Baiga - The True Warriors Of This Mother Earth And Nature Poem by M. Asim Nehal

Amidst the emerald embrace of Kanha's might,
where the whispering winds tell tales of the night,
dwell the Baiga tribes, in the cradle of ancient trees,
driven out from the jungle area earmarked as national park.

Their homes weave together from the earth and the shade,
mud walls and thatch roofs with stories unmade,
when the flames of dusk flicker sweetly alive,
we see a gathering of souls, where kin spirits thrive.

In the forest, they wander, both humble and wise,
gathering fruits, lazy fireflies,
with their bones of the earth, they share and they feast,
they consume maize and millet, nature's own beast.

Their laughter like ripples in a sun-dappled creek,
stronger than silence, in bonds that they seek,
nature has woven through the warmth of the sun,
a life so dull and lull nevertheless, where love knows no run.

The excitement of sighting a tiger knows no bounds,
While the Baiga tribes who helped is nowhere around.
Live-in relationships are common among the Baiga,
If marriage takes place the man compensates.

They sport tattoos of various kinds,
on all parts of their body,
which they believe transfer over to the next world,
as an alternative to pearls and metal jewellery.

They live as nomads in their own universe,
isolated from the modern world,
unaffected by the advancements,
don't know how to judge them and on which parameters,
they are true warriors of this mother earth and nature.