Van Gujjars in the summer of 2021, one of the hottest seasons many experienced, made them pause and ponder on the impact of climate change. The Van Gujjars, like other Adivasi and forest dwelling communities, have a deep understanding of nature and how the slightest rise in temperature, and a…
Meet Churki Hansda: Once branded a witch, now hailed as a Corona warrior She is now supplying oxygen and food to people in need in Birbhum
10-Jun-2021
Churki Hansda’s family had to leave their home in Gopalnagar village of Kasba panchayat in Parui in Birbhum district, because they were accused of ‘witchcraft’ by the villagers. They weren’t just blamed for every mishap that happened in the village, but even attacked with sticks and stones. Slurs of ‘dayan’ or witch, followed them everywhere, till one day…
How Sunderban’s Honey Collectors fight all odds to earn their living CJP Grassroots Fellow reports from Sunderbans
04-Jun-2021
CJP Grassroots Fellow Ripon Sheikh brings us the story of Sunderban’s Honey Collectors, who travel into the depths of the forest and collect wild honey to earn their living. These people are surviving crouching tigers, stinging bees and a stringent Lockdown to keep alive a traditional form of livelihood. Support our grassroots fellows to read…
A ray of hope is all we need How Uttarakhand’s Van Gujjars are rebuilding relationships with villagers
04-Jun-2021
Uttarakhand is home to the Van Gujjars, the nomadic community to which I belong. We traditionally breed cows, buffalos of a special breed called Gojri, and even horses, and earn a livelihood by selling milk and milk products. A defining factor of this community is that we migrate according to the season. In the summer…
Bitter sweet lives of honey collectors Surviving crouching tigers, stinging bees and stringent Lockdown restrictions to keep alive a traditional form of livelihood
01-Jun-2021
For centuries the golden floral forest honey from the Sundarbans has travelled across the world, but the stories of those who collect it, just float on the delta and into the Bay of Bengal. There is no typically easy way to get to the world-famous Sundarbans, but even the most difficult journey to this vast…
Meet Ramu Ghumman, the happiest man in Vasai A labourer who eats only when he earns, yet never complains
29-May-2021
He sat there going about his work quietly, when I approached him. I did not want to startle him and had just taken a candid photo of him. I wanted to show it to the old man and ask if I could use it for my report. I wanted to know his name and age.…
Migration is not really a choice Adivasi community members travel in family groups to Ambadi, ‘settle down’ near the roadside
26-May-2021
Ambadi is a small town in Bhiwandi taluka. As it is a centrally located area, many people from the Jawahar and Mokhada talukas of Palghar district migrate, often on foot, to this place in search of work. They belong to the Thakur, Warli, Katkari communities and travel in family groups. However, once they reach, the…
Kaulale: All is not idyllic in this picture perfect village Villagers migrate in droves to escape unemployment, caste conflict and water scarcity
21-May-2021
Nestled in the heavily forested Jawhar taluka of Palghar district, lies a sleepy little village called Kaulale. While it is breathtakingly beautiful and looks like it was plucked out of the pages of a children’s storybook, the village is struggling. There is widespread unemployment, water scarcity and caste conflict. “Everyone thinks that education will change…
Bullets and bureaucracy: Van Gujjars of Shivalik hills are caught in the crosshairs At least 4,000 families of the originally nomadic community have settled in the region that is also home to an Army shooting range
17-Apr-2021
The Van Gujjars of Shivalik forests have a curious dilemma. Should they stay put in the middle of a region that is used by the Army for firing practice, or pack up and leave… and then go where? Should they revert to the nomadic life of their ancestors, or start life afresh on rented land?…