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karma- the baigas, originally uploaded by Sayantan Bera.

A group of baiga and gondh men and women dance the karma to celebrate the victory of a candidate from their ranks in the local body elections.

The attire is not strictly traditional. baiga woman have taken to wearing saris in the hindu way while men can hardly be distinguished by way of attire. The village Bhanpur Khera was relocated from inside the Kanha National Park (a critical tiger habitat) way back in 1968. Being forced out of their natural habitat- the forests- the baigas had moved towards the mainstream losing much of their culture. On the economic front the livestock population has dwindled due to inadequate grazing land while food security has suffered a dent due to reduced crop diversity and inaccessibility of the forest resources.

Mandla, Madhya pradesh