TRIBAL IDENTITY: AN URGENT HUMAN RIGHT OF INDIA

According to prehistorians and cultural anthropologists ancient India was the homeland of tribals and other indigenous (Mulnivasis). Later more dominant and invading people in their land subjugated and suppresed them in the past 20-30 centuries. Years back these Mulnivasi groups were inhumanly assimilated leaving no traces of thier social identity axcept rendering them Shudras reserved for various menials tasks, whose self sacrifising valuable services rendered in past centuries either for no money or little compensation. Today no one wants to gratefully acknoweledge these services with sufficient justice to give them opportunities for socal and economic emancipation in the light of Indian Constitution. What is achieved in the last 60 years is but a straw in camel's mouth. On the contrary some reversing movements are under current to fail this newly achieved social dignity with the help of Constitutional safeguards for the indigenous population, for their identity, culture, art, languages, mytholog, folk-education, values, folklore, folk wisdom, etc.

Today tribal/adivasi India is with much dificulty able to save their cultural heritage and protect their social identity against the damages being done to them . Hence it is an urgent need of the time to protect their over all tribal human rights with the help of techniques like social ingineering against assimilation and in favour of their social or tribal identity. Tribals should retain or maintain their hstorical identity at any cost otherwise they shall fall in the category of Shudras like other ethnic groups who socially and culturally got even degenerated.

Keeping these social and cultural concerns in mind the Centre for Tribal Culture & Art (CTCA) at Meghnagar, District Jhabua (M.P.). India conducted a three day long national conference where from Sept. 17-19 2010, where 31 scholars, social workers of national reputation attended it. Its innaugural address was given by an octogenerian cultural anthopologist of India no other than Prof. Dr. B.K.Roy Burman of New Delhi in which he expressed a grave concern for the protection and promotion of tribal identity and their human rights on Sept. 17,2010. Dr. Marianus Kujur of Indian Social Institute New Delhi articulated strongly ‘ identity crisis of tribes in India'. Prof. Dr.J.J. Roy Burman spoke on ‘Sacred Grove: cultural symbol for tribal self-assertion’. Pratap Baria spoke about ‘contribution of Central and State Governments of India for the promotion of tribal art.’ Dr. Rita Malache of Mumbai University spoke very strongly on the preservation and promotion of tribal culture through museum in the country. Malhingh Katara a Bhil social worker spoke on the Bhil Pithora art: motifs, depiction and popularisation in the post modern India through images and its content explanation. Mahipal ( Mathias) Bhuriya spoke on ‘ADIVASIKARAN: a tribal vision of India, Prof. Dr. P.S. Vivek of Mumbai University expressed his views on development and tribals in urban context in India. Dr. P.C. Hembram spoke on tribal culture and its identity. The seminar on tribal identity was jointly organised by ActionAid ( Bhopal), Centre for Tribal Culture & Art (CTCA) and other organization.

It was strongly felt by the paticipants that seminars, consultations, workshops, on tribal identity should frequently organised CTCA net working with other like minded institutions, assoiatons and individual scholars.

FLAMES CONSUME A TRIBAL HERO

When asked to Vijay Ganawa (40) a Bhil if Jhabua(M.P) ‘Do you burn Ravana the great Bhil...? He promptly replied, 'No, we don’t burn Ravana. He is our Bhil hero. We honour him as our god, hero and fellowmen.’ And then Vijay narrated a long story in which the Bhils of Jhabua untimely associate with Ravana as revered person of great importance. Alas, I said in my mind all through the centuries how many tribal heroes must have been killed, despiced, socially murdered together with their reputations, damaging totally their human rights from pre-historic times untill today. Some are burried even from memories of their tribal folks some are called Asuras yet others are criminals and remmaining had to indulge in ‘vagar’(forced labour) building their palaces, cultivate fields and fodder for them, build roads and bridges all through not for one generation but for many centuries for centuries.

The Bhils traditionally celebrate Dusshera in their own Bhil way. Ravana is their god and much revered hero. In past years the Bhil way of celebrating Dusshera was by killing a big buffalo and here one can say that in their folk memories, the meat is a holy food and was shared by all the families residing in the boundry of the village. In some places even Rajput who annexed Bhil territories participated in their sacred ceremony like in Jhabua there is still a mountain where Jhabua kings of Rathore family of Rajputs used to hold this ceremony for Bhil community with joy and even the ‘kalals’(liquor merchants) supplied ‘ganzo’(country liquor) who marketed it among the Bhils and other communities of present day Scheduled Castes (SC) and Other Backward Communities (OBC), as sared drink to all male elders residents talking in their liquor shoping areas. Today among many customs and festivals of the Bhils, suffering breach of human rights, linguistic rights, religious rights this too under strict vigilence and prevention. But on Arch Bhil Badwo Mano of Ranapur area in Jhabua district of MP is said to continue Buffalo Ceremony during this festival on a mountain top of Vagai village some 20 km west of the town of Ranapur resisting the breach of their human and cultural rights by non-tribal communities or even government as people report. Why should we not maintain our rights and festival people say.

Vijay Ganawa says that the Bhils of Jhabua District gather in Jhabua district headquater and Thandla town not to burn Ravana but to honour him and to see the direction in which the skeleton of the symbolic body collapse when he is shot by firy arrows in the Dusshera festival of the non-tribal Hindus. Each direction of Ravana fall has a symbolic and auspicious meaning. And when Ravana holy body collapses on the ground, while inflamed by fire, the rush to take burning wood back home, believing that if placed in ther homes will cast off many sickness and bring home various blessing for family members, cattles, agriculture and other occupation.

Should not be tribals religious' feeling be respected not burning Ravana….? Or, should the image of Ravana not be enhanced for social, cultural and other ethoes…? In this we need to enter into history, culture and folklore of tribal India if at all we protect their overall human rights.....!