'Vanvasi' Vs 'Adivasi': Why Rahul Gandhi Gets It All Wrong

In the aftermath of the Sidhi incident, the Twitter handle of the Congress party shared a video of its former president.

In this video Rahul Gandhi states (paraphrased):

'We call you Adivasi. He (Modi) calls you Vanvasi because he wants to take away your rights. Vanvasi has three meanings:

1. You are not the original owners of this country;

2. You do not have rights outside the forests;

3. BJP governments across India are destroying jungles and giving them to industrialists. So when all the jungles are finished you will have no place in the country'.

Is there any truth to these statements?

Unscientific

Dr. Gyansehwar Chaubey, a renowned geneticist at Banaras Hindu University (BHU), is a pioneer in the study of ancient migrations and population movements.

His research focuses on various ethnic communities in India, including Andaman, Austroasiatic, Indian Jews, Siddi, Roma, and Parsis. Through the analysis of maternally- and paternally-inherited genetic markers, he has gained profound knowledge about population genetics within these diverse communities residing in the Indian subcontinent.

His expertise extends to understanding population migrations and the historical peopling of the Indian subcontinent from what is called the 'deep time.'

A soft-spoken academic staying away from such debates, even Dr Chaubey felt compelled to respond to the Congress tweet because what Gandhi was shown saying in it was scientifically wrong.

The Professor tweeted:

Analysed thus, the statements of Rahul Gandhi appear not only divisive but they also go against the spirit of scientific temperament.

Colonial Divide and Rule

One should remember that the term 'Adivasi' - aboriginal people - signifies that while one category of people possessed the land and resources in India originally, others came from outside and captured the land and resources from them - very much like what happened in Australia and Americas.

British colonialists used this narrative to set tribal communities against the Indian independence movement.

They stated that the so-called 'caste Hindus' were the 'Aryans' who came into India from outside and took away the kingdoms of the indigenous people who were driven to the forest. The 'Aryan'/'Brahmin'/ caste-Hindus made them lower castes and untouchables.

The Britishers on the other hand were the saviours against such an unjust Hindu social system. If India were to be independent, caste-Hindus would again tyrannise the tribal communities once again.

In reality though, it was through the term 'Adivasi' that the tribal communities had been alienated and impoverished.

Tribal cultural and spiritual traditions were considered 'primitive' and 'superstitious' in this British fabricated 'Adivasi-colonial' narrative. The tribal communities had to be dispossessed of the forest and they had to be 'civilized'. This was was done by the colonial government through the forest laws and conversions that were aided by the same regime.

Insulting Indian Freedom Fighters

Mahatma Gandhi was in the forefront of the fight against such a narrative.

The freedom fighter who dedicated his entire life for the welfare of tribal communities was Amritlal Vithaldas Thakkar, admirably called as Thakkar Bapa.

It was Thakkar Bapa who founded the Vanvasi Sewa Sangh at Udaipur in 1943 and Madhya Pradesh Vanvasi Sewa Mandal in 1944.

So, when Rahul Gandi stated that 'Vanvasi' is a derogatory term, he was actually disrespecting and disowning a Gandhian tradition closely aligned with the Independence movement.

A Comparison of the terms

Let us compare the terms 'Adivasi' and 'Vanvasi'.

The rights claimed by 'Adivasis' are based on their status as the 'original inhabitants' with a distinct ethnic identity. However, such claims are highly controversial due to the constantly changing narratives about the first settlers in India.

The term "Adivasi" becomes speculative and controversial as different ethnic groups construct conflicting historical narratives for political purposes. This can lead to the displacement of communities and even violence, as academic disciplines and external interests determine their history.

On the other hand, a Vanvasi's claim to rights is based on their current association with the forest.

Their direct connection and dependence on the forest resources grant them undeniable and inalienable rights. Their knowledge of the forest or hill domain becomes invaluable.

This aligns with the ancient traditional system in India, particularly southern India, where the hunter-gatherer Kurinhi people were not considered primitive but rather as people of the forest and hills, in contrast to the farming communities of Marutham.

The term "Adi-vasi" has the potential to categorize tribal communities as "primitive" and distinct from the rest of the Indian population. This would allow an exploitative administration the room to displace Adivasis from their homes in the name of development.

Many Western countries have done exactly this.

Therefore, the term itself is fraught with dangers.

On the other hand, the term "Vanvasi" highlights the symbiotic relationship between forests and tribal communities. Forests are the natural habitats of many tribal communities, and it is not easy to uproot a Vanvasi from their forest environment as it is to relocate an Adivasi to a 'reservation'.

The term "Vanvasi" signifies custodianship of the forest, rights within the forest, cultural rights, and a rooted resistance to any form of aggression.

The term "Vanvasi" thus is scientifically sound and provides a better approximation of historical reality compared to the term "Adivasi." It is an evolved term rather than an imposed one.

Additionally, the common Indian name "Vanaja" meaning "daughter of the forest" is associated with the term. Throughout India, there are numerous girls with names like "Vanaja", and "Girija", meaning "daughter of the hills."

If one remembers the fact stated by Dr. Chaubey, that we all have tribal genetic content and that both, tribal and non-tribal communities, have common genetic continuity, then these names carry a strong memory of that continuity and commonality.

What has Modi ever done for Vanvasis?

According to Rahul Gandhi, BJP governments/Modi are handing over the forests to industrialists.

In reality, PM Modi has brought back the focus on the tribal contributions to Indian culture and freedom struggle. No other Prime Minister before him made such an effort to highlight this contribution of tribal communities. It had always remained a neglected chapter of Indian history leading to isolation, and alienation.

For seven decades, November was important for India only for the birth anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru, with 14 November being marked as Childrens' Day. It was the Narendra Modi government that made came up with the idea of the Janjatiya Gaurav Divas being a national festival to commemorate and celebrate the contributions of tribal communities to India's freedom struggle.

Under NDA government of PM Modi, there has been increase in the Protected Forest Areas, from 1,61,081.62 sq.km in 2014 to 1,71,921 sq km in 2022. From 2018 to 2022 the forest and tree cover has increased by 16,000 sq km.

Detractors in the name of fact-finding might come up with statistical manipulations to deny this. But healthy increase in forest areas also carries with it undeniable empirical indicators.

There have significant improvements in the populations of both Asiatic lions and leopards in the last nine years. This indicates that forests are being managed in a healthier way under the Modi government.

The insights of scholars like Dr Chaubey remind us to embrace the inclusive perspective of the word 'Vanvasi'. A term which honours the custodianship, cultural richness, and resilience of the tribal communities of the Indian subcontinent.

Remember, the science is clear about the commonality and continuity between tribal and non-tribal Indians. Don't let 'disqualified' politicians convince you otherwise.