How Narmada project erased tribal cultures and food habits

CHENNAI: Development has affected the lives and cultures of tribal people on the banks of the Narmada river. A team of activists spent almost a year travelling and documenting these communities to understand the loss of culture and identity in the region.


The Narmada Valley Development Project was aimed at capitalising the annual flow of over 40,000 million cubic metre of water from the river.

When proposed, it was one of the largest river valley projects of the world, which included the construction of 30 major, 135 medium and 3,000 minor dams across the Narmada river.


Kasturi Adhikary, Vinaya Kurtkoti and Shatakshi Gawade began their exploration in the submergence areas of two prominent dams of the project. The Bargi dam , first of the big dams to have been constructed and the Sardar Sarovar Dam, the largest in the project.


The stories bring in identity and cultural crises among various tribal communities along the Narmada.

“There are 163 kinds of tribal foods found in the jungle (green leafy vegetables, mushrooms, fruits) that were once a part of the Baiga diet but are now disappearing from their plates. Millets were once a staple food for the Baiga community, and now they are only consumed as medicine when the need arises. This is the tragedy meted out due to the construction of dams across Narmada,” said Kasturi, while sharing their experience with people under the title “"Narrating Cultures Submerged", in the city on Thursday.

After the green revolution, many tribal communities stopped cultivating millet. “Paddy is procured by the government with minimum support price but millet is not. That’s the reason why many tribal communities switched over to paddy,” said Shantakshi.

The Baigas had their ancient farming method, called ‘bewar’, a unique agro-ecological practice.

“In this natural farming method, up to 12 crops are grown together. The Baigas cultivated traditional millets, grains and beans, and supplemented them with foraged fruit, tubers and other forest produce. But with time and the push towards high-yield crop varieties, these traditional methods were left behind and the traditional knowledge was neglected. This led to large-scale impoverishment and malnourishment,” she said.

How such experiences are relevant in Tamil Nadu? “With Mekedatu dam project looming over us, it is time for all of us in Tamil Nadu to understand that dams go beyond just environmental concerns. They erase cultural memory and they leave communities on the banks of rivers with fading identities,” said Vinaya.