The Life and Times of Birsa Munda

 The Life and Times of Birsa Munda

The year: 1890-92. It was a time of turmoil when several Adivasis in the Chhotanagpur region were falling prey to the false preaching of the Christian churches and were forced to embrace Christianity. It was a ploy by the British to convert Adivasis into Christianity in an attempt to stem protests. Birsa Munda and his family also believed in the preaching initially and converted to Christianity. Soon; however; Birsa saw through the trickery and not merely did he convert to Hinduism again; he also convinced several Adivasis who had converted to Christianity to embrace Hinduism once again. It was this Birsa Munda who later became ‘God’ of the Adivasis and came to be regarded as ‘Dharti-Aba’ or ‘Father of the Universe.’

The British administration was jolted and in an attempt to nab Birsa announced a reward of Rs 500 for his arrest. The British trick worked and some greedy informers of the British captured Birsa when he was sleeping at night.

This book; a biography of the great Adivasi leader; Birsa Munda; tries to capture some of the brave glimpses from the life of a daring revolutionary who gave up all he had to fight for the rights of his people and to ensure the freedom of his motherland.

ADIVASIDOM: Selected writings & speeches of Jaipal Singh Munda

Who was Jaipal Singh Munda? 

Jaipal Singh Munda

What was his political-intellectual contribution in Indian Independence and in building of a new India? 

What were the aspirations of the tribal society that Jaipal and other Tribal leaders were representing? 

                Even after seventy years of Independence, history is silent on this. On one hand, there are hundreds of books, dramas and movies on many freedom fighters including Gandhi, Nehru, Jinnah, Ambedkar, and still many more new books are coming on them every day, but there is not a single book on Jaipal Singh Munda. It was the native people, who had built this country by giving the great civilization of Harappa-Mohanjodaro to the humankind. Was their representative Jaipal Singh Munda so insignificant that not a single book could have been written on him? If, he was the real heir of the first freedom-loving community in the colonial India, who had always been at the top of all spheres of knowledge, creation and conflict. And if, he had been a worthy leader of distinguished talent, then what're the reasons for which he has been neglected to that extent? Although, he had been neglected at the pan-Indian level, the ruling class could not erase Jaipal Singh Munda from Adivasi society, its history and the politics of Jharkhand. It is because of continuous storm surging in the form of Jharkhand movement never let erased the contribution and leadership of Jaipal Singh Munda from its conscience of historical conflict.

The Life and Times of Jaipal Singh Munda 

Jaipal Singh Munda

The Life and Times of Jaipal Singh Munda’ is a biography of the legendary leader; hockey genius—who as the Captain; led India Hockey Team to Gold at Amsterdam Summer Olympics; 1928; a voice of the voiceless Adivasis; a Member of the Constituent Assembly and a brain to Fifth Schedule and Sixth Schedule of the Constitution; an excellent orator and man who conceived to rescue ‘Jharkhand’ from the womb of history.
An M.A. (Economics) from Oxford and an Oxford Hockey Blue; Jaipal quit coveted ICS career to lead Indian team at Olympics—only Olympics in history where the Gold medalist team did not concede a single goal to rivals in the entire tournament. Legendary Major Dhyan Chand was a member of this team.
Though married into the family of Indian National Congress President W.C. Bonnerjee; Jaipal dared to go against his own in-laws and formed ‘Jharkhand Party’ in order to lead his ‘Adivasi’ people to statehood by literally becoming a thorn in the Congress politics.
Jaipal was the President of Oxford Indian Majlis; a debating society. As the Principal of Rajkumar College; Raipur; Jaipal organised a football match in Calcutta; at which the school commoners played football with the royal princes of India.

Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda (Hindi Edition) 

कौन थे जयपाल सिंह मुंडा?

 

जयपाल सिंह मुंडा

इनका भारतीय स्वतंत्रता और नए भारत के निर्माण में राजनीतिक-बौद्धिक योगदान क्या था? 

वे जिस आदिवासी समाज का प्रतिनिधित्व कर रहे थे; उसकी आकांक्षाएँ क्या थीं? इस बारे में आजादी के सत्तर साल बाद भी इतिहास चुप है। एक तरफ गांधी-नेहरू; जिन्ना; अंबेडकर सहित अनेक राजनीतिज्ञों पर सैंकड़ों पुस्तकें हैं; पर जयपाल सिंह मुंडा पर एक भी नहीं है। यह कितनी हैरत की बात है कि झारखंड आंदोलन में कूदने से पहले और देश के संविधान निर्माण सभा में लाखों आदिवासियों के लिए निडरता से दहाड़नेवाले जिस आदिवासी ने देश के लिए आई.सी.एस. छोड़ी; जिसकी कप्तानी में भारत ने पहला हॉकी का ओलंपिक स्वर्ण जीता; जिसने अफ्रीका और भारत के कॉलेजों में अध्यापन के दौरान अपनी शिक्षकीय योग्यता से प्रभु वर्ग को प्रभावित किया; जो गुलाम भारत में किसी ब्रिटिश कंपनी में सर्वोच्च पद पर काम करनेवाला पहला भारतीय (वह भी आदिवासी) था; जिससे पढ़ने के लिए भारत के राजा-रजवाड़े लालायित रहते थे; जो ऑक्सफोर्ड से अर्थशास्त्र में गोल्डमेडलिस्ट था; हॉकी में एकमात्र भारतीय ‘ऑक्सफोर्ड ब्लू’ खिलाड़ी था और जो कॉलेज के दिनों में विभिन्न सभा-सोसायटियों का नेतृत्वकर्ता संयोजक-अध्यक्ष था; उसे इस लायक भी नहीं समझा गया कि उसकी चर्चा हो।

ओल चिकि गेयान पार्ट -3