If the falling tiger population leaves you feeling helpless, we suggest you connect with Dhonk, where tiger poachers from Ranthambhore have taken up new avatars, as eco-friendly handicraft makers

Chumbdis made from woven strands of grass rope and covered with cloth, beads and chamkis

A typical morning for nutritionist-turned-entrepreneur Divya Khondal (27) is interrupted by a knock on her door by a few Mogya tribal women. As the day progresses, a steady stream keeps pouring in. Belonging to a community of traditional poachers, these women trudge 7 km daily to earn their day's share of work.

It could range from basic embroidering for a dupatta to sewing sitaris (chamkis) on the chumbdi used by rural women to carry water pitchers on their head. These women work for Dhonk, a company that Khondal founded in February 2010, which provides employment to womenfolk of the notorious Mogya community.

Currently, Khondal employs 15 (including eight Mogya women, five village women and two tailors) who operate out of her garage or from under the mango tree in her courtyard, near the Ranthambhore National Park.

The initiative to rehabilitate the community was the brainchild of NGO Tiger Watch, who felt that if the tribal community were employed, they would be less prone to return to their earlier vocation. However, as the NGO was more focused on research and lacked the manpower and marketing skills, they needed someone to handle it, full-time.

Khondal, who grew up in Mumbai but shifted to Ranthambhore after marrying conservation biologist at Tiger Watch, Dharmendra Khondal, decided to pool in her savings and start Dhonk. The company is named after the prolifically growing deciduous tree in Rajasthan, known for its adaptability to the harsh desert weather. This, Khondal adds, is symbolic of the Mogya community who reside across Rajasthan, MP and UP. She also ensures a part of the profits earned by Dhonk goes to Tiger Watch.

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