Dolly is in Dhamtari for a few days interviewing farmers as part of a project to collect stories of SRI farmers across Chattisgargh. That area has some level of Naxal activity, and it seems that lately there has been more focus on the Naxals, Maoist rebels who are active in the remote forest areas.

Yesterday as we approached the JSS campus, there were soldiers sitting every few yards with their rifles. There is an army training compound in the area, and it was part of the training. In the evening a few soldiers waved down our vehicle. I thought at first it may have been a checkpoint, but it turned out they were just tired and asking for a ride.