There
was once a very ugly girl belonging to the KuttiaKond tribe in Odisha. No one
was willing to marry her. She did her best to get a husband but no one wanted
her. In despair she went to the Creator and begged to be allowed to die, and to
return in her next birth as something which all men would love. He granted her
request and after her death caused a tobacco plant to grow out of her despised
body. And so the girl whom nobody wanted is now the desire of the entire world.
This
and so many more anecdotes deep rooted in the tribal civilizations of India, in
cultures covered in a blanket of myths and uncertainties, would have been long
forgotten if not for one man. Verrier Elwin came to India in 1927 as a
missionary in Christ SevaSangh. Rather than choosing a secured life at Oxford,
Elwin allied with Mahatma Gandhi and in 1932, with his lifelong companion Mr.
ShamraoHiwale chose to live and work among hill tribes of central India.
Verrier
Elwin has more than 19 books written on the life and culture of tribals
scattered all across India. From the plateau of Chhattisgad to the hills of the
North East Frontier and from the Maikal Hills of the Gonds, Baigas, Agarias,
Dhobas, Pardhans and Bharias to the far stretched Niyamgirimountains of the
KuttiaKonds, the Bison – Horn Marias, Murias& the Bondos. The Oxford University Press has done an
amazing job of compiling the best essays from these books and has published a
memoir of this great “Philanthropologist”
The
Elwins were Christian Missionaries. While the father had gone to Africa for the
spreading the religion, Verrier finished his studies at Oxford and joined as a
lecturer there. The first extract of the book is taken from “The Leaves from
the Jungle” and provides an account of the factors that led Elwin to leave
Oxford and choose his vocation for life.
“I was filled with a desire to do something to make reparations for what
my country and my class had done to India” he says.
What
follows is what India should be in constant debt to this guy. “The Tribal World
of Verrier Elwin” so immaculately describes the life, the traditions and the
cultures of the various tribes of Central India. What is astounding to read is
that how one man’s quest to discover Man as human being, whatever his color or
creed be has led to unveiling before the world the great civilizations of
India’s tribal communities. Labeled as Criminals by the Company Governments
Tribes Act of 1871, the indigenous people were already a forgotten issue in the
Indian politics and Society. Under the influence of Mahatma Gandhi and guidance
by Jamnalal Bajaj and ThakkarBappa, Elwin single handedly carried out the
seemingly impossible task of gaining back the sympathy and respectability for
the tribes with unparalleled dedication. The extract seeps through the numerous
unique traditions of various tribes of Central India, focuses on their dances
and songs and is filled with beautiful illustrations of the tribal ornaments,
weapons and drapery.
“The
Murias and their Ghotul” is undoubtedly the best
chapter in the book. It describes the socio-political and economical
organization in the Murias tracing the origins of Phratry (divisions)
and the clans. It is both fascinating and intriguing to read about the various
versions of a single story about the God Lingo that varies in every Phratry
and clan also. Elwin seamlessly describes the origins and stories relating to
the specific Totems of the clans as well. Elwin writes about An Evening
he spent in a MuriaGhotul to witness the remarkable customs of the chelik
(eligible boy) and motiari (eligible girl) of the akomama clans.
The routine of singing, dancing, playing, story-telling is followed by the
intimate combing and massage of the chelik by the motiari. The
details with which Elwin has pointed out the differences in this custom and the
Ghotul rules in various clans is both a indicator of his keen
observation and his deep empathy for the indigenous people. Interesting further
are his descriptions of the Belosa, Siledar, Kotwar and the Sirdarwho
run and maintain the machinery of the Ghotul.
Chapter
on “Maria Murder and Suicide” tries to focus on the handling of clan
rule breaches and delivery of justice. The Murias being strict in the
maintaining the order in the clan and the Ghotul, breaching the rules
would in most cases led to capital punishment. Even laziness and slackness were
very severely regarded. The bully as well as the coward were equally disliked.
“The
Religion of an Indian Tribe” describes aptly the religious
and spiritual system of the tribes. The Buyya is the priest, the Kuranmaran
is the shaman or the medicine man, the Idaimaran is the assistant
to the shaman while the Siggamaran looks after the funerals. Elwin not
only traces the origin of these complex words but also describes in apt details
with examples and illustrations the complexities of Death rituals and concepts
of life after death in various clans.
“The
Folk Songs” and “The Myths” of tribals
offer a collection of various songs and anecdotes. The book in the end has
chapters on the life of tribals in the scenic North East Frontier where Elwin
finally settled. It is mesmerizing to see how one man can overcome caste,
religion, culture, color and achieve so much.
Elwin
makes us realize that every Man deserves respect and credibility. At a time
when it was or in some cases still now when it is considered unusual and
retrograde to go and work lest live among tribals, Elwin opines so correctly “It
was far more eccentric to live in the noise, the dirt and disturbance of town,
to waste one’s time in clubs, courts or golf course. To go to a village to find
a cause that is worth living for, to escape from the infantile gossip and the
tedious recreations of civilization may be unusual, but I do not think there is
anything especially eccentric about it.”
Elwin’s
humanitarian attitude, his strong philosophical backing and his Gandhian
outlook coupled with the most beautiful combination of Romanticism and
Modernism in his writings makes the book a must read for all and especially
those who are willing to try and contribute what they can for the Tribals.
Sometimes
people wrote about the sacrifice I made in going into tribal India. But that is
certainly not a virtue I can claim. What sacrifice could there possibly be in
living in the beauty of the Saora hills or in the heart warming atmosphere of
Patangarh? There has never been a moment of sacrifice in my life; for
everything I have given I have been repaid tenfold – Verrier Elwin
HrishikeshMunshi
(NIRMAN 6),
(वैभव आगवणे (निर्माण२) याने वेरियर एल्विन यांच्याच Leaves
from the jungle: Life in a Gond village या पुस्तकाचा करून दिलेला परिचय इथे वाचा- http://simollanghan.blogspot.in/2012/12/blog-post_4.html )
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