Save Real Avatar – Dongria Tribes of Orissa

James Cameron has never thought of Avatar would be repeated in real life on earth. But this is happening. People miles away from them are fighting for their rights, for their culture and devotion. Protesters led by fashion icon Bianca Jagger gave a surprise attack at the annual general meeting (AGM) of Vedanta Resources in London on Wednesday. All were dressed up like aliens of Planet Pandora.

This gripe is in support of Dongria tribal’s of Orissa. They are tribals of Niyamgiri hills which are 500 km south-west of Bhubaneswar. According to them the Niyamgiri hills is scared to them. Vedanta tries to lavish them with money but Dongria tribal has refused this offer adding money would not make them want to leave the sacred place.

Similar case is with the new project of Pesco a South Korean steel giant. They also want to acquire land of tribal’s for their steel plant in Orissa. What should be an alternative for this fight between industrialization and tradition? Cannot we opt eco tourism and cultural tourism as an alternative? I don’t think minerals will last as long as customs and culture.