A weeklong photography exhibition and a book launch event took place at Bandarban Shishu Academy.  The exhibition titled “Ambushed by Greed: the Chak Story” housed photographs that focused on Chak tradition, culture, and the environment they live in. Many of the photographs on display also portrayed the plight this small community is going through.

Launch of the book, “The Chaks: Life on the Fringe” published by SEHD was piggybacked with the launch of the exhibition. The book is a detailed survey work and investigation on the community and their plights. It also features articles on the Chak culture and lifestyle.

The book launch and photo exhibition took place at a time when the traditional land of the Chaks has become a subject of greed of land grabbers. Recently, the Chaks of Badurjhiri, a remote village in Naikkhongchhari have been forced to abandon their village in fear of bandits and have taken shelter at Baishiri Chakparas. Around 20 of them joined the event to voice their grievances.

There is not more than 3,000 Chaks in Bangladesh. The rubber and tobacco plantation have already caused eviction of two Chak villages. The Chaks in remote villages depend on jum cultivation and uncultivated vegetation for food. Since the introduction of rubber and tobacco, their common land is becoming a prime target. Rubber and tobacco farming is not only forcing the Chaks to abandon their land but is also destroying the biodiversity.

Holding the program turned out to be a bit difficult as Bandarban district administration and intelligence agencies got nervous when a SEHD team paid a visit to Badurjhiri, the abandoned Chak village and made arrangement for a woman who fled from the village to speak at the program. The administration wanted to shut the program. However, a meeting with the DC and SP eased the situation and SEHD received the permission to go ahead with the event.

Bomang Raja of Bandarban Bomang Circle, U Cha Prue, was the chief guest. Special guests were: Mong Mong Chak, former official at Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board; ZuamLian Amlai, chairperson of the Movement for the Protection of Forest and Land Rights; and Professor Osman Gani, president of Bandarban Press Club. A primary school teacher of Baishiri Chakpara Dhung Cha Aung Chak and Bandarban based young computer teacher Aung Jai Wei Chak also spoke on the event.

SEHD conducted a training session for members of Simsaka, a Garo woman group engaging in ecological farming with SEHD, on how to raise Basak (Malabarnut or Vasak) plants and harvest its leaves, preserve and market. Held on 20 April 2012 at the SEHD nursery in Rajghati village in Modhupur, the practical session was conducted by Mohammad Rafiqul Islam, a Local Service Provider (LSP) of Uddyag Foundation, an NGO based in Gaibandha and working for promotion of medicinal plant cultivation among the rural people. He demonstrated the techniques of harvesting and preservation of Basak leaves, preparation and planting of its seedlings.

“This plant has become an important source of income for the poor in our locality. A family of four to five members with 200 Basak plants can be self-employed. We have developed a mechanism of marketing medicinal plants including Basak with the pharmaceutical companies and the cultivators never get worried about the fate of their produce,” said Islam explaining the commercial potential of medicinal plants. In a reply to questions from the participants he said, there are around 70 kilometers of roadside Basak plantation in his area. Islam and other LSPs provide the cultivators with technical support.

Mr. Zillur Rahman Khondoker, the executive director of Uddyag Foundation explained the background of his organization’s involvement in medicinal plant cultivation among the poor people. The officials of Uddyag Foundation visited India with INTERCOOPERATION, a Switzerland based organization to gain knowledge about commercial potential of medicinal plants and became convinced about its possible benefits in its working area. With the technical support of INTERCOOPERATION, Uddyag Foundation started the cultivation of medicinal plants in Sahapara Union of Gaibandha Sadar upazila in 2006 and now it has been extended to eight unions among four upazilas of Gaibandha. “In addition to Basak, the farmers are also producing Kalomegh (Creat or Chiretta), Tulsi (Sacred Basil or Holy Basil), Choi and Arshwagandha (Winter Cherry) and all these plants are sent to the pharmaceutical companies namely ACME and SQUARE through LSPs. We are yet to catch up with the demand of the pharmaceutical companies. We urge all of you to promote this cultivation for an extra income and support the preservation of these valuable plants,” said Mr.  Khondokar.

