MONOGRAPH NO. 1 Imestigation and Draft : J. S. TANDON, M.A. Supplementary Investigation : P. N. SAXENA, M.A., LL.B., D.P.A. Research, Design, Supervision and Editing: B. K. Roy BURMAN, M.Sc., D. PHiL. Foreword: A. MITRA, REGISTRAR GENERAL, INDIA CEN·SUS OF INDIA 1961 VOLUME I MONOGRAPH SERIES PART XI E SOCIAL PROCESSES IN THE INDUSTRIALISATION OF ROURKELA (With Reference to Displacement and Rehabilitation of Tribal and Other Backward People) OFFICE OF THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, INDIA MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS NEW DELllJ
Transcript
~.m
MONOGRAPH NO. 1
Imestigation and Draft :
J. S. TANDON, M.A.
Supplementary Investigation :
P. N. SAXENA, M.A., LL.B., D.P.A.
Research, Design, Supervision and Editing:
B. K. Roy BURMAN, M.Sc., D. PHiL.
Foreword:
A. MITRA,
REGISTRAR GENERAL, INDIA
CEN·SUS OF INDIA 1961
VOLUME I
MONOGRAPH SERIES
PART XI E
SOCIAL PROCESSES IN THE INDUSTRIALISATION OF ROURKELA
(With Reference to Displacement and Rehabilitation of Tribal and Other Backward People)
OFFICE OF THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, INDIA MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS
NEW DELllJ
\ Review K. K. Chawla ~ .
Stenography S. N. Kapoor
Typing B. N. Kapoor
S. D. Soni
.. Tabulation . J. K. Mongia
K. C. Roy
Photography H. C. Pandey
Cartography S. Krishna Pillai
K. K. Kalra
ii
'OREWORD
In my general Foreword to the Village Survey series of the 1961 Census publications, I have briefly explained how the idea of the Survey unfolded itself and developed between 1959 and 1961. Towards the end of 1961 several distin ... guished scholars were invited to write special monographs for the Village Survey series. At the same time, the Social Studies Section of the Registrar General's Office, headed by Dr. B. K. Roy Burman, undertook experiments in various types of social study. Dr. Roy Burman stimulated his colleagues and assistants to go into great depth over specific problems of social change. His object was, apart from striking new lines in methodology and designs of schedules, new methods of tabulation and cross-tabulation, new lines of correlating apparently unrelated fields of social phenomenon. to train his colleagues and assistants rigorously in the science of social investigation. He took a wide range of problems and even a wider geographical distri bution of them, throughout India.
This study of Social Processes in the Industrialisation of Rourkela, is a testimony to Dr. B. K. Roy Burman's abilities in directing research and to the staunchness and probity with which the investigation was conducted, analysed and reported upon by Sarvashri J. S. Tandon and P. N. Saxena. This study has added to our knowledge the problems of a big industrial project in a comparatively undeveloped part of the country and I wish to record my acknowledgements to my colleagues.
New Delhi, the 24 June, 1968
Iii
A. MITRA Registrar General, India
PREFACE
In 1960, as Assistant Commissioner for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, Government of India, incharge of Orissa region, I became aware for the first tUne about the problems of the tribal and other population who were displaced as a result of the implementation of the steel project at Rourkela. Some agitations were being carried on by the displaced persons and I visited Rourkela, accompanied by Shri P. Misra, then Director, Rural and Tribal Welfare, Government of Orissa and Shri A. L. Vyas, Hon. Welfare Officer, Government of Orissa. I could visit all the three resettlement colonies round about Rourkela and discuss the problems with displaced persons as well as the Special Officer, Rourkela Land Organisation. I found that in addition to the compensation for the immovable properties acquired for the project, each displaced family was provided with two facilities. It was allotted land more or less of the same quality and to the same extent as was acquired by the Government in 16 reclamation centres situated at distances of 20-100 miles from Rourkela. Simultaneously it was given facility of settling near Rourkela and avail of the employment opportunities created in the industrial complex. As a result of these .two types of facilities being available simultaneously, a dynamic situation arose. The preliminary enquiry showed that though many of the families were split physically, in some cases economic ties continued after such split. It was also found that the choice of the areas of residence by the various members of the families concerned was the outcome of the interplay of a number of factors. As a student of Sociology I immediately got interested in these problems.
Shortly after my visit to Rourkela, I was invited by the Anthropological Seminar of Utkal University to give a talk on my observations. The useful suggestions that I received from the teaching staff of the University headed by Dr. A. Aiyappan and the senior students, helped me to formulate the problems in sharper focus.
After I took over the charge of the Social Studies and Handicrafts Unit of the Office of the Registrar General, India, on my suggestion the study of the 'Social Processes in the Industrialisation of Rourkela' was taken up as a project for being investigated by the Census Organisation. Shri J. S. Tandon, who had previous experience of field research in Orissa and Central India as a member of the research personnel, Anthropological Survey of India, was deputed to do the field work. A number of hypotheses were formulated and he was asked to test the same in the field. Later on, I personally visited the area and prepared a number of schedules to be canvassed in connection with the study. For a short time Shri P. N. Saxena, the then Junior Investigator in this office, was associated with Shri Tandon for canvassing the schedules.
The credit for the facts included in this report mainly pertains to Shri Tandon. Shri P. N. Saxena collected the supplementary data. The responsibility for the final draft however, is mine. The tabulation of the data collected in the field was carried out by S/Shri J. K. Mongia and K. C. Roy. The dictation of the final draft was taken by Shri S. N. Kapoor. The typing at various stages was done by S/Shri B. N. Kapoor and S. D. Sorn. The photographs in the field were taken by Shri H. C. Pandey. The illustrations were prepared by SjShri S. Krishna Pillai and K. K. Kalra. I avail of this opportunity to express my thanks to all my colleagues.
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vi
Thanks are due to the Officers of the Rdurkela Land Organisation Cor the cooperation that they rendered, in connection with the study. In this connection I should make a particular mention of Shri K. C. Panigrahi, Special Officer, Land Acquisition and Reclamation, Rourkela. Shri Bali, Public Relations Officer, Rourkela S~eel Plant also was extremely helpful. I shall be failing in my duty if I do not make a special mention of the hospitality and cooperation that Shri Tandon and myself received from the displaced persons. Among them the names of S/Shri Dhanurjay Mohanti, MotHai Ludam and Durjodhan Sandilya deserve special mentiol).
I am grateful to Shri A. Mitra, Registrar General, India, for the opportunity that he has given for such studies to be carried out under the ae$is of the Census Organisation. I am also grateful to Shri A. Chandra Sekhar, AddItional Registrar General, India, for the encouragement, that he has given in the stage of finalisation of the report.
B. K. Roy BURMAN
CONTlNTS
CHAPTER I-INTRODUCTION
Prelude
Physical setting of Rourkela region '. '. Factors responsible for selection of Rourkela as the sHe of the project
The Master Plan of the ;teel plant and other industries and the township . ~
Scheme for rehabilitation of the people who were going to be displaced as a result of establishment of the steel project . . . . . . . , . . , • • . . ., 2
CHAPTER II-THE. OLD VILLAGES
Name and location
Ethnic composition of the villages
Transport and communication
Public places in the old village .. (a) Sources of drinking water (b) Places for cremation and burial of th.e dead in the old villages (c) Places of worship- .
Social and political life (a) Hindu festivals. (b) Tribal festivals . (e) Christian festivals (d) Muslim festivals
Leadership and social control (a) Village leaders . (b) Caste organisations .
Demographic pattern • (a) Distribution of population by age and sex (b) Family (c) Distribution of population with reference to industrial categoric. (4) Distribution of population (belonging to' dlffercnt cthnic categorie .. ) in different lodU5trial
categOlies (e) Distribution of population (belonging to dJO'erent etbnic c&tqorles) enppd In lubaidiary
0CCIlp&ti0na
vii
3
3
6
6-7 6 6 6
7 7 7 7
7
8 8
8-9 8 9 9 9
10 10 10
11-15 11 12 13
J3
14
(f) Ownership of land
(g) Income
CHAPTER. III-SOCIAL PR.OCESSES ON THE EVE OF DISPLACEMBNT ,
Awareness of impending displacement
R.eaction of the people
Developments immediately before displacement •
Rates of compensation as originally proposed by the Government
Moves and counter moves of pressures about the project
Press note related to rehabilitation programme .
Location of resettlement colonies and reclamation areas
Rate~ of compensation for different types of land, standing crop and trees
CHAPTER IV-EXTENT AND PATTERN OF DISPLACEMENT AND REHABILITATION
Programme of rehabilitation
Terms and conditions of extending various facilities to Individual households
Problems and processes of rehl!-bilitation
A. RBSBTTLEMENT COLONIES
'AGI 14 ,. 15
17
11
18
19
19
21 23
24
25
25 26
Extent of rehabilitation in the resettlement colonies . 26 Factors determining the selection of particular colony by displaced persons with different antece-
dents 28 Selection and occupation of plots at the level of individual households • 31 Extent of change of plots after allotment and the reasons for such change 31 Compensation received by the people and manner of utilization of the same 33 Particulars of other facilities provided to the displaced persons who settled in resottlement colonies 34-35
(a) Subsidy for construction of houses 34 (b) Transit camp facUity 35 (c) Transport facility 35
B. RECLAMATION ARE~s
Names of reclamation areas possession of land A.creage of land available and its allotment to the displaced hou8eholdl Pactors for the non-utilisation of the facilities ava\1able in reclamation areal Particulars of two r~clamatjon' areas
c'ftAP'l'E,R. V-SOCIAL PROCBSSBS IN VILLAGBS WHICH CONTINUB TO EXIST IN SPITB OF NOTICB OP EVACUATION
A. CmmND
Location of the village and other preliminary data Circumstances of the village continuing to exist In spite of notice of evacuation Change in village layout and land utilisation pattern • Change in ethnic composition and size of populatioo • Change in economic life of the population Change in lajmani or traditional patron~lient relauo.hlp •
35 3S 36 38 39
43 43
'" 44 4S ~
• Chaqes in material equipment (a) Changes in house
Ix
(b) Changes in dress, footwear ana various bousehold goods Change in food habits Change in the membership of bouse hold and in mutual relations among tbe members
B. DEooAON
Location of the village and other preliminary data Circumstances of the village continuing to exist in spite of notice of evacuation . Change in vlIlage layout and land utilisation pattern . Change in ethnic composition and size of population . Change in economic life of the population .
