Tribals all over India struggle to keep their way of life alive
Moreover, land deeds given to them under the Forest Rights Act remain illusory. “Many Bondas got deeds last year but demarcation of land, giving them physical possession hasn’t begun,” says tribal researcher Paresh Rath.
The tribal development commissions have repeatedly called for a development approach built around demands made by the tribes. “But the economists hijack all the programmes, making them interventionary, unsympathetic. This deracinates the tribals and leaves them without any anchor,” says retired professor D.K. Bhattacharya. “It is because of this that many tribals today end up being sucked into the throes of the Maoists. I think the state shouldn’t confront them but run along with them and respect what they represent,” he adds. Exclusion of the word “primitive” used by the state to describe these tribes can be the first step. With its blatant denigrating overtone that relegates them to a “lesser evolved” status, the state’s interaction always ends up being top-down and not one between two equal partners.