forest officially

i accompanied manto bhai to the forest district area Sahransara, to meet one of the many Van Gujjar communities that lives in and around Rajaji National Park. it was my first venture into the community to say hello, show my face and slowly meet some families, students and community leaders, a vital piece of the puzzle before jumping in with all these cameras...

the gathering was actually organized byt the govt, which had arranged an afternoon of free medical care, a lil' animal husbandry education and an open forum for hopes and dreams and fears. i walked around the little hump of a hill in the middle of a dry river bed while the programme was happening, so that no one felt uncomfortable with me being there and the community and govt could feel free to express themselves with no worries. my camera for most of the day stayed in my bag.

eating an orange in the riverbed, a forest official came and invited me into a home for chai. i was reluctant, hoping that i wouldn't be taken to the programme, but found myself in a van gujjar home, drinking chai and listening to both the forest officials thoughts on it all and then sharing a beedi with the young van gujjar, talking about migration, the lifespan of buffaloes and walking distances...

sunil kumar, forest offical and the van gujjar whose name escapes me now...

the dusty river bed...

love and health to all...