INDIAN MEDIA REVIEWS OF 'ORISSA IN THE CROSSFIRE-Kandhamal Burning'

[Guest guest]

NOTE: The Indian edition of the book was written under the name Michael Parker

 

Looking back at Kandhamal

 

Saswat Panigrahi

 

A year after Kandha tribals erupted in fury, the real issues behind the conflict

remain unaddressed. An indifferent Orissa Government refuses to recognise the

reality

 

One year on, the agony of Kandhamal is refusing to simmer down. At a time when

Kandhamal's real problems are being disregarded and there is a deliberate

miscalculation in handling the crisis by secular fundamentalist media and

political parties which pin blame on `Hindu groups', comes a report which not

only exposes the allegations against the much-touted `Hindu hand' but also

depicts the authentic source of tribal anger.

 

The report, titled Kandhamal: A Fact File by Michael Parker, published by India

Foundation, reveals that the violent upheaval in Kandhamal is rooted in its

socio-demographic history. " A social chaos, similar to that experienced by

American tribes threatened the cultural stability of the entire region, " the

report says.

 

Kandhamal has two distinct inhabitants -- the tribal Kandhas and the Schedule

Caste Panas - their relations have a history of turbulence and the report has

brought its genesis. It was during the British period the Panas made a

`momentous choice' of coming closer to the Christian missionary and eventually

converted to the Christianity. However, for Kandhas, Christianity was closely

identified with the British colonial powers that they have battled in at least

eight different wars.

 

The problem arises, says the report, when Christian Panas are unwilling to forgo

the benefits of being a member of Scheduled Caste. " Not only have the Christian

Panas obscured their religious identities as Christians, they have submitted

fake certificates identifying themselves as members of the Kandha tribal

community, " the report says. Alienation of tribal land is the foundation of the

Kandha-Pana turmoil.

 

" Adding yet another layer of turmoil to the situation, the Christian Panas began

a movement demanding official recognition as a Schedule Tribe, " the report says

on Kui controversy. Kui is the native language of Kandhas. The amended central

Scheduled Tribe list included the `Kui community' in the ST category. Parker

report quotes two schools of thoughts in dealing with the controversy. A section

of experts on tribal affairs says Kui means Kandha and there is no need to add

Kui in the Central Scheduled Tribe list, where as another section says the word

Kui is used not in terms of language but in reference to a tribe.

 

" The records and the facts prove that Panas are not and have never been a tribe

in accordance to the guidelines set by the Indian Constitution, " Parker says.

 

" Thus the Kandhas are understandably in an uproar over the loss of opportunity.

A system that was designed to alleviate their poverty and social stagnation has

been hijacked and their woes compounded, " the report states.

 

Another ominous side of Kandha-Pana divide, as brought out by the report is the

shadow of the Maoists in the region, who take advantage of the situation. " The

tension between the Christian Panas and Kandhas is so tangible that it has been

identified as a strategic opportunity for the Maoists, " the report says.

FULL DAILY PIONEER NEWS REVIEW HERE

http://www.dailypioneer.com/214402/Looking-back-at-Kandhamal.html

COMPLETE REVIEW HERE

http://saswatpanigrahi.blogspot.com/2009/11/looking-back-at-kandhamal.html

 

From the India-wide 'Organiser' Newspaper

What is the truth? If only The Indian Express had read the full truth about

Kandhamal written by an impartial outsider, Michael Parker, an American familiar

with Orissa, it would have done some service to its readers. So many lies are

unconsciously propagated by the media these days under the compulsion of

" breaking news " that a brazen lie gets implanted in thousands of minds as the

naked truth. To say the least, it is disgusting. Parker's seminal work,

incidentally, is published by the India Foundation, New Delhi.

http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content & pa=showpage & pid=316 & pa\

ge=40

An honest documentation on Kandhamal

 

By Manju Gupta

 

Harvest of Hate—Kandhamal in Crossfire, Michael Parker, India Foundation

 

Kandhamal, a remote and tranquil district, tucked away in the western hills of

Orissa, has been in the news recently. In the past few months, a predominantly

non-descript Vanvasi district has become the site for violence following the

gruesome killing of a highly revered saint, Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati and

his four disciples at the end of August 2008.

 

External forces have taken advantage of such a situation and begun propagating

the native Hindus as an example of what is wrong with India. Is it not strange

that when the Hindus resolve injustice and inequality within the framework of

Hinduism, it is considered communal. Hindu ways are not considered a viable

alternative to solving the problems confronting the nation as a whole. Even

worse, the political climate is such that it is considered right to hate and

defame anything identified as Hindu. In the name of secularism and minority

rights, a campaign of hatred is whipped up.

 

In other words, this report highlights the efforts of Swami Lakshmanananda, who

dedicated his life to this cause but lost it in service of the Vanvasi people of

India. He single-handedly developed an all-round formula for the betterment of

the Vanvasi people. Not only did he feed and clothe them, he taught them how to

farm and market their produce. He provided them with educational facilities and

hospitals; he did more than just provide for their basic needs—he enhanced their

spiritual tradition, giving them a sense of self-worth and appreciation for

their native ways. This, combined with modern education and medical facilities

has imparted them the confidence to better their own lives and of their

countrymen.

 

This has posed a threat to forces committed to bringing about a change in the

lives of the Vanvasi communities and making them disenchanted with their own

rich culture and tradition. In order to bring this about, they resorted to

violence. The author, an American interested for long in the world's natural

life and who visited India a number of times to study its Vanvasi culture, says

it was the Christians, who treated Swamiji as an obstacle as he stopped

empowerment of Kandhamal's enemy. The Swamiji threatened their lucrative trade

in liquor, sacrificial buffaloes and conversion tactics. For Maoists, the

Swamiji was a major impediment to their " planned liberation of Orissa " . Here the

author indirectly holds the Maoists responsible for Swamiji's death as they

regard " the establishment of Kandhamal as a base of local operations and as a

key and vital link within its declared `liberated zone', stretching from the

borders of Nepal down to South India. " He adds that while the non-religious

Maoists are an anti-establishment group waging a violent war against the Indian

state, " the RSS is a solid establishment oganisation rooted in Hinduism. It is

the ideological opposite of the Maoists and this is the organisation that the

Vanvasis here are close to. " The Maoists are not able to bond with the Vanvasis

because of this affiliation.

 

(India Foundation, Flat No. 343, Chandanwadi Society, Dwarka, New Delhi-110

045.)