MUMBAI, March 13: As the dust on the electoral horizon settles down, residents of Wanipada, a Warli hamlet in the Yeoor hills, have little to look forward to. The distribution of vada-pavs and other eatables among the locals has stopped now, and they have to get back to their daily chores.``On election day, we were also given jalebis,'' says Jaanu Baraaf, who feels it isn't a bad bargain for the black stain on his index finger. Unmindful of biting mosquitoes and the equally biting cold, he stands unaffected in the pond waters, concentrating on fishing.
But he doesn't have a choice. If he weren't to catch anything for the day, there would be no food at home. But he also doesn't wallow in self-pity. ``What's there to feel bad about?'' he asks.
Development, read Borivli or Thane, is less than an hour's drive away, but it has taken its time to reach these Warli hamlets. Unless, of course, one considers the kitschy bungalows and penthouses people from Mumbai and Thane are putting up near thesehills as weekend retreats.
The hamlet has nearly twenty huts, with naked kids playing around, chasing hens. Mainly inhabited by the Warlis, it has no power, no approach road, no school, no health centre and no police station. Jaanu, who's also the village headman, hands over the catch to his wife Sonu who stubs out her beedi and takes the fish inside to cook.
``We hardly know what's happening outside,'' Jaanu says, admitting that few people in his village have ever voted. ``With vote-seekers will come all problems and lots of outsiders,'' he says, adding, ``They come every year, entice our people and take them along in trucks.'' Whether people will go, he says, depends on the mithai packet and the clothes offered to kids. He blamed this selfishness of politicians for the reason why most locals are happy with what they have. ``Government officials occasionally visit us. We treat them like guests and send them back,'' says Datta Lahu Bhovar.
Though almost everyone in the village seems to resent the influxof outsiders for fear of succumbing to an alien culture, there are some youngsters who say they wouldn't mind power supply ``as long as it brings TV.'' But surprisingly, none of them want any other facilities. Alcoholism too is rampant here, as most households appear to stock a steady supply of toddy. Also, none of the kids goes to school. ``Why should our children travel hours to study when they can help out with wood-gathering or look after their younger siblings when I go to the forest to collect wood?'' asks an old woman, Sonu, mother of seven. For her, the day begins early, when she sets off to collect wood which she later sells at Vadavli market. From the money thus earned, she'll buy rice, pulses, cooking oil and condiments for the day before trudging back to cook and feed the family. This is the daily routine of most women.
When Jaanu is asked why he doesn't work, he just shrugs his shoulders and says, ``I'm not educated, I don't know anything about city life and there's nothing to do here.'' Hesays his tries to help his wife, but she disagrees. ``He's merely loafing around,'' Sonu says. The tribals even discuss visits of leopards to the village -- and the 12 victims they've claimed so far -- with nonchalance. Deaths of kids due to malnutrition don't shock them either.It's almost as if the tribe has given up all hopes, and learnt to laugh at all worries. Asks Ramji Chaudhary: ``Where's the time to worry about big things, when we're always wondering where our next meal's coming from?''
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
