Somebody from the elite members of Jharkhand Forum told that the Adivasis are themselves responsible for destroying the forests and wild lives.
But somewhere I find myself to simply disagree with this logic. My observations and experience force me to think and conclude in a different way.
First I would like to clear that Adivasi (original inhabitants) should not be called Vanvasi or Vanvandhu or Girijan etc. As far I think the words Vanvasi or Vanbandhu or Girijan means those who live in forests or hills. And, I think a person who comes to the forests from outside and settle in those areas for business purpose or to exploit the forests (such as Baniyas etc.) can be a Vanvasi / girijan but cant be considered as Adivasi.
From the very early days, Adivasis are residing in forests areas. You can find some descriptions of Adivasis in Hindu epics like the Mahabharta and the Ramayana. Adivasis might have moved to the hills and forests for protecting themselves from the invaders of main stream communities or the ruling communities. This might have because Adivasis were (and are) peace lovers (shantipriya) in nature. They had no intensions of killing or looting the other community people for their livelihood. They were (are) not the cowards. But to kill a person was never been their motive or character. Even today, if a person kills even a cow / ox intentionally or accidentally, he is ?left? from the society. The person has to give penalty and there is a process of ?Prayaschit / Shudikaran? prevailing among Adivasis. Only then the person is allowed to mix up with the society. When a person kills a person he is punished, he is expelled from the society and village.
Adivasis had developed their own life styles, their unique culture, traditions, customs and even unique religions in forests in isolation with main stream communities. Just like the ancient human civilizations like the Nile Nadi Ghati Sabhyata of Africa and the Sindhu Ghati Sabhyata of Asia, these Adivasis had gathered and dwelt in the banks of small rivers or springs, where there was availability of water for 365 days of the year. Later on some of these Adivasi communities slowly moved towards the towns with time.
I am just trying to depict my observations, experiences and perceptions on Adivasis, Forests and Wild Lives from my childhood. (I have told earlier, that I have grown up in my village which is situated in the hearts of forests and hills of Porahat in West Singhbhum district of JH). Like other villages of Porahat forests my village too is located in the bank of a small river – the same river which forms the HIRNI falls, about 10 kms downstream of the fall. The river itself is a tributary of the river Dakhsini Koel.
My village (a small village with area 3×4=12 sq. Km appox.) was inhabited by my grandfather in the middle of 19th century. I remember all the incidences of my childhood and even the things which happened before 1985 when I had started primary schooling at nearby village. All my ancestors were illiterate except my father, who is only a matric pass. The story is not very old. At that time (1980s) there were dense forests all around my village. You go 200 yards from home and you enter in the jungle. I used to go for grazing the cows, oxen, goats and sheep to the jungle along with my grandmother and other village boys and girls. And we could find atleast one wild animal daily like Rabbit, Deer etc. Sometimes Wolves or Foxes used to take smaller goats or lambs from the sites of ours.
In the rainy season the nature in my area become fully green and the entire area convert into an elegant Hill Station. The greenness persists up to Autumn. I had grown up in poverty but really enjoyed the childhood in the lap of nature. I still miss the pollution free nature. Whenever I visit my village, I love to go to forest for grazing the animals.
But, the natural beauty of the area has drastically been damaged in last 15-20 years since 1990s. Half of the forest has been destroyed by outsiders through the locals. For me, the Hills which are covered by tall, big and dense trees appear prettier and more beautiful than the hills covered with smaller trees or bushes.
My grandmother used to tell that the Adivasis of my area including my ancestors had protected the forests from very early days. They exploited the forests within limits. They had tremendous physical and mental stamina. They were very hard working. They covered the valleys between two hills with soil and made the ?sidinuma khet?. They also cleared the lower parts of the hills and developed the land for cultivation. They didn?t cut the trees at the higher altitudes of the hills. The result was that I (and my generation) too had seen tall and big trees and the dense forests at higher altitudes and on top of the hills. My grandmother also told me that whenever there was a forest fire (especially in summer after autumn, the fire could catch automatically in dry leaves due to high temperature), my ancestors used to gather and rush to the forest for extinguishing the fire or for preventing the fire from spreading.
Then the Forest department i.e. Bihar Sarkar Van Vibhag entered in that area during mid 1960s. Initially the department used to cut only the old and dead trees and supplied to the Wood Depots or Mills by Trucks. After few years, the department also started to cut the larger trees. As a result, all the larger trees were finished from reserved forests by 1995 and the department stopped operating in that area. All the forest department officials including the guards and foresters are disappeared from those areas and now they are taking salary without work, just sitting in their homes at towns. The only good thing the forest department had done is that it constructed roads for transporting the timber from forests. In this process it connected several villages (including mine) with the Ranchi-Chaibasa main Road.
