Who Can Question the State...

Author(s): Arun Chowdhury

Source: Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 10, No. 11 (Mar. 15, 1975), pp. 465-466
Published by: Economic and Political Weekly
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4536937
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 ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL WEEKLY March 15, 1975
because of financial troubles. Shibu
called him 'Master Saheb'.
I also attended the camp court or
'baishi'. It is really an assembly of
about 20 villagers. Among other things,
the assembly hears quarrels and dis-
putes. The Majhis, I was given to
understand, do not go to regular courts
any longer, preferring the cheaper and
speedier justice meted out by the
'baishi'. From independent sources, I
heard that the courts in Giridih were
practically deserted. The 'baishi' I at-
tended was devoted to explaining tne
necessity for grain golas, and in telling
the villagers to come to a meeting the
next day.
When I went to see Shibu he was
preparing to set off the next day for
a public meeting; his companions were
just as busy, organising things for a
mammoth meeting expecting a
crowd of 10 lakhs.
Where does violence fit into tbeir
scheme, I persevered. Shibu and olhers
tell you that they do not like violence,
but if it is used against them, they will
and do retaliate. Bows, and arrows, and
axes, are their traditional weapons,
carried quite matter-of-factly. Recently,
two Santhals were attacked by the
Mahajans (moneylenders), their nmotor-
cycle was burnt and the men were left
for dead. They were alive. The Santhal
drums began to beat, a huge crowd
gathered on the spot and the Santhals
retaliated with fury.
Shibu stresses that Santhals have
confiscated the land, animals and grain
beloqging to the Mahajans, and the
Mahajans driven out. But it was not
because they were 'outsiders' or non-
tribals. There are the rare Marwaris
among the Majhis: I found several
non-Majhis including a Bhumihar.
There was one Marwari who, the
Majhis had complained, had Majhi land
in his possession. On investigation, the
leadership had found this to be true
but had also found that the Marwari
tilled the land himself. Said Shibu
Soren: "This business of taking land
from one man and giving it to another
because of their caste differences is
sheer folly. What is the other man to
do? I told the Majhis that no one was
to touch the Marwari's land. What a
man tills himself, he has a right to
keep. It is the Mahajans (moneylenders)
we will not tolerate."
Under a recent legislation, Adivasi
lands bought by non-Adivasis, without
the Collector's consent, are being res-
tored! to Adivasis. The Santhals have
taken the law one step further. They
This content downloaded from 14.139.207.130 on Wed, 08 Jun 2016 09:28:10 UTC
are reclaiming lands owned by Maha-
jans, whether or not the transfers had
been legal, and they are not going to
the law courts either.
For the moment, at any rate, the
Bihar government is keeping quiet. It
BENGAL
Who Can Question the State...
Arun Chowdhury
IF one travels on any of the local
trains between the suburbs and vil-
lages around Calcutta and the metro-
polis itself, one in struck by the
numbers of middle-aged women, main-
ly widows, who regularly travel on
this route, accompanied by 10-15
year-old children. All of them are
emaciated and ragged. Their faces
are tense and anxious, as they clutch
the small 2-3 kg bundles of rice
which they carry to sell in the mar-
kets of Calcutta. Their pre-occupa-
tion is with safeguarding these bund-
les: each kilo represents a net gain
of 50 paise or even one rupee. They
hide the rice not very saccessfully in
the folds of their clolthing, or they
entreat the more well-to-do passeng-
ers to put the bundles inside their
suitcases so as to conceal them from
the home guards and the police who
inevitably swoop down on them.
I was travelling on one of these
over-crowded trains. The Police and
home guards were on the train, push-
ing and beating their wav through the
conmpartments and raising a chorus of
anguished cries as they snatched the
rice from the desperate grasp of the
'smugglers'. Even old women and
young girls were not spared rough and
rude search of their clothing.
In the midst of the general noise and
agitation, a ticket collector was calmly
moving through the compartment, col-
lecting-right under the noses of the
guardians of the law-not tickets but
a 25 paise coin each from the passeng-
ers. When one young lad produced a
ticket, the TC roundly abused him,
expostulating: "Have yoiu not got
more urgent things to spend your
money on? Sincie when have you
wretched people become rich enough
to start buying tickets?". Then he
turned to the others and appealed:
"Look at this ungrateful lout. I try my
best to help these people, out do you
think they have sense enough to ap-
preciate it? Anmyway, let him die if
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is reportedly taking an 'indulgent
view' of the activities of the Santhals.
It is not yet clear when the more
fundamental ideas unleashed or planted
by the Santhal movement of today will
spark repression by the ruling classes.
he is stupid enough to squander his
money in this fashion." Thus philoso-
phically swallowing his bitterness, the
TC moved on to the next passenger.
The yojung boy sat in timid silence,
looking slightly confulsed. A young
'smuggler' sitting beside him 'explain-
ed that the TC was really quite a
good-natured fellow and on such
familiar terms with the regular pas-
sengers that he would occasionally ex-
tend them credit if they could not
produce the 25 paise.
Presently the train rumbled to a
halt at a small station. The hubbub
inside ceased gradually until there
was almost pin-drop silence. On the
platform stood a cluster of '0 to 35
youths clad in white and carrying
flags. In the curiousi hush, their
voices could be heard clearly, shout-
ing. "Garibi hat raha hai, hate-ga",
"Socialism aa raha hai, aaye-ga", "Burn
the black hands of hoarders, black-
marketeers, and landlords", "WNe will
end smuggling and black-marketing".
The procession moved tip to the
train, and the chanting ceased. The
white-clad yoiuths began clambering
into the train and snatching whatever
remaining bundles of rice they could
see.
Right before my compartment
window was a widow, middle-aged,
accompanied by two small boys - one
about five Years old and the other
a little younger. The children were
watching their mother uncomprehend-
ingly as she wept aloud and implored
the youths to spare her. "Baba, I am
not a black-marketeer. This is food
for my children. Baba, give me back
my rice. I am a widc)w, and the rice
has been given to me by relatives to
keep us all for two or three days.
Baba, give me back my rice." Nobody
wras paying any attention to, iher. One
youth shoved her aside, and she stood
bowed and weeping helplessly. All at
onice she straightened up, and with
some! bitterness demanded: "Baba
do you not have mothers and sisteys
465
 March 15, 1975 ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL WEEKLY

at home? Do you not know what
hunger is? Do you have no human
feelings? How can you snatch food
out of the mouths of young children?
One of the youths sneered and said:
"Cut out this tamasha and get out of
here." He turned away.
In the distance another local train
was aipproaching the platform on the
other side. The youth squad began to
re-group to prepare itself for that
train. Suddenly a scram arrested
them. The widow stood like a fury,
eyes burning tearlessly with lhatred
and desperation. "You snatch the food
out of our mouths", she shrieked,
"you snatch the rice from the
mouths of children under the eyes of
their mother . . . here, then..." and
she suddenly leapt onto the track as
the train swept into the station.
There was a sudden paralysed hush.
It was broken by the older child
beginning to wail. Next moment the
station was full of the busy noise and
commotion of people resuming to do
whatever they were doing before the
interruption. So another suicide was
entered in the register, and one more
'garib' was hatoed'.

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