The Incredible Life of Birsa Munda: The Great Revolutionary Leader About the Book He was a simple Adivasi boy. But one day he had to stand up and protest all the wrongs being done to his people. And so an unforgettable revolutionary was born.

Birsa Munda lived in one of the villages that dotted the Chhotanagpur region in today's Jharkhand. He was a dreamy boy with an uncanny ability to mesmerise not only humans but birds and animals too with his words and music. As he grew up, he became more and more aware of the exploitation of the Adivasi people by rich landowners and the British government. Birsa spoke out one day, and from that moment on, he started a journey that saw him become one of India's greatest tribal leaders and icons of resistance.

Birsa Munda rallied his people, telling them to stand up for their traditional rights to the forests and their land. He exhorted them to set aside old superstitions. And he led them in armed confrontations with the mighty British police forces.

The extraordinary life of this great leader comes alive for a new generation of readers in this biography that is as engaging as it is inspiring.

About the Author SWATI SENGUPTA is an author and journalist. Her books include Out of War (Speaking Tiger Books 2016), Guns on My Red Earth (Rupa, 2013), Half the Field Is Mine (Scholastic, 2014), The Talking Bird (Tulika Books, 2014) and A Tea Garden Party (Pratham Books, 2021). She translated Murder In The City (Speaking Tiger Books, 2018) from Bengali to English. Swati runs a workshop series on gender for young adults. She studied English at Jadavpur University and lives in Kolkata.

The Dust-Storm and the Hanging Mist- A Study of Birsa Munda and His movement in Chhotanagpur (1874-1901) Foreword

Historians have paid little attention to the various attempts of Indian tribal populations to resist by organized violence the encroachment of outsiders on their ancestral lands, and even though the outward course of some of the tribal rebellions has been described in official reports, there are few detailed studies of the causes and social implications of these movements. Rebellions of aboriginal tribesmen against the authority of any established administration are among the most tragic conflicts between rulers and ruled. Whatever course the clash may take, it is always a hopeless struggle of the weak against the strong, the simple minded and ill informed against the concerted resources of a powerful system, and only too often a struggle of those who have been wronged against the representatives of an executive which, for the sake of maintaining law and order, supports the vested interests of those who have exploited and oppressed the ignorant tribesmen. In the 19th and early 20th century there have been several rebellions and minor insurrections of aboriginal tribes, and some of them can be traced in broad outline. Among the most notable were the Santal Rebellion in Bihar, the Bhil Rebellion in Kandesh and the Rampa rebellion in the East Godavari District. All of them had the character of defensive movements, and were the last resort of tribesmen driven to despair by the encroachment of outsiders on their land or economic resources. They could have easily been avoided had the governments of the day recognized the aboriginals' grievances and taken steps to remedy them. In most cases some such steps were taken after the collapse of the rising, but a mare far-sighted policy could have removed the causes of despair and frustration before the pressure on the tribesmen had made an out- break of violence inevitable. Anyone with first hand experience of conditions in areas where aboriginals are subjected to exploitation by more advanced populations must be surprised not by the occurrence of risings, but rather by the infrequencey of violent action on the part of aboriginals deprived of their ancestral lands and the freedom they enjoyed before their contact with populations superior in economic and political power.

Preface

I still recall the sleepy hours of the night of the 30th December, 1960, spent at Birbanki, about twenty- eight miles south of Khunti, across the wild range of "winding and crooked hills". A song (mentioned earlier, from which the title of the book has been derived) of the Ulgulan (the Great Tumult, as the Mundas recall their last movement under Birsa Munda) lyrically rendered in bhajan melody accompanied with the corresponding vigorous dance number round a winter bonfire, moved me to pursue the present study. I could not make any headway for pressure of work for almost two years and a half, though I absorbed and grew into my melieu. I discovered the manuscript written by Birsa's disciple and comrade-in-arm, Bharmi Munda, on the 22nd May, 1962, and also collected a number of folk songs on the move- ment. Slowly the work grew on me I could not wrench it out of the historical context. A four-month interlude of leisure from official work enabled me to develop the work into a doctoral dissertation, "Birsa Munda and his movement in Chotanagpur 1874 1901".

The work grew out of my preoccupation as an officer in charge of a Subdivision inhabited predominantly by the Mundas from August, 1960, to December, 1962. It invested my day-to-day work with a human content and a sense of perspective. I had an opportunity not only of seeing through the execution of welfare and development programmes but also studying at close quarters their impact on the Mundas, their moods and attitudes embedded in Munda traditions. This led me to the roots of Munda life, its leaven and inspiration. Thus did I discover the range of Birsa's influence on his people which could be drawn upon, though in a small way, in opening up what was an Ultima Thule to the processes of rapid development. To this end I organised the Birsa mela, on a modest scale, at Chalkad in June, 1961 and then again, in June 1962.

