THE ADIVAS! WILL NOT DANCE STORIES HANSDA SOWVENDRA SHEKHAR @n.85088.64.7 NN 97895 8528865. “Typeset in Ada non Pr by SORYA New Dei Prine Gopaons Papers Li Nie Alleigeeeo | Do profi plato maybe epee"Yes, Rha wat saying se has high blood presute once, Raghu is becoming a doctor. Area there iesomeone ro cae fr her. Whae Sar ou do,Ragh ta ding row ones own. You were always tore concerned with 1h lane in che backyard? ‘Ad chs the bickering went on. November Is the Month of Migrations J men, women and chien wall the hile and he frflong People making hi journey tonighs, She slong with her patents and one fer tw ser: Mosher vilage— inching her three brosees and ones slay le for Bard “Talamsiieche second ds and dhroe boys. Her nam Imagination, She isthe mide dangheer—Tale mide ra: ge. Talanas family is Christian. One woud haveofthe Railway Protection Force. bread pak fhe has signalled her «0 approach, andi fic of the guncha a il a which a dark cloud empeie than cen minus dhe work done‘The As Wil Not Dane the used condom away and wear hic Getting Even ®to her hip and she marched ali erage.boughs ofall map tres, To lands where che princess are fier than the aie of them al, and heroes rongee To the Inds of nine headed demons, wicked chiefiine ‘conniving stepmochers and conspiracy concocting witches, ‘Bid Fough in Cartoon Networks anoher five year-old demanded an explanation, and Baso‘hi found href srugglng for an answer. She de’ know what Cartoon Nerwork war. She never watched TV. came to her rescue, although real He led longtime 2g, cep pareofthe day-r-day fe Sarjomdih, which was, for abou sity years, another nondescript dot onamap of tha par ofthe Chhotanagpu area which snow formally known as che Pusbi Singh iret Sarjomaih where most ofthe populations Santa Copper Town speang up and which was now gradually ‘heatenig o swallow al of Sejm, aroma, wh the repercussions of development, the nationalzadon ‘ofthe min and the fctory, the opening up of two more quaeries, and the confiscation c for che building of roads ‘le television: twoovheces; + hand-pumpy winding tarmac that everyone cle hema oad snd Primary school Few peopl in Soma farmed anymore now Mort. ‘men—rome women a well—workedn the mines and he factory a cooie and res. Those freunate co have had anus The Adivasi WHEN Dense Soren-babu worked ina bank fe wa he who brought Basoshi to Sarjomth, without so much a a warning t0 Pushpa. "Who is she? I haven seen her before she asked tabu ido explain.’ di Se I broughe her here. you don tind. Pasha was annoyed: Bet shen she saw Basanti—her ‘a led sari and che huge bundle she held oer Pls, Pushpa rezone ache age, Basan would handy ho a ie her roa nd demand ash an jewelery “No, I don't mind’ Puspa sid ‘Bat she must bathe fee! “The fllowing dy, Basojhi ef herbed before anyone in the family and ewepe the entire house clean, She then veathed the clothes. Pushpa was amazed, “No, Bashi, Dox doll ha. I can manage she oli Basan "No babu. You sredy have so much odo min the babi of working This is alos aching” Basie replied, sling, Pash didt say another word afer chat. She was very pleated. Now, a she needed todo in che mornings ase w vaso gecup cake a hath, and cok breakfast, What mote Soren-babu and Pushpa had che ciiren, The dest cage, Sangia, was ago seven yeas and ewo boys, ‘wins Shyam and Gopal were two years younger than he ile Soren-habu was. a happy Ether his wife was 2 sl modher. Mott of het time ‘ofa maid. So, dhroughou the day, pooe Pushpa would be kept on her tes. Bashi Pasha found ababy-sicer, shouse-hepe, an, a vegetable chopper matl-rinder, 4 aback seubbes a scalp-masseuse a conse and a companion Soren-babu, who didee have immedi family fund a mother Sigur, ‘Sangita, Shyam and Gopal inducted a new menber in the gang. Basohi found afar, and fends ‘There was Maino Mardi he old woman living next oor. Bvery morning, shed epee across she hibieus hedge ino the Soren’ backyard where Basan siting on a machi pling poratoes and exting ladies finger, spinach aed drums leaves forkfhe’ fled pay crop, ven he. ageee—she didnt have to many chan jaya could ook, dean sew, sweep ook afer the Pj undo dco the Lats Bolywood and Banglaand fscons, marigld gals lea-bowsand michi-pataa shells thes were walking ove to the Sangie, Gopal and theie heade bowed dialogues, BucwhileBasanciand Maino used loud andlengy ‘ha sessions, Pushpa and Shani kp: chee cometationt shore and discreet Pushpa now began to make i 2 