• CHAPTER VI-DEMOGRAPHIC PATTERN AND SOCIAL PROCESSES IN TWO RECLAMATION AREAS
DEMOG&APHIC PATTERN
(a) Distribution of households by caste and religion . (b) Distribution of households by languages spoken . (c) Distribution of population by sex and age . (d) Distribution of population by age, sex and education . (e) Distribution of population by age, sex and marltalstatutl (f) Age at marriage (g) Marriage payment (h) Kinship with spouse (i) Analysis of household structure
(I) Distribution of households with reference to the Dumber of members per household . (2) Distribution of households with reference to nature of composhlon .
EXTBRNAL RELATIONS •
Relations with Rourkela (a) Categories of members staying outside . (b) ReasOns for members staying outside . (c) Nature of contact with members staying outside (d) Particulars of households that were separate in the old villages but were joined in tbe reclama
tion area . (e) Particulars of households in the reclamation area which constituted sections of joint family
in the old· viltagea and which became separated on settlement in the reclamation area . .
Bconomi~ life !lfthe households settled in the reclamation area (a) Main and subsidiary occupations
; (b) Distribution of households by ownership and reclamation of land (c) Djstributjon of households by proportion ofJand brousht under cultjvation in tho reclamation
area (d) Leasing out of land • (e) Types of cr~s grown and annual cycle of agricultural activities (f) Acreage of land under each type of crop (g) Quantity of agricultural produce and manner oUiIpoIal of tholamc (h) AnImal husbandry
A4IIIlnistratiQ'D of reclamation arca eoaacts with llourkcJa RelaUons with the resettlemmt colonies • Pau.n of: ela&ioDl wltll tao aeiPbouriDl vDIIaea •
PAOJ
46 46 46 47 47
48 48 48 49 49
51-56 51 51 52 53 S4 55 5S 5S 55 5S S6
56-60
56-60 56 57 57
60
60
60-64 60 60
(;J 62 62 62 63 64 65 65 tiS ~
SOCIAL PROCESSES INSIDE THE RECLAMATION AREA "
(a) Residential pattern and factors contributing to the same (b) Segmentation based on village of origin (c) Segmentation based on linkage with resettlement colonies (d) S'egmentation based on ethnic identity" (e) Segmentation based on religion " (f) Segmentation based on kinship " (g) Factions.in the reclamation area . (h) Leadership pattern "
(1) Panchayat . (2) Leaders in the reclamation areas and their antecedents
CHAPTER VII-DEMOGRAPHIC PATTERN AND SOCIAL PROCESSES IN A RESETTLEMENT COLONY
PAGB
61':'6Sl, 67 67 67 67 68 68 68 69 69 69
Colony as part of old village JaJda 71 DEMOGRAPHIC PAlTERN 71-85
(a) Distribution of households by caste and tribe 71 (b) Distribution of households by area of origin, caste and religion 71 (c) Distribution of population with reference to age and sex 72 (d) Age, sex ana marital status 73 (e) Age at marriage and period of marriage 74 (f) Distribution of householas with reference to mother tongue and subsidiary languages spoken
by the members of the households 76 (1) Mother tongue 76
(2) Sub~idiary languages " 78 (g) Education 80 (h) Educational institutions : Middle English School, Ashram School, L.ower Primary School,
Missionary Lower Primary School, Madarsa 81 (i) Distribution of population by age, sex and skill known 83 (j) Industrial classification of the population of Jalda and Jhirpani Colonies and the adjoining area! 83 (k) Distribution of population by main and subsidiary occupations . 85
Household structures 87-95
(a) Distribution of households with reference to number of members per bousehold 87 (b) Distribution of househc..lds with reference to nature of composition 87 (c) Categories of persons staying outside 88 (d) Nature of relations of the members living outside wltb the heads of the households concerned 90 (0) Particulars of related hou.eholds in the colony 92 (f) Particulars of households which were living separately in old vlllages but which were joined
In the colony. _ . . . . • . . . . . 95
SOCIAL PROCESSES
Changes in intra family relations 9S Sex and marriage " 97
(a) Opinion about the extent of looseness in the sex life on the part of males and tho femalos 97 (1) Opinion about looseness in scx life of the malo!! (2) Opinion about looseness in SCI Ufe of the temales
(b) Opinion about prevalence of pre-marital romantic lovo • 97 (c) Opinion about change in the incidence of adultry . .". 91 Cd) Opinion about change in the Incidence of divorce or desertion 97 Cc) Opinion about chango in tho rolatioll!l of husbaDd and wifo from Ulo tra41tlonal pattern '7
otbor changos in family complox , .' PAOI
98
(a) Cha.nge in the nature of participation of the women in economic activities of the famil, 98 (b) Change in cleanliness and hygienic habits 98 (c) Change in the nutritional value of food 98 Cd) Proportion of leisure time spent in home and outside home for adult male members 98 (e) ChaDge among women after coming to tbe colony in matters connected with leisure and
recreation 99
Ceremonial friendship , 99
Neighbourhood pattern 100-106
ta)(!) Categories of neighbours with reference to caste or tribe as well as religious aftiliationl (2) Categories of noighbours with reference to difference in religion but identity of caste or tribe (3) Catogories of neighbours with reference to identity of religion but difference In caste or tribe (4) Categories of neighbours with reference to village of origin (5) Categories of neighbours with reference to kinship
(b) Attitude towards neighbourhood to' Cc) Actuahelations with neighbours lOS (d) Presents, help, etc., given to others including neighbours 106 (e) Extent of marketing of different commodities in tbe neIghbourhood and out~ide neighbourhood. J06
Material equipment of the people living in the colony
(a) House. (I) Number of plots where houses have been constructed (2) Building units
107-108
107
(3) Blistonce of various elements in tbe domiciles: separate kitchoni acparate cattle-ahodi '[(Ccleogardon; compound or yard
(4) Change in structural elements of the houses (i) sizC
(ii) New elements Introduced in the houses in the colony (iii) Opinion about comparative position of tho houles In the colony
(b) Change in dress '. <. (1) Upper garments of males (2) Lower garinents of males . (3) Upper garinents of females (4) Lower garments of femaleS
Cc) Chango in ornaments
(d) Change in hair style and body decoradons
Public institutions In the colony (a) Educational institutions (b) Medical and health institutions •
Economic resources, relationships and institutions (a) Cultivable land • (b) Homestead (c) NatUre of right in respect of dwelling structure! (d) Time' of renting out of houses • (e) Li_tock (0 CbI.dp in the utlliIatiOD of forest products
108
108
108
109 109 109
• 109-112 109 lJO 110 111 111 112
(g) Fishing • '. .. • (h) Practice of craft; Tile making; mat makill8i ropo mUill8 ,
Employment history of the different households in the colony Curqulative employment data of the various households Remuneration for the jobs done by the members of the various households • Loss of job . Unemployment at the time of survey
Other aspects of economic relations
(a) Indebtedness (b) Patron-client relationship : Priesthood; shaving and hair cropping; washing of clothes
blacksmithy. . • (c) Marketing and shopping centres (d) Extent of business (e) Extent of profit (f) Side business Co-operative Society
Other institutions
Police outpost; Water pumping station; Post Office Religious institutions
Sarna; Durga Temple; mosque; Roman Catholic Chruch; Lutheran Church
Cultural institutions: Library; Football Club; Drama Club
Leisure and recreatioijal activities •
(a) Indoor and outdoor games. (b) Participation in clubs and libraries (c) Hearing of radio (d) Reading of books and newspapers (e) Gossip groups • (f) Participation in religious discourses
Annual cycle of religious and non-religious festivals (a) Hindu festivals • (b) Tribal festivals • (c) Christian festivals (d) Muslim festivals
Community organisation
(a) Occasions of conflicts (b) Inter-block rivalries and conflicts (c) Intra-block conflicts based on ethnic consideration (d) Persistence of old village tics and factionalism in the colony . (e) Factionalism in the colony as carryover of factionalism in the old villages (f) Other factors of factionalism in the cOlony . (8) Pattern of new integration in the context of factional conflictS (h) Organised activities to secure common interests etc. (i) Vigilance CoJDJilittee 0) Manasinl CommiUoe of lalda L. P. School .
