LK SARKAR WITH PRIMITIVE TRIBES BIRHOR COMMUNITY AT GUMLA DISTRICT OF BIHAR (NOW JHARKHAND) BLOCK- PALKOT, VILLAGE JALDEGA, BAIRA.
Location from Jamshedpur Sakchi Bus Stand to Ranchi Ratu Road Bus Stand to Gumla via Lohardaga bus Service – 407 mini bus or big buses.
About 100 crores total population of India, only 20% live in the 3018 cities and towns while the remaining 85% live in the 6,00,000 villages (1991 census- now spread rapidly). A part of the village India which consists of about30 million population has been classified as tribes. This tribal population is mostly concentrated in the hilly, forested and inhospitable areas of northeastern middle and southern India. These tribesmen, though in general economically very backward educationally almost illiterate and socially most cut off from the rest of Indian society of such a tribal population, the highest concentration is found in the state of Bihar (Chotanagpur and Santal parganas), which has been a great exciting laboratory for ethnographers, linguists and prehistorians. With 45 large and small tribes numbering about 5 million people, of different economic, linguistic, racial, and cultural levels. Bihar is one of most interesting states in India for anthropological researches. In the districts of Hazaribagh and Ranchi. In Bihar, there is little known nomadic tribe that wanders from jungle to jungle in quest of roof.
Owing to their nomadic traits, they are the most primitive tribe of Bihar and present a great problem from the rehabilitation point of view. Their total population can be enumerated exactly.
Earlier travelers, administrative officers and anthropologists of the late nineteenth century, including Dalton, Driver and Risley, have written a very little and that very vaguely about this wandering tribe section of the Birhor had ceased wandering and were leading a settled life. According to their mode of life, the Birhor have been classified as the Uthlu Birhor (wanderers) the Jaghi Birhor (settlers). Uthlu Birhor in the police station of Bishnupur in the Gumla subdivision of Ranchi and made extensive studies of tour of them with a view to examining the nature function of the Birhor wandering.
Investigation: He not only depended upon interview and observation, but concentrated on door-to-door census and on taking down the genealogies of all the families of the four settlements.
On the basis of the analysis to his data regarding the four Birhor settlements, it appears that they take three facts into consideration before selecting a place for their temporary settlement. They are:
(1) Close proximity to the forest.
(2) Accessibility to the weekly market and also to the neighboring villages.
(3) Availability of drinking water.
The first factor is chosen from the point of view of the availability of food resources and other forest products. Unlike most nomadic tribes of the world, Birhor economy does not revolve around cattle or the horse but round the forests. Not only their material culture but also the spiritual culture has been very greatly influenced by the forests. Their gods and goddesses are from the forests live in the forests and to be propitiated in the context of forests.
Birhor also carry clubs for killing the trapped animals and axes to clear the bushes and cut the woods. The Birhor are famous monkey hunters and the monkey is one of the important features of Birhor economy. They live upon the flesh of the monkey, sell the monkey skin, and also use the bones for some magical purposes. Their other notable games are rabbits, wild goats ,and squirrels which are usually found in these forests. Next to hunting, the second economic occupation of the Birhor is rope making. From the forest, they extract chop strings from suitable trees and make rope out of them. Both males and females are expert in rope making and make certain wooden objects like drums, bowls, pestles, and mortars. They also collect seasonal wild fruits from the forests. The Birhor women gather their family diets. They also collect honey from the forests, honey combs together with eggs make a delicious dish. The Birhor depend on the forests not only for their food, but also for branches and leaves for making their poor temporary huts.
On 18th June to 26th June, 1996, L.K. Sarkar gather experiences and information from that Block of Palkot, village of Jaldega and Baira of Gumla. Jaldega is a small village hardly 10 houses there. At that time, Indira Abashan Scheme constructed building one year ago but all houses are damaged.
Mr. Parameswar Nanda, an activist and social worker and also MIND (Management in Development, Delhi) fellow invites L.K. Sarkar to visit Birhor areas. During MIND fellowship period, L.K. Sarkar went there and accepted Nandaji’s invitation. During L.K. Sarkar’s visiting periods he was familiar with Birhor families, they called Dariwala Babu, picture shown. L.K. Sarkar are taking with aged Birhor man, and villagers about how to procure musical instruments.
VISIT TO SUNDARBAN-L.K. SARKAR
In the year 1980, when L.K. Sarkar went to visit Sundarban area to investigation on the spot of Sundarban peoples life and refugee problems of Marrich Jhapi deep, after return by walking. Mr. Sarkar hanging a rocking cradle made by a cord, Subhendu Mondol ,a zamindar of Kachukhali village, described details facts and findings reports to L.K. Sarkar about the life of Sundarban peoples and refugees problem of Marrich Jhapi deep. Mr. Sarkar note it down the actual reports on the rocking cradle.
Pix by Debashis Roy (photographer) (When he was Aajkaal Patrika now he is Ananda Bazar Patrika).
