4. Women on the Frontlines

Adivasi (indigenous) women in Abujhmad forest showing their everyday tools at a protest site against illegal mining and “fake encounters” and arrests in Central India’s Bastar region, India.

These makeshift protest sites resemble small villages built from forest materials, bamboo sticks, wood, and dry grass, housing hundreds of people from at least eighteen villages. Much like the farmers’ protests in India, the community here cooks collectively and supports one another. However, unlike the widely publicized protests in Delhi, these demonstrations in Bastar receive little to no media attention. Taking place in one of India’s most militarized zones, even more so than Kashmir, these protestors face an environment of escalating militarism and industrial encroachment.

Climate change exacerbates this crisis, pushing vulnerable groups deeper into poverty, destroying the only thing they call home - their forests.

During multiple interviews with at least a dozen people, the members from various Adivasi/tribal communities reiterated that they want their collective issues foregrounded over any individual tribal identities. The slogan “एक तीर एक निशान, सारे आदिवासी एक समान” (“One arrow, one target, all Adivasis are equal”) perfectly captures this sentiment. Historically, the strategy has used divide-and-rule tactics to fracture already marginalized groups, creating further divisions.

This slogan is a powerful response, emphasizing solidarity and unity among all marginalized. This situation is similar to the Scheduled Castes, the Dalits, where subcategorization of Dalits by politicians often undermines their historical identity. Both Adivasi and Dalit communities believe these distinctions are made to exploit and benefit by dividing communities within often for political and corporate interests and benefits.