The future of Abujhmad

Abujhmad, a dense and nearly impenetrable forest region, is the only largely unsurveyed area in the country.

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Even its name suggests the difficulty of the terrain: Abujhmad means 'incomprehensible plateau' in Hindi. According to the 2011 Census, the area is home to 40,000 residents, who are Abujhmadiya tribal people. This is one of the seven Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups in Chhattisgarh. The Abujhmadiyas are sub-tribes of the Gond tribe. Abujhmadiyas say that Abujhmad is a Gondi word that translates into 'sal forest'. In colonial India, the British categorised some areas of the country as 'excluded areas' and some others as 'partially excluded areas' under the Government of India Act, 1935. These areas were left untouched. Abujhmad was an 'excluded area' although the British did conduct a land survey there in 1873. In independent India, the fruits of development did not reach Abujhmad. The region has therefore not seen the negative consequences of development either. Maoists took advantage of the lack of development and made Abujhmad their unofficial headquarters. They termed it a "liberated zone".