First Armed Rebellion
The first armed rebellion was against colonial rulers in 1784. After the 1770 famine, a 10-year settlement of zamindari system was issued, which made the life of poor Santhals miserable. The Paharias and Santhals of Rajmahal led by Tilka Manjhi revolted against the colonial rulers and local zamindars.
British Commissioner Lieutenant Augustus Cleveland was killed by a shot from Tilka Manjhi’s ‘gulel’ – a slingshot. Manjhi was later caught, tied to a horse and dragged to Bhagalpur in Bihar. He died. A hero was born.
Santhal Revolt
Looking to improve revenue earnings through agriculture, the colonial rulers tried to lock the Santhals in chains of zamindari system. In 1855, thousands of Santhals led by Sidho and Kanho Murmu stood against the oppression. They marched to Calcutta. On way, they encountered the mighty East India Company soldiers – mighty because they had firearms.
I belong to the sixth generation of Sidho, Kanho, Chand, Bhairo and their sisters Phulo and Jhano. All of them laid down their lives fighting for the rights of poor tribals.
The Santhals had only bows and arrows among other traditional weapons. Yet, at several places, the valiant Santhals forced the British army to retreat. On the way though, Sidho and Kanho were caught and executed. It was then that their sisters – Phulo and Jhano – entered the enemy camp and killed 21 soldiers before they fell.
An inquiry commission set up by the East India Company later observed that the demands of Santhals were genuine. This led to enactment of a new law – Act XXXVII of 1855, popularly known as Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act, which is still in force.
“I belong to sixth generation of Sidho, Kanho, Chand, Bhairo and their sisters Phulo and Jhano. All of them laid down their lives fighting for the rights of poor tribals. I have special regards for Phulo and Jhano, who evoked consciousness among women,” says Mandal Murmu, who is now doing social work at his native place in Bhognadih in Sahibganj) after completing his diploma course in civil engineering.
Independence Struggle
During India’s first war of Independence in 1857, brothers Nilambar and Pitambar led the revolt against the East India Company. Thakur Vishwanath Shahdeo, Pandey Ganpat Rai, Tikait Umrao Singh, Sahid Lal, Sheikh Bhikhari, Nadir Ali, Jai Mangal Singh, Budhu Bhagat and several other bravehearts laid down their lives fighting the colonial rulers.
Munda Revolt
After suppressing the 1857 rebellion and reducing the Indian rulers to pensioners of British Empire, the colonial rulers again tried to make new ventures in the Chhotanagpur region, by way of marginalising Khuntkatti system. Under this system, Mundas had common rights over all the land under their jurisdiction. The British changed these common holdings to individual holdings in an attempt to improve their revenue earnings. This pushed the tribals in a vicious circle of debts. Defaults led to annexation of their land by money lenders and the British administration.
The tribals were also faced with unemployment and forced labour. The traditional administrative system, by way of taking collective decisions after discussing civil and criminal issues at their respective village panchayat level, was abolished. Charter Act of 1813 allowed Christian missionaries to propagate their cause in India. This primarily allowed them to target tribal groups, making them change their religious faith and shun traditional values.
The Mundas led by a young and inspirational Birsa Munda, who they fondly called Dharti Aba – or Father of Earth – initially began a self-purification movement. Gradually, this turned into an armed rebellion to end British influence and reinstate traditional Munda rule. Birsa Munda was arrested and lodged in Ranchi jail, where he died at the age of 25 in 1900.
Birsa Munda’s efforts, however, compelled the British to reinstate Khuntkatti system, facilitate easy access to administration by commoners by way of making sub-divisions in Khunti and Gumla and finally enacting the Chhotanagpur Tenancy Act of 1908, which is still in force.
“Birsa Munda was unmarried. I am a descendant of his extended family – that of his brother Kanu Munda. People from all walks of life have regularly been visiting our native place in Ulihatu, ” says Jauni Munda, who is doing his graduation from Birsa College Khunti.
He, however, rues; “Only two persons from our extended family have so far been given government jobs. The rest of us are doomed to fend for ourselves.”
