After the last visit, we have sent 50 Apis cerana colonies
with boxes to Dantewada on November 9th 2017.This logistics of Apis
cerana colonies is a longest distance(1380km) ever recorded in Cerana beekeeping
industry which took 3 nights and 5 days to reach Dantewada from Bangalore. Now, since all the required livestock and equipment reached the
place, we need to develop skills to the community. Along with our local partner Pragati prayas samajik seva sanstha(PPSSS),Dantewada lead by Mr.Ram Narendra, we organised 10 days of
intense training program to more than 80 tribal families. The days which I spent
there created a life time memory since I got to travel to the most remote
villages of Dantewada. Witnessed their rich culture and saw real innocence.
For few moments, I got to see their world. Being a social
entrepreneur, I am really proud to say that I really have worked with the true
grassroots of India. Until and unless you see the world of grassroots, you can’t
really think or get close to the possible solution. The content life of the
tribal way keeps you so confused throughout the travel. Questions which linger in
your mind about rights and wrongs will make you to reason the very core purpose
of many modern concepts of development.
Beekeeping is all about skills to identify the changes
inside the hive. Now, if we transfer technology and develop skills, the tribal
communities can innovate the way of doing beekeeping by getting hives and
equipment done with the local resources. The developed skill will be converted to work, engagement
and values. This is the real contribution that we have to impart for the
grassroots.
An orientation talk to the farmers of Karli,Dantewada.With Rama narendra
An orientation meeting with women SHGs of Nerli and
Kameli,Dantewada
Fermentation of mahua flowers
Rosella – they call it khatti bhaji which makes delicious
chutney in bowl made of palaash leaves
Training at PPSSS,Chitalanka,Dantewada
Training to women SHGs and tribal families at Faraspal
We randomly stopped at keshapur,Dantewada a very remote
village. We found few kids playing and called them to give a bee-talk.Explained
them about how cerana bees can be transferred to the box for rearing.
We divided the colony and gave it to a participant. Their
family got really excited about the new hive.
On 30th December, a Manager of NABARD from
Jagadalpur Mr.Jena came to the event and
expressed NABARD’s support for the Beekeeping project at Dantewada.
No words for the support from district administration lead
by Mr.Saurabh Kumar,Collector of Dantewada who came to the launch event and addressed
tribal families to take up beekeeping in community level.I would like to thank Mr.Kritesh
Hirvani,Principal of Livelihood college,Dantewada. A classic example of how an
efficient and dynamic bureaucracy can make things to move faster. We are reaching 100 tribal families to develop skills and supply bee colonies with equipment at Dantewada.In addition to this initiative, we will work with SHGs of Bijapur and Sukma districts covering at least 500 tribal families as directed by NABARD in about 6 months.
Our effort to create a beekeeping ecosystem is at the right path and pace. We are slowly developing a team of tribal youth at PPSSS,Dantewada. As a passionate beekeeper, it so heart warming to see beekeeping reaching to right community.
