WOMEN'S HUMAN RIGHTS

A Bhil Tribal Poem from Jhabua


I went to the storage barn
And measured out a quintal of rice
I husked it and cleaned it ever so fast
And showed it to my mother-in-law.
But she was most sullen and disapproving!
She beat me with with the husking pestle!
So I fled to the mountains and hid there.
The she became frightened
Lest the wild animals should attack me.
Nervously, she called out aloud:
"Oh Bahu! Come back home;
This house needs you.
I am only a withered leaf on the tree,
Which will be blown away by the wind any moment,
And then you will be mistress of the house."

Considering the social, cultural and economic situation of the Bhil tribe of India, the Bhili poem has many lessons to offer them.

HUMAN RIGHTS FOR INDIGENOUS FOLKLORE

Folklore is the most important nerve of the indigenous ethnic societies of Indian sub-continent, that generates and communicates social solidarity, social sympathy, and creates a strong sense of cultural and social belongings that binds all its members together. While it rejuvenates in them positive energies, through the folk performances and up-keep of their physical, verbal and performing elements of their ancient folklore, that kept them together in the strong bond of social, cultural and psychological unity, it also sustains and supports them not letting them break in the bad times especially during their oppressions, discriminations and exploitations by the more strong and able ones, in the difficult days of their dark history.

These sacred and sublime elements of traditional folklore have kept the tribals / Adivasi / indigenous societies uncorrupted and united into their cultural bonds, all through the hard days of their unrecorded history. Now such a beautiful, rich cultural, social and most precious heritage of their folklore either being replaced with corrupt and futile practices, or being geared to be forgotten in the course of time sooner or later by sanskritisation and forced modernism which will necessarily and consequently engulf the noble, divine and rich heritage of their folklore.

There are tremendous social, cultural, political and administrative interferences in the tribal / Adivasi / indigenous peoples' folklore in all the areas, such as in their feasts and festivals, recitals of folk-songs, oral literatures, ethno medicines and healing practices, tribal dances and other performances, folk astronomy, indigenous knowledge, physical or material forms of their folkloric elements, rites and rituals, by the main stream society mostly.

It appears that even the existence of these folk societies shall vanish in the course of time, after the total social and cultural pollutions have taken place. Keeping the indigenous folklore alive and uncorrupted, would amount to keeping these 80 % folks of the country happy, healthy and alive in the days to come. But it is not so......It is the urgent need of their basic human rights, thus to preserve, promote, restore, innovate graciously and integrate them in the national mainstream in a dignified and healthy manner. What is happening at the moment is certainly unhealthy, dangerous and definitely more dalitisation and dehumanisation leading them in a hidden way, in the direction of social, cultural and biological annihilation.....!

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AVITOLI G ZHIMO

Lecturer of Cultural Anthropology in the University of Delhi

Avitoli G Zhimo (28), appointed as lecturer of cultural anthropology at the University of Delhi, India, in January 2009. Avitoli has already joined the newly asigned post to her. Prior to this appointment, she had been pursuing her Ph.D. In the same University on the topic of ‘Customary Law and the State: The Case of the Sumi of Nagaland.' She herself belongs to Sumi Naga tribe of North-East.

Avitoli G Zhimo has many publications and work experience to her credit. Besides being excellent student in her graduate, post graduate, and M.phil. studies, she had undertaken many work projects with national and international associations, co-ordinating their works and presenting research papers in national and international seminars. Her new appointment comes as a reward in consideration to her work, achievements, experience and publications as a young and budding cultural anthropologist in the country. It is believed Avitoli will make a good contribution towards the fresh understanding of the tribal communities in India which not only will enhance knowledge of the tribal communities in India but also help in national building.

