Jamuna Tudu took up arms to protect the forests around her village, discovers Kritika Dua
In an era of digitalisation and technological growth, a woman with zeal uses bows and arrows to save her land. Jamuna Tudu is popularly known as lady Tarzan for fighting against forest mafias who not only plundered her house but pelted stones at her, the lady warriors and her husband. She got bruised, her head was smeared in blood but this incident didn’t deter her from the mission of protecting the forests. Inspired by her, the village women plant 18 trees when a girl is born, and 10 trees when a girl gets married in the village.
Tudu’s journey began in 1998 when she entered the Muturkham village following her marriage. She grew up in a family that loved and respected nature as her maternal village was covered in greenery. She went with fellow village women to get wood from forests. After two-three visits she thought that if trees will be chopped at this rate, the Muturkham forest will soon be clear. “I tried to convince many women and village Pradhan through meetings to conserve the dying forests. The Pradhan did not agree but three-four women started to support me. Together we went to patrol the forest in three shifts —morning, afternoon and evening. Many women did not support me fearing retaliation from village men and the mafia.”
Initially, they requested the mafias, some of whom were women but later things went sour and she had to endure their abuses. They even plundered her house but she didn’t gave up, rather managed to gather 25 women and formed the Forest Safety Committee, under which they were equipped with bows and arrows, bamboo sticks and spears to tackle the enemies of their forest.
Seeing the women fighting, the men slowly started joining in. It was around 2008, the scuffles turned violent with stones being pelted at the villagers and Tudu was inflicted with injuries. Her husband Mansingh’s clothes were soaked in blood. “I couldn’t file a complaint as I didn’t know them and we were attacked at night,” recalled Tudu. “But they were punished later and had to return the things they looted from my house.”
She proudly told about the story of how she formed 300 samitis in Jharkand’s Kolhan Mantrimandal to curb illegal felling. Today, there are 33 people in each samiti in which 20 are women. In collaboration with various forest committees. She organises awareness campaigns across villages in Kolhan Division and has support of more than 6000 lady warriors.
She has been facilitated with of the Stree Shakti award, Godfrey Phillips Bravery Award, NITI Aayog’s Women Transforming India Award and many more. “I am glad to have been bestowed with so many honours for the hard work I have put in since 19 years and will continue to do the same.”
However, there are still many people who try to deviate her from her path, critisising her work and calling it an evil deed. “I don’t say anything if they speak behind my back but if they say something on my face I give a solid answer.”
Tudu who has motivated many still strives to protect the trees till her last breath. She was one of the speakers at Road to Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) aimed at women overcoming limitations in association with Niti Aayog and was organised by Shift Series.