3Ms herald prosperity in troubled Bastar
The Bastar region in Chhattisgarh has been home to some of the most “typical” tribal communities, difficult-to-reach places and wondrous forests. Abujhmad is the mysterious fortress of Naxal forces. This plateau lies in the Narayanpur and Bijapur districts that were carved out of the old Bastar district in 2007.
I had an occasion to visit Bastar areas in Kanker, (the new and smaller) Bastar, Kondagaon and Naraynpur districts a few times earlier too. I also visited Abujhmad once. I distinctly remember that in my last visit in 2012 to Bhanupratappur, Antagarh, Narayanpur and Orchha, I was deeply impressed with the atmosphere of an utterly disquieting and eerie peace with a strong undercurrent of fear that pervaded the region.
For long stretches of the roads connecting these towns, I saw no vehicle. The only human beings I saw on the connecting roads then were gun-toting security personnel patrolling the roads. I was warned about the need for adopting an “appropriate behaviour” if strangers interacted with me, as some of them could be Naxal cadres. My recent visit was very different and quite cheerful.