P S S IIP W S (2022-23) : Olitical Cience EM Roject Inter Emester

POLITICAL SCIENCE SEM II PROJECT
WINTER SEMESTER
(2022-23)
NAME: SHAFIA RAHMAN
ID NO.: 222043
BATCH OF: 2022-27
SECTION: A
EMAIL ID: shafia222043@nujs.edu

CONTENTS
Introduction..........................................................................................................................................3
Tribal Movements of Chota Nagpur.....................................................................................................4
1. First Phase.................................................................................................................................5
2. Second Phase............................................................................................................................5
3. Third Phase................................................................................................................................5
4. Fourth Phase.............................................................................................................................6
5. Fifth Phase.................................................................................................................................6
The Naga Movement............................................................................................................................6
Gandhi and the Adivasis.......................................................................................................................7
Conclusion.............................................................................................................................................8
TRIBAL MOVEMENTS IN INDIA
Introduction
Political Science, as a discipline is invariably involved with in analysing everything there is
about of power, its contentions, challenges, rise and fall. So, social movements became a
familiar ground for it, studying and analysing which led it to the discovery of various new
theories, about what infiltrates the power structure, what changes the society and the
government, the laws and rights. Though, the importance of its study does have a shorter
history than most other disciplines. It was only in the mid-nineteenth century that the
harbingers of education and revolution began to notice and understand the role of masses in
bring societal changes.
Social movements are a complex phenomenon, involving factors and principles of
interdisciplinary nature, which makes it hard to analyse and study the very nature of it. This
led to the intellectuals dividing its whole into three separate parts, these include three very
broad categorical approaches, i.e., historical, psychological and sociological. The study of the
historical approach entails its life-cycle and career, mostly motivated by the question as to
how these social movements, started by a mass of people with largely common beliefs and
motives, get institutionalised as conventional structures. The psychological approach
assumes at its base that an individual’s aspirations and frustrations are what transforms into
motive for participation in these movements. This approach studies how an individual’s
wants and paucity become their symbol of expression. What psychology lacks is the capacity
to understand the social movements; it studies the behavioural traits of individuals and
certain groups within the organisation, but does little to understand the significant and
immediate causes of these people for joining the movements 1. Sociological approach, on the
other hand, does not deal with the beliefs and motives of crucial participants in the
undifferentiated masses to explain collective action; it rather calls for paramount attention
to be given to analysing the development of certain ideologies, its characteristics, how it
indulges the masses, and most of all, what conditions lead to people organising these
movements under the name of these ideologies that they put faith in. 2
This project deals with different Tribal Movements in India. It entails the motives behind
their genesis and reasons for their conclusion or downfall. It deals with all the three
forementioned approaches in order to explain the tribal movements.
The word ‘tribe’ in India is a solely administrative concept. It defines certain communities
scheduled as tribes by the Indian Constitution. Unlike the tribal societies of North-east India,
the Middle-east Indian tribal societies were central to the prevalence of colonial economy
and administration3. The growth of agriculture as a primary source of sustenance in the
1
R. Heberle, ‘Observations on the Sociology of Social Movements’, American Sociological Review, 14(3), (1949),
pp. 346-57.
2
Charles Tilly, ‘The Analysis of a Counter Revolution’, History and Theory, III (1), (1963-4), pp. 25, 31.
3
K.S. Singh, Tribal Movements in India, Vol. 2, (1983), ix.
Colonial period came about due to the interaction between the tribes and peasants who
moved into tribal areas. During these times, the tribals did not only faced threat to their
environment, culture and resources, which were earlier solely theirs, but also lost a large
part of these to new settlers and the Colonial Government 4. This was one of the root causes
which led to the Indian subcontinent witnessing a chain of tribal uprisings centred around
the crucial matter of land possession5. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) identified a
number of tribal movements in India and categorised them under four broad headings, they
are: (a) Movements for political autonomy, (ii) Agrarian and forest-based movements, (iii)
Sanskritisation processes, and (iv) Cultural movements based on script and language.
Tribal movements in India, alike any movement based on geography and lineage, is scattered
and diverse. Because of unique geographical location and a history like no other movements,
the Nort-east tribal movements stand in a category of their own 6. Since the tribes are in
overwhelming majority in the North-east, they have a secure social and economic system,
which is marked with characteristics of politics and secularism 7. Tribal groups in other parts
of India have not been so fortunate though. Their scattered presence marking their minority,
has made them vulnerable to exploitation, industrialisation and modernisation clubbed with
changes in the agrarian sector, making the conditions of these minority groups worse for
wear8. The social movements in this area are, therefore, largely marked by those related to
agrarian problems9.
Tribal Movements of Chota Nagpur