After Bihar Sarkar Van Bibhag, the Forest Mafia entered in that area. The local people are paid daily wages @ Rs. 50/- for cutting the trees and for loading purposes and the timbers / wood are dispatched to private (unlicensed) mills. These ?Lakdi Chors? (as called by local villagers) carry out their activities of transporting the ?Maal? during the nights. The path of transportation is taken such that no police check post comes in the way. And all of you know such activities are very difficult to be executed without Mili Bhagat (Connections) with police and forest officials.
I have also seen the Lakdi Chors in my Mama Gaon area, which is just 5 kms away from the Block Thana (police station). My maternal grandfather used to tell during 1985-90, Jab mai jawan tha to humare gaon ke janglon mei bhi tumhare taraf jaisa hi ghane jangal thei, unche-unche ped thei. Uske baad ye lakdi karidnewale aa gaye. Sabhi bade ped kaat diye gaye. Since that area is nearer to towns, the lakdi chors had entered that area in 1960s itself. The Lakdi Chors? used to pay the owners of trees (the local villagers) for the timber / wood @ Rs. 800 – 1000/- per truck during 1995.
The Forest Mafias are still operating in my village area. Since the larger or good trees have almost vanished from the reserved forests, they have now started to ?buy? the trees which belong to the local Adivasis (adivasiyon ke hisse ke forests). They pay Rs. 100 per feet circumference of the bottom of the tree for ?Jamun? and ?semal? trees. Means if a tree is having 8 ft circumference at bottom, the owner will be paid just Rs. 800 for the complete tree!! Sagwan (teak) and sakhuwa (saal) wood have relatively higher price. Last year only I asked the villagers whether they know how much a Palang (double bed with box) cost. They did not know. When I told a Palang has minimum cost of Rs. 8000/- and one can make 4-5 beds with the wood which they were selling at Rs. 1000/-, then everyone was astonished. And I suggested not to sell their property in such cheap rates and to ask for higher price.
I shall clear here that these Lakdi Chors are none other than the BANIYAS and other Non-adivasis. The agents of these Timber Mafias even approached my father last year and offered higher price than other villagers. But we have no intensions for selling the trees which are standing on our lands. We know the importance of these trees in future.
There is a weekly timber market (better say chor bazaar) near Murhu in Ranchi district. 200 to 300 Adivasis take Timber on their shoulders and walk 20-40 kms (5-7 hours) on foot to reach that market. Here also the ?buyers? are the Baniyas and other Non-adivasis. The Adivasis are paid Rs. 100 / 150 for a wooden block of 10 ft x 6 x 4 size or a piece of size 10 ft long x 4 diameter depending on the type of tree. This market is in operation since 1984-85. All forest officials and police know. Sometimes the police attacks on sellers. The Adivasis leave the wood in the event of escaping and the policemen take the wood to their home!!
In these process of selling and buying of wood and deforestation the sellers have not gained except two time rice, but the ?buyers? have become rich. Adivasi aaj bhi usi halat mei hain jaise kal the. Aur buyers maaldar hote gaye!! Kal Jhopdi mei rahte the, aaj 3-talla building mei!! This is called business and progress. Here I am not criticizing the ?Baniyas?. They have only taken advantage of the system ? the system of government, Police and Forest department; and the poverty and ignorance of local Adivasis.
Kindly note, that the Adivasis of forest natives are not the luxury lovers. They dont even require the luxurious furniture with elegant or sleek design. In my area the local Adivasis sleep on ?Chatayi? on floor even today. They do not use ?Palang?. Very few of them use the Khatiya. This is not because that they cant make palangs or khatiyas, it is because that most of them feel uncomfortable on palangs or khatiyas. They do not even use table, chair, sofa or dining table. They can comfortably sit on Pidha or chatayi. They use the wood for cooking the meal. But they do not cut the trees or plants for ?Jalawan ki Lakdi. They use the woods for ?jalawan? which were cut for clearing the lands or the old / dead trees or Jhadis. This practice is being followed from the days of my ancestors in my village also.
I want to tell that, the forests are destroyed not for fulfilling the needs of local Adivasis. But, the forests are destroyed for fulfilling the demands / needs / luxury of so called modern or developed or civilized or middle / high class people.
