Shishir Roy ChowdhuryRaipur, April 21 -- The changing sounds of Bastar can now be heard and felt in villages deep within the forests of southern Chhattisgarh. The rattle of gunfire and the echo of explosions that once defined life in the rugged terrain of Bastar are beginning to fade. In their place, the steady beat of the mandar and the rhythms of celebration are returning.
In Bhejji, a small village in Sukma district's Konta block in the Bastar division, a traditional fair was held from April 16 to 18 after a gap of nearly three decades. For residents, it marked the return of a way of life that had long been interrupted.
Thousands of tribal villagers gathered without fear, taking part in processions, rituals, and celebrations rooted in ...