A community which was once chased by the police, who were boycotted even by the villagers, why in the present day the district collectors are calling them and asking for help during the Corona epidemic? Who are these 20 youths, who are teaching children of their own community, who are also studying themselves and today are also helping in the entire district at the time of Corona?
With this interview, you can find many ways to cure India’s current bad economy. And there are answers to many questions such as: what is democracy, what is equality, what should be done if no government policy is working, how should an organization be run, how should youth be given the reins? If from the ICDS, or PDS we do not get full nutrition then what should we do, if we want to get rid of liquor or if we want to stop the migration, then what to do? This interview is of Prashant Rakshit, who lives in Purulia, West Bengal, and has been working with the Sabar society for 37 years.
Can you tell us something about the history of the Saber community?
The name of this community is Khediya Sabar. This is a forest community, which falls in Denotified Nomadic Tribe category. The were one of the tribe under Criminal Tribes Act of 1871 . The British had cast an act in the name of Habitual Offender by birth, who commits the robbery, the Bourne Criminal . When this act was amended in 1952, it has been termed as denotified tribes. This is Community Forest Dwellers. Was in Bihar at that time. In Bihar, these people were in the Chotanagpur jungle area and used to go from there to the forest, as there was no agricultural land. You will see in India, in the whole world forest community lives in small groups. They eat whatever is there from the forest, then live in that area, goes hunting, sell the substance produced from forest. So when this deforestation started, it became a problem for them.
When did this deforestation start?
When Nehru ji nationalized the forest in 1958. First there was a forest private property. The landlord belonged to the people. When Nationalization was done, all the maximum, good tree, were cut. At the same time, India had the highest defrostration.
But he nationalized and did it for protection, right?
It took four years time. They declared it in 1957. Four years is enough time to cut down the forest and no history of anyone, whether the case has been fined or what happened, there is nothing in the record. So there was a problem for Sabar that after four years, the Forest Department came and said that you get out of here, this is our government property. So you know what happened then, the tree has become the state government and the land government of India? That is why there has been more deforestation. You see the history of India, after any forest law mass deforestation has taken place. Total it has happened three, four times.
And when was it?
The Forest Act was enacted in 1904. At that time, the forest department started. The British did it at that time. To put forest in their business. So whatever the British wanted to run their emperor, they used to do it legally. So when the forest department was throwing out the Sabar from the forest, these people set up their own group for their rights, namely the West Bengal Khediya Samaj Kalyan Samiti.
At that time it was in Bihar, so how did it become West Bengal?
This organization was formed in 1949 and then the first November of 58 it came in West Bengal. This is the background that our founder, Gopi Ballabh Singh, who was from the Raj family, had this forest as the personal property of his family and for this reason his family also had relationship with tribals. Jungle used to be a business at that time. Leaf was made from the forest and sold.
On one hand there was stigma of thief from British and on the other hand, forest department. Whenever there was theft, there was robbery, then they use to catch Saber people, without any inquiry. So, on these two problem, the stigma of a thief dacoit and the other on forest rights, this organization stood up.
How did people get involved in this?
First of all, they did not even recognize each other. So to introduce them first, we started Branch festival , like a small fair, we to gather. So we put Mahua, put Sal in it, along with singing. We used to discuss what we will do, Where will we go? What is our identity? If we do not gather, if we will speak one or two, then the forest department will not listen. When we become one, our own organization will stand, then only we will be able to do something. We decided to do farming, in the land where it is forest but no tree, with our labor.
It came to mind that Chhota Nagpur Tenancy Act which was when we were in Bihar. One of the clause in Chota Nagpur Tenancy Act was on land that if a people can do their work to cultivate a land, then the ownership will be given and government cannot remove them. So we said that we have just arrived in Bengal, first we were there in Bihar. So where shall we go? Today you said that we are in Bengal, tomorrow in Bihar. So we put that act into work, through the organization. Wherever the forest department used to go, ten men from the village used to stand and speak.
Forest Department Chota Nagpur Tenancy Act is currently valid?
Neither was there at that time. When we came to Bengal, that act was not in force even then.
Right now it has become Jharkhand. So we were telling them that ten years ago we were not in Bengal, then we asked them to implement the same act. There was a good collector at that time. Then there were two-three people with our founder, he went to the collector and said that at least do not remove the Saber. We still did not have paper in our hands. We have got the paper in hand in 2006, when the Forest Forest Rights Act was ready.
Have you got the paper after 50 years?
If you see this movement of forest rights in India, it is everywhere like this.
How did this movement, the organization lasted for 40-50 years? Are old people still there?
