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As part of the
ongoing revolutionary movement in Jharkhand there has arisen a new culture, a
new set of values and the birth of a new communist man. The fight against
landlords, police, officials, mafia etc. has been coupled with the struggle
against superstition, patriarchy, casteism and all other such archaic modes of
thinking. So, witchcraft and other related forms of healing are being replaced
by modern and herbal medicine. Forced marriages and arranged marriages together
with dowry etc. are being replaced by simple functions through mutual choice.
Wife beating and drunkenness are being opposed and the people reformed. Caste
prejudices and particularly untouchability are being gradually minimized.
And so also in the
sphere of song and dance, a new culture is beginning to flower. Popular old folk
tunes are now being sung to a new political and social content. The rich
Santhali culture of song and dance is being fired by revolutionary fervour.
It was way back in
1985, when the A.I.L.R.C. (All India League Of Revolutionary Culture) held its
conference in Sindri. At that time, revolutionary cultural organizations from
all over the country, attended. Particularly the J.N.M. (from AP) did
performances in the entire area. The revolutionary cultural activities in Bihar
lead by the renowned artist Ramballi Yadav, also had its impact, in this region.
It was in 1990 that The Jharkhand Aven (Jharkhand Awakening) was born at a
conference that elected a committee of five. Troupes began to sing on various
themes, like against landlord/mahajan exploitation, police repression, on
political issues like Iraq and Afghanistan, and social issues like against
ghosts, witchcraft, wife beating, dowry, etc.; and street plays were also
performed on similar themes.
An example of how the JA arouses the masses was indicated
by one of the programmes held during the boycott of elections campaign early
this year. The programme planned for Jan.4 th
was held on top of the Jumra hill in Bokaro district, under the Gumiya police
station. From the morning itself hundreds had gathered to erect the stage and
the huge Shamiana. By evening the masses began to gather, coming from as far
off as villages in Girdhi and Hazaribagh districts. Women with little children
in their arms showed particular enthusiasm.
The programme was a cultural festival to educate the masses
on the need to boycott the elections. Roughly at ten at night the programme
began after snacks had been served to all the 5,000 people present.
First a welcome song was sung with the artists wearing red
bands and ghungrus on their feet. Then a skit was performed on the question of
election boycott exposing the fraudulent political leaders of all parties who
were standing in the elections. After this another play was enacted against
the evils of superstition. The programme was interspersed with revolutionary
songs in various languages of the region. Speeches were also made against the
electoral system. People listened with rapt attention through the night in the
biting cold.
The police made maximum efforts to foil the programme.
Finally 150 police from the Bokaro police station sat silently at the bottom
of the hill. When the public began to return at dawn in the morning the police
took away 70 people but released them by noon. They then went an arrested on
villager, Ramji Mauji, from his village. Overall the programme helped deepen
the consciousness amongst the masses about the fake democracy in the country.
Santhali culture has
a number of festivals, in which, there is much song and dance — like The Karma
Puja in August, The Saura Puja in January, The Sarhul Puja in March etc. Songs
and dance at these festivals are now being replayed to revolutionary themes. And
the popualar songs/dance of these festivals have been used as the tunes for a
lot of the revolutionary songs written. Another example is the song and dance
performed at The Community Hunting performed in June on the Parasnath Hills. In
this, the dance which depicts the killing of animals has been transformed into
the ambush of the police. Another famous dance is The War Dance, also
transformed from a traditional tribal dance, holding bows and arrows. The
Jharkhand Aven’s birth and growth has been intricately interwoven, with The Nari
Mukti Sangathan (Women’s Organization). The N.M.S. teams, would move from
village to village spreading the message against patriarchy and attracting a
vast numbers of women, young girls and children. Besides speeches and personal
interactions, they primarily used the song and dance form to convey their
message. These songs struck a deep chord in their hearts and attracted vast
numbers to the revolutionary movement. From 1995 wide use was also made of
street theatre.
The Jharkhand Aven
began with a perspective of building committees and village troupes throughout
the region. By 1996, there were teams in the four districts of Girdhi, Dhanbad,
Bokaro and Hazaribagh. There was a central team of ten comrades. In June 1997
district conferences were held in Bokaro and Hazaribagh. By 2000 village-level
teams were formed in vast areas of the region.
The village-level
units do cultural activities against the backward feudal and also the
imperialist culture; they go to neighboring villages and form new cultural
teams; they present programmes in all the activities of the mass organizations
at the village level; if there is a big programme outside they mobilize people
for the war dance (which involves hundreds). Above the village units there are
area committees with 3-4 comrades. In a district there are about four area
committees. So far there are PR (professional revolutionary) teams in four
districts and at the central level.
The central team now
has about 20 and if more are needed they are complimented from the local units.
The tasks of the Central team are: training, spreading to new areas, developing
units in the town, and developing new songs and preparing cassettes. But in the
writing of songs many Party leaders are also involved. The performances of the
JA specifically enthuse the women/girls and children, many of whom come directly
into the JA as PRs.
Comrade Sunder has
been the one of the main initiators of the JA who first came in touch with
revolutionary culture during the last phases of the Jharkhand movement in
1975/76, when he was a student. But he became more active after seeing the "war
dance" performance during the1988 Kolkata AILRC Conference. Now a leading person
in the central unit is one com Jiten who actively joined the movement since 1996
and has been in touch since 1992. Jiten himself comes from a poor peasant
background and has studied only till the third standard. Now the leading team
mostly comprises young girls under 20. They have done performances from the
smallest of villages to the big cities of Dhanbad, Patna, and even Delhi,
Mumbai, Hyderabad and Kolkata. Though they speak primarily in Santhali, they
have been picking up Hindi. Their song and dance performance inspires thousands.
Now songs/dances are done appealing to the youth, to the masses to join the PLGA,
on the formation of the new Party, CPI(Maoist), on Maoism (in popular form), on
imperialist attacks, besides the songs on police repression and on the numerous
social issues. Plays are performed against liquor consumption, police
repression, superstition, etc; but as yet there is no written play. Though most
have been written in Santhali, also there are songs, etc in Kotha and Mundari
and Hindi. A number of cassettes too have been prepared of the songs.
Though the training
they say has been limited there have been some workshops in the decade-long
existence. From neighbouring Bihar, com. Ram Bali Yadav has spent months helping
to train. In 1993 they held their first workshop which was attended by 40
comrades. But here only some acting was taught. Another was held in 1999 when
again only theatre, miming, etc were taught. Through 2000 to 2003 only workshops
were held to prepare for big programmes and also for the preparation of
cassettes. It was only in December 2004 that a major workshop was held, and that
too amidst a massive repression campaign that was underway in view of the
elections.
For this camp about
100 participated in the training comprising the central team, district PR teams,
some from local teams and even activists from the villages. The camp had two
sections focusing on how to face the coming situation. The training camp was
divided into two sections: a political class and a class on practical training.
In the first part the subject "what is culture" was explained — that is, the
difference between feudal and imperialist culture on the one hand, and new
democratic and socialist culture on the other hand. Under the present
circumstances it was also discussed as to what needed to be done. Also
expressions were taught linked to a class approach. In the second part of the
class all were asked to put on performances. Then also there was a full day
session on training in writing. Everyone was asked to present an article or a
song, or a poem. The one week workshop culminated with a mass public performance
attended by over 5,000 on the ongoing elections. This was also attended by a
number of journalists. The farce of elections was portrayed through songs and
dance, street plays, etc. The performance ended at four in the morning.
The cultural teams
(whether central or local) when they go to the villages food is provided by the
villagers. They also participate in work. They divide themselves to different
houses and talk to the people. When there are no programmes there is a tight
schedule of study, discussion, rehearsal. PR teams do such training every day in
some form or the other. In this way the cultural troupes are very popular with
the masses and are seen as part of them; not some performers who are superior,
as that exists in bourgeois society. They thereby acquire the love and affection
of the people. Though so young and with a rural and illiterate background they
perform with confidence even in the big cities of the country.
And so in Jharkhand a
new cultural movement is taking birth. This new culture is interwoven with the
struggles of the people and their awakening to a new life. It is cemented with
the new values taking root in the minds of the masses that are built on
selflessness and cooperative spirit for ones fellow comrades. It is also
interlinked with modern thinking away from the past traditional practices of
superstition, religion, caste prejudices, patriarchy, etc. The JA is part of the
new person taking birth in these regions. The ruling class who brand all this as
‘terrorism’ seek to hide this reality.
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