Ranjana Padhi - Resisting Dispossession : The Odisha Story

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Map of Odisha highlighting locations covered in the book

To all those who have shared their precious memories and current predicamenttriumphs and tribulationsof resisting displacement and dispossession. These interactions have been marked by courage and honesty in sharing experiences and views, sparkling wit and humour in a bid to survive, and festering sorrows or pain that dare to ask profound questions of the regimes of power and human society. We have been humbled by their sense of rootedness and wisdom. All this contributed significantly in widening the overall canvas of this book.

To friends who made critical and constructive inputs during the various stages of the manuscript as it evolved into a book: Rajender Negi (Guddoo), V. Geetha, Nandita Roy, Pramodini Pradhan, Rajesh Gupta and Arunesh Maiyar.

To those who helped arrange field visits and often accompanied us too: Gopinath Majhi and Saroj Mohanty (Sambalpur district); Ranjan Sahu and Prabeen Acharya (Deogarh district); Lingaraj Pradhan, Sushant Samal, Amitabh Patro, Babrubahan Sahu and Rahasa Behari Sahu (Bargarh district); Arun Jena, Kushadhwaj Jena, Pradeep Jena and Dharmapada Jena (Balasore district); Tuni Behera, Bhagaban Behera, Debi Prasanna Rath, Srikant Mohanty and Pratap Cinara (Puri and Khurda districts); Gurudeb Behera and Jharana Patra (Ganjam district); Bhagaban Majhi, Mukundi Saunta, Biswanath Sahu and Sumitra Majhi (Raygada district); Lingaraj Azad (Kalahandi district); Sini Soi and Biswanath Sahu (Jajpur district); and Sujata Sahni (Jagatsinghpur district). Connecting with people, making frequent trips and spending time in their surroundings became the most vibrant and valuable experience in this long exercise.

To those who supported research and scripting with ideas, materials and other resources: Jai Prasad, Sailen Routray, Debaranjan, Satyajeet Puhan, Sujata Gothoskar, Smriti Nevatia, Sandhya Gokhale, Bharat Majhi, Satyabrata Mitra, Lenin Kumar, Bijay Upadhyaya, Surya Dash, Golak Behari Nath, Biswapriya Kanungo, Srimanta Mohanty, Jyoti Nanda, Sudhir Patnaik, Pabitra Mohan Das, Prafulla Samantara, Prashant Paikrai, Narendra Mohanty, Rumita Kundu, Kedar Misra, Ananya Mishra, Romila Padhi, Sanjeev Routray, Nirupama Singh, D. Manjit, Muktikantha Pradhan, Biswajit Apat, Gurudatt Khuntia, Bharadwaj Panda, Swapna Chakravarty, Sujata Chakravarty, Amiya Das, Pranab Jena, Rabi Pradhan and (Late) Sidharth Mohapatra.

And to our own long friendship and shared politics that made the experience of co-authoring deeply engaging and fulfilling.