The women of Mukki: guides, drivers and guards in Kanha

A report by Kushagra Dixit for the news agency IANS, carried by The Morung Express on 30 July 2018, describes an experiment in the Mukki zone of Kanha Tiger Reserve. At the time of writing, the zone had two women drivers, six women guides, one woman forest guard and about ten women running the forest canteen, all from nearby villages. Training was under way for six more guides in local ecology and ten women in kitchen hygiene. The initiative had started in December of the previous year, and the forest authorities hoped to make Mukki the country's first women-operated forest zone.

The report names several women. Neeta Markam, a Gond woman from Mukki village, became the first licensed forest driver in Kanha. Madhuri Thakur, a licensed driver, said she did not want to marry yet. Lakshmi Maravi, a Gond forest guard who patrols at night and is the only earner in her family, said she felt she was made for the work. Suhkati Dhurvey, a guide, wanted more women in the sector.

S.K. Khare, an assistant director at the reserve, described the programme as part of a broader effort to build trust between tribal communities and the forest department. Guides earned about Rs 10,000 a month at the time, though the park's three-month monsoon closure cut into their income. The report also notes that Madhya Pradesh has the highest number of displaced tribal families and that the programme was raising aspirations in villages that had initially resisted women taking these roles.

The article is eight years old, so the numbers have probably changed. If you visit, ask your lodge whether you can book a woman guide or driver, and tip fairly.