By Dr Dhuni Soren “Boarijore” 33 Longmeadow Road, Knowsley, Liverpool L34 0HN. England :
After Santal Hul of 1855, santal people were given a home land in a form of a separate district called SANTAL PARGANA with certain safe guards and protection from suppression and exploitation. Their customary and traditional practices of self-governance were recognised and respected. The British Raj then came to an end and India became independent in 1947. Then the S P tenancy Act was brought in the area to provide further protection of their lands from non-tribal residents and new immigrants.
But the neglect, exploitation and deprivation of the tribal areas of Chotanagpur and Santal Pargana continued even after independence. The governments of India and Bihar state took the major share of the wealth from the Chotanagpur and Santal Pargana areas. So the tribal area of south Bihar continued to decline with no development of significance. As a result of such neglect and deplorable plight of tribal people the long standing campaign for separate state continued and eventually even that dream came true.
The people of Jharkhand had high hope and expectation when it was created on the 15th of Nov ember 2000. The region is rich in minerals with forests and water resources. It is one of the most industrialized states in the country. Here are some facts and figures to appreciate the paradox.
Most of the Jharkhand region is part of Chotanagpur plateau, which also extends to some parts of the neighbouring states of West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Orissa. This region is made up of ancient stone Arkiyan Granite Tatanis. Tropic of Cancer passes through Kanke, few kilometres away from Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand, making it the only state in India touched by Tropic of Cancer.
Economy of Jharkhand;
The rich mineral wealth includes 35.5% of country’s known coal reserves, 90% of its cooking coal deposits, 40% of its copper, 22% of its iron ore, 90% of its mica and huge deposits of bauxite, quartz and ceramic. Apart from these, there are other sources of energy including raw material uranium for Atomic energy. It is also home to the largest steel plant in Bokaro, apart from Jamshedpur being practically the city of TISCO and TELCO. There are other important companies such as HEC and MECON in Ranchi which are contributing to the growth of the state. Apart from these the vast area of Jharkhand is covered by forests and water resources. Agriculture was never the mainstay of economy in the region of Jharkhand but almost 80% of the population in this mineral-rich state is dependent on agriculture. Rice is the major crop in the state with pulses and wheat being the other ones.
Even now, most of the industries are based in the Chotanagpur area and the homeland of Santals is deprived of development and industries resulting in lack of job opportunities and progress. This is partly due to the lack of vision and interest of the state government and partly due to S P tenancy act and misinformation among the tribal people about the benefit of industrial revolution and modernisation.
Area; 79,714 Sq. kms Population; 3, 29, 66.238 (Male; 1, 69, 31,812. Female; 1, 60, 34.426.) Density of population; 414 persons/Sq.KM.s
Capital; Ranchi and Sub-Capital. Dumka
Rivers; The principal rivers are Damodar, the suvarnarekha, Barakar, the koel, Ajay river, Mayurakshi, sundar and the holy river of Ganga on the northern border separating from Bihar. Apart from these, there are many other rivers and rivulets criss-crossing the state.
Education; The literacy rate of Jharkhand is 67.7% compared to national rate of 74.04% (2011 Census) and ranks 25th out of 28. The state has a network of government and privately run schools, although standards of teaching vary considerably from place to place, as also from school to school. It has some of the best schools in the country, namely DAV Shyamali, DPS in Ranchi, Denobili Sindri, Denobili School, Mugma, Dhanbad, Loyola and Little Flower Schools in Jamshedpur. But access to these schools are only limited to few.
But there fewer such schools in Santal Pargana Division although government have started some residential schools like Naboday and Kasturba.
It has 7 Universities; Ranchi university, Ranchi, Sido Kanhu Murmu university, Dumka, Binova Bhave University, Hazaribagh, Birsa Agriculture University, Kanke, Ranchi; Birla Institute of Technology, Ranchi, National Institute of Technology, Jamshedpur and the Indian school of Mines, Sindri, Dhanbad.
There are three medical colleges in Jharkhand namely Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) at Ranchi, M.G.M Medical College Jamshedpur and Patliputra Medical College And Hospital (PMCH) at Dhanbad. The famous business school Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI) is at Jamshedpur.
From the list above, it is clear that there is not a single institution of excellence in the homeland of Santals.
Food of Jharkhand; Rice is the most important part of any meal in the Jharkhand while pulses and vegetables add immense value to it. Bread is generally taken at the time of dinner with pulses and vegetables. Tribal population makes their own local HARIA out of rice and enjoy it on all social occasions and festivals.
Arts and Culture of Jharkhand; Jharkhand is home to several tribes. They not only differ considerably from the non-tribal population but from one another as well. The most ancient among them are Mundas, while Santals were the last to settle although they belong to the same Austric language group. Other tribes are Hos, Oraon, Kharias, Birhors, Sauria, Paharias, Mal Paharias, Birjias, Asurs, Kol, Gond Kanwar, Savar, Baiga, Bedia, Bhumij, Cheros and others.. They have rich tradition of arts and crafts that is quite visible in the rock paintings of the region that dates back to more than 5000 years. The best place to experience these is The Tribal Research Institute and Museum at Ranchi. They are also expert in making plates made up of Sal leaves joined together by tiny sticks. Here again there is no museum or cultural and heritage centre in the homeland of Santals who are the largest tribal group in the state.
Dance and Music of Jharkhand; Dance and music are integral part of tribal life in Jharkhand. Every festival for the tribes in this state is an opportunity to enjoy with music and dance going on continuously and without any hindrances. Most of the community dance and music takes place on the occasion of Sarhul, Karma and Sohrai, most important tribal festivals.
Festivals of Jharkhand; Sarhul is the most important festival of all tribes in the state, though the way to celebrate the festival is slightly different from one to another. Sarhul which also means Sal tree blossom makes the tribal communities worship the tree of Sal as holy grove to seek the blessings of their holy spirits. Santals have their own festivals like Sohrae, Sakrat, Baha and others.
With all these mineral wealth and rich traditions and cultural heritage, the people of Jharkhand have not reaped the fruit of the new state and 46.3% of their population are still on Below Poverty Line (BPL) by social groups 2004-5
JOHAR
&
PRAY FOR THE BETTER DAYS TO COME