•
•
PAOI
11%· 112
113 113 113 114 114
• 114-118
114
114 116 117 118 118 118
• 119-120
120
120
121-124
121 122 122 122 123 124
• 124-126 124 124 126 126
• 126-136
126 126 126 127 . 128 129 129 130 131
,. .131
• (k) Managing Committee of Jalda M. B. {chool ( 1) Position of the leaders of the old villages (m) The new leaders
xiii
(n) Relation between traditional elites and new clites (0) Inter-penetration of leadership . (p) Disputes referred to various authorities
Deviant behaviour (a) Alcoholism (b) Liquor shop (c) Number o( habitual drunkards (d) Comparison of the habit of consuming alcoholic drinks in the old villages and at present (e) Frequency of taking alcoholic drinks (f) Capacity of drinking liquor at a time (g) Place of taking alcoholic drinks • (h) Crime
CHAPTER VIII-SOCIAL PROCESSES IN THE INDUSTRIAL SETTING OF ROURKELA WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO THE DISPLACED PERSONS
Industries at Rourkela and its surrounding region (a) Steel Plant (b) Fertilizer Corporation of India . (c) Undertakings under the- private sector
Number of displaced persons working in different categories of establishments (a) Employment of displaced persons in Fertilizer Corporation of India and undertakings under the
private sector • (b) Number of employees ofH. S. L. and other industries and establishments among the dis-
placed persons living in the different blocks of lalda Colony . . • . . . . Operations connected with some of the jobs where the displaced persons are found in consi
derable number
PAOI
131 132 134 135
• 136 136
137-139 137 137 138 139 139 139 139 J39
14J-142 141 142 142
143-146
145
146
147 Future prospects for various jobs 147
Perception of the manner in which the prospects of the job can be improVl:d, actual efforts to improve the prospects of job and the time by which better job is ex.pected . 148-150 (a) Job satisfaction. 148 (b) Scope to improve quality of work 149 (c) Attempt to improve the quality of the job 1.50
Social ramification of job situation . (a) Membership of common trade unions . (b) Social ties with jobmates after office hours (c) Frequency of spending time together by job mates (d) Duration of spending time with closest job mates after office hours (e) Mutual visits in homes among closest job mates .
Industrial relations and the role of displaced persons (a) Membership (including displaced persons) of the existing trade unions (b) Nature of activities of the trade unione; and their role in safeguarding tho interests of the dis-
placed persons . . . . . . . . . (c) DJstribution of the members of the trade union by age-group (4) Time of becoming member oftrade union • (0) Occupational background of the trade union members • (0 Levels of awareness among the members of the trade unions
151-153 152 152 152 153 153
153-157 IS5
ISS 156 156 IS6
"1
xiv
(8) IloIe of tbe Works' Committee in tho Steel Plant. Amenities available in Rourkela and eltent of benefits to the displaced periODS
The old gods and the new men
CHAPTER IX-CONCLUSION
Appendices
PAGB
15l 157 ISS
159
Appendix
Appendix
I-List of villages studied for Economic Survey in 1955 by Orissa Government . 165
lI-Allotment and occupation of plots by certain communities in three blocks of Jalda Colony . • 166-167
Appendix III-Allotment and occupation of plots in lalda Resettlement Colony by various commu-nities of different villages. . . . . . . . . . . 168-175
Appendi~ IV-Mother tongue and subsidiary languages by caste or tribe and age-group. in reclama-tion areas 176-177
Appendix V-Age, sex and marital status in two reclamation areas
Appendi~ VI-Particulars of household plots in lalda Resettlement Colony
Appendi~ VIl-Programme of Christian Youth Conference .
Appendix VIII-Particulars of pre-colonisation village leaders and their present position
Appendix IX-Types of Schedules ,
178-179 180
181-182
183-184 185-229
LIST OF TABLES
PAQI
1 Names and sizes of the villages acquired and number of households affected 3 2 Ethnic composition in the pre-colonization villages . 3 3 Age and sex break-up of the population, prior to displacement, in terms of percentage to the total
population . . • . . . . . . . . . . .. 11 4 Average size offamily among di fferent ethnic groups in Rourkela region and comparison of the same
with the average size of the family in Sundargarh district and Orissa State, prior to displacement. J 2 S Percentage distribution of hou<;eholds and population with reference to the number of members per
household in Rourkela region, pr}or to displacement . . . . . . .. 12 6 Percentage distribution of the population, belonging to diffllrcnt ethnic categories and different indus-
trial categories, prior to displacement , . 13 7 Percentage distribution of the popUlation belonging to different ethnic categorios who were having
subsidiary occupations, prior to displacement ..•.•. . " 14 8 Percentage distribution ofhou~eholds with reference to size-groups of holdings and percentage distri-
bution of the total cultivated area in each size-group of holding, prior to displacement. " 14 9 Acreage of land owned by the different ethnic categories of popUlation in prc-colonizlltion villages . 14
10 Income per household and per person by industrial categories, prior to displacement 15 11 Distribution of households with reference to income groups, prior to displacement 15 12 Particulars of reclamation areas, with reference to the acqllisition and allotment of land 25 13 Resettlement of displaced persons in Jalda, Jhirpani and Bondomunda Resettlement Colonies 27 14 Distribution of households hailing from different villages who have settled in different blocks of
lalda Resettlement Colony 30 15 Particulars of applications received from allottees in Jalda for change of plots within the colony 32 16 Particulars of applications received from allottees in lalda Colony for change of plots to Ihirpani
Colony 32 17 A mount of housing subsidy disbursed till the end of April. 1963 • 34 18 Village-wise distribution of patta-holder~ whose lands were acquired and who were allo~ ted lands in
reclamation areas 36 19 Particulars of reclamation areas indicating total acreage of land. acreage allotted to displaced
persons, acreage actually occupied, acreage brought under cultivation and number of households living in reclamation areas 37
20 Utilization of reclamation area facilities by various households belonging to differen1 villages and ethnic groups 38
21 Particulan of households by ethnic groups and village of origin to whom land had been allotted in Silikutta and Champajharan Reclamation Areas and who are actually living there 39
22 Community-wise break-up of the households to whom land was allot ted and who have actually set-tled in Silikutta Reclamation Area . • . . . . . . . '. 40
23 Allotment of land in Silikutta Reclamation Area and the number of households actually seUled with reference to the village of origin . . • . • . . . . . •. 40
24 Community-wise break-up of the households to whom land was allotted in Champajharan Reclama-tio~ Area and who have actually settled therr •. . , 41
25 Allotment orland in Champajharan Reclamation Area and the number of households actually sct-tied with reference to the village of origin . . . • . . . 41
26 Indu~trial classification ofthc population ofChhend village according to 1951 Ccnsus 45 27 Ethnic composition of Deogaon viUage before and after displacement 49 28 Industrial classification of the population of Dcogaon village according to 1951 Census . 4~ 29 Distribution of households by caste and religion in two reclamation areas . 51 30 Distribution of households by languages spoken in two reclamation areas • 5l )1 Distribution or population by sex and age in two recla.tnation areas 5i
xv
xvi
PAGS 32 Distribution or population by age and educational status in two reclamation areas !4 33 Community-wise distribution of population by age at marriage in two reclamation areas SS 34 Distribution of households with reference to the number of members per household in two roclama-
tion areas 56 35 Distribution of households with reference to nature of composition in two reclamation areas 56 36 Categories of family members staying outside the reclamation area 57 37 Particulars of the households living in two reclamation areas and the categories of members who
are living outside the areas and who are involved in the split of the family . S8 38 Amount of remittances rec~ived from the family members living outside the reclamation area and the
frequency of their visits to the area 59 39 Distribution of households in tWI) reclamation areas by main and subsidiary occupations 60 40 Distribution of households in two reclamation areas by ownership and reclamation of land 60 41 Distribution of hou~ehold~ by proportion of land brought under cultivation in two reclamation areas 61 42 Distribution of households stating acreage of land lying fallow in two reclamation area~ and the rea-
sons for the same 61 43 Typei of crops grown and annual cyCle of agricultural activities in two reclamation areas . 62 4' Acrelge of land under each type of crop in two reclamation areas . 63 45 Q:.aantity of agricultural produce an j m'lnner of disposal of the Same in two reclamation areas 64 46 Di~tribution of hou~eholds with reference to the type and number of I ivestock in two reclamation
areas 64
47 Frequency o~ visits by the person'i living in two reclamation areas to the resettlement colonies . 66 48 Distribution of household~ studied in two resettlement colonies by village of origin, community and
religion 71 49 Distribution of houieholds studied in a resettlement colony by community and religion 72 50 Distribution of population in a resettlement colony by age and sex 72 51 Distribution of population in a resettlement colony by agc, sex and marital status . 73 52 Age at marriage as related to caste/tribe and period of marriage in a resettlement colony 74 53 Distribution of hou:;ehold. in a re,ettiement colony with reference to mother tongue and subsidiary
languages spoken by the head, of the hou,eholds 76 54 Distribution of population in a reiottlement colony with reference to mother tongue and a.ge-
group 77 S5 Distribution of hou~ehold., in a re,ettlcment colony where at least one membJr spe:lk, a subgidiary
language 78 56 Distribution of members of hou'ieholdc; in a re<;ettlement colony with reference to their caite/tribe.
