AVINASH MATTUR
Sometime in July 2020, almost a year back, one would find a guy roaming around villages in Jhabua, trying to interact with villagers in broken Hindi and a Kannada accent. As we say, words are not a necessary communication element; emotions are – the language didn’t deter Avinash. He spent months living in the village, learning both tribal culture and the Bhili tongue.
Avinash Mattur, a resident of Raichur, Karnataka, is a graduate of University Law College, Bengaluru. He first visited Jhabua during Halma 2020 – in March. In July, just after completing his Masters from Amity University, Avinash made his way to Jhabua, driven by his urge to work with the tribal community. It didn’t take him long to connect with people, so he began with visiting the villages of Jhabua and spending days & weeks there. From his stay, he gained a significant on-ground observation on the economic condition, the vicious cycle of debt, resultant migration, and its adverse impact on the community’s culture and traditions. At the same time, he also experienced the life values, the natural honesty and the Parmarthi nature of the Bhils of Jhabua.