Only one of the founders is alive. Right now his age is 90, he can walk little bit right now. The third generation is running this organization. Even when we were applying, to take the land through forest rights alone, then the forest department is saying no, how will we give land? Their mentality is a different one. The forest land will decrease, and so will the yearly budget alloted to the forest. So they did not want to give. But we could not remove the people, we sat there. All the papers were not found, we got something and in this we started farming on the land and gradually got Indira Awas in the name of someone, Mizo Bhoomi from Mizo Vas, the third one is Gitanjali Awas Yojana, to built houses. These two are of the state government. Maximum people got it in every block.
Ok how much block is there?
Purulia district has twenty blocks. But the Saber lives in eight blocks.
And how much is their population?
Their population will be 12000, 24 families. Today, Sabar lives in eight villages, in eight blocks. They have hamlets. There is a small hamlet, two families also have a hamlet. These people remain isolated. Offstream. Live away from the village.
Do they prefer to stay outside themselves or the villagers do not allow?
There are two reasons for this, one they used to stay in the forest, how will they live with the villagers? Saber has been in the forest for centuries and the second is that the customs of the mainstream society do not match. Also Saber is not available due to the inferiority complex and also because of the superiority complex of the villagers. So even those people did not let them settle and these people also did not go.
What is different in custom?
Our Tribal people across India are different from the custom of general caste society. People worship nature, mountain, river, forest, thunderbolt. Lightning.
In many places I have seen the nomadic tribe that they also eat pigs.
Saber eats every thing snakes, pigs, cows, goats, fish all.
So, people also stay away from them because of this food, because of Hindu and Muslim customs?
Yes, that is also a reason.
Does they come in ST status? Yes, but they have to speak for themselves in Hinduism?
Nowadays one has to write in the paper because there are only three to four options of the government. Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist. A tribal cannot write a Tribal, it is also a politics,of mainstream. It is a politics that religion will be Hindu but it has never been found in Hindu customs, everything is different. New Year happens in Bengal on 14 April, Sabar’s New Year is on14 January.
I am from Bihar. Both are Sakrant for us. We eat sattu in one, curd in the other.
These people eat chicken with rice. We fill Besan with Sattu. These people fill the chicken. It became chicken momo type. But first he will worship the chicken. Then it will be cut. Will mix in the flour. Will make it again like potato paratha.
So all 12000 people have the documents now?
No – not made. Many do not have an Aadhaar card. Many people are not getting the declared benefit in this coronavirus. The Tribals are also not getting pension after 60 years. Now the special drive has been put up by the administration, people came to BDO, also came today.
This is our District Collector, who is looking at it very differently. By taking demand of all of us, we are also doing this by keeping a relationship with them. Collector is going to the village, visiting, asking whether you have a ration card or not. So many people have an Aadhaar card, if there is no ration card then government relief is not available. He is getting relief from our organization and we are giving some relief, then it is going on. One who has no one, no card, is coming to us. He is going to our Volunteer who aredelivering relief, rice dal and aloo.
So, you are not getting anything from the state government and the central government? Only the collector is listening to you and helping? No, the state government is giving rice and pulses from the PDS. Few ladies have received rs 500 in their Jan Dhan account, but very less percentage. Mnay woman do not have Jan Dhan account.
The state government’s system of PDS gives two kilograms of rice, two kilograms 750 grams of flour. It has been made free for everyone, is also available without ration card. If you do not have a ration card, then they are giving it separately from above. with a coupon. By September, it will be available to him and on that basis, his ration card will again be made on top of the coupon.
What is the name of the collector?
Rahul Majumdar and a man with him, ADM, Mukti Shamim. He is Mohammadan, and works very well.
How is your organization doing?
We run schools in every village. Not a government school. We have a palace of education in every village. It stays away from the main stream. There is a volunteer who will be in the community at the most. Like suppose a boy has read till 10th, we are teaching him till 11th. We say that brother, you should teach this child for few hours in the morning, in your community, we will give you 2000 rupees a month. Your education expenses will come. And then they have a duty to get them admitted in the school on first January.
Here most of the youth have dropped out. They don’t like education system in school. There is an inferior complex. Just like education is free of cost in Bengal, there is no money involved till ten. But at one time it used to be money, ten rupees 20 rupees anything. And some people do not like studying at all. One who dropout becomes Labor. Those who are fifteen sixteen eighteen years old have become Labor. Currently going into migration to Gujarat to Kerala, becoming a construction labor, going to Delhi. And goes to the brick kiln in another district, to work at Eta Bhatta. Now some people go to the paddy field. in another place in Vardhman.
