The dawn broke. The fragrance of Mahua flowers wafted intoxicatingly from the forest adjoining the village. Reelamala, Maini, and Budhini, activists of the women’s organisation, finished their meeting and had to go to another village for the next task in their planned program. They quickly completed their morning routines, packed their bags, and set off. These were villages mostly inhabited by Adivasi people in Jharkhand, located either within or adjacent to the forest.
They held the meeting to discuss the expansion of the organisation. Activities had been stagnant for some time due to the arrest of women’s organisation activists and leaders in charge of various districts. Over the past month, they had been warmly welcomed by people wherever they went. The area in charge, Budhini, and Maini had planned the villages they needed to visit in the meeting. Since they were going out after a long hiatus, the state secretary Reelamala came along to assist Budhini and Maini.
They slowly took the forest path after crossing the village. To reach Purnadi, they had to pass through two villages, so they hurried to avoid the sun. Forest paths were familiar to them. From childhood, the locals roamed the forest for various tasks like collecting Mahua flowers, leaves, firewood, and grazing goats and cattle. These women had also roamed the forest as children. The path was strewn with Mahua flowers that lookedlikejasmines, fallen under the Mahua trees. Children and adults were gathering them into baskets. They would dry them and sell them or ferment them to make Mahua liquor. The houses were spaced apart rather than clustered together. Here and there, some people were working in the fields. Even before dawn, small children were driving goats and cattle into the forest. Some young women, with babies tied to their backs, were also heading into the forest.
Within an hour, they approached the first village. At the village’s edge, a structure with half-built walls and a thatched roof caught their attention. “What is this? It seems like something new has been built,” Reelamala asked in surprise.
“I had mentioned that they were coming. This is SaraswatiShishuMandir,” Budhini said, barely finishing her sentence before the board and the saffron flag fluttering on it became visible. Reelamala fell silent, seemingly trying to digest the sight. Deep furrows of thought appeared on her forehead. Generally, emotions do not appear quickly on the faces of many Adivasi people. It is only among those who work in organisations and travel to different areas that some emotions are visible. Otherwise, it is hard to understand what they have in their minds.
“After crossing Purnadi, Serang is on the other side near the road. There’s also a VanvasiKalyan Kendra there,” Budhini continued. “It seems Purnadi is somewhat influenced as it is close by. There is some interaction back and forth. But the women there are very supportive of us. I visited recently. Some issues might need our immediate attention. I told them we would come today. Since you werecoming, I thought we could handle it together.” Reelamala nodded. They remained lost in their thoughts until they reached Purnadi.
***
Six-year-old Chutku set out with his grandfather to gather bamboo shoots, which grow abundantly there. The tender inner shoots of the bamboo are harvested, cut into small pieces, and cooked as a curry.Even pickles are made. These shoots are known as “Karil” and are a favorite among the Adivasis. Mushrooms that grow in the bamboo thickets are also a special treat, prized for their unique taste.
Chutku was eager to go with his grandfather because that day the women from the organisation were expected to visit. He wanted to help prepare a nice meal for them. Chutku’s task was to gather the mushrooms. His elder sister Lalmuni had assigned him another job too—after finishing with the bamboo shoots, he was to keep an eye out for the arrival of the organisation women and inform her as soon as they appeared.
After completing his task, Chutku went to his sister. Lalmuni took a potato that was roasted, mashed it and mixed it with onion, chili, and salt, forming it into a ball for her little brother. She washed a leaf, shaped it into a bowl, and placed the mixture in it before giving it to Chutku. Chutku happily sat on a rock under a tree, eating slowly while watching the forest path.
In the distance, someone was approaching. At first, Chutku thought it was the women from the organisation, but it turned out to be Manglu, from his village who had been acting strangely lately.Manglu was wellbuilt. He had started applying a red powder on his forehead, which no one else in the village did. When Chutku asked his sister about it, she said Manglu was possessed and advised against talking to him. Now, Manglu was coming closer, and Chutku, terrified, couldn’t move. Manglu smiled and said something, but Chutku didn’t hear it out of fear. Suddenly, Chutku jumped up, shouting “ghost, ghost” as he ran away. Manglu left with a disappointed look on his face.
Lalmuni’s name was given by her father.She was his first child, born while he was working with the organisation and he fondly named her that. After Chutku was born, their mother died of illness, and Lalmuni had raised Chutku like a mother. There is considerableage difference between them. During a protest against displacement, their father was beaten up by the police, leading to his mental instability. The three of them were living under their grandfather’s care.
