Journalism of Courage
“Sagale lok badalalet bagha ithle (People here are not what they used to be.) They have changed and avoid talking to each other. Not many are seen working in farms and fields owned by villagers are completely neglected,” says Dulaji Zanjare, who is in his early 60s and has been witness to the huge landmass sliding down the hill on July 30, 2014, killing 151 people.
A visit to Malin and interaction with its residents and also those from adjacent villages bring to the fore a grim reality: The bonding and communication villagers had before the calamity struck, is no longer there. Farming has been being completely neglected.
Though Dulaji’s own family survived, he lost his brother’s family in the calamity. His own house has been sealed because it has been declared unfit for habitation. But he visits his house for an hour every day. He says he comes to the house to clean up the premises but later, confesses that it gives a gloomy feeling to stay in the makeshift houses made of tin sheets.
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“Hardly anyone goes to farms. The Padkai (method of farming on the slopes by carving out steps) has been stopped but so has the farming on level fields too.
Many say that the rains are too heavy but that is just an excuse. Though the compensation people have got is in the form of fixed deposits, they do get fairly good amount as interest. So no one wants to work. But I will not blame them for this situation. These people have gone through a tragedy.”
Thirty five-year-old Ganesh Asawale from Ambde village, adjacent to Malin, is a regular visitor to landslide-hit area and the makeshift houses. He is also the Police Patil of Ambde. Asawale has similar observations. “Earlier when, any family cooked something on a festive day, portions of it used to reach the neighbours. But nowadays, festivals are not the same like they used to be. Those who used to consume alcohol are consuming it more. It is a painful feeling to see this happening to a village,” he says. A police constable from local Ghodegaon police station, who has been posted there since months before the Malin incident says, “We keep talking to villagers whenever we get a chance. There is always a gloom in this village, which I cannot describe. But these people have not lost hope. For example, arrival of a baby in a family months after the incident, brought hope to that family. We feel as time passes, things will get better.”
