CONSULTATION-SEMINAR OF THE PRIESTS OF TEZPUR DIOCESE ON THE ISSUES OF THE ADIVASIS OF ASSAM

c CONSULTATION-SEMINAR OF THE PRIESTS OF TEZPUR DIOCESE ON THE ISSUES OF THE ADIVASIS OF ASSAM

Date: May 20, 2006
Venue: Mangri Mem Memorial Centre, Tezpur

Introduction

A one-day consultation-seminar of the priests of the Diocese of Tezpur was held at Mangri Mem Memorial Centre, Tezpur, on 20 May 2006. It was graced by Mr. Joseph Toppo the MLA of Dhekiajuli Constituency, Dr. J.B. Ekka, the Deputy Commissioner of Nagaon, Rt. Rev. Nelson Lakra, the Bishop of GEL Church Northeast diocese and Fr. Akasius Toppo, the Administrator of Tezpur diocese. The above mentioned guests inaugurated the consultation-seminar by lighting the lamps, and they were welcomed according to Adivasi tradition with the washing of hands and the garlanding with Adivasi gamchas. There were thirty participants including priest, religious and lay people. Many senior priests such as Rev. Fr. Mathew Kannat, Rev. Fr. Anthony Swamy, Rev. Fr. Vital Ekka sj, Rev. Fr. Christopher sj, the former Jesuit provincial of Ranchi, Rev. Fr. Philip Barjo sdb, the former Salesian provincial of Guwahati participated in the program. Fr. Philip Barla, the Director of TSSS, Fr. Sushil Tirkey sj, the director of Gana Chetana Samaj, Ms. Anjali Tirkey and Mr. Stephen Ekka, the president and director of Pajhra respectively, along with Mr. Wilfred Topno the President of Adivasi Sahitya Sabha, Mr. Godfrey Here, the chief functionary of Nawa Bihan Samaj also participated.

Right on the onset of the seminar Mr. Stephen Ekka, the director of Pajhra thanked Rt. Rev. Robert Kerketta sdb, the Bishop of Tezpur and Rev. Fr. M. Akasius Toppo, because of whose suggestion, guidance and support the seminar was materialized. He especially recalled with gratitude the constant guidance and encouragement received from Bishop Robert since the formation of Pajhra. Welcoming the guests and the participants, Mr. Stephen Ekka said that the purpose of the seminar was to have a consultation of the priests of the diocese on the initiative taken up by Pajhra for the all round development and the empowerment of the Adivasi community; and thus to seek the co-operation, collaboration and networking of the church personnel in the challenging initiatives of Pajhra. He said that the seminar was the realization of a long awaited plan. It may be good adding here a note on the genesis of Pajhra for the knowledge of all. The thinkers, leaders, activists and well-wishers both from and outside the Adivasi community have strongly felt that the Adivasis are the most neglected people as far as the development is concerned, in spite of the fact that the community constitutes nearly one-fourth of the total population of Assam; contributes considerably towards economic development and political stability; has tremendous potentials in many fields. Such concerns have been expressed in meetings, writings, seminars, political manifestoes etc. Some NGOs especially the churches have made considerable efforts in this direction yet much remains to be done due to the nature, complexity and enormity of the problems the community faces. It was in this background, Adivasi issues featured as central focus in the pastoral conference (the conference of the bishops and provincials of men and women religious of Northeast) titled “Pastoral Care of the Adivasis”, held at Shillong, in September 2002. As a prelude and preparation Bosco Reach-Out (BRO) has been shouldering the heavy responsibility and has been playing a leading role in gathering the thinkers, the leaders, the activists and the well-wishers of the Adivasi community in creating a platform in which Adivasi issues could be discussed, and a long term concrete plan of action drawn and executed. A series of meetings, discussions, and seminars were organized by BRO supported by many sympathizing organizations like Northeast Diocesan Social Forum, North East Social Research Centre, IGSSS, DBSS (of CNI Church, NE diocese) and many committed individuals to Adivasi cause, has finally given birth to Pajhra. It is just appropriate to mention here the name of Rev. Fr. Davis Arricat, the director of BRO, for his challenging inspiration, his sustained support, his able and professional guidance, and his never failing encouragement in the process of birth and growth of Pajhra.

