The arrogance of the ignorant (Rights of Adivasis and forest-dwellers)

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 The arrogance of the ignorant (Rights of Adivasis and forest-dwellers)

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• The 2004 tsunami : Thousands perished in the massive Indian ocean tsunami in 2004 in Andaman and Nicobar islands, but some tribes (Jarawas, Onges) escaped by moving to the highlands before the waves hit! They just followed the animals.
• Herbs to patent : Western firms send their agents to remote Indian jungles, searching for herbs they can patent. They do not meet our best doctors or scientists, but interact with the Adivasis. They hope for some medicinal secret to be leaked! They test it in their labs, and this is how biopiracy happens.
• 'Indigenous knowledge' : Our official literature calls the knowledge of the Adivasis "indigenous", indicating that it may be somehow inferior to scientific knowledge of the formal education system. But these Adivasis inhabit forests that are some of the best conserved in India!
• Respecting the Adivasis : We are unable to respect these, who have lived for centuries in these forests. The urban-dwellers may wrongly see them as responsible for thinning of the forests.
• The SC petition 2008 : Many retd. forest officers and NGOs filed a petition, believing humans to be distinct from nature. They do not believe that Adivasis can live sensibly with the nature. The net result was that the Court (in Feb.2019) ruled that 11.2 lakh Adivasi households across 17 states were to be evicted, as their forest rights claims under FRA 2006 were rejected.
• A mix : Not all of these are Adivasis, as some are OTFDs (other traditional forest dwellers). The SC later stayed its order for some time (July 10), in view of loud protests.
• A dangerous future : Many states are yet to file their numbers, and thi 11.2 lakh figure may rise! So, 8-10% of Indian Adivasi population may be asked to move out of their homes.
• Ignorance : The judiciary has 'attacked' the weakest and the wisest. Konkan will soon see the world's largest refinery, after lakhs of trees are cut. The Pancheshwar dam in Ukd will submerge huge areas of Himalayan forests and villages. What about all these projects?
• Empyting the remote habitats : If these Adivasis are moved out of their forest homes, they will be changed forever. And when ecological tipping points are reached, no one will be there to warn us. The fresh amendments to the Indian Forests Act 1927 are dangerous enough to make forest officials' stronghold inescapable.  (fire, shoot and kill without accountability)
• Act before it's too late : We have to wake up now, before we are forced to ask "What have we done?".
• Summary : There are worrisome signals that the weakest and the wisest who have handled our forests with care are being attacked, and we may set ourselves for a future of depredation by doing so.

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