THE MALI AND THE PARASITE / Mali ra Parajibi

Synopsis

Deep in the Eastern Ghats of Odisha lies Tijmali, the sacred abode of Tij Raja and the source of hundreds of perennial streams that sustain life across the region. For generations, Kondh, Paraja, and Dom communities have depended on its forests, fertile lands, and medicinal ecosystems. In 2023, the Odisha government allocated the Tijimali bauxite mine to Vedanta Limited, threatening to transform this sacred bio-diverse hill into an opencast mining zone. In response, local communities organized through Gram Sabhas under the banner of 'Ma Maati Mali Surakhya Macha' to assert their constitutional and customary rights. As police surveillance intensifies, villagers face arrests, criminal charges, and intimidation. Yet women, youth, elders, and farmers continue to defend Tijimali with remarkable courage. But the memories of a struggle lost in time still haunts them.