Trekking through a new experience.....
There are Tours ; and then, there are Experiences .
“The real voyage of Discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes , but in having new eyes “ said
Marcel Proust .
The 8-day Madhya Pradesh Tour turned out to be not only an album-filler , but also a fascinating voyage into an unknown realm that gave us new eyes .
The itinerary included visits to the famous monuments in Khajuraho, Orccha, Jhansi etc. and a jeep safari through Panna Tiger Reserve . In addition, two unusual visits were also worked into the schedule which made it a very interesting mix. Whats more , one of them was something that took one out of comfort zone , forcing one to contend with certain slices of Life one never knew existed.
On Xmas day, our group of 8 went on a ‘Walk with the Pardhis’ - a four hour trek ( roughly 8Kms )
through the Buffer zone of the Panna Tiger Reserve , which is the natural habitat of Sloth Bears .
Guiding us were three Pardhi youths , who welcomed us with warm , shy smiles . Though dressed in
modern trek gear, they were immense reservoirs of the ancient , native wisdom by which their
forefathers had thrived in the jungles before being evicted from their traditional home.
Pardhis trace their origin to Rajputana, though their culture is a mix of Marathi and Gujarati traditions. Their language too is a mixture of many different dialects , probably reflecting their path of migration. It is a wide ranging group spread across many states, under many sub divisions , but they were all basically hunters .
They were also efficient in guerilla warfare and were used as mercenaries by local warlords . As they migrated , many Pardhis became forest dwelling nomads . Their skill in tracking animals, use of weapons and making traps made them invaluable to kings and zamindars who indulged in Shikar , both for sport and for game.
They had their occupations like agriculture, rope making and basketry , but somehow, thieving also was adopted by those who could not make ends meet. Local lore is that the Pardhis merely helped themselves to other's grain and money , but did no physical harm to people , unless attacked. There is even a claim that their skill in stealth was put to use during the Sepoy Rebellion . However that may be, these skills got them into trouble during the British regime .
As we trekked, our Guides, Badha and Biren , shared insights about themselves and their traditions ,with enthusiasm.
We learnt that when the clansmen were still forest dwellers, life span was long , touching 100yrs or more , since their erstwhile way of life was closely interlinked with Nature and its cycles . The air they breathed was pure and the water they drank was pristine . They ate only what they hunted and foraged . Herbal medicines, made from leaves, bark and roots kept them free of ailments .
Life has changed now, ofcourse .
Their diet now has rice and chapatis , they get injections and inoculations , they live amidst pollution ......and life is no longer long .
As we got talking about food, Badha divulged that the fat obtained from wild boar makes excellent cooking fat, very similar to ghee ! He insisted it was odourless and had long shelf life. Similarly, fat from the Monitor Lizard was valued for its medical properties. There was a time when the Pardhis poached animals and reptiles for a profitable smuggler's market . But efforts by the Forest Department and some NGOs have minimised this . Many Pardhi youth are trained to be Forest Wardens and Guides who protect wildlife rather than destroy it.
We walked by a deep , beautiful gorge , with a pool of green water down below. Apparently this reserve of water never dries up , even in severe summer.
The dirt trail was strewn with colourful rocks . Some were clearly sandstone. Panna region abounds in Sandstone and all the material needed for building those magnificent monuments in Khajuraho, 45 kms away, were quarried in Panna . There were rocks deep purple in hue, some yellow, a few with interesting black spots.
We passed by bristly patches of drying “Jungli Tulsi”( Wild Mint) which gave off a heady aroma, very similar to crushed eucalyptus leaves. Biren Pardhi enlightened us that burning a few of those twigs can keep pesky mosquitos and flies away .
Teak ( natural growth, not plantation) , was seen in plenty. The sturdy Crepe Myrtle trees ,also found in abundance ,help in rejuvenating the soil with their mulch , because the leaves and berries are eaten neither by animal nor by man . On the otherhand , the axelwood yields good timber for making huts, implements and whistles . The guides keep a ready supply of such handmade whistles, along with other trinkets, in case any visitor wants to buy one as souvenir. The money is always useful.
We did not encounter any wildlife . Only their droppings ! But its nothing to turn up one’s nose on, it
seems. We got educated by the boys on how to read signs in the poo : which animal has passed by ,
when a kill had taken place or if an animal was unwell. Also, they can tell by the smell of urine, which animal has marked its territory.
The forest and life in it are like a book they can read with ease ! While we, the Urban bred , so far removed from things natural, could not even tell goat droppings from deer's.
We came upon an open shrine to a tribal God , who can bring back lost cattle . The pale yellow markings on the stone was reminiscent of prehistoric art . When prayers are answered, the God is thanked with coconuts, vermillion and scented joss sticks. A white flag, in honour of the divinity, fluttered above a nearby tree.
