Bundelkhand Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan

Background

Ruled by the Chandelas until the sixteenth century, the area of Bundelkhand area comprises the districts of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh -- Damoh, Sagar, Chhattarpur, Panna, Tikamgarh, part of Satna, and right up to Gwalior, from Madhya Pradesh; Jalaun, Jhansi, Hamirpur, Mahoba, Lalitpur and Banda districts of Uttar Pradesh. Damoh is well-known for the legend of Rani Durgawati who fought bravely against the Mughals. Today, the district is also known for its sanctuaries like Nauradehi Sanctuary in Tendukheda block and Rani Durgawati Sanctuary in Jabera block.

Sangathan Profile

Based in the town of Tejgarh in Damoh, the Bundelkhand Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (BMKSS) was formed in July 2007, with an aim towards ensuring the ownership of forest land by tribals, dalits and people from other backward castes, as per the Forest Rights Act of 2006. The sangathan was earlier supported by the Grameen Vikas Samiti, but owing to differences in principles, it became a separate entity in 2007. Education and the public distribution system (PDS) are also among the core areas of the sangathan's work. Currently, it has taken a strong stance against alignment with any political party, as it sees itself as a strong opposition to the administration, no matter which party is in power.

Future plans

The severe winter of 2010, which was last seen by the people of Bundelkhand 30 years ago, had destroyed most crops, especially the plantations of arhar daal. In 2008, the sangathan had made an attempt to collect the local seeds of various plants which would not have been cross bred or cultivated with the help of chemicals. The seeds were distributed to people to plant them, but the yield was just 20 per cent. This was just a mere experiment, but it failed. “We saw that in earlier times, only manure was used as fertiliser. People had more cattle then, and hence there would be enough manure,” says Lakhan. But attempts are on to revive organic farming [..]

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Courtesy: www.sruti.org.in