By Sanjeev Shekhar
Based on series of protests by the various tribal intellectuals, social workers and professionals working for the indigenous groups of India, Dr. Binayak Sen and Bulu Imam openly supported the cause of tribals and demanded change in the ‘name or wording’ of Gandhi International Peace Award 2011 to “The Tribal People of India”. They stated that they do not represent Adivasis of the country.
However, clouds are yet to clear whether they would actually go to London to receive the award or not? The award ceremony would be held on November 9, 2011 at Amnesty International (UK).
In a letter to the think-tank and leader of the Jharkhand Human Rights Movement Gladson Dung-Dung, Dr. Binayak Sen and his wife Ilina Sen candidly admitted that they understand sentiments and feelings of tribals for which this discussion was extremely important at this juncture.
“The extended public profiling of Binayak has never been at our initiative and we would happily step back to a less fractured existence, one that has played havoc with our personal lives. However, we have used this profiling to raise issues related to the dysfunctional developmental policies and their effects on the lives and concerns of the people of India, which has meant that we have often spoken of the people we know most closely, the toiling people and Adivasis of central india. At no point have we claimed to represent the Adivasis,” wrote Binayak and Ilina from Vellore, where the latter was undergoing treatment.
Their letter further observed that Trustees of the Gandhi Foundation could chose to alter the wording of the citation appropriately (eg:-for work among tribal people) should it choose to confer the award to Bulu Imam and Binayak Sen as per their announcement. They might also choose to award it to the Tribal people of India as per their original citation and sort out the issue of representation as they think was appropriate.
The panel member of the Planning Commission Gladson Dung-Dung wrote to the Gandhi Foundation on October 15, 2011 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.
Meanwhile, Robert Wallis, the well-known journalist wrote to tribal forum representative about the development at the Gandhi Foundation. Robert was the person who had seconded the nomination of Bulu Imam and Binayak Sen for the said award that apparently now has precipitated the crisis due to nomenclature and subsequent naming of the recipients.
Robert Wallis wrote to Galdson and protesting tribal social groups, “I think that the Gandhi Foundation, at this stage, would find it very difficult not to give the award to Dr. Sen and to Bulu whom they have already publicly recognised for their work in Chhattisgargh and Jharkhand. They have told me they are changing the wording of the award for the reasons you have clearly outlined. I am waiting for this to happen, as you are. Again, I think it was not an intentional lack of respect but a lack of awareness that made them word the award in the way they did.”
Explaining about the background of this issue, he elaborated as to how things reached this stage. Robert wrote in his e-mail to protesting groups, “Earlier this year I was informed by the Gandhi Foundation that Dr. Sen and Bulu Imam had been nominated for their annual Peace Award and that they were considering giving the prize jointly to both men. I do not personally know Dr. Sen but I have worked closely with Bulu on trips to Jharkhand in 2006 and 2010 documenting the devastating impact of mining. This resulted in my recent photo exhibition here in London that included work by the Tribal Women's Artist Cooperative. Because I know Bulu quite well and I am familiar with his work, including the Karanpura Campaign, the Gandhi Foundation asked if I would support and 2nd his nomination for the award. I was happy to do this.”
He further clarified in his letter that due to the nature of the work both Bulu and Dr. Sen had been doing, and the growing violence against Adivasi across the mining states, the Gandhi Foundation decided that they would make the award to both men on behalf of Adivasis. Although their intentions were honourable, the Foundation now realises this was a mistake. They have been meeting over the weekend and I am told that they would be withdrawing phrase from their award, Robert concluded.
In yet another development Eugene Culas from Voice of Dalit International (VODI) extended his whole hearted support to the cause of tribals with due regards to Bulu Imam and Binayak Sen. He suggested two alternatives in his letter while writing to Dr. Binayak Sen and Bulu Imam:
1. Either accept the “International Peace Award 2011” on your own merit and ask UK Gandhi Foundation to delete the name of the Adivasis (the Indigenous People) of India from the Award name.
2. Alternatively, please reject the award on the ground that the Tribals/ Dalits feel that their dignity is wounded by selecting Non-victim community members to receive an award in the name of the victims. By selecting the second option you will be using a historical opportunity to notify to the international community and their charities who are notorious in blurring their affiliation to their English speaking privileged friends, wherever they are, for their generosity to the poor.