age-group and sub,idiary langulge, spok~n 79 57 Distribution of membors of hou~ehold'i in a rC3cttiement colony with reference to their ca<;te/tribe,
age, sell! and education 80 58 Distribution of students studying in lalda Middle English School with reference to sex and residence 81 59 Distribution of students studying in Ae;hram School of lalda with reference to sex and residence. 81 60 Distribution of students studying in Lower Primary SChool, Jalda with reference to sex and residonce. 82 61 Distribution of students studying in Missionary Lower Primary School, Ialda 'C' Block with refer-
ence to sex and residence . . . . . . . • • 82 62 Distribution of population in a resettlement colony by sex and skill known 83 63 Indu.trial cla'isification of person'> at work and non-workers in two resettlement colonies according
to 1961 Census 84 64 Distribution of hou~ehold .. studied in a resettlement colony by main and sub:>idiary occupations 85 65 Distribution of the individual workers in tho varlone; households in a resettlement colony by main
and subsidiary occupationc; 86 66 Distribution of households with reference to number of members per household in a resettlement
colony . • 87 67 Distribution of households with reference to nature ~ composition in a rcsottlemont colony sa 68 Categories of family members staying outside tho rosottlement colony . It
xvii
6\ The places outside the colony where some members of the households living in the colony arc staying 70 Categories of persons living outside the colony and their relationship with tho heads of the house-
holds. . . . . . . . . . . . • . • . • 71 Frequency of visits, remittances sent home and remittances received from homo by tho different cate-
gories of relations living outside the colony . . . . . . . . . . 72 Particulars of related households in the colony . 73 Number of related households which constituted single household before displacement 74 Categories of hou'>eholds maintaining solidarity in spite of physical seperation of close kins 15 Changes among relations in the colony . 76 Proportion of leisure time spent in the home and outside the home by adult male members of the
households 77 Categories of neighbours with reference to identity of caste or tribe 78 Categories of neighbours with reference to village of origin . 79 Categories of neighbours with reference to caste/tribe and religion 80 Categories of kins living in the neighbourhood . 81 Actual relation, with different households living in the neighbourhood 82 Purchase of various articles from places 83 Types of trees grown during different years in the colony by the homeholds 84 Break-up of the households of the colony with reference to agricultural land of different types
owned at various place, 85 Break-up of the households who have ronted out their premises with reference to tho caste/tribe of tho
tenants and their occupations 86 Livestock owned by the households in pre-colonization villages . 87 Livestock owned in the colony by the hou~eho!ds which did not own livestock before displacement 88 Number of hou,cholds utilizing the forest near the colony 89 Employment history of the different households in tho colony with reference to the year of dis-
placement 90 Cumulative employment data of the various households 91 Particulars of household members who are in search of job 92 Persistance of patron-client relationship in the colony 93 Particulars of shops at Jalda 'C' Block with reference to tho caste/tribe. village of origin of the dea
ler and commodities dealt with 94 Extent of business per month for the shops at Ialda 'C' BloclQ belonging to different categories • 95 Proportions of transactions on cash payment as related to commodities by shopkeepers at lalda 'C'
Block 96 Volume of business, proportion of transaction on cash and number of shops at lalda 'C' Block 97 Number of shops with reference to commodities of main business and side business at lalda 'C' Block. 98 Categories of old village leaders, their present place of residence and their social position in the COlony 99 Habitual drunkards in the colony with reference to the caste/tribe population.
100 Break-up of the households of the colony with reference to tho number of members who are con~ tinuing/freshly taken up/given up alcoholic drinks after displacement. • . . . •
101 Liquor addicts in the colony with reference to the frequency of taking alcoholic drinks. 102 Year-wise crime statistics for lalda Colony.
103 Dift'erent units of Rourkela Steel Plant with reference to the strength of regular, lower and suporvlsory stafi'
PAon
89
90
91 92 93 94 96
9S 102 103 103 104 lOS 106 107
llO
1 ]0 III 112 112
113 113 114 115
116 117
117 117 liS 132 138
138 139 139
J41
104 Undertakings under private sector at Rourkcla . 142 lOS Particulars of job seekers at Rourkela from 1960 to 1963 143
106 Estimated number ofdisp1aced persons employed in various establishments at Rourkela 146 101 Employment position of different categories of displaced person... in public and private sectors at
Rourkela 147
108 Categories of displaced employocs rcportioa prOlpocts of their j obs 148 2-5 ll.O. bldia/67
xviii
PAGB
109 Categories of displaced employee.~ reporting satisfaction from their present jobs in comparison to their nature of job, in pre-colonization period 14
110 Categories of displaced employees expressing views about the scope for improving the quality of their jobs. . 150
111 C~tegories of displaced employees giving their views for attempt to improve the quality of the jobs I SO 112 Categories of displaced employees indicating caste, religion, area of origin and present address of
the closest job mates lSI 113 Nature of relation of different categories of displaced employees with closest job mates 151 114 Social ties with job mates after office hours lS2 lIS Frequency of spending time together with job mates 152 116 Duration of spending time with job mates after office hours . 153 117 Mutual visits at home among the job mates 1 S3 118 Trade ul1ion~, their affiliations to All India bodies and particulars of their office bearers 1 S4 119 Number of members in two trade unions which do not e-xist now, from 1955-56 to 1958-59 154 120 Membership (including tribal, non-tribal and displaced persons) of the existing trade uniOn> ,ISS 121 Number of the households of the displaced persons reporting at least one member as a member of
trade union . 1 S6
LIST OF MAPS
1 Map of India showing location of Orissa State and Rourkela Town
2 Notional map showing tribal and non-tribal households in the villages of Rour-ltcla region prior to displacement . . . . . . . •
3 Map of the portion of Sundargarh district showing reclamation camps and resettlement colonies •
4 Notional map of Rourkela region showing allocation of households in resettlement colonies from pre-colonisation villages
5 Notional map of Chhend village showing settlement pattern after displacement
6 Notional map of Silikutta Reclamation Area showing settlement pattern of communities by village of origin
7 Notional Diagram of Champajharan Reclamation Area showing settlement pattern of communities by village of origin
8 Notional map of a portion of lalda village showing land utilization pattern of the area before acquiring it for Jalda Resettlement Colony .
9 Notional map of Jalda Resettlement Colony showing important public places and distribution of communities by status groups and villages of origin. •
10 Notional map of Rourkela and Stoel Township showing important public places and resettlement colonies
PAOll
Before Page
Before Page 3
Before Page 23
To face Page 26
Before Page 43
Before Page 51
To face Page 54
Before Page 71
Before Page 109
Bef orc Page t 41
LIST OF PLATES
Approach road leading to Jalda 'C' Block.
2 A view of a two slopped house of an Oraon in lalda 'C' Block.
3 View of a Bhumij home hold by the side of a lane (in lalda 'C' Block) with tiled roof and brick walls. [n the lane itselfa bamboo structure has been constructed on which piles of paddy straw has been kepc
4 The house ofa displaced Bhumij in Jalda 'C' Block. One room of the house isrented out to a Kol hailing from Asansol area. The owner of the hous.e is standing in front and his wife is seen in the background. The tenant is sitting on the door stt"'p of his room and his daughter is standing by his side.
S Members of a Christian Oraon family assembled in the verandah of the house.
6 A plank press for crushing oil at one side of an Oraon house in Jalda 'C' Block.
7 Students attending classes outside the building of Ashram School in lalda 'C' Block.
8 On way to the work sitc.
9 An attendent of mobile health unit attends the patient outside the dispensary in Jalda 'C' Block.
10 In front of a liquor shop.
11 Weekly market in Jalda 'C' Block.
12 Weekly market in Jalda 'C' Block.
13 Weekly market in Jalda 'C' Block.
14 Weekly market in Jalda 'C' Block.
15 Weekly market in Ialda 'C' Block.
16 Weekly market in Jalda 'C' Block.
17 Barbers at work in the weekly market in lalda 'C' Block.
18 On way to the market.
19 On way to the market.
20 A Munda woman with tattoo marks.
21 Rt'miniscents of the old village Chhend.
22 Inside view of a hut in Chhend village. The hut is having only one room and the same is used as store, kitchen and living room.
23 Inside the kitchen of a Munda house in Chhend village.
24 Drying Bari (a preparation of pulse and pumpkin mixture) in sun on the roof of a Munda house in Chhcnd village.
25 A Munda father and his children taking their lunch in the yard of their house in the village Chhend.
26 A Munda boy showing how he operates his bow and arrow when he goes for a game.
LINE DRAWrNG
Qround plan of new temporary hqt in Chhenu village.
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........ lu,,", of In.,. IMp wettl the permlll60n or hrftJ'Ot Gt .... II.dlt
INDIA SHOWiNG LOCATION OF ROURKELA
IN ORISSA STATE
@ Goy\. of , .... Coprttpt ,,.7
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• 24
• 10
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I
N
CHAPTER I
INTRODUcnON
PreJode In 1908. the first steel plaut in India, was set up
at Salchi (now Jamshcllpur) by JalllslH:dji Tata. During the next four decades a few more plants were installed in different parts of India. But even then, at the time of India's Independence, the various sted plants in the country were hardly producing l.5 million tonnes of steel.
This was a serious weakness of the economic structure of India. The Government of India estimated that by the end of 'Second Five Year Plan' the requirements of 6teel would be nearly six million tannes. In view of the strategic importance of steel. for the industrial development of India, the Government of India decided to instal a number of plants for the manufacture of steel in the public sector. With this end in view, Hindustan Steel Limited (H.S.L.) was formed in December 1953. as an autonomous body. 1t was entrusted with tbe task of setting up a Steel Plant at Rourkela in Orissa State. Later on, in 1957. the charges of Bhilai (Madhya Pradesh) and Durgapur (West Bengal) Steel Projects were also placed with it.