Chota Nagpur, for the better part of the history has remained one of the primal spots of
tribal groups, and has survived throughout the years without much decay. This area became
the centre of dynamic separatist movement due to a variety of reasons, which are: (i)
Relatively more advancement and growth in areas of literacy, political involvement and
industrialisation as compared to other tribal groups, (ii) they are relatively concentrated in
one part of geographical terrain and not scattered like the other groups, (iii) spread of
Christianity, which provided these tribes with a sense of identity, history and myth, and
introduced them to the idea of private lands along with encouraging education and health,
and a host of other reasons10.
The separatist movement in this area passed through multiple phases to give it a shape of a
social movement, which then transformed into a largely regional movement11.
1. First Phase
The first phase which started at the beginning of the nineteenth century saw the
development of reform inducing institutions, mainly along the denominational
4
K.S. Singh, Tribal Movements in India, Vol. 2, (1983), x.
5
6
7
8
9
10
K.S. Singh, Tribal Movements in India, Vol. 2, (1983), pp. 1-2.
11
K.S. Singh, Tribal Movements in India, Vol. 2, (1983), 2.
lines12. The missionaries and Christian leaders who preached the evolution of a new
society began serving as leaders13. These leaders pioneered education,
relinquishment of alcohol and evolution of cooperative societies to make the tribals
self-sufficient and free from the clutches of agrarian sector, and thus exploitative
money-lenders14. The era of constitutional reforms led to the uproar in demands of
promotion and security of regional interests, which in turn motivated the learned
Christian tribals to voice their concerns regarding the security of tribals and
preservation of their identity in the changing political and socio-economic
landscape15.
2. Second Phase
The second phase, 1920-38 was marked by the domination of Chotanagpur Unnati
samaj, symbol of inter-denominational struggles, led by teachers and catechists. They
helped those seeking employment, in government and legislative bodies. It is in this
phase that the Simon Commission came to India seeking solutions to problems of
these tribal groups within the existing political structure 16.
3. Third Phase
The third phase existed from 1938-47. The very first elections held in India in 1937
under the Government of India Act of 1935 resulted in the rise of militant movement
under the leadership of Adivasi Mahasabha17. The Congress had swept polls and the
tribals felt their interests compromised, leading to the Chotanagpur Unnati Samaj
merging with the Adivasi Mahasabha18. This movement was largely political, and
received political and financial support from both Bengalis, who felt their interests in
Bihar undermined, and the Muslim League who wanted a corridor to link East and
West Pakistan through the tribal areas19. This phase was marked with a number of
militant uprising and attacks as a show of force which led to the link with both the
sympathisers to falter for fear of being seen as militants themselves20.
4. Fourth Phase
The fourth phase extended from 1949 to 1963, covering one of the most important
time-span in the history of India. The failure of the militant movement and the
framing of the Constitution worked in tangent with each other leading to the
downfall of Adivasi Mahasabha and the emergence of the Jharkhand Party 21. The
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
Census of 1951 showed that the tribal population was actually a minority in the
Chota Nagpur region, this discovery made the Jharkhand Party change its identity
from a sectarian party of the few to the regional party of the masses 22. The late
1950s saw the decline of the Jharkhand Party which had emerged as a majority party
in the Chotanagpur-Santal-Parganas region. There were several factors responsible
for the downfall of the party not least of which can be attributed to the success of
the Congress Party. These factoes were: (i) impact of developmental programmes on
the local populace, (ii) Wider gap between the educated Christian tribals who held
power, and backward non-Christian tribals, who began to seek loyalties in other
parties, (iii) lack of any agrarian programme championed by the party, and (iv)
dissent within the party against the leadership23.
5. Fifth Phase
The fifth phase of the separatist movement in Chota Nagpur region lasted from 1963-
75. By this time, the Jharkhand Party was no more than a name, and a number of
small parties based on ethnic and sectarian beliefs had evolved, none of which were
able to take their roots in the political sphere as strongly as the Jharkhand Party24.
The Naga Movement

