Citizens for Justice and Peace
CJP impact: A fellowship, that encouraged communities to cross communication barriers It has helped open up a window for Van Gujjars, whose stories are now being shared widely
06-Sep-2021
It has been an interesting year to say the least for me, as an activist who works closely on the rights of the Van Gujjar community to which I belong, and on environmental issues. After I was awarded the CJP Grassroots Fellowship and began chronicling the Van Gujjar community’s lifestyle, tradition, migration patterns, and their…
“CJP’s Grassroots Fellowship gave me a leadership identity” CJP’s Grassroots Fellowship goes beyond individual recognition, empowers Van Gujjar community
05-Aug-2021
The Van Gujjar community’s traditional festival ‘Sela Parv’ had fascinated me since I was a young boy. However, I had not really seen it being celebrated, only heard stories about it from my elders. They in turn heard tales from their elders, how in the bygone era the Van Gujjar would migrate between kingdoms and…
HC order empowers Van Gujjars during Covid-19 The community was finally allowed to enter the meadows of Uttarkashi
03-Aug-2021
The course the Covid-19 pandemic will now take, remains as unpredictable as ever. One the one hand, there is talk of a slowdown of the spread of the disease, one the other, there are also reports of an imminent arrival of the third wave if protocol is not adhered to. However, one cannot ignore the…
A dairy diary from Uttarakhand For the first time, Van Gujjars, traditional dairy farmers, feel they need govt assistance
10-Jul-2021
The Van Gujjar community has been dairy farmers for millennia. Rearing cattle, and trading in milk and milk products, is the way of life they have inherited from their ancestors. They move with the seasons, their animals graze off the lands along the migration routes, and produce milk that is then consumed and traded. However,…
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…
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…
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?…
How can you ever ‘resettle’ an ancient way of life? Resettlement not always constructive rehabilitation, forest dwellers face the loss of identity
27-Mar-2021
CJP Fellow Mohammed Meer Hamza travels to the resettlement area of Gendikhata, in Uttarakhand, and meets a rehabilitated Van Gujjar, and learns that resettlement does not always mean constructive rehabilitation for forest dwellers, who now face the loss of identity. The rehabilitation of Uttarakhand’s Van Gujjar families from Rajaji National Park to Gendikhata, is not…
Our life is linked to the forests we call home: Van Gujjars Receding forest cover and forced 'rehabilitation' is imperiling their existence
20-Feb-2021
They are often hailed as eco warriors, as they take care of the forests, they live next to. For the Van Gujjar community taking the health of the forest is a top priority. But now, their very existence, as a community is in peril, as the forest cover is shrinking across the land, and the…
Who sprayed chemicals in an eco-sensitive forest area in Haldwani? Brave Van Gujjar woman’s video recording reveals atrocities by Forest Department officials
02-Feb-2021
“Hit me, I dare you… Do what you want, don’t you have stomachs,” a woman belonging to the forest dwelling Van Gujjar community is heard confronting a man, reportedly a Forest Department guard who can be heard threatening her. She was recording a video of the guards attacking a group of her fellow Van Gujjar community members who were resisting the department’s plan to…