The promising land

A tribal activist in Madhya Pradesh gives away property worth crores of rupees to start a social experiment

- SRAVANI SARKAR

ON MAY 2, a unique mass marriage ceremony was held at Betul city in Madhya Pradesh, around 180km from Bhopal. The event was organised jointly by the Akhil Gondwana Mahasabha and the Gondwana Students’ Union, and it saw 78 couples of Gond and Korku tribes tying the knot. Each bride received a unique wedding gift—a 750sqft plot where they could build a house. The benefactor: Hemant Saryam, social activist and district president of the tribal Gondwana Gantantra Party.

“I am really happy; I never thought I would become a plot owner,” says Savitri Uikey, 29, who married Mahesh Dhurve, a 32-year-old labourer. “My family has an agricultural smallholding, but we had to do manual labour to sustain ourselves. My husband’s family also has a similar background. The land gifted by Hemant bhaiya gives us a chance to not only have our own home as a couple, but also earn a better livelihood in the city. More importantly, couples like us will be staying nearby, and we will have opportunities to work together on social and cultural issues.”

At current market rates, each plot is worth ₹3.85 lakh. So the total value of the donated property? More than ₹3 crore.

Hemant Saryam, 40, has no airs of being a big donor or even a politician. Sitting on an outcrop close to the donated land, he speaks candidly in a steady baritone about what prompted him to give away his property. The basic aim, he says, is to support young tribal couples who can work to conserve and propagate tribal culture without having to worry about making ends meet.