Walk to remember: City connects to indigenous tribes of Aarey Milk Colony

The city on February 17 got a glimpse of the lives of people it shares space with but, are still worlds apart. As part of its initiative to bridge the gap between these worlds, Youth for Unity and Voluntary Action (YUVA) in association with DNA walked through the forests of Aarey Milk Colony. The area is rich in biodiversity and has a considerably large tribal population. A walk was started from Ambujwadi on February 16. Two more city walks have been scheduled for February 23 at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park.

The walk was led by activists Nitin Kubal and Gajanan C Kolekar (also a resident of an adivasipada just outside the limits of Aarey). The walk journeyed through Aarey's history, its transforming landscape and the ongoing struggle between the insides and the outsides of this green area. The space has been struggling to keep pace with the rapid development all around.

Kubal addressed this struggle by introducing the politics of grabbing of land by state and non-state actors in environmentally sensitive zones. He listed out different settlements of indigenous communities in the city — the aadivasipadas, koliwadas, and gaothans —and their collective struggle for a spatial identity that does not mean 'slum', a generalised term used both legally and colloquially to reduce their claim on lands they have been living on for centuries.

The anchors expressed concern over the credibility of identity cards overpowering the integrity of a person and connected the situation to the plight of the residents of aadivasipaadas, whose documents for land rights have been disqualified.

The walk then progressed into the settlements, noting their spatial and material characteristics as compared to that of 'bastis'. This observation was linked to resettlement efforts that are indifferent to these differences. The uninterrupted terrain of the walk with streams, palm trees, and potential agricultural and grazing land gave the group an experience of the form and extent of factors that are an essential part of aadivasipaadas.

After reaching the hilltop that looks over the Vihar lake, the group trekked down to the dam from where the Mithi river flows into the city. The paadas on the hillocks, the bastis on the slopes, the lakes, and parks on either side of the dam led to the final comments on the importance of elevating the struggles of indigenous and marginalised communities.

Apoorva Sharma from the School of Environment and Architecture (SEA), one of the people who attended the walk said, 'This walk helped me understand the experiences of tribes while they struggle to understand the context of policies with regard to their situation is and try to make the most of it'.

TAKEAWAY

The uninterrupted terrain of the walk with streams, palm trees, and potential agricultural and grazing land gave the group an experience of the form and extent of factors that are an essential part of aadivasipaadas