Guns and roses

A couple finds love amid Maoist landmines

- BY ANJULY MATHAI

We drive to Gadchiroli on a sleepy Sunday morning, when it is a picture of peace. The region is carpeted in lush greenery and houses two tribes—the Madias and the Gonds—who live deep in the forests. They are adept farmers and hunters, and in the evenings the forests ring with their song and dance. But their merrymaking is subdued by another sound—the crack of gunshots. Gadchiroli is part of the dreaded ‘red corridor’—a Maoist stronghold.

Maoism thrived in Gadchiroli during the 1980s and 1990s, but the tribals remained as impoverished as they had always been. Diseases like malaria and tuberculosis were rampant, and there were no roads, schools or hospitals. Soon, many of them started growing disillusioned with the movement and surrendered.

We met a couple, Munshi Estam and Shyambatti Halami, at a colony for surrendered Maoist families established by the Gadchiroli police. Around 40 families live in the five-acre land, with plots for 174 houses. Some of these ex-Maoists work as labourers, porters and carpenters. Many return to farming in their villages. Others, like 38-year-old Munshi, work at Lloyds Metal & Energy, a company which has been in metals and mining for over 50 years.

The sun is relentless as we make our way to the home of Munshi and Shyambatti. The houses in the colony are brightly painted. Many are cluttered with household items.