IMPOWERISHED BY ALCOHOL AND POLICE

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....!

Web 2.0 Applications By Black Soft