In Jharkhand’s Musabani block, Adivasi woman Kandoni Soren has spent years protecting the forest near her village, Sarakghutu, from illegal tree felling. A home guard with the Jamshedpur Police, Kandoni uses her time off duty to join a community-led forest protection effort involving around 40 women.
Together, they patrol roughly 100 hectares of forest, organised into four groups and different shifts. The initiative, known as ‘Hariyali Sakaam’, grew from Kandoni’s efforts to involve local women in protecting a forest that is closely linked to the community’s livelihood. Locals call her ‘Jungle Ki Sherni’, or tigress of the forest, for her determination. Forest officials have also acknowledged that her team reports suspected illegal felling and helps authorities respond.
A Women-Led Conservation Effort
Kandoni’s connection with the forest began long before she joined the police as a home guard. According to reports, she grew up in Sarakghutu and became concerned about trees being cut and natural resources being depleted. Around 2011, she began raising awareness in the community and eventually formed a forest protection committee with local women. The group was named ‘Hariyali Sakaam’, meaning ‘green leaf’ in the local dialect. What began with a small group eventually grew to around 40 women.
Kandoni said it was initially difficult to convince village men to participate, so she focused on mobilising women who depended on the forest for resources. The women subsequently divided themselves into four groups, with each team responsible for a particular area and shift. Their duties include keeping watch over the forest, identifying suspected illegal tree felling and informing authorities when necessary.
Kandoni has described the forest not simply as a collection of trees, but as essential to the survival of the local community. Tribal families depend on forest produce and medicinal plants, while fallen wood and other natural resources form part of their everyday needs. “It is impossible to protect forests without active participation of the local people,” Kandoni told The New Indian Express.
She also linked reckless tree felling with wider environmental consequences, including its impact on rainfall and the local environment. At the same time, she expressed a desire for greater government support for community-led conservation. Her comments underline a central feature of the initiative: the women are not merely protecting trees, but safeguarding resources that directly support their community.
After Joining The Police
Kandoni’s responsibilities changed when she joined the Jamshedpur Police as a home guard in 2018, but her involvement with the forest did not stop. Reports from 2022 said she continued visiting the forest after completing her duty and joining the women’s patrols.
A report published by The New Indian Express said she was then posted as a guard at Uranium Corporation Limited mines in Musabani, working a morning shift before returning to the conservation effort. Earlier reporting by Prabhat Khabar also described her continuing to inspect the forest after her official duty. Because her current posting and employment status may have changed since those reports, those historical details should not be treated as her present-day posting without fresh confirmation.
The community’s efforts have also received recognition from local officials. Retired forest ranger P.K. Goswami, who was posted in Musabani at the time, said Kandoni’s team informed forest officials when they learnt about illegal tree felling and helped ensure action against those responsible. He described the forest as peaceful and said there had been no reported incidents of deliberate forest fires or tree felling during the period he referred to.
Village head Fagulal Kisku similarly told The New Indian Express that tree felling had almost stopped and that forest cover had increased in the area, while also saying the initiative had deterred illegal stone extraction. These are statements from local residents and a former forest official, rather than independently measured assessments of forest-cover change, and should therefore be understood in that context.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Kandoni Soren’s story shows how environmental conservation can become stronger when the people who depend on natural resources are also given an active role in protecting them. Her journey also highlights the contribution of rural and Adivasi women whose environmental work often happens far from public attention.
Community vigilance cannot replace the responsibility of government agencies to enforce environmental and forest laws, but it can complement official systems by bringing local knowledge, participation and accountability into conservation.
Kandoni’s experience suggests that protecting forests is not only about stopping destruction; it is also about building a shared sense of responsibility for the resources that sustain communities. What can governments and communities do together to support more grassroots women-led efforts to protect India’s forests?
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