Two major organisations of ethnic minority communities in the northern region will observe the 156th anniversary of Santal Revolution today with a demand for their recognition as indigenous people in the constitution.
On June 30, 1885, santals led by Sidu and Kanu rose up in arms starting a heroic struggle against the British Raj. Since independence from the colonial rule, ethnic minority people commemorate the day as Santal Revolution Day.
Jatiya Adibashi Parishad and Adibashi Cultural Development Organisation separately organised programmes in the city on Tuesday to mark the occasion.
Adibashi Cultural Development Organisation brought out a procession and accorded reception to the newly elected union council members, and organised war games with their traditional weapons arrows and bows and spears. Discussions and cultural programmes were also organised.
Jatiya Adibashi Parishad on Monday brought out a procession, held a rally and cultural programme in the city.
Several hundred ethnic minority people under the banner of Adibashi Cultural Development Organisation brought out a procession from Rajshahi C and B crossing which ended at the Rajshahi Central Jail playground where a traditional santal war game was watched by hundreds of townspeople.
A discussion was held at the Nan King Darbar Hall in the city where the speakers demanded constitutional recognition of and a separate land commission for the ethnic minority groups living in plains.
The speakers said it would be unfortunate if the government stuck to its guns and did not recognise ethnic minorities as indigenous people.
The santal leaders, like other ethnic groups, renewed their call for recognising them as 'indigenous' instead of 'tribal' people in the constitution or they said they would go for 'movement'.
'We participated in all democratic movements, including the liberation war. Why should we remain outside the mainstream,' said a speaker.
Commissioner of information Sadeka Halim, Rajshahi police super SM Rokon Uddin and Adibashi Cultural Development Organisation executive director Rajkumar Shao addressed the discussion, among others.
Jatiya Adibashi Parishad on Monday afternoon brought out a procession from Alupatty crossing which ended at Rajshahi General Library at Miapara after parading the major streets.
Later, a discussion was held in the library auditorium where the parishad president Anil Marandy said that the textbook 'Paribesh Parichiti' for class IV and V carries 'wrong information' about the lifestyles and cultures of ethnic minority communities.
Rabindranath Saren, general secretary of the parishad, suggested that a special committee should be formed in which experts from ethnic minorities should be included in order to correct information, dropping the 'humiliating details' from the textbooks.
He also demanded that a mother tongue-based primary education should be introduced for ethnic minority children.
Jatiya Adibashi Parishad's Rajshahi city unit president Bimol Chandra Rajowar, Godagary upazila president Uttam Kumar, Workers Party of Bangladesh city unit secretary Liakat Ali Liku, National Awami Party Rajshahi district unit secretary Mustafizur Rahman Khan Alam, Communist Party of Bangladesh Rajshahi city unit president Abul Kalam Azad and Jatiya Mahila Parishad Rajshahi district chapter general secretary Kalpana Ray spoke in the programme.
Source : New Age
