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Tangible development eludes Odisha’s endangered Bonda tribe, classified as one of India’s Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs). Known for their distinctive cultural traditions, the Bondas are divided into two groups: the Lower Bondas, who live in south Odisha’s Malkangiri district bordering Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, and the Upper Bondas, who live in the hilly terrains of the remote villages in the district. According to the 2011 census, there are 12,231 Bondas and they speak Remo, one of the Mundari group of languages spoken by Munda peoples in India. They have preserved their social customs and traditions in the face of modern civilisation.
Despite the formation of the Bonda Development Agency (BDA) in 1976, even basic amenities such as clean drinking water continue to elude them. During summer, each morning they wander around the forested hills for hours in search of water. Literacy levels are low — of the 226 children in Mudulipada village, only 51 attend school. Malnutrition deaths are rampant, as only a handful of children and pregnant women receives food and nutrition supplements under the government’s Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), according to the Khairput-based NGO Spread. The healthcare system is conspicuous by its absence, even as diarrhoea and malaria take their toll on the people. The nearest market is 27km from the village. Even the few interventions by the BDA are constantly disrupted as the Khairput block — located on the tri-junction of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh — is a hotbed of Naxalite insurgency.
Tanmoy Bhaduri is a Kolkata-based independent photojournalist who focuses on social, cultural and environmental issues
Ancient people: Bondas are said to be part of the first wave of migration out of Africa that took place about 60,000 years ago. They were among the first forest settlers in India
A bridge too far: Carrying her sick child, a woman walks to the primary health centre at Khairput, 27 km away, as the lone ambulance service does not cater to her village
Solitary station: A Bonda dwelling in Malkangiri. Members of the tribe are spread across 32 remote hilltop villages in the Kondakamberu mountain range in the district
Empty days: At the sole primary school in Mudulipada, children play the entire day in the absence of a teacher. The only adult is the cook who prepares their mid-day meal
Looking away: The customary egg, served on Thursdays in primary schools across Odisha, is missing at the Mudulipada school, a reminder of the government’s apathy
High and dry: During summer, the women of the community are forced to travel long distances to collect drinking water from the only available stream at Chuyanh
Window to the world: The residents of Bonda hills buy their foodstuff from the nearest weekly markets, their only link to the outside world
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