Enchanting forests of E. Maharashra Tribal hamlet in the forest
ovely, consisting of teak and bamboo plantations. Now and then, you see a tribal hamlet in a clearing. We were guests of Navin Bhupta, a resident of Chandrapur, a graduate from University of Wisconsin, who has set up an Engineering College in this town.
In the jungle, we met the ubiquitous Gujarati families. The paper mill, the tobacco companies contract out the plucking, felling, and the delivery. So where there's enterprise, you will find the Gujarati!
Baba Amte: Our hosts took us to the home in the jungle of the famous Baba Amte, who has done pioneering work for the upliftment of tribals. There we met one of his sons, Dr. Prakash Amte, a medical graduate from Mumbai, who lives in the home in the jungle. He is a surgeon and physician to the tribals for every ailment. The Baba and Prakash are dressed in white, handmade shorts and white Banyan. He has set up a small hospital and school in pucca buildings for the tribals. There are no phones here so the police let him use a satellite phone and their communication channel. When we see the patients and the kind of illnesses they suffer from, we realise he is God. Baba Amte's second son, also a medical doctor graduated from Mumbai, runs a leper clinic in this region.
Dr. Prakash has many orphaned pets, among them, leopards, wild boar, bears, and monkeys. He plays with his leopards like one plays with a pet dog. He occasionally goes for a stroll with the bear.
Dr. Prakash Amte with a flying squirrel
