Ranchi: Sita Devi, 36, has been on a foot march since February 20. Leaving behind her two of her four kids back home in Manatu village of Keredari block, Sita is among the thousands of tribal men and women from all over the state who are marching to Ranchi with one demand — implement the Forest Rights Act of 2006.“In our village, we survive largely on forest produce and farming done on cleared forest land. But now, the forests have become off limits for us, forcing us to come out on the streets to demand handover of the forests. I have brought two of my younger children with me on the march as they are both too young to spend a week without me. It is a fight that we all are forced to take part, because without our jungles, we don’t exist,” Sita said.In all, nearly 10,000 tribal community members from over 20 districts have been taking part in the march to demand handover of Individual and Community Forest Rights across the state, covering 12 to 15 kilometres on foot daily. The marchers are sleeping under the open sky, covering 12 to 15 km per day — all for the cause of reasserting their right over the jungles that these communities have been dependent on for centuries. From young men in their prime to nursing mothers to older members, the tribal people are braving the hardships to reach Ranchi and draw attention to their cause.“It is overwhelming how every village we reach is coming forward to help us. From providing gas cylinders to cook food to finding open spaces to allow us cook — their support shows how this fight for our forest rights is getting support everywhere. As more people join the march, we are expecting to have at least 20,000 people with us by the time we reach Ranchi next week,” said Birendra Kumar, a state-based activist working on forest rights issues.Like Sita, Ajay Kujur of Danto village in Hazaribag, who lives from hand-to-mouth, is finding it extremely difficult to take part in the march, but he had sacrificed taking care of his kids during the period. He has left behind his children with his parents. Speaking to TOI, the 40-year-old Oraon community member said: “It is a question of asserting our rights and protecting our way of life. I am not making money for one week but the fact that 200 people from my village alone are with me in the fight is huge. We have brought in five kg of rice and one kilo potato per person to survive through the march.”

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