Today’s Maoists in the tribal districts of India were once the die-hard loyal supporters of Bhagwan Ram, Maharana Pratap, Chhatrapati Shivaji, Maharaja Ranjit Singh Prithviraj Chauhan, etc. They glorified Indian history with sincerity, honesty, patriotism, courage, and commitment to noble causes. They fought the foreign invaders and tyrants in the country till their last breath. Had there been no tribal, India would have lost its exotic art, culture, and traditions. Maharana Pratap would have perished in the forest. Chhatrapati Shivaji and Maharaja Ranjit Singh would not have regained their strength to fight back. Prithviraj Chauhan would not have beaten Mohammad Ghori 17 times without the tribal archers. The Banaras tribe of Tamil Nadu helped Bhagwan Ram to defeat the mighty king Ravana. In Tamil Nadu, Rama could organise an army of monkeys who were initially brave tribal warriors. There are 200 temples in Tamil Nadu dedicated to Bhagwan Ram—the Union Government channels tribal energy and intelligence to win medals in the Olympic games.
The Indian tribes still have the skill and wisdom to harness nature; they live happily and earn their livelihood by doing sustainable economic activities in the forest-fringed villages. Over the years, the BJP government has launched a gamut of development schemes for tribal development. Post Matric Scholarship Scheme for ST students, National Overseas Scholarship for ST students for studying abroad, National Fellowship and Scholarship for Higher Education of ST students, Scholarship for Higher Education (earlier known as Top Class Education For ST Students), Grants-in-aid to Voluntary Organisations Working for the welfare of STs, Strengthening Education among ST Girls in Low Literacy Districts, Development of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), Grants under Article 275 (1) of the Constitution of India, Special Central Assistance(SCA) to Tribal Sub-Scheme(TSS), Grants-in-aid to Tribal Research Institutes, Institutional Support for Development and Marketing of Tribal Products/Produce, Support to National/State Scheduled Tribe Finance and Development Corporations, Minor Forest Produce (MFP) through Minimum Support Price (MSP) and Mechanism of marketing of Development of Value Chain for MFP and Research Information & Mass Education, Tribal Festival and Others, etc.
BJP has won the recent assembly elections in the tribal heartland of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan with a thumping majority under the strong leadership of the Hon’ble Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, and due to the relentless hard work of the dedicated cadres of the Sangh Parivar. An effort to protect the tribal culture, traditions, and nature-based economic activities helped the BJP win in the tribal heartland. It is essential to document the creative skills and the micro-economic activities of the tribal in each district scientifically.
The tribal people, with their creativity, skills, and imagination, add incredibly high value to organic materials readily available in nature. Those products are in high demand both in the domestic and foreign markets. A five-inch Ganesh idol made by a Dhokra artisan of Odisha costs Rs 600 in the tribal village. The same idol is sold at Rs 6000 in a handicraft showroom in a big city. The tribal artisans of Bastar make exotic wood and iron crafts.
Similarly, the Bhil and Bhilara tribes of Jhabua and Dhar districts of Madhya Pradesh make export-quality ragged dolls. In each tribal district, there are one or two exclusive items. There is an urgent need to train educated tribal youth to market their products and pass on their share of the profit to the innocent artisans. The forest, green hills, rivers, and fountains inspire the tribal artisans to create bewitching artistry on natural bio-degradable material. Though the Chinese mass produce decorative items in factories, those items can’t match the handmade artistry made by the tribal artisans. This is the area where India can beat the Chinese. Each item made by the tribal artisan differs from the others and cannot be produced in any factory. It is essential to protect and preserve the skills and artistry of the artisans; the artistry is the USP of each handicraft product. The Maoist violence has destroyed many priceless handicraft traditions in the tribal districts. It is high time to restore the lost treasure in the tribal heartland.
The Indian tribes have the knowledge and skills to grow various native crops in a natural environment; they also know their nutritional and medicinal value. This is the main reason the tribal regions produce world-class athletes who can match the strength and stamina of the athletes of the developed countries. The Vanvasi Kalyan Ashrams of RSS has been working relentlessly with single-willed devotion to protect and preserve the tribal culture across the country. Their volunteers worked dedicatedly to save the tribal culture from external influence. Dedicated research on nature-driven sustainable tribal economy and documentation of tribal potential and traditional skills will allow Indian tribal people to prosper again.
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