Adi Vasi:

April 11/2011: Long, long ago, man was created, supposedly, from Eve and Adam. Religions emanating out of the Middle East, such as Judaism, Islam and Christianity all have very similar names and narrations in stories depicting the beginning of mankind. Farther away, in India, we have different versions of the story of the birth of humans. One story goes that Brahma of the Triumvirate fame being the Creator, initially created a female. This may lead the less learned amongst us to assume the new Being was his daughter. Next, mythology tells us, he procreated with this Being. Again this may lead some to believe that Sanatan dharmis concept of creation is based on some kind of incest. The crux is that no matter whether one believes one or another religion or on a scientific thesis like the Big Bang, there must have been a singular beginning. Not necessarily a single person though. If we believe in this beginning, which most probably happened at very many places but around a single time span of the Earth’s history, most of the living creatures, especially bipeds, could safely be considered somehow related to each other. Recent excavated findings point to the beginning of Man in some part of the land mass that now falls in the African continent. That Man migrated, many centuries later, northwards and left and right too. We all therefore came from one particular area and from a particular time zone.

Therefore, it can safely be said that all of us here are Adi-vasis. The problem arises when we do not understand the meaning of the word. ‘Adi’ implies original, old or even primary. Like ‘adi-manav’. Nothing more or nothing less either.

‘Vasi’ or in plural vasis means inhabitants. Thus implying, very simply, that original inhabitants or people who lived on a particular piece of land or area are termed as such.

Recently, there were many demonstrations in different parts of Orissa and people of tribal origin were out in the streets claiming they alone were the rightful proprietors of the word and the ensuing benefits. Now this mind set of owning words has become important since there are a lot of benefits that the government doles out on different sets of people who are capable of putting themselves in certain brackets which these words signify.

However, there are other opinions that one may not ignore. Just because it is very necessary to be politically correct, most of us, media or otherwise, do not dare to delve into subjects that could put up a strong group of united people screaming and shouting things at our doorstep that are not really comprehensible. India, as a country, is in a total state of confusion today for which any one, no, not one, any group that is large enough in numbers can blackmail and twist and turn things to suit their needs. All of us seem mortified by large shouting and stone pelting crowds. Srinagar photos are truly representative of the Indian mind set of today. No doubt we surely did learn a few tricks of the trade from those chequered bandana wearing fighters of Palestine.

When we return back home, we are confronted with the Adi-vasi issue once again. What are the apasis or the scheduled tribes? And who are the non-apasis and non scheduled tribes? This is not really a question to anyone. It is a statement that many of us are forced to think upon.

The earth was covered with trees as there were no lumberjacks and timber mafia at that time. People lived in homes made from wood. They co existed with wild and tame able animals. Nature was their God and everyone hunted food.

Slowly but surely, without movies or television around to distract, man was forced to resort to the primeval source of entertainment. This led to the growth of numbers of the biped types. Increasing numbers put pressure on the jungles and what they, the forests, could give as nourishment. Someone spoke. In the early languages it sounded like Necessity is the Mother of Invention. The mothers, their children with the men folk had to find other sources of food, water and sustenance. Since the forests and hills could not hold such large numbers, smaller groups, those who were more daring, broke off and came down to the dales to sow seeds that had no copyright on the packets and neither were they marked as Sanmonto or whatever. Agriculture took birth. Since water was an essential ingredient, river banks or other small or large water bodies saw the first signs of civilization.

This group of jungle dwellers had transformed itself into plain dwellers. Their habits, obviously, started changing as the demands and needs in an open plain area were different from those of a hilly and forest covered area. Little did they know that centuries later, politicians and bureaucrats will segregate them. That they will be perceived as the exploiters and their cousins left behind uphill will be seen as deprived and helpless. Government programs will help those left behind while the adventuresome will then become the deprived.

All this and still more. In reality, all of us are apasis. There is none who could possibly contradict as, in Orissa, there is virtually no Aryan or Mongloid trace worth mentioning. This may not hold true for the whole south Asian sub continent but Orissa definitely holds a special position. All one has to do is look at the noses of most of the so called Aryan descendant ‘upper castes’ to know the truth of this statement. It should give all a feeling of satisfaction that everyone in this state is from one womb. If you fight someone or snatch something from another person, remember that you are doing so from one of your own brother or sister.

Fighting for Rights is very acceptable. Yet, while saying all this, let us not forget what the Bible taught us—The meek shall inherit the earth.