point ro get up at round the sae ime se Bas meant wakingm The dias Wil Net Dane ‘he enti: house witha hel slat lock, The cay chill wemred her, bur she had eo keep Basan ay the chen and thir thes sally quit. Gopal and Shyam Sangia was scolded for no ‘Wholl do ie for you? Basi? She's going co say here focever or what? Soren-babu saw, heard, perhaps even understood ‘veryting bu sid nothing Slence slithered all over the house ke ras ‘The murmuring began only when the children were aslep, but Bashi could hear i quite well. For many igh topes, Pushpa would jabber on and on like 4 ‘mania, and Soren-babu would yt quit her in ical, composed wie, (One nghe, the dam broke. As Soren-bab fly lst hispaiene che rubberband sapped once agin. andsteng Boshi. Soren-hbu screamed at Pushpa, ‘So whar do T do then? Te ‘Shei killed her own grandaon and, fr that hee sa had dlsowned ber: How could she expect strangers to acct she? She nly wae a witch Basso did't have many memories frm her childhood, ‘xceps the clout stories about magic and heroes she'd hea fiom her grandmother, and the cheeky song her ‘mother and aunts wed to sing at weddgs and festivals Chap thar was the name of he ilge bale ena ‘remember about that place meres lash een elds whece she'd spent her ene cldhood bering cate and gous remember het parents’ home, nor the way to ber vile, which, she remembered he lies saying, mes ‘omeherin Bengal She muse been ju fourteen when she was married so a frmer almost double her aye She ‘wet ashy, naive Santhal gi unichoolel and dlierace ‘who had never seen aca o bus, nor ha ever ventured outside Chap Her marriage changed he if. Her gro brought her to Salbani, his village, in a uain. The huge black cere locomotive had fascinated her. After crosing many new Places se got down at the ranay station and walked thee miles on the gravlled road chat rock her andl her ‘F000 along with ll his relative, co Selbar. But ale she ‘as anew bide, herhead covered with the nchuar athe ‘urmesi-dyedhandlom sa her eet edo che rou, She sw1 ‘Thea Wal No Dane rmoustache~thick. glossy an the days, men did aes. joe ined. ‘One night, Basan heard er mn calling otto herby "he name ony hee parent ase Bas, pt fom unde ‘Her cheeks fused and hs papitation roe a sons mo healthy boys jut ike eer father She would cary his food co pin clean gama, She would eary the hed andthe evo children would semper the mornings they would ply wich nes thle meeher would ental ats a Basan recived seteral propositions, mo deceased husband's muchemarried co from nowhere and began chiming his things ‘hei own. Bas knew hi ntentons and she wera refused. Sil her guilbiley made her lose much of thie farmland and was soon le only with a small ach ofl behind their a. Small bangle o ‘satis anymore and she'd las all ucination for sees and steam engines. Shealao gathered rend and sal eaves mshus Sosoms 1nd bamboo shoots, fo ‘Sarvival was the st ching in Basan’ mind and de ‘vied eveything—hunge, pore, scheming elates sndaal ‘The rity Sanchal widow proved hel single mother, and nurcueed hee aed noc one making them fe depried or desperate As the years passed, Basen’ sons grew bodied young men, buc completely nie ‘They kept buy oiling ther on machines and dplayed ‘ot hint of afecton oe 3 modicum of grate, Bechuw » and camer know that ee of hi reative ied ear Chape and that he should address Basan the kitchen docr ope. Basohi wast she sik Sot ek ad oence asin, Nirmal was gen frst choice. Without thinking o even looking a al the gis he «hose Tina. He dd noe lok in Soa dieton a al [Nanda chore Sona So I come o you asin’ Nand std co Sona ilng asheclimbed over bee both of chet naked. Sona smiled at hi, “Long cme, very long sine. I cae tll how much f ‘mised you! Nanda kisved Sond nipplen. ‘Gre me the samme grea fack’ He held er buttock and pottoned hee under his body. Sona complied. Ax Nand began pumping himself inside Son, he sid some more things. But Sona The Adivasi Will Not Dance “They pianedae to he ground. They didnot et me speak they dd nolee me potest, hey didnot even lt merase iy head anc look 3 ny flow musician and dances se they were bang besten up bythe poe, A could heat ok. They grabbed me, beat me co the ground, pur their hands on may mouth and gagged me.I fel 50 Illes and fois,in Amrapar block of farm anymore. Only for af oF has been acqued by « snatches away out ery dancing grounds Tell me, am 1 a Thad no expected hings to go so wrong thought I cd me peak