Baiga tribals: Mascots of Swachh Bharat mission don't know Modi

A five-minute walk through patches of stately Sal forests on the outskirts of Kanha National Park in central India leads to hamlets inhabited by the Baigas - one of the country's oldest tribal communities that is now on the verge of extinction.

MASCOTS OF SWACCH BHARAT MISSION

Having led a semi-nomadic life till a decade ago, members of this tribe don't know the name of their country or who Narendra Modi is. But they are worthy mascots of the Prime Minister's Swacch Bharat mission that aims to make India free of open defecation by October 2, 2019, the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, by building toilets in rural areas and schools.

The Baigas are deprived of clean drinking water, but their tiny houses are not without toilets. The sizzling summers have dried up their wells but the buckets outside the lavatories are filled with water that they draw from hand-pumps in the neighbourhood.

Ask them about the inspiration behind constructing toilets and they say, "safaai zaruri hai (sanitation is important)." The tribespeople, who have been evicted from the reserved forest of Kanha National Park in Mandala and Balaghat districts of Madhya Pradesh over the past decade, have learnt to co-exist with the rural and urban population. They don't know Modi, but love the idea of cleanliness. The one name they have heard is of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan who, they said, asks people to have toilets in every home.

"We cannot pollute our surroundings. We clean our houses and apply cow dung paste on the walls and floor to keep the house hygienic. So, we should also have toilets to keep the surroundings clean," says Bishan Lal of Khati village as he performs some traditional rituals to begin his day.

IN LOVE WITH CLEANLINESS

Other members of the community, who were chopping wood nearby for their kitchens, said they have no regrets about the lack of development in their village but consider it their responsibility to keep it clean. "Ye to hamara kaam hai (This is our duty)," they said.

The houses are made of mud with cattle kept outside. At a little distance, newly built toilets and washbasins grab attention. A woman from the community said their ancestors who roamed the dense forests lived life in its purest form. "Animals and human beings can only survive in a clean environment," said Putul, a mother of three.

Many families in Jholar village have built toilets in their houses even as they are deprived of basic amenities like water, roads, electricity, healthcare, education and, most importantly, a source of livelihood.

The Baigas are deprived of clean drinking water, but their tiny houses are not without toilets.

BAIGA TRIBES GET HABITAT RIGHTS

The district administration in a bid to improve the socio-economic condition of the Baiga tribe has started a survey that focuses on their financial condition, education, employment and health among established human index norms.

A local official said the study is aimed at preparing a plan to provide electricity, potable water, forest rights, child development, women's empowerment and employment to the people and bring them to the mainstream. The forest department has also been training the youths as guides in Kanha National Park which receives over two lakh visitors every year.

The tribe mostly lives in the forest and its association with the outside world is negligible except a few from the new generation. The community is largely dependent on the forest and seasonal cultivations on a rotational basis, as they do not farm repeatedly in one place.

The Madhya Pradesh government recently recognised the habitat rights of the Baiga tribe in seven villages of Dindori district and assured that it will not transfer any land for non-community uses without their consent.