[Reader-list] Lalgarh does not exist

[Rakesh Iyer]

Dear Subhrodip

It's not just Bengal, but in the entire country, tribals have been the one
community which has suffered very badly. I remember having read a no. of
times that out of the total people who have been displaced due to
development projects, the tribals constitute the dominant section (around
40% or more I remember) which is disproportionate to the percentage of
population they form in the country.

The tribals have been sent away from forests in the name of Forest
Conservation Act and illegal encroachment of forest land. They have not been
allowed to even use forest products for food and for other purposes. They
are people who have lived in tune with forests without endangering them for
so many years, and here are we who want to modernize them and civilize them,
so we in the name of development have allowed cutting down of forests, and
then accuse tribals of destroying forests. How shameful that we destroy
forests and then accuse tribals of the same?

I remember that in the year 2005 when there were Bihar elections, Ram Vilas
Paswan had said that if his party were voted to power, Bihar would have a
Muslim CM. Many had commented on this whether it was right or wrong. I and
my friend Aashish (also a member of this forum) had a small conversation on
this, and there are two things I remember we said to each other in that:

Rakesh: (myself) ' yaar it would be a historic day when india has a muslim
prime minister'

Aashish: 'no. the historic day would be when india has a tribal prime
minister.'

And indeed it would be historic. Muslims and Dalits have at least got some
amount of education, have some intellectuals supporting their causes, and
are any day better off on any standard when compared to tribals. The tribals
don't have an intellectual by and large, from their own brethren, who can
support them and fight for them. Even those who point their cause like me
come from non-tribal backgrounds. This shows the state of tribals in our
country.

Infact, the very word 'tribal' seems to bring notions of backwardness in the
minds of us educated, which is quite wrong. Just yesterday, I saw a video
portraying the achievements of the Gujarat govt under Modi. Somewhere, came
the information about the 'VanBandhu yojana', which was said to bring the
tribals to the level of development and modern standards of the urban
people. So the tribals are not only considered underdeveloped (which they
would be I believe), but they have to be modernized to that extent. Infact,
the tribals were to be brought into the mainstream.

It is utterly disgusting that whatever is tribal is considered backward, and
notions of modernity are to be ingrained in them. I don't think people have
a right to decide the benchmark of lifestyle for others beyond a point,
especially on counts of modernity and backwardness. Also, who are we to
decide development standards in terms of malls, multiplexes, 24 hr power
supply and other things for them? There can be some common standards like
health and education, but that's because those can be used as instruments to
beter their own life and live well. How can culture and modernity decide
development for them?

The whole point about tribals itself needs to be seriously debated, both in
terms of Lalgarh and even outside that. In the last 60 years or more, almost
all the communities have got their voices heard in some way or the other.
Upper castes, backward castes, Muslims, Yadavs, Ahirs, Jats, Gurjars, Meenas
and what not. If there is one community which is left out, it's the tribals.
And they deserve to be heard. They are the original inhabitants of this
nation. They are the protectors of forests in our country.

Regards

Rakesh