Summary:
Many people also have mobile phones now. It seems we were living in another century," says Chinkiya, a 19-year-old girl residing in Tikonia-3 village near Gorakhpur Electricity for her and her family is a very recent discovery. Living for nearly 100 years inside Tikonia forest, more than 5,000 families in nearly 48 settlements were not considered citizens of India till last year. The biggest change in the lives of Vantangiyas after getting revenue status is the presence of electricity, a direct result of which is introduction to smartphones and television. The Census teams never reached the villages of these Vantangiyas and they were bereft of all basic facilities that the governments extend to rural areas..