The Gonds of Vidarbha

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This book makes an ethnographic study of the Gond tribe of Vidarbha. Describing their habitat and migration from different parts of India to the Vidarbha region, it offers an elaborate discussion on their physical and cultural characteristics, their religious beliefs and practices, superstitions, life- cycle rituals, and Gondi dialect and folk literature. It also provides a detailed account of the history of Gond polity and governance.

The book is useful for students and scholars who are interested in studying classical tribal culture and its long history.

Dr. S.G.Deogaonkar, a retired Reader in Political Science, holds Master's Degrees in Political Science, Public Administration and LL.M. degree in Constitutional Law and Administrative Law. A scholar of repute, he has completed about ten post- doctral research projects for the I.C.S.S.R., U.G.C. and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, New Delhi. He has to his credit eighteen books. He has also contributed articles to many books and journals.

Dr. Deogaonkar specialises in Political Anthropology and Tribal Development. He has been doing social work in tribal areas since 1973-74 and was the first Director of the Department of Continuing Education and Extension at the Nagpur University. He was a member on the Governing Council of the Tribal Research and Training Institute, Maharashtra State (Pune) for three terms, and was a Member of special groups on S.C. and S.T. for formulation of schemes of the Backward Classes Division of Planning Commission during the Eighth Five Year Plan.

Presently Dr. Deogaonkar is a Member, representing Nagpur Division on the State Backward Classes Commission, Maharashtra State and also a Member on the Editorial Board, Maharashtra Gazetteers of the Maharashtra State.

The Gonds form a major group of the total tribal population of India and is a major tribe in the present states of Chhattisgarh, parts of Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. In Maharashtra the Gonds are mainly found in Vidarbha region with a high percentage of population in Chandrapur and Gadchiroli districts. Due to my long association with Gonds, spread over about 35 to 40 years, both as a researcher and as a social worker, I came in close contact with the Gond culture and was impressed by its classical standards and by their adaptability to socio-cultural and even to economic changes. The history of Gond rule over many areas from the erstwhile Central Provinces and Berar for many centuries is worth studying which stands as a witness to their acculturation and adaptability. The Aheri Zamindari still preserves the glimpses of the past glory and impact of Gond Kings on the people-including all sections of a mixed society.

When I turned my attention to the study of Gonds as a political anthropologist I was guided by Late Dr. Behram H. Mehta, Professor at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Bombay, who had conducted his applied anthropological experiments in Tribal Community Organisation at Mandla (Old Madhya Pradesh) and was Advisor to Planning Commission. He had established Gondwana Centre for the study and development of the Gonds. Dr. Mehta was in a true sense my first 'Guru' in the study of Gonds. Later I came in contact with Prof. Christoph Von Fürer-Haimendorf of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, who was Head of the Department of Anthropology at the School and later its Director. Fürer-Haimendorf guided me through correspondence and later in 1978-79 came to village Wangepalli near Aheri in Gadchiroli district as a resource person at the Seminar on Problems of Development of Tribal Areas which I had organized as Director for the University Grants Commission, New Delhi. He came along with his wife Mrs. Elizabeth Fürer-Haimendorf who was Bibliographer at the University of London, and both of them stayed with us at Aheri for four days and participated in the Seminar. Both of us visited a few Gond villages around Aheri after the Seminar. This gave me an opportunity to know his views and as if I was 'taught lessons on Gonds and research. Our association continued through correspondence till the death of 'Betty' Le. Elizabeth his wife who died in Hyderabad suddenly after their field visit to some Gond villages. Thus Prof. Fürer- Haimendorf was my 'Guide' in my post-doctoral research and field- work.

I must mention my friend Dr. Wolfgang K. Knabe, from the Department of Sociology, University of Augsburg (then in West Germany) who was first introduced to me when he came to Aheri for his Ph.D. studies on the Madias. He alongwith his wife Edith participated in our Seminor at Wangepally (Aheri) and came to me at Warora (Dist. Chandrapur) and Amravati atleast thrice for study and research. We also had a study excursion tour to the Bagicha block of Raigad District of the then Madhya Pradesh (now in Chhattisgarh). He often gave encouragement to me in my research and we had fruitful discussions on Gonds.

Dr. K.S. Singh who was Director General, Anthropological Survey of India invited me to contribute notes on Gonds to the Compendium, The People of India' edited by him and also invited myself and my wife Dr.(Mrs.) Shailaja Deogaonkar as reviewers of the volume on Maharashtra at the A.S.J. During that period we worked with him and earlier or later with Dr. Goswami, Dr. A.K. Danda, Dr. Mann and Dr. Monish Kumar Raha all Directors from the Anthropological Survey of India. My association and academic inter-actions with Dr. M.K. Raha continued even after his retirement from the A.S.I., particularly because of my stay at the Neelanchal Abasan at Kolkata as his neighbour for about two years. I must acknowledge the gains I had from all these Anthropologists.

**Contents and Sample Pages**