From the base of the hill a well-beaten trail led to the village, where it divided into numerous roundabout lanes through Deogan. On the side of the trail there was a thin cow with her calf, grazing.

And just down the trail were a group of men with some kind of camera on a tall tripod. One of them was looking through it; another had a clipboard on which he was taking down notes. Two other men were talking to each other. Government people, thought Korok. They even stood like government people.

Korok and Anchita stopped just a little distance away to see what was happening. On the other side of the men, behind their car, a bunch of Deogan’s best urchins, ranging in height from about one-and-half feet to four, were shifting from one foot to the other and grinning broadly.

‘Ei, you,’ said one of the men, calling to Korok. Anchita was clearly not a Gond and the men, not able to explain her presence, had decided to ignore her. ‘Does this trail go around the hill?’

‘Yes, sir,’ said Korok. ‘But the car won’t go, there are two streams you can cross only on foot,’ he added.

Two of the men were unloading a thick sheaf of paper from the back of the car. One of them took a sheet, which was made of some dense, shiny material, and hammered it into a tree nearby. It read:

Property of Government of Odisha

‘What does it mean?’ asked Anchita. She knew all the Reserved Forests around here, but she also knew Devi Hills, being important for the Gonds, was for their use only.

‘Who are you?’ asked one of the men, who was a bit fat around the stomach and was wearing sunglasses.

‘I am the DFO’s daughter.’

The man spat whatever he was chewing and smiled like someone who has important things to tell.

‘This hill and surrounding areas has bauxite in it. You know, aluminium? The government is going to lease it to a big Company. We are surveying it. See that machine? It’s a survey machine,’ he said, pointing.

Anchita explained it to Korok, who didn’t quite understand what bauxite or aluminium was. She said it was used to make boxes, cars and aeroplanes. Korok didn’t seem to be interested, but he wanted to know what the government was going to do.

On being asked by Anchita, Sunglass Man licked his lips.

‘It means the Company will dig the bauxite from the hill and wherever else it is. A lot of things will happen, big machines, many, many people will come and stay here. They will clear these villages, build roads …’

‘Clear the villages?’ asked Anchita, horrified. ‘Why?’