Gandhi Foundantion revise citation of International Peace Award-2011, Dr. Binayak Sen and Bulu Imam selected for award

By Sanjeev Shekhar
With apparent pressure from various tribal forums to change the name of the Gandhi International Peace Award-2011 to be given away to Dr Binayak Sen and Bulu Imam representing the “The Tribal People of India”, the Foundation has revised the citation and recognised personal contribution of their work among tribals. The award ceremony would be held on November 9, 2011 at Amnesty International (UK).

In a fresh citation sent to Sen and Bulu Imam, the Gandhi Foundation has recognised their personal endeavours and how they worked in different ways to address the growing violence . Bulu Imam has circulated the copy of the citation to clear the mission of the award, the copy of which has reached this scribe too.

The letter of the Gandhi Foundation read, “The insurgency has been dubbed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as ‘India’s biggest threat to its internal security’. In 2009, his Government launched a paramilitary offensive in five states against the Maoists and tribals who have joined, or are considered to be supporting or sympathetic to, the Maoists. The government claims the offensive, labelled ‘Operation Green Hunt’ by the media, is necessary to rid forested areas of Maoists. Others claim it as a way to clear Adivasi out of the forests in order to make way for more mining and industry. Two years on, violence and human rights abuses by all parties to the disputes continues and is escalating. The Gandhi Foundation and Amnesty International hope that this Award to two men who have worked in different ways to address the growing violence will serve both to raise awareness in the UK of the issues at stake and to offer practical, non-violent steps that can be taken in the UK to help bring about peace.”

The citation praised the efforts and work of recipients. It said, Dr Binayak Sen is a Bengali paediatrician, public health specialist and activist. He is the national Vice-President of the People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL). He originally started working as a paediatrician extending health care to poor people in the rural-tribal areas of the Chhattisgarh state, doubling up as a human rights activist. While working with the state on health sector reform, he strongly criticized the government on human rights violations during their anti-Naxalite operations advocating non-violent political engagement instead.

Bulu Imam has worked for over thirty years in his home state of Jharkhand to preserve Adivasi culture, traditions and their environmentally sustainable way of life. These have all suffered under the onslaught of industrial projects to extract the mineral resources under their land. Increasingly violent confrontations over land rights led him to develop a theory of "Intellectual Satyagraha”. He describes this as an updated version of Gandhi’s Satyagraha in that, when realised, violent confrontations are reduced to an absolute minimum, read the citation.

Given the backdrop, the panel member of the Planning Commission Gladson Dung-Dung wrote to the Gandhi Foundation recently regarding the sentiments of various tribal organizations protesting the Foundation decision to handover the Gandhi International Peace Award 2011 to “The Tribal People of India” to non-Adivasi. Tribals under the banner of “Jharkhand Human Rights Movement” and “Jharkhand Indigenous People’s Forum” jointly lodged their protest to the President of the Gandhi Foundation, Richard Attenborough. Either, they urged him to change the name of the award or if the award was to be given to Adivasis it should be given to Adivasi representative, who struggled for their cause.

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Dignity of Adivasi at stake, castigates London based Gandhi Foundation to select non-Adivasi to accept award

By Sanjeev Shekhar
Ranchi-
With the announcement of London based Gandhi Foundation organizationto give “International Peace Award 2011” to Adivasis of India and handing over the award to renowned doctor and civil rights activist Binayak Sen and Bulu Imam on behalf of the Adivasis of India has invited protest from tribal social activists and intellectuals here in Jharkhand.

The award ceremony would be held on November 9, 2011 at Amnesty International (UK) the Human Rights Action Centre, London.

The prolific writer, panel member of the Planning Commission and the opinion builder among the tribal masses, Gladson Dung-Dung wrote, “It is extremely painful to know that the foundation has decided to give the award to renowned civil rights Activist Dr. Binayak Sen and Bulu Imam on behalf of the Adivasis of India. We have high respect for both the recipients. However, we would not like them to receive the award on behalf of the Adivasis of India.”

According to him, it was an irony that the award would be given to the Adivasis of India but the recipients are not the Adivasis, which directly means there are no capable Adivasis in the country to receive the award. “We feel that this is a clear case of insult, humiliation and attack on culture, identity, autonomy, ethos and dignity of Adivasis of India by an international organization,” the panel member of the Planning Commission observed.

Tribals under the banner of “Jharkhand Human Rights Movement” and “Jharkhand Indigenous People’s Forum” jointly wrote on Saturday to the President of the Gandhi Foundation, Richard Attenborough, urging him to protect the culture, identity and autonomy as well as uphold the dignity of the Adivasis (Indigenous People) of India.

Reiterating their high regards for Dr Binayak and Bulu Imam, the tribal organizations firmly held that it was a crucial case of how the Adivasis were being neglected during contemporary days though there were number of renowned leaders, who could have been identified to receive the award. Citing examples of social leaders and activists fighting for the cause of Adivasis on different fronts like Munni Hansada, Dayamani Barla, C.K. Janu, Padamshree Tulsi Munda and Soma Guria, the Jharkhand Indigenous Forum pointed out that their invaluable contribution towards the promotion and protection of the Adivasis’ tradition, culture, dignity, autonomy and livelihoods could not be ignored.

It would have been better if the esteemed organization had identified any of these tribal leaders or activists to receive the award. “We humbly request you (Gandhi Foundation) that if you were willing to give the Peace Award to the Adivasis of India then you must give the award to the Adivasi recipients and not the non-Adivasis,” said Sunil Minj and Barkha Lakra of the Jharkhand Human Rights Movement.

In a letter to Binayak Sen and Bulu Imam, the “Jharkhand Human Rights Movement” and “Jharkhand Indigenous People’s Forum” jointly urged them not to accept Gandhi Foundation International Peace Award.

“We repeat that we have high regards for both of you. However, we would not like you to receive the award on behalf of the Adivasis of India. We believe that you would do it for the protection of the dignity of Adivasis. If the Gandhi Foundation was willing to award you (Binayak and Bulu) for your precious contributions to the society, in that case you should ask the Gandhi Foundation to change the title of the award,” leaders of both the social organizations said.

Meanwhile the tribal orgganisations are getting support from various parts of the country for raising the issue. Writer and Researcher from Chennai, Nityanand Jayaraman wrote, "It is important for communities to speak for themselves, and for others to acknowledge that this is important."

Media Consultant/Journalist