Nironto Nokrek, the agriculture supervisor of Church of Bangladesh Social Development Program (CBSDP), a Modhupur based project, shared his knowledge of usefulness and preparation of vermi compost, a much-desired component of ecological farming.

For years the CBSDP has been trying to make compost manure popular among the farmers in Modhupur. Some farmers have become quite successful with vermi compost. Hamida Begum, a farmer of Aushnara union is one of them. She shared how she has become a role model of making vermi compost and how she has made her family financially solvent. She got training and simple apparatus (earthworms and concrete rings) from CBSDP and started the production of vermi compost primarily for her own use. It later became an earning source for her. Her success has brought her a reputation as well. “It is easy to produce vermi compost once you have started it. I just put kitchen waste, cow dung, and green leaves in sacks to prepare pre-compost, the primary ingredient for production of vermi compost. It takes around 20 days for the waste to rot. Then I transfer it into earthen pot or concrete rings. Sixty to 100 earthworms are good enough to feed on this pre-compost in one pot or ring. Once the earthworms are released in the pre-compost the production of vermi compost begins. This has now become part of my daily routine work,” says Hamida.

Hamida Begum reports that there is a great demand for vermi compost among the turmeric, ginger and banana cultivators. She and others who produce vermi compost are getting orders for more than what they can produce. “We sell every maund (around 40 kgs) of vermi compost for Tk.300. Given the demand prices of chemical fertilizers we are looking forward to increasing its price. I have earned Tk.70,000 from vermi compost during the last four years, which became a big support to my family,” says Hamida Begum with satisfaction.

The training was a follow-up of previous trainings that SEHD provided to the Garo women in particular who are willing to engage in ecological farming that SEHD has initiated in Modhupur.

April 20, 2012 was a landmark for SEHD to scale up its efforts with ecological farming in Modhupur. SEHD, from this April, is starting ecological farming on 2.1 acres of land. The Garo women, with further training, will be the managers of SEHD’s ecological farming. They will work the land, take care of the medicinal plants and crops. They indeed started cutting the banana plants and cleaning of the debris to prepare soil for the ecological farming.

In his inaugural note the director of SEHD Philip Gain explained the background of the SEHD’s involvement in ecological medicinal plant gardening and the initiative of organic crop production. Other SEHD officials present were Safiullah Safi (project coordinator) and Shekhar Kanti Ray (training and program officer), and Khokon Suiten Murmu (assistant accountant). SEHD initiative of ecological farming in Modhupur is partially supported by Marie Clarie, a premier magazine of fashion and style.

The Society for Environment and Human Development (SEHD) organized a training for 25 journalists on investigative reporting from March 22 to 25 (2012) at the YWCA auditorium in Dhaka. Journalists from 18 districts working with national and regional dailies and weeklies took part at the workshop.

The Society for Environment and Human Development (SEHD) has moved to a new office location in Pallabi effective from December 1, 2011. Please direct mail to this new address and update you mailing list with SEHD’s new address. For more details on how to get to the new location and new telephone numbers see the Contact Us page.

Former Chief Justice Muhammad Habibur Rahman has called upon the majority community to eradicate discrimination against the Adivasis of Bangladesh. He was speaking as the chief guest at the launch of the book, Survival on the Fringe: Adivasis of Bangladesh published by Society for Environment and Human Development (SEHD). He reminded attendees about the majority’s own crisis and observed, “We are not able to provide security to our majority people. Under the circumstances, it is clear that we don’t pay attention to the small communities.” He thinks that the Adivasis of Bangladesh are dignified people and they do not suffer from an inferiority complex.

