Explained: Who Was Birsa Munda And Why Do We Commemorate Janjatiya Gaurav Divas

The Union Cabinet approved the declaration of November 15 as, "Janjatiya Gaurav Divas" earlier this week as part of the year-long commemoration of 75 years of independence to honour the contributions of tribal freedom fighters.

Anurag Thakur, Minister of Information and Broadcasting, announced the decision, saying the date was chosen because it was the birth anniversary of Birsa Munda, a tribal freedom fighter revered as "bhagwan" by tribal communities. The festivities would begin on November 15, with events, including cultural activities, continuing until November 22.

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Every year from now, November 15 will be observed as 'Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas' in honour of the tribal communities.

Several tribal clans, including the Santhals, Tamars, Kols, Bhils, Khasis, and Mizos, contributed to India's freedom struggle. The tribal groups' revolutionary actions and fights were defined by their enormous bravery and supreme sacrifice... "However, the general population is unaware of these tribal heroes," the official statement read.

It further added that programmes to highlight tribal achievements and government welfare measures for education, health, and livelihood had been planned this year.

The tribal affairs ministry has approved the establishment of ten tribal freedom fighters' museums across the country. In addition to highlighting Birsa Munda's life story, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a tribal freedom fighter museum in Ranchi and paid his tributes to Birsa Munda.

In a tweet, Modi also said that Munda always struggled to protect the rights of tribes and to give impetus to the fight for independence. His contribution to the country will always be memorable

Furthermore, Modi had announced the establishment of ten such tribal museums in the country during his Independence Day speech in 2016.

Arjun Munda, the Minister of Tribal Affairs, said that a slew of national and state-level events will be organised throughout the week till November 22 to raise awareness about the contribution of tribal freedom fighters.

"This will be the first time that large-scale tributes to tribal freedom fighters who have been unsung heroes of the liberation struggle till now will be organised," Munda remarked.

More than 85 pre-Independence tribal movements and over 200 tribal leaders have been identified, according to the minister, and their contributions are being collated.

Further Union Home Minister Amit Shah also urged the Chief Ministers to develop an action plan in their states to showcase and highlight the contribution of tribals to India¡¯s freedom struggle and also the development of their states.

Who was Birsa Munda?

Birsa Munda, a member of the Munda Tribe of the Chhota Nagpur Plateau, was an Indian freedom fighter, religious leader, and folk hero. His action is recognised as a powerful symbol of opposition to British authority in India. He was a driving force behind the Bengal Presidency's Millenarian movement (Present-day Jharkhand).

Birsa lived a brief (only 25 years) but brave life. His life story, filled with valiant efforts to combat injustice and oppression, represents a powerful voice of resistance to colonialism.

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He was born on November 15, 1875, in Ulihatu village, presently in the Khunti district of Jharkhand, and grew up in a tribal Munda family in abysmal poverty. He acquired his early schooling at Salga, where he was taught by Jaipal Nag.

Birsa was a close observer of the Sardari Larai movement in the region in the 1880s, which sought to restore tribal rights through nonviolent means such as petitioning the British government. These demands, however, were ignored by the harsh colonial authority.

The tribals were quickly demoted from landowners to labourers under the zamindari system, which resulted in Birsa taking up the cause of the Adivasis.

Birsa Munda went on to form Birsait, a new religion. The religion preached the belief in a single God and urged people to return to their old religious convictions. People began to refer to him as a cost-effective religious healer, a miracle worker, and a preacher.

People from Oraon and Munda became convinced Birsaites, and many began calling him 'Dharti Abba, meaning Father of the Earth.' He brought a fresh perspective to the religious realm.

Munda preached a strong anti-British feeling through his religion, mobilising thousands of tribal people to organise guerrilla armies to battle the British rule. In the states of Odisha, Bihar, West Bengal, and Madhya Pradesh, his clarion call challenging the Britishers is still remembered. The slogan was 'Raj setar Jana, Maharani raj tundu jana,' which translates to 'Let the Queen's Kingdom cease, and our kingdom begin.'

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Between 1886 and 1890 in Chaibasa, Birsa Munda participated in anti-missionary and anti-establishment actions, and founded a movement known as 'Ulgulan,' or 'The Great Tumult,' as his awareness of British atrocities developed. On March 3, 1900, he was arrested by British police and died in Ranchi on June 9 of that year. He was only 25 years old at the time.

The colonial administration passed the Chotanagpur Tenancy Act in 1908, eight years after his death, prohibiting the transfer of tribal land to non-tribals.

Creation of Jharkhand

On his birth anniversary, November 15, 2000, a century after his death, Jharkhand was created out of Bihar, and he is now fondly remembered as "Mr Jharkhand."

Birsa Munda Airport Ranchi, Birsa Institute of Technology Sindri, Birsa Munda Tribal University, Birsa Agricultural University, Birsa College Khunti, Birsa Munda Athletics Stadium, and even Birsa Munda Central Jail are all named after him in Jharkhand.

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He is the only tribal chief whose image hangs in Parliament's Central Hall. The Birsa Munda monument committee in Rourkela commissioned the image, which was unveiled by Speaker of the Lok Sabha Dr Balram Jakhar on October 16, 1989.

Ulgulan - Ek Kranti (2004) and Gandhi Se Pehle Gandhi (2008) are two Hindi films based on his life. Iqbal Durrani directed the latter, which was based on his novel of the same name.

The historical novel Aranyer Adhikar (Right to the Forest, 1977), by Ramon Magsaysay Award winner and activist Mahasweta Devi, for which she won the Sahitya Akademi Award for Bengali in 1979, is based on Munda's life and his uprising against the British Raj in the late nineteenth century. Birsa Munda Ki Jai, or Victory to Birsa Munda, is the war slogan of the Bihar regiment of the Indian Army.

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