The Indian imagination must update itself with the diverse and rich history of the country’s tribal communities and the ways in which they have been betrayed.
The Indian imagination must update itself with the diverse and rich history of the country’s tribal communities and the ways in which they have been betrayed.
Declaration of former governor of Jharkhand Draupadi Murmu named as Presidential candidate The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is historical not only because of his own political and life journey, but also for his representation.
He belongs to the Scheduled Tribes, a category of people who are subject to an existential crisis over their place in Indian politics and society.
Ms. Murmu is a resident of Santhal community, one of the most politically engaged and prominent tribal communities. The Santhals are among the major tribes including the Gonds, Mundas, Hos, Oraons, Bhils, Meenas, Khonds and Nagas, who also dominate the tribal landscape in the country. Since the time of the Santhal Rebellion or Hul of 1857-8, the Santhals have been at the forefront of the Jharkhand movement against colonial rule, led by the Sido and Kanhu Murmu brothers. Notable among the Santhals in political life is Shibu Soren, father of the current Chief Minister of Jharkhand Hemant Soren. The fact that Ms. Murmu is from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is in opposition in the state against Mr. Soren’s Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, shows the breadth of tribal engagement with political parties.
Looking at the numbers, Ms. Murmu’s election as President is only a formality, which will make her the first tribal resident of Rashtrapati Bhavan, the beating heart of the Republic of India. For those crying that the gesture equates to symbolism, there is a need to be reminded of his long experience in politics and constitutional office.
His journey to this position is long and symbolizes the struggle of the tribal people for a place in the political imagination of the nation. What will her election as president mean to the many and diverse tribal communities of India in the future, and how responsive and inclusive will she be in voicing her concerns, especially those who are vulnerable and more involved in public life? are marginalized, this is something that only time can tell, and should not be preconceived.
a special moment
Interestingly, Ms. Murmu’s visit to Raisina Hill coincides with the 75th anniversary of India’s independence.
For the longest time, there was confusion over who the tribals of India were, especially given the territorial expansion of the subcontinent and the diversity of its people. Can they be located within the caste system (caste)? Were they groups that had been isolated geographically? Were they societies (jans) with distinct social, economic and political organisations?
Despite this question, especially in the colonial period, once India was independent and every citizen was treated as equal, safeguards and affirmative action were incorporated into the Constitution. For the purposes of listing them in the Fifth Schedule, a list publicly notified by the President of India after consultation with the Governors, Scheduled Tribes are identified on five basic criteria: primitive traits, backwardness, geographical isolation, distinctive culture, shame of contact with other communities – in 2017 the government announced that it would drop the word “primitive”.
Nonetheless, this passive understanding has somehow remained in the public imagination and continues to inform administrative and policy circles. This not only overlooks the richness of their contribution to national life, but casts a patronizing aura at the tremendous diversity among tribes, who make up about 8% of the Indian population and are unevenly distributed, in central India. with sufficient presence.
a rich political legacy
Modern India has never been attuned to the fact that tribal communities have a complex and rich political history of participating in some fierce battles against the British. Fundamental work of sociologist KS Singh Tribal Movements in India: Volume II (1982) depicts the fierce spirit of those who fought resolutely against the British policies stripping away their rights over land and forests. For example, consider the Bhumkal rebellion. 1910 in Bastar. When the British administration severed their rights over the forests, the local tribal population rose in rebellion. The Tana Bhagat movement against the British and their allied class landlords in the Chotanagpur region of central India between 1914 and 1920 was significant as it relied on Gandhian methods of non-violence and satyagraha.
Unfortunately, the Forest Satyagraha, a land-based movement and social reform movement inspired by the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, hoped to find widespread support for land and forest segregation issues. did not get enough interest from Nationalists.
The crisis of existence among them, to which they engaged more intensely and politically than perhaps any other community in India, only intensified as this phase also saw the rise of an educated tribal political class, which soon felt the need to pursue his political aspirations. In the changing environment of national politics.
history of betrayal
From the Gonds and Bhils demanding statehood in the 1940s to a proposal submitted to the States Reorganization Commission for a separate Jharkhand state in the 1950s – these were the lives of tribal communities on their future, in colonial times and in newly independent India. Examples of concern. , Common to them is the feeling of betrayal, of being deprived of their rightful and exclusive place in the political economy of the country.
Despite all this, the popular imagination in India either romanticises or patronizes tribal communities. The communities lost their complex history before they were forced to abandon their traditional ways of life to become a large section of the working class, who now work in plantations, mines and construction sites. Their encounter and level of integration into mainstream society varies. However, a common thread runs through their narratives – their sense of betrayal in being invisible in the march of civilization.