The Baigas belong to the category of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) – amongst the three marked as such in Madhya Pradesh – others being Sehariya and Bhariya. The community, whose total population is estimated to be around 6 Lac are found mostly in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and that too primarily in the districts of Dindori, Anuppur and Mandla, with smaller numbers in Balaghat, Seoni and Sidhi. The Baigas have their habitat on the eastern fringes of the Vindhyachals and Satpuras in the region of the Upper Narmada valley. These areas are in eastern Madhya Pradesh bordering Chhatisgarh. To a considerable extent they share this habitat with the Gond tribes. But they have some characteristics markedly different from other major tribes of Madhya Pradesh like the Gonds, Bhils and Korkus.
In the Baiga mythology there is a story that the Baiga and the Gond were born to one parent, and the branch that took to agriculture became the Gonds while the other that took to complete dependency on the forests came to be known as Baigas. Locally the Baigas still refer to Gonds as ‘Kisans’. The Baigas developed expertise in medical practice (out of their knowledge of herbs and other forest based produce), priestcraft and sorcery – they even serve as ‘priests’ and ‘doctors’ not just to their own community but also to Gonds and even outside (in earlier times there were stories that even rulers of princely states availed of these services from the Baigas.)
Traditionally the Baigas practiced ‘shifting cultivation’ by slash and burn technique called ‘Bewar’ and they were averse to ploughing of land which they considered tantamount to injuring the body of the ‘Mother Earth.’ They also subscribed to the idea that the practice of cultivating the same land in succession burdenied the ‘Mother Earth’ excessively and reduced the latter’s fertility. In Bewar the land is often kept fallow for as long as ten to fifteen years – very often it has forests again, before it is used again for cultivation. The axe is a key equipment in the life of a Baiga – often a Baiga man can be seen walking with an axe in his hand. It is not just used for wood cutting but was also employed for hunting.
The Baigas can be easily distinguished by various tattoo marks that they have on their bodies. The womenfolk get themselves tattoed much more than the men – it is thought that the tattoos play the function of ornaments and enhance their beauty. The tattoos are made of oil of ‘Ramtilli’ and gum of Sal. Traditionally, the Baiga men wear Dhotis and women wear a shorter form of Saree. But now the younger generations can also be seen in dresses common in the surrounding non-tribal areas like shirts and trousers (for men) and sarees (for the women.) Their simple houses are made up of mud and several regular usage items like plates, containers and baskets are made up of leaves, straw and mud.
The Baigas widely consume the millets like Kodo and Kutki and at present also grow Arhar (tuar.) They also catch fish in streams flowing down the hilly forest. Poultry and goat-rearing is also not uncommon. A common item in their diet is called ‘Pej’ – which is a mixture of cereals boiled in hot water and then mixed with normal water to make a porridge-like item. They also commonly take to homemade drink of ‘Mahua’ which is an essential part of their festivities and special occasions. Early marriage is very common amongst Baigas. Boys and girls, even in these days, start getting married from their mid teens itself. The culture of nuclear family is more prevalent as distinct from joint families (having three generations living together) which sociologists find more common in communities traditionally owning land. The Baigas have their own forms of song and dance like the Karma, Dadaria, Rina and Bilma. The supreme deity for Baigas is called Badadev, also called Budhadev or Mahadev. Among other occasions, they also celebrate Holi in a reasonably big way. But the Baigas are very reserved by nature and usually wary of conversing with outsiders. A few decades back it was not uncommon for the Baigas to flee to the forests upon seeing a vehicle or a government official approach their habitat.
Several areas of the traditional Baiga habitat fell in the British administered Central Provinces, whereas a few others came in several princely states like the Rewa State. The British, having an eye on the rich forest sought to thwart the traditional Baiga practice of Bewar and tried several tactics and interventions to arrest that. The earliest anthropological work on the Baigas was by a British civil servant of Balaghat called Bloomfield titled ‘Notes on the Baiga’ published in late 1860s – it came seven decades before arguably the most famous work on Baigas, British-born (and a naturalised Indian) anthropologist Verrier Elwin’s ‘The Baiga” published in 1939. In order to have a stronger grip on administration, the first roads in the area were built in the second half of the 19th century. The British, in the year 1890 demarcated a certain area for Baigas and tried to relocate Baigas from other areas into this zone. This is the present Baigachak which now is in Dindori district and has around 50 villages. It is said that the British also tried to bring Gonds into some of these areas in order to have Gonds in closer touch with the Baigas with the goal of having the latter adopt the Gond practices of settled agriculture.
The Baigachak falls in Bajag tehsil of Dindori and two main villages in the area are Bajag and Chaanda. Bajag is the place where goods are also brought and sold from outside world and so serves as the space where Baigas come in touch with the outside ways of life. Baigas can also be seen selling their small wares and also purchasing the essential items from this market. Chaanda is the venue of a weekly market (‘haat’) which is much more local in character. The forest in the area are very rich in hardwood variety of Sal (locally called ‘Sarai’) which is a prominent timber used in construction and also for railways. The Baigachak is also the origin of the river Budhner, the first major tributary of Narmada meeting the latter at ‘Deogaon sangam’ in Mandla district.
Even with the passage of time, the condition of the Baigas has remained considerably stagnant. The levels of literacy is very low in the community because of which, one is led to think, that they have possibly not been able to utilise the privileges of a democratic State and rights that the Constitution and the State Policy framework entitles them to. Though under the Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE), the children till the age of 14 are now enrolled in the school, but there is a very significant drop out after that. The High school and Higher Secondary schools are very far from the smaller villages, precluding the possibility of regular attendance or even enrolment. The government hostels have limited capacities and in higher grades they are usually based on merit, having the unfortunate result of many students with the intent of pursuing higher education not getting any opportunity to do so.
The healthcare facilities have the same sorry tale to tell. The PHCs or even the bigger CHC (Community Health Centre) often act as referring entities to the bigger District Hospitals and even when there have been noticeable improvements in the maternity space as reflected by the IMR and MMR indices, the healthcare centres remain ill-equipped for handling any other major ailments. The elderly suffer the most. In fact, not too many live to a very long age. While the average lifespan has doubled in last half a century, it is more on account of arresting infant mortality than people living long.
Though it is said that ‘a rising tide lifts all boats’, one wonders how long will it take for the benefits of the sweeping technological and macro-economic changes, to really reflect in areas that should matter no less to a Baiga, like education and healthcare. While one might not advocate that Baigas take to the mores of the outside society – warts and all, they cannot continue to remain like museum-pieces for outsiders to view. And remaining untouched is not possible in any case, as one lesson that history tells is that unless one is strong in self-defence one will sooner or later be vanquished. It is only the rights of democracy that they have now been promised by a free India that can guarantee that, but the role of education (beyond just needs of a livelihood) is critical in ensuring that they do not get a short shrift in this great Indian experiment.