What is Sarna?
It is the religious faith of indigenous people, mainly the Scheduled Tribes. They mainly worship the Nature God such as mountains, forests, cattle, flora and fauna among others. They have their own calendar of festivals, which does not match with those of other faiths. They are also not idol worshippers like Hindus.
Who follows Sarna?
The tribals, who refused to follow any other religious faith such as Hinduism, Islam and Christianity. They stick to their own customs and traditions, despite the insurgence of Christian missionaries and proponents of different other faiths.
How is Sarna different from other faiths?
It is true that nature is worshipped in almost every religion. One of the oldest Hindu spiritual texts, Rigveda, too is a compilation of hymns dedicated to Nature God – earth, moon, sun, space, rivers, mountains, oceans, rain, fire and herbs. These indigenous people always helped the seers and saints perform their spiritual exercises atop mountains, dense forests and such other secluded places, but rarely adopted their religious faiths.
The prevalent caste system may have been a major deterrent behind it. Adivasis didn’t fit into Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaisya and Shudra categories – specified by Hindu law-giver Manu.
The social rituals of Sarna during birth, marriage, festivals, death etc are also completely different. After death, several tribes bury the bodies in the courtyard or backyard of their home. They don’t go to places like Gaya or any other religious place for “pind daan”.
Why the demand for a separate Sarna Religion Code?
Primarily because they say they are not Hindus. Also, several tribal outfits claim that over 49.57 lakh people based in 29 States and Union Territories across the country had said that their religious faith is Sarna through their ‘special mention’ in the “Others” column of 2011 census survey. This is much higher than the Jains (44.51 lakh) but who have a separate religious code, they assert. Tribals cite this as discrimination against them. They argue that the religious and cultural values of tribals cannot be equated with the followers of any other religious faith. They demand that Census 2021, which has got delayed due to the Corona pandemic, adds a separate column for the Sarna Religion Code.
Where do the Sarna followers reside?
They are largely concentrated in the five States of Jharkhand, Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Bihar though they are present in small numbers in several other States as well.
Why did Parasnath Hills controversy intensify Sarna agitation?
Fuel was added to fire after the Narendra Modi government recently “reserved” the Parasnath Hills in Giridih district of Jharkhand for the Jains. Citing documentary evidences, including an order passed by the Privy Council of colonial era and the District Gazetteer of Hazaribagh, the adivasis argue that Parasnath Hills is their Marangburu (Mountain God), where they have been performing their religious and spiritual exercises since ages. The Jains came much later.
They argue that had there been a Sarna Code in place, the Modi government would never have dared take such an arbitrary action. The tribals strongly feel that a separate Sarna Code will help them save and enrich their religious and cultural identity.
What is the stumbling block?
The BJP and the right wing thought process has it that the Sarnas are ‘basically’ Hindus and hence, they do not fit the separate religion bill. Further, granting them a separate religious code was not in the spirit of building a Hindu Rashtra. It may also lead to a split in the Hindu vote bank, they feel.
Shot in the arm
The states of Jharkhand and West Bengal through a special session in their respective Vidhan Sabhas have passed resolutions that a separate Sarna Code should come into force at the earliest and have forwarded the proposal to the Centre for approval. If a few more States take similar resolutions, it will mount additional pressure on the Centre. The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes had also recommended the addition of this code in the Census 2011.
What’s the process of granting religious code?
Article 25 of the Constitution guarantees Freedom of Religion to every Indian citizen and accordingly, six religious codes namely Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism and Jainism are functional in the country. Granting a separate religious code is not a State subject. It can only be enacted through a legislation passed by both the Houses of Parliament. Hence, be it the existing BJP-led government or any other dispensation that may take charge in future, the ball will always be in the Centre’s court.