Enclosures:-
1) Letter of Ilina & Dr. Binayak Sen:-
Dear Gladson and other friends,We were both in Kerala and Vellore in connection with Ilina’streatment, when we first saw this string of mails. Please forgive usfor this somewhat delayed response; It was for the reason above, andalso because it took us some time to grapple with the questions youraise.We understand your sentiments and feelings. You have raised importantissues and questions , and this discussion is extremely important atthis juncture. Regardless of the Gandhi award , we hope some of uswill be able to continue this discussion in the months to come. At the outset we wish to let you know that this award , and anyother awards that have come our way have not been of our own seeking.The extended public profiling of Binayak has never been at ourinitiative and we would happily step back to a less fracturedexistence, one that has played havoc with our personal lives. However,we have used this profiling to raise issues related to thedysfunctional developmental policies and their effects the lives andconcerns of the people of India , which has meant that we haveoften spoken of the people we know most closely, the toiling peopleand Adivasis of central india. At no point have we claimed torepresent the Adivasis.The Adivasis are not a homogenous category, except in administrativefiles, and represent a diversity of histories, cultures and politicalpositions. The question of representation is extremely complicated inany case. We think the central debate in our public polity is aboutthe contending claims of the destructive development being thrustupon us, and the visions and insights of a holistic , indigenous worldview. The battle lines are between the greed of the few, and theconviviality of all.
We have great regard for the many leaders named in your letter, but seeing the debate entirely in ethnic termsmight lead to a tribal leader of the salwa judum claiming torepresent the Adivasis purely on grounds of racial purity!Having said this, we feel that the Trustees of the Gandhi Foundationcould chose to alter the wording of the citation appropriately (eg .….for work among tribal people….)should it choose to confer the awardto Bulu Imam and Binayak Sen as per their announcement.
They may also choose to award it to the Tribal people of India as per their original citation and sort out the issue of representation as they think isappropriate.We attach to this mail the award letter for Binayak sent by theGandhi foundation, so that there are no misconceptions about theterms of the award.Ilina and Binayak Sen
2) Letter of Gandhi Foundation to Dr. Binayak Sen
26th July 2011
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN
Re: Dr Binayak Sen. Date of birth: 04.01.1950.
Passport no : G 2312525.
Issued at: Bhopal on 07.03.2007. Date of expiry: 06.03.2017
The Gandhi Foundation has awarded The Gandhi International Peace Award 2011 to “The Tribal Peoples of India” on behalf of whom Dr Binayak Sen will receive it on 9th November at Amnesty International HQ in London.
There is no financial award but The Foundation will cover Dr Sen’s travel costs and living expenses.
The Recipient will meet with the Press, Parliamentarians and Business Leaders during his stay.
Yours,
John Rowley, Trustee, The Gandhi Foundation
[Charity No: 292629 and www.gandhifoundation.org]
c/o 73 Carysfort Road, London N16 9AD. Tel: 0207 249 4471
On behalf of:
Lord Bhikhu Parekh, Vice-President, The Gandhi Foundation
Ramesh Gopalkrishnan, Amnesty International
3)Letter from Mr. Phil Carter on behalf of Shree Bulu Imam "Phil Carter" <reachphilcarter@me.com>
Dear Gladson
Thanks for copying me these emails. As you know, I have the highest regard for your work and writing which is some of the best I have seen in the English language.
On this matter, I have just spoken to Bulu Imam on the phone. He was not aware of these developments as he will not be able to check his email until this evening. I explained the situation, and he says that in his opinion the award should be given to him individually and not on behalf of the tribal people of India. He says he does not represent the tribal people of India, and never claimed to do so. He requests that the Gandhi Foundation change the wording of the award.
I also agree on this. I wrote his nomination based on my knowledge of his individual work which is exemplary and following the highest ideals of non-violence. I stand by this nomination of this outstanding work and also request the Gandhi Foundation to change the wording of the award. The award should not be to an entire ethnic group comprising some 84 million people who like any large group have many organizations and individuals of different viewpoints and approaches. It should be used to identify those individuals or in some cases organizations who are following higher ideals to address issues of discrimination and social justice.
Bulu Imam is such an individual. Some within this ethnic group have chosen to take up armed resistance and the Gandhi Foundation is in my opinion misguided in using such a broad classification as "the tribal people of India" which also includes such individuals.
I am replying on behalf of Bulu Imam at his request as he cannot immediately access his email and this issue is rapidly developing and getting large-scale due to the speed of communication of the Internet.
Wishing you the very best. Please continue to keep me on your mailing list for your new articles.
Yours truly
Phil Carter
--Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific UniversityKyushu,
Japan
4) Letter of HR Activist and Planning Commission member Gladson Dung-Dung
Oct 15, 2011-
To,
Mr. Richard Attenborough,
The Hon’ble President,
The Gandhi Foundation,
Kingsley Hall, Powis Road,Bromley-by-Bow, London (UK).
Re: Requesting to protect the Culture, Identity and Autonomy, and uphold the dignity of the Adivasis (Indigenous People) of India.
Dear Sir,
Greetings from India!
We hope you are fine. We came to know from the website (www.gandhifoundation.org) of your esteemed international organization the Gandhi Foundation that the foundation has decided to give the Gandhi Foundation “International Peace Award 2011” to the Adivasis (the Indigenous People) of India, which is indeed a welcome step. The award ceremony will be held on 9th November, 2011 at Amnesty International (UK) the Human Rights Action Centre, London.
However, it is extreme painful to know that the foundation has also decided to give the award to renowned Doctor and Civil Rights Activist Dr. Binayak Sen ji and Shree Bulu Imam ji on behalf of the Adivasis of India. We have high respect for both of recipients. However, we would not like them to receive the award on behalf of the Adivasis of India.
