Being at home with adivasis

The presiding deity of this tribal village is a goddess called Zakubai, a goddess so powerful that she took it upon herself to protect the five villages of this hilly area, without any help from any of the male gods. Legend has it that she even went to the extent of decreeing that the idols of Hanuman be removed from these five villages. To this day, the five banished idols are kept on the banks of a river, near a village called Khadki, all with their faces down. If ever anyone attempts to make the idols stand upright, by the next morning, they are found lying flat on their faces again!

So it came as a bit of a paradox to me that the village is named Purushwadi, despite its matriarchal roots and tribal goddess. It is said that earlier it was called Pur-unch-wadi, which means the village on top of the mountains. It appears that with the gradual rise of a male-dominated society, it was conveniently changed to Purushwadi!

The village is about 180 km from Mumbai, beyond Igatpuri, in Ahmednagar district. It's one of the villages adopted by Grassroutes, an organisation that has been promoting village tourism in this tribal belt.

It's a picturesque village of 109 houses in which the tribal community of Mahadeo Kolis lives in harmony with nature. Here again, there is a paradox. Their traditional protector is a tribal goddess, but the tribe itself is named after a mainstream god: Mahadeo or Lord Shiva. The fact that these tribals now trek to the Bhairavnath temple about 20 km away for blessings, points to the influence of mainstream religion on their beliefs.

Bare necessities
In 2006, only a handful of households joined the Village Tourism Committee. Today over 60 households welcome guests to stay with them and experience what it is to live in a tribal village. To make sure that the guests don't experience a culture shock, the housekeepers, the cooks and the guides have been trained.
So, whether you stay in the tents pitched in the wheat fields on the outskirts of the village, or in the houses in the village itself, you can expect the basics: clean toilets, clean towels, safe water to drink, hot water to bathe in, clean mattresses and bedsheets, and even a green salad along with the otherwise authentic, rustic food.

Our host was a lady called Jijabai, whose husband Punaji was the clerk of the Panchayat. All our meals were cooked and served in their home. I thought the disarming, perpetual smile on her face was because we were her special guests. But once I moved around the village, I realized that Mahadeo Kolis are an extremely friendly and warm people. The best part was that they continued with their regular activities, unmindful of our presence: filling water in their pots, cutting wood, harvesting in the wheat fields, milking their cattle. It was a real slice of village life, and not a show that was specially put up for us. It reminded me of the Masais of Kenya who have got used to guests coming into their villages, and who live out their life in the open, in front of a hundred inquisitive eyes.

Local flora
It was at the village square that I met Datta, an authority on the local flora and fauna. Apart from introducing us to the various plants and trees endemic to the area, he also told us about the local varieties of wheat and paddy, and how the import of hybrid seeds into the area had already resulted in three of the endemic rice varieties becoming extinct. But despite the advent of mainstream agriculture, some local species have survived. And whenever someone in the village falls ill, they ensure that only those local species of rice are given to the patient, till she fully recovers.

Datta also told us about the adverse impact of an afforestation scheme that went awry. The tribals were asked to plant saplings of eucalyptus, acacia and jatropha on a barren hillock. These grew rapidly and spread to the farmlands, guzzling water.

In contrast, a water conservation effort has proved successful. By digging trenches at various levels on all the adjoining hills, the flow of rainwater has been checked, ensuring the top soil is retained and more water is absorbed into the soil, thereby improving the groundwater resources. The motto is simple: 'If the water is running, make it jog; if the water is jogging, make it walk; if the water is walking; make it stop!'

High point
A highlight of the visit was a trek to the highest point in the region. On our way to the top, we came across many sacred stones marked in saffron. Made of all shapes and sizes, these were the original idols of the adivasis. An insight into their beliefs was provided by our adivasi guide.

As the sun slowly started dipping behind the Western Ghats, the vast landscape of dried up grass on the hilltop became a gorgeous tapestry woven with endless golden threads. And when we started our descent, our weary path was lit up by the rising full moon, as it was the night of Holi.

The next morning, we climbed down the mountain slopes lined with mango trees in full bloom, to reach a crystal clear river. For a river of such beauty, it had a phonetically ungainly name: Kurkundi.

A dip and a swim in the chilled blue waters did wonders to rejuvenate us and we walked briskly to the village for our breakfast.
The tribals were getting ready for five days of festivities packed with various rustic competitions. The first one was to lift one of the three perfectly round boulders that were kept at the village square. And the boulders weighed 25 kg, 50 kg, and one was well over 100 kg. This was followed by kabaddi matches, wrestling bouts, and you guessed it right, the mainstream sport: cricket.