The Bhilai Steel Plant was started with the cooperation of the Russian Government and the Durgapur Plant was started with the collaboration of A
British steel factory. The Steel Plant at Rourkcla was set up with the collaboration of a private German firm 'Krupp Demag.' which served as consultants and advisers to the Hindustan Steel Ltd .• on the matters relating to the layout of the plant and the choice of the equipment. The Steel Plant was also partially financed out of credit made available by Germany at the initial stage.
The Project Report for the Steel Plant at R0l!fkela was finalised in November 1955 and was accepted by the Government of India in February 1956. The first clod of earth was moved in October 1956, for the construction of the plant and on February 3. 1959 it was commissioned.
The setting up of the plant, was a landmark in the strides of the nation towards progress and prosperity. But it also meant displacement of a large number of persons-mostly tribals, who inhabited. the region before the plant was set up. Many of the displaced persons could ultimately re-establish their· homes; many could even improve their lots, but at the same time many homes were disrupted; OIany individuals found themselves hurled at the bottom lif an abyss. It is this human aspect of the growth of' tbe giant enterprise at RourkeJa. that the present study proposes to cover. For this purpose. the ~rticulars of the project. its ecological setting, and the demographic. economic and other aspects of the life of the population before the introduction of the projc. wOuld be briefly de&cribed first and then will be
discussed the extent of disflacement. the programme of rehabilitation. the extent 0 rehabilitation. the patterns of new life. new frustrations and new hopes emergin, out.
Phy_aI setting of Rourkela rqpoo Rourkela is located between 84" 50' east longi
tude and 22 0 15' Jlorth latitUde. The town lies 413 kilometres west of Calcutta on the main HowrahBombay railway line. From administrative point of view. the whole area comes under Panposh Subdivision of Sundargarh district. in Orissa Stale.
. Rourkela region, covering an area of approximately 200 sq. kilometres is situated in a valley formed by the intersecting of Koel and Sankh rivers. Theae two rivers meet one another and !orm the river Brahman;, a tributary to the river Mahanadi. The valley is at an altitude of 150 to 300 metres and is fairly flat and open, except for a few projecting ridges. These ridges are covered with $reen vegetations. which provide picturesque surroundmg to the site of the steel plant and the steel township.
The climate of Rourkela is dry. During the month of December-January. it expenences moderate winter but the summer months are quite hot. During May-June. the maximum temperature reaches upto 45° C. The rainy season is during the months of June-September. The recorded average annual rainfaU is 1,500 mm,
The forests in this region are covered with sa[ (Shorea, robu.\'ta). kendu (/>io.I'{Jyros me/olloxylQn). awn (Terminalia /Omen/osa) and bija (Pterocarpw marsupium) trees and many varieties of plants, shrubs, fungi. ferns and creepers.
The animals that are more ahundant in the forests of the area are deer, barking deer. sambar (CerI'IIS unic%r), tiger, leopard. bison. bear. elephant. I!N'(t:Yt' (U(J/matis piela) hyena. jackal. porcupine, squirrel. the wild dog (Canis primel·us). peacock peafowl. parrot. nlairlU, koeli, slInrillri titri. IUQ, jhll'u. phikaJ, bhringraj, dhobi. rami. dharra.y etc.
The soil of the Rourkela region is a mixture of sand. loam and clay. There are also patches of black cotton soil. On the slope of the plateau. the soil is laterite, with slate and limestone here and there. The region is also quite rich with mineral deposits of iron. manganese ore, lime stone, dolomite and coal.
Factoi'll reIpOIIIible 101' !election of Roarkeia as the lite or die project
A technical survey made in 1953-54, revealed that the area around Rourkel" could be one of the best sites for setting up a ""I plant. Good quality of iron ore deposits are found in abundant quantity within a distance of 80 kilometres from RO\ukclJa.
Umestone and dolomite. essential as 6uxing materials. are available at a distance of hardly 30 kilometres. Manganese ore is also available in abundance in the nearby mines. Hirakud Dam, situated at a distance of 150 kilometres, is able to supply nearly 55 M.W. power. The water requirement of the plant can bo largely met by Brahmani river. All these considerations led to the selection of Rourkcla as the site of the project.
To ensure the supply of adequate water during lean period. an earthern dam was constructed on river Saokh at Mandira. This was ancillary to the steel project.
At the instance of the Government of Orissa. an economic survey of Rourkela region was made in April-July 1955-. It covered 98 villages. the list of which is furnished at Appendjx 1. The survey revealed that the total population of the region was 33,041. out of which 45.3 % constituted Scheduled Tribes. 9.6% Scheduled Castes, and the rest were others including 26.6% caste Hindus. The non·Hindu po. pulation in the region constituted 18.5 % of the total population.
The survey further indicated that among the Scheduled Tribes, Draons, constituted the single majority community. being 58% of the tribal population. Among other tribes of the area. mention may be made of Munda. Santal. Bbumij etc.
'DIe Malter Plan of the steel pilot IDd other iudustries and the tOWDSbip
At the initial stage it was provided that the Hindustan Steel Limited at Rourkela would have a capacity of producing one million tonnes of steel in· gots per. year. but in the 'Third Five Year Plan' it was decided tl) raise the capacity to 1.8 million tonnes. For this purpose. provision was made for three new plants. viz., electrolyting tinning plant, continuous galvanising plant and a plant for steel sheets. By 1963. the Steel Plant at Rourkela reached 76% of its target.
By the end of the 'Fourth Five Year Plan', the capacity of the plant is proposed to be raised tl) 2.3 lIlillion tonnes.
The Master Plan also provides for the starting of a number of auxiliary industries at Rourkela Important among them are the pipe plant. grey-iron foundry and fertilizer plant.
In the Master Plan. it was envisaged that when the industrialisation of Rourkela would be in full swing the population of the township would be around one lakh. including the employees of the steel project as well as the auxiliary industries. the personnel engaged in various servicing institutioDJ~ commer· cial enterprises etc. A steel township with 19 sectors
.Rourkela-An Economic Survey. Finance Department Economic Survey Branch, 1958.
2
was therefore. planned. Provision was made tor the construction of 14.000 houses. Among the servicing institutions included in the plan, most important Are the educational institutions. Provisions were made for starting a number of primary and secondary schools. one science college and one engineering college. For building up technical manpower for the future expansion programme of the steel plant. a full dedged training institute was also envisaged. Problem of health of the inhabitants also received due attention. Pro· visions were made for a well equipped modem hos· pital. several health centres and small dispensaries. Shopping centres and recreation centres like park. cinema halts etc .• were also included in the plan.
As the plan was drawn up. it became obvious that for the location of the steel plant and the ancil· lary industries. and also the various conveniences and servicing institutions. vast stretch of land. would have to be acquired.
In January 1955. the Hindustan Steel Ltd .• submitted its blue print to the Government of India. indicating the layout of the township, the steel plant and other industries. The blue print covered an area of 207.37 sq. Kms. (80 sq. miles) including 10.500 acres for the township.
The plan. however, was drastically changed and tinally the Government agreed to transfer 5.181.86 acres of Government land to the Hindustan Steel Ltd .• and also to acquire 15.305.92 acres of private land for the purpose of the project.
By December 1962, the Government had handed over to Hindustan Steel Ltd .• 19.557.06 acres of land out of which 4.882.39 acres were government land and the rest were private land. Altogether 30 villages in· habited by about 2.500 households. were affected by the acquisition of private land.
Scheme for the rehabilitation of the people who were l0iug to be diaplaced III It I'e8Ult of ellltablilbmeot of the .eel projed
As the project envisaged displacement of a large number of households. provisions had to be made for the rehabilitation of the same.
In 1955. the Government of Orissa issued a pres! note. accepting the responsibility of the rehabilitation of the displaced per8OIlJ.
Under this scheme of rehabilitation the Govern· ment laid out three resettlement coloniest and gave housing plots. 18.29 X 12.19 metres (60x40 feet) in size to each family of the displaced persons in these colonies.
Besides these. 15 reclamation areas were opened within a radius of 100 kilometres from Rourke1a. In
'these reclamation areas the displaced persons were allowed to reclaim land for which a subsidy. of Rs. 100 per aae" WII also proposed.
tTbe GO'VCl1lJDOllt of Orissa aeneraDy use the torm ·...,tt· lement colonies' for rehabilitation but it appears appropriate to call them as rohabilitation colonjes.
~
~ ! !II z ~ i
II
CILUTIR 0
THE OLD V1U..AGES
As indicated in the prrvious chapter, the esta-blishment of the Steel Plant at Rourkela meant whole-sale transformation of the land utilisation pattern in the area. 30 villages with a population of about 15,200 were affected.
The names and sizes of the villages ac~uired and the number of households in each are indicated be-lOW:
TABLE 1
Names and sizes of the villages acquired and numbers of households affected
No recorded infonnation is available about the ethnic composition of the villages affected by the project. During the present survey, a rough estimate was made by interviewing a number of per~s, displaced from these villages, who were later settled in Jalda, and Jhirpani colonies. The same is furnished in the table below:
TABLE 2
Ethnic composition in the pre-colonization villoges
It is to be noted that in the above table the Christian tribals and the non-Christian tribals have not been differentiated from one another. If the religious difference among the tribals is overlooked there were altogether 24 ethnic groups in the area. Among them the -Munda constiuted the single majority group. being roughly 24 per cent of the total number of households. Other important enthinc groups are Oraon. Bhumij. Kharia. Kisan and Tanti.
If considered in terms of broad categories. the Sch~duled Tribes. Scheduled Castes and others consti. tuted 70%. 5% and 25% respectively of the total number of households.
