ADIVASI CULTURE AND COMMUNAL POLITICS
 
What are some of the cultural practices of Adivasis that are connected with the protection of trees that we do not know? What role have communal groups played in manipulating this cultural history of Adivasis to their own benefit? Was the battle between Ravana and Ram the battle between the Forest Dweller and the City Dweller?  Isn't such a battle going on today too between the urban groups who think that those living in forests (who must be evicted !) are  lesser humans than those living in a so called urban "mainstream" "civilised"  world.

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Adivasi culture - an indirect forest preservation system
A manifestation of stewardship was the restrictions on cutting of 'sacred' species. While the banyan, peepal etc are protected throughout India, every tribal community has some species, which it considers essential for its survival. They take measures to protect these species by declaring them sacred.

In Orissa, for example, the tribals accord such a status to Sal, Mahua and in some cases (in Western Orissa) even to the mango tree. The Khond tribals of Kalahandi do not harm the Salap tree because it is believed that when the world was submerged in water and all people died except two children, the progenitors of the adivasi race, who survived on a hill, the salap gave them its juice and saved them from starvation....

....The Warli tribals celebrated the 'forest as the sustainer of life'; deified it as "hirva" (literally meaning green) and placed it at the center of the pantheon, to be worshipped as the entity that sustains all life, including theirs. At the other end of the spectrum is the modern understanding of forest as 'wilderness' bereft of human presence and activity, to be experienced and enjoyed as an esoteric act of leisure.

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ADIVASI CULTURE AND COMMUNAL POLITICS

A] The Politics of the term "Vanvasi"

1.. In the lexicon of Hindutva, the word adivasi has disappeared. The Sangh Parivar prefers to call them vanvasis (dwellers of forests or jungles). It is just a step away from calling them junglis (illiterate, uncouth and uncivilised). Thus the fall in the status of a people who take pride in calling themselves the adi (original) people of the land is at once apparent. This metamorphosis is the fallout of a deliberate policy of the Sangh to deny the tribals the status they deserve..........
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2.. The Sangh Parivar prefers to call them vanvasis (dwellers of forests). By not calling them as Adivasis, an attempt is made to reduce the Tribals to a people without a history. The shift from adi to van is a change from having a history to a spatially fixed location -- forests. …………..The reason why the Sangh denies Adivasis the status of the original dwellers is that it runs counter to their own Aryans history of a Vedic civilisation of the country, and who dare to be the original inhabitants of the land ........

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3.. “the Indian Government (any Indian Government) has always upheld the oneness of the Indian population, and rejected divisive concepts like “Aboriginal” as opposed to “Invader”.  The UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations in Geneva has been looking into the claim that the Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes of India are the indigenous population of India, for indeed, some tribal spokesmen have been pushing for recognition by the United Nations as “the original inhabitants of India”.......

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B] The story of Eklavya

        "Near the ashrama of Drona, where Arjuna and his brothers used to take lessons in various arts, there lived a small bright boy, shudra by caste (lower caste). His name was Eklavya. He had great desire to learn the art of archery from Dronacharya. But his mother had told him that as a shudra, Acharya Drona would not accept Eklavya as his disciple. It was futile to dream of such a privilege.

        But the boy was not be put off, his determination knew no bounds. Near his house, under a tree Eklavya installed a clay idol of Dronacharya that he worshiped as his Guru! Daily, morning and evening, Eklavya worshipped the idol and took Self-Lessons in the art of bow and arrow. Soon he acquired high knowledge in archery.

        One day, as it happened, Acharya Drona and Arjuna were passing near the hut of Eklavya. It was pleasant and peaceful afternoon and people were taking rest. But the tranquility and silence was broken by constant barking of a dog. Eklavya did not like this, and therefore, he shut the mouth of the dog with an arrow! Dronacharya and Arjuna were surprised to see the dog with his mouth sealed with an arrow!

        Naturally the curious Arjuna asked his Gurudev as to who could have done this delicate job. Even Dronacharya was amazed and knew the archer must be exceptionally skilled artist. They decided to trace this skillful fellow and reached the spot where Eklavya was practicing wonders with his bow and arrow in front of the clay image of Drona. It took no time for Dronacharya to understand the situation. He realized that Eklavya was superior to Arjuna in some respects. Dronacharya loved Arjuna very much and had declared him to be the best archer on the earth. Hence the Guru thought for awhile and came to a decision to remove Eklavya as a competitor to Arjuna.

        Dronacharya went to Eklavya and said, "O young man, who has taught you such wonderful skills in archery! Who is your Guru?"

        Seeing the Guru in front of him, the boy Eklavya was more that overjoyed and said, "Why, O Gurudev, this all is your grace! I worship you as my Guru. Look you are there in that image!"

        Dronacharya was pleased with the dedication of Eklavya, and said, "I bless you my son. But as is customary, won't you give me my fees - Guru-Dakshina!"

        [It is customary in India to give to the Guru whatever he demands as his fees - Guru-Dakshina for the knowledge the Guru has given to the disciple.]

        Eklavya was overwhelmed to see Dronacharya had accepted him as his disciple! Out he said, "O Honourable Teacher, whatever you ask, this humble disciple of yours will try his utmost to offer you as Guru-Dakshina! I am blessed."

            Guru Drona said, "O Eklavya, I am pleased with your respect for Guru. I want the thumb of your right hand as my fees- Guru-Dakshina."

Eklavya without a thought or without a protest cut his right thumb and placed at the feet of Dronacharya. Gods in the heaven silently praised the greatness of Eklavya's sacrifice. "
 
 
 
The Adivasis of India - A History of Discrimination, Conflict and Resistance
Eklavya, one of their archers was so skillful that the hero of the Aryans, Arjuna, could not stand before him. But they assaulted him, cutting his thumb and destroying his ability to fight - and then fashioned a story in which he accepted Drona as his Guru and surrendered his thumb as an offering to the master!

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C] Ravana and Ram: Forest life and culture versus urban life and culture.
 

Ravana and Ram : The conflict between the forest dweller and city dweller.
That there are so many retellings of the Ramayana need not surprise us because the Ramayana is a story of conflict between forest and city dwellers....

.....Non-tribals will naturally see these versions as subversions of the standardised epics though there is a theory that in historical terms many of the tribal myth-plots are pre-versions. So it is difficult to apportion cultural credit and say for certain who is subverting whose worldview. There is a marvelously humorous account of the creation of Ravana: he is an abandoned cripple who seeks to be made whole by Lord Siva. Forbidden to enter a particular room, he does precisely that, falls into a pool of nectar where he grows 10 heads and 18 arms.....

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Ramayana is a story of conflict between Adivasi culture versus Aryans culture.
Ravana was a very powerful hero of battles. He had only one mouth two hands and two legs. Aryan Pundits depicted him in a corrupt form to the society out of hate and contempt.

The real enemy of Aryans until then were the Indigenous people in this country and therefore they were called Rakshasas and Daityas. Ravana being in the Daityas race and Rakshasa Gana he was depicted to have 10 mouths.

.....Basically, Ravana was a worshiper of nature and used to hate the Aryans Rishis and deities killing their totems in yajnyas. Manu enjoins killing of animals in Yajnyas as Madhupark. It therefore follows that Ramayana is a story of conflict between Adivasi culture versus Aryans culture.

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