Every year on 15 November, India observes Janjatiya Gaurav Divas to honour the contribution of tribal communities to the freedom struggle and the nation. The date is the birth anniversary of Birsa Munda, the young tribal leader known as Dharti Aaba, or Father of the Earth. Here is his story.
Early life
Birsa Munda was born on 15 November 1875 in Ulihatu village, in present day Khunti district of Jharkhand. He belonged to the Munda tribe. He studied for some time at a mission school in Chaibasa and grew up seeing how tribal families were losing their land.
Why tribals were angry
Under British rule, the traditional land system of the Mundas, called khuntkatti, was breaking down. Outside landlords, moneylenders and contractors took control of tribal land, and forced labour, called begari, was common. Tribal families fell into debt and poverty.
The Ulgulan
Birsa began as a religious reformer. He asked his followers to give up liquor and superstition and to unite. Large numbers began to follow him. He then led a movement against the British and the landlords that came to be known as the Ulgulan, meaning the Great Tumult, in 1899 and 1900. His call was for tribal self rule, often remembered as Abua Raj, or our own rule.
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Arrest and death
The British crushed the uprising. Birsa was arrested in early 1900 and died in Ranchi jail on 9 June 1900, at the age of just 24.
Impact
The uprising forced the colonial government to act. The Chotanagpur Tenancy Act of 1908 restricted the transfer of tribal land to non tribals. This law is still important in Jharkhand today.
Janjatiya Gaurav Divas
In November 2021, the Union Cabinet declared 15 November as Janjatiya Gaurav Divas. The government also marked the 150th birth anniversary year of Birsa Munda from 15 November 2024 with a year of events called Janjatiya Gaurav Varsh.
Jharkhand Foundation Day
The state of Jharkhand was created on 15 November 2000, on Birsa Munda’s birth anniversary. Ranchi’s airport and many institutions are named after him, and his portrait hangs in the Central Hall of Parliament.
Other tribal heroes
The day also remembers leaders such as Tilka Manjhi, Sidho and Kanho Murmu of the Santhal Hul, Rani Gaidinliu and Alluri Sitarama Raju.
Bottom line
Birsa Munda’s short life left a long legacy. Janjatiya Gaurav Divas keeps alive the memory of tribal courage and the fight for land and dignity.
Source / स्रोत: Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Press Information Bureau, Government of Jharkhand
