Beekeeping initiative at Dantewada,Chattisgarh

After the last visit, we have sent 50 Apis cerana colonies with boxes to Dantewada on November 9^th 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 30^th 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.