Rafique-ul-Alam backs from Kushtia
MEHERPUR: June 11: - Tribal communalities in Kushtia have been facing extinction as a number of groups have already migrated to India, it has learnt.
Kushtia, which is the home of many tribal people, was once a Sub-Division of Nadia district, West Bengal of India during the tenure of British government. It became district after the partition of India in 1947. In those days Kushtia was famous for indigo cultivation. The villagers were compelled to grow indigo on their own land having no rent for land and labour. This caused serious revolt by the people and as a result the British Indigo Planters imported labours from outside Bangladesh and they were mostly tribal who came from Chotto Nagpur, Orissa and Bihar. Many of them voluntarily migrated for want of food. According to William Hunter and Prof. Anwarul Karim many Santals and other hilly tribes also lived in Kushtia and elsewhere in the district of Nadia. The Buna-Bagdi tribes originally belong to the Oraon tribe.
Bindi, a leading tribal community who are originally Dravdian, already migrated to India. Local terrorist groups grabbed their leftover properties including land. A book on the life of tribal, their sufferings during last 30 years written by Professor Dr. Anwarul Karim currently Treasurer of the Islamic University reveals that Bindis or Bins are peace-loving people and were known as fishermen. They were spread over the entire six Upazillas of Kushtia district but the bulky part of them lived in Mirpur, Bheramara, Kumarkhali and Khoksha. They lived along side on the Ganges and Gorai rivers. They had their own small villagers and lived a little away from the local people. They were farmers and they had their own land. Generally they speak in Bangla although they had their own language. When this correspondent visited their areas came to that everybody had gone to India and their properties were either looted or grabbed by the local people.
There are other tribes also like Bona, Kol, Bagdhi and Rajbanshi. A good number of people already left to India at present tribal of Kushtia are piece broken off the primitive society.
In fact the tribes of Kushtia have suffered a lot. These people earlier lived in jungles. They used to collect food from the jungles for their survival. These jungles also provided security for them and herbal medicine. But unfortunately, there is no jungle. As a result they had been facing serious crisis in their live and also they can not maintain their
Culture. The absence of jungle and acute shortage of water in rural areas as most of the rivers, canals, fens, ponds are dried up, forced many of the tribes to leave their homestead in Bangladesh for India.
The Political unrest and rise of terrorism and underground-outlawed parties made them panicky.
These causes have forced them to leave the country. The Hindu caste system is also a serious blow to them. Many of them have changed their religion. The Hindus treat them as ‘untouchables’ and do not allow them to share ritual practices.
The tribes of Kushtia, in fact had undergone a series of change and transformation for generations. These people have no grasp of tribal languages, they have forgotten their past culture, songs etc. They are using liveries like Bangalees. The tribal in Kushtia have no permanent address to stay. I have found that the tribal live in railway station. In Mirpur Upazilla they are known as Bunu-bagdi living in small hamlet.
It is now important to collect materials about their life and living conditions and to take up projects for their rehabilitation, experts opined.
Through:
Rabindra Ghosh
President, HRCBM-Dhaka
Source: The Bangladesh Observer: 12th of June 2006