| Bhumkal in Bastar (1910) |
Guru Ghasidas according to believers of the Satnami panth was born on 18th December 1756 and died at the age of eighty in 1836. He was born in village Girodhpuri in Raipur district in a dalit family. Ghasidas was born in a socio-political milieu of misrule, loot and plunder. The Marath the local had started behaving as Kings. Ghasidas underwent the exploitative experiences specific to dalit communities, which helped him the hierarchical and exploitative nature of social dynamics in a caste-ridden society. From an early age, he started rejecting social inequity and to understand the problems faced by his community and to find solutions, he traveled extensively in Chhattisgarh.
The 150 year history of protests and rebellion in Bastar culminated in the Bhumkal rebellion of 1910. This rebellion was widespread affecting more than half of the parganas of Bastar. It symbolized the struggle of tribals against an alien rule attempting to remould the tribal pattern of life. The rebellion was ultimately crushed by strong armies of the British. After the crushing of the rebellion, the local tribals and supporters of the rebellion were subjected to severe abuse. However, the post Bhumkal British policy in Bastar was forced to be more sensitive to the tribals and their traditional way of life.
There were several precipitating factors for the rebellion of Bhumkal. One of the important reasons was the British enforced degradation of the Bastar King, who according to the tribals was an incarnation of God. This led to unrest among the people; even the local elites resented it. In 1908 Panda Baijnat was appointed the Diwan of Bastar, contrary to the tradition of Bastar, where usually a member of the royal family officiated as Diwan. He attempted to completely remodel the administrative structure and the socio-economic order of Bastar. These redical changes were to be implemented without undertaking any groundwork at the societal level.
Several other policies of the state at that time proved extremely oppressive for the tribals of the region and became focal points of the Bhumkal rebellion. Extensive forest areas were declared reserved forests; resulting in the tribals feeling that their inalienable right over forests has been subverted. Due to the excessive revenue demands of the colonial rule, several tribal villages were given on lease to thekedars who adopted extremely oppressive means to collect revenues from the tribals. The monopoly on liquor brewing also was a causal factor for the Bhumkal rebellion. The tribals considered liquor as prasad of Gods, and the order banning liquor brewing, amounted to interference in their religious affairs to them.
The tribals also felt that education imparted in schools would alienate the young from their own culture so were opposed to the education policy. The excesses of the intolerant police were another reason for the tribal uprising. Finally, the increasing usage of begar pratha by the officials set the stage for Bhumkal rebellion. Begar (?) from the local tribals was now demanded by not only forest and revenue officials but also by the police and the schoolmasters. All these working together in Bastar became too oppressive for the tribals and they revolted against alien rule and intrusion.
The leaders of the Bhumkal movement were part of the ruling elites displaced by the British Lal Kalendra Singh was the leader of Bhumkal movement coordinating and organising the rebellion from behind the scenes. Rani Subaran Singh, Kunwar Bhadur Singh etc have also played an important role. The rebellion was led by the charismatic Gundadhur who is still a legend in Bastar. Unfortunately his due place in the history of central india is not recognised. Despite the charismatic leadership of Gundadhur the rebellion was not systematically and strategically planned, which became a critical factor for its defeat. The rebellion did not grow from one region to another nor did the leadership attempt to consolidate control over their areas of influence. Lack of investment (material and strategic) in arms also became a limitation.
During the rebellion on 7 February Rani Subaran Kunwar declared that the British rule on Bastar has been abolished and Muria rule will be re-established. This declaration sums up the Bhumkal rebellion and the protests of Bastar . It articulates the assertion of the tribals to weed out alien rule and protect their traditional tribal way of life.
Source - H.L. Shukla,
Batar ka Mukti Sangram, Madhya Pradesh Hinidi Grantha Academy, Bhopal 1995,
Sudhir Saxena Bhumkal Madhya Pradesh, Hindi Grantha Academy, Bhopal 1996.