Even though Lalmuni was mechanically doing her work, her mind was preoccupied with the thought of when the women from the organisation would arrive. Knowing they were coming soon gave her a sense of relief.
When Chutku came running and shouting, Lalmuni dropped her work in alarm. He clung to her legs, and she saw Manglu in the distance. He grinned at her saying ‘the days are not long’ and left, laughing mockingly.
Soon after, the organisation women arrived, much to Lalmuni’s relief. They greeted everyone warmly. Budhini, who had worked in the village for a long time, introduced the other two women, and they mingled with the villagers. In the past, when the revolutionary movement had a strong presence, even armed squads used to visit the village. The villagers were familiar with these organisations, although they hadn’t been able to come around for a while due to repression. Many members were in jail.So, seeing the women the villagers came out of their homes to greet them. Children were especially excited, and the village elders also joined in. This went on till afternoon.
Chutku enthusiastically invited the women to have lunch at their home. After the meal, Lalmuni and the women washed the dishes outside. Reelamala noticed that they are still using soil to clean the dishes,so she went to the hearth and got some ash. When they used ash instead of soil to clean, Lalmuni was surprised and said, “They will shine like new, if you clean them with soil”.
Reelamala responded saying that ash was preferred because it didn’t harbor germs and their eggs like soil did, preventing diseases. Lalmuni, impressed, agreed to use ash from then on. Maini went to fetch water. They quickly did the dishes and placed them on a table like structure erected with bamboo.
The village mostly used bamboo for construction. This hamlet is also big. The houses were relatively close to each other.Whenever there was a wedding in a family, a new hut was built for the newly wedded couple.
Lalmuni suggested they talk privately and led them to a tree, spreading a plastic sheet under it for them to sit. These sheets, sold at local weekly markets, were often used by villagers. Even T-shirts are sold in these markets. The young men wore T-shirts with English writings they didn’t understand and carried axes, which looked amusing. Recently, young men startedwearing more ofsuch colorfulclothes along with accessories such as chains of beads around their necks and applied face powder in thick layers and tied their curly hair with hair bands or ribbons.
Women traditionally wore saris in the Bengali style, but young girls had started wearing salwarkameez. They roll up their pajama legs to their knees for convenience when crossing rivers, washing clothes, or fetching water. These trends were now common in the village.
***
Lalmunidiscussed with Reelamala and others about an incident that happened exactly a week ago. That day, Lalmuni woke up before dawn, while it was still dark, grabbed a basket, and went into the forest to collect mahua flowers. Usually, two or three people go together, but that day she went alone as her friends were not available. Because it was dark, she couldn’t see far. Suddenly, someone grabbed Lalmuni from behind. A strong hand covered her mouth. She was startled and struggled to free herself.
“It’s me, it’s me. Don’t be afraid. I am Manglu,” he said without letting go. Lalmuni, struggling hard to free herself, kicked with her feet. Without removing his hand from her mouth, he forcefully held her and, with his right hand, took some vermilion from his pocket and smeared it on her forehead to the parting of her hair. She didn’t understand what was happening. She pushed him hard and freed herself from his grip. As soon as his hold loosened, she screamed loudly. Her face was covered in vermilion, and her eyes were burning.
“Now we are married,” said Manglu. For a moment she was confused and stopped screaming. Manglu had been after her for a long time, but Lalmuni liked Karu. Marriages in the Adivasi community do not happen in this manner. They don’t know about sindoor (vermillion) or kumkum (red powder). Lalmuni didn’t know either.
But once, when she went to Mahua Tand, she saw a TV there. It was the first time she watched a movie. From that movie, she learned that applying sindoor in the parting of the hair is part of the marriage ritual. Later, when she went to Ranchi on March 8 (International Women’s Day), she saw many people on the streets with sindoor in their hair. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have understood this action. Moreover, she didn’t like him. The party had been working in that area for many years, so the younger generation didn’t even know about the custom of abductionto get married.
While these thoughts were buzzing in her head, Manglu said that since they were now married, it wasn’t wrong for them to be together and he pushed her to the ground, grabbing her saree. Hearing the sound of footsteps and voices a little distance away, he got scared and disappeared into the darkness. After a while, she recovered from the shock, slowly got up and walked towards the stream. Despite the cold, she entered the water and bathed. She washed her head for half an hour. She didn’t even have soap. She took mud from the bank of the stream and scrubbed her head repeatedly.
