Like all the other residents of Kharni Tokri, a small village deep inside the Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary, Kishanlal Bhil has lived in the forest all his life. But unlike the others, he is one of just two people in the village who have been to college, the other being his elder brother, Dalpat Bhil, who is camped outside the village to prepare for his B.Ed exams.
“All we have known is the forest. But we’re sick of living inside it. Don’t get me wrong, the forest is important to who we are and we are proud of being Adivasi. But how much longer will we stay put in the jungle as our fellow Adivasis in other parts pass us by?” the 21-year-old asks.