What Religion did they follow ? It had to be something close to animistic, Nature Worship....Badha Pardhi informed us that their primary deity is the Sun and the Mother Goddess is their protector .Since moving out of the jungle life, they have assimilated certain mainstream religious beliefs and observe Holi, Dussara and Deepavali. But they do not observe any ritual that requires their women to fast !
They marry within their communities but have to pay Bride Price . Brideprice can be avoided if one Brother-Sister duo marries another Brother-Sister duo. Polygamy, Divorce, Widow remarriage are all accepted, with some suitable fees paid to the community elder.
Not many of their children go to school , but the Guides were proud of the fact that there are now 2 graduates among them.
The path ended at another deep gorge beyond which spread a lovely green vista upto the horizon .
Biren settled down on a jutting rock, cupped his hand around his mouth and treated us to an amazing
recital : calls of different birds and the BigCats resonated around the silent woods . Incredible mimicry !
Apparently ,his people make such calls, both to lure animals and to warn each other of any danger .
On the trek back to base , the guides tell us how they have now been given PANcard , Aadhar , Voter’s Id , ATMcard , Bank accounts everything , but assimilation in the village society (Gandhigram and Ranipur where they live) is still a challenge because of long held prejudices. The village communities do not want them in the same classification as themselves and since the Pardhis are not influential, they are not given a caste certificate that can fetch them certain facilities from the Government. When their elders were evicted from the Panna forest area, there had been no compensation paid except a hostel for the children.The nomads had to make a life from scratch . While providing a sanctuary for the threatened Tigers, the world was indeed cruel to the Pardhis.
Some NGOs are now working for their betterment. Training them in skills that can make them employable , providing primary education to the children and healthcare to families.
At the end of the trek , we were treated , with much love and care, to a sumptuous, hot lunch served on leaf plates and cups in the adobe house of a headman . We climbed up some narrow steps into a large attic , from the edge of which we could see the kitchen below. Two ladies were making fresh rotis on oldfashioned wood stoves.
"Tread softly,"said the man of the house,gently " or the mud plaster might flake off and rain upon the kitchen below !"
The delicious spread consisted of multigrain ( bajra, makki and gehu atta ) rotis , Guava chutni , Amla chutni , chanadal mashed with greens, mixed vegetable bartha , salad, rice and
kheer.
“Walk with Pardhis” is one of the initiatives of "Last Wilderness Foundation" that works together with MP Forest Dept .in providing gainful employment for Pardhi youths and spreading awareness about our Natural,Heritage. They are doing quiet but wonderful work .
The traditional tracking skills of the Pardhis is now used for anti poaching measures and animal census exercises.
It was a truly enriching, educative experience .
Tour designed and facilitated by F5 Escapes ( Tours for Women)
“The real voyage of Discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes , but in having new eyes “ said
Marcel Proust .
The 8-day Madhya Pradesh Tour turned out to be not only an album-filler , but also a fascinating voyage into an unknown realm that gave us new eyes .
The itinerary included visits to the famous monuments in Khajuraho, Orccha, Jhansi etc. and a jeep safari through Panna Tiger Reserve . In addition, two unusual visits were also worked into the schedule which made it a very interesting mix. Whats more , one of them was something that took one out of comfort zone , forcing one to contend with certain slices of Life one never knew existed.
On Xmas day, our group of 8 went on a ‘Walk with the Pardhis’ - a four hour trek ( roughly 8Kms )
through the Buffer zone of the Panna Tiger Reserve , which is the natural habitat of Sloth Bears .
Guiding us were three Pardhi youths , who welcomed us with warm , shy smiles . Though dressed in
modern trek gear, they were immense reservoirs of the ancient , native wisdom by which their
forefathers had thrived in the jungles before being evicted from their traditional home.
Pardhis trace their origin to Rajputana, though their culture is a mix of Marathi and Gujarati traditions. Their language too is a mixture of many different dialects , probably reflecting their path of migration. It is a wide ranging group spread across many states, under many sub divisions , but they were all basically hunters .
They were also efficient in guerilla warfare and were used as mercenaries by local warlords . As they migrated , many Pardhis became forest dwelling nomads . Their skill in tracking animals, use of weapons and making traps made them invaluable to kings and zamindars who indulged in Shikar , both for sport and for game.
They had their occupations like agriculture, rope making and basketry , but somehow, thieving also was adopted by those who could not make ends meet. Local lore is that the Pardhis merely helped themselves to other's grain and money , but did no physical harm to people , unless attacked. There is even a claim that their skill in stealth was put to use during the Sepoy Rebellion . However that may be, these skills got them into trouble during the British regime .
