Indigenous communities of South India – A way forward

A South India level Consultation of Indigenous communities

16 -17, April - 2011. Bangalore.

All the policies of the ruling governments in the last 64 years and more so in the last 30 years, proves that
the ruling groups in India have only sustained inequality, indignity, discrimination exclusion and
deprivation at all levels, the victims of such misrule are the majority of indigenous people of our country.
And the state has emerged as the agency of manufacturing poverty for majority of its citizens.

The indigenous communities of India comprising of SC, ST, OBC and converted minorities are facing the
worst ever survival crisis. The different ruling denominations representing the same caste class
combinations have indulged in imposing severe socio- economic-cultural disability, paving way for a
multiple marginalization of these communities. Their rightful share over all resources – (natural-financial-
market-human-productive) is being blatantly denied with arrogance and deceit. The indigenous
communities have been condemned to struggle for their minimum survival needs and are made to live in
sub-human conditions. With a clear agenda of imposing upper caste-class dictatorship, their systems of
governance, policymaking, and resource allocations have only opened the way for structures of re-
colonialism and a continuation of thorough Brahmanisation of the entire social order in India. Global
corporate capitalism has found a reliable partner in the hegemonic caste order of India. Both have
common stakes in imposing enslavement and depriving the indigenous communities of every vital
resource and in further pushing the ideology of market fundamentalism as the panacea to hide their
combined loot.

The continued struggle of indigenous communities against such a social structure had expressed itself
through several peoples’ movements in the last six decades across the country in general and more
specifically in south India. The values that their struggle stood for, including cultural identity, qualitative
citizenship, real (non-manipulated) representation, participatory-democratic governance and the rightful
share in the countries resources are more relevant today than ever before.

The ruling class seems to imagine that the game is settled once and for all in their favor and they can
continue to hegemonise the majority of the population and thrive in their paradise with no one to question
them. The shocking suicide of tens of thousands of farmers, transfer of large tracts of agricultural lands to
private companies, forced migration, privatization of governance and administration, robbing of
livelihoods, and depriving populace of even basic health, education and housing etc. are all part of this
game plan of the ruling class.

The instruments of knowledge production (education and mainstream media) and dominant cultural
discourse are busy manufacturing ideologies for consent and to colonize our mind with values of
inequality, discriminations, communalism and continued slavery.

Historically, several movements of the indigenous communities asserted their rights to dignity
sovereignty, freedom, liberty and resources and played key roles in keeping the struggle alive. In later
years, some of these movements were either co-opted or wiped out through various means of repression
and manipulation by the ruling class. The Constitution of India-the source book of our democracy is either
side lined, violated or systematically undermined.

The recent 2011 budget pronouncement that has further entrenched the exclusionary practice clearly
exposes this treachery and continued colonization over indigenous communities of India. The politics of
prejudice and deprivation continue unabated.

To take stock of the situation from the perspectives of leaders of various indigenous movements, organic
intellectuals and social activists from around South India and to deliberate on this vital subject, we
propose to hold a two-day consultation on 16th and 17th of April in Bangalore. About 20-25 prominent
people will participate in the consultation titles ‘Indigenous communities in India – A way forward’.

We cordially invite you to actively participate and contribute in such an essential convergence. Please
confirm your participation.