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WISDOM IN TRIBAL CULTURES

The Indigenous populations of India have age old wisdom and values which has remained up to today; uncorrupted unlike among the literate ones of the country. This tribal cultural is preserved in their oral traditions (vachik parampara), and promoted from one generation to the next by the word of mouth, for the maintenance of their traditions, social and day today's cultural needs. All the tribes or Adivasi groups have practical wisdom in the form of their Proverbs known among the tribes of Western India as Kewat (proverbs / kahawat) as their indigenous literary genre would call it. These kewats are largely based on the age old practical wisdom, well tested by the elders of their clans and societies, to guide their Adivasi community members in good and especially in bad times. Among the Bhils there are over a thousand such pieces of practical collected by Mathias Bhuriya, over the last three decades of time. Many of these pieces of beautifal and practical wisdom are not found in the literate societies even.

Two proverbs of the Bhils, one of the most ancient tribes of India, have been preserved in their Bhili language are:

1. Bholan no Bhagwan se. (God is on side of the righteous.)
Dr. Nemichand Jain a great scholar and linguist of Bhils and Bhili, was a great admirer of this kewat (proverb) of the Bhils. This piece of wisdom he highlighted in his several writing, formal and informal talks etc. The Bhils of all the regions of Bhilanchal are highly oppressed, suppressed and deprived unjustly by all the non-tribals who came in their social and cultural contacts all through the history. The Bhils quote this kewat in the times of their psychological and physical frustrations and other forms of harassments. Rajputs, Marathas and others as well other incoming peoples, have tortured the Bhils in various forms besides depriving and degrading them.

2. Sat Sandeinyin Jhalake.(Truth glitters in the moon light.)
This kewat (proverb) too was much appreciated by late Dr. Nemichand Jain, L. Jungblut and others. The Bhils are innocent ones. Even if they robe, it is only in the form of goats or chicken and not the billions which are cleared away from various funds , relief works and of some other developmental programmes given by national and international agencies for tribal benefits. In such a situation when they are accused and harassed for small or negligible robberies by agencies concerned, in such a helpless situation s, to support their mental and physical aches they quote this kewat (proverb).

Should the ethical, value oriented and noble traditions of Adi or real India, which the most beautiful and sublime, be lost in oblivion....?

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TRIBAL MAHARAJAS OF ADIVASI INDIA

Once upon a time, the whole of India was a possession of indigenous / Adivasi / Tribal peoples of India. They were kings, and civilised peoples with great heritage of their own which is amalgamated as India tradition and not theirs.. In Mahabharata, Ramayana and in other historical times, till today, they fought with all the major powers, incoming peoples in the country, to their Adivasi habitats who pushed them back and back, as equals. But time was never in their favour and these incoming or encroaching peoples to their states and Adivasi habitats, deprived them totally in till today, calling them vanvasi and many other unacceptable names in derogatory, depriving and undignified manner while imposing their own social life, languages and cultures. Whereas their history was a glorious one and it was a complete culture of their own, then, which needs to be re-discovered today by Discovery Channel, BBC, Survival International, Cultural Survival, Indian and International Human rights organisations, Amnesty International, NGOs respecting their cultural and historical heritage working among them, progressive writers groups, students and researchers of history and pre history, cultural anthropologists and others in media. Only these ones can do much needed justice to restore their historically damaged image and distorted past by the incoming peoples who are until these days are discrediting the indigenous, Adivasis and tribals of India. These are the urgent needs in the fields of human and cultural rights of indigenous / Adivasis / tribals of India.

Needless to say that all over In India there were thousands of Adivasi kings, being remembered even today in tribals oral traditions in folk memories which are fading away today. Remnants of these tribal / Adivasi kings are still found today in several parts of India, e.g. among Mahadev Kolis of Thana district(M.S.), Bhils of Dang(Gujarat), Gonds of Mandla (M.P.), Khasis of Shillong (Meghalaya), Baria Bhils of Devgargh Baria of Dahod District(Gujarat), Bhils of many regions in South and Centre Rajasthan, etc.

