Latest news with #BirsaMunda
The Hindu
4 days ago
- General
- The Hindu
For most residents of Pakistan Tola in Bihar, the village name is an embarrassment
It is like any other village in deep rural India. Heaps of maize are let out to dry under the sun on either side of NH 31 that links Patna to Purnia. Women walk by with sacks of paddy on the head. The harvest season is in full bloom. Most of the villagers are farmers, depending on paddy, wheat and maize for livelihood. The village is nothing but a dot in the map of Bihar, 350 km from the State capital Patna with a population of 250, but it stands out for its peculiar name — Pakistan Tola. Quirky to some, funny to many and embarrassment for most of the residents. The village is along the 1.9-kilometre-long Kosi mahasetu (mega bridge) that connects Mithila and Kosi regions. About 10 km from Pakistan Tola, at Srinagar Chowk, Birendra Kumar, a shopkeeper, shoots off directions, 'Oh, you want to go to Pakistan. Go straight, take the first right, and you will reach Singhia Hatt (market). There, ask anyone; they will guide.' Then he adds, 'Every day we are embarrassed when anyone asks us the address of Pakistan.' The village is flood-prone, has no roads, schools, or even a primary health centre. There are no concrete houses; most homes are built from wood and hay. The elderly in the village say that during the partition in 1947, most of the Muslims who lived here shifted to what was then East Pakistan, now Bangladesh. Later, the Santhal tribes came from the forests and occupied the village. As the village was almost empty and its inhabitants had left for then Pakistan, the name sprung and stood for decades Lots in name For all the ills that had afflicted the region — poverty and lack of development — people have one thing to blame: it's name. And they want to change it. Villagers are agitating more than ever for the name to be changed to Birsa Nagar after the tribal leader Birsa Munda, who challenged oppression of different kinds. The movement has been raging on for several years. Ashok Kumar Hansda (58), who lives here, says, 'Two years ago, we submitted a memorandum to Srinagar BDO (Block Development Officer) with a request to change the name.' Nothing came of it, and Mr. Handsa complains that the local MLA never visits the village. 'Why is the Bihar government not serious about changing the name despite knowing that Pakistan is hated so much by Indians?' he says, feeling this hate rubs off on them. A few years ago, the villagers removed the cemented nameplate carrying the name Pakistan Tola. Last year, they put up a temporary board on a coconut tree. It read: Birsa Nagar, Johar, Gram Panchayat Singhia, Block Srinagar, Purnia; Apka hardik swagat karta hai (welcomes you) at the entrance of the village. Burning stigma Raju Kumar Tudu (19), a villager, flashes his Aadhaar card. 'It is not nice when anyone identifies us with the name of Pakistan,' Mr. Tudu says, adding that people from neighbouring villages have begun to look down upon them. Another villager, Jetha Murmu (60), says: 'Due to the name of this village, people hesitate to get their daughters and sons married to the people of Pakistan Tola. Even before the Pahalgam terrorist attack, several marriage proposals had been cancelled as no family wanted to be associated with Pakistan.' He says this is just one more problem among many others, including low prices for yield. 'The maize we produce sells for ₹2,000 per quintal to the local traders. We have heard that in the city, 250 gm of corn costs between ₹80 and ₹100. We are left at the mercy of gods,' he says. Even health care is poor, rather non-existent. 'There is no health facility in the village. If something happens, we have to travel 10 km for medical treatment or to purchase medicines,' says Baski, who lives in a family of 10. Tana Kisku (25) is hunting rats. 'There is hardly anything to eat. We cannot afford two meals a day, so we hunt for survival. We are dependent on nature and the food available around,' Mr. Kisku says. In one house, a five-year-old child is eating rice mixed with water and salt. In another, a family is cooking roots and leaves foraged from the forest. Since there are no roads off the highway, plumes of dust swirl everywhere in the village. Flip-flopping officials Mukhiya (gram panchayat head) of Singhia panchayat Prem Prakash Mandal claims that development is taking place gradually. He claims that the district administration is taking steps to change the name of the village on Aadhaar cards. 'A few months ago, I met the BDO of Srinagar requesting him to change the name of the village on our Aadhaar cards,' Mr. Mandal says, adding that other developmental work is moving forward, though with limited resources and slowly. 'Several names from the village have been listed under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (the Centre's free housing scheme for lower and middle income groups). The roads of the village will be built under the Mukhya Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (the State government scheme to build roads to villages with populations over 250),' Mr. Mandal says. Srinagar BDO Ganaur Paswan too concurs with Mr. Mandal. 'There is so much work going on at the block level and we are aware about the name of the village. People have to make the effort to visit the block office so that changes can be made in their Aadhaar card. I am not sure whether it has been changed in the government documents,' Mr. Paswan says. An Additional District Magistrate (ADM)-level officer posted in Purnia Collectorate says that the power to change the name lies in the hands of the Panchayati Raj Department and the District Magistrate can only change it once the department allows it. Purnia District Magistrate Kundan Kumar, who has been transferred to Nalanda a couple of days ago, did not take calls or reply to WhatsApp messages The Hindu sent, asking for the government's stand on renaming Pakistan Tola. The Panchayati Raj Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kedar Prasad Gupta says he was not aware of the issue. 'If there is something like this, my department will take necessary action. The name of the village will surely be changed. We cannot tolerate anything in the name of Pakistan,' Mr. Gupta says. 'The issue may be more appropriately addressed through administrative and public policy mechanisms such as a gram sabha resolution followed by State-level gazette notification to rename the village,' says Ravi Kumar Singh, a Supreme Court advocate. Until then, the non-descript village shall remain quirky to some, funny to many and embarrassment for the residents.
The Print
25-05-2025
- Politics
- The Print
India land of opportunities despite prevailing competitive world scenario: LS Speaker
He said the country, with its intellectual prowess and innovative ideas, technology and young and skilled human resources, has enough potential to lead the world. Birla was addressing a gathering during the Platinum Jubilee celebration of the Singhbhum Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Jamshedpur. Ranchi/Jamshedpur (Jharkhand), May 25 (PTI) Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Sunday asserted that India is a land of opportunities despite the prevailing competitive world scenario. Big industries of the world were looking at India, Birla said. The Union government has been making efforts to suitably bring in reforms and implement industry-friendly policies, he said. The socio-economic development of the country will gain pace if we continue to frame industry-friendly policies considering the fast-changing scenario to ensure their smooth functioning, he said. Apart from Birla, Union Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth, former Union minister and ex-Jharkhand chief minister Arjun Munda and BJP MP Bidyut Baran Mahato were also present on the occasion. Earlier in the day, Birla arrived in Ranchi on a two-day visit to Jharkhand and paid floral tributes at the 25-foot-tall statue of tribal icon Birsa Munda at the Birsa Munda Memorial Park cum Freedom Fighter Museum situated in the Old Central Jail, where he breathed his last on June 9, 1900. 'Bhagwan Birsa Munda Smriti Udyaan and Museum has been built in the same old Central Jail of Ranchi where Bhagwan Birsa Munda sacrificed his life. This museum displays the struggle of the tribals to protect water, forest, land rights and their culture. 'It shows the sacrifice of Bhagwan Birsa for the nation. The life of Dharti Aaba Bhagwan Birsa, the pioneer of Ulgulaan, is a source of continuous inspiration,' Birla posted on X. Jharkhand Assembly Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahato and Seth welcomed Birla upon his arrival at Ranchi's Birsa Munda Airport. 'I salute the land of Birsa Munda. This is the land of valour, tribal culture, values and traditions. Jharkhand is progressing on the path of modern development while preserving the culture of its tribal communities. This land is an inspiration for all of us,' Birla told reporters at the airport. 'Later in the day, the Lok Sabha speaker is scheduled to participate in the Nagrik Abhinandan Samaroh, organised by various societies at Swarna Bhoomi, Dangratoli, at 5 pm. Nearly 156 organisations, including social and religious groups, will welcome him,' Seth said. Birla is scheduled to return to New Delhi on Monday. PTI SAN NAM BS RBT ACD This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Indian Express
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Opinion NCERT's attempt to change history in school textbooks undermines our diverse past
The latest changes introduced by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) in the social science and English textbooks for class VII have sparked many controversies. Previously, students of class VII had three separate books for history, geography, and social and political life. However, NCERT has now put these three subjects into one unified volume titled Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part I). The second part of this new book is likely to come out within a few months. Previously class VII history book included sections on the medieval Delhi Sultanate (12th-15th centuries) and the rise of the Mughal Empire in the 16th century, but the new combined textbook has omitted these topics. NCERT has also not cleared its stance about whether these topics would be covered in the forthcoming second volume. Many educationists are sceptical about the inclusion of these topics in the second part of the book. Such scepticism is indeed not unfounded. In the recent past, NCERT has introduced other curriculum changes that have provoked debate. For instance, last year, it made significant revisions to the class XII history syllabus, pointing out that the recent archaeological research effectively dismissed the theory that the fall of the Harappan civilisation was caused by the migration of the Aryans into India. Such a change clearly implies that the Aryans should not be considered foreigners to the Indian subcontinent. Similarly, in a class VI history textbook, the NCERT removed the word 'Hindu' from a chapter on Birsa Munda. The earlier edition of the book mentioned that Birsa Munda had 'opposed the missionaries and Hindu landlords.' In the new edition, the word 'Hindu' was deleted from this sentence. The new class VII social science textbook includes a chapter titled 'How the Land Became Sacred.' It begins with a quotation from the Bhagavata Purana and discusses the sacredness and significance of pilgrimage sites for all religions. The chapter even contains a special section on the Kumbh Mela. Naturally, academics have questioned whether a school textbook can have a chapter on the sacred nature of religious sites at all. It is evident that in making changes to the school textbooks, NCERT's primary target is history. It seems that NCERT aims to present a fragmentary picture of Indian history to the students that is likely to erase the image of a country that celebrated unity in diversity. Notably, for the ideological purposes of the state, young minds happen to be the most fertile breeding ground. Louis Althusser showed long ago that among the ideological state apparatuses, the school is the most powerful and effective one in modern times. A child spends most of the time of a day in school. To a child, a textbook can appear as the gospel truth. This is why, silently, the state performs the task of manipulating future citizens using the school as an ideological state apparatus. Two important points need to be noted here. First, in a post-modern sphere of understanding, nobody can call history sacrosanct. Multiple interpretations of a historical event are, of course, always available. The perspective chosen for writing a historical event determines which version of history will be presented to the readers. But can well-established facts ever be altered? For instance, Birsa Munda fought against Hindu zamindars; this is a fact. Similarly, will the history of India be complete without the Mughal era? Second, the NCERT is an autonomous central body. It can prepare textbooks and advise on various subjects for both the central and state school boards, but it cannot compel all the boards to adopt its recommendations. The reason is simple. Since education is on the concurrent list of the Indian Constitution, state governments are not always obliged to accept the recommendations of NCERT. For example, in West Bengal, the English-medium schools affiliated with the state's Board of Secondary Education do not use NCERT textbooks. The same is true in many other states of India. Even the ICSE board mostly does not use NCERT books. Only the CBSE board religiously uses NCERT textbooks. So, the ideological turn is not going to have a large-scale impact across the schools. Against this backdrop, one must return to Althusser. He maintains that even within a state-controlled system of education, there are always a few teachers who do not teach students toeing the ideological line; rather, they teach them to think differently. Many may recall the school Udayan Pandit runs in Satyajit Ray's film Hirak Rajar Deshe. Despite the oppression of the state, it is ultimately Udayan Pandit who comes out victorious in his rebellion against the King. There are many Udayan Pandits even in the schools that teach NCERT textbooks. It should also not be forgotten that the federal structure of India is the greatest safeguard for the ethos of unity in diversity in India. Moreover, history is not written only on the pages of textbooks; history is also inscribed in the collective memory of people. Memory cannot be erased at will.
Time of India
01-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
‘Need to preserve tribal culture in face of rising modern influences'
Varanasi: A 10-day Tribal Dance Workshop , organised from April 21 to 30 under the joint auspices of the Uttar Pradesh Institute of Folk and Tribal Arts and Culture and the Tribal Research and Development Institute, Varanasi, concluded at Ganeshpur in Shivpur area on Wednesday. Attending the event, supervisor of social welfare department, Varanasi, Anil Kumar Chaurasia paid tribute to the statue of tribal hero Birsa Munda . He said that with the support of the UP govt's culture department, the workshop aims to revive the disappearing dance and songs of the tribal community. He also expressed gratitude to the Tribal Research and Development Institute, Varanasi, and its officials for their continuous efforts in raising awareness and promoting tribal culture, helping to integrate the marginalised and impoverished communities into the mainstream. He also awarded certificates to participants. Former head Mahendra Prasad emphasised the urgent need to preserve tribal culture in the face of growing modern influences. He praised the institute's efforts in the development and preservation of the tribal community. Institute's secretary, Brijbhan Maravi, announced plans to organise similar workshops in future to pass on the rare dance and songs of Gond community to future generations. During the closing ceremony, participating students showcased the dances they learned over the ten days. A total of 35 youths participated in the workshop, with training provided by Vinod Kumar, Baliram, Ravi Kumar Gautam, and Ramesh Kumar, along with Shrikant Oraon, Amarnath, Suraj Kumar Gond, Sushila Patel, Pooja, Priyanka, and others.
