Stories

Guerilla’s Life in a squad

The train was speeding along. Trees and hills were racing past with equal speed. The events of the past seven months flashed before Lakshmi's eyes. --- Itwas 11 o'clock. As soon as the train stopped at the station, Lakshmi got down, waited for it to leave, and then crossed the tracks. Her eyes scanned the station premises. She held the signals she brought tightly in her hand. Meanwhile, a middle-aged
Stories

Why I Became a Guerrilla

My name is Ungi, and I am eighteen years old. My family lived in a village near Geedam Town in Dantewada district, Chhattisgarh. We lived a life where we had to work hard just to survive. If we didn’t find work on some days, we would go hungry. Despite his old age, my grandfather too would go out for daily labour. Since my mother didn’t have enough milk, I used
Stories

Not Guilty

“BheemjiHajir ho... (Mr.Bheem present yourself) SuniljiHajir ho... (Mr.Sunil present yourself) JuliejiHajir ho...” (Ms.Julie present yourself) The court attender shouted loudly, so his voice echoed from the court entrance to the far end of the veranda. The entire veranda was bustling with activity. Above the entrance, there was a board written in Hindi indicating that it is the honorable judge K.N. Srivatsava's court, Court No. 4. There were many such courts
Stories

Revolutionary Generation

“If you meet Kamlididi, give her this honey, Bujji. She drinks water mixed with lemon juice and honey first thing in the morning, right? She is such a thin person”, said Sanni placing a honey bottle in the bag on the cot. Budri, who was sitting near the fire burning next to the cot and chatting with her friend Seedho, nodded her head without looking at her mother. “Oh, I
Stories

Punishment

Sannu was walking, taking each step with a broad smile. He just started to learn how to walk. Maybe because he slept all day and woke up after drinking milk to his heart's content from his mother, his face looked even more peaceful and happy than ever. In the evening sunlight, his dusky body was glowing. He extended one hand forward as if trying to hold onto something, taking each
Stories

Ramko

It was nearing seven in the morning. Ranitha set off towards the village along with two people from her team. It was a tiny hamlet with just four houses, known as Makadichuvva. This village was situated in the ChamorshiTaluka of Gadchiroli district. Among the four houses, two belonged to the OraonAdivasis, who had migrated from Rayagada, while the other two were owned by the local residents. It was the rainy
Stories

Adivasis and Untouchability

In the past, the squad had bombed Shivalingam and the temple. This was the first time they had returned to the village after that incident. Squad Area Committee (SAC) member Kosi, commander Ramdev and squad member Budral went to the village to ask the residents to come to the meeting and also bring some vegetables and rice. It was almost a year since they had visited the village. It was
Stories

Tender Hands

It is the courtyard of a police station, which is not like the current ultra-modern hi-tech police station with bright colours and high impenetrable walls. We are talking of a time before somebody with a heart burn blasted it with bombs. It is an old building with tiled veranda and mud coloured walls. The courtyard is surrounded by a four foot high compound wall. Chitti, who was thrown into a
Stories

Diku

The dawn broke. The fragrance of Mahua flowers wafted intoxicatingly from the forest adjoining the village. Reelamala, Maini, and Budhini, activists of the women's organisation, finished their meeting and had to go to another village for the next task in their planned program. They quickly completed their morning routines, packed their bags, and set off. These were villages mostly inhabited by Adivasi people in Jharkhand, located either within or adjacent
Stories

MEDICAL ‘GUIDE’

A professor, who is an academician, was coming from a neighbouring state to attend a meeting. Crowds of people were eagerly waiting for his arrival. There, he has come at last! The diligent looking, respectable professor was crossing the road, smiling and waving magnificently. But suddenly a motor cycle rode past him at jet speed, pumping a number of bullets into the dignified academician, and he fell down instantly. This