and then they will dissolve into the vast unknown...

A good tribal is a displaced tribal, ready to move out with folded hands

From: jarjum ete jarjum@gmail.com


Friends,

They say, there are three sides of a story.. mine, yours and the right side.. Someone says there is a fourth side, the wrong side... Another says there is a fifth side, theirs. So, everyone has his or her side of the story. There are many sides to a story. But that side is not the whole story. Who has the perspective ? Who has got the whole story ? Posing the problems is easier than resolving them, with Sincerity. Again, the question is, who is sincere about solving the problems ?

Well, why people take to violence could have many reasons. Even murders are justified, very unfortunately. But am sure no one wants to get killed. Similarly, I believe, not many (except a psycho, perhaps ) would willingly or happily kill if given the opportunity to lead a normal life with an opportunity to live with some dignity.

Who are these Maoists ? As a mother, I know the concerns of a woman who has carried a baby in her womb. Even a tribal woman in the deepest forests has the same dreams of a woman in the most advanced society of this world. And I strongly believe that every parent hopes and dreams for a share of a dignified life for her/his child.. Apparently, our present problem of violence, termed as Maoism or Naxalism in India, has emanated from the fact that our (tribal) children, in those states, have been treated as children, as if of a lesser god. And, all will surely agree, discrimination and injustice, cannot be accepted or tolerated for too long. Some can be exploited and suppressed for sometime. but all cannot be befooled all the time.

In his recent letter to the President of India, dated 17 May 2010, Dr BD Sharma, former Commissioner, SC/ST, has enumerated a list of 20 major broken promises made to the tribals of India. No.19 says "A good tribal is a displaced tribal, ready to move out with folded hands". And he is one of the few authorities on the issues of the tribals of India. As a tribal person, I endorse this view of his. The tribals of this supposed Great Nation have always been expected to move out every time, from their ancestral lands, for the sake of 'so-called development' of the country.

Where are the lakhs of tribals who have been forced to vanish from their homelands over so many decades, leaving their lands for development, in the interest of the nation ? Will the ones who are running away from their homes for their lives, in the violence-ridden areas, ever return to their villages in the future ? I suspect. They will be stuck in some relief camps for �sometime... and then they will dissolve into the vast unknown world, in search of food and medicines for their little children, perhaps.

'If they don't move out of those lands on their own, create a situation which will force them out, flush them out of their holes....make them leave their homes on their own.'... That seems the obvious modus operandi, the mantra for acquisiton of tribal land for 'projects'. Correct me if I am wrong. But this is how it looks like, from this far corner of the country. Perhaps, as a fellow tribal, I empathise more. Perhaps, from this distance, my perspective is clearer. And since I am not directly affected by the neglect, injustices, deprivations and casteist-oppressions in the rest of India, I am able to talk against the violence and violations, the killings and bloodshed unleashed in those affected areas. But I think, if me or my family was one of the victims of the so-called development projects that treat the tribal people like insects (even insects are protected today !), I would have been equally angry and violent and I might not have said no to one of my children joining the cadres of the rebels, despite knowing very well that the Solution never lies in Violence.

Friends, having expressed my solidarity to the oppressed who have turned violent, unfortunately, and having shared my sentiments as a fellow-tribal, I appeal to all of you out there, with your fingers on the keyboards of your computers, please join the faceless voices of concern to build a campaign for a review of the development paradigm in the tribal areas of India. Yes, it is very difficult when our own leaders are using us and exploiting us, but it is possible that our younger ones, who are a little more educated and aware than their parents, would get to be heard. They might feel better if they are able to decide about what they want to do on their lands. Why can't they have that space ?



Have a good day !



In prayer,



Jarjum Ete, activist,

Former Chairperson, Arunachal Pradesh State Commission for Women.

and
President, Galo Welfare Society (GWS), Arunachal Pradesh, Itanagar.

( the Galos, still listed as Gallongs as per the Constitution of India, are one of the tribes of Arunachal Pradesh - we are also working on the correction of our tribe's nomenclature.)