Three days back I was travelling from Ratlam (MP), a widely used railway station by the Bhils of Madhya Pradesh returning in the evening to my place Meghnagar. I casually bought a current ticket and boarded a common passengers' compartment in the Avantika Express (Indore-Mumbai) which was heavily packed by the Bhils migrating to Gujarat in search of daily wages for procuring food for themselves. Joining them in the train like this, thought I shall know the pulse of the Adivasi peoples in India better. All these Bhil passengers appeared hungry and starved, but happy and hopeful. As the train moved from the station, I found that these Bhils were from the village called Raoti near Ratlam of the clan (gotra) called Pargi.
After a brief introduction and a conversation in Bhili, I verified as usual there was no job provided by the Government and since affected by starvation and drought, they had to flee the village to Surat (Gujarat) where they would self-employ themselves in some construction work and thus help themselves in such destitute situation. This Pargi clan of people further informed me that many were fleeing from surrounding villages since the Government was not doing anything. .
I spontaneously asked whether they consume alcohol out of curiosity and seeking some information from them? A non tribal passenger standing close to me promptly responded joining our discussion saying, ' Two things are breaking down these poor people’s economy, that is Daru (alcohol) and the second police. Since they over drink and fight among themselves, the police benefits from their crimes and grow richer on the contrary leaving them socially disorganised and impoverished. A few passengers standing close to us affirmed the fact with sympathy for the tribals.
Sad enough, The Bhils of these regions had their own customary laws which are still prevalent among them, to resolve their disagreements mutually, building further their culture and solidarity, among themselves. And the justice in the Bhil tribal council through customary laws is just, mathematical, cheap, instant and transparent. What more is needed...Instead the Government destroyed good and fair tradition of their own which supported them for over many centuries, which was very much just, and introduced corrupt, most expensive and destroying tribal unity, solidarity with one another besides regressing them in several areas of life.
One question arose instantly to my mind as to whose benefits or for whose society's benefits the Government is working. Whose system, economy and society Government is building....? Is it for the good of the tribals? In this case tribals are systematically being impoverished much more by introducing these more and more corrupt practices and subjugating them totally to non tribals. Nothing more; it is high time to restore good and sublime practices of the tribals and abstain from interfering further in their valid and just systems of indigenous peoples. There are sufficient constitutional provisions for the tribal restoration; if at all the people on the top want the good of the Adivasis and the protection of their human rights in India....!
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Tuesday, March 24, 2009
CULTURE OF JOY
They do not get 50 % to 70% meals annually, neither proper shelter to stay when on move , nor sufficient and clean water to drink; but they are today living symbols joy and undeniable proofs of total exploitation and deprivation in a land tribal development, where the Government and NGOs claim to be fully dedicated for their total and sustainable development since decades. No responsible persons come to their rescue in the times faced with natural calamities, man made problems except in the opportune times when non tribals can avail for themselves, heavy funds from national and international agencies, merely in the name of tribal relief through heavy projects and manipulate the tribal developmental funds again heavily. Where as the tribals are independent, self sustaining or self sufficient by themselves on the contrary they are providing grain, income, labour for the non tribals in legal and illegal way.
Also they strongly believe in fatalism, and ever since natural and man made problems began to haunt them, since 30 years more or less, in acquiring their daily food, they independently searched for it in the towns and cities of distant places. The developmental funds rolling to their land were spent on the papers for some one else's benefits, very evident mirrored through a life they live today and the whole tribal scenario speak more convincingly than before. Due to their swabhiman (self-respect) they do not beg or bow politically because they know that they are the ones to deprive them holistically. They honestly and tirelessly strive to get their daily bread with their own sweat, that too with swabhiman(self respect).
Even this year 2009, there is famine and drought everywhere in all the districts of Bhilanchal and 70% Bhils have migrated. Yet the funds will come and will be spent by all for all the Bhils, through all the months of the year including by the NGOs, but the Bhils of Bhilanchal will eat the bread (roti) of their own sweat, acquired by his own labour in some distant land, in his own way and not by the funds of those who aquire in his name, because they shall be spent on the papers.