How many volunteers do you have?
Total it was 43 volunteers when we started non-formal education, in 1943. Right now I am getting the money from donation, so the students who have studied the tenth eleventh are getting the exam of twelfth. And we are making a plan to get that 12th exam, so they will also read regularly, the child of the village will also study.
Are all of them from the Saber community?
Of this, Saber was twenty-eight before, out of 43-75. Today, there are 20 volunteers, of which 14 are from Sabar, 6 Mahto and 2 from Santhal community. But all are around the village. We see their two qualifications first. One, they will have to believe that the Saber is also a human being, not a thief, not a robber. That is why the villagers do the selection, the organization does not select. Whether it will become our teacher, our friend, our volunteer, only village elects. The villager knows best who will help in our work. Suppose if we want to write a Complaint, then the person will not write against his caste? We keep those who will fight for us.
There is a community from four kilometers to ninety kilometers away from the organization. So how can we communicate? Sabar village is 92 km away from the office of our committee. If the volunteer is not local then how can we communicate so far? Will be able to go only twice a year.
Are these people who are working in the same relief are teachers?
We had got the packet from Spencer. Had taken permission from DM, had taken police along because we wanted to, there is no banner in the relief we have given. Everyone is saying that this is being given to the administration. Everybody knows who is giving But doing so by cooperating with the administration.
Are these 20 people doing relief work?
The incident happened yesterday. DM went to Sabar village in Balrampur block. So our relief has not reached there. We did not touch the Balrampur block. He called us at 3:00 pm, said that we have come to this village, we feel that relief has not reached here, so we said it will reach by morning. So the Collector is telling us, by phone, that relief is needed in this village. Understand how such a good relationship has happened with us. I first smiled that giving relief is the work of our organization or is the work of the government? No – he said that you guys are doing it correctly,. Regular, we call people, monitor, call in three-three days, asking what is the problem?
So what is your problem while doing all these things?
See relief is a matter of a few days. What we want is permanent solution. When the corona is closed, no one will be able to give regular relief, no one can ration the regular 2450 family. But if you can do something, then it can happen through the development work of the government. Like MGNREGA, Employment generation schemes, which is regualar, like receiving pension.
We are speaking to the DM that you are asking 60 year old Saber to produce the certificate. If someone remains above 60 years tribal, then the scheme is that he will get a thousand rupees a month pension as Old Age Pension. No one has a tribal certificate at all now. He never needed it. So we approached that on the basis of which the Saber is written in the Aadhar card, ration card, then you assume that the Saber is Tribal. Make Tribal certificate through BDO. And then you give him pension, then he thought and discussed with his secretary of the state. Then came the approval, now this BDO will agree.
We are also asking for labor card. These people go out for construction labor. In some places it also happens that those people do not get wages, they are cheated. We once brought the boy back from Delhi. Those people held him. Agents take people, agents earn their money. Agents take money in advance. Saber works for sixteen hours linstead of eight hours. Construction was going on in the campus in Delhi. It’s been three years. SP Sahib of Purulia here helped a lot. At that time, we only wrote him a complaint. He then rescued our people through the Delhi Police..
Anyone got work in NREGA yet?
Has just started from the twenty-first date. At first the work of NREGA was stopped. Saber has another problem, if Saber works now, they need money now. This does not happen in NREGA.
Right now, if you are doing so much work in relief, then in the eyes of the village, you will have a different status, your image must have been good?
Yes People have earned name from this society earlier also. We all, sent some of our boys to the Sports Authority of India. Sent thirty five, two got it to higher level. Gopal became a coach in Sabar Archery. He is currently working as a coach in Siliguri, under the Sports Authority at Siliguri Stadium. And a police took the position of the archery coach, so he is coaching the police in the archery. And this society also has many handicrafts.
What do Saber make?
It makes a lot of baskets, from the date palm, there is glass inside from the poles and outside it remains the date palm leaf.
So the people of Sabar will have great respect in the society?
Twenty years ago today, thirty forty sabers used to die in lynching every year. They used to kill them by blaming them as robber. Not a single incident happened in the last Seven Years. There is also a change in Saber, it is also not the case that everyone is lying. Some Saber people also used to commit crime.
But for what reason did they commit the crime and what changed so that crime stopped?
There are two reasons. We used to do counseling. And the other thing is that we used to tell that there will always be police-court in your life, if you commit crime and lawyer will also eat your money. We made alternative livelihoods, such as goat rearing. So we used to give five female goats and one male goat. If you follow it well for one year then it becomes sixteen seventeen. And they used to stop their night work: liquor and theft.
