Monthly Archives: February 2015

In six decades, Santhals have turned away from agriculture

About Kolkata / West Bengal, Agriculture, Records, All

The Santhal community is celebrating a festival at Bhalukshole village in Paschim Medinipur district of West Bengal. Photo: Arunangsu Roy Chowdhury
The Santhal community is celebrating a festival at Bhalukshole village in Paschim Medinipur district of West Bengal. Photo: Arunangsu Roy Chowdhury


Study conducted by Anthropological Survey of India.

Research undertaken by the Anthropological Survey of India (AnSI) has pointed to a shift in the socio-economic and cultural life of tribal communities like the Santhals over the past few decades.

A recent study conducted by the AnSI at Kuotala village in West Bengal’s Birbhum district, has revealed that in six decades the economy of the village has shifted from agriculture to one of menial work. Most of the men from the village now work as daily labourers, rickshaw pullers, gardeners and caretakers at private residences. The women are engaged as maids in the various households in the region.

Interestingly, a seminal work on the Santhals of the village by Nabendu Datta Majumdar titled ‘The Santhal — A study in cultural change,’ based on the research he carried out in the 1950s, clearly states that the tribal society was primarily agrarian.

“The principal economic activities of the Santhals of Kuotala and adjoining villages are agriculture, hunting, fishing, rearing of domestic animals and day labour. Agriculture is the chief source of livelihood…” the book published in 1956 stated.

“However, now, the village economy has transformed with the rise in demand for cash in hand at the end of the day. Menial work in various developmental activities run by government or non-government organisations is being sought after by the villagers of Kuotala,” Shyamal Kumar Nandy, Research Associate, AnSI, Kolkata told The Hindu.

Along with the economic activities a change has also come about in the cultural and religious practices of the tribals. While Mr. Majumdar’s book clearly referred to a strict hierarchical order in the society, headed by a chief known as Manjhi, the latest research points to a weakening of the social structure among the Santhals.

“Some members of the community are not willing to hold the post of the Manjhi as they feel that they will have to devote a lot of time to community activities and not be able to make sufficient money,” Mr. Nandy said.

The researchers have come across an instance where the Jaherthan or the sacred grove of the Santhal community had to be shifted because of construction work carried out by the Visva Bharati, Kakuli Chakraborty, head of office, Eastern Regional Centre of (AnSI) told The Hindu.

Jaherthan — a cluster of trees — is considered by the Santhals to be the abode of their principal deities.

According to the publication of Mr. Majumdar, Kuotala dates back to 1865, long before the central university was set up, when a few immigrant Santhal families from the Santhal Parganas had settled there.

According to the book, in 1938, the land in and around Kuotala and the adjoining Santhal villages were purchased by Visva Bharati from the local zamindar of Surul and the Santhals automatically became the tenants of Visva Bharati.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Other States / by Shiv Sahay Singh / Kolkata – February 05th, 2015

10 schools ‘Film It’ to national stage

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education

Kolkata :

The ministry of culture has shortlisted 10 films made by students from as many city schools to create awareness about Kolkata’s heritage and promote tourism.

Three of these films will make it to the final list and find a place, along with shortlisted films from other cities, on the websites of ministries of culture and tourism. Posters from these films will also be used by the Centre in its ‘Incredible India’ campaign.

The films were screened on Tuesday at Birla High School as part of a nationwide screening of ‘Film It’, as the initiative has been christened.

Schools that made it to the top-10 list are Modern High School for Girls, Apeejay Park Street and Salt Lake, Birla High School, Lakshmipat Singhania, Loreto Sealdah, DPS Megacity, Heritage and South City International. “As many as 400 films were submitted from Kolkata. Choosing 10 best from the lot was a tough task. But I must say that Kolkata kids showed a lot of imagination while looking at heritage from a completely fresh angle,” said Purnima Dutt, who came from Intach-Delhi. The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach) has been appointed the nodal agency for this countrywide project.

It is not built-heritage alone that the kids focused on. Even intangible heritage came in for filming. Take the case of Birla High School for Boys that made a film on fish markets of the city. “Visiting the fish market was an eye opener. It was a journey of sorts. Right from the catch, the sorting, the quality that goes into the different markets, the preservation, the sale and finally the preparations,” said Deepon Roy, a Class IX boy who was part of the film unit.

Similarly, Modern High School focused on the ancient game of Chaupar (dice) and how some ancient Marwari families still play it. Interesting mediums like animation and verse were also used to tell tales.

Schools from Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chandigarh and Ahmedabad have also been selected for the final round. Films screened by them showcase the heritage and culture of respective states.

