25 September 2024 : Daily Answer Writing

Q1) Examine the causes that led to tribal unrest during British rule in India. Analyse the reasons for their limited success.

(250 Words/15 Marks)

ANS

Tribal unrest in British India can be referred to as the uprisings by tribal groups against various British policies. The reasons for the tribal unrest can be seen from:

1. The land settlement policies of the British affected the tribal practice of joint ownership of land, thereby disturbing the very social fabric of the tribal lives.
2. Extension of Agriculture, under the British, to the hinterlands meant that tribals lost their traditional lands. This was a major cause of strife between tribals and the British as it ended the isolation of tribals from the mainland.
3. Under the British regime the traditional rights of tribals over the forests came to an end. They were debarred from using forest products. This resulted in alienation of tribals. E.g., government set up reserved forests with restricted grazing and timber collection; shifting cultivation was curbed.
4. The new system of revenue and taxation brought the illicit trilateral of zamindars, moneylenders, and revenue farmers into the tribal regions. E.g., Munda sardars, during the Ulgulan (1899-1900), resisted intrusion of Jagirdars, thikadars (revenue farmers), and moneylenders.
5. Also, British laws intruded into the customs and traditions of tribals, thereby impacting tribal rituals which were being followed since time immemorial. E.g., British banned the practice of Mariah (human sacrifice).
6. The attempts at proselytization by the Christian missionaries were also resented by the tribals.

The tribal unrest could challenge the relatively mightier British empire because of the following characteristics:

1. The tribal communities showed a high degree of ethnic cohesion/solidarity. The close-knit group acted against the British. E.g., the Rampas of coastal Andhra Pradesh gathered in thousands against the oppressive British regime (March 1879).
2. They had full faith in the charismatic leadership of their tribal leaders who in turn were a reflection of revolutionary messianism. E.g., Birsa Munda declared himself to be a divine messenger.
3. The tribal people took inspiration from the fact that their struggle would lead to establishment of a golden age (Satyug), thus giving a sense of meaning and purpose to their fight.
4. Tribals were the people of forests. The encroachment of British into their fatherland and introduction of foreigners in their realm was non-negotiable to them.

Though tribals stood against the repressive and exploitative British rule, their resistance achieved only limited success as:

1. These uprisings were largely localized in nature; as they were separated in time and space, their efficacy was naturally limited.
2. The tribal uprisings were a result of local grievances. The unrest was not a result of any revulsion against the colonial advent in other parts of the country, but its encroachment into the tribal way of life.
3. Even though the tribals were struggling to achieve a golden age, the tribal leadership was semi-feudal in character, backward looking, and traditional in outlook.
4. The struggle against the British rule was not an outcome of any nationalistic impulse. Instead, it was the desire to protect indigenous culture that made the tribals resist against British advances.
5. The methods and arms used by the tribals in these uprisings were no match for the advanced weaponry used by their adversaries, the British. E.g., Santhals fought with axes against British guns.

Even though the tribal resistance had limited link with the nationalistic resistance against the British colonial rule, their uprisings were indeed a reflection of larger simmering discontent, a result of exploitative imperial policies.