Mand (Amritsar), March 24
The hostile terrain, which was considered a heaven for terrorists and bootleggers till the eighties, has been converted into vegetable-rich area, thanks to the migrant labourers of Uttar Pradesh.

The mand that spreads into parts of the four districts of Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Amritsar and Ferozepore along the confluence of the Beas and Sutlej, was considered inaccessible during the heyday of terrorism. However, labourers belonging to the Mahigir tribe of Uttar Pradesh did not leave the area at that time too.

The members of the Muslim tribe not only speak the local dialect, they have also become part of the Punjabi culture. Simultaneously, the Mahigirs are in constant touch with their roots and visit their home town Pilibhit every year. Their children learn to recite the holy ‘Koran Sharif’ from the Maulvi.

The Mahigirs remember many encounters between the police and terrorists. Though they knew both the terrorists and police, they were never harassed. “We are a hard-working class.

This fact was known to the police and militants and that is why we were never made their target,” they say.

The uneven area, the result of the change of the course of the river, has been levelled by the Mahigirs.

Since the local farmer is unable to cultivate the terrain, the ‘Mahigirs’ take the land on contract for growing vegetables. The local farmers consider the Mand area as wasteland.

According to information with The Tribune, more than 3,000 Mahigirs have made the Mand their second home. During a visit to Dhun Dhahewala village, near Chohla Sahib, about 25 families of Mahigirs were seen working in the field. Women and children were also helping the men grow vegetables.

Sher Din (45), a Mahigir, said they have to construct cottages every year as they are damaged during the spillover of the river.

They keep their surroundings neat and clean. Sher Din claimed that his grandfather was among the first persons to come to the area.

Rafi Ahmed and Karim Mohammad said that apart from growing vegetables, the Mahigirs do cattle-rearing and poultry farming.