Dharti Aaba, the Ulgulan and a day for tribal pride: the short life that Jharkhand remembers

Background

Born on November 15, 1875, Birsa Munda lived a lifetime of just 25 years and yet came to be addressed as Bhagwan and as Dharti Aaba by tribal communities across the country. His birthplace is Ulihatu village in Jharkhand, which a President of India, Droupadi Murmu, visited on one later observance. Against the exploitative system of British colonial rule he fought bravely, and the movement he led against that oppression took its name from his call for 'Ulgulan', which the Government renders as Great Tumult. India's freedom struggle drew strength from the leadership of many tribal communities, among them the Santhal, Tamar, Kol, Bhil, Khasi and Mizo, whose movements joined the national struggle and inspired Indians elsewhere, although these heroes stayed little known to the public. To change that, November 15, his birth anniversary, was declared Janjatiya Gaurav Divas, so that coming generations learn what tribal fighters gave up for the country. At Ranchi in Jharkhand stands the Bhagwan Birsa Munda Memorial Park cum Freedom Fighter Museum, which a Prime Minister visited on the third observance of the day. The declaration is tied to a wider effort, including tribal freedom fighter museums sanctioned across the country.