Dhenkanal Diary: Laidback Town With A Dark Underbelly

The nostalgic notion of Dhenkanal as a peaceful and laidback town happy in its scenic surrounds takes a battering within days of your stay here. If you have been away from it for decades, unversed with the changes it has undergone, you are likely to be shocked at the hint of violence emanating from several nooks. Scratch beyond the calm and placid facade of the headquarters town, the ugly presence of lawlessness in several forms makes itself apparent.

Extortion, threats, drugs, bombs, guns, gangs and alcohol. When words like these dominate the conversation among the younger population and find casual acceptance, it is not easy to feel unconcerned. Talk of ‘Mauser’ and ‘powder’ find a routine place in such conversation, as does liquor; and local hooligans are feted as heroes. They have learnt to live with these as part of everyday reality, not something out of place in normal life. Something has changed in the town, always a village at heart but now flush with acquired habits of urbanity. And it’s not for the better.

The Laxmi puja celebration a week ago witnessed a spiral of violence. Youngmen from different localities launched a fierce attack on others during the immersion procession. Physical injuries and damage to property were reported. A week on, the situation continues to be tense in several areas. According to residents of Banawaliprasad, some members of their village have fled homes fearing attack from goons in neighbouring localities. Police have intervened to ensure peace. But any truce here and in other areas, according to oldtimers, would be temporary. This is routine during every puja, they say. All plan to settle old grudges during the pujas. But the tension between different sahis continues throughout the year.

Such conflicts are usual in economically vibrant towns where competition for a share in the prosperity pie is intense. Dhenkanal, with its near-stagnant economy, does not exactly fit into the category of a prospering place with many opportunities for the young population. So what explains the tendency towards lawlessness? ”Alcohol and possibly drugs,” says an old resident. “There’s just too much alcohol going around. Social inhibition towards drinking is weakening. Violent behaviour is only a spinoff of the trend,” he explains. Perhaps alcohol is a problem, but it does not explain the trend fully.

A better explanation would be the lack of jobs. There are simply not enough decently paying jobs to absorb the town’s young population and keep them off unwanted activities. Also, the very fact that the economic pie is small, the competition for it is high. Beyond activities related to construction and land deals, there’s not much. This could be leading to rivalries with the potential for violent fallout. The incidents during Laxmi puja should not be viewed in isolation. It is not just a matter of drunken youth getting into random brawls and skirmishes, these could be expressions of pent-up economic grievances different groups hold against each other.

Whatever the case, it’s not normal, and neither is its normalisation. The subterranean lawlessness is discomforting for someone with the picture of a serene and peaceful Dhenkanal etched in one’s memory. Fear is an unwelcome intruder in that space. But it is present and real. Efficient policing could be a solution to it. While it’s competent, it’s perhaps inadequate. More on this later.