Starvation deaths: Adivasi youth to go on the offensive

By K. P. M. Basheer

KOCHI, SEPT. 2. Adivasis in the State, particularly the youth, are in an angry mood. They are furious with the mainstream society. They are furious with the NGOs, charity agencies, voluntary organisations, the media, the `statement-making intellectuals' and the entire non-Adivasi society in Kerala - for letting them down badly during the recent reign of starvation deaths in the Adivasi belt.

``Society has proved how uncaring and insensitive they are to our plight,'' an angry Adivasi youth from the High Range said.

``Leave the politicians alone - everybody know that they are interested only in making political capital out of such catastrophes. But, what have you (the mainstream society) done to help us,'' the young man asked.

Even after two dozen Adivasis died of starvation and many others left in no man's land, the young man said, society did not care to help them.

``How many of you sent food packets, used-clothes or medicines to us? How many of you raised funds for our cause? How many volunteers came to the Adivasi pockets to feed our starving children?'' the youth and his friend fumed.

They noted that society had opened its wallet freely when earthquake struck Latur and Gujarat. The newspapers and channels were competing among themselves to raise funds for the quake victims. Film stars were making pleas on TV screens for aid.

NGOs had rushed to Gujarat with tonnes of clothes, medicines and foodstuff. Hundreds of Kerala organisations and voluntary agencies had contributed money, men and materials to those areas. ``But when Adivasis were dying of hunger why was it that none of you bothered?'' they wanted to know.

They pointed out that aid had poured in when the Kadalundi and Peruman disasters struck. Even when a few people died in landslips, society had expressed pain and sorrow.

``But starvation deaths are nothing but `human-interest stories' for the public.'' The starvation deaths had occurred at a time when the FCI godowns in the State were over-flowing with foodgrain stocks as there were not many takers, they said.

``If it (the Government) had any feeling for us, it would have distributed the foodgrains, rotting in the FCI godowns, to us,'' one youth said. ``They let the rats eat the rice and wheat, not us,'' he said derisively.

Brutally-exploited, long-suffering and dying of starvation, the three-lakh-odd Adivasis have now realised that peaceful agitation would not bring them justice and end their starvation, the youths claimed.

Force as last resort

Though this is not the leading sentiment of the Adivasi community, a sizable section of the Adivasi youth feel that they need to cease to be defensive and go on the offensive. This is significant because it is this section of the youth who would be in the forefront of the Adivasi struggle in future.

Recent incidents are pointers to this gradual change of attitude, particularly that of the `angry youth' among the Adivasis. In their desperate bid to project the Adivasis' tragic condition, a group of youth staged a march and raised slogans at the Independence Day ceremony in Kannur. A food van was `robbed' by Adivasi youth the previous day in Wayanad.

Earlier, during the run-up to the Assembly election, a large group of Adivasis had demolished the makeshift building for the proposed Munnar engineering college at Kundala, some 25 km from Munnar, in protest against `encroachment' of their land for the college.

It was followed by a brutal attack on the Adivasi leaders and activists who had an interest in the college coming up. Several persons were grievously wounded.

The Kundala incident contributed to the electoral defeat of the then Education Minister, Mr. P. J. Joseph, who contested for the Thodupuzha Assembly constituency. The Adivasis staged an agitation against Mr. Joseph and threatened to encroach his land at Thodupuzha unless the Government did not relocate the Munnar college.

In no time, Mr. Joseph, who was in a neck-and- neck race with his UDF rival, conceded the Adivasi demand and the Government announced a pull-out from Kundala.

The Kundala victory was an eye-opener to the Adivasis. It was the first direct action after the `Palakkad Collector hostage drama' (which of course was carried out by a political group).

Not that the Adivasis are alien to using force as a weapon to get their demands met. Back in the late 1960s, the Naxalite leader Varghese, had shown to the Wayanad Adivasis how a little dose of violence could make dramatic changes in the feudalists' attitude to the Adivasis.

The Adivasis, who constitute one per cent of the State's 3.18 crore population, are perhaps the worst-hit section of people. How long will they remain like a cornered `chera- ppamb'?

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