It’s an irony that though the award will be given to the Adivasis of India but the recipients are not the Adivasis, which directly means there are no capable Adivasis in India 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.
This is also a crucial case of how the Adivasis are being neglected even today though there are number of renowned leaders like Mrs. Munni Hansada, Mr. Soma Guria, Mrs. Dayamani Barla, Mrs. C.K. Janu, Padamshree Tulsi Munda and so many others in India, who have won the fights against big corporate giants and also did lots of work for promotion and protection of the Adivasis’ tradition, culture, dignity, autonomy and livelihoods.
Therefore, we humbly request you that if you are really willing to give the ‘International Gandhi Peace Award 2011’ to the Adivasis of India then you must give the award to the Adivasi recipients and not the non-Adivasis. However, if you want to recognize the precious contribution of Dr. Binayak Sen and Shree Bulu Imam to the society then you must change the title of the award and honor them, we would highly appreciate you for it.
Therefore, we repeat that we have high regards for Dr. Binayak Sen Ji and Shree Bulu Imam Ji. However, we would not like to see them receiving the Award on behalf of the Adivasis of India. We believe that you’ll change your decision for the protection of the Adivasi’s identity, culture, autonomy, and ethos and uphold the dignity of the Adivasis of India.
Thanking you,
With kind regards
Gladson Dungdung, Sunil Minj, Barkha Lakra, Sushil Barla, Joy Tuddu, Sudeep Tigga and Dayal Kujur,
Jharkhand Human Rights Movement, Ranchi (Jharkhand)
Jerome G. Kujur, Rakesh Roshan Kiro, Prabha Lakra, Xavier Kujur, Anju Kujur
Jharkhand Indigenous People’s Forum, Ranchi ( Jharkhand).
5) Letter of Eugene CulasVoice of Dalit International (VODI)
Dear Dr. Binayak Sen
Greetings from Voice of Dalit International.
We have great appreciation of your struggles for the Tribal people. We wish you well in continuing your struggles for the poor in India. From international development parlance, the poor in South Asia are generally called Dalits. They constitute 90% of the poor in India. They are "the historically broken people", including SC/ST and BCs. Recently we are drawn into a comparatively minor issue as far as you may be concerned, but an issue of human dignity for the Tribals/ Dalits of India. As you know very well, it is the human dignity which makes a man what he/she is. Basically it is this human dignity that the poor in India are denied of and hence fighting for it since centuries. Non-Dalits people like you, who have a 'love' for the poor and are committed have been also fighting on their behalf directly or indirectly for this basic dignity which is the very psychological and material source for their struggles. Through the selection of 2 non-Dalit/Tribal individuals to receive an award for Tribal /Dalit people , The UK Gandhi Foundation has played the same mischief of caste perpetrating communities. On the one hand they want to legitimize and show to the international community that they are friends of Tribals /Dalits and hence they recognise these communities; on the other hand the caste practicing mindset of the UK Gandhi Foundation (I eliminate Britains) do not permit them to treat the Tribals/ Dalits as equals with dignity. Perhaps, you may know that the British Parliament enacted a legislation (Single Equality Act 2010) making caste 'an aspect of race' and caste discrimination illegal in Britain - as our Indians and Asians practice this form of uncivilized cultural baggage even when they live in the UK.
Although we know very well that you and Mr. Bulu Imam are legible to receive even higher awards than that of the Gandhi Foundation, the present style of selection by the UK Gandhi Foundation for the “International Peace Award 2011” has all the trappings of caste discrimination in it and hence we join with Gladson Dungdung and many others requesting you: 1. Either accept the “International Peace Award 2011” on your own merit and ask UK Gandhi Foundation to delete the name of the Adivasis (the Indigenous People) of India from the Award name.
2. Alternatively, please reject the award on the ground that the Tribals/ Dalits feel that their dignity is wounded by selecting Non-victim community members to receive an award in the name of the victims. By selecting the second option you will be using a historical opportunity to notify to the international community and their charities who are notorious in blurring their affiliation to their English speaking privileged friends, wherever they are, for their generosity to the poor. Let me draw the position of Dr. Ambedkar on the issue "It is very important that the views of the poor are represented. But that does not solve the problem; the poor must be represented".
We will be copying this 1) to Mr. Bulu Imam 2) and the UK Gandhi Foundation, with a request to take into consideration of the sentiments of poor who are denied even their dignity. If the UK Gandhi Foundation takes no heed of the request, we will be constrained to use our democratic right of protesting against total disregard of the poor, for whose dignity our organisation stands for. With due respect to you, we look forward to your response at the earliest,
Eugene Culas
Voice of Dalit International (VODI)
ICG HouseStation ApproachGreenford, London UB6 0ALTel/ Fx: 00 44 20 8813 2380Email: vodi@vodintl.org.uk Web: http://www.vodintl.org.uk/
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