Girish Chandar Joshi comes across as a pradhan (head)who carries the wisdom of his ancestors in calling his village mahaan (the ultimate in greatness). And his repetitive attribution of greatness evokes as much admiration as intrigue. “It reminds not only me but also my fellow villagers that this is the goal we must collectively aspire for,” reflects Joshi. Nearly 350 inhabitants in 69 households in village Jajut in Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand, seem to be in agreement with him. Located in the midst of vastly degraded slopes in this mountainous district, the village is a vibrant habitation and popularly known as ‘vaid village’ (healing village) for its rich diversity of herbs and experienced traditional healers. Even as he spells out the initiatives taken to minimise peoples’ sufferings, he is acutely aware of the region’s dilapidated dwellings and abandoned lands on account of large-scale migration. A majority (nearly 85 per cent) of the households in the village are below poverty line.

According to Joshi, bereft of development, a majority of the villages in the hills are predominantly left with the three Ds — dalit (scheduled castes who cultivate for absentee landowners), dridra (the poor) and devta (local deity).

Had it not been for the belief in the local deity, the village could not have protected its 25 hectares of community forest. Ever since the forest department withdrew the guard it had appointed to watch over the forest, the villagers have entrusted the control of the degraded forest to the village deity for the next 10 years. It is now a sacred grove wherein community rights are restricted, but cattle can graze freely.

It isn’t as if the villagers are new to the task of protecting the forest, says Joshi. But these traditional custodians had been reduced to mere onlookers after the government appointed paid guards for the forest’s protection. Now that the responsibility has returned to the villagers, it will take a while for them to develop a feeling of collective ownership. Till then, they will learn to pull together under the divine intervention of their devta!

The writer is Director, The Eco-logical Foundation, New Delhi

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