Rayagada: The journey of Ghashiram Majhi from a dreaded Naxalite commander to a social worker is not only interesting but also inspiring for the tribal youths in the region, once a hotbed of Maoist activities.
There was a time when Ghashiram’s name sent shivers down the spine of people in Rayagada and Gajapati districts in Odisha and the bordering areas of neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. He created the Suladhara and Ghumusra Divisions of the Maoist organisation. Today, Ghashiram is a changed man and has dedicated himself to the welfare of the people in the region where he once unleashed a reign of terror. His only aim in life now is achieving development and peace for his people.
Since his childhood, Ghashiram always dreamt of doing something that would benefit his people. Braving all odds, he studied up to Class X and became a teacher. As he was always inclined towards the Communist movement, Ghashiram took up the cause of EGS teachers and later joined the movement to restore tribals’ land. One movement after another, Ghashiram gradually turned into a Naxalite cadre.
In 1999, Ghashiram came close to CPI(Maoist) leader Sabyasachi Panda and launched his militant organisation in the jungles of Rayagada. Being an educated tribal leader helped him to head the Bansadhar division of the Maoists. He was soon elevated to the rank of a commander of the outfit and after the creation of the CPI(Maoist) Andhra-Odisha Zonal Committee, he was entrusted the responsibility of leading the committee.
Ghashiram spent 12 years of his life in the jungles leading an outlawed armed struggle. During this period he was involved in the Nayagarh armoury loot, the killing of Jajati Sahoo and Lakshmana Nanda, and the Narayanapatna killing. He says that although he believed in development and peace, and never believed in killing people, his organisation did not approve of his views.
Today, he repents those days saying that he had failed to convince his comrades about his ideas and views. The killings increased after the inclusion of Naxal cadres from Andhra Pradesh into the organisation he was leading. Ghashiram’s brother Pradeep was also killed in a police encounter during this period while he was contemplating surrender. He realised that all the killings were politically motivated.
All this made Ghashiram sad and self-introspection gave him a lot of pain and eventually, he decided to quit the outlawed organisation and surrender to join the mainstream society. Since his surrender in 2009, Ghashiram encouraged over 100 militia and frontline Naxalites, including 8 cadres, to surrender and join the mainstream society. Subsequently, he worked for the uplift of the people and development of the region. His political life had started ushering in a trend for development.
Ghashiram believes education is the key to the uplift of his people and the development of the region. Currently, he is busy promoting education among the people in the region and provides support to students studying up to the post-graduate level. His efforts have borne fruits as no youth from the Rayagada district has joined the Naxalites since Ghashiram launched his movement for peace, education and development.
However, some militias in the Niyamgiri area are still terrorising the people. Ghashiram endeavours to convince them to surrender and return to the mainstream. He has also appealed to the Naxalites to shun violence and work for the people.