Goat rearing became a separate responsibility and where will the money come from in a year?
Yes, they will not get any money in a year. So we say that we will give money for one year. Let us work in farming, grow vegetables, do kitchen gardens. We make kitchen gardens. In one year, we get him involved in some work. He also knows that we are watching people, investigating.
Second, to stop this, we do a night program. Adult Literacy Center in 105 villages. There was no work to teach in it. It was to enjoy our culture, dance, our song, telling the old-time story, telling about the Saber struggle of your life. After regular meeting, in the night, we used to know who is regular or not. We also gave traditional equipment.
What are your traditional equipment?
Nagada Dhol, Madhol, then Tamsa and Shehnai Chhote Wali Shehnai. A little change took place in the village, some boys, learned Casio from some boys from outside village and then bought their drum set and formed their own band. The boys, started to play in marriage, started earning a lot, but it came from their own minds, we did not do this.
How are girls and women in this whole process?
In Saber Tribal society, there is equal right. There is no dowry (dowry) in the Sabar society. And it is the opposite, boy has to give. First was five rupees, ten rupees, just increased. Right now, he takes 100 rupees, 200 rupees. The father of the boy has to give to the father of the girl. And whatever happens, divorce is not the same in us, Husband always speaks to the wife. Their point is that if we do not like you, then you will open the iron and leave. Take your iron, I will not be with you from today. It is open, there will be no thought system, that the family will sit, the society will sit, it is not like this.
Meaning the girl can decide herself?
Yes. There are also two-three types of marriage. It has its own selection. A fair is an umbrella festival. They carry the selection over there. This rainy umbrella? Yes same one. This is the king of Chhatradhar. He picks up the umbrella. These tribals have huge respect for that King very much. Chhatradhar picked up the umbrella, played the song throughout the night, by morning they choose each other. The girl goes to his house with the boy or the boy with the girl. They speak to the villagers saying I am going home, and he is my choice.
Who goes to whose house? Boy goes to girl’s house that girl to boy’s house?
Both happens. Here we see maximum in the saber, after marriage, the boy stays in the girl’s house. There is also a reason that there is no talk of property in both places. Go anywhere, there is poverty. Wife husband has to earn both, will have to build their house. And there is not even a partition among brother. If there will be no property, no partition, there will be no quarrel.
If someone has more goat, there is no fight on it, between the boy and the girl about the partition?
The boy does not even care that we have such a goat, we have to take it. He says okay, you keep it. This quarrel about goat-goat, propery., in 35 years, we have seen two to three times.
Which means that the trend of greed over money is not that much?
Need is also less. The man outside thinks what he is earning, inside the forest, what he is eating? He does not even have money and work,. He used to be watched all the time with suspicion. So he ate what he found in the forest. like wild potato. There are lots of creepers in the forest, under which big potatoes grows. Those people calls it bawra in Sabar language.
So in many respects, the Saber society is better than the mainstream society.
Yes Something is going wrong right now. Just like liquor. Money is increasing, but liquor is also increasing. And the government also has a role in this. He gave license in every panchayat in every village.
It was not there before?
Earlier it was not available so near, so much. So they must be drinking Mahua? Yes, there is another alcohol. Which I was talking about. Drinking Mahua would have been better. Right now they are making in the furnace and people are drinking Chullu. Chullu That Chullu full of water? Yes, it is a native liquor which is made without license. It is called Chullu. Mahua and Handia, are good for health. And toddy? Which is made of dates? Toddy is seasonal. There is no toddy here.
Are you demanding that along with the relief, all of you also get the benefit of the government?
Yes, this is what we want. We have also given a presentation to CM, with short term and long term demand.
What have you suggested?
There is relief in the short term. What is the ration, 2 kg of flour and 2 kg of rice, how will that last 1 month? Double that. Please see the family size and decide.
What’s happening now,?
Right now there is food in the house sometimes, sometimes not. Secondly, the Anganwadi center is closed, then its rice and potatoes are given for 1 month, once. They eat that stuff in four-five days. Who will make 100 grams daily for some children?
In the long term, we have achieved model success. We have given it to the collector. The kitchen garden that we are building is that in front of every Anganwadi center. We used to make a committee of people, give them seeds and speak for growing vegetables. And then they used to say, put it in the Daily Anganwadi Center, your child is eating in it. So we took the last 6 months report and did the calculations, then the mal nutrition did not come.
We succeeded in this two models. The first was that we are cooking food in the center, there is nothing of the government in it. If there are interesting people in the village who are trying to grow vegetables, then we gave them an instrument, a hoe and a bush of water and seed free of cost. First eat at home, then put it in Anganwadi. Today we have given you, you give in Anganwadi tomorrow.