At the village level the Munda constituted single majority community in II Villages. other commuJ1ities which constituted single majority community in any village are as follows:
Caste Dr tribe Village -_._._---_ •. --------
Oraon Bhumij . Khllr;a . Kh!tndait Kurmi .
10 4 2 1
In terms of broad categories. the Scheduled Tribe households were in the majority in 28 villages . .and others were in the majority in 2 villages.
Transport and c:omlllUll:icatioo
In 1950. there was hardly any motorable road in the arca. An unmetallcd road. passing tllfough Pan· posh (Raghunathpali). Tarkera. Deogaon and Jalda. connected the area with Bonai (90 Kms. from Rour· kela) the headquarters of Bonai Sub·division of Sun· dargarh district. Most of the villages were connected with one another, by foot tracks and briddle paths. Often these crossed streams and rivulets and passed thr()u~h dense forests. and undulating terrains. The tradittonal bullock carts were the only dependable means of transport for local purposes.
The area was. however. connected by railways. There was a small railway station at Rourkela. where t'llssenger trains stopped. There was also a small Junction station at Pan posh. where passengers for Birmitrapur (26 Kms.) used to change trains. People used to travel to important marketing centres like Manoharpur (40 Kms.). Chaibasa (142 Kms.). Jharsuguda (101 Kms.) etc. by train. as no other vehicular transport was available,
The position. however. changed considerably even before the commencement of the steel project. The Rourkela·Bonai road was made metalled in 1950-52 and in 1952. buses and other automobile vehicles started to ply on it.
Public PIace8 ill die old villages
(a) Sources of drinking water Only in a few Villages, like Mahulpali. Tarkera.
there were R.C. wells. constructed by the District Board. But most of the villages did not have DistriQ~ Board wells. Only dug out wells existed in those vi)lages. Most of these wells belonged to individual families. who had got them dug in the compounds of their own houses.
Generally. people belonging to 'untouchable' castes like Pana. Chamar. were not allowed to draw water from the wells used by the higher castes. There was. however. no such restriction for the people belonging to tribal communities like Bhumij. Munda. Oraon etc.
The 'untouchables' generally. fetched water from rivers. streams etc. In some villages. like Deogaon; which were situated on river banks. people from higher castes also drew drinking water from rivers.
In some villages. there were a few ponds or kallas. These were excavated by individual households. These facilitated storage of rain water as well. for being used for drinking and othcr purposes.
(h) Places for oremafion {md burial of the dead in the old villages
In most of the villages. the various communities had their separate places for disposal of their dead bodies. For instance, in the same village the Mundas. the Oraons etc, had separate burial grounds of their own. In some cases pl~ople of the same community living in different vUlages had the same burial ground.
(c) PI(J(.:es of worship
Sarl1a~ln each village, \here was at least one sacred grove or sarna. This place was dedicated to the tutelary deity of the village; a number of other minor spirits were also associa.ted with it. The viilarge priest used to offer ,sacrifices at the sacred grove on fixed dates during the year, for the propitiation of the tutelary deity and other minor spirits, so that. safety and welfare of the inhabitants of the village, as weU as of the catdes and crops could be ensured. Generally. the tribal and the non-tribal population of a village had only one sacred grove. In some big villages. however. there were more than one sacred grove or sarml. It seems that these big villages came into existence by merger of two small villages. In such cases. generally the different sarnas were associated with different communities.
In many villages, there were Hindu temples. Muslim mosques and Christian churches. in addition to the sacred groves. Particulars of the more important ones are furnished here.
Temples-One of the most important temples of the region was that of Vedavyas at Panposh, near the confluence of Sankh and Koel rivers. Here a very important fair used to take place every year at the time of the Sivrotri in the month of Phalgun (Feb.·Marcb) Ilnd both tribal and non· tribal people used to participate in it in large nllmbers. Sometimes they trudged long distances to attend the fair. At Deogaon, on the
bank of river Brahmani. there was a Mahadeo temple. There was another Mahadeo temple at Sanlajibhcroa. At Ahimbandh and Rourkela each, there was a Jagannath temple. The buildings and sites of all these temples. have not been acquired by the land acquisition authorities. But through at present they exist physically. most of them are dead or dying out institutions.
A few other temples existed in this area, which have been physically affected by the introduction of the project. For instance. the Hanuman temple at Mohania Bagan has been demolished. and the administrative building of the steel plant has been constructed on its site.
Mo,vqlles -There were only two mosques in the region, one at Rourkcla and the other at Purnapani. Both have rcmained physically unaffected.
Churchl's-Th"Te was a Roman Cathulic Church at Hamirpur. which remained unafTected by the acquisition of lands. But a number of church buildings in other villages. like Tangrapali, Mahulpali and Purnapani were affected.
In some villages no church building existed at all. The Christian population used to assemble at the house of the preacher or ,at some other common meeting place for oITering their prayers. For instance. at Bhangamunda, the Lutheran Christians used to assemble at the house of Vinod Tirkcy, for offering their prayers.
(d) Educational institutions
There was un M.E. school'" at Harnirrur. It was managed by Roman Catholic Mission. The building of the school was not acquired and the school is still functioning at the old site. At Jharabjhal a lower primary schoo] was started by Lutheran Christian Mission in 1945. It. however, stopped functioning ID
1950, much before the acquisition of land in the rcgion fOr H.S.L. At Raghunathpali. Rourkcla and Tarkera there were lower primary schools sponsored by the District Board. These no longer exist at their old sites; the Tarkera L.P. School has shifted to 'B' Block of lalda Colony and the Raghunathpali L.P. School has shifted to another building in the same locality. Now it has been upgraded to M.E. standard. ~e school at Rourkela was known as Oriya School. It eXISts no longer. In its stead, a number of educati6nal institutions have come up. At a distance of about 2 kms. from Chhend a lower primary school W;I~ set up by Tata Quarry, for the benefit of the children of the labourers employed in the quarry. 111l' residents of Chhend also used to send their children to this school. It no longer exists.
(e) Medical imtitutions
The villagers more frequently depended on witch doctors and indisenou8 medicinemen. There was only one allopathic dispensary in the whole region. It was located at Raghunathpali.
. ;.··Middlp EDJliah raChool.
7
U) Bachelors' dormitories
As in Chhota Nagpur, and other regions. in this region also Lhere is a tradition that previously the bachelors used to sleep not in their respective houses, but in common dormitories. But it appears that even long before the displacement of the villages, bachelors' dormitories disappeared from the area. In fact, many of the younger persons who were questioned about hachelors' dormitories. did not even know that such an institution ever existed in the area. A few old persons stated that about 20 years ago, bache· lors' dormitories were found at Kansbahal and a few villages towards Rajgangpur side. It was, how· ewr. not possible to verify their statements.
(;;;) Marketing centres
There were a few shops in comparatively bigger villages like Rourkela. Raghunathpali. Hamirpur. Tarkera and Purnapani. But people did most of their marketing in weekly hats. There were only two weekly hills in the region---one at Rllghunathpuli and the other at Hamirpur. One commodity which was in great demand was country liquor. A Muslim trader of Rourkela had the licence to sell country liquor. Mahutl at Raghunathpali and Rourkcla; but many others carried on illicit distillation of country liquor.
110U8eS and b«ue types
Generally. people of the higher castcs like Brahmin. Karan, Gaud etc. used 10 live in common clusters. and the people of the low cas Ie. 'Harijan' and tribal communities used to live in separate clusters~ In the latter case. each caste or tribe tended to have a septnte cluster of its own -- though frequently the clusters were quite close to one another.
The structure of the houses helonging to persons of higher caste and higher income groups differed from those belonging to [>Crsons of tribal origin and lower income groups. In the latter case. generally. the house consisted of a single mud hut with two sloped tiled roof. The plinth of the house was also made of mud and was only slightly raised above the level of the yard. There was only one entrance to the hut. But the hut was divided into two apartments by a low partitioning wall with an opening on one side. One of the apartments was bigger in size. it served the purJ"lOSCS of sleeping room. dining room and kitchen. The other apartment was smaller in si7..e and was used as granary. In an Oraon house, it was the usual featUJ'c to have a covered ver<lndah at the front. It was partitioned into two parts -- the smaller one being used as fowl-pen and the bigger one as cattle shed. In some houses a small lean-to was attached to the verandah to serve as pigsty. A variant type was al$) quite frequt.'1lt in the area. In this type. no verandah wa~ :.!ttacbed to the hut instead a corner of the sleeping room was used as fowl-pen and another corner was partitioned off with wattle· work for being used as cattle-pen.
The houses of the people of the higher castes were of different types. In their houses verandahs were never used for cattle. They had separa~ cattle ahede
Besides. they had separate apartments in the main hut for each palr of married couple and for kitchen and granary.
LiYtwtock Most of the farmers had their own bullocks for
draught purposes. Many had also cows and she-buffaloes as milch cattle. Sheep and goat rearing was also fairly common. On the other hand pig rearing was confined to 'Harijan' castes like Pana. Samasi etc.
llnd tribal communities like Oraon. Munda. Kharia etc. Rearing of fowl was found even among some caste Hindus. One or two households possessed ponies as well.
Foraa
All the villages were within a distance of five kilometers of reserved and unreserved forests. Many villages had forests within their boundaries. The villagers had the right to collect fuel wood. leaves and edible fruits and flowers from these forests.
