New Delhi/Gandhinagar
Hirabai Ibrahim Lobi hails from Jambur village near Junagadh’s Gir forest in Gujarat, home of the Asiatic Lions.
An African-origin Siddi tribe woman, she has been recently named for India’s fourth highest civilian award, the Padma Shri, for her social work. She has been awarded for “empowering her community through education, Self Help Groups, organic farming etc”.
She has devoted a large part of her life to the uplift of Siddi tribal women and for the education of children. Till now, it is said, she has changed the lives of more than 700 women and innumerable children
Since childhood, Hirabai Lobi used to get information about women’s development schemes in Siddi through the radio. Being a radio enthusiast, she took it upon herself to support the women of her community whose livelihood depended on wood cutting. She also learnt about organic farming from the radio and passed on the knowledge to others.
Who Are Siddis?
Siddis trace their ancestry to Bantu speakers from sub-Saharan Africa and brought to South Asia by the Arabs in as early as the 7th century followed by the Portuguese and the British as enslaved people. Most of the 8,50,000 Siddis follow Islam and inhabit Karnataka, Gujarat and Telangana. The Government of India classified Siddis under the list of Scheduled Tribes in 2003 and also included in the list of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups. Their main source of livelihood is labour and agriculture.
For someone who was orphaned in her childhood, was brought up by her grandmother and was married as a minor at just 14 years of age, Hirabai’s grit and determination to go on and on in life is worth emulating. Her un-quenching thirst for knowledge made her different from her contemporaries. She sought to make the women of her community educated and independent and helped them open bank accounts.
In his monthly radio address Mann ki Baat before the Republic Day this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had urged citizens to read about the inspiring stories of this year’s Padma awardees, especially the ones who have worked in tribal areas. “I urge all countrymen to read their inspiring stories,” said the Prime Minister during the ‘Mann Ki Baat’ radio programme.
“The tribal life is different from city life, it has the challenges of its own. Despite all this, tribal societies are always eager to preserve their traditions. It is a matter of pride for all of us and the fact that now the world would know them. People working with Siddi, Jarawa and Onge tribes have also been awarded this time,” Modi said.