The Naga Movement has been fuelled by a history of discontents of the Naga people.
This movement is mainly to seek autonomy which has continued till the
contemporary times under the influence of different ideologies and leaderships 25.
The British preserved their consciousness of a distinct identity. With the
Independence achieved, the socio-political landscape changed which made the
Nagas feel threatened that they will lose their cultural autonomy and identity under
the new government26. They feared to lose their customary ownership of the hills
which had long been their home, their source of employment and resource. The
Naga struggle in the post-independent era was not purely political in nature. It was
essentially an outcome of their demand of special ethnic identity and their anxiety to
lose their socio-economic rights, due to amalgamation of the other people in their
region as a result of one unified India27.
Gandhi and the Adivasis

When combined, ulghulan and ahimsa or hul and satyagraha form a mind-boggling
projection of the truth, but differently and gloriously 28. This matches the Indian case in the
22
23
K.S. Singh, Tribal Movements in India, Vol. 2, (1983), pp. 5-7.
24
25
26
27
28
Debasree De, Gandhi and Adivasis: Tribal Movements in Eastern India (1914-48), (2023), 11.
most logical way throughout the British era. How might one wonder? Because, if non-
violence was the ultimate goal of the time's liberation fighters, activism could be the best
alternative. It's interesting to note that both parties contributed to India's independence
being achieved together29. Nonviolence has always been happily or unhappy married to
activity, whether it took the shape of Adivasi armed resistance, Bose's Indian National Army,
or revolutionary action in Bengal, Maharashtra, and the Punjab. Gandhi, the proponent of
nonviolence, would also have concurred that utter nonviolence was something that did not
work in the case of India because he himself helped the British during the First World War by
sending Indian soldiers into the field of battle, and the Great War even brought economic
hardships for the people of the entire country 30. These two opposing currents—
revolutionary/tribal action and nonviolence—have always collaborated to bring about
independence and give Gandhi's all-India activities a mass appeal.
Adivasi movements were extremely significant, if not decisive, in the Indian liberation
struggle. Gandhi's plan for popular mobilisation would not have been successful without the
active involvement of every segment of Indian society. Gandhian ideology only fueled
Adivasi struggles during the Non-Cooperation movement. Although Gandhi's involvement in
tribal issues only became pronounced later in his life, his impact on tribal movements was
notable. His relationships with Thakkar Bapa and Verrier Elwin also helped him to learn more
about the situation of tribal affairs31. Gandhi began to be regarded by Adivasis as a saint or
saviour who could bring them justice and peace. Gandhi did, however, consistently provide
support to Adivasi movements to give his own campaigns a more populist feel 32. Gandhi
refused to back a number of specific demands made by the Adivasis. Additionally, their
armed conflict went against his nonviolent values. The Gandhian doctrine was the sole
influence on movements like Tana Bhagat and Hari Baba in the second part of the 20th
century, however they were unsuccessful in achieving their objectives 33. Later, the Jharkhand
movement took on the characteristics of a non-violent struggle; yet, the results also
vanished.
Conclusion
The importance of social movements cannot be undermined. It is but which leads to a more
equal society as these movements make the governments as well as the society aware of
what they have been doing wrong, usually since ages. When it comes to tribal groups, the
issue takes a turn of intersectionality as these groups have long faced discrimination. The
importance of social movements can be learned from three aspects, but in order to view the
whole picture all three approaches need to be analysed and studied. The project deals with
what social movements entail, and more specifically what is a tribal movement. This project
further goes on to deal with two very different tribal movements in terms of their
geographical location, territorial structure and their nature, where one is more political than
29
30
31
32
33
the other, while the other more diverse. Lastly, the project deals with the interference of
Gandhi in the tribal movements and how it impacted these sectarian groups.

P S S IIP W S (2022-23) : Olitical Cience EM Roject Inter Emester

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POLITICAL SCIENCE SEM II PROJECT

NAME: SHAFIA RAHMAN

BATCH OF: 2022-27

EMAIL ID: shafia222043@nujs.edu

Tribal Movements of Chota Nagpur

The Naga Movement

Gandhi and the Adivasis

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