And what about you, how old are you?
My 60 years passed. 10 November 1963 had joined the organization and date of birth is 4 March 1960.
What did you study?
I have graduated and have done many other courses. I have done Diploma in Rural Development from NIRD Hyderabad. Not one, I did a lot of courses in which I had interest. That was my personal interest that I have to do for the community. I had some old guru in it who inspired me. It was my father in law. He said that something should be done with them.
You were married at that time?
No four years later married my childhood friend. A man like us will not marry in such a negotiation. We are not good at eating, it is not good to live. When will you get what, is not sure, there is no security. We got married in 1993, then a girl was born in 95, she is working in college.
Prashanth Rakshit’s daughter, Sabri Rakshit is 25 years old. The committee looks after computer work, letter writing, documentation work and also does jobs. He was named Sabri by Mahasweta Devi.
Where did you live after marriage?
We lived in the village. At that time there was no electricity at that time. Our child also grew up there. Later she came to the town because she had a disease, so we had to shift to the township, still when our daughter gets married, both of us will go back to the village. That is our dream. This society which has been given so much to us, how much we can give to the society, we cannot count.
How many people were you able to reach with the relief?
We have given relief to 1163 families so far. Then in that packet we are giving 25 kg of rice, 5 kg of lentils, 10 kg of potatoes, 2 liters of mustard oil, 5 kg of lentils, 1 kg of salt and spices and turmeric cumin powder, onion and three soap and one pack of detergent.
Right now from April 1, with APPI, Azim Premji Philanthropic Initiative, 3 years of work has started. All are related to entitlements. Organization has to be raised. The young boy and girl has to handle the organization administration within three years.
What will they help you with?
We have said that there is a deficiency in our community organization, there is no account in the computer correctly. If we could not do our data entry properly in the computer, then our boy could not do it. Then he went to Delhi and got a training. All the accounts will be kept by the Saber boy. Will do data entry. And our governing body now has seven members. And there is only one ladies. Saber has to do at least three Lady Governing Boards and no one above 50 years will remain. Because we have to run 50 more. It has been 50 years now, but for 50 years ahead, we have catch, young people.
Those people are also in relief, in every meeting too. With his phone, Meghnath Saber,holds the meeting. Ratnabli Sabar, Debjan Sabar, Hemant Sabar and Vishnu. Ratnabali Saber is a girl, who is in B.A third year. She will become president. Mahaswetadevi was our working president. From 1973 to 2014. She died in 2016. She used to come here regularly, used to stay here for 15 days, 16 days. Everyone calls her mother, Saber Mata.
There is no fight between each other about who will be President or not?
No doesn’t happen. This is also the reason that we are already an institution, with not much fund and property in it. In this, everyone has to work from home for 50 years. If the property was increased correctly, money would have been a problem. This was the thinking of Mahashweta Devi earlier. She did the same in his life, never built any property.
What is that Azim Premji Philanthropic Initiative (APPI) giving you?
One is, they will pay the salary of the staff. 11 of the staff and 3 fellows. It is not just APPI but also the Tata Trusts. Mayank, he has been working with the Tata Trusts with us for three years. Of the eight school teachers, Tata Trust will give the money.
(Mayank Sinha is alumni of Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. He started Tanda, [Towards Advocacy Networking and Developmetal Action (TANDA)], a field action project under the Center for Criminology and Justice, in 2011. Today he is founder of the organization National Alliances for Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribe. Through Tata Trusts, he started working in Purulia in 2019. Today there are four organizations supporting this work in different ways: Tanda, TISS , Tata Trust, APPI and Praxis.
What will you do to the staff? Who are these 11 people?
These are 11 Sabers. We have eight blocks, in three years, there will be membership of every Saber. We have said that we will do it in three years but our effort is to do it in one year. Then all the entitlements are to be received by all the Sabers. And our target is forestland rights, we will get the paper that has not been received. And then we will do it by bringing money from elsewhere to cultivate the land. We have to stop the migration of Saber only then their education will come. In every three months, six months they migrate, then the child’s education stops in the middle. In all these years, we understood that we need to work along with the government, and it is only state that is capable to doing these things.
And what do you think of Corona right now?
Our handicraft was ordered. But now we understood that it will not be bought soon. Those people are middle class. Everyone lost the money. So we are thinking that, APPI will speak, Wipro, it is a big company. They have meetings, seminars. So we can put our stuff in the exhibition like Laptop cover, file folder, pen holder. Handicrafts can be made according to the need. We all make it with date palm, gnaw and glass.
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