displaced tribal communities and affected village life. Across India, an estimated 350,000 people have been displaced due to the insurgencies. Between 2002 and 2006, an estimated 300,000 people were killed.


"Forget diplomats, you need to make money," says Ishwar as we pass a line of Border Security Forces, or BSF, when entering the jungle. "You have to think beyond the politics. We target young men because that's who the Maoists target as well. They're vulnerable to money. Aren't we all?" Amit points out the BSF officers again on the side of the road. "Think about it. These guys are in the middle of the country policing a forest area, not on the border."

Instead of state or local police, guarding the area, India's border security forces are dispersed throughout thishe refuses to divulge details). Now, he's only focused on honey: "These bees are like my kids. I love them," he says, dressed in a cotton t-shirt and a bee suit.

He quickly ascends the trees to harvest honey from a wild hive. His technique, he says, hanging from the top of the neem tree, has improved, thanks to the training from the Hoodas. When Ishwar started spending time with the indigenous population, he realised they had a problem: the men would harvest honey without bee suits, just skirting up trees in a tank top and a loin cloth. They used smoke to scare the bees, and in the process, accidentally started forest fires since the floor of the forest was covered in dried leaves.

The challenges didn't stop there.