no? Bute didae ‘Such a fool Tam! A foolith Santa. A foolth Adam “The As Wil Not Danse The Wit Nt Dane m many mine a pos and ig ou how his col co But what con we do? hey outnumber us. Vilage afer vilge in our Saha Pagana-—which should have been a ‘urn out land ups down, in ey machines They sell che stones hey mine fom oureath a faraway places—Dill, Noid, Panjab, This coal company ‘we need to sop drinking has, They foo wan 0 us forget our Sara religion, covers us nto Safi H. sel cheir numbers o become more valuable woebinks. For eduacon, our children ae at che mere of ether those free governmenc schools where teaches come only ook the midday mesl or those Kiistan miionary schools wh were not enough, Muslims barge ingo ear homes, leep ‘with ou women, and we Saha men canna do aching.slowed down by few deaths. They give money © family ofthe dea, de mate femsine unrepored Akivergoessco ee, erring anche lad for che company. ‘And we Santhals! Well we wai for when there is 0 ‘vty on the Kopla Rea Fr that is when all our men, women and chien come ou lap these Has Then, using nails fingers, hands, and ‘whaterer ols we can manage, we steal col. The drivers those potbellied sland. Only ou eyes burn ed hardly go t0 schol. But of Matsjore were share crop in the firms ap from nowhere and keds forsee, A poor they lookedas impoverished nee of Matisjne, Today ue row into 2 ola ofNot Dance ™ ins to Namal evry firming seston. They are excping id Fel you Iwas once now. The eldest says back ‘ther so migrate seasonally > Namal, along with thei 1 used eo compose song ance eoupe. Though i eno «rule one, had earlier, some fieen-cweny year ago, en Twas younger and ful of energy, enchusiasm and hope. Marion LU had singers heb in Deoghar, Jamar in Pana, in Ranchi, even in Kolkats and in Bhubaneshwar, where we were taken rose the se at Paibbe writen abou in che pape Althat as changed now. Fis ll he members of my Teoupe are now old, Some have even died: Many have migrated, or migrate seasonally. The ones who remain sage performance? even chey are ted, dssoned. and shields, whae di they give ua? Dik children goto school and cllepes, ge edvcation, We Sana can sing and nd we ae good at our at. Yet, what has out att quite good, People in my village say 1 sag ‘some of my ol compositions. Ie makes hem happy. Fail four dance, our songs ae sacred 0 us anger and porery has driven us to sell to us. When my boys performs at» Dik culeure the oni fsinging and dancing alone So how did 1 and up in font of the Presiden, you ask Some thee months ago, an oficial letter came to mygoverament of harkhand sought he plea of ny si performance ar some event the enti and ven of which come later and ha shoal gicher troupe wereall beaten up and thrown no pol lockups.who were depen fy troupe feed all ote who had come ro sek efige in ‘We needed money. And our current— the displacements taking place fn Godda newspapers and che TV afer afew days. ‘ould we singand dance wich sich a torm looming shesd? In berween, I recived phone cls from seu Ranchi and Dumka and Pakur- They working foe che show. They never forgot thar hi show was of he urs importance, that we were The Ads WAE Not Doce 1 singe pesformbeforesome very importan people Some ‘oficers rom Dumka and Paksr even came o Mato to tecif we were relly praising not When they saw hat swe were ely working hard they were happy. They smiled rkhand. The lant nas obese up for his own slsluck. We had peformed before min and goveen county! yout of Jharkhand. The Ad Pa We reece oll intimation of the event a week nea clothes ughing and chatting among thems very happy nth he progress the development The Santa moon. The Samal Pagans ‘was grinning widely. Paso ongs in Find were plying fiom the loudspeaker placed at all comers of che ld. Become servant in some ilonai' factory bu on land hac used o belong eo that very Adis uses week eter?he Adivasi Will Ne Dane Reporters with cameras swarmed allover che plac ‘Thee vane with huge dsc antennae on thee rook were acs and had sed green gumchas ‘Weallooked very good “The helicoperarvived had thud thud dha... The rotors swiled dust fom dhe playing Bld. The crowd was "The man who had been shouting rmahaan’ announced how fortunate the lnd of here. He die wat chat be gor co come co Jbaskhand—a place rich with mineral deposcs its earth nave population upon i and bunch ud, rey, hie ender, officers and businestnen who ran the state and controlled it end, people and