Siddi pride Shantaram is now an MLC

Moving up

On Wednesday, Shantaram Siddi received a flurry of calls, which forced him to stop in his tracks and attend to them instead of returning home.

“There is no proper connectivity at home. So I am trying to attend all the calls and then go home,” he told DH from Hitlalli in Yellapura taluk.

And it will be a while before the phone stops ringing for the 55-year-old, who on Wednesday was nominated to the Legislative Council by Governor Vajubhai R Vala, becoming the first from the Siddi tribe, who trace their origins to Africa, to have that recognition.

Siddi will bring to the Upper House three decades of work done in tribal welfare through the NGO Vanavasi Kalyana Ashram. Now that he is in the council, the top priority for him is to create sustainable livelihoods for the indigenous communities.

From awareness to the proper implementation of Forest Rights Act, Shantaram talks eloquently about the concerns that need to be addressed to empower indigenous communities.

A keen learner from his childhood, he topped the class in 7th standard in Hitlalli school, and that changed his life. “My teachers identified my hunger for knowledge and admitted me to a school in Ankola, away from my home in Hitlalli,” he said.

Shantaram went on to study at the Arts and Science College, Karwar, becoming the first graduate (BA Economics) from his tribe.

“When I graduated, I had simple dreams of settling in life after earning a government job,” he said and recalled his initial interactions with social workers Prakash Kamath and Nirmala Gaonkar, who changed his views towards life.

During his college days, Shantaram was with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). His association continues even today.

He started working with the Siddi community in 1988 and now works across Karnataka with all tribal communities. People who know him say that in the process, he has inspired people to learn and progress while retaining their identity. And people even started fondly calling him Anna, or brother.

“Our culture is our pride. But that shouldn’t be a hurdle in achieving a better life. My goal is to enable indigenous communities to strike a connection with the mainstream society while keeping our identity,” he said.

But Shantaram said he is not in favour of “moving tribal people away from forests”.

“They should be provided with whatever facilities possible there itself, including the land that is rightfully theirs. If youngsters wish to move out, let them be,” he said.

Shantaram was also active in conservation movements and served as a member of the Paschima Ghatta Karyapade. On the way forward, he said: “I am naive when it comes to politics, but my years in social work will definitely come to use.”