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| By Mona Lisa Jena |
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Life in its utter simplicity;
life in complete rustic charm; life in the
lap of nature. That's the life of the tribals
of Orissa. The State has at least 62 different
tribal groups living on the hills and forests,
oblivious of the march of civilization that
has overtaken their brethren in the plains.
Koraput was the largest district but today
has been divided into four-Raygada, Koraput,
Malkangiri and Nowrangpur.
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The Bondas, Gadabas,
Parajas, Kondhas and Koyas inhabit the forested
hills of Koraput. Their dwellings are isolated
and far from the influence of modern civilisation.
It is, therefore, interesting to find them
living as nature's children, scantily clothed
with the bark of trees, but embellished
with lots of ethnic ornaments. They have
a rich tradition of dance and music.
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Koraput lies at a distance of 500 km from
Bhubaneswar, the State capital. In Saura language,
Koraput means 'land (puta) of the Sun (kora)'
and they believe this is the birth place of
the deity. Miles of mountain tracts, lush
green paddy fields, vast stretches of dense
sal trees and mixed forests ensure a fascinating
trip for the nature lover. It takes about
12 hours to reach Koraput by road. Most of
the journey is through winding ghat roads
or valleys. In the monsoon, the hills and
valleys are enchanting, draped with a tapestry
of blue and green, with clouds hanging from
cliffs of tall hills adding to the allure.
The mountains, a part of the Eastern Ghats,
rise to between 3,000 sq. ft. and 5,000 sq.
ft. above sea level.
The 132 km-line road runs through the districts
of Ganjam and Gajapati. It is a land of greenery
and remains a landscape of natural beauty.
Chatikona has a small railway station and
is the commercial centre of Bissam Katak,
the gram panchayat here. From Chatikona, Niyamgiri
is 10 kilometres away through valleys and
hills. As we neared the land of the Dongoria
Kondhas the ghat road became more scenic with
dense forests of sal, bamboo, mahua, mango,
jackfruit and kendu. The creepers and bushes
made the forests flanking the road even thicker.
Hill streams flowed all along the road on
pebbled surfaces making soft gurgling noises. |
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They are
skilled horticulturists and raise crops
like pineapple, turmeric, wild banana
and castor along with rice, maize, ragi,
and guava. Salapa is their favourite
tree, as they love the beverage prepared
out of salapa and pineapples. They are
also hunters by nature. At the end of
the day they revel in song and dance.
They are very proud and rarely intermingle
with other tribes |
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or come down to the plains.
From Bissam Katak, we headed for Sunabeda
in Koraput district along the ghat road
via Rayagada. This part of the journey too
was through dense forests and ghat roads
with trickling streams all along. Sunabeda
is a modern township today because of NALCO
and the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited factory.
It is situated on a vast elevated plateau
above 3,000 sq. ft. and is surrounded with
tall green mountains adding to its scenic
splendour.
From Sunabeda, Jeypur is about 60 kilometres
downhill. One has to pass through Koraput,
the district H.Q. It takes about an hour
and a half. Jeypur is a bustling trading
centre and also rich with the bounties of
nature. Jeypur was the headquarters of the
erstwhile Maharaja before independence It
is here that most of the hotels are located.
There is a lovely reservoir on Kolab River
nearby where the Bagra waterfall has been
submerged. It remains a popular picnic resort
for the locals.
Ramgiri hills overlook the district of Malkangiri
where the Bondas live. The Bondas are fierce
by nature. The women shave their heads and
wear beads as dresses, as they are supposed
to wear only a thin strip of lower cloth
made from the fibres of 'keranga' bark.
It is their heavy jewellery that makes them
outstanding. They wear broad bangles on
their wrists. The ones they wear around
their necks are called 'khagalas'.
The carefree life of the tribals, their
dependence on Mother Nature for their livelihood
and existence and their cultural traditions
and practices that prevent the scourges
of modern-day life like pollution and global
warming was an eye-opener. If one wants
to know and learn how to live with nature
and not kill it, it is the tribes of Orissa
who can be the best teachers.
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