Baba Kartik Oraon was a strong Vanvasi voice who fought the menace of religious conversion. The Vanvasi-community (Schedule Tribes) is deeply-rooted in Hindu traditions. In Ramayana period we find mention of numerous kings belonging to the Janjati and Vanvasi communities. Even Raja Ramchandra addressed Nishadraj Guha as Gurubhai.
In Mahabharat, Bhim’s son Ghatotkach was born to Janjati community’s devi Hidamba. Ghatotkacha’s son Barbarik is today worshipped as Khatu Shyam. Kalu Singh Mujalda, the regional head of Janjati Suraksha Manch, recounted this history in the symposium titled ‘Delisting ki awaaz -Baba Kartik Oraon’, organized in Bhopal at Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram on the eve (28 October) of Baba Kartik Oraon birth-centenary year.
Muljada further recounted the role of fearless Vegdaji Bheel of Gujarat’s Dron Kingdom in the defense of Somnath temple. Under the leadership of Raja Hamirji Gohil, Bheel led an army to launch a counter attack on Muslim invaders. Martyred, his grave can be seen even today. Rana Punja Bheel, Maharana Pratap’s commander, emerged victorious in a decisive battle against Akbar. As a memorial of this victory, the Mewar royal insignia there displayed on one side the symbol of Bheel and on the other, that of the Rajput’s. The valiant fight Rani Durgawati displayed against Mughals shows the valour of women belonging to tribal community.
No Bharatiya can forget the martyrdom of Birsa Munda, Tilka Manjhi and others who fought against British Raj and missionaries who were indulging in converting Hindus. Birsa Munda sacrificed his life opposing the missionaries which earned him the title Bhagwan among the Janjati communities.
The cunning missionaries adopted a seven-year-old Janjati boy and named him Jaypal Munda. They allegedly groomed and deputed him in ways described as being against the interests of the Janjati community. More notably, the narrative claims that if it were not for him, there would have been no need to launch the delisting drive.
Looking back at history, the Scheduled Caste (SC) community, having suffered social discrimination, was granted reservation benefits under Article 341. However, in the provision framed by Babasaheb Ambedkar, those who adopted Islam or Christianity were excluded from reservation benefits.
Likewise, under Article 342, the Scheduled Tribe (ST) community was given reservation with the intention of preserving their traditional faith and unique cultural life. But unlike Article 341, Article 342 contains no provision that excludes those who converted to Christianity or Islam from receiving reservation benefits.
The man behind this mischief was Jaypal Munda, who, after gaining leadership of the Janjati community with missionary support, promoted the narrative that the Janjati community had no religion of its own and was “far from being Hindu.” He described them as “animists,” a move intended to ensure reservation benefits for those who had left Hindu Dharma.
The man behind launching the Delisting Drive, Baba Kartik Oraon, had earlier contested his first Lok Sabha election against a candidate who had converted to Christianity and eventually lost that election. The success he was expected to achieve then finally came in the next election, as Speaker Kalu Singh Mujalda reminded the audience.
Taking further steps to address what he saw as the root of the problem, Baba Kartik Oraon collected the signatures of 348 MPs on a memorandum submitted to the then Prime Minister. The memorandum demanded acceptance of the recommendations of the 1968 committee, which had suggested that individuals who abandoned their traditional faith, customs, and traditions should not be considered members of the ST community. However, the efforts unfortunately came to nothing.
The chief guest of the event to celebrate Baba Kartik Oraon’s Centenary year, Shrimati Radha Singh, Minister of State Panchayat and Gramin department; and Shrimati Sewanti Bhagat, who presided over the event, also addressed the audience at the end.
(Featured Image Source: Wikipedia)
