Birsa Munda: Spearhead of tribal fight against British

Jharkhand’s Birsa Munda is known for his immense contribution to India’s struggle for independence from the British and is associated with names like ‘Dharti Abba’ or 'Father of the Earth'.

In his contribution to India’s freedom fight, Munda mobilised the tribals against the Britishers. He held the fort against them in the Chhotanagpur Plateau area and forced them to enact a law on protecting the land rights of the tribals.

Munda, born on November 15, 1875, in Ulihatu village of Kunti district in Jharkhand, fought for the rights of tribal people, and to protect water, land and forest, the elements that are deep-rooted and hold significance in tribal traditions.

The tribal leader, who was also a key force behind Jharkhand's struggle for statehood, spearheaded the movement to abolish the feudal system that plagued the Adivasi lands in Jharkhand and Bihar.

In one of his biggest fights against the Britisher’s tax system, Munda gathered tribal people and marched for the remission of tax collected by the Zamindars from the tribes in October 1894. To suppress this movement, the British started firing on the local tribal community and hundreds of tribals lost their lives.

A few months after the movement, Birsa was imprisoned by the British. He took his last breath in Ranchi Jail on June 9, 1900, at the age of 25.

Even though he had no symptoms of the disease, the British authorities claimed that he died of cholera. Several tribal leaders speculated that jail authorities might have poisoned him. However, eight years after his demise, the British enacted the Chota Nagpur Tenancy Act, which restricted the sale of Adivasi land to non-Adivasis.

The young revolutionist continues to be celebrated through literature and mass media for his remarkable and brave movement against the British to ensure the land rights of tribals.

In his childhood, Munda was surrounded by Christian missionaries. He attended a missionary school, where his teacher Jaipal Nag encouraged him to enrol in the German Mission School. Later he converted to Christianity to get admission.

But that did not last long. As soon as he realised that the Britishers were there to colonise them and the missionaries were trying to convert tribals to Christianity, he dropped out of the German Mission School, gave up the religion and returned to his traditional faith.

Munda always stressed upon the need for tribals to know their rights, culture and fight against the injustice done to them. He also worked towards rationalising his community and getting rid of their superstitious beliefs, animal sacrifice and alcoholism.

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