There was no restriction against collection of malmo flower (Bassia Jatjfolio). Kendu leaf (Diospyros melanoxylon). luula (Terminaia chebula) and aondta. (Emh/icn o[ficinaJi.v). The villagers could also collect housing materials on nominal payment.
The forests in this region provided another impcrt· ant avocation t(J the tribals. viz., hunting. During different seasons they used to carry on ceremonial hunts. where a lar~e number of people participated. Individual hunts WIth bows and arrows. for supple· '.'menting food stock were also quite frequent.
Occasionally. the tribal and the non· tribal people living in the villages used to undertake fishing in the ponds. rivers and streams.
Social and pltlitical life
The most important social activities in which the people belonging to the different communities used to participate. are annual cycle of festivals. Many of these festivals were common for almost all the communities; again many were confined to particular communities only. The details of the more important festivals are furnished below:
(a) Hindu fefJtiVllfil
f)/(.'uehrn--This is the day of immersion of the goddess f)lIrga and falls in autUJnn season. A number. 0r persons belonging to the tribal communities like Munda. Oraon etc. were asked whether they participated in the festival and they replied that it was mainly associated with the high easle Hindus like the Brahmin. Karan etc.
It is reported that previously the tribals also used to participate in DlI8Sehra quite enthusiastically. but later on an idea spread among them that participation in Dussehra and performances of public dances on that occasion was a mark of their cultural subjugation. Hence. though. they did not completely dissociate themselves from the performance of Dussehra. they developed some amount of inhibition about it.
8
Diwali-It is an all India Hindu festival and is generally associated with the belief that on this day Rama returned to Ayodhya from Lanka. In Rourkt,;la region. however, as in many other parts of Eastern ' India. Diwali or festival of lights is connected with Kali puja. The people of the higher castes believe that the departed souls come to see the welfare of their progeny on this night.
Among the tribals like the Oraon, Munda etc., DiwaJi by itself is not of much significance. They perform at this time. a festival with tribal ritual stance namely. Soharae. Particulars of the same would be furnished separately.
Paus Sankranti-This festival used to be per· formed on the last day of Pails (December-January). In many tribal villages a chariot used to be drawn on the day in the sacred grove (Sarnn) of the village.
Holi-It is the all India festival of colours and takes place during spring. In Rourkela region it is performed differently among the people belonging to different categories. The caste Hindus perform the worship of household deity or Narayan and smear one another. with coloured powder or sprinkle coloured water on one another.
The 'Harijans' and tribals. spcciaiJy the lattcr observe it differently.
. Prior to displacement u( the villages, thc village priest or Kala used to alTer lIlahua and mango frujts of the new season at Sarna or sacred grove on this day. After that the heads of individual households used to offer the same to their respectiVe household deities.
On this day. the tribals used to go out on ceremo· nial hunt as well. This ceremonial hunt was called Phagun shikar.
About a decade ago. in the imitation of others. the tribals also started playing with colour and making a bonfire. In some 'linages. a chicken was offered in the bonfire. by the village priest.
Raj Sankronli-It is the festival of sowing and i~ performed in the month of Baisakh or loistha (AprilJune). This festival is known by different names. among the different communities. The Puran called it Jeth Sankranti. the Oraon and the Munda called it Sarna pujn. In the old village on this occasion the Kalo or the village priest used to worship Sarna bllrhi by offering fowl at the Sarna.
Rakhi-Thi~ is celebrated on the full moon day of the month Sruvan (July-August). In the old villages it was performed differently among different communities. The people of the upper castes used to perform it by tying threads on the wrists of one
. another as a mark of friendship and respect.
During the same period, a ceremony was pcdormcd among the tribals. It is known as Gamha. It was rl')t enquired in the field. whether the local J)eOp)e considered Gamha to be same as Rakhi. During tbi. period the tribals used to anoint the homa of their bullocks and give them salt and maIuta tlowen to eat.
Beaides. ltD work used to be taken from the bullocks for two daYJ. • Noakh4ya-This was performed in the month of Bhadra (August-September) when newly harvested 'gora dhad (paddy from upland fields) used to be oft'ered to household deities.
Among the tribals like the Oraon. Munda. Puran. Kisan etc.. this festival was performed at the village level liS well. Early in the morning. the village priest or Kolo used to go round the houses. and collect a handful of 'gora dhan' from each household. He used to fry the same and carry to the Sarno. After offering the fried rice to the presiding deity of the Sarna. he used to distribute the same among the assembled villagers. After that the villagers used to spend the day in drinking and "licking.
Very frequently on this day siblings used to gather at the ancestral house and partake of food together.
(b) Tribal felJtiVlh
In connection with the general Hindu festivals. it has been indicated that the nature of participation of the tribals was frequently different from that of others ·-specially the Hindu higher castes.
There were also many festivals whicb were practically confined to the tribal communities. Among them mention is to be made of SarhuJ. Karma and Soharqe.
Sarhul-There is no fixed date for this festiva1. It is generally perfOmled during the end of February to the beginning of May when the sol flowers begin to blossom. In the old villages. the main consideration for filting the date. was that. it must be before the commencement of the sowing operations of paddy.
On the day of the festival. the houses were cleaned and mango and mahua fruits were offered at the sacred grove or SOf1na. The whole day, the people would be in a drinking bout and then they would be dancing and singing til1late hours in the night.
Karma-Informants belonging to the Puran. Oraon. Munda. Kharia. Bhumij and other tribes stated that in their old villages they used to perform it.
The prescribed date for this festival is the eleventh day of bright half of the mooth of Bhadra (AugustSeptember). In fact. some of the informants described this festival as Bhadon Ekadasi. But in actual practice. the festival is not always performed on this' date.
On the day of the festival a branch of Karma (Adina cord/folia) tree used to be planted in the compound of the hoUle and worshipped by a Brahmin I'riest. Then for the whole day and night young boy. aDd srm us«r to dance around that branch.
Sohorile-As indicated carlier, performance of Soht;rt:le amoog the tribal and semi-tribal popuJati<m cOincides with D/wtlli •. . . The centrat aspect of this festival is welfare of the c:attk.. On·tbk day. ~ ·cattle Ire tied to a wooden
. ~.m .. ~.P.rd ... ud·.,iven a erown of paddy as .n 1Il1lilt1 vetmiion Md COCODut. The people also s-s a.o. 'lIkIial6'1
':' ',.,,'," ';".,'''\ I
9
drink heavily and show various physical fcats on this day •
Ind-Inti festival belongs t() a special category. Thoogh it is mainly performed by the people belonging to the tribal communities like the Omon, Munda. Kisan etc .. it is believed that it was introduced in the area by non-tribal landlords.
In the pre-displacement period it used to be performed once in three or four years in a village near a liquor shop. The liquor vendor used to take mu~h interest in organising the festival. as it provided him with an opportunity to sen a large quantity of liquor. During the festival the people used to consume endless quantity of liquor and carry on dance and music throughout day.
Most of the Christians of the area belong to the tribal communities like Oraon. Munda. Kharia etc. Their tribal traditions were considerably reflected in the manner of their performance of Christian festivals. Particulars of some of the festivals performed by them are furnished here.
Bora Din-As among the Cbristians throu~hout the world. Christmas day is performed by the ChrIstian tribals of this region on 25th December. evtr'f' year.
In the old villages. OD this day the Christian" .used to assemble in the church and offer their prayers. After that loung boys and girls used to dance in traditional triba fashion. in front cA the church.
Navsal-On every first January, the Christians used to assemble in the village church and as on Christmas day after the prayers. used to carryon tribal dances in front of the church.
Good Friday-This is the day of crucification of Jesus Christ. In the old villages. the Christians used to observe fast on this day and in the evening they used to offer special prayers in the church.
Swargorohm or Easter-This is the first Monday after Good Friday. 9n this d~y took 1'1~ the resurrection of Jesus Chnst. On dlJS day the vIllagers used to assemble in the church and offer prayers.
Besides the above. a few other: festivals were performed by the Christians belonging to various denominatiOtls. For instance. St. Mary's festival WIlS performed by· the Catholics. Pantacost festival was also performed by the Christians befonging to the same denomination.
(I)~""""
MuharrDm-Muharrtlm is the festival of mourning IUIIOq the Mulims in commemoration of the death of Imam Huaain. the grandson of Prophet Mohammed aad his .8IOclates in the deled: of Karbata about 1.300 ytan·.; Amoag the Shiu. the. perfc)rmanee it b41d on fint Uuhqrram, the tlrSl mcmth .of the -8#"
year.. The festival reacheJ b elimax on 10th MuJur· rllm, the day on which the tragedy of Karbala took place. The Sunnis perform the festival only on the 10th Muharram.
ItIformation about how exactly it was pedormed by the Muslims residing in the old vill8lcs. has not. however. been collected.
Id-ul-Fitr-It is more popularly known as RIImzein Id and is performed 00 the first day of Shawwai the 10th month of the Hijr; year. The festival marks the end of fast kept during the preceding month of Ramzan. The texts of the scriptures were revealed by God to various Prophets in this month. The revelation of the Quran to Prophet Mohammed also started in the month of RalW.atI. The Muslims abstain from eating, drinking. smoking. etc., throughout the day (furing the entire month. Besides. in addition to the usual prayers onffered five times a day, special prayers are recited by them every night.
ld·uz-Zuha or Bakri Id-This festival is performed on the 10th of Zilhijja, the twelfth month of the Hijri year. On this day. the Muslims sacrifice to God animals like goat, sheep or bull. This is in comme· moration of the readiness of Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ismail to God.
