Jharkhand¿s oppressed dalits
and the media
By Ramdev Bandhu
For hundreds of years the dalits have
been living with adivasis in Jharkhand. Many dalit castes are offshoots of
original adivasi castes. In many ways the dalits of this region are more
exploited, disgraced and condemned than the adivasis. But whereas the media
constantly focuses on the latter, they give precious little attention to the former.
Their significant role in the
freedom struggle cannot be denied. They fought against the British along with
upper caste feudal lords. Reality is that dalits were not direct slaves of the
British they were slaves of the feudal lords and feudal lords were slaves of
the British, so that is to say that dalits were slave of slaves. And still they
sacrificed themselves in the freedom struggle. But their sacrifice in the
freedom struggle was not even recorded in writing by either scholars or journalists.
We have also done a study on "Contribution of Jharkhand¿s dalits in the
freedom struggle" which remains unpublished. After independence also more
or less feudal, semi-feudal, exploitation and oppression is continued.
Chatra and Palamu are two such districts here where
maximum feudal exploitation existed. The dalit population is also more in these
districts. In Chatra the dalit population is about 32 percent and in Palamu
it¿s about 26 percent. Feudal tyranny has made their life hell. Along with unpaid
jobs and bonded labour, sexual harassment of women was prevalent. Wherever
dalits were, they were exploited and today extremism is rising out of that
exploitation. Those who have been exploited have taken up arms for their
freedom. It¿s their compulsion they have no other choice. Government and
administration have not been able to free them from oppression and
exploitation.
When Jharkhand¿s struggle for separate state from
Bihar was in progress dalits saw opportunity for their own freedom in the
emergence of a separate state. The adivasi revolutionary heroes waged a
struggle for the separate Jharkhand state and dalits gave their full support to
it. Separate state here was the ambition, hope and expectation of the adivasis,
dalits and other oppressive groups. But in only one and half or two years all
the expectations and hopes from the newly created Jharkhand state have died.
The dalits have been left completely aghast.
Where do dalits go now? What do they do? Firstly they
sacrificed themselves for independence of the country and secondly they saw
their future in a separate Jharkhand state, but they got nothing. For freedom
some people chose to become leftist or extreme leftist and some chose religion
of Christianity, Islam and Buddhism but it did not bring any specific results.
Dalits of this place are in some particular transgression situation. Neither
print media nor the electronic media is ready to raise these questions. Media
is anti dalits. There is not a single dalit staff reporter in newspapers, which
are published from Jharkhand. Most journalists are non-Jharkhandi. They have
not been introduced to the basic feeling of Jharkhand. In govt and
administration participation of dalit¿s is much less.
Dalits have also suffered quite a loss from past 10 years
with the continuing liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation processes
in our country. Employment is almost finished. Education is getting costlier.
Studies in government schools are not very good. Some school don¿t even have
teachers. Necessary health facilities are also not available. Dalit is a hard
working community. They have the art, skill and expertise. But their skill and
art was never recognised as art and neither their labour was respected.
In this age of globalisation dalit has reached on the edge of complete destruction. He is forced to migrate to other places with family also for earning livelihoods. Government development