P. Sainath

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They’d already covered over 20 kilometres, but
still maintained their rhythmic, almost goose-stepping gait, moving swiftly and
in single file. They were dressed in their best, the least damaged clothes they
owned. And they were hurrying to a weekly haat
or rural market in Malkangiri district in the huge Koraput region. Whether
they would reach there was another matter. A local trader – or creditor – might
accost them en route and buy their entire stock for a pittance. Perhaps then even
make them  carry it to the haat for him.The four-man troupe kindly slowed down and halted
to talk to me. These men are not kumbhars
or traditional potters. They are Dhuruas, an Adivasi group in this region. The
two who spoke to me, Majhi and Nokul, assured me that pottery was not their
traditional occupation. They seemed to have learned it at workshops held by a
non-profit group. With agriculture not doing well at all, they thought they’d
take a shot at making pots – and their products were simple but really good,
artistic even. However, these too were doing badly, they said. “Everywhere,”
complained Nokul, “people are using plastic pots and buckets.” And that was as
far back as 1994. Plastic has since spread like a perennial, self-perpetuating
pandemic, with many variants – and no cure in sight.“Yes,” said Majhi. It is true that the “sahucar often takes our stock at a lower price
that he sets. But then, we owe him money.” The trader then sells the pots at a
much better price at the haat,
without much exertion. He has other Adivasis there to do the hawking for him. However,
several haats do see the original
producers selling their wares. Different clusters of villages can hold their markets on different days of the week. So though the
event is weekly in each location, a haat is held every day somewhere in the region.

The Dhuruas have had other make-in-India problems.
The official <a href="https://tribal.nic.in/downloads/Statistics/StatisticalProfileofSTs2013.pdf">StatisticalProfile of Scheduled Tribes in India</a> and the
Odisha <a href="http://stscodisha.gov.in/pdf/ScheduledTribe_List.pdf">state list of ScheduledTribes</a> both spell the name of tribe as Dharua and
also as Dhuruba and Dhurva of Dhuruva. In many school certificates and other documents
I have seenwith some of them, the tribe’s name had been spelt as Dhurua. This
led to several losing the benefits that are due to them, because low-level
bureaucrats had told them there was no tribe listed by that name. It took a
long time to settle that stupidity.The village haat presents a striking microcosm of an area’s
economy. Most things produced in that region will be on display and sale there.
All transactions within a small field bustling with activity, life and colour.
Our brief conversation done, the four men moved on, after thanking me graciously
for taking their photographs(for which they insisted on posing the way they
wanted to). I watched them go, a little apprehensively: their beautiful, graceful
forward movement in single file, very close to each other. So close that if
anyone missed a step, or stumbled, there was going to be a pile up and broken
pots. I’ve had that fear many times in Malkangiri – but mercifully never seen
it come true.A shorter version of this piece first appeared in The Hindu BusinessLine on September 1, 1995.

Haat to haat in Malkangiri

ਜਿੱਥੇ ਹਾਟ ਹਨ ਅਰਥਚਾਰੇ ਦੇ ਝਲਕਾਰੇ

മല്‍കാന്‍ഗിരിയിൽ - ഗ്രാമച്ചന്തകളിൽനിന്ന് ഗ്രാമച്ചന്തകളിലേക്ക്

ಮಲ್ಕನಗಿರಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಸಂತೆಯಿಂದ ಸಂತೆಗೆ!

சந்தையிலிருந்து சந்தைக்கு நடை

मलकानगिरीत, या बाजारातून त्या बाजारात

ମାଲକାନଗିରିରେ ହାଟରୁ ହାଟ ଯାତ୍ରା

মালকানগিরির হাটে-বাজারে

मलकानगिरी: साप्ताहिक हाट में जीवन की बाट जोहते धुरुआ

মলকানগিৰিত হাটে-বজাৰে

ملکانگیری میں ایک ہاٹ سے دوسرے ہاٹ تک

Malkangiri

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Haat to haat in Malkangiri

Adivasis in Odisha’s Malkangiri district depend on the haat or rural market to sell what they produce. A few times, though, they might not reach there

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