The consultation-seminar saw the rare convergence of church personnel, bureaucrats, government representatives, and NGO workers. The participants deliberated and discussed on the issues of the Adivasi community. The issues were highlighted from different perspectives and in particular the role of the church personnel for the all round development of the Adivasi community was discussed in detail through speeches, panel discussions, power-point presentations, and group discussions. In the seminar it became clear that the Church is doing much for the community and the Church’s contribution can very well be attributed to the great extent for the status in which the community is now in. However, in spite of this, the community is still lagging behind - socially, culturally, educationally, politically, economically in comparison with the other communities of the region. A good chunk of the community is still very much dependent on the church. It emerged in the seminar that the church is a major stake holder for the empowerment of the community, which in turn would lead to the empowerment of the church herself. The spirit of the consultation-seminar seems to invite the church to go beyond its Traditional Approach (of “doing for the people”) to the modern approach of Social Empowerment (“empowering them to do for themselves”).

Views of the Guests

Dr. J.B. Ekka IAS

In his inaugural speech Dr. J.B. Ekka IAS critically reflected upon various crucial issues like education, income generation, land-alienation and government schemes in relation to the Adivasi community of Assam. He said that priests can play a very effective intermediary role between the government and the Adivasi community. On the one hand, they can bring the government schemes to the Adivasis due to their position and influence. On the other hand, they are also in a better position to train, inform and guide the Adivasis - who always look up to them for guidance and support - to take the maximum advantage of the available government schemes and funds. He observed that for various reasons the church leaders seldom take advantage of government schemes and funds. In this background he raised some vital questions like – if we fail to make use of the schemes and funds then who is the loser? Who is in need? Indeed! our Adivasi community is the loser and our Adivasi community is in need. Therefore, the need of the hour, according to Dr. Ekka, is to take the maximum advantage of these schemes and funds. He mentioned a number of government schemes, and also the ways and means by which the Adivasis can take advantage of them.

In order to settle the problem of the land documents and land registration he suggested that the Adivasi villagers need to identify two or three knowledgeable persons, whom the community can entrust the task of pursuing the matter with the concerned officials / authorities consistently on regular basis. He also stressed on ‘extra income’ of the families which would supplement their income and maximum utilization of the available resources.

Rt. Rev. Nelson Lakra

In his speech Rt. Rev. Nelson Lakra stated that ‘PAJHRA is part of GEL church and GEL church is part of PAJHRA’ due to the close collaboration between them for the empowerment of the Adivasi community. In the context of the exploited and marginalized Adivasis of Assam he spoke of the urgent need of churches getting involved in the ‘new form of ministry’, which would restore the rights and dignity of the marginalized. He stressed that the core message of the Bible and the central teaching and the very life of Lord Jesus was a tireless struggle to restore the dignity of human person. He lived and died for it, and on the cross he was able to utter – it (mission) is complete. Can the church personnel involved among the Adivasis say it is complete? If the answer is no, then we have a challenging mission ahead of us. He cautioned, “unless we work for our people, we are not going to serve the church”.

In this connection, he informed that GEL church is shortly opening an Triabl Information Centre for the farmers and the tribal people who could avail themselves of the opportunity to get information about the various schemes of the government. Besides, GEL church is also working towards generating political awareness among the masses. He expressed grief that our people work only for the government, tea industry, the church and for their own personal gains but seldom give time for the development of the community.

Fr. Akasius

Rev. Fr. Akasius Toppo expressed his happiness for being present in the meeting. He thanked Pajhra for taking a bold step in inviting the priests of the diocese for the consultation-seminar on the burning issues of the Adivasis of Assam. He hoped that this timely intervention can make a real difference in the life of the Adivasi community in all spheres.

He said that priests have ample opportunities and great potentialities to work for the development our society, without neglecting the primary obligations of the priests; and he added that it is high time to utilize them optimally. He sees good possibility of collaboration of the Fathers, Brothers, Sisters along with the organizations of the diocese which are specially geared towards the holistic development of the people with such enthusiastic initiatives like Pajhra. Going beyond the diocese, he also spoke of collaboration and net-working with other sister churches, non-Christian Adivasi organizations, government departments and well-wishers. Speaking on behalf of his brother-priests, Rev. Fr. Akasius Toppo, assured of full support and encouragement to the initiatives boldly taken up by Pajhra. He urged the participants to continue to extend support and collaboration to the empowerment process began through the seminar.

