RANCHI: Descendants of tribal icon Birsa Munda strongly believe that their lives may change after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to their village, Ulihatu, on November 15, the birthday of the celebrated freedom fighter and tribal leader in Jharkhand.
According to Sukhram Munda, Birsa Munda’s great-grandson, even after 23 years of Jharkhand’s formation, they’ve received only false promises from the district administration and public representatives, still living in penury.
Birsa Munda, a young freedom fighter and tribal leader, left a lasting mark of protest against British rule in India in the late nineteenth century. The descendants of Birsa Munda continue to reside in asbestos houses at Birsa Oda in Ulihatu, under Khunti district, Jharkhand. Although the house is undergoing a makeover by the district administration for the Prime Minister’s visit, it is temporary, with all paintings and decorations set to vanish within a week.
Sukhram Munda emphasises that despite Jharkhand being formed on his great-grandfather’s birth anniversary, they still inhabit kuccha houses. “Now, with Prime Minister Modi himself coming to Ulihatu, I am hopeful that the matter will be addressed, and our lives will change,” says Sukhram Munda.
His daughter-in-law echoes the sentiment, hoping for a pucca house after Modi’s visit. When asked about welcoming Modi, she innocently mentions serving him maad-bhaat (boiled rice). “Hum log maad-bhaat khate hain, wahi unko bhi khilayenge, aur kya? (We eat maad-bhaat and will serve the same to him),” says the daughter-in-law of Sukhram Munda.
Notably, Narendra Modi will be the first PM to visit Ulihatu. Before Modi, no PM visited the place, gaining prominence after Jharkhand’s creation on his birth anniversary in 2000. Last year, President Droupadi Murmu visited Ulihatu, and in 2020, Home Minister Amit Shah also visited. After paying homage to Birsa Munda, Modi will launch the ‘Vikas Bharat Sankalp Yatra’ at Khunti. Covering 2.5 lakh gram Panchayats and 3700 urban local bodies at over 14,000 locations with more than 2500 IEC vans, the yatra will commence from tribal areas and last for two months.
Before flying to Ulihatu on November 15, Modi is scheduled to visit Bhagwan Birsa Munda Museum in Ranchi, highlighting the contributions of Bhagwan Birsa Munda and other tribal freedom fighters. Interestingly, Modi inaugurated the museum on November 15, 2021.
The freedom fighter
Birsa Munda was a prominent tribal freedom fighter, religious leader, and folk hero from the Munda tribe in India. He played a crucial role in the Indian independence movement against British colonial rule in the late 19th century. The tribal icon was born on June 15, 1875, in Ulihatu, Bihar (now in Jharkhand). He is best known for leading the Munda Rebellion, also known as the Ulgulan or the Tamar Revolt, against the British rule.