ye
WY What Does it Mean to be Socially Marginalised? pe ype
(Tobe marginalised isfto be forced to occupy the sides or fringes and thus not be at the
Centre of things) This 1s something that some of you have probably experienced in the
classroom or playground. If you are not like most people in your class, that is, if your
taste in music or films is different, if your accent marks you out from others, if you are
less chatty than others in your class, if you don’t play the same sport that many of
your classmates like, if you dress differently, the chances are that you will not be
considered to be ‘in’ by your peers. So, often, you end up feeling that you are.‘not with
it’ — as if what you say, feel and think and how you act are not quite right or acceptable
to others.
As in the classroom, (in the social environ tae, groups of people or communities
may have the experience of being excluded, Their marginatisation can be because they
speak a different language, follow differgnt customs or belong to a different religious
group trom the maj munity, jay also feel marginali
poor, considered to be of Tow’ social status and viewed as being less human than
others.) Rometimes, marginalised groups exe viewed with hostility and fear. This sense
of difference and exclusion leads to communities not havipg access to resources and
opportunities and in their inability to assert their rant tThey experience a sense of
disadvantage and powerlessness is-a-vis more powerful and dominant,sectjons of
society who own land, are wealthy, 6: tter fed-and political J. Thus,
marginalisation Is seldo experienced in one spher€Xtconomic, social, cultural_and
political factors work together to make certain groups in society feel marginalised.)
In this chapter, you will read about two communities that are considered to be socially
marginalised in India today.
Scanned with CamScanneryowisst vend about howe Dadu was forced he
Ju’: ve his, village Explain at least three different
Movies: Dacl’s ston
similar 0 the lives of millions of teasons why groups ma
ivasis in India, You will read: more marginalised.
Ml about the
mt jnalisation of this community in this chapter, Why was Dadu forced to leave
his village in Orissa?
oe
\fho are Adivasis?
co
Sinai = the term literally means ‘original inhabitants’
close association with forests) Around & per cent of
opulation is Adivasi) and many of India's most
important mining and industrial centres are located in
Adivasi areas — Jamshedpur, Rourkela, Bokaro and Bhilaly.
among, others. (adffasis_are_not_a_homogenco
there are over 500 different Adivasi groups in
livasis are particularly numerous in_states Ti
Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya,Pradesh, Orissa,
Bengal and in the north-eastern states of Arunachal
Pradesh_Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland
and Tripura. A state like Orissa is home to mfore than 60
different tribal groups. Adivasi societies are also "nay
distinctive because there is often very little hierafehe
among them. This makes them radically different from.
communities organised around principles of jati-rarma OA) A832 ay)
(cjste) or those that were ruled by kings. Baier
phe bv wy %
Adivasis practise a range of tribal religions that are different 1 Your own city or village, wito
from Islam, induisen, and Christianity. These offen invoWe would you think are the
marginalised groups? Discuss.
denon
associated with and residing in various si be Can you name some Adivasi
~ ‘mountain-spiits, ‘riverspinits' ‘animal-spirts, e®(The. communities that live in your
. 7 state?
illaye spirits are often worshipped at specific sacred groves ©
within the village) boundary while the angegiral ones are What languages do they
usually worshipped at home. Additional {divasis have $P¢@K?
ways been influenced by different surrounding religions Do they live close to the
like Shakta, Buddhist, Vaishnav, Bhakti and Christianity) forest?
Simultaneously, Adivasi religions themselves have 9 they migrate to other
influenced dominant religions of the empires aroui regions looking for work?
EIS Chanter 7: Undorstanding Marginaksation
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toy esample the Jagannath cull of Cis al Sha ay
i sin Bengal and! Sevan During the
Tnnetvenih century, subsahfial nunbers of Adiyys.
converted to Christianity, which hay emerged ay
important religion in modern Adivasi history,
@Dadivasis have their awn languages (most of thea radicaly
Uifferent from and possibly as old as Sanskrit), whieh
Lhe formation of vainstveat fadan
i. Santhall has the largest number of
yblications including
Pantie traititie
a
alten deeply influence
i
Speakers and Th
nAMAKes, Hike Henyy
significant be
imagavines on the internet or in
and Stereotyping
Adivas
‘The above two images of tribal conmminities in OD
‘Their traditional castumes iS . he
ronmasneenmae a oY [Tne Tidia we usually ‘showease’ Adivasi communities jn
‘eoresented, Ths then ads us to think of them particular ways, “Pramdveag sehootfunettonsomother
2 beng ‘note’ and achward . | Adivasis
invariably portrayed in very stereotypical ways — in
colourful costumes, headgear and through their dancing?
