Ex-Maoist couple in Odisha shuns the dark life, embraces dignity
MALKANGIRI: Until a decade back, the life of Budra Kawasi and his wife Kani revolved around violence, bloodshed and fear. As a dreaded Maoist couple from the once insurgency-hit Malkangiri district, their days remained confined to the thick jungles, with assault rifles in hand orchestrating violent operations along with other Naxal leaders and members. Violence was their only way of life.
However, cut to 2025, the same couple is leading a normal life with peace and dignity, earning their livelihood by cultivating paddy. Now settled in the quaint Badigeta village under Kalimela block, it has been over nine years that the duo has left the path of brutality and started life anew.
A native of Kalimela’s Tekguda colony, Budra had joined the outlawed CPI (Maoist) back in 2003. He had rose to the rank of the divisional committee member, working closely with notorious Maoist leader Hidma in Bastar region of Chhattisgarh. Armed with an AK-47 rifle, there was a time when he had a Rs 5 lakh bounty on his head and was involved in plotting some of the most dangerous Naxal operations in the region.
Budra’s wife Kani from Pindikonda village too had a similar story. She had joined the banned outfit even earlier in 2000. Kani held the position of the area committee member, and like any dreaded Maoist was always seen armed with INSAS and SLR rifles. A Rs 4 lakh reward had been announced on her head. It was within the Naxal outfit that she met Budra. The duo eventually fell in love and got married. But the group’s rigid code of compulsory sterilisation denied her the joy of motherhood.
In 2016, sick of their dark way of life, the couple surrendered before the Malkangiri police, in a conscious decision to return to the mainstream. Today, with the financial assistance received from the government besides land and other benefits, the duo leads a peaceful life in Badigeta village, standing testament to the fact that it is never too late to start life afresh.
Besides farming, Budra is also a leader of a LAMPS cooperative society and now dedicates his time to motivating the village youth to pursue education, agriculture and invest in skill development. “At one point of time, all we knew and understood was violence. Today, with support from the state government, we have been able to return to the mainstream and transform our lives for the better,” said Budra.
Like the Kawasi couple, hundreds of Maoists in Malkangiri have over the past few years, returned to the mainstream under the government’s rehabilitation policy. Officials said it has been possible only with the consistent outreach activities by the district administration besides the livelihood and housing support that many have now abandoned the path of violence.