Adivasis of Assam

The Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for Adivasis of Assam which has been a longstanding struggle in India offers certain rights-based legal benefits in the form of reservations, political representation, and socio-economic subsidies. The Adivasis in India are traditionally known as the first peoples or indigenous people. There is no proof of the exact inception of human culture in India since prehistoric Stone Age people migrated there in different periods of time from different regions. The most common argument against granting ST status to Adivasis in Assam is their migratory history, the fact that they came into the state as indentured laborers to work in the tea gardens. Adivasi organizations need to look beyond the identity issue and give attention to labor and gender problems. The contribution of the Adivasis to the economy of Assam has been substantial. Evolving a national policy with regard to the uplift of tribals and oppressed classes would be benefiting in resolving this long...

'Why Is the Chaiwala Turning His Back on Tea Garden Workers?' Assam tea workers demand a minimum daily wage Rs 350 for all. Tea garden workers pluck tea leaves inside Aideobarie Tea Estate in Jorhat in Assam. Credit: Reuters <script async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-4050153128860636"      crossorigin="anonymous"></script> New Delhi:  Leaders of tea-garden workers from Assam have called for immediate action on minimum wages in the state. Assam produces more than half of all tea grown in India, and more than a million workers are employed in over 800 tea plantations in the state. Those workers, however, earn less than their equivalents in other tea-growing Indian states. There is no fixed minimum wage, and the daily wage is fixed through agreements between workers’ unions and the industry. This arrangement is illegal, according to Bibek Das,...

Birsa Munda was an Indian freedom fighter and a tribal leader who revolted against the British rule. He was a visionary who played a crucial role in liberation of his community, the tribal people, who were exposed to persistent dominance by the British exploitative policies and atrocities. His own experiences as a young boy, when he traveled from one place to another in search of work provided him with an understanding of different matters from which the community was suffering due to the British oppression. After realizing the fact that the British company arrived in India to torture the people and carry the wealth abroad, he started spreading awareness to expose the agenda of British and gathered his army of tribals. The army responded with movements and protests against the injustice and treachery of the British Raj. He was an active participant in the revolt and is remembered as a relentless fighter who possessed the courage to fight the British. He also claimed himself to be ...

Watch this page Read in another languagepKurukhkkKurukh  Kurukh People   For the language spoken kurukh People the Oraon tribe and some  Brahmin  and  Kshatriya , see  Kurukh language . The  Oraon  or  Kurukh  tribe ( Kurukh :  Oṛāō n  and  Kuṛuḵẖ ), also spelled  Uraon ,  Oran , or  Oram , are an  Adivasi  group inhabiting various states across central and  eastern   India ,  Rakhine State  in  Myanmar ,  Bangladesh ,  Nepal , and  Bhutan . [6]  Traditionally, Oraons depended on the forest and farms for their ritual and economic livelihood, but in recent times, a few of them have become mainly settled agriculturalists. Small numbers of Oraons have migrated to the northeastern part of India, where they are mainly employed in tea estates. Population estimates are unreliable, but the total population is estimated to be around ...

<script async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-4050153128860636"      crossorigin="anonymous"></script> India became Independent in 1947 after years of struggle and sacrifices by all Indians including Adibasi people. We welcomed the occasion with pomp and pageantry with high hopes and aspirations as a free nation. Late Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of Independent India gave a famous clarion call on the eve of the Independence. “At the stroke of midnight when the whole world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom…………………………………………” 63 years have passed by and the country has moved on to the modern age of technology and globalization. Most people have made some progress with the time and are enjoying the fruits of the struggle of their parents and grand parents. But, alas the majority of Adibasi are still not awake to life and freedom. They are far behind the rest of the people...