The leader of Santal Liberation Movement, Sido Murmu of Bhognadih is remembered and honoured today which is generally believed to be his birthday.
He and his brothers Kanhu, Chand & Bhairav and their two sisters Phulo and Jhano of Bhognadih village in Jharkhand were in the forefront of the famous 1855 Santal Hul (Insurrection).
Under Sido’s umbrella organisation, thousands gathered to call a halt to the infamous British system of fostering landlordism, moneylending and land alienation.
The movement, spread across the Rajmahal hill area and covering villages up to Maheshpur, did not just rap the knuckles of the British and the exploiters but shook them as in a whirlwind.
The seething anger of the tribals was beyond measure. Their arrows were perhaps no match for the country guns of the landlords and the ammunitions of the British and their local sepoys. But the tribals fougt bravely. The flaming fire of the movement engulfed every tribal village and people joined it with enthusiasm and fellow feelings.
Within a span of eight months, the movement sent a strong message to the British administration and the exploiting hordes.
The arrogant British, with their military strength, quelled the movement after they had killed about twenty thousand Santals. It was also rumoured that someone close to Sido betrayed him by divulging to the British his movements and place of rest.
The Santals paid a great price for their freedom struggle. The fruit is the formation of Santal Parganas as a different civil administrative entity with legal status to customary tribal practices and traditional village administration.
Today people need the Sido group’s awareness to analyse and understand the modern forces that stunt human development. Palliatives and short term subsidies may placate the victims for some time. But lasting solutions need to be thought of for saving resources, for facilitating better land yield through irrigation and water canals, by improving educational infrastructure and health facilities, by creating employment opportunities, cottage industries, etc.
Much to be done and miles to go!