Mr. Joseph Toppo

Mr. Joseph Toppo in his speech provided very practical and useful pieces of information on government funds received by the elected representatives like MPs, MLAs, Zilla Parishad Members, etc for their respective area development. He informed the approximate amount each of these elected representative receive, on what basis the funds are distributed, to whom it is distributed, who has the controlling key in the process of distribution, to whom they are accountable for this funds etc. The following are few figures which were revealed by MLA Toppo. A Lok Sabha MP receives Rs. 2 crore annually. He can fund the amount in his constituency. A Rajya Sabha MP receives Rs. 3 crores which he can allot anywhere in the state. An MLA receives Rs. 30 lakhs annually for development works and his jurisdiction is his constituency whereas a Zilla Parishad member receives Rs. 25 lakhs annually and his / her area includes only 4 gaon panchayats. A Gaon Panchayat president receives an amount of Rs. 18 lakhs for local area development.

Mr. Joseph Toppo, provided practical tips to the participants as to whom to apply and how to apply so that people may be able to get the advantage of these funds. The MLA revealed that a lot of fund is available in the Panchayat System and in near future even more than ever huge government funds will be chanalized through it. He suggested that the best way to take advantage of these funds is to get our Adivasis elected in the different tiers of the Panchayat system. Here perhaps the priests and church personnel can use their influence smartly so that Adivasis and Christians are elected.

Ms. Anjali Tirkey

Ms. Anjali Tirkey, thanked the speakers for their challenging and thought provoking speeches. She urged the priests and the other participants to extend their helping hand to work for the community utilizing their personal capacities and talents. It is under the leadership of church personnel and NGO workers the elected representatives and the bureaucrats will be bound to set priority to work for the Adivasi community.

Before the lunch break, Barnabas Kindo, the Program Coordinator of Pajhra, made a short Power Point presentation on what PAJHRA is all about – its VMG (Vision-Mission-Goal) and the different strategies being followed for overall development of the Adivasi community.

Panel Discussion

At 1:00 p.m. there was a panel discussion moderated by Mr. Wilfred Topno, the panelists being Mr. Joseph Toppo, Fr. Cyril Tirkey, the Director of Rural Resource Training Centre, Umran, and Fr. Hippoletus Toppo.

Joseph Toppo

Mr. Joseph Toppo spoke on different government schemes and the funds available from different offices like DRDA, DIC, fishery, Social Welfare Department etc. He once again informed about the funds received by the elected representatives and how best our people can take advantage of them. Most of all, he insisted time and again that if our Adivasi people are to be benefited from the huge fund of Panchayat System then the church personnel and priests must offer guidance so that Adivasis are elected for the different levels of Panchayat and the other level of elections.

Fr. Cyril Tirkey

Fr. Cyril Tirkey spoke on the role of NGOs among the Adivasis. NGO movement plays a significant role in the all-round development of a community. In the history of the Adivasis of Assam, Adivasi organizations like Adivasi Council of Assam, Adivasi Sewa Samitee, ATTSA, AASAA, have been fighting for the political and constitutional rights of the Adivasis. In certain sense, these organizations have given identity and brought about unity and solidarity in the community, yet for various reasons none of these organizations can boast of any considerable achievement. In other words, much remains to be done. In recent times, BRO (Guwahati), AIDA (Dimapur), Gana Chetana Samaj (Balipara), TSSS (Tezpur Diocese), and many growing and promising Adivasi NGOs (whose target group in particular also is Adivasi community) - like Pajhra (Tezpur), Nawa Bihan Samaj (Lakhimpur), People’s Action for Development (Dhemaji), AGUA (Tinsukia) etc are working to empower the Adivasi community particularly by forming SHGs. Fr. Cyril said the problem of Adivasi community is very complex and therefore the popularization and propagation of NGO movement among the Adivasis of Assam is one of the most effective means of empowering the community. The priests and the church personnel can play a major role in the formation, growth and maturation of NGOs in each village and tea Garden.

