Mira Devi and Pappu Thakur from Simultala in Jamui at a fair in Bhagalpur. Picture by Amit Kumar

Jamui, Dec. 23: The burning odour of gunpowder has given way to the sweet fragrance of fresh flowers.

Tired of a life spent under the shadow of the gun and nature’s vagaries, residents of a village in Jamui have joined hands to eke out alternative modes of livelihood.

The district, about 175km east of Patna, has been in the grip of Maoist terror for the past two decades, making it out-of-bounds for any economic progress. Also, it is severely drought prone and the lack of water for irrigation made agricultural farming unviable.

The farmers have now decided to deviate from the traditional crops and focused on unconventional modes such as nurseries. Some other farmers have begun honing their artistic skills to make household decorative items from the forest produce which are available in abundance in the region.

Khaira, a block in the district, was known to be a Maoist hotbed whose economy had been crippled. A visit now throws up a surprise: Khaira is covered in flowers with marigolds and roses in full bloom spread over more than 10 cottahs of land.

“I was warned that one could only get the smell of gunpowder at Khaira. But to my surprise I smelt the fragrance of flowers,” said Bisundeo Prasad of Deoghar district, who recently visited Khaira for negotiating the marriage of his elder son with a village girl.The lead for the transformation of this “red corridor” was taken by the Malakar family of Khaira. “We don’t own any land but we have managed to develop this nursery after taking on hire more than 10 cottahs of land at an annual rent of Rs 5,000 per cottah,” said Bhim Malakar.“Initially when we started the nursery last year, we were worried that the business may not be profitable. But we had no option, there was always a scarcity of irrigation water for traditional farming. The nursery required less water as well as less labour in comparison to traditional farming,” he said.

Fifteen Malakar families consisting of more than 100 members are engaged in the nursery. The flowers are sent directly to Jamui market located some eight km from the village.

“The demand of flowers in the market had encouraged us,” said Bhulan Malakar a family member.“We managed to earn a profit of Rs 40,000-50,000 from this nursery last year and hope the margin of profit would increase this time,” added Gulthan Malakar.

Mukti Devi, a Malakar family homemaker, said along with the flowers, their economic condition was also blossoming. “We have started sending our children toschool,” she said.

None of the family members would, however, comment on if their enterprise had had any impact on the Maoists. A family member, who spoke under cover of anonymity, said the rebels often visit their nursery but have so far not disturbed them. “We are labouring hard to eke out our livelihood, they would not disturb us,” the family member said.The success Malakar family has started influencing others in the village. “Flowers have a great demand and is considered as a cash crop. We have decided to start our flower cultivation also,” said Bijoy Das, a paddy farmer at Khaira.If the Malakars are trying to beat the gun with flowers, Mira Devi and Pappu Thakur, a couple from Naxalite-affected Simultala, has started a business of manufacturing household decorative items from different forest products like seeds, roots and the like. “We have been working under Bharatiya Manav Vikash Sewa Sanasthan, a self-help group, since 1998 but started manufacturing thedecorative items from forest products about two years ago,” Mira Devi said.The couple said the Maoists had never interfered in the affairs of the self-help group. “In fact they always encourage us as we provide income opportunities to many village girls,” they said.“The district administration should take notice of the positive changes and should initiate appropriate steps to encourage such entrepreneurs,” said Arun Kumar Bohora, a social activist at Jamui.