On the Future of Indigenous Traditions - Munin

Broadly speaking, these three reasons were the basic reasons for keeping Jharkhand as
a ‘concubine’ of Bihar shared by other adjoining states. The local phrase for
Jharkhand of being a part of Bihar was the ‘milking cow’. Once the cow cannot be
milked any more, it is sent to the slaughter house for making profit out of every bit
left! The colonial time was the time of discovering this ‘cow’ and ‘raising her to be
milked’ in the form of the tenancy laws and rules for administering the region for
tenancy and in the past independent times for further exploitation.
In the larger frame if we look at both the socio-cultural and political issues of the
Adivasi in Jharkhand in the post-independent era, we can also see clearly the legacy
that was left behind by the colonial system, left to the Bihar state, that contributed
much to the mindset of ‘milk thy neighbour’s cow!’. The colonial government left the
country more than fifty years ago, since India attained independence. However, it is
observed that the process of colonial exploitation has not stopped with independence,
rather “in the name of development, a new form of domination referred to as internal
colonialism is being unleashed… It is also observed that the ruling elite look at
Jharkhand and its inhabitants as commodities of exploitation, probably the cheapest
and most sought after commodities in the Indian market.” 61
The extant of exploitation and marginalization of the Adivasis is widespread, despite
of the provisions of the Fifth Schedule of non-transfer of Adivasi land to non-
Adivasis, the Chottanagpur Tenancy Act, the Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act and the
Wilkinson Rule together reserved this right of the Adivasi, but the amendments made
exceptions for transfer in it for ‘public purpose’ etc. The extent of displacement in the
process of industrialization is illustrated by the following few historical facts cases.
2.7.1. Development & Displacement: What happens to the Adivasis
In the time of the post independent period industries like: Rourkela Steel Plant,
expansion of Jamshedpur from town to a city, Heavy Engineering Corporation
Ranchi, Bokaro Steel Plant and a number of other such estates which were said to be
61 Mathew Areeparampil, Struggle for Swaraj, A history of Adivasi Movement in Jharkhand (from the
earliest time to the present day) (Jharkhand: TRTC, 2002), 1.
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