“We have tied up with the Helen Hamlyn Trust in th UK that will also showcase the films in UK schools,” said Intach convenor GM Kapur.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kolkata / TNN / February 04th, 2015

Top scientists in Kolkata to talk CERN theories

Science & Technology, World Opinion

Kolkata :

Leading physicists from around the world will analyze CERN experiments and theories over the next three days at a conference — ‘India’s International Collaborations In Physical Science’ — to be held in the city.

Sessions will review and dissect CERN experiments and chart out a future course of action. They will also discuss theories thrown up at CERN, according to scientist Bikash Sinha, a former director of the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics (SINP), which played a key role in getting India involved with the CERN experiment.

“CERN has thrown up hundreds of theories that will dictate particle physics in years to come. Scientists who will be here have been directly associated with CERN from its inception and it will be a good opportunity to listen to them. Indian scientists will have a rare opportunity to collaborate with them,” said Sinha.

Among those who will join the conference are Horst Stoecker, the director general of GSI Darmstadt, Johanna Satchel, a recipient of the Lise Meitner Prize, CERN director Rolf Heuer and CERN spokesperson Jurgen Schukraft. Larry McLerran, professor of theoretical physics, Brookhaven National Laboratory and a recipient of the Herman Feshbach Prize, will also attend the conference.

Heuer is arguably the biggest name on the guest list. An outstanding experimental physicist, he has been the architect of the leadership of CERN’s experiments with LHC, which led to the discovery of the Higgs Boson.

Several renowned Indian scientists will also share the dais. Notable among them are Siraj Hasan, a former director of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Rakesh Bhandari, a former director of the Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre and Dinesh Kumar Srivastava, an outstanding theoretical physicist and Sibaji Raha, director of the Bose Institute and S N Bose Centre, Kolkata.

Though the science community in the country is upbeat about the conference, India’s status at CERN remains unclear, according to Sinha. While the community has been trying hard to elevate India to the grade of an associate member at CERN, the government clearance is yet to come through. “Even Pakistan is an associate member now. We deserve to play a greater role now,” said Sinha.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kolkata / TNN / February 03rd, 2015

Sex workers’ cooperative wins award

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Inspiration / Positive News and Features
A sex worker withdrawing money at Usha Multipurpose Cooperative Society Ltd.Photo: Sushanta Patronobish
A sex worker withdrawing money at Usha Multipurpose Cooperative Society Ltd.Photo: Sushanta Patronobish

With low interest rate, they have been able to educate their children and manage their finances better

A cooperative run by sex workers of Songachi, which functions as a bank for sex workers, has won the prestigious award for the best run cooperative in West Bengal for 2014.

Usha Multipurpose Co-operative Society Ltd, the largest sex workers’ financial institution in Asia, owned and managed by sex workers, has a corpus of Rs 19 crores and 20,000 members.

“Before the cooperative was started, we were left at the mercy of moneylenders and madams. Since the sex workers did not have address and identification proof, it was impossible for us to open an account in banks,” said Rita Rai, a sex worker who is actively involved in the Usha Cooperative.

Like Ms Rai, Abida Begum, has taken loans from the cooperative a number of times. “It is with the help of the cooperative that I managed my finances and was able to buy a piece of land. Earlier most of our earnings were spent in paying back the moneylender,” she said.

The cooperative has given sex workers a sense of empowerment. With this, they have been able to release themselves from the clutches of madams and pimps. As a result of this bank, The Hindu came across several women who have been able to educate their children, arrange the marriage of their daughters and even buy property of their own. Dependence on the bank has also mitigated the impact of the recent deposit collection scams that have rocked West Bengal on sex workers.

The beginning, however, was not easy. Chief Advisor to the cooperative, S Jana recalls the resistance faced by him and the sex workers when they decided to set up a bank of their own.

“I was personally threatened, bombs were hurled at us, and the girls were under pressure to not join the cooperative movement. However, slowly we were able to convince the women who joined us in greater numbers each year,” Dr Jana told The Hindu .

The cooperative started its operations in 1995. “To begin a society run by sex workers was not an easy task. There was a debate in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly and an amendment was brought to the Cooperative Act to enable sex workers to start a cooperative society,” Dr Jana said. He is hopeful that in 2015 itself, the Reserve Bank of India will give the cooperative a full-fledged licence to function as a bank.

The members of the cooperative society say that they do not demand an identification proof for opening an account and the rate of interest is lower than many nationalized banks.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kolkata / by Shiv Sahay Singh / Kolkata – February 01st, 2015