Today is not Independence Day for these Indians
Priyanko Sarkar | TNN
Ten-year-old Ajit does not know about Abhinav Bindra’s shooting victory in Beijing. He lives in a hamlet atop the Sahyadri range and may give Bindra a run for his money if he is discovered. Ajit is a Pawhra tribal and locals swear by his ability to down a flying bird with his slingshot.
The Pawhras will not hoist the tricolour today. For them, it is an empty ritual. Other tribal groups that live in Dharavi, Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Cheetah Camp in Chembur and Deonar feel equally strongly about this. After 61 years, they continue to languish outside the circle of government welfare and are untouched by the shiny boom of New India. Instead, August 15 is marked with protest marches not parades.
They have their own special days. The Pardhis rear a bull for four years and then drinks its blood on Kaayra—their Independence Day. The Kolhatis, who perform lavanis in makeshift theatres on highways, celebrate their own day based on occult phenomena. Others such as Kanjar (who distil alcohol from natural sources), Bhamta (a Marathi word meaning ‘one who lies’), Dhakari, Chhapparband (one who prints false notes), Ghantichor, Uchhle, Lambadi and 190 other tribes celebrate freedom on August 31. On this day in 1952, the notorious Criminal Tribes Act of 1871 was repealed.
It all began when the British decided to tax all Indians. But how could they tax tribals who constantly moved? The answer was simple. They ghettosied them and made them do fixed jobs. Thousands of tribals were put to work at construction sites escorting donkeys carrying stones. They also made for perfect scapegoats for any robbery or murder, and were soon branded criminal.
The Indian government may have snipped that tag but it has done little to mainstream them. While schedules tribes and scheduled castes have been included through reservations, denotified and nomadic tribes still subsist in the conditions of their forefathers.
A common mistake is to identify all tribals as Hindu. Dr Anthony Dias, chairmandirector of social research at St Xavier’s College says that most tribal groups are natureworshippers. “Politicians, looking to widen their votebanks have made them Hindus of a lower category but the fact is they worship the forces of nature,’’ he explains. These tribes have their own cultural and food habits—many of them for example do not drink cow’s milk.
The modern world does not attract them. After doing their jobs they go back to their hamlets. This is the only place where they belong and that is why ostracisation is the worst punishment for a tribal. They have no sense of gadgets, of State or the law books. Everything—birth, marriage, death—takes place without any paperwork. Some like the Yerawas, Yenadis and Valayars still entertain the tribesfolk by singing songs of their ancestors’ criminality.
The needle of suspicion is never far either. Every time there is a robbery in the area, the Pardhi homes are where the police show up. “The fact that Pardhis still use a secret language (Parushi) to communicate with one another is enough for the police to suspect them,’’ says Ramu Kale, a local Pardhi leader. When a child goes missing, the police question the Wadar tribe. Every few months, they round up the snake-charmers (madaris) and monkey owners alleging animal torture.
As for Independence, writer Laxman Gaikwad whose book explores the plight of his Bhamta community says, “It’s difficult to feel elated on a day when 1,500 tribals are still locked up in Delhi every year without any reason and released the next day. This was a practice started by the British who used to round up tribals before a public event. Policemen were rewarded for this, and believe it or not, the reward still exists.’’ He pauses and adds quietly, “We are not against India but what can we do when we still yearn to reap the fruits of her independence to this day?’’
