India is democratic country and around 104 million people among all over the India are tribal people. In the near future, we will have reached at first position for having highest population in the world. Unfortunately, tribal communities who have been marginalized constantly by the government as well as other citizens of India, face lots of trouble. Arundhati Roy's book 'Walking With The Comrades' depicts heart wrenching reality of Tribal people of Chattisgarh who known as Maoist. They are living in forest and fighting against Government. Poverty, illiteracy, malnutrition, caste and gender discrimination are mainly reflected all over. Even so, there remains a basic faith and pride, among Indians in the warming narrative of “the world’s largest democracy” and its institutions.
" In Dantewada police wear plain clothes and the rebels wear uniforms. The prisoners are free. Women who have been raped are in police custody. The rapist give speeches in the bazar. Across the Indravati river, in the area controlled by the Maoist, is the place the police call Pakistan. "
Arundhati Roy has attacked both the country’s religious right wing and the barons of big business, and excoriated the Indian state’s political, economic and military policy. We had studied 'God of the small thing'. Walking With The Comrades is her non-fictional book. It is kind of travelogue in which she showed a reality of Maoist people. It is a battle over power, land, ideology, mineral riches, rights, ecology — a battle, as Roy sees it,“for the soul of India.”
The thickly wooded states of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand in central India are home to millions of indigenous tribal peoples. They are neglected by the Indian state because of their inaccessibility and marginality, these areas gradually became the sylvan redoubt of a band of left-wing revolutionaries.( Anti-national ) It's quite impressive that for decades, the Maoists have virtually run a parallel government in these regions.
The tribals live atop lucrative resources: massive deposits of iron, bauxite and other minerals meaningless to them but coveted by mining companies. In the deep jungle they have great minerals, resources and many more. We can connect this with movie "Pushpa". In that movie tribal people joined the activities of cutting Chandan trees and in this people sold tendu leaves for beedis. In reality, 'in exchange for right to vote it snatched away their right to livelihood and dignity.' likewise we have many examples in and around us as 'Narmada bachao aandolan.'
The thing is that if this tribal people moved away than only government can eastablished factories, plant, refineries etc. For that they signed hundreds of MoUs. On the one hand government gives training to the police officer for dealing with Naxlism. Irony is that this people is Indian tribal communities. Reality of CSR along with numerical facts provided in the book. Bauxite factories under the name of hospital is run by CSR. Not only that they were used school and girl's hostel for that.
Salwa Judum (actual corrupt one) is led by Mahendra Karma, a congress MLA and government of Chattisgarh. It was also named as purification hunt and ground clearing operation. Their primary goal was to send people outside so that tribals could be policed and controlled. In the statement of BJP's Raman Singh told that villagers who did not move into campus would be considered as Maoist. Government announced that which village agree to move will be called Jagrit and other will be Naxalite. More than 60,000 people moved to the camp some voluntarily others out of terror. Members of it attacked village activists.
Along with talking she entered in the jungle and get to know that in Dantewada everyone has many names. (Due to their works) "How lovely not to be stuck with yourself, to become someone else for while."
One of the policeman said," The problem with these tribals is they don't understand greed." What an irony,she used sarcastic language throughout the book. Roy depicted the struggle of her journey to reach at her destination vividly. Chandu one of the comrade said, " There are no teachers in any of school. Why should teachers come here, when they get their salaries sitting at home?"
Moreover ,Tribals only protect their villagers from the police and Salwa Judum. Most of them has price on their head. ' Left wing extremism' thats what mainstream government told them. Apart from that Roy also ate ant chutney that was quite strange.
1. Krantikari Adivasi Mahila Sangathana2. People's War Group, a faction of CPI
They started Campion named ' Land to tiller.' They supported in paper mill contract. Landlords and Forest department was biggest exploiters of them. As mentioned in Josheph Conrad's novel Heart of Darkness company's man. Landlords and Mukhiyas especially loose their power due to party's influence. One of the landlord started Campion of Jan Jagran Abhiyan was actually haunting party. Plants of Tata and steel plant assigned by the government. Like in Heart of Darkness company came for ivory trading. They camped so many places but effectively remove all the evidence of it. (Gandhiyans)
Furthermore,Dandakaranya was also known as Gondwana. Baba Amte, Ramakrishna mission and Gaytri samaj had played crucial role in development of this communities. Those people who did not come forward to join Hindu fold were declared as Katwas means untouchables. Rumours spread by the police make them scared of their own members. The government offers them job as SPO and those who joined it, have to wag war against their own people. For sake of money they got this job. They offered 1500 rupees per month. They become worst victims of propaganda.
However, People would be beaten, arrested, humiliated, their crops destroyed. Most probably they are subalturn as theory of Gaytri Spivak and they can not speak. National park was decided to construct but somehow they manage to resist against them.
Jantan sarkar was one of best example of administration. It has nine departments. Krishi, vyapar udhyog, arthik, nyay, raksha, hospital, Jan sampark, school-riti rivaj and jungle. "Maoist are not the only ones who seek to depose the Indian state. It's already been deposed by Hindu fundamentalism and economic totalitarianism."
#Operation green haunt :
Policy : ' Winning hearts and minds' Projects of Tata and Essar steel had been begun without permission of villagers. Going to the village is the military operation.
Women struggles within party, to show equity between men and women. Establishment of Adivasi Mahila Sangathana, which is one of the largest women's organisation. The campaign against the forceful marrige, abduction, bigamy, domestic violence and custom of making menstruating women live outside the village. Party become way of escaping the suffocation of their own society. There was wrost condition of women and total injustice with them which arises in many incidents of books.
# Celebration of Bhumkal :
Bhumkal means earthquake. People used to walk miles for this celebration and get together at one place. Culture of them very well is depicted here. In the Bhumkal they perform a play about their uprising. " One day looter will learn, one day Truth will prevail." This signals their define towards a civilization that seeks to annihilate them.
Doctor was also their. He revealed that most of them have HB problem, TB, malnutrition grade ll, malaria and many more. This is merciful. There are no clinics. Chemist have instructions not to let people buy extra medicine. Comrade Niti is very famous among them because she is an adivasi woman who is loved in the village and the real inspiration.
"Only by waging class struggle the battle of annihilation the new man will be created, the new man who will defy death and will be free from all thoughts of self-interest."
Additionally, One of them captured all the small things related to camps in his video camera. On the wrost, it want published anywhere. Most of their members used to watch their own videos of victories rather than movies. Numerous examples included Gai Yojna and may other news which changed by journalist reflecting another side of journalism. There would be fake encounters by police. ' The more they kill, the more they rewarded.'
The issues of equity, class and injustice within tribal society reflects in it. They all had dream of revolution. We must be attentive to their needs. Idea of protected war along with this quote " Whom war has Benn waged against ? Muslims, Christian, Shikh, Communist, Tribal, and most of all poor, Dalit, who dare to question their lot instead of accepting the crumbs that are flung at time." Government must have to look upon their hunger and sickness. They are not waging war but they only resisting against the war.
It is really productive time to read this book and getting the reality of Maoist people.
" People who live with their dreams, while the rest of the world lives with its nightmare."
Thank you.
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