Forest dwellers and the future that awaits

The other day I was reading this article about how the Odisha government has violated some parts of the protection for 'forest dwellers' in sanctioning land for the POSCO project. And that got me thinking ... in today's world, does it make sense to protect forest dwellers by preserving their natural habitat for their living?

How long can the natives continue to depend on the forest to earn their food and shelter? Is it sustainable? At some point or other, the industrialized and mechanized world will invade their space. And if they refuse to join the main stream, what have they gained? A status in museums ? Is that the right choice for them?

Can an Adivasi continue to sell 'kendua' and 'mahula' and have a better life?

Is not it better to give new opportunities to these people so that they can gel with the modern world - and learn the rules of the mainland they live in?

I am observing the popular media make them heroes and detest corporatism and industrialization. But do these gentlemen have an answer for the next 50 years? When an average child will be spending her time exploring the world through a computer, the Adivasi girl would still be hunting for firewood to help her mom cook food. Is that what the media envision for the Adivasis?

We have to remember the old colonization days - the British rule, they came from a mechanized world and took over our ancient civilization within no time. But we in India, should not draw parallel with that about the Government of India. The government is not perfect - but it does not have policies to colonize the forests. The only way going forward for preservation of forests and protection of forest dweller's interest is to let the government take steps in bringing in money so that these can be done in a systematic way.

All Adivasis are not visionaries, and the whole government is not evil.
Media needs to co-operate with the government in educating less aware people and explain the world's rules to them. We all have a responsibility to bring them into the modern world with grace so that the people don't suffer. After all, we are a self-ruled elected set of power holders - not some east India company employees.

And for god's sake, media needs to stop glorifying the anti-industry movements in Odisha. On one side they cry about Odish'a poverty, on other side they don't let any industrialization project proceed peacefully. Do they have a solution to offer to bring Odisha out of the poverty? Selling forest-originated biological materials is not enough - we have to sell our mineral resources - but in the process, gain maximum benefit so that at some point we become self sufficient in industries so that some alien organization is not giving us only a meager percent of what we deserve in terms of economic growth from our resources.

For heaven's sake - let some big industries come up in Odisha - that is going to be our only way of coming out of the sorry state of economic affairs. Ancient ways are not enough - we compete in a modern world and we need to stand up!