The land where ‘fine’ is no punishment
Imposition of “fine” cannot necessarily be considered a term that refers to punishment for a wrongful act — given use of the term by the Bondas, a primitive tribal group (PTG) living on hilltops in Khairput block of Malkangiri district.
The Bondas use the term as a “pleasant tool” to seek donations from their own people as well as outsiders during the Hindu month of Chaitra which is continuing now.
According to the Bonda tradition, if anybody from their community stays away from the hills during the Chaitra festival, their main cultural activity, he has to pay penalty up to `100, besides being confined to a small room till the festival is over. Similarly, if any outsider, including government officers and journalist, visit the hills during the festival, they have to pay a cash fine up to `100.
What do the Bondas do with fine money?
“We buy food grains, hens and goats for community feast. We do not ask outsiders hefty money. They contribute as for their own wish,” says Dhoba Pangi, a resident of Andrahal.
Lachhmi Ghijidi, the first Bonda boy who was picked up by the famed KIIT University, Bhubaneswar, to study higher secondary education after successfully completing his matriculation from Mudulipada high school, paid `100 after his return to the village to spend his summer vacation.
“They charged me `100 which I paid happily. This is not a punishment but a long practised tradition that we all respect,” says Lachhmi.
The 35-km stretch hilltops, located approximately 17,000 feet above the sea level, are considered by them as their own world.
Most of the Bondas still do not wear cotton clothes and clad themselves in strings and roots.
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