A partial fast is observed '011 this day till the Id prayers are offered.
Shab-e-Barat-It is the 15th night of Shaaban, the eighth month of the Hijri year. It is believed that on this night. the fortune of every soul including the unborn ones is fixed in the heaven. This festival is also coonected with the memory of the departed rela· tives who visit the living ones on this night.
On this occasion, special prayers are offered after the sun-set for longevity. good health and freedom from indebtedness.
Leadenblp IDd 80daI coatroI
(a) Vil. leaciers
In the old villages. the gan/us or village headmen exercised great authority. The deuris and Kl110s (village priests) were also quite influential in some vi1lages.
Among the ganJus. Durjodhan Sandilya of Guradehi exercised great influence even beyond his viDage jurisdiction. At the time of displacement he played an important role as the spokesman of the affected persons. Dhansingh Bhuiya of Purna~. Joseph Tirkey of Bhangamunda. Brindaban Manl~ of Ahirabandh. Monidhat Naik of Rourkela. Chudru MUDda of Hamirpur. Negi Barua of UduhQn •. Sikandar. ~humij of Tarkera and. Mohan Chandra Nanda c:A. TumkeJa were some of the other inftuentialloaders of. the ~on. The source of authority of the. gem/" was tbat, iD the old villaae be used to conect the ~e and also ba.d tb,e. ,daht to ~ tho use of 'riIJaIo .. wtSte land. Besides. he was the OWl. throush ..... ·00Dtact witb
10
the Government ofliclals was maintaine4. III .. matters relating to law and order. he wu the .key. person in the village. He also used to preside o~ the deliberation of the villagers. on mattm of then' common interest.
In some villages. for instance Chhend, Durg8JM;lf Ahirabandh. the gllRjUi or headman was also the deurl ot village priest. In these villages. combination of the two roles. namely the role of secular head and that of religious head. further enhanced the influence of tho ganju.
In 1948. Orissa Gram Panchayats Act was enae!_ed' and around 1951. gram pal1ChoytJIs were set up in the villages. The authority over the village waste landi, passed on to these pancl!ayatsj JIld the elected members of the panchayats tended. constitute alternate foci of pl>Wer in the villages. In many vil1a~s. however, the gan;us were elected to the ).eadershlp of the panchayats. But this was not the positic)n in all villages. Thus a shift was taking place in the powerstructure, even in the old villages. Here it is to be noted that some of the ganjus belonged to Brahmin. Karan and other higher castes. With the introduction of panchayats some people of Munda. Oraon. Bhumij and other communities came to hold positions of authority.
Emergence of the elected members of panchi1ytitl as alternate foci of power. also led to factionalism in many villages-one faction being known as gtJnju~s party and the other faction as panclU1yat party. In some villages there were also ethnic correlates of these factions. It was not infrequent that the higher cast~ supported the ganju's party and the others supported the paru~hayat party.
(b) Caste organisations
In addition to the leaders at the village level there were leaders at caste level. Sometimes, the caste leadership covered a number of villages. and sometimes it was confined to a single village.
Caste or community leadership covering a number of villages could be found in the parhll panchayat of the Oraon. There were a number of villages under the parka organisation. The head of the parlla orgaai.. sation was called Raja; The village from where he hailed was called Raia village. Similarly. the vilJqe from where the messenger of the parha hailed was known as Kotwar vilta~. At the village level. each Oraon village had a community head <II' MfIhtJIo; Usually he was the Seniorm08t male member of the oriJinal !lelttler'S family; He exerciliOd donBi~ authority in deciding the social and .ritua} matters of the commu~ily. When the MiJIurIto failed. to ~ certain issues. ~tiBgs of the parho pancNtyfll ~. to be called. with the parha rajd P""idina .(Wet ~ . .,.!' ings. . ...
'Tho iDtu-villago orpnisation. of the Kisan was tDowa • KisrIn Stibha. The head of the organisation WI· duipted as Ne$!. and the village of his origin was lma,wn as Neg; village. Similarly. the ,iUage of the ritlJal head of the coD1JlllJllity waa known as Bariha village. and the village (If the messenger of tpe community was known as ArluJ village. When a person was to be socially ostracised for violating rules of the c.ommunity-specially in matters relating to sex-it was the duty of the A rhQ to inform all to assemble at a place indicated by the Negi. In such meetings the Neg; used to preside over the deliberations and announced the consensus of the gathering. During readmission of a person to the caste. such announcement. however. used to be made by the Bariha.
The headman of the inter-village organisation of the Munda was known as Manki or Bora Munda or Sayona. His counterpart among the Bhumij was kn\lWn as Parha Mukhiya.
It appears that the inter-village organisations of the Oraons. Kisans and Kharias were quite strong; but on the other hand the inter-village organisations of the Mundas. Bhumijs. Nais. Purans etc. were not 80 strong. Many Munda informants interviewed in connection with the present survey. were not even aware that such an organisation existed among them in the old villages. The Bhumij informants stated that even before their displacement from the old villages their inter-village organisations had practically become defunct. More than a decade ago. a Bhumij of Iharabahal. kept a Kharia woman as a concubine. He was outcasted ; but he ignored it. For sometimes his mother or elder brother would not dine with him. But later on. they began to mix freely with him. without causing any avert reaction from the community. Similar was the position of the Puran panc}royat al80.
In about 1952. a Pur an woman was detected to have extra-marital sexual relations with another Puran of the same village. She was awarded a. fine of Rs. 20 by the caste panchayat. Though. she did not pay the fine. nobody forced her to leave her legal husband. She is still living with her husband and it is alleged that she is also continuing her clandestine relationship with her paramour.
During the investigation. some informants reported that there were also caste organisations of the Brahmin. Karan and the Gaud of the region. But it was not possible to verify the same. It appean that even: if there were organisations of these castes, the same were not much active.
,- , . ' • ',": "I "
11
(a) ~. ef pap" ._ ." ..... lIS
Altogether 5.363 households. with 3.3041 members were covered by the survey. The ago and sex break· up of the population in terms of percentage to tho total population are indicated in the table below:
TABLE 3
Age and SeJC break-up o/the population. prior 10 displacement, in terms Of percentage to the tOlal population
Ap-IfOUP
Below 15
15-24 .
2S-30 •
31-36 .
37-42 .
43-48 .
49-54 •
55-60 .
Above 60
Ale not atated
Total
Malos
2
23'7
4·9
8'2
3'7
3'4
2'3
)oS
1·7
0'9
50'6
Femlltol Total
3 4
24'0 47'7
5'2 10'1
IH 14'3
3'6 7.3
2'9 6·3
2'2 4"
1'9 3"
2'0 3'7
103 2·2
0'2 0'2
49'4 lOt·,
From the above table it is found that in tbe old villages. the males and females were almost evenly balanced. It also shows that there was preponderance of children in the population. The boys and girls below the age of 15 constituted 47'7% of the total popula· tion. the compartive figures for Sundargarh district as a whole and Orissa IS a whole in 1961 are 38'62 and 39.07 respectively. The survey also showed that persons in tlie ago-sroups above 48. constituted 9'8% of the total ~lation. These fiIures had their beariDgJ in detenDlning the patteri1 ot renabilitation of Ihe population. It was not difticuJt to visualise that tho persons above the age group of 48 would nOt be attraCted towar.ds employmenU connected with the intIUltriat projcc:tf. LeavillJ them. III well as the children be]QW the age of IS. out of COflsideration. 42'5% of the popll. lanon could be reckoned aa the potential workinS foice. who might avail of the employment opportUnities thrown up by the industrial enterprise. It waa, how· ever~ obvious that. out of thit 42' 5 % of tho IX!OQJ.a.. tioa. whet proportion would '- able to avail- of the lU!W economic opportuDitiea. would ~ upoa 1Iteit attitude towards the ~ or OccupatiOlll. their fami1.y aa4 peaoaal ant .. SQme .. Qf .... _ ....... 1- in ·tbOse matUn. .. recorded~· . ,_ '---;rthe ~ of .Odaea. wiU be· '. . .. &0. Iot·Wtoro tb( .it fI·~ ......... ' ...... .
one aspect of the demographic pattern, namely. sexratio by age--groups.
It is noteworthy that ill the old villages. females were preponderant in number in the age-group 15-24 and also in the age-groups above 55. The preponderance of females in the age-groups above 55. give an idea of the population in the older age-group who would move to be completely supported. Prepnnderance of females in the age-group 15.24 was the pointer to a social problem. With the introduction of the project infiux of m~le populatiPn from outside was anticipated. In the context of this. the preponderance of young women over the young men among the local population. indicated that some amount of looseness in the sex. life was inherent in the situation. It was, however. another matter whether actual looseness prevailed. as it depended on many other factors including the type and extent of social control. Some of the formal agencies of social control nave already been described. Among the informal agencies of social control. the most important is the family. Some aspects of the family institutioo in the region is briefly discussed here.
(b)FamDy
Average sizes of households among scheduled castes. scheduled tribes. other Hindus and others in Rourkela region. at the time of the survey are indicated in the table below. For the purpose of comparison, the corresponding figures for Sundargarh district and for Orissa State as a whole as available in 1951 Census are also furnished in the table.
TABLE 4
A.verage size offamily among different ethnic groups In Rourke/a region and comparison of the same with the average size of the family in Sundargarh district and
The table shows that compared to Orissa State II a whole. the size Of an average household wu larJer in Sundargarh district; and again compand I'to Sundargarh district as a whole. size of an average household was considