Teaching a lesson to the pseudo Gandhians

Vijay Deo Jha

Gumla

The story hadn’t occurred to us until; finally, it tormented us for not noticing.
It was like any normal day and time when we accidentally came across 70 years old Rati Tana Bhagat at village Karaundi in Gumla district arguing with the census official that he must be documented as the follower of a religion that many might not have heard, surely.

“Satt Ahimsa Gandhi Baba (truth, non-violence, Gandhi Baba),” this is my religion. Put it in your census record against the column of religion in your register.
Sweating profusely, Rati was gasping for breath probably due chronic asthma but, emphatic enough to make census officer Jitiya Oraon jittery to accommodate his religion on the census chart. Oraon told us that he is a primary school teacher and also president of Gumla Primary Teachers’ Association. Oraon was aware of the passion of Tanas for Mahatma Gandhi but he had no courage to convince them that there exists no column in the census form about the religion they insists to mention.

“I respect your sentiment and attachment for Mahatma Gandhi but there is no such column of religion in the census form,” Oraon makes last effort to find a way out. But by this time it was too late. Oraon had received overdose of mild rebuff hoping he will come to understand that how Tanas had embraced Gandhi’s movement for freedom struggle and Gandhian philosophy sans sophistry.

The old man is in no mood to compromise with his religion. Suddenly around 50 inquisitive Tana Bhagats clad in Khadi after emerging from daily prayer of Gandhi, joined the old man.

They insisted and remained firm till the poor school teacher had duly mentioned them as the follower of Satt Ahimsa Gandhi Baba religion. There may not be too many followers of the religion of this kind, before it insists to qualify officially, as a distinct religion in the Gazette of the government: a mixture of the fine elements of Hinduism, Islam, Christianity and many others. But before Oraon can pack-up and proceed they had put their thumb impression so that none could temper with their belief.

True to his name, Budhiman Tana Bhagat talked intelligently about the fast shrinking number of Tana Bhagat in Jharkhand and their problem. What Budhiman told reflected that he had some schooling as he appeared well equipped with the problem of Tanas. “We are tribal…but we follow Gandhiji as religion. There are few pockets in Lohardaga and Gumla where Tanas are now live,” he rued. Bisunpur, Ghaghra, Chnadrkop, Bamandih, Gazani, Kuru and few other he listed. There is no official record available to ascertain their number.

The British government had confiscated 3000 acres of their land as punishment for their unquestioned support for Mahatma. “Our land has not been returned…we are still to be granted cultivation right. Please tell the government about our problem. A year back government had assured us but nothing happened,” Budhiman said. The previous government of Madhu Koda had even announced to return such lands to the Tanas that did not graduate beyond the promise.

They had a long list of complaint but that does not douse their undying passion for Mahatma and his philosophy.

It is census time: Different religious bodies have regrouped to swell their number. For Tanas it was prayer time of Mahatma with clang and cymbal. Let the children of one God demand right of way and privilege over children of another God and let them ram into communal retribution. Tanas are not that.