Jelly and Aunt Elsie’s Christmas Do 2013
This is the second of these Christmas Fairs held in the Market Place, Reading. Under the heated marquee there will be many makers, designers, recyclers and beautiful art, textiles and handmade gifts all by local artists. Not to be missed. See: 4. Pipal Press: Michael Thomas
I have neglected Kutch due to my interest in the Orissan dispute and must put this right. A similar conflict is developing as I forecast in my recent book. Adani, the owner developers of Mundra port, have been found guilty of a number of environmental violations including damage to the mangrove forests with consequent soil erosion. In September last year Central Government set up the small Nairain Committee to look into these violations and others that are developing this area. Continue reading
This is the cyclone season in Orissa. I had forgotten about this until news was announced that Cyclone Phailin which is currently filling the Bay of Bengal is due to hit Orissa between Gopalpur and Vizakhapatnam on Saturday evening. And at about 136 mph. Already 500,000 people have been moved away from the coast.
Comparisons have been made with the super-cyclone of 1999 when around 15,000 lives were lost. The authorities say that they are better prepared this time. But a film crew for Al Jazeera reported that fishermen were getting nets ready as normal today as no one had issued a warning. A lucky escape from this dangerous coastal zone.
The tribal people noted in my book generally live in the high forested hills away from the coast. Even so they are used to these very strong winds and expect to replace their rice-thatched roofs every two years or so.
Postscript: A report on 18 October 2013 gave the total number who died in Orissa as a result of Cyclone Phailin (Thai for sapphire) as 44. This is remarkably low when compared with the cyclone just 14 years earlier.
At long last the twelve Gram Sabhas are over and the Dongria Kondhs have unaminously rejected Vedanta’s plans to mine high-grade bauxite from their sacred Niyamgiri Hills, which provide the tribe’s livelihood. Now these consultative decisions have to be considered by the Ministry of Forests and Environment, which has the final say. It would be a major volte-face if the Ministry goes against this massive rejection given its record of upbraiding Vedanta for breaking the law, which led Jairem Ramesh to say ‘Therefore the project cannot go ahead’ just three years ago. This should be the end of the matter. Continue reading
After four years of tracking the conflict between Vedanta Resources and the Dongria Kondh tribe about mining bauxite from the sacred Niyamgiri Hills I am glad to report that the Supreme Court has rejected the Appeal by Orissa Mining Corporation. Continue reading
Compare this picture with page 65 of the book; the pastoral foreground has not changed for centuries but beyond the palm is a new road leading to Tata’s coal-fired power station. The pervasive fumes soon tickle throats. There was a Mela on the day after which gave visitors the chance to learn more about the textiles, techniques and chat with students including many Rabari women.Much work has been done to the Aina Mahal. There is excellent new lighting in the once gloomy corridors and many paintings have been professionally cleaned. Even the Prag Mahal has been reopened to the public.
A walk down Saraf Bazaar revealed that the lady owner of Senorita (p53) has sadly died last year but an old friend keeps the shop going.
Both books are now available at the famous specialist Art Book Center in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India and a place of pilgrimage for booklovers.
The book on Kutch is also on sale at Nalanda Bookshop in the Taj Palace Hotel, Mumbai. Otherwise it can be bought direct from Pipal Press and nowhere else.
When I started researching my book ‘Elusive India: tribes’ little did I think that a couple of paragraphs on p 37 would touch on a major conflict that is likely to become an historic event. It is time for a reminder and an update.
There are vast amounts of high-grade bauxite in the Niyamgiri hills in Odisha (formerly Orissa) and Vedanta Resources wants to mine this valuable asset. Vedanta has already established a large operational refinery, recently shut, at Lanjigarh and violated various laws in the process. This resulted in a licence being rescinded in August 2010 by Jairam Ramesh, then Environment Minister, after the Saxena Report. The indigenous Dongria Kondh tribe has lived here rightfully for millennia, and as animists hold the hills sacred. With the support of international organisations the Dongria Kondh and the hills are safe for the time being.
However the State owned Orissa Mining Corporation (OMC) holds the mining lease and a 24% share in the joint venture with Vedanta Resources. OMC has appealed to the Supreme Court of India to have the 2010 decision overturned so mining can proceed.
Generally the Government wishes to exploit natural resources. But there is the Forests Rights Act that is supposed to protect tribal peoples. Suddenly the Prime Minister’s Office wants to dilute those rights to ease industrial projects. In contrast the Minister for Tribal Affairs has recently called for a strengthening of the Act. The argument seems to centre on whether tribes have ‘inalienable or compensatory’ rights.
How this will play out is anybody’s guess but it is sure that the Appeal decision will have a significant impact on the 437 Indian tribal communities, many of which live in similar mineral rich areas and their rights are equally important.The hearing has been postponed for a long time but restarted on 21st January 2013. It was immediately suspended while the Government collates information and a new hearing date has yet to be announced. A quick decision would be surprising!
