HStorytelling empowers generations with a special power, the power of example. It helps us to see people who have turned some unimaginable scenarios, upbringings and milestones into milestones thrown at them. In this context, India’s contribution to diversity, equity and inclusion cannot be understood without understanding the lives and ethos of its tribal communities.
Last year, the Government of India decided to mark November 15 as ‘Tribal Gaurav Diwas’ (National Tribe Pride Day) to commemorate the birth anniversary of tribal freedom fighter Birsa Munda. This is definitely a step in the right direction and I hope this continues.
The study of subaltern history, especially that of aboriginal or tribal citizens, is important in this context. Largely ignored in mainstream dialogues and discussions, tribal citizens bear the brunt of societies and yet live in harmony with nature. Be it claiming their rights in the first freedom struggle of 1857 or contributing to India’s culture, art, craft, design, education, contemporary armed forces, environment and language, their epochal achievements in any field are truly praiseworthy.
India is a country with a civilizational age spanning over 5,000 years. According to the researchers/authors, the presence of tribals is evident in the most important text of India Rigvedawho refers to them asSlave’ or tribal. Some accounts have also described how progressive they were.
Tribals in ancient texts of India
The two major epics that define the historical ethos of India are Mahabharata And Ramayana, Many historical characters of tribal The communities are distinctive for their role, influence and personality in these ancient texts.
In Ramayana, Valmiki tells about the presence of adivasis or tribal citizens. Since then much has been written about Rama, Lakshmana, Ravana, Sita and others. But not much mention has been made of tribal characters like Sabari and Guhan and the importance of Hanuman as a tribal deity.
Professor Ramdas Lamb writes in his book, “The Gonds have a tradition of tattooing the image of Hanuman on their foreheads, so that they can take advantage of his great power.” Slipping in the Name: Ramnami, Ramnam and the Untouchable Religion in Central India,
Guhan – also known as Guha – was a Nishada king who arranged boats and boatmen to ferry Rama, Lakshmana and Sita across the Ganges. “Guha, Nishadraj, was the head of the tribes who lived on the banks of the Ganges. He was a man of great power and wealth and was the first to welcome Rama. After his warm welcome, Guha offered cooked rice of excellent quality along with several other sweet dishes. Guha subsequently prostrated before Rama, who immediately lifted him up and embraced him,” writes author AK Chaturvedi Tribals in Indian English Novels,
another popular personality from Ramayana Sabari is the attendant of sage Matanga. appear in Aranya Kanda (One Episode), which is the third book of Valmiki’s epic. tamil poet kambar Ramavataram Sabari’s warm hospitality to Rama and Lakshmana is also mentioned,
In MahabharataA prime tribal example is Eklavya. A self-taught and self-made archer, the Nishad prince drew inspiration from a statue of Dronacharya, a teacher of the Kauravas and Pandavas. Despite Dronacharya asking for the thumb of Eklavya’s right hand Donation of Guru (teacher fee), Eklavya always held Dronacharya in high regard.
The honesty and tremendous integrity of these tribals can be seen in some of these examples. They were well organized, efficient, courageous and devoted to the cause they believed in.
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Classification of Tribals
According to First Citizens: Studies on Adivasis, Aborigines and Indigenous Peoples in India, Edited by Meena Radhakrishna, the 1881 census, district handbooks, gazetteers and other historical records show that caste and tribe classification and categories were a new administrative obsession for the British in the late 19th century. According to Article 342 of the Indian Constitution, there are over 700 Scheduled Tribes (STs) in India. The 2011 census states that there are approximately 104 million tribals, which is 8.6 percent of the country’s total population.
Oxford Dictionary defines a tribe as “a racial group united by language, religion and customs, and living as a community under one or more chiefs.”
‘Tribes’, ‘primitive tribes’, ‘barbarian tribes’, ‘nomadic tribes’, ‘aboriginal tribes’ and ‘criminal tribes’ were creations of the British, while ‘scheduled tribes’, ‘primitive vulnerable tribal groups’ and ‘denotified’ ‘Tribes’ were categories that originated in the post-independence Indian states, the states First Citizens: Studies on Adivasis, Aborigines and Indigenous Peoples in India.
However, in contemporary times, according to author AK Chaturvedi, some of the popular names given to them are wild species (castes of forests), forest dweller (dwellers of forests), hill (hill dweller) aboriginal (original community or primitive people), Aboriginal (first settlers), tribe (folk people) and scheduled tribe (scheduled tribe). Tribal in these names commonly used and scheduled tribe or ST There is a constitutional name covering all of them.
Movements for political autonomy, agricultural and forest-based movements as well as cultural movements based on script and language have been identified and defined by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) as “means of understanding tribal literature”.
Indian history is replete with examples of tribal heroes who have influenced the society and emerged as examples of grit, determination, bravery and wisdom, leading to a beautiful culture. Moreover, we must also be aware that it is because of the rich contribution of these unsung heroes that we as a nation are celebrating 75 years of independence.
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Recognizing the contribution of tribals today
Today India is taking important steps by giving representation to the tribals. Firstly, the present President of India, Draupadi Murmu is a tribal. In Karnataka, Shantaram Siddi, who comes from the Siddi community of African descent, was appointed as India’s first Siddi legislator.
When I asked Shantaram Siddi about the roadmap for empowerment for the next five years tribals, he pointed out how important affirmative action is. At the same time, he talked about sensitizing tribalsEspecially in the affluent section of the society. understanding of tribals required for nontribals,
Similarly, who can forget Nanjiamma, a popular singer from the Irula community of Kerala, whose song ayyapanum koshiyum spread rapidly? Even the Kerala Police used his song to augment their efforts to raise awareness during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nanjiamma recently won the Best Playback Singer Award at the National Film Awards.
In 2013, I attended a superbly organized Animal Husbandry Camp in Dahod, Gujarat. I saw that it was run by tribals, although it was a state government effort. Closer home in Tamil Nadu, the Narikurva community is also excelling in making education accessible to its brothers and sisters.
The efforts of Raghunath Murmu, a tribal writer and teacher, to empower the Santhals, and Rajamohini Devi, a social activist inspired by MK Gandhi, to empower tribal brothers also deserve special mention. His stories should be included in academic books and mainstream media for the benefit of the common mind.
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telling human stories
As India marks its 75th year of independence in 2022, and in an era when there is growing interest in understanding the beauty of India’s indigenous communities, it is essential that tribals not only get to know the surroundings, but also the idea of India. to be recognized and assimilated.
By studying tribal communities and their individuality, we can come up with countless human stories that epitomize going against the tide, rising above oneself, thinking about community and national development, asserting one’s rights and much more.
The expression should come from both sides-tribals as well as non-tribals who should be sensitive to the trials and tribulations of the tribals.
The objective should not be to establish or construct narratives. Consideration should be given to facts as they are. Documentation of history will depend on this important pillar. There should be no attempt to show that no literary work has been done on the tribal community. There should be an effort to consolidate and present a worldwide collection of human stories.
Sudarshan Ramabadran is a writer and researcher. He tweeted @sudarshanr108. The views expressed are his own.
(Edited by Zoya Bhatti)