stories

“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

“Come what may, today I must write the letter. I was told that Idumaal dada and others would be leaving within two days,” thought Pojje while going for her 6 am sentry duty. She was not yet twenty. She stopped at the camp ‘B’ tent that was on her way and looked for Sajonti. But she did not find her. “She hasn’t returned from her sentry duty yet,” replied Reena

‘Motherless child’ Find me another word that can unleash an entire gamut of emotions such as compassion, empathy, love, affection or even passion from one’s heart, especially in women. What if they also happen to be Adivasis? On top of it, they are Maoists? What difference does it make even if it was not a human child, but only a tiny squirrel? ***                                          ***                                          *** Gilloo, as I named it

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

(About The Author Com. G. Renuka well known to readers as Midko, hails from Kadivendi village in Warangal district. While pursuing her LLB in Tirupati, she was involved in the women's movement as a member of "Mahila Shakti." In 1995, when Mahila Shakti merged with nine other organizations to form Chaitanya Mahila Sangham, she actively participated in the statewide women's movement, working from Tirupati until 2000 and from Visakhapatnam until

                                                                                                      My life in the forest began in 1994. I was struck by the enchanting beauty of nature, the gurgling river that is called 'pamula gautami ' (Gautami of the snakes) because it looks like a fast moving, hissing cobra as it flows down, the herds of deer which suddenly appear and disappear, luring sight of ripened fruit-laden mango trees, the smiling flowers that greet one all along the

My little one, How are you my dear? It is already a year and a half since I left you. It took me some time to return to my normal self after leaving you. Binding my milk filled breasts tightly and firmly suppressing my overflowing emotions, I tried to adjust to life in my new surroundings. As I tried to adjust to the demands of this new life in the

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

Two days ago, I visited Prabhakar's house. It has been one and a half months since his passing. After bringing the bodies from the encounter site, I had attended Comrade Bharati’s last rites ceremony in Medak. From there, I hurried to Hyderabad to attend Prabhakar’s funeral procession. I met his mother, Ratnamma then and offered my condolences. I found it challenging to talk to her about anything else. It is