Former Maoists who picked up guns picked up guns, now serve with warmth at Cafe Pandum in Bastar

RAIPUR:

Pandum Café — a coffee shop staffed by victims of Maoist violence and surrendered cadres — was inaugurated on Monday at the Poona Margham complex in Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh's Bastar district.

Named to reflect Bastar’s cultural roots, Pandum carries the tagline ‘Where every cup tells a story’. Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range Sundarraj Pattlingam, said the staff — many of whom were directly affected by violence or have surrendered — received intensive training in hospitality, cafe management, customer service, hygiene standards, food safety and entrepreneurship from district and police-supported programmes. “Hands that once held weapons now serve with warmth,” IG Pattlingam said, adding that the project aims to build self-reliance and reduce the risk of relapse into violence.The café, inaugurated by Chhattisgarh chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai, will provide dignified, sustained employment while creating a neutral space for dialogue between survivors, former combatants and the wider community.“Pandum Café is a beacon of hope for Bastar,” the Chief Minister said at the opening, “This café is about jobs and rehabilitation with dignity.”

He met cafe staff, including young women from Narayanpur and Sukma, and wished them success for the new beginning.As the doors opened, organisers framed the launch as more than a ribbon-cutting: it was a test of whether rehabilitation programmes backed by training, dignity and market connections can convert fragile peace into stable livelihoods — one cup at a time.Voices from inside the café reflected the personal stakes.

A former cadre, speaking emotionally at the launch, said the transformation felt like “a new birth” — from darkness to serving society. Another staff member said working alongside survivors has helped break stigma and fostered trust.Officials said that each cup served will symbolise a story of courage, change and new beginnings. The café, launched under the state’s Surrender and Rehabilitation policy, aims to provide dignified, sustainable employment to former cadres who chose to abandon violence and to involve victims of Naxal attacks as active partners in the reintegration process.The model is simple but symbolic: combine skill-training and market linkages with social support so that the formerly alienated can earn their way back into the community. Organisers said entrepreneurship modules will enable staff to run outlets independently in future and that the administration will continue mentorship, market access and oversight on hygiene and food safety.The café’s name, Pandum, officials described as a replicable socio-economic model aimed at encouraging further surrenders and boosting community reconciliation across the region.The rehabilitation of former cadres is taking creative leaps such as a batch is under training for hospitality and preparing itself to provide its services at hotels, resorts and homestays for tourists.