Citizens for Justice and Peace
They call us Jamatis, no longer buy milk from us: Van Gujjars Nomadic community faces discrimination and economic boycott
26-Dec-2020
Here Mohammed Meer Hamza interviews Baniyabeen, a Van Gujjar who hails from Gauhri Range Kunou, Chaurd Pauri, Garhwal, and is currently camping at Gari Shyampur, near Rishikesh, Dehradun. They discuss the long-lasting impact that the Covid-19 pandemic on the community, and how despite facing discrimination, Van Gujjar’s hold no resentment. All they want is the safety of their…
From bonded labour to farmers waiting for ownership rights The struggle continues for this Warli tribal family
22-Dec-2020
This report is part of CJP’s Grassroots Fellowship Program, and has been written by Mamta Pared who hails from the Warli tribe and lives with her family in Nimbavali village in Palghar district. The daughter of brick kiln workers, Mamta wants to be a journalist, and is working on earning a master’s degree in journalism…
Revealed! An ancient migration route that may vanish soon Tracking the path taken by Van Gujjar nomads
10-Dec-2020
In this interview, 40-year-old Shamshad, a Van Gujjar, reveals the unique seasonal migration of the community. Shamshad hails from Kumau Chaurd, Gohri Range, Pauri Garhwal, and undertakes the seasonal migration to the river plains of Ganga Naur near Muzaffarnagar and then onto the grasslands on the Bijnor border. He leads his herd of 15 Cows,…
Bandna Parab: A festival that celebrates light and life A lesser known festival of lights, celebrated by indigenous communities to mark the changing season and give thanks to the land
05-Dec-2020
Around the same time most parts of the country celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights, there are many indigenous communities who celebrate many ancient festivals of their own. Most of these festivals are not yet recognised on the mainstream calendars, even though they are ancient, and are rooted in celebrating the elements, changing seasons, and…
Lockdown has reduced lives of bidi labourers to ashes! Drop in wages leading to extreme financial distress
01-Dec-2020
Ever since the Covid-19 global pandemic struck and led to the country-wide lockdown that began in March 2020, its negative impact on the Indian economy has been catastrophic. Cottage industries of rural India are the worst affected, families running them having been pushed to the brink of penury! Those involved with the cottage industry in West Bengal, especially bidi workers, are today amidst extreme…
पराली ख़रीद कर वायु प्रदूषण से लड़ रहें है वन गुज्जर उत्तराखण्ड राज्य में पराली जलाई नहीं जाती, बल्कि उचित मूल्य में खरीद लेते हैं वन गुज्जर समुदाय
21-Nov-2020
यह रिपोर्ट CJP के ग्रासरूट फ़ेलोशिप प्रोग्राम का हिस्सा है, और वन गुज्जर समुदाय के युवा नेता अमीर हमज़ा ने इस रिपोर्ट को तैयार किया है। वन गुज्जर एक घुमन्तु समुदाय है, जो पशुपालन कर के अपना जीवन व्यापन करता है। इस लेख में अमीर हमज़ा ने इस बात पर प्रकाश डाला है कि, किस…
Van Gujjars emerge as Air Pollution Warriors Buy stubble from Uttarakhand farmers so it doesn’t need to be burnt
18-Nov-2020
The work of conservation and preservation of forests has been going on for centuries. For the last few years, the Van Gujjar community has played a symbiotic role in increasing the income of the farmers and preventing air pollution. Earlier, farmers polluted the air by burning stubble, while livestock rearing communities had to gather stubble…
Timeline: Ghosts of Demonetisation still hover RBI Annual report highlights 99.3 percent notes back to Banking System
08-Nov-2018
It’s been two years since Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation and announced that Rs 1000/- and Rs 500/- currency notes had been demonetised and were no longer valid currency. While new notes of different denominations were subsequently introduced, one cannot deny the chaos that ensued as people scrambled to exchange currency and long…