Following the 1857 mutiny, 237 castes and tribes were deemed "Criminal -by-Birth " under the infamous Criminal Tribes Act. After Independence, the Indian government replaced this Act with the Habitual Offenders Act, 1952. But mere change in label did little to benefit the marginalised tribes. To this day, Pardhis have not been able to shake off the stigma of that label completely.
Upon eviction from the forest (when Panna Tiger Reserve was created ) , those that did not go away to distant cities, fell into difficult times as integration with other communities was problematic , and remains so still.
As we trekked, our Guides, Badha and Biren , shared insights about themselves and their traditions ,with enthusiasm.
We learnt that when the clansmen were still forest dwellers, life span was long , touching 100yrs or more , since their erstwhile way of life was closely interlinked with Nature and its cycles . The air they breathed was pure and the water they drank was pristine . They ate only what they hunted and foraged . Herbal medicines, made from leaves, bark and roots kept them free of ailments .
Life has changed now, ofcourse .
Their diet now has rice and chapatis , they get injections and inoculations , they live amidst pollution ......and life is no longer long .
As we got talking about food, Badha divulged that the fat obtained from wild boar makes excellent cooking fat, very similar to ghee ! He insisted it was odourless and had long shelf life. Similarly, fat from the Monitor Lizard was valued for its medical properties. There was a time when the Pardhis poached animals and reptiles for a profitable smuggler's market . But efforts by the Forest Department and some NGOs have minimised this . Many Pardhi youth are trained to be Forest Wardens and Guides who protect wildlife rather than destroy it.
We walked by a deep , beautiful gorge , with a pool of green water down below. Apparently this reserve of water never dries up , even in severe summer.
The dirt trail was strewn with colourful rocks . Some were clearly sandstone. Panna region abounds in Sandstone and all the material needed for building those magnificent monuments in Khajuraho, 45 kms away, were quarried in Panna . There were rocks deep purple in hue, some yellow, a few with interesting black spots.
We passed by bristly patches of drying “Jungli Tulsi”( Wild Mint) which gave off a heady aroma, very similar to crushed eucalyptus leaves. Biren Pardhi enlightened us that burning a few of those twigs can keep pesky mosquitos and flies away .
We did not encounter any wildlife . Only their droppings ! But its nothing to turn up one’s nose on, it
seems. We got educated by the boys on how to read signs in the poo : which animal has passed by ,
when a kill had taken place or if an animal was unwell. Also, they can tell by the smell of urine, which animal has marked its territory.
The forest and life in it are like a book they can read with ease ! While we, the Urban bred , so far removed from things natural, could not even tell goat droppings from deer's.
What Religion did they follow ? It had to be something close to animistic, Nature Worship....Badha Pardhi informed us that their primary deity is the Sun and the Mother Goddess is their protector .Since moving out of the jungle life, they have assimilated certain mainstream religious beliefs and observe Holi, Dussara and Deepavali. But they do not observe any ritual that requires their women to fast !
They marry within their communities but have to pay Bride Price . Brideprice can be avoided if one Brother-Sister duo marries another Brother-Sister duo. Polygamy, Divorce, Widow remarriage are all accepted, with some suitable fees paid to the community elder.
Not many of their children go to school , but the Guides were proud of the fact that there are now 2 graduates among them.
The path ended at another deep gorge beyond which spread a lovely green vista upto the horizon .
Biren settled down on a jutting rock, cupped his hand around his mouth and treated us to an amazing
recital : calls of different birds and the BigCats resonated around the silent woods . Incredible mimicry !
Apparently ,his people make such calls, both to lure animals and to warn each other of any danger .
On the trek back to base , the guides tell us how they have now been given PANcard , Aadhar , Voter’s Id , ATMcard , Bank accounts everything , but assimilation in the village society (Gandhigram and Ranipur where they live) is still a challenge because of long held prejudices. The village communities do not want them in the same classification as themselves and since the Pardhis are not influential, they are not given a caste certificate that can fetch them certain facilities from the Government. When their elders were evicted from the Panna forest area, there had been no compensation paid except a hostel for the children.The nomads had to make a life from scratch . While providing a sanctuary for the threatened Tigers, the world was indeed cruel to the Pardhis.
Some NGOs are now working for their betterment. Training them in skills that can make them employable , providing primary education to the children and healthcare to families.
At the end of the trek , we were treated , with much love and care, to a sumptuous, hot lunch served on leaf plates and cups in the adobe house of a headman . We climbed up some narrow steps into a large attic , from the edge of which we could see the kitchen below. Two ladies were making fresh rotis on oldfashioned wood stoves.
"Tread softly,"said the man of the house,gently " or the mud plaster might flake off and rain upon the kitchen below !"
kheer.
The traditional tracking skills of the Pardhis is now used for anti poaching measures and animal census exercises.
It was a truly enriching, educative experience .
Tour designed and facilitated by F5 Escapes ( Tours for Women)
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