The physical remains of the glorious past of a tribal king of Mahadev Kolis on Western Ghats in Maharashtra, between Nasik-Mumbai road, in the Jawhar Taluka of Thane district, some 120 km East of Mumbai(Bombay), is the glorious and visible example of the MUKNE dynasty of the Adivasi kings of Mahadev Kolis. The palace of the Adivasi Maharaja, built in 1940, 1 km away from Jawhar on Jawhar-Mumbai raod still stands in beautiful shape and style. It was built in 1940, at the time of British Raj, by Maharaja Yashwantrao Mukne, son of Maharaja Vikramshah Mukne, who was the son of Maharaja Patang Shakne Mukne, says the oral tradition of Mahadev Lolis, reports one of the oldest servant and care taker of the place Bhavlo Lokhande (60). The present Maharaja was a pilate retired from his service and now Bhavlo says resides somewhere in Pune or Mumbai, he is not supposed to reveal.

The Juna Rajwada(Old Palace ) of Mukne Maharajas too is found adjoining to the town of Jawhar in a delapidated state partially, but speaks strongly of ther tribals' glorious past

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LAKATOS DORA

IN SEARCH OF GYPSY ORIGIN, HISTORY and IDENTITY

Lakatos Dora a young anthropologist of Budapest, Hungary in Europe, has travelled all the way to Rajasthan , India, to Pushkar a possible place of historical origin of European Indian Gypsies. Prior to her own historical visit to Rajasthan the ancestral home of the Gypsies, Dora surveyed much of the literature available to her in Hungary. In her desperate search and un answered questions concerning Indian Gypsies in Europe and India, consulted many authors like Sir Athalestane Baines, Balogg Andras, M. Bhuriya, S.L. Doshi, N.N. Vyas, Louise Dumont, Bahar Dutt, Sir Agnus Fraser, Stephen Fuchs, H.M.G Grellman, Halmos Antal, Christoph von Furer-Haimendorf, Eric J. Hobsbawm Donald Kenrick, Kis Tunde, Kos Peter, Chaman Lal, D.N. Majumdar, D.P. Pandey, V.P. Sharma, Megan Maxwell, Adityendra Rao. W.R.Rishi, Renner Zsuzsanna, Rostas-Farkas Gyorgy, S.P. Ruhela, R.N.Sharma, M.N.Srinivas, Torzsok, and others. Travelling far and wide Dora in her unsatisfied quest for an authentic identity of Gypsies in Rajasthan, she contacted alone many Indian scholars, tourist guides, different Gypsy groups, Banjaras, Nomads including famous Gadulia Lohars of Mewar. In her short term research, Lakatos Dora arrives to a conclusion of her own, that, the origin, concept , identity and history of the Gypsies should be searched well and the term Gypsy should be redefined well by serious scholars like cultural historian, cultural anthropologists, etc so as to eliminate. Existing doubts concerning Indian Gypsies in Europe and India.

Dora has produced a valuable manuscript of her findings concerning Indian Gypsies in Rajasthan under the title of GYPSIES IN INDIA.....? Which makes an interesting reading and it is a significant document for the contextual discussion on the Gypsies in India and Europe. The questions Lakatos Dora raises cannot remain un-answered.

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TRIBAL FOLKLORE : The Folk Games and Sports

The Adivasi or indigenous peoples of India who are more than 80% today in the country have enormous possibilities for indigenous games and sports, as the source of entertainment and community recreation for the their indigenous societies. They shall be able to recreate in best possible ways in their own indigenous games and sports and not depend or make the games and sports of the outsiders who are their oppressors and exploiters in clear terms. Also the culture and personality of the indigenous peoples shall open and affirm through these indigenous games and sports much more than those of the outside peoples who are encroaching even through games and sports under the pretext of national integration. A minority community of India who are only 20% or even less is imposing on the indigenous populations of India their own games and sports. Whereas the tribals have several games and sports like the people in other parts of Asia, Africa and South America. More indigenous peoples can enjoy and participate at much lesser expenditures through indigenous games and sports and this way the main purpose of the community building and maintaining of the folk unity shall be better achieved. The fact is being ignored at the cost of breach of human rights of tribals/Adivasi or indigenous peoples of the country, because a lots of discrimination and injustice is going on. When this ill-treatment is over....? If they have their own tribal or indigenous states of their own within the framework of the Indian Constitution, then only there is some chance of survival for the indigenous games and sports of the Indigenous peoples in the country.

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