In our Korku community, we believe that if a tiger comes to the field, it is auspicious. Its footprints signal riches for the farmer. There is prosperity all around.
My name is Ramlal and I was born in Payvihir village in the buffer area of Melghat Tiger Reserve (MTR) in Maharashtra. And I, Vasant, live in the village of Boratyakheda in the core area of MTR. We are both Korku tribals, and generations of our families have lived in these forests.
We grew up with the knowledge that finding the marks of a tiger's claws on the dung of cows and bulls, is an auspicious sign. That marked piece of dung would be stored in the granary, its presence would ensure no shortage of grains for the household.
We grow maize, sorghum, paddy, wheat, millets, soybean, groundnut, sunflower, sesame, pigeon pea, mung, chickpea and other pulses. We consume most of this and sell a small portion. Most of the farmers in our community have individual forest rights for cultivation of forest land. We depend on rainfall but also use water from nearby streams and wells for irrigation.
















