NEWS

The Centre has decided to observe November 15 as ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas,’ every year in honour of tribal people’s contribution to the freedom movement and nation-building. It is Birthday of Birsa Munda

ABOUT BIRSA MUNDA

• Folk hero and a tribal freedom fighter
• Hailing from the Munda tribe
• Spearhead behind the Millenarian movement that arose in the Bihar and Jharkhand belt in the 19th century under the British colonisation.
• Known as ‘Dharti Abba’ or the Earth Father.
• Birsait: Bisra wanted to reform the tribal society and so, he urged them to let go of beliefs in witchcraft and instead, stressed on the importance of prayer, staying away from alcohol, having faith in God and observing a code of conduct. Based on these, he started the faith of ‘Birsait’.
• The Great Tumult : Bisra started a movement called ‘Ulgulan’, or ‘The Great Tumult’. His struggle against the exploitation and discrimination against tribals led to a big hit against the British government in the form of the Chotanagpur Tenancy Act being passed in 1908. The act restricted the passing on of land from the tribal people to non-tribals.