The Life and Times of Birsa Munda About the Book

The year: 1890-92. It was a time of turmoil when several Adivasis in the Chhotanagpur region were falling prey to the false preaching of the Christian churches and were forced to embrace Christianity. It was a ploy by the British to convert Adivasis into Christianity in an attempt to stem protests. Birsa Munda and his family also believed in the preaching initially and converted to Christianity. Soon, however, Birsa saw through the trickery and not merely did he convert to Hinduism again, he also convinced several Adivasis who had converted to Christianity to embrace Hinduism once again. It was this Birsa Munda who later became 'God' of the Adivasis and came to be regarded as `Dharti-Aba' or 'Father of the Universe.'

The British administration was jolted and in an attempt to nab Birsa announced a reward of Rs 500 for his arrest. The British trick worked and some greedy informers of the British captured Birsa when he was sleeping at night.

This book, a biography of the great Adivasi leader, Birsa Munda, tries to capture some of the brave glimpses from the life of a daring revolutionary who gave up all he had to fight for the rights of his people and to ensure the freedom of his motherland.

About The Author

Gopi Krishna Kunwar Birth: December 30, 1970

Educational qualification: M.A., B.J.

Experience: Bureau chief of Prabhat Khabar,' correspondent of Lohardagga Aakashvani, Doordarshan and PTI. Associated with literacy campaign since 2000, devotes time to social service and is attached to several NGOs.

Achievements: Awarded `Akshar Sree' four times for exemplary service. Recipient of `Satyen Mitra Smriti Saksharta Puraskar' in 2007 by former President of India, H.E. Pratibha Devi Singh Patil for successful direction of North Literacy Campaign.

Contact: Kunwar Bhawan, Apar Bazar, Lohardagga, (Jharkhand).

Introduction

Introduction re 1890s was a decade when the priests of the hurches in Jharkhand were known to covert innocent Adivasis living in the forests to Christianity. Birsa Munda's family too fell into the trap. Soon, however, it realized the deception and Birsa Munda not only returned to the fold of the Hindu religkon, but also made many others who .had been tricked into adopting Christianity, fall in line. It was this realization about the trickery of the Christians that made Birsa Munda rebel against them. He emerged not merely as a leader of the Adivasis, but also became their voice in the fight against British oppression and demand for the rights of the Adivasis. He went on to be regarded as 'Dharti-Aba' (Father of the Universe).

With the call to lead a pure life away from corruption and dishonesty, Birsa led his fellow men against the British administration. Soon, he became a terror for the colonial masters, so much so that he was arrested with trickery in the dead of the night on August 24, 1895, by Captain Mayers. He was gagged, brought to Ranchi and put in jail. Later, 15 of his associates were also arrested. Legal proceedings were initiated and he was tried in a court of law in Khunti. Birsa and his associates were sentenced to serve a prison term of two years.

Once released from jail, Birsa began an armed revolt against the British. He started to build a private army of revolutionaries. Several revolutionaries joined in and held secret meetings to discuss plans on how to fight the British forces. The aim was to make India independent of the British and free the Indian society from the grip of the zamindars (landlords).

As days passed, Birsa intensified his revolt. The British administration was jolted. The British were good at the art of treachery and declared reward money of 500, then a princely sum, to anyone who could give information about Birsa's whereabouts. Many other Munda Sardars also carried rewards for their arrest. Finally, Birsa was done in by seven people who made him captive for greed of the reward money and handed him over to the British.

Birsa was tried in the court of law yet again like an ordinary person. He was charged with creating arson, inciting violence and murder. A list of 15 of the accused was prepared with Birsa as the leader.

May 30, 1900. Birsa complained of physical discomfort, but no one bothered to give him any medical attention. Sometime later, he was taken to court with other prisoners, where Birsa's condition suddenly deteriorated. He was rushed back to prison. His had high pulse rate, dry throat, weak eyes and faltering voice. He was given some medication by the prison medical officer.

Birsa's condition deteriorated further on June 8 and he became too weak due to constant diarrhea. The next day, June 9, his condition worsened as he began to vomit blood. He slipped into a coma due to excessive weakness and at around 9 am, the 'God of the Adivasis' passed away.

Even in death, Birsa Munda terrorized the British. Afraid that the news of his death could trigger a violent protest, his body was secretly burnt on the banks of Subarnarekha river by the prison authorities with no one coming to know of it.

This book is a humble effort to pay tributes to a great revolutionary who lived only till the age of 25, but inspired the masses to protest against the suppression of human rights and justice.

Contents and Sample Pages