-------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Wishing all Goanetters | | a Prosperous | | and | | Happy New Year - 2006 | | Goanet - http://www.goanet.org | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- COMMENT: Khase Pratapsing Rane, times have changed (Sujay Gupta, in Gomantak Times)
GT, December 30, 2005 Satarri salvo could fuel furious peasant uprising in Goa THE MURDEROUS uprising in Saleli, Valpoi by villagers, quite a few of them tribal gowdas who tilled the land of the landlords, could well be the beginning of widespread sporadic upheavals in rural Goa, specially in areas of the new conquest. Wednesday's (Dec 28, 2005) incident, where the son of a landlord was killed by villagers in protest over the installation of hazardous stone-crushing machines, was a potent catalyst that led to the mob stoning and brutally injuring 40 policemen. The manner in which 1200 villagers united against one common enemy and refused to hand over those accused of murdering Prithviraj Rane, the sone of Krishnarao Rane, to the police, is a precursor to a very strong peasant uprising. However, since this is limited to pockets of Sattari, Pernem, Bicholim and Canacona, it hasn't really affected the political and social consciousness of the state. Yet. But this may change if word, and more importantly, the feeling spreads that the government is turning a blind eye to the everyday excesses of the landholders known as 'khashes' in the area. To understand the issue in perspective, a sense of history is vital. The taluka of Sattari was conqured by the Portuguese a good 300 years after the first conquest. The late arrival also dimmed their cutting-edge presence and their influence over land-management, most importantly the very-forward thinking communidade system. By the time the Portuguese came, the landlords went and registered all the land in their names. In the absence of land-titles in the names of the cultivators, the tillers had to accept the equation quietly. They thereby cultivated the land of the landlords with no legal right over the land. Thereafter, the basic drawbacks of the feudal system, persistent in Telangana, Bengal and Bihar manifested itself in these belts of Goa, albeit in smaller doses, mainly due to a lesser population. Horror stories of exploitation, importing outside labour, misbehaving with women folk, denying minimum wages have been heard. In this particular case, matters got worse because villagers were deeply against the crushing of stones in the vicinity of the villages, since it led to polluting the atmosphere and causing hardships, specially to children and women. Not heeding villagers' please, the Ranes bought 12 stone crushers one after the other. But crusher number 13 proved to be unluckly. While the immediate cause of black Wednesday was this, the real reason was that the heat that was simmering for ages, reaching boiling point. Where does Sattari go from now on? I do not expect it to take the complete shape of the Telangana rebellion or the Bihar or Bengal peasant movement. However, if you study those movements and some others, it is indicative that the germ of discontent are similar. If this discontent is stirred by an organised group, or more importantly by a political party cashing inon the backlash, the movement could take critical political overtones that might even determine the balance of power in the state. Check out some of the rebellions in the past and their causes and you see that the underlying fabric of discontent is similar. Long before the Sepoy Rebellion, hungry peasants of Bengal and Bihar, victims of a terrible famine (1770), rose in revolt against the East India Company, which had been extracting money and crops from them. There was the famous sannyasi rebellion. A large number of sannyasis and fakirs who were being fleeced by the British rulers, through various forms of extractions, played an important role in organising the peasants. Along with the peasants and sanyasis and fakirs, there were also village artisans the famous silk weavers of Bengal, who had been made to slave for the British merchants. Led by Majnu Shah, Bhabani Pathak, Debi Chaudhurani and a host of heroic figures, therebellion continued till the beginning of the 19th century and was marked by daring attacks on the East India Company's offices in different parts of Bihar and Bengal, killing of notorious Indian landlords and money-lenders as well as of oppressive British traders and army officers, and both guerilla nad positional welfare against the British army. Then, in 1820, the Ho tribal peasants of Chhotanagpur in Bihar rose against the British rulers and the local money-lenders and zamindars. The Oraons -- another tribal community -- rebelled in the nineteenth century.The Kol tribals organised an insurrection in 1832-32, which was directed mainly against government officers and priate money-lenders. The Mahajans extracted 70 per cent or more interest and many Kols became bonded labourers for life. These uprisings were a benchmark for future struggles. Chief Minister Pratapsging Rane, who belongs to the area, should realise that times have changed. Post-liberation the tribals and gowdas have got educated, received the benefits of OBC quotas and have realised their power of numbers. No longer can a group of three or four landlords have complete hegemony over such a large group without any form of land regulation. This is a revolution that was waiting to happen. (ENDS) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Goa - 2005 Santosh Trophy Champions | | | | Support Soccer Activities at the grassroots in our villages | | Vacationing in Goa this year-end - Carry and distribute Soccer Balls | --------------------------------------------------------------------------