Who are the most needly ....? Who are the most greedy....? Who are the most dishonest in the whole process ...? The Bhils....? No. Guess who...? In this context the Bhils prefer to starve, face starvation, respectfully face death and honestly die with dignity not cursing any one, accepting even death as part of their life, but under their own roof.
Bhils are the genuine embodiment of divine vitues, real temple of God, whom even the great missionaries could not give more virtues because their Bhagwan had aleady endowed them traditionally. And don't forget, bhils are the most honest citizens of India who prefer to face natural death and die, rather than indulge in begging, borrowing and robbing. These factors are parts of non tribal cultures whom no one condemns such as the police in Bhilanchal whole day haunt the tribals as if they are the the only and biggest miscreants of the land. Only now since a few years, due to migration, physically broken down, a few Bhils are seen to make individual options to beg and borrow that too with utter shame and humiliation. In this context an internationally reputed Hindi poet of Jhabua(MP) says that 80% of the Bhils are honest and live by their own efforts where as in the cities or among the non tribals it is just opposite.
But in the midst of exploitation, deprivation, manipulation, migration, even when there is no food to eat for days together, deprived of most of the human rights cultural rights, and all other indigneous rights, they still sing, dance and smile freely with joy, believing firmly that one day their Good God( Bhol shall bless them and their home land Bhilanchal) with abundence. And that day the long awaited golden age will come. In this hope of millenarian live with joy because the style of life their culture provides.
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Also they strongly believe in fatalism, and ever since natural and man made problems began to haunt them, since 30 years more or less, in acquiring their daily food, they independently searched for it in the towns and cities of distant places. The developmental funds rolling to their land were spent on the papers for some one else's benefits, very evident mirrored through a life they live today and the whole tribal scenario speak more convincingly than before. Due to their swabhiman (self-respect) they do not beg or bow politically because they know that they are the ones to deprive them holistically. They honestly and tirelessly strive to get their daily bread with their own sweat, that too with swabhiman(self respect).
Even this year 2009, there is famine and drought everywhere in all the districts of Bhilanchal and 70% Bhils have migrated. Yet the funds will come and will be spent by all for all the Bhils, through all the months of the year including by the NGOs, but the Bhils of Bhilanchal will eat the bread (roti) of their own sweat, acquired by his own labour in some distant land, in his own way and not by the funds of those who aquire in his name, because they shall be spent on the papers.
Who are the most needly ....? Who are the most greedy....? Who are the most dishonest in the whole process ...? The Bhils....? No. Guess who...? In this context the Bhils prefer to starve, face starvation, respectfully face death and honestly die with dignity not cursing any one, accepting even death as part of their life, but under their own roof.
Bhils are the genuine embodiment of divine vitues, real temple of God, whom even the great missionaries could not give more virtues because their Bhagwan had aleady endowed them traditionally. And don't forget, bhils are the most honest citizens of India who prefer to face natural death and die, rather than indulge in begging, borrowing and robbing. These factors are parts of non tribal cultures whom no one condemns such as the police in Bhilanchal whole day haunt the tribals as if they are the the only and biggest miscreants of the land. Only now since a few years, due to migration, physically broken down, a few Bhils are seen to make individual options to beg and borrow that too with utter shame and humiliation. In this context an internationally reputed Hindi poet of Jhabua(MP) says that 80% of the Bhils are honest and live by their own efforts where as in the cities or among the non tribals it is just opposite.
But in the midst of exploitation, deprivation, manipulation, migration, even when there is no food to eat for days together, deprived of most of the human rights cultural rights, and all other indigneous rights, they still sing, dance and smile freely with joy, believing firmly that one day their Good God( Bhol shall bless them and their home land Bhilanchal) with abundence. And that day the long awaited golden age will come. In this hope of millenarian live with joy because the style of life their culture provides.
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