Skip to main content

Victim of feudal oppression in Gujarat, displaced Dalit saltpan workers neglected by government machinery

Kamiben tells her woe
By Pankti Jog*
“Pankhi eno malo mukine ave to eney vasamu lage chhe…ame to amara ghar-bar chhodine aavyahiie.. amne vasamu nahi lagtu hoy?” (Birds too miss their nests when they fly off… We had to leave our houses, our village... Imagine how much we must be missing it.)
An expression of pain and anger, these are the words of Kamiben, one of those belonging to the unfortunate 78 families, who were forcibly diplaced nine years ago from their native residence in Zinzuwada village, bordering the Little Rann of Kutch in Gujarat.
Even today, these families – which number 150 nine years later – live on a fallow government land in Patadi town, about 40 km from Zinzuwada. Waiting for justice, they are all Dalit salt farmers, who spend about eight months in the Little Rann, produce salt, and return to their irregular colony in Patadi for another four months.
Closed Dalit houses in Zinzuwada
A just-completed documentary film by Kamlesh Udasi narrates the struggle of these families, exposing the oppressive feudal face of “developed” Gujarat. An expert in development communications, Udasi earlier worked as a documentation professional at the Development and Communition Unit (DECU) of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), Ahmedabad.
The 47-minute documentary, titled “Shifting Shelters”, graphically shows how Zinzuwada village, dominated by the high caste Darbar community, with huge land holdings both in the village and the Little Rann, oppressed Dalits and other communities as salt farmers and agriculture labourers.
Oppressed and exploited by Darbars, Dalit communities staying here were forced to work in salt farms and agricultural fields free of cost. Women were sexually exploited, with no one dare open her or his mouth.
Following the demolition in 2013
The film captures the Dalits' struggle for resettlement in the open fallow land in Patadi belonging to the government. It shows how the local government reveue official, mamlatdar, with no written order, demolished their kaccha houses and huts in 2013.
They were told to shift their make-shift huts to another open plot of fallow land, saying later it would regularized. Reason? The mamlatdar is seen telling those who went to represent them that the government wants to make a stadium and a gymnasium at this spot.
“Stadium and gymnasium are also very important for people, isn’t it?”, the mamlatdar says.
The documentary seeks to question the government's agenda of development through short but important quotes and interviews, revealing the pinching truth that the poor are nowhere in the priority of the state officialdom. 
It brings out the local Darbar community's stronghold, how it enjoys unchallenged power in the area, with officials and police acting like puppets in its hands.
Working at a salt farm in Little Rann
“They exploited us for years, made us work free of cost. Women were also exploited. Eight year old children were killed. We dared not utter a word, or lodge complaint”, says one of the displaced persons.
Insists another, “When this became unbearable we were left with no option but to leave our native village. We don't want to return or look back. If the government does not want to give us alternative place, we would prefer to die rather than to go back again to Zinzuwada.”
The documentary depicts the status of their left over homes in native villages. The silence echoing surrounding the closed houses shows the terror that the higher caste feudal landlords have created on the Dalits.
It also shows how Bharat Somera, a fellow with the Agariya Heet Rakshak Manch, which works for the empowerment of traditional salt farmers, has played a crucial role in bringing confidence back to the displaced Dalits, motivating them to fight.
---
*Senior activist, Mahiti Adhikar Gujarat Pahel, Ahmedabad

Comments

TRENDING

Savarkar 'criminally betrayed' Netaji and his INA by siding with the British rulers

By Shamsul Islam* RSS-BJP rulers of India have been trying to show off as great fans of Netaji. But Indians must know what role ideological parents of today's RSS/BJP played against Netaji and Indian National Army (INA). The Hindu Mahasabha and RSS which always had prominent lawyers on their rolls made no attempt to defend the INA accused at Red Fort trials.

Delhi HC rules in favour of retired Air Force officer 'overcharged' for Covid treatment

By Rosamma Thomas*  In a decision of May 22, 2023, the Delhi High Court ruled in favour of petitioner Group Captain Suresh Khanna who was under treatment at CK Birla Hospital, Gurugram, between April 28 and May 5, 2021, for a period of eight days, for Covid-19 pneumonia. The petitioner had to pay Rs 3,55,286 as treatment costs, but the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) only reimbursed him for Rs 1,83,748, on the basis of government-approved rates. 

'Enough evidence' in Indian tradition to support legal basis for same-sex marriage

By Iyce Malhotra, Joseph Mathai, Sandeep Chachra*  The ongoing hearing in the Supreme Court on same-sex marriage provides space for much-needed conversations on issues that have hitherto remained “invisible” or engaged with patriarchal locker room humour. We must recognize that people with diverse sexualities and complex gender identities have faced discrimination, stigma and decades of oppression. Their issues have mainly remained buried in dominant social discourse, and many view them with deep insecurities.

Religious divide 'kept alive' with low intensity communalism in Gujarat's cultural capital

By Rajiv Shah  A fact-finding report, prepared by the Mumbai-based non-profit, Centre for Study of Society and Secularism (CSSS), has cited the Vadodara Ram Navami violence of March 30 as yet another example of how, after the BJP consolidating its hold on political power in Gujarat post-2002 riots and at the Centre in 2014, the nature of communal riots has changed, underlining, as opposed to high-intensity violence earlier, now riots have become “more sub-radar and at a smaller scale, more localized”.

Urgency for next pandemic? But Mr Health Secretary, you're barking up wrong tree

By Dr Amitav Banerjee, MD*  The Union Health Secretary, Mr Rajesh Bhushan addressing the Health Working Group of G20 India, at Hyderabad on 05 June 2023, cautioned that the next pandemic would not wait for us to make global treaties and called on countries to work together.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Why continued obsession with adding more 'water guzzling' coal, nuclear power plants?

By Shankar Sharma*  The true concerns over water inefficiency in coal power plants have been known and have been highlighted many times in the past. A highly relevant study report by Prayas Energy Group had highlighted this fast looming threat to our society many years ago. But our authorities have been acting as though there can be no issue with water supply, and that additional coal power plants can be added indefinitely; even without any true relevance to climate change.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Caste, impact on Ayodhya area 'halting' BJP rulers to act against Brij Bhushan Singh

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  Finally, the #WrestlersProtest has got international attention. The United World Wrestling (UWW),  condemning the treatment and detention of wrestlers and expressing its disappointment over the lack of results of the investigations against Brij Bhushan Singh, accused of sexually harassing women wrestlers, has urged the "relevant authorities to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation."

76% Odisha govt school infrastructure in dilapidated state, 'undermine' RTE norms

By Our Representative  As many as 75.86% (5,421) elementary schools in Odisha do not possess a playground, depriving students of physical activity opportunities. Also, 75.68% (5,408) of schools require minor or major repairing, undermining the norms and standards stipulated in the Right to Education (RTE) Act.