The name of Birsa Munda is engraved in Indian history in Golden letters. He indeed was a visionary leader who could foresee much ahead of his time and led the mass of his backward clan to an uprising that shook up the base of British colonial administration that was ruling over the Indian subcontinent. He was a leader regarded as one of the pioneers of Indian Independence struggle and at the same time was a social reformer who stood against the exploitation against his Munda Tribe. To his people he became a religious leader as well upholding their original customary Tribal beliefs. In Mundari language their belief is termed as Sarna Dharam. Mundas regarded him and some still does so, as a prophet of their Sun God Singborga and refer to him as Birsa Bhagawan. In the days of Munda uprising he was revered as Dharti Aba(Father of the Earth),the progeny of God on earth. He being a folk Hero of his tribe, eulogies to him has become a part and parcel in Munda folklore.
Let us first discuss a little about Munda community. History is not very specific about their origin. The Munda language belongs to the Austroasiatic family and is believed to have made its footprints into India through the Odisha coast. It is widely believed that the Mundas have South East Asia-Pacific origin and have spread into present areas of Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha and Bihar which were dense forest in mostly hilly regions in those times. It is estimated that they first came to this area around 3500 BC. The claim is supported by the fact that some terms of Mundari language have made their way into Vedic texts that were compiled around 1500 BC. Mundas, along with other tribes like Santhals and Oraons inhabited the above mentioned states and areas. They had been happy with their tribal forest lifestyle of hunting and growing bare minimum grains and vegetables with their primitive agrarian system. They were fond of music and both men and women participated in various elaborate social gatherings singing and dancing to the tune set their indigenous percussion equipment’s. Each village or area had its chief who provided them leaderships in all spheres of life. They were the masters of their land and remained happy with their traditional tribal life.
For hundreds and thousands of years it went on that way. Things started changing with the advent of British Colonialism which was spreading all over the subcontinent. After the British crown took over the administration of India from British East India Company they have conquered all of India by then and was eying on these tribal jungles and hills because these areas were rich in minerals. The Mundas and other tribal people suddenly found that they have to pay levies on the jungle areas and adjacent pieces of plains where they grew their agricultural products. Some zaminders from nearby plains were allocated big chunks of land as per provision of Permanent settlement and they came with agricultural tools which yielded better output.
In quarter of a century, modernization trends of British Raj turned the almost nomadic hunting life of the Mundas into poor bonded labour lives under the land lease holders. These beneficiaries of the British powers have taken away all their happiness and joy of their traditional tribal life. Instead, Mundas now had to pay levies for forest lands used for hunting or agricultural land used for growing their necessary crops. With their age old agrarian tools their yield could not match the rentals to be paid and surplus for their requirement. With time more and more of them had to come and join the zaminders as their crop sharing labourers or go to nearby settlements to work in the mines which were being set up for exploring mineral rich land inhabited by these tribal people for ages. They became captives in their own land.
Birsa Munda was born in 1875 in a remote Munda settlement under present Ranchi district of Jharkhand. His childhood was no different from other children of his tribe born in the jungles of Singbhum, Manbhum, Chotonagpur or Chakradharpur. It was a tale of poverty and backwardness. There was no access to education, health facilities, hygiene or any basic amenities of life. But Birsa was a bright child: intelligent, strong, witty. His parents decided to shift to a better place to earn livelihood and live a better life. In 1886 Birsa found himself in Chaibasa, then a small township where the family had to embrace Christianity for Birsa to get admitted to school and his parents to be better placed. There were two denominations of Churches there, the German and the Roman Catholic. Birsa's family went to the German Church which was run by a scholarly priest John Hoffman. Mr Hoffman worked a lot on researching about Munda language, customs, culture and religion and a 15 volume encyclopaedia on Mundas by him was published posthumously.
While practising Christianity the family of Birsa Munda found that the Missionaries were interested in converting the tribals by alluring them with certain basic amenities of life but that could not change their fortune and fate. Moreover they observed that the German Mission and the Roman Catholics competed with each other in the rate at which one can overtake the other in religious conversions. There existed severe in fight between them and at times those were ugly. All the Missionaries were accomplices of the British colonialists and never spoke for the traditional basic rights of the tribals.
Disheartened by activities of the Mission they abandoned Christianity and returned to their original faith after five years of pursuing Christianity. By then leadership qualities of Birsa were evident. His intelligence slowly made him understand that his Munda people were exploited and they were turned into farmers on crop sharing basis or into bonded labourers working for the zaminders or mines from their free nomadic hunting life. Agitations were growing amongst tribals in the vast Munda belt against high payment of rentals on land and forest area, conversion to Christianity and denial of their traditional tribal rights. Birsa moved from place to place in search of an earning profession and meantime getting involved in the movement and agitations for protecting the rights of his people. He was almost twenty years of age by then but was matured enough to take up the leadership of the Munda people. He was handsome and was sought after by several females of his clan in which polygamy was not uncommon. But he preached monogamy, belief in one God, their Sun God Singborga and taught his people to unite to fight the injustice and maltreatment of the British colonial rule over them.
He preached that reign of the British Queen is going to be over and Munda Raj is replacing it. The message spread far and near. The Mundas took him as a prophet and followed his dictum. He was in the Dombari region in 1894/5 which became the headquarters of the Munda uprising demanding freedom from all sorts of oppression, injustice and violation of their rights. Birsaites (followers of Birsa Munda)started to multiply in numbers and even some other tribals and oppressed peasantry of nearby plains also joined them. The Christian missionaries considered Birsa to be a potential opponent to their interest of preaching Christianity and conversion and urged the British authorities to take action against him for anti government activities. The authorities complied and he was arrested and jailed for two years. After getting freed from his prison term he went underground and moved from place to place and settlements to settlements of Mundas in the forests and hills of Munda belt.
From his HQ in Dombari, Birsa went from place to place to organise his people for a Do or Die battle which in Mundari language translates to Ulgulaan. Their goal was to achieve no rentals on any land and remission of forest levies on their ancestral land so that they could live a free life as before, like their predecessors did for thousands of years. As Birsa has declared that he will lead the Munda people to victory and achieve Munda Raj in place of the British Raj. The Munda people rallied behind him and at some point of time the total number of his followers who were ready to fight behind him rose to 7000. They denounced the feudal system, conversion to Christianity and government laws imposing levies.
They finally struck on the Christmas day of 1899. They attacked 6 police stations in Singbhum and Ranchi. They attacked some Christian missions as well. Initially they achieved success. Munda people were overwhelmed. Patriotism reigned supreme. But the Colonial powers were quick in striking back. By January 1900 Birsa Munda was forced to retreat with his associates from Sailrakab Hills. His bows and arrows could not match the British guns. The administration declared a bounty on his head. There were traitors amongst his people as you find in many other people and their treacherous activity sell their people's interest. A similar incident led to Birsa Munda's arrest in February 1900 from Jamkopai Hills in Chakradharpur jungles.
A hurried trial was held in which 3 revolutionaries including Birsa got death sentence by hanging. Some others were sentenced to serve internment in Kalapani (the Andaman’s) for life. Many others got prison sentence for different terms. The administration could not even wait upto the time of his hanging. He was poisoned to death in jail on 9th June,1900. He has been recognised as a National Hero by Indians from all walks of life including the Indian Government. His struggle has been honoured as a part of Indian Independence Struggle. He is the only tribal leader whose photograph is displayed in Indian Rajya Sabha(Upper House of Parliament). After the Munda rebellion the British administration had a terrible shake up. They had to review their policies regarding the tribal people and in 1908 Chhotonagpur Tenancy Act was passed. This ensured non transferability of tribal land to non tribals.
Leading Bengali writer Mahashweta Devi has written award winning novels on the Heroism of Birsa Munda. Her books Aranyer Adhikaar and Chhotti Munda o tar teer had made both her and the Munda rebellion unforgettable. Chivalry of Birsa Munda has been portrayed beautifully in her writing. She fought for the tribal people's right all along.
Birsa has become a legendary figure amongst his tribe and his heroism has found an honourable place in folklore of his people and the states inhabited by Mundas. Besides, he became an Indian National Hero as a symbol of armed struggle against the British colonialists. Ranchi airport is named after him. There are several universities, institutes and stadiums all over India that carries his name. His statue is sported in many cities of India celebrating his chivalrous fight against British colonial oppression. Bihar Regiment's War Cry is "Birsa Munda ki jay."
We Salute thee Birsa for lighting the fire of desire to achieve freedom by armed struggle in the mind of people of our subcontinent. Many more came after you following the path shown by you and your predecessors.
The writer is a travel enthusiast and history buff.
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