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| Photo credit HERE |
Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar ‘s book The Adivasi Will Not Dance, is a collection
of articles that make a compelling story of the lives of the Santhals in
Jharkhand. It deals with exploitation of the tribe, without getting political
and boring in its content.
The book reads like a continuous engagement with different
families. Carefully woven into the fabric of these stories are the tales of
exploitation by men in power, whether they belong to other so called upper
caste, politicians, business tycoons, who will do anything to reap in profits,
even if it means displacing the original inhabitants of that place, stealing
from them their right to livelihood and not taking responsibility for the
displacement or the loss of livelihood. In a way, it is a common story arising
out of many parts of India, but with a difference - the story finally leaves the
reader with a lot to think about – why must we invade the lives of people in
the name of development? Whose development is it anyway? Do we really need to
access people’s lives and livelihood, and rob them of all human dignity to
satisfy our greed? Do we need to then, put labels on them, for acting in ways
that we find objectionable?
When we take away from people or a
tribe their right to self respect, we have no right then to pronounce judgment
on what they wish to do to make ends meet and to survive.
"Come November,
Santhal men, women and children walk down from their villages in the hills and
the far-flung corners of the Santhal Pargana to the railway station in the
district headquarters. These Santhals—villages, entire clans—make up long, snaking
processions as they abandon their lands and farms to take the train to Namal,
the Bardhaman district of West Bengal and the paddy fields there. In the month
that these Santhal families will spend in Bardhaman, they will plant rice and
other crops in farms owned by the zamindars of Bardhaman."
The picturesque description above is like a poem in prose,
flowing through the pen of an author whose veins pulsate with Santhal blood,
music, dance and condition. The highly academic, but shy of saying so,
professional medical doctor and avid reader and writer, Hansda Sowvendra
Shekhar, writes with passion on a subject close to his heart. He has seen the
injustice and is disturbed by it. He must speak it out and write about it.
Sexually violated at most times, the Santhal women have
learnt to fend for themselves too. They know what to get out of men in power.
Recently, the Jharkhand Government burnt an effigy of the author and threatened
to burn and ban the book, on grounds
that it contained content that were unacceptable for Santhal women. They did
not speak of their own hand in the conspiracy to keep the Santhal community
forever hungry, exploited and sexually used. They did not speak of the way the
public and private partnership has caused huge portions of Santhal land to be
sold to corporate for coal mining. But
the para below, from the last lines of the book are self evident.
"‘Johar,
Rashtrapati-babu. We are very proud and happy that you have come to our Santhal
Pargana and we are also very proud that we have been asked to sing and dance
before you and welcome you to our place. We will sing and dance before you but
tell us, do we have a reason to sing and dance? Do we have a reason to be
happy? You will now start building the power plant, but this plant will be the
end of us all, the end of all the Adivasi. These men sitting beside you have
told you that this power plant will change our fortunes, but these same men
have forced us out of our homes and villages. We have nowhere to go, nowhere to
grow our crops. How can this power plant be good for us? And how can we
Adivasis dance and be happy? Unless we are given back our homes and land, we
will not sing and dance. We Adivasis will not dance. The Adivasi will
not—’"
The last words could not be finished, because, when you
stand against the men in power, your voice is shot down.
How long, will it take for man to realize,
that finally you can’t eat money to ease your greed and the hungry Santhal community cannot live
on your power over their bodies, their livelihood and their dignity?
The Adivasi Will Not Dance, is available in English, Hindi, Marathi, where it has been serialized and inTamil in print and eBook format.
Click HERE to Buy
You can read more of Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar’s writings HERE