Besides this, we seem 10 know very litde about the realities
of their lives. This often wroniplvpleads to people
that they are GONE, “primitive and backward) Often
Adivasis are Blamed for their lack of advancement as they
are believed t© be ressrant 10 change or new ideas, You
will remember that you fread in Class VI book how
stereotyping particular communities can lead to people
discriminating against such groups,
Adivasis and Development
¢
As you have already read in your history textbook, forests
were absolutely erucial to the development of all empires
and settled civilisations in India. Metal ores like iron and
copper, and gold and silver, coal and diamonds, invaluable
timber, most medicinal herbs and anima
Jac, honey) and animals themselves (cleph
of imperial armies), all came from the forests, In addition,
the continuation of life depended heavily on forests, that
help recharye many of India’s rivers and, as is becoming
clearer now, crucial to the availability andl quality of out
“products (wax,
ts, the mainstay
Social and Polttical Lite
==
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we meateaieae
and water. Forests covered the mijgnpart of ourenunat tant
he nineteenth century and the prese
c well as controlover most of thew ota i
at least oll the middle of the nineteenth century. ee
a wep 06. Usha shan athe Aditya sis wo
} Arermnnslned So
hoe.
1B nat lr Cpen series
meta mportant
nedag India? Why
edo they come fr
divas pe un
Fe meant that Tgyere not ruled by lage sates and therer
pires. Instead, (én empires heavily depended on list five products that you ws
\divasis for the crucial access to Torest resources ft home Hal come from
This s radically contrary to our image of Adivasis By ReWPREE RES Fale
comewhat marginal and powerless communities inoue demands being made on forest
colonial world, they were traditionally ranged hunter- land?
jerers and nomads and Tved Tye shifting nd, Whvmibeh tor: constriction a
iho caleivanne im Although these remain, for” howes and eulery
ist 200 yearq Siwasis Task. been increasingly Forced — forest tant ter minim
though economie changes, forest policies and political» forest tad cr
fue apphed by the State and private industry — to migrate hon-erdba pou
ves as workers in plantations) at construction sites, iN. geserye wy ent 2s
dustries and as domestic workers. For the first time in wildi
sony they do nor conteol or have much direct 2€€55 £4 ys ye ual si, alexe
the
orest territories.
From the 1830s onwards, Adivasis from Jharkhand and
adjoining areas moved in very large numbers to various
slantations in India and the world - Mauritius, the
Caribbean and even Australia. India's tea industry
became possible with their labour in Assam. Today, there
‘are 70 lakh Adivasis in Assam alone. The story of this
migration is full of extreme hardship, torture, heartbreak
and death, For example, in the nineteenth century alone
five lakh Adivasis had perished in these migrations, The
song below captures the hopes of the migrants and the
reality they faced in Assam.
Come Mini, let's go to Assam
Our country has so much suffering
The country of Assam, oh Mini
Hos tea gardens full of greenery.
The Sardar says work, work }
The Babu says catch and bring. them in
The Saheb says I'll take off the skin af your back at
Hey Jaduram, you deceived us by sending us to Assom .
se. }
Source: as, S Jnr Movement Etc and Gta of Slence is tr
tribal people?
What do you think this poem
Ying to convey?
=}) Chapter 7: Understanding Marginalisation
—
Scanned with CamScanner‘This is photo oF Nip I ocate in
Kalahanddtrict of issn. Ths eon it
intabited by longa Kons, an Aras
‘commity Nam the acre! muti of
ths eremurnty A major anni comany iS
Blannng to set up a mine and» vofnery Here
‘which wil displace this Adivasi community.
They have strongly resisted this proposed
evelopment and have been jon by
fevironmontaists as wel ® case npainst the
{company is alsa pending inthe Supreme Court
@ Forest lands have been cleared for timber and to get land
Adivasis use around 10,000
plant species - approximately
8,000 species are used for
medicinal purposes; 325 are
used as pesticides; 425 a5
gums, resins and dyes; 550 as
fibres; 3,500 are edible. This
entire knowledge system gets
wiped out when Adivasis lose
thelr rights over forest lands.
wees Social and Political Life
TESTE and Tndhustey) Adivasis have also lived in
Saas that are rich in minerals and other natural resources,
‘These are taken over for mining ang orber Jana
rojeets. Powerful forces have often colldded to take-over
tribal land, Much of the time, the land 1s taken away
forcefully and pregsdlures are not followed. According to
official figures, FE tan 50 per cent of persons displaced
due to mines and mining projectsyre fribals, Another recent
survey report by organisations working among Adivasis
shows that 79 per cent of the persons displaced from the
states of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and
Jharkhand are tribals. Huge tracts of their lands have also
gone under the waters of hundreds of dams that have been
built in independent India. In the North east, their lands
remain highly militarised and war-torn. India has 54
national parks and 372 wildlife sanctuaries covering 1,09,652
sq km. These are areas where tribals originally lived but
were evicted from, When they continue to stay in these
forests, they are rermed encroachers.
Losing their lands and access to the forest means that tribals
rrr
Jose their main sources of livelihood and food. Having
ee man sources of tivelihood and food.
gradually lost access to their traditional homelands, manv
Adivasis have migrated to cities in search of work where
they are employed for very low wages)in local industries
or at building or construction sitgs(They, dems, get caught
a Ses, Bet cage
Scanned with CamScannerty dbed
overty and deprivation) 4§ percent of tribal
- and 35 per cent in urban areas live
ia
oi
op "4
me the poverty Tine. This leads to deprivation in other
60" Many tribal children ate malnourished, Literacy rates
7 cy Fates
ee tribals are also very low.
ne .
junen Adivasis are displaced from their
hy more than a source of income. (fies:
“aons and customs — a way of living Medston