They are not just the original inhabitants of the the plains of North Bengal, they are literally the guardians and custodians of this land. These were the people who cleared the forest lands, fought the wild animals and the unpredictable nature, and made this swathe of lands fit for human habitation. They made these land arable. Today, looking at these boundless fertile farmlands of the north – including Dinajpur, Thakurgaon, Panchagar, Naogaon, Chapainawabganj – no one would ever imagine that the original custodians were the Santhal-Orao-Mundas. The redolence of these fertile lands brought in the greedy hordes of marauding raiders –Mughals, Aryans, Afghans, Arabs, the Marwari traders, and other warmongers. They dispossessed these peoples – through guile, or by the edge of the sword, or by torturing them – of their harvest, their livestock, their homesteads, and their farm lands, villages after villages.

For thousands of years they have fought Arabs, non-Arabs, various races from North India, Mughals, sultans, kings, emperors, nawabs, the Bhuyias and the Talukdars, and the British and the Pakistanis – they fought one and all. (There would be very few who have not heard about the famous Santhal Rebellion [Santhal Hool] by these brave peoples? This story for many of us holds epic mythological inspiration for revolution.) Sometimes they have won these battles, sometimes they have been defeated, but never have they stooped in front of anyone. But, who cares for these fables? For ages these countless wars have claimed their lives, their populations have dwindled, their lands taken away, and they have been left powerless and resource-starved. The once proud guardians, custodians, and owners of these lands have now become landless farmers, rail and road workers, or lowly paid day laborers at the factory-mill ecosystems.

Now, we – the ones who are the wealthy Bengali Chowdhurys, Talukdars, owners of bighas and acres – are the miscegenetic descendants of the usurpers who have exploited these Santhal peoples for hundreds of years. Frankly, we don’t have the dignity left to make any cultural claims; like many other so called civilized peoples of this world we too are usurpers, vile crooks, swindlers, oppressors and torturers.

In comparison the Adivasis of the plains and the hills are far more civilized and peace loving. Many of us are aware of numerous recent social and political injustices, and repressive actions against our indigenous people of the Hill Tracts by different Bengali communities and governments. No one has come forward with a just-solution or a will to mitigate the problems of land distribution, or address the land grabbings, or the illegal forceful evictions of the indigenous peoples from their lands and homes. When will this stop? Can anyone explain me with sound logic and knowledge as to how we can claim ourselves to be a civilized nation and society?

About 1800 acres of local and indigenous farmlands in Rangpur (in Gobindanagar Upazilla) have been ‘acquired’ by a local sugar mill in the name of sugarcane plantations. Breaking all laws the ‘acquirers’ are now leasing out pieces from this land to the common people which has angered the original owners of this land, amongst whom a large percentage are the indigenous people. Though these people have been agitating for a long time now, and demanding that these unlawful leases be stopped, and their land be returned, it has fallen on deaf ears.

Finally, having exhausted all means, the original owners of this land have taken to the streets, blocking the Dinajpur-Dhaka highway. Apparently the authorities have a struck a deal with these original owners (amongst whom are the indigenous peoples); I have my doubts that they will get back their lands going by historical precedence of such chicanery. The Daily Korotoya has published a short report on this.

[Ahmed Badall has worked in daily, fortnightly, and monthly news outlets as a journalist. Presently he is an advertising professional. He is a poet and a writer.]