ADIBASI SANGBAD-FIRST TRIBAL NEWSPAPER IN INDIA

ADIBASI SANGBAD

Reported by Pranab Hazra, Bankura.

Aajkaal

Edition 13, volume 166, Thursday 18 Bhadra, 1915, Shakabda, 23 Bhadra 1400 Bangabdo, 9^th September 1993

It’s a great news that the news of the first tribal newspaper in India called “Adibasi Sangbad” was published from Khatra in South Bankura got an importance in your newspaper.  Lakshimdra Kumar Sarkar motivated the tribal families.  Three types of reactions can be observed from this initiative.  They are suspicion, enthusiasm and fear.  There is suspicion that before the researchers usurped money of the government in the name of tribal research and book publication.  They got their reputation.  But there was no communication between the educated people, researchers and the tribals.  There was no development of the tribals.  The innocent tribals have understood that this is a betrayal from the educated society.  For a few years, some work was going on with the tribal society, though there was suspicion, there is interest and enthusiasm in the publication of “Adibasi Sangbad.”  I have not seen such an enthusiasm just from the second day after the birth of a newspaper.  On the other hand, this enthusiasm has created a fear.  There is an adequate natural resources in the forests of these tribals.  The valuable natural resources get depleted due to the traders of the city.  One section of the tribals are immersed in superstitious beliefs.  They are satisfying their own needs.  They are afraid that the “Adibasi Sangbad” will enter the society and create awareness.  As a result, the vicious circle will be exposed.  These people are always busy planning to stab the infant.

LAKSHIMDRA KUMAR SARKAR--HIS LIFE AND ACTIVITIES BEFORE NGO

LAKSHIMDRA KUMAR SARKAR

Lakshimdra Kumar Sarkar was born on April 1, 1956.  He was born at Lohia Hospital in Kolkata. 

His mother is late Srimati Lakshmi Sarkar.  She was a housewife.  She was a social worker.  She loved to help poor people with food, clothes and money.  L.K. Sarkar was named by a reputed economist named Arun Ghosh. 

His father is  Manindra Kumar Sarkar and is now 82 years old.  He is working in the printing department in Aajkaal newspaper.  His father was a football player, singer and a fashionable person.  He had great aesthetic sense.  He had a good writing style.  He used to write the prefaces of books written by Bibhuti Chakraborty (DCDD) during the time of Siddhartha Shankar Roy. 

He received his primary education at Chittaranjan High School in Kasba.  He studied there upto class 12 and passed out higher secondary examination in 1974.  Then he studied Commerce at Charu Chandra College in 1976.  He did a diploma in journalism from Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in Calcutta.  He was trained in photography from Subrata Patranabish, Chief Photographer of Statesman.  He went to Delhi in 1977 and stayed at Daryaganj.  He worked as a Stenographer in Eastern Law House for one year upto 1978.  Then he shifted to journalism in 1978. 

Lakshmindra Kumar Sarkar worked as a freelance journalist in Sundarban.  During his travel to Sundarban, he got in touch with a large number of tribes living there and he was guided by Niranjan Haldar who was the assistant editor of the reputed newspaper called Ananda Bazaar.  He studied the tribes like Sardar, Oraon, Munda, Mahali, Santal, etc from close quarters.  During his stay in Sundarban, he wrote a novel “Jeevan Nadir Tirey.”  He studied the tribals of Bankura and Purulia from 1980. 

On March 25, 1981, he joined Aajkaal, a popular Bengali newspaper.  He wrote in a number of little magazines.  He organized rallies on different occasions during his service as a journalist from 1981 to 1990.  In 1993, he resigned from Aajkaal on October 1.  He fully devoted the rest of his life to the social welfare and upliftment of the tribals.  He started an organization for promoting the Bengali literature in Kolkata, which was named “The Progressive Federation of Bengali Literature and Culture.”  This organization was run for 10 years.  At present, he has an office of his NGO in Belghoria. 

R. B. SARKAR PRAKASHANI

(a book publishing company)

L.K. Sarkar established in the year of 1990.  The talented writers published poems, literature books.  From 1990-2002 at a stretch, the publishing house published many stories, poem, essay books of young and old writers.  Jatileshwar Mukherjee’s book “Kalaboti” was published from this publishing house.  Mr. L.K. Sarkar is the first man who gave respect to Jatileswar Mukherjee.  He published a book of 50 songs of that singer.  Mr. Sarkar published all his books with R. B. Prakashani.  He also wants to publish books of tribal writers and had worked with Sarada Prasad Kisku’s manuscripts.

REMARKABLE SUCCESSFUL ACHIEVEMENTS

Two girls (students) of Sabar Communities of Baroda Sabar colony near Mukutmonipur.  L.K. Sarkar personally donated tuition fees to uplift and educate them to higher study.

Sushil Mahali, a tribal journalist and social worker who published a literary magazine, the name is Chetana in Mukutmanipur Mela.  He inaugurated this magazine by Dr. Shyamal Gupta, S.D.J.M., Basirhat Court, on 16^th April, 2000, at Gurusaday Mancha, Khatra.

Kolkata’s poets Amalendu Biswas , Brata Chakraborty, Debjani Das, and other writers, poets, artists are present in the picture in Mukutmanipur Lekhok Silpi Mela.

Ranjit Chakraborty is the working president of Sahitya Sankriti-Basar speaking his views about International Bengali Language Movement.  Members of Sahitya-Sanskriti-Basar hearing the subject.