Lanjigarh to London
From an interview with Kumuti Majhi, farmer, Kuntia Kondh indigenous group, Lanjigarh, Kalahandi, Orissa, India
At Delhi International airport Phulme and I hand over our passports to the officials. The passports are crisp new documents with our photographs and details written in English which looks very different to Oriya (the main language of the Indian state we come from).
Bratindi who coordinates ActionAid’s work with indigenous communities across India and Ashok, a fieldworker in our area, helped us with the passport and visa applications. The whole process took 3 months. Without these we would not be able to leave India or enter England.
Phulme is 25 and a former Sarpanch (local elected leader) from a nearby village. She has travelled in India but has never left the country before. It is my first time outside Orissa.
Why are we coming so far from home? For us it is a matter of life or death. Niyamgiri Raja – the mountain that is sacred to the indigenous groups in the area – is under threat and with it our land, livelihood and way of life.
Last calls
Before boarding we receive calls from Sidarth chair of Sachetan Nagarik Manch, one of the growing groups of
concerned people who are campaigning with us to stop the mining and refinery project which is causing so much sadness, shock and anger among our people. Anger and shock at the company’s behaviour. Sadness at its impact on our Mother Earth.
We also receive a message of support from a lawyer involved in the Supreme Court hearing on Vedanta’s operations in Lanjigarh. The case restarts on August 9 in Delhi. I hope they understand what a critical decision is before them…
In 52 years I have not taken a flight but now I am on my second in two days.
The first, an internal flight to Delhi, was two hours but Delhi to London is more than nine.
The plane is half empty so we take a row of seats each and catch up on sleep. We’ve been travelling for three days.
Leaving Lanjigarh
After saying good bye to my children and two year old grandson on Thursday, we set off by bus leaving behind the green hills and trees of Niyamgiri, our paddy fields and painted mud homes.
Leaving Lanjigarh (our local administrative area) the bus bumps along the tarmac road full of potholes. Many heavy vehicles pass this way clearing trees and digging up earth to build the company’s refinery and huge waste ponds close to one of our main rivers.
