Bleached Sun And No Shade

The peaceful Saharia tribe of the Kishenganj-Shahbad belt in Baran district are protesting against police atrocities which led to the death of a woman, Gulabo, of Mudiar village, on March 19. The local tehsildar had in an inebriated condition reportedly misbehaved with a woman and knocked down some tribals while driving his jeep. When the people protested, the tehsildar saw to it that they were taught a lesson. The police brutality which followed only compounded the tragedy of their situation. "Every human right is violated here and stories are legion of the exploitation of the bonded labourers in the region," says eminent economist Jean Dreze, who’s campaigning here for the ‘right to work’. This is one among the many sociological factors contributing to the low esteem within the tribal community and their mistrust of the schemes introduced from outside, he adds.

Indeed, like the Sahariyas the Bhils of Udaipur district (especially in the poverty-stricken Kotda block) were also surviving on boiled grass and leaves when the drought hit its peak last year. This year too, with their purchasing power so low that they can’t even buy pds rations at the reduced prices, their plight seems to be worse than ever.