Tribal Economy In Central India (An Old and Rare Book)

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Dr. Ranvir Saxena had chosen "Tribal Economy as his subject for submission of his thesis for Ph. D. degree of the Agra University. The thesis was approved and Dr. Saxena was awarded the Ph. D. degree. He is now publishing the results of his labour in a book form.

As is well known, the tribals in India, more particularly in Madhya Pradesh, constitute a very big proportion of the total population. Since independence and with the coming into force of the Constitution and the declaration of Fundamental Rights, the problem of tribals has assumed great importance. From a Government mainly concerned with maintenance of law and order, the Government of independent India has now be- come the custodian of the wellbeing of all people. It is therefore natural that the tribal problem should assume importance and more particularly the problem of improving their economic condition.

Dr. Ranvir Saxena's book is the result of a careful study of tribal economy in Central India. The book contains vast information, neatly collected and placed before the public under separate heads. I commend this book to all those who are interested in the problem of Tribes in India, particularly Central India.

In the underdeveloped countries no section of population is more underdeveloped than the tribal communities. These communities shall ultimately be the proving ground of the success or otherwise of the developmental efforts being made to improve the standard of living of the millions hovering on the brink of destitution.

In India we have a sizeable tribal population, numbering nearly 29 million, forming nearly 7 per cent of the total population. These non-literate communities, occupying the most infertile and unresponsive lands, live under the shadow of persistent famines and endemic scarcities. Centuries of persecution and exploitation by the powerful communities has spelt for them economic disaster and social degeneration. The tribal communities in India are a great national problem, a challenge and an opportunity to the principles of democracy and social equity that the country has pledged itself to uphold.

There is unfortunately a deplorable lack of competent studies of the rural economy of the tribal country- side. Anthropologists have studied them, sociologists and folklorists have approached them now and then, but rarely the economists. Lack of quantitative economic information about the tribes hinders proper diagnosis, dependable prognosis and trustworthy remedial measures. It should be remembered that the tribal communities are fundamentally dissimilar to the so-called civilized com- munities their socio-economic institutions, their value judgements, their psychological responses are basically different. Generalizations made from the observations of neighbouring non-tribal communities have little validity in the closed tribal societies. For valid generalizations about tribal communities the proper field of study is the tribal community itself. The present study undertaken by me is a very humble effort in this direction.

Our ancient inhabitants of India, the adivasis of the land, the so called Scheduled Tribes of the Indian Constitution, are entitled to our highest respect and consideration.

They are genuine Indians in every sense of the word, and are the one people who have held their personal freedom and liberty above all material comforts and amenities in the world. They have scorned a life of subjection to outsiders, and have preferred a life of the greatest hardship and struggle in the wilderness to a life of ease and material prosperity under foreign rule. Their life in the jungle as hunters and wood- cutters has not only deprived them of proper food and clothing and other usual amenities of life, it has also deprived them so far, of all education and intellectual environment and advancement, and for thousands of years in the past they have lived a life of illiteracy without any public health conveniences and safeguards. They have continued to live a primitive life as if the world was standing still during countless centuries. All this they have suffered willingly and voluntarily for their love of freedom and self-rule and hatred of subjugation to others. Now that India has gained freedom and independence, and for the first time in our national history, Praja-tantra (a Republic) has been established. These adivasis are now citizens of a free India, and are an important sector of a free nation and people ruling over themselves. These people, these adivasis, should, willingly and even proudly now come into the plains and mix with the other people of the land, their co-citizens of India, and take the most active steps to remove their backwardness, and equip and qualify themselves by necessary and proper education to take their due share in our democratic form of administration in all its spheres-legislative, executive and judicial. Their past traditions are noble and magnificent, and would make them worthy and patriotic sons of the Bharat Mata.