The launch and discussion, held at CIRDAP, Dhaka on 29 October 2011, was chaired by Prof. Sakhawat Ali Khan, chairperson of SEHD. The editor of the book and the director of SEHD, Philip Gain gave an overview of the book. Guests and discussants included: Dr. Rafiqul Islam, Professor Emeritus; Dr. Hameeda Hossain, Chairperson of Ain O Shalish Kendra; Dr. Mizanur Rahman, Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission; Manjulika Chakma, proprietor of Bain Textile; Dr. Shapan Adnan, Member of the CHT Commission; Khushi Kabir, Coordinator of Nijera Kori; Prashanta Tripura, UNDP; and Gidison Pradhan Suchiang, the Secretary General of Greater Sylhet Indigenous People’s Forum.

“The use of the word ‘Adivasi’ is almost forbidden at present,” said Dr. Mizanur Rahman in reference to the Government’s objection about its use and debate around the term. The Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Dr. Rahman firmly said “The presence of Adivasis in Bangladesh is undeniable. The Adivasis must be addressed as ‘Adivasi’. If not, they will be discriminated against. The state should refrain from doing so.”

The 630-page book, compendium in nature, contains inputs from 47 contributors. It presents comprehensive accounts of the indigenous communities’ profiles, their numbers, and spatial distribution. Additionally, the book contains important writings on crucial issues of the Adivasis, such as their land rights, invasion of state-sponsored monoculture plantation and its effect on the Adivasi life and culture, the challenges of their political life, and their identity. A number of sections of the book deal with the actors involved with Adivasis in Bangladesh and around the globe, glossary, theories, and concepts that relate to the Adivasis.

Read more about Survival on the Fringe: Adivasis of Bangladesh.
Read The Daily Star’s reflection To centre stage from the fringe.

The Society for Environment and Human Development (SEHD) organized the photography exhibition “Ambushed by Greed: The Chak Story” which was shown from 23 to 29 June 2011. Held at Drik Gallery, the launching of the exhibition was piggybacked with a daylong seminar on the same theme.

In his introductory remarks, Philip Gain, the photographer of the exhibition, explained how the images show an unprecedented ecological disaster that has come along with rubber monoculture, tobacco plantation, and the internal migration of Bangalis.

This has caused hardship and suffering to the Chaks of Bandarban. The Chaks, who number 3,000 in total, are concentrated in 21 villages in Naikhongchhari and Bandarban Sadar upazilas in the Bandarban Hill District. Distinctively different from other ethnic communities in Bangladesh, having a separate language and simple life, this tiny Chak community used to be real forest people, undisturbed and satisfied with their traditional jum agriculture for centuries. But Bangali settlements and the invasion of rubber and tobacco monoculture have opened up the area to the outsiders who have been plundering every natural resource from the Chak land. Consequently, the Chaks are being forced to abandon their homes, land, and traditional agriculture in remote areas.

Gain said that since 2008 he had been trekking through the remote Chak villages, particularly in Baishari Union, only to witness and record some of the devastating effects of rubber monoculture on the high land, and tobacco on the precious bits and pieces of flat land along the streams that the Chaks have used to grow vegetables and other crops.

The exhibition and the seminar were organized to share images and information and to appeal to the state to stop the destruction resulting from the invasion of modern agriculture, internal migration, and ill-conceived development strategies.

Mong Mong Chak, a former official of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Board (CHTB) and a well-known person in the Chak community observed that most of the profits from the rubber plantations go to the Bangalis. “The Chaks do not benefit from rubber plantation that has taken place on their traditional land; they are at the losing end. The rubber plantation also brings social ills—our women in particular feel disturbed due to movement of the employees who come to work at the rubber garden from outside,” said Mong Mong Chak.

Ching La Mong Chak, another leader of the Chak community referred to the government promises that rubber would generate new employment and road connections would improve. “But now we understand the promises were false. Moreover we have lost our land and the Chaks were compelled to desert a number of villages due to rubber cultivation. It brings outsiders to our localities who take away bamboo and trees from our village common forests,” complained Ching La Mong Chak.

Prof. Niaz Zaman, a writer on the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) women and backstrap weaving in particular, reflected that land grabbing has brought changes in every aspect of the Adivasi life in the CHT. The demography of the area has changed so that Bangalis are becoming almost equal in number to the Adivasis. This is dangerous as the Adivasis are gradually being branded as the outsiders and the Bangali settlements get legitimacy.

