Examine the impact of Birsa Munda’s contributions on India’s socio-political developments in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. (10M, 150 words) [GS-1: Modern History]

Introduction:

• Birsa Munda was born on November 15, 1875, during a period of significant transformation in his society. The Mundas, a tribe that transitioned from a nomadic hunting lifestyle to farming, resided in the Chotanagpur region, now part of Jharkhand. They faced numerous challenges due to harsh policies and events.
• Before the colonial era, the region’s dominant land ownership system was known as “khuntkatti,” which was based on customary rights and did not involve landlords.
• However, the introduction of the Permanent Settlement Act (1793) marked a shift, facilitating colonial incursions into rural India. The East
• India Company used this act to legitimize the zamindari system of land revenue collection, creating two distinct classes: land-owning zamindars (viewed as outsiders or “dikus” by the indigenous populations) and tenant farmers (ryots).

Body:

• The Act allowed the dikus to establish ownership rights through deeds that defined specific territories, displacing indigenous people and denying them access to their ancestral lands.
• Various oppressive policies exacerbated the community’s struggles, including the exploitation of tribal people through the begar (forced labor) system, dependence on money lenders for credit, and the replacement of traditional clan councils with colonial courts.
• Additionally, the community suffered from mass hunger due to famines in 1896–1897 and 1899–1900.
• The British administration’s impact, coupled with increased missionary activity, fostered resentment among the tribals against the dikus.
• Birsa Munda spent much of his time between 1886 and 1890 in Chaibasa, a center of the Sardari resistance, where the Oraon and Munda tribes peacefully resisted British rule.
• This experience motivated him to join anti-missionary and anti-colonial movements. By 1890, Birsa was actively fighting against British oppression of tribal people.
• In 1899, Birsa Munda launched the Ulgulan movement, employing guerrilla warfare to expel foreigners. He urged the tribals to establish a Birsa Raj, refusing to comply with colonial laws and rent payments.
• Despite the movement’s intensity, the British quickly suppressed it due to their superior military strength. Munda was captured by British police on March 3, 1900, while resting with his tribal guerilla force in the Jamkopai jungle near Chakradharpur.

Conclusion:

The Ulgulan movement led by Birsa Munda significantly impacted the region, including the government’s abolition of the begar system and the enactment of the Tenancy Act (1903), which recognized the khuntkhatti system.

The subsequent Chotanagpur Tenancy Act (1908) prohibited the transfer of tribal land to non-tribal people, ensuring the protection of indigenous rights and land.