Activist and writer Satnam's book Jangalnama openly sides with the Maoist cause, firing salvo after another at the powers that be
Activist and writer Satnam's book Jangalnama openly sides with the Maoist cause, firing salvo after another at the powers that be
"In Bastar, different kinds of fires burn - the fire in the empty belly, the fire of the jungle and the fire of the revolution ufffd the fire in the stomach is like a pyre on which one is burnt alive. The fire of teak, bamboo and other forest produce keeps houses of contractors and traders warm but destroys Bastar. As you go through this book you will feel the warmth of the third kind of fire." ufffd Inside the Guerrilla Camp, Jangalnama
Photograph for representational purpose only. PIC/AFP PHOTO
Braving safety concerns, author Satnam decided to spend two months with Maoist guerrillas and adivasis, in Bastar in eastern India. The result was Jangalnama, which takes a compellingly humane look at those who are demonised by the fourth estate and outlawed by the state and in the process manages to convey their side of the story. Chandigarh-based journalist Vishav Bharti has translated this book into English.u00a0
Why and how did you decide to make this visit? How long were you in the jungles of Bastar?
It was sometime in October 2001, where the political climate was different. The World Trade Centre attacks had just happened and America hadn't mounted their onslaught on Afghanistan. They were aware that I was a political writer and activist so they sent me a letter asking me to visit their camp. At that time I didn't think I'd write a novel. I was keen to understand their existence. I didn't have any friends or contacts there. Of course, I made friends later.
Has the situation changed considerably since then?
Yes. When I first reached, things were very peaceful. It was not a war-like situation as it is now. They seemed peaceful and happy. In fact, it wasn't a very thick forest. A lot of trees were cut, illegally and the forest was thinning out. This may have stopped now; the forests are probably denser.
Would you agree that your book has a tone of contempt towards city dwellers and the educated middle and upper class? What made you arrive at this belief?
Actually no. I have no contempt for the city or city dwellers or even civilisation. It's the people who call themselves civilised but don't care for the uneducated and downtrodden who are the ones I'm against. Tribals aren't aware about the Kyoto Protocol but live in harmony with nature. They don't worship it. They don't destroy it, but live with it, peacefully.u00a0
You are vocal in your opinions of the government and the treatment meted out to tribals. Aren't you concerned that it might rub authorities the wrong way?
I think it needs to be said in public. Steel plants are set up nearby and yet none of the benefits of the so-called development reach the tribals. Travel into the interiors, just four kilometres from Bhilai to discover that there are no schools, no hospitals, not even a hand pump for water. They will unload mountains of iron from the area but are unwilling to pay them back a bit? Development needs to be people oriented. If it isn't for the people, what's the purpose of development? What happens if someone comes to your home and demands to extract iron ore from your land? Aap toh ujhad gaye na?
Have you consciously taken sides in the book? By doing so aren't you oversimplifying a complicated issue?
(Pauses) Why don't you see the place for yourself? Government iron ore bech ke khazana baniti hai, but these tribals, they have nothing. You are mining iron and bauxite and the entire cluster of villages don't even have one blacksmith. Is this development? People don't betray their countries. It's the government that is anti people. Peasants are forced to commit suicide, people are displaced but the powers choose to ignore. The system needs to be changed and that can only happen through a revolution.
Jangalnama: Travels in a Maoist Guerilla Zone, Satnam, Penguin India, Rs 250, 206 pages. Available at leading bookstores
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