“That the Adivasis are not constitutionally recognized is a political issue. They are not constitutionally recognized to avoid awarding them land rights. Both issues should be settled politically,” observed Prof. Mohsin. She urged for democratic practice among the political parties and institutions in the CHT.

Abir Abdullah, a professional photographer, reflected on the contents of the photos displayed. “The photos are telling that Philip Gain has taken the images not only as a photographer, but he has become one of the community who are at the centre of the exhibition,” observed Abdulah. “The mission of a photographer is to show what we do to nature and humans; the state is there to take necessary actions if things go wrong. In most instances, the photographers show the beauty of the CHT. This exhibition shows not only the beauty, but also the factors that cause human suffering. From this exhibition we understand how rubber and tobacco cultivation are severely affecting the Chak community.”

“We get little information about the small communities of CHT like Chak and Khyang. We are not well informed about the development projects in CHT.  SEHD publications and events play a big role to fill up this gap,” said Goutam Dewan, chairperson of the Movement for the Protection of Forests and Land Rights. He pointed to the myth that huge cultivable land is still available in the CHT, which is used to settle Bangalis in the hills. He asked the CHT land commission to take steps for resolving the land disputes.

Khushi Kabir, the chair at the launching event, urged people to take advantage of the Right to Information Act in getting a fair picture of the land status in the Chak and other Adivasi-inhabited areas. He suggested that the photography exhibition is taken to a public place in order to draw greater attention to the Chak story.

In a plenary session, Philip Gain and Mong Mong Chak presented two keynote papers on the issues relating to the Chaks. In the first presentation, Philip Gain explained how rubber and tobacco cultivation in Bandarban Hill Tracts posed an outstanding threat to the Chaks and the ecology of the area. The second presentation on the Chak life by Mong Mong Chak reflected on the history, social system, economic activities, education, language and culture of the Chak community. “The Chaks are faced with financial hardship because much of their jum land and land for traditional horticulture have been lost to rubber cultivation. The forest resources are also declining. Moreover, they have difficulty selling their agricultural produces due to bad road network and transports”.

The plenary session was followed by two simultaneous workshops. Presided over by Mong Mong Chak and facilitated by Sudatta Bikash Tanchangya, the first workshop concentrated on struggle and future of the Chaks. Lucille Sircar and Partha Shankar Saha (senior researcher of SEHD) who have researched and written on the Chaks initiated the discussion. They talked on life and struggle of the Chaks and provided numerical account on them. The second workshop chaired by Dhung Cha Aung Chak from Baishari and facilitated by ZuamLian Amlai concentrated on rubber, tobacco and the Chak ecology. Journalist Buddyojyoti Chakma and training and program officer of SEHD Shekhar Kanti Ray initiated discussion on the socio-economic impact of tobacco and rubber cultivation.

Issues that emerged from the workshops were:

Rubber cultivation

• Rubber monoculture contributing to the destruction of natural forest and shrinking land available for jum and traditional horticulture.
• Rubber cultivation affecting the social security of the Chak community.
• Grazing land (chashila) and the land of vegetable cultivation at the foot of the hills are being destroyed
• Eviction of some villages due to expansion of rubber cultivation.
• Many Chaks becoming day-laborers at the rubber gardens established on their traditional land.
• Destruction of elephant habitat leading to wild animals attacking the Chak villages.

Tobacco cultivation

• Loss of fertility of the agricultural land.
• Use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, residue of which seeps into the nearby streams resulting in the contamination of water and loss of aquatic resources.
• Negative impact of tobacco on human health.

Others

• Lack of resources, development and inefficiency of the local organizations.
• The Bengali and Rohingya settlements in the Chak area.

A statement of recommendations on the rights of the Chaks was adopted at the launch. See the Citizen Declaration and Recommendation Regarding the Rights of the Chaks for the full statement.

Press Reviews of Ambushed by Greed: The Chak Story

The Star – The Daily Star Weekend Magazine
New Age
Vorer Kagoj
Jai Jai Din