Where Reformed Maoists, Their Victims Work Hand-in-Hand in Bastar

Raipur: It is a unique restaurant where victims and their former torturers work hand in hand to relieve decades of pain, demonstrating the healing of the wounds inflicted by pain.

The ‘Pandum Café’, inaugurated by chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai in Jagdalpur, headquarters of Leftist extremist Bastar in Chhattisgarh, on Monday witnessed an unusual scene where reformist Maoists worked hand in hand with victims of Naxal violence to run the restaurant and bury their bitter past.

This is a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country.

The cafe’s chefs, who are both victims of Naxal violence and surrendered Maoists, served coffee and snacks to some “VIP” customers, including Mr. Sai, to celebrate the opening of the restaurant.

“The sight of surrendered Maoists trying to run the cafe, working hand in hand with the victims of Naxal violence, is a sign of an emerging new Bastar, where fear is a thing of the past and progress is the buzzword,” Mr. Sai said.

Pandum is a Gondi dialect word meaning festival.

The cafe is sponsored by the Bastar police and the local government, but is run and run by a group of young tribals, comprising both victims of Naxal violence and surrendered Maoists.

The restaurant was opened as part of the government’s rehabilitation policy for surrendered Maoists and victims of Naxal violence.

“The Cafe not only serves as a rehabilitation Center for both reformed Maoists and victims of Naxal violence providing them with a safe and permanent livelihood, but also serves as a platform that helps in the social integration of reformed Naxals,” Bastar inspector general of police P Sunderraj told this newspaper.

Thirteen young tribesmen run the cafe, six of whom are girls.

They received training in hotel management and various fields at different skill centers opened in Bastar for surrendered Maoists and victims of Naxal violence.

The police officer clarified that this is the first of its kind in the country and there are plans to launch similar initiatives in other areas of Bastar’s Narayanpur, Bijapur and Kanker districts.

“Such an initiative would certainly be a beacon of hope for those who have suffered the consequences of left-wing extremism and are now embracing a new beginning,” he added.

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