BIRSA MUNDA

BIRSA MUNDA 

Born on November 15, 1875, Birsa spent much of his childhood moving from one village to another with his parents. He belonged to the Munda tribe in the Chhotanagpur Plateau area.   His teacher was Jaipal Naga when his early education was at Salga.   He was guided to convert to Christianity to enable him to join in German Mission School.  He however opted out of this school a few years later.  He saw his tribal community people were being converted, not only for further education but also for pecuniary benefits.  The fervour with which the forced conversions were being done and also the tacit support to the same by the British Rulers and the agrarian policies of them, made him go against the British Rulers.   He started a new faith known as 'Birsait' which advocated that there is only one God.  This movement gained support from the tribals of Munda and Oraon community and they joined the new sect.  That posed a challenge to the forced conversions of the missionaries and this movement turned as a revolt on churches on the Christmas eve of 1899.  This faith nicknamed 'Darti Abba' or Father of the Earth, encouraged to get back their tribal roots and follow their traditions.   Between 1896 and 1890, Birsa Munda spend most of his times in Chaibasa  which was very close to the Sardar's agitation.  

The British brought in the Zanindari system and replaced the Khunkhatti system of joint landholding followed by the Tribals.  Soon the landowners among the tribals lost everything and reduced to forced landlabourers leading to more deprivations.   Birsa Munda not only formed a new faith, to resist the attempts of the British Rulers, he had a guerilla army too.  In fact, the end of Birsa Munda, when he was only 25 years, in the year 1900 came when he was arrested when he was with that army.  He was arrested in March 1900 and he died in June 1990 in Jail.  

The Chotanagpur Tenancy Act prohibiting Tribal Lands to be transferred to others was introduced a decade after his death.  His legacy still lives on, especially in Bihar and a century after his death, Jharkand State was formed.  It is because of Birsa Manda and other activists like him, the tribals in India had a voice to present their case for betterment of their livelihood. 

The Ranchi Airpot is named after him and called as Birsa Munda Airport.    Birsa Munda Tribal University is an university at Rajpipla, Narmada in the Indian state of Gujarat, established on 4 Oct 2014, after its formal inauguration by the then Minister of State for Tribal Welfare, Shabdasharan Tadvi.   Birsa Munda Park is in Dhanbad and it has walkway, leisure area, play area, toy train, various rides for children, canteen and plants of different species spread over 21 acres of land. It was opened in the month of November 2009.

Birsa Munda statue is in Bokaro Steel City.

Tribals have been serving the nation by adhering to the life that is one with the nature around.  Without disturbing much of their environment, development also should be done.  It is very easier said than done.

 

DASARATH MANJHI - THE MOUNTAIN MAN

DASARATH MANJHI - THE MOUNTAIN MAN

(14 January 1934 – 17 August 2007)

A road in a mountainous terrain with all modern machineries and availability of other vital resources too is a very difficult proposition but a man laid a road in Gehlaur village of the mountains in Bihar for a distance of 360 feet by breaking the rocks and with a height of 30 ft and also 30 ft wider.  All this had been possible by carving and breaking the mountain in a period of 22 years which finally helped the villagers to cross a mere 15 kms which they had to cover 55 kms earlier.  The lives of the all villagers around were made comfortable by the stupendous effort of that man Sri Dasarath Manji.   The government in the year 1982 joined in the efforts to lay fine road here only after the efforts of Manjhi for 22 years and also named the road after him - Dasarth Ranji Path.  Even as the task was in progress, he had to bear the brunt of discouragement from the village authorities and some from his family too.

Dasarth Manjhi was born in Gahlaur village, Gaya District of Bihar in a poor family in the year 1934 and had no formal education.  His parents  conducted childhood marriage for him and the wife as a  child was living with her father.   He worked for 7 years in the coal mines of Dhanbad and when he returned the father of the girl refused to send her with Manjhi as he was jobless.  But Falguni Devi, his wife left the house to go with Manjhi.   She concived and  a baby boy was born.   When Falguni conceived the second time, there was problem, when she was taking food for her husband Manjhi one day,  she slipped in the mountain peak and fell down and after hearing the news, Manjhi came and took her to hospital where she died after giving berth to a baby girl.  The love for Falguni Devi made Manjhi to take a vow that he would break the mountain which  was the cause for the death of his wife.  Villagers and even his father ridiculed him for challenging a huge mountain. But Manjhi was adamant on his firm decision. A local journalist caught his attention and approached him why he was hell-bent on cutting the mountain. Years later when which Gahlour was hit by a massive drought and villagers evacuated the village, Dashrath's father taunted him that what he had achieved in last so many years? He tried to convince Dashrath to take up other works and earn bread for his two children. But, Dashrath decided to continue on his herculean task. With no water and no food, Dashrath still continued his work with whatever he could lay on fruits and vegetables available and even many a times with dirty water.

During Emergency in 1975,  Indira Gandhi was addressing a crowded rally and the stage where she was speaking came crashing down. Swiftly villagers helped to restore the stage, so that Indira could continue her speech. Manjhi also was one among the villagers.  When the rally got over, Manjhi, somehow, managed to get a picture clicked with Indira Gandhi. The village mukya tried to make capital out of it, and got the thumb impression of Manjhi telling he would arrange for assistance in all forms from government to get the road done.  But poor Dashrath was cheated by him and he decided to complaint against him to the PM.   He walked from Bihar to Delhi as he could not afford Rs 20.  But he reached Delhi and there were protest rallies at that time, the police official turned him out even though he showed the photograph taken with the PM.      They mocked him and tore the photograph and lathicharged him at Rajpath.   A ray of hope arose when few villagers joined Dashrath in his uphill task of carving out a path along the mountainous terrain. But, that too, was marred by some local officials who threatened Dashrath and villagers not to be present around the mountain. They even got him arrested. But, the journalist who had earlier taken an interest in Manjhi was doing and acquainted with him, lodged a protest in front of a police station, to release Dashrath. It all culminated in Dasarth Manjhi continuing his work for the road.

Thus in the year 1960, Manjhi started to break/carve the mountain to make a path which would shorten the path considerably, which will make the lives of the villagers there less burdened with shortening of the path from 55 Kms to mere 15 kms.  But it took 22 years for him to reach this level.  Otherwise, the poor villagers have to traverse through a narrow and treacherous pass to cross a huge mountain, located between Attari and Wazirgunj blocks in Gaya district, for their daily needs and for transport connectivity.

On Aug 17, 2007, Manjhi passed away at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), due to gall bladder cancer, at the age of 73. Bihar government had accorded state funeral to him. Before dying, Manjhi had given his thumb impression on an agreement and gave away "exclusive rights" to make a biopic on his life. 

In the year 2006, his name was proposed by some people for the Padma Sri award but the one which really mattered was the naming of the road after him in the year 2011, which he toiled single handledly for many years and joined by local men against the threat of local authorities and the government also providing assistance after 22 years of work by him.