Fr. Hippoletus Toppo

Speaking on the topic “The present and the future of the Adivasis of Assam and the role of the Church”, Fr. Hippoletus Toppo stated that a research done by him of the body of literature dealing with the Adivasis of Northeast India reveals a significant finding that – “the future of the Church of Northeast India depends on the Adivasis”. He quoted just two examples, the first being the seminar statement which says “The Churches in the North East have the important task of making Christ’s message of integral liberation meaningful to them [Adivasis]. Greater involvement by the Churches in the development of their language, culture, literature, and especially their socio-economic and spiritual welfare is the need of the hour.” (“Statement of the Seminar”, J. Puthenpurakal, (ed.), Impact of Christianity on North East India, Vendrame Institute, Shillong, 1996, 541). Secondly Fr. Toppo quoted the prophetic statement of George Kottuppallil, “The Future of the Catholic Church [perhaps true for other churches too] in Northeast India is largely dependent on the socio-economic and political development of this particular group [the Adivasis] who accounts for the largest single tribal group of region.” (G. Kottuppallil, “Catholic Church in Northeast India: A Brief Evaluation of Evangelization of the Region”, Paths of Mission in India Today, A. Kanjamala (ed.), St. Paul’s, Bangalore, 1997, 113.) Fr. Hippoletus said that in addition to these statements of the thinkers, our own experiences and observations, the pitiful plights of the Adivasis, the signs of the time - are just telling one message very loud, very clear and very strong that the future of the church in Assam depends on the serious and systematic involvement of the church in the integral liberation of the Adivasis. Perhaps, it is high time to evaluate our traditional approach to social involvement and adopt an approach which will lead to the empowerment and liberation of the Adivasis.

Interaction with Panelists and participants

During the intervention the group basically raised questions and discussed on such topics as “Should we stick to or change the name Adivasis since it has a kind of derogative meaning”, “Why the Adivasis of Assam are still not recognized as Scheduled Tribe?”, etc. From the discussion it emerged that the term Adivasis gives a sense of pride, dignity and self-respect, and it depends on us to make it so much more. Scheduling of Adivasis in Assam is a very highly political issue and it can be achieved only with a big political pressure. Reflecting on the present problem of reservation, some participants expressed opinion that the Adivasis of Assam need a revolution, an Adivasi Kranti, and just fighting for scheduling is not enough. On the statement “future of the church of Northeast depends on the Adivasis of Assam” it was discussed that it is primarily meant in term of quantity and within the quantity there is some quality too. It also strongly emerged in the discussion that the Adivasis are as much “sons of the soil” (Indigenous to Northeast) as any other tribes like Nagas, Khasis, Bodos, Garos etc. This is due to historical reasons (some historians hold that Adivasis lived in Northeast much before the coming of Ahoms due to close affinity with Khasis) and considering the substantial contributions they made to make Assam what it is today.

Power Point Presentation and Group discussions

After the PowerPoint presentation on the issues of the Adivasis of NE by Mr. Stephen Ekka, the participants were divided into groups to discuss on the topic, “What can we do collectively as Church leaders (priests and religious) to continue the process of empowerment of the Adivasis in Assam?” The following were the findings and resolutions of the group discussions. The group discussion, the sharing, the synthesizing of findings and resolution was facilitated by Fr. Hippoletus.

Findings and Resolutions

Ÿ Share the report of the consultation-seminar to all participants and invitees, and other organizations of the diocese of Tezpur.
Ÿ Form a committee and elect a convener to pursue further the process of reflection, planning and involvement.
Ÿ Meetings to be convened once in 3 months or half yearly.
Ÿ Involve the sisters, the catechists and the laity.
Ÿ Discuss on social issues during monthly recollection.
Ÿ Become aware of the burning issues and plight of the Adivasi community by reading and discussing such issues (Pajhra perhaps could act as centre of information sharing).
Ÿ There should be a close collaboration and net-working with the diocese of Tezpur with the initiatives like PAJHRA in order to address the Adivasi problems.
Ÿ Convene a meeting of the superiors of women religious of Tezpur diocese.
Ÿ Support PAJHRA to deal with Adivasi issues and problems.
Ÿ Create leadership.
Ÿ Orient and strengthen the existing Parish organizations.
Ÿ The work for the integral liberation of Adivasi should go beyond the diocese to embrace other churches, Adivasi Sarna organizations, secular organizations, government and other sympathizing NGOs.
Ÿ Information sharing on govt. schemes to grassroots level to take place (Pajhra being the centre of information).

Election and Vote of thanks

As it was decided in the group discussions to form a committee and elect a convener to pursue further the process of reflection, planning and involvement - a committee was formed with Fr. Christoraj Lakra and Fr. Lambartus Kerketta as Convener and Assistant Convener respectively and all those present in the meeting as members.

On behalf of Pajhra and the participants, Mr. Stephen Ekka, once again extended his heart-felt thanks and gratitude to Bishop Robert Kerketta and Fr. Akasius for their invaluable guidance, support and encouragement because of which the seminar was materialized. He also expressed his sincere thankfulness to the distinguished guests, speakers, panelists, participants, those who worked behind the screen to make the seminar a success like light and sound, power-point presentation, food and refreshments, welcoming and decorating.

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