Niyamgiri: Not the Last Battle of the Natives

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The Dongria Kandhs in Niyamgiri mountains and Kutia Kandhs on the foothills of this ecological hot spot in Orissa, are fighting a hard battle against a notorious mining giant which is backed by the Indian State. If they lose, it would mean genocide
Subrat Kumar Sahu Niyamgiri (Rayagada)

After eight hours of strenuous trekking through the dense Niyamgiri in Rayagada district in south Orissa, where the aboriginal tribe Dongria Kandhs have been living since ages, we reached Khambesi village. It was already dark and we were tired; we slept in the front room of a Dongria house. The constant coughing of a woman did not let us sleep for a moment. Next morning, I asked an elderly woman, why weren't they taking her to a doctor? She replied, "We have never been inflicted by a disease that we cannot cure ourselves - Niyamgiri provides us with all the medicines we need. This is the first time that no medicine has worked!" 

We started climbing the last peak of the Niyamgiri range. The steep slopes intersected with patches of plateau were littered with elephant droppings. At one point, I noticed another kind of animal dropping. A Dongria boy accompanying us, said, "This is a tiger's dropping. So much of hair means the tiger has eaten a wild boar last night." 

"Are there tigers in Niyamgiri?!"

"Of course!" Then he quickly added, "The presence of tigers in a forest essentially points to the well-being of the humankind living in it!"

In Gorata village, where we had spent the previous night, the village headman, Dodi Pusika, had told us, "We live in this forest just as the wild boars and tigers do. The forest provides livelihood and shelter to all life forms. When our forefathers came here, ages ago, this forest must have welcomed them. Mind you, a forest does not welcome everyone. Now, after ages, we have become one with the forest, and we are happy. We are there, because the forest is there!" 

Yes, a forest does not welcome everyone! Who else would know it better than Anil Agrawal whose Vedanta Resources - a global mining major based in the UK with considerably negative reputation - has set its eyes on the bauxite deposits in Niyamgiri for more than a decade. Despite its massive money power, open patronage by the Orissa government and Union Home Minister P Chidambaram, it has not been able to enter these pristine mountains, due to protracted resistance by the Dongrias! 

With a population of about 15,000 spread over 100 villages, the humble Dongrias lead a secluded but 'sustainable' life, away from the insatiable desires of modernity. They consider themselves immensely rich with all the life-supporting resources at hand, and logically so. They regard the mountains as their Niyam Raja - Lord of the Laws - and worship nature as the sole provider, which it is. This is precisely why these forests still remain virgin and dense, while most other forests in the eastern ghats arefast-depleting, burdened under the landlordism of the forest department or devoured by corporate greed. 

Even the Centrally Empowered Committee - instituted by the Supreme Court - had strongly recommended against allowing mining in Niyamgiri, citing "immense damage to the ecology and devastation to the tribal population". It clearly says, "Permitting mining in Niyamgiri would amount to sacrilege." The Wildlife Institute of India has also reported that mining Niyamgiri would cause "irrevocable damage" to the existing biodiversity (with rare plant and wildlife species, flora and fauna, medicinal herbs), water resources, and ancient, indigenous communities who live here.