***
Manglu’s family is not originally from this village. They came here from another place. They have lands in Serang. Manglu’s father is a contractor. In Purnadi, no one else has as big a house or as much land as they do. This family is very different from the rest. They also go to Ranchi often. Manglu has many friends in Serang. Some of them are also in “Van Kalyan.” Manglu learned many new things from them.
“We are also Hindus. Krishna married Rukmini, who belongs to our lineage. She was an Adivasi, which is why Krishna had to abduct her to marry her. Since she joined a Hindu family and we are her descendants, we are also Hindus,” Masterji (the teacher) said. That’s why he started wearing a bindi now. He is also doing Shakha* in Serang. Manglu wanted to abductLalmuni, just like Krishna did.
Manglu also liked Ram a lot, but he belonged to the Aryan race.According to the teacher, Krishna was closer to them. He thought he should somehow bring Lalmuni around and even change her name. “Lalmuni, what a disgusting name!” thought Manglu. He had many thoughts racing through his mind. That’s why he went to Serang and discussed this with his friends. They encouraged him. “You can bring her to the panchayat and claim her. Once you put sindoor (vermilion) on her, no one can stop you. It won’t be considered abduction since you tried only after putting sindoor on her. If needed, we can come with you,” they said. But Manglu didn’t have the courage. He thought he shouldn’t rush without knowing if his father would agree.
When Manglu was coming back from Serang, he was puzzled to see Lalmuni’s younger brother shout at him for no apparent reason. He went home in surprise. When Manglu told his mother the day before that he wanted to marry that girl, she got very angry. Lost in thoughts, as he stepped inside, his mother anxiously pulled him into a room. “Today there is a panchayat (people’s court)by the organisation here. They are talking about something with Lalmuni’s family. If you…” she paused, looking at him suspiciously. Manglu didn’t understand. “Whichorganisation?” he asked. He didn’t know much about these matters since there hadn’t been any activities of the mass organisation for a while.
Manglu’s mother didn’t know the details either, but since her son mentioned marrying Lalmuni, she had been a bit anxious. She knew her husband wouldn’t like a girl from such a poor family. It could also be because of Lalmuni’s family background. Added to that fear, are these people from the organization again! She knew about “them,” which made her very nervous. She tried to reassure herself that it might not be about them. She had various doubts and fears.
Meanwhile, Manglu went outside to see the organisation people and then came back inside, laughing. When his mother got annoyed, he teased her a lot. “What’s this? Them holding a panchayat? Are they even twenty-five years old at least? Are thesewomen going to hold a panchayat? Are you afraid of them?”
***
Reelamalacalled Budhini, and asked, “Did you inform Karu?”
“He has come,” She replied.
As Maini took a drum from her bag and began to beat it rhythmically, Budhini sang, “NariMuktiJhanda Hum Lehrayenge… SoshonMuktiJhanda Hum Pehrayenge” (We will raise the flag of women’s liberation! We will raise the flag of liberation from oppression!) While she sang “come all friends, mothers, and sisters… join”, some young men and Adivasis joined in with ‘Mandar’ (large drums) around their necks, stepping gracefully and rhythmically as they accompanied the chorus. Suddenly, the entire atmosphere became electrified. The whole village moved to gather under a tree. This tree was like a public square for the village. All the village meetings happened there. The elders fondly remembered the old days. Manglu felt an unknown discomfort looking at the scene.
The meeting began. Reelamala first spoke about the current situation. She briefly explained the organization’s relationship with the village and its activities, then said, “Let’s solve our problems ourselves. Let’s rebuild our mass organisations. Some of us are facing certain issues. Today, let’s discuss an important matter. Let’s list the names of those who must be present in thispanchayat. It would be good if they could come forward.” She looked at Budhini, signaling her to begin. Budhini called out Lalmuni and Manglu’s family members. Manglu wasn’t present, nor were his family members visible. The young men who had sung earlier quickly went and fetched those who were sitting inside their houses. Only Manglu and his mother came, grumbling, and stood nearby.
“Go ahead, Lalmuni,” Budhini said. Lalmuni courageously stepped forward and narrated everything that had happened. “What is your response?” Budhini asked, looking at Manglu. Manglu didn’t understand anything. Lacking courage, he remembered his friends’ words and said, “I married her.”
“Whom did you ask before marrying her?” Budhini asked calmly.
“I was doubtful if my parents would agree.”
“So, it’s okay if they agreed?”
“…………………………………”
“Speak up.” He remained silent. An elder from behind asked, “Don’t you have parents or grandparents? Are we not here?”
Budhini felt a surge of frustration for a moment. “That’s not what I’m asking. Did you think you alone could decide on the marriage?” Budhini raised her voice.
Lalmuni, who had been silent and composed until then, became extremely angry. “Aren’t you ashamed to touch a woman without her consent? Shame on you!” she exclaimed.
Budhini continued, “Wanting to marry her without her consent is the first mistake. Forcing her secretly and applying sindoor to marry her is even worse. The practice of abducting and marrying has long been abolished here. A marriage only happens if both the boy and girl agree. If you continue such actions, no one will accept it. And where did these sindoor traditions come from? Don’t try to deceive us like the ‘diku’s (outsiders),” she said in a stern tone. Adivasis call outsiders ‘Diku’. The term ‘Diku’ is used with hostility as outsiders historically exploited Adivasis in various ways. Calling an Adivasi a ‘Diku’ is akin to treating him as an enemy.
Manglu’s mother intervened, saying, “He likes Lalmuni. We were planning to ask. Please don’t separate them.It is a sin.”
“There’s nothing like sin or virtue. There’s only good and bad. Do Adivasi marriages happen like this? If someone did this to your child, would you tolerate it?” Budhini was furious. There were arguments for a long time.
Then, Budhini warned everyone again and asked Lalmuni, “You tell us, who you wanted to marry? Do you accept what Manglu did as a marriage?” Although she knew the answer, she asked in front of everyone.
“I wanted to marry Karu. This Manglu followed and harassed me,” Lalmuni couldn’t speak as she was extremely angry. Manglu looked around, but the village youth were standing around him like a circle. They appeared to be standing nonchalantly, but Manglu understood their intention.
“Karu, will you marry Lalmuni?”
Karu stepped forward and said, “I will. I like her,” looking at Lalmuni.
“Manglu, do you admit what you did was wrong?” she asked. He remained silent again. “It would be better for you if you admit your mistake,” said Budhini. Manglu looked up and saw some women standing behind Budhini holding women’s organisation flags. He was not looking at the flags but at the sticks they were tied to. They were looking at him without any expression. He had never seen village elders not intervening in a panchayat like this before. For the first time, he realized this matter was not as small as he thought, and he felt a chill down his spine.
“It’s wrong,” he said abruptly.
“Tell Lalmuni, not me.”
Manglu’s mother came and said, “He didn’t do anything wrong. Why should he say so? He got married, didn’t he? Is that wrong too?”
Lalmuni felt like hitting her, but Maini was standing next to her, holding her hand tightly. “Ok. Let us decide what is right and wrong now” said Budhini.
“Now tell me, was what Manglu did wrong or not?” Many voices shouted that it was wrong, mostly women’s voices. The elders remained silent.
“So, what punishment should we give him?”
Various proposals came up: to tie him up and beat him, to fine him, and to banish his family from the village. There was a discussion on these matters for a while.
Reelamala and Budhiniconsulted eachother quietly. Then Budhini said, “On behalf of the organisation, we are putting forward some decisions regarding this panchayat. The panchayat considers what Manglu did as not a marriage but a rape. As punishment for his actions, Manglu must bear the expenses of the celebrations and feasts during Karu and Lalmuni’s wedding in the village. He must also buy the materials and personally build a hut for them to live in at his own expense. Since his family supported his wrongdoing, no one should work in his family’s fields or house for a year. Manglu’spunishment must be implemented within a month, and the village committee members must ensure they do not leave the village during this period. After this panchayat, let’s revive the village committee with equal number of women and men in it.” Reelamala quickly wrote these decisions on a paper. “Now, if you approve these decisions, clap your hands. If you have objections, speak up.” There was loud applause. Drums also sounded. The youth stood up slowly. Budhini announced, “This panchayat is now concluded.”
Chutku ran and hugged his sister. He was very happy even though he didn’t fully understand. Lalmuni’s grandfather came and shook hands with Reelamala and Budhini, raising his fist in salute. “Long live Women’s Organization” shouted the youth. As the drums beat rhythmically, everyone started stepping in a circle, congratulating Lalmuni and Karu. That dance will continue through the night.
Shakha* – A branch of the RashtriyaSwayamsevakSangh,whose organisational work is done through the co-ordination of the various shakhas, or branches which involve the gathering of male RSS members to train in martial arts, physical fitness through yoga, exercises, and games.
(Translation of “Diku”. [Initially published in Arunatara March 2021] From the collection of “Viyyukka”) – Translated by Sneha