These developed communities say or give slogans Jangal Bachao, Paryavaran bachao etc. Kahe ka jangal bachao yaar! aapne apni jaruratein is tarha kar di hain ki yadi aapko in Adivasi area se lakdi nahin milegi to pata nahin aap rat ko so payenge ya nahin; aapki amiri, shano-shaukat logon ko dikhengi ya nahin; aur aapki bibi, bahan, betiyon ko apna shape dekhne ke liye Dressing Table bhi naseeb hoga ya nahin. Wood supply nahin aayega to aapka economics ka rule kahta hai ki price bad jayega. Aur aap hi kahoge, lakdi to steel se bhi mahanga ho gaya.
One more thing I tell you. Adivasis can survive or live without affecting or exploiting the modern developed community. But the developed community can never survive without exploiting Adivasis and the forests. Nobody can deny if I say that nobody from the so called modern or civilized or developed community can dare to live in the forests and hills like the Adivasis of my area have been living since very early days.
My grandmother also told me that, in the earlier days the forest in my area were having the lions, tigers, cheetahs (panthers), bears, boars (jangli suwar), wolves, hyenas, elephants, deer, sahi, Ant-eaters etc. in plenty. But as the forests were slowly destroyed many of these animals were disappeared. But, now you can find only few deer, rabbits, foxes, wolves, elephants or boars in the jungles. Nobody knows where the disappeared animals have gone, although the local Adivasis don?t eat the meat of lion, tiger, cheetah, bear, wolf, hyena or elephant. These Adivasis have only bow & arrow and axes as weapon. And you can not dare to hunt these furious animals with these primitive weapons.
The birds which make their nests only in tall trees or dense forests like Dhanesh, Kite, Eagle, Magpie, Falcon etc and other birds like Wild Cock, Peacock etc which were available numerously up to 1990s, are now almost vanished in last 15 years.
I remember two hunters (outsiders) used to come on Bullet (bike) with Rifles for killing elephants during 1983-86 for ?hathi dant?. I have information of killing of 11-12 Adivasis by elephants in my village area but no information of killing a single elephant by Adivasis in last 28 years.
From very early days the animals like tiger, foxes, wolves, hyena, wild cat etc had ate the pet animals like cow, goat, cock etc of Adivasis. The other vegetarian wild animals like Boars, elephants, Monkeys, Deer have been damaging the crops of Adivasis. Even though the local Adivasis had not hunted or killed them, rather they believed that their Bongas (the deities or supernatural powers of village) are unhappy which is causing loses of pet animals and try to worship them for making them happy!! Yes, the Adivasi villagers used to go for Hunting on the next 2-3 days of Holi festival (once in a year). But now this tradition is also coming down.
Why I am telling these is because I want to make you understand how difficult the life of the Adivasis is. You people might have seen the tribes who reside near the cities, but you might not have seen the life of the Adivasis who reside in forests.
I can?t agree when somebody in this groups says that the Adivasi have destroyed the forests. According to me the destruction of forests and wild lives in larger extent is done by Non-Adivasis, and for Non-Adivasis. The local Adivasis are only the medium or helper.
This is not a story of my village only. These things had happened and still happening in all the neighbouring villages of my village; in all the villages of porahat, saranda and Kolhan. I also think that such things had happened with Adivasis of all over India and the World. You go to the areas where mining or explorations of the ores (haematite, bauxite, magnetite, coal etc) are going on. You can see how the forests are destroyed in name of economical growth of the Nation. Is that being done by Adivasis?
Recently, I saw an interview of a model on TV. More than 85% of her smooth body was visible. She was giving Funda on wild animal protection in context of Tiger Protection. She was telling, The animals are speechless, they can not tell about their feelings or problems. They need love from us and we should love them. I love the animals very much. After that I was thinking, Beta Mahesh, is Model madam ne to hadh kar diya, bilkul page 3 style! Model sahiba ko publicity ke liye koi aur nahin mila kya, jo Janwaron ka sahara lene ki jarurat pad gayi!! Janwaron se uska pyar to uske air conditioned cloths bole to Mini Skirt-Bra se hi pata chal raha hai. Asli janwar se pala padega to madam apka janwar prem nikal jayega. Tiger ko bhool jayiye, aap ek siyar (fox) ya to ek chuwa (mouse) se hi pyar jata ke dikha dijiye! Yahi to modern civilized community hai, smartness means to hide your actual character or thoughts or intensions and present yourself in manner that the person sitting in front of you thinks that you are the best thinker or implementer of the world.?
M.Maheshwar
Jharkhand Forum
A Global Network of Jharkhand
E-mail: forum@jharkhand.org.in
http://www.jharkhand.org.in/forum