Graphics, layout and design by Buddhadeb Banerjee, Raghunath DTP Center, Keranibandh (Lalbazar), Bankura (W.B.) ph: (03242) 251329, 260501.
Published by: Ahindra Kumar Sarkar. Prop.: Read Advertising Agency. 9/D R.K. chatterjee Road, Kolkata 42. Ph: (033) 24422425.
REMARKABLE SUCCESSFUL ACHIEVEMENTS
FIRST SUBDIVISIONAL BOOK FAIR AT KHATRA
Individually L.K. Sarkar introduce first subdivisional book fair at Khatra held on 22 to 28th February, 2003
L.K. Sarkar is the first man who feels and introduced subdivisional level BOOK FAIR, which is necessary at this moment. There is no hesitation to say that so many professors, litterateurs, artists, cultural personalities. Political parties and personalities belong to this area. But they are not thinking and they are not able to arrange book fair before Mr. Sarkar. Mr. Sarkar feels that Book Fair is necessary for this thoroughly developed subdivision. So he organized a committee to introduce a Book Fair at Khatra held on 22 to 28th February 2003. Mr. Sarkar invited 33 book publishers and sellers from Kolkata to this fair in the first year. The fair organizers did not have the idea of Mr. Sarkar’s capacity to organize. As a result, on 28th February, 2003, Mr. Sarkar declared that the next book fair will be on first November to 9th November 2003.
To uplift, to continue and to sustain the good faith of this fair in Khatra ,Mr. Sarkar has taken his own risks (on credit basis), he purchased some books from the participant publishers in the fair. The valuation in rupees is Rs. 29,000. No one helped him.
Picture shown that on last day Mr. Sarkar speaking background of this successful venture. Mr. Sarkar is to grateful to some persons in Khatra and they are as follows:
1. Sri Tulsicharan Mandal.
2. Sri Manik Mitra.
3. Sri Jayanta Mitra.
4. Sri Durgacharan Barat.
5. Sri Swapan Biswas.
6. Sri Sushil Mahali.
7. Sri Santanu Barat.
8. Sri Anup Bandyopadhyay.
9. Smt. Manju Chakraborty.
10. Sri Saibal Bhowmick (publisher of Sanchayani prakashani in Kolkata).
11. Buddhadeb Bandyopadhyay (DTP operator).
12. Ashish Dutta.
THE POLITICS OF WITCH-CRAFT
Published in Frontier Patrika, Kolkata.
Written by
Lakshmindra Kumar Sarkar
Behind the summer arrests of Mr. Sudhir Tudu, aged 26 and Mr. Milan Tudu, of Barodhi village in Purulia district, West Bengal, is the story of a nonparty movement against witchery and country liquor (hanrhia). Among the Santali community, the largest adivasi community in West Bengal, and the opposition of it. The movement is led, among others, by Mr. Sarada Prosad Kisku ( who received the President’s medal as ideal teacher), Mr. Baliswar Saren, editor of Jirthiri and joint secretary of PUCL, Purulia district, and Mr. Maheswar Besra, secretary, Kherowal Gaonta, an adivasi cultural organization of Jamtaria. The movement which was becoming very popular alarmed the political parties of the district. A counter movement led by a CPI(M) farmer and anchal pradhan started. The Ojhas (witch doctors) pronounce the name of the witch after receiving money from the complainants. The system is an outright fraud and punishable under IPC but the Government remains totally indifferent. The local political parties were instigating the antireformist group and/or antisocials. The pro-witch hunting group declared the wife of Mr. Sudhir Tudu, a witch and tried to torture and kill Mr. Sudhir Tudu for his refusal to pay any fine. He fled. The pro-witch group brought Mr. Sital Hembram, a former Adivasi Congress MLA, and Mr. Chakradhar Tudu for their lack of belief in witch hunting. The former, who was beaten up, was sent to Jamtoria Hospital. A group of pro-witch-hunters went to the house of Mr. Sarada Prosad Kisku to bring him to the place of trial but the women at the village resisted the outsiders. By this time, the police came to rescue Mr. Kisku. On the complaint of Mr. Sital Hembram and Mr. Chakradhar Tudu, Mr. Surya Besra ,the ojha who pronounced the name of the witch, and Mr. Loriram Tudu were arrested but released on bail after a month.
There were two attempts on the lives of Mahadev Hansda and Mr. Baliswar Saren in Purulia and Bankura. Both of them had attended the Santhali Cultural Conference. They were saved, thanks to the alertness of the villagers.
Again the antireformists tried to loot the household property of Mr. Sarada Prosad Kisku and Mr. Chakradhar Tudu. There was also an attempt to loot the house of Mr. Sital Hembram.
The district PUCL convened a meeting in Golapara Primary school to discuss the ugly situation of the area. There was an attempt to murder Mr. Kisku while he was returning home from the meeting, His house was attacked by a group of people armed with bows and arrows. After the alleged murder of Mr. Lakshman Tudu of Barodhi village who was mistaken for Mr. Sudhir Tudu at night. Mr. Kisku fled from his house in the dark.
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