In a pledge to save the Mahan forests of Singrauli from coal mining, people from across 10 cities, including Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, sent over 8,900 rakhis to the forest dwelling communities of Mahan forests.
Over 1,000 community members including a large number of women and children from about 24 villages of the region braved heavy rains and tied the rakhis to a giant Mahua tree in Mahan forests on Sunday. These Rakhis were made by 98 volunteers from across 10 cities in India.
Giving a new meaning to a festival that traditionally symbolises a brother vowing to protect her sister in return of a rakhi, 10 Mumbaikars prepared and tied a 54-foot-long rakhi as a symbol of the 54 villages in Mahan that stand to lose their livelihoods if the forest is cut down. Residents of Dharnai village in Bihar’s Jehanabad district sent 1,000 rakhis from 400 homes and schools. In March, 2014, Greenpeace India had adopted the village and setup a solar plant that provides 24x7 electricity to 450 households, 50 shops, 60 streetlights and two schools in the village.
Aafreen Ali, a 22-year-old Mumbai girl who made a rakhi out of recyclable items said, “Even though I live in a city, I was touched by the grit and the struggle of these villagers. The people of Mahan are not just fighting to save their forest but save us all from the ill-effects of damaging our environment and climate change. Today’s activity was a creative way of mobilizing people about the situation in Mahan and also sending them a physical manifestation of everyone's support.”
The villagers chose to tie the rakhi on a Mahua tree because of the sacred and important place it holds in the lives of this forest-dwelling community. Villagers in Mahan use the produce from the Mahua tree to make sweets, biodegradable utensils and liquor, which is then sold in the markets to earn money.
Anita Kushwaha, a resident of Budher village and member of Mahan Sangharsh Samiti (MSS) said, “I’m overwhelmed by the support we have got and the rakhis show us that the call to save Mahan is being heard by people from across the country. It’s heartening to know that those living in the cities consider this forest as their own, which gives us more courage and determination to fight for our rights and protect our forest and homes.”
The ancient forest of Mahan, spread across 1,200 acres, lie in the heart of India’s coal belt. Over 50,000 villagers are dependent on the Mahan forest, which is today under the threat of being axed down for the coal that lies underneath its pristine cover for the mining interests of two giant corporations – Essar and Hindalco.