Tribe of the youngest

TriLingo
7 min readSep 15, 2019

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Just aged 24, Ritu Pandram, Chhattisgarh’s youngest sarpanch from the Indian state of Chhattisgarh, is already setting examples for the world.

This is the first post to , “ When the Tongue stops, the Folk ends ”, blog series ( check every monday ) started with a aim to bring indigenous communities of India to the forefront of internet community, highlighting the richness of their culture and tradition.

To understand the topic, read: When the Tongue stops, the Folk ends

Ritu Pandram member of Gond tribe, from Chhattisgarh, lives in a village named Sarbhara. Her place is filled with raw nature and full of village ambiance. Things are slightly changing in her place gradually to give her village a suburban touch.

Women from Gond Tribe of Chhatisghar (Source: Google Images)

Here is a quick bite from the conversation we had with her:

Interviewer: So, ma’am would you please explain your daily routine?
Ritu: Surely, as I mentioned earlier that we live in a village area where everyone starts their work with their farm activity on their land, feeding their cattle. After that, they proceed to their own respective work.

Interviewer: How does the area look like in your village?
Ritu: My village is located 100kms from Bilaspur and as I mentioned earlier it’s entirely a farmland based area, our village is making changes towards being a suburban set up. We all have preserved our atmosphere such that it’s clean and purer compared to cities. The pollution is at a much lesser extent. Domestic animals are an integral source of earning livelihood hence I can say we have been successful in preserving our own culture and lifestyle.

Interviewer: What are the natural resources you have to depend on apart from animals for livelihood?
Ritu: If we look at nearby districts they also have mining areas to depend on but here farming is the only source. People work on their farm or as daily wage workers. This is a grassland area, mountains can be found on a farther distance but there are no rivers nearby.

Interviewer: What are the various skill set people possess at your village like for example farming fishing etc??
Ritu: People mainly depend on farming-related activities though you will find a few families who work do pottery work and sell earthen utensils. Also, there are who work as blacksmiths.

Interviewer: What do the local residents feel about their village how much they are emotionally attached to their culture and lifestyle? And what do they do for entertainment purpose and leisure activities on a daily basis?
Ritu: It is their common belief that they must stay connected to their roots and respect their environment and preserve it in order to survive in long run no matter how much longer strides they’re taking towards modernization. Hence they’re very much emotionally attached to their land and they also do feel that this will be their main source of food in coming times. They also expect their future generation to think the same.

Interviewer: Ma’am if we quickly shed light on your childhood what are the pleasant memories you carry along?
Ritu(giggles): See the environment has changed a bit but I won’t lie still the core of the village is still the same. We used to study under the trees in a natural environment which is still so much pleasing and when we used to get hurt we used to fill the wounds with this soil patches something. I’ve done myself. All these are slightly fading away and coming into the climbing trees, I always feel and found it as a very healthy part of exercises to stay fit. Mango and Jamun trees were the ones I would climb and pluck fruits. But times have changed and scenarios are a bit different now. Children do this to a lesser extent.

Interviewer: So what is the situation of education for other girls in your village?
Ritu: Talking about education I was the first to be sent out of the village boundaries to a hostel to study back in class 6 which wasn’t at all a common practice back then and people would have a lengthy discussion in hours about giving the decision a second thought. But these talking points are a goner now and nowadays almost every girl goes outside to pursue education or jobs. After being a sarpanch I’ve seen this as one of the biggest positive change. that every girl strives to become something on their own.

Interviewer: What inspires all the other girls who aspire to do something on their own for their own uplifting their own image and their development?Ritu: Being true to their own path and be confident and not get disheartened at any cost is the mantra. Always being at your best, working harder and harder. Even if they don’t succeed, they never give up and try harder again. Because there’s nothing more important than education. It is something which enlightens everybody. They also say their parents to keep them backing at every situation of their lives. Keep encouraging them. As good education gives birth to high-quality thoughts which is a key to a brighter future.

Interviewer: You mentioned about traveling to cities to pursue education. As a consequence what are the things they are missing out on?
Ritu: One major thing they find missing in cities is having a fellow feeling and brotherhood towards one another. The sense of being connected by extending a small gesture of support or helping hand for others is difficult to find nowadays. Here in villages you can open up about your problems or seek help from anybody without any hesitation. In cities it’s becomes very uncomfortable and uncommon to ask for a glass of water by knocking on somebody’s door. In villages, you can not only have a glass of water but also sit and relax for a while.

Interviewer: According to you what are those facilities which can be made available to your village to make better standards of living possible?
Ritu: I feel that we have successfully brought electricity and water to almost every households but it is the education sector we are heavily lacking in. If we can improve the standards of teaching that would be great. For example, in our primary schools, we have just two teachers assigned for the entire session. This makes their base unstable and weak and makes them further weaker in the higher education ladder. If they go on failing in classes they end up giving up by getting disheartened. Therefore I’d rather choose to bring education from the cities to make things better

Interviewer: What are the various incidents or experience that motivates you or encourages you till date? How did you deal with setbacks and obstacles in this end route?
Ritu: For starters, I never imagined that I would be coming in this field but when I set foot in this area I had a lot to learn, so there were a few instances of roadblocks about accepting me, though it should not be considered a political position but still people look at it this way. As I came across a lot of people I got to know about a certain number of things which I was unaware of, I got to learn a lot of things, kept supporting a lot of people in need. I would like to say the youth that in this field to there’s a lot to contribute if you are willing to and serve with honesty. When you work for good you may face a lot of obstacles but if you keep your chin up and keep fighting have a rock-solid temperament nothing can stop you. Slowly things will turn your own way.

Interviewer: As I heard from other villages where the names are kept after their ancestors what is the tradition here?
Ritu: See, it is completely up to the family to come down to a point where they can make a decision what name should be given to a child. Unlike other places where the Pandits come and play a decisive role, it’s not the case here. The villagers and parents combine for this act. A lot of times names are kept on the basis of what influences the child the most. These are also important factors. No astrological practices take place to keep their names in our community.

Interviewer: What are your upcoming plans for this village as of now?
Ritu: One fact that I can never deny or discard that there have never been only my parents who looked after me. Almost every villager had a huge role to play. Hence I want to do something for these people. I always kept believing that when the society and environment had given so much to me I should look to pay it back as much as I could.

Interviewer: Lastly what are the various things you want to achieve in life?
Ritu: I always focus on one thought that it may happen things may not go according to your favor or your way, there might be situations where you really can’t help or something about it for that I always keep my head composed and try to be satisfied with whatever little I’m doing and remaining happy with that much. I always try to be a better person every day and compare with what I did today that makes me a better person. Based on what I’ve become, satisfaction and happiness are the two most important things I to seek and cherish as an achievement.

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TriLingo

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