‘Dandkarunya’: Marathi poet Avinash Poinkar writes about extractive development on tribal land

The role of a writer, poet, or artist in society is to foster critical consciousness among the masses so they can question and fight against unconstitutional practices. Their work strengthens voices against discrimination and exploitation while presenting the real picture of our society. While reading Avinash Poinkar’s poetry collection Dandkarunya, I remembered the poem on false patriotism, freedom, and equity written by Langston Hughes (“Let America Be America Again”) during the Harlem Renaissance of 1920–30s.

Nowhere land

I experienced similar feelings while reading the work of journalist and social activist Avinash Poinkar. His poetry collection, which I completed in one sitting while travelling in a Mumbai local, goes far beyond conventional themes. Across 76 poems and 91 pages, he brings alive the lived experiences of the Madia and Kolam tribal communities of Gadchiroli, where he once worked as a Chief Minister Fellow.

This is not a typical poetry collection about love and heartbreak. It speaks of forests, displacement, democracy, culture, exploitation, and resilience. It questions the idea of development, critiques state institutions, and highlights how tribals are caught between violence and government machinery. He writes about villages still missing from maps, electricity poles without electricity, Anganwadis and schools that exist only on paper, and mothers who give birth to babies at home due to a lack of medical facilities.

The collection, rooted in real struggles, is dedicated to all those fighting for the prosperity of their land and their allies. Poinkar describes the exploitation of tribals by both Naxals and the state and points out contradictions in policing – how corporations extract freely from forests while locals are jailed for collecting firewood; how police camps exist deep in forests while medical facilities, schools and basic ration distribution remain absent. The poems remain consistently critical of extractive development.

Poinkar writes with sensitivity about tribal culture, portraying it as one of the richest examples of true democracy, now under threat. Without jargon, he illustrates the brutal effects of climate change: droughts turning into floods, bridges collapsing, and lives lost. Yet, amidst these stark realities, he paints the beauty of the land with its waterfalls, dense forests, rivers, and the innocence of its people.

Several poems stand out. The first redefines the alphabet itself from “A for Apple” to “F for Fight” and “R for Right,” signalling a shift in social consciousness. Another poem critiques how tribals have been turned into objects of research, portrayed as incompetent and backwards, while industrialists darken their lives. Freedom is redefined through the lens of tribal history, with centuries of forest living now disrupted by outsiders.

Women occupy a central place in Poinkar’s work. He portrays them as the strongest human beings, bearing responsibilities despite health issues, harassment, and exploitation. His depiction of women working just three days after childbirth is both heartbreaking and deeply moving. He notes how, in the absence of roads and medical facilities, traditional midwives (dais) help to deliver babies, a reality that underscores both resilience and neglect.

The poems also highlight the contradictions of development, NGOs and journalists who claim to have “civilised” tribals, and government programmes that celebrate tribal culture without involving the tribal people themselves. In one memorable piece, Poinkar critiques political opportunism, using the metaphor of “Zenda” (which usually refers to a symbolic flag used by groups, communities, or organisations to represent their identity, values, or unity) to show how tribals are treated as orphans in the political arena. They are promised rice during elections, only to be forgotten thereafter.

Poinkar describes how mining has destroyed the habitats of primitive tribes, shifted from manual labour to machines for tree cutting, which has sped up deforestation, and how laws meant to protect tribals are used against them. He also sheds light on the harassment of tribals by their own people with references to real incidents like the rape of a young girl from the village called Mannerajaaramchya by the Sarpanch of the village and the murder of the mass Adivasi leader, Malu Kopa Bogami, by the Naxals. The poems speak painful truths often ignored by the urban elite.

Cultural resilience

Yet, the book is not just an account of suffering. It is also a testament to cultural resilience. Poinkar points out that the Madia community follows a matriarchal culture where women freely go into the deep forest and also manage the agricultural responsibilities. They have equal privilege and access to the Gotul, where all decisions of the village levels are taken by the villages. For instance, figures like “Durgi” do all agricultural-related work and also lead a women’s group at her village. Amidst despair, the poet ends with hope, an assurance that “in the dark era of current times, a golden morning will come soon from this soil.”

This 91-page collection is more than poetry; it is resistance, history, and testimony. It compels readers, especially the urban elite, to step out of their comfort zones, live in villages, and witness how people survive without basic amenities. It challenges the idea of development, questions political exploitation and honours the dignity of those too often dismissed as “backwards.”

For anyone who wishes to understand the Madia-Kolam community beyond photographs or policy documents, Avinsh Poinkar’s work is essential reading. It is political and deeply human, a reminder that poetry can still be the conscience of society.

Ravindra Nannavare is a development sector professional with six years of experience in public policy research, advocacy, and strengthening NGOs, CSOs, and labour unions. He writes on caste and gender discrimination and delivers lectures on Ambedkar, Phule, and Savitrimai.

Dandkarunya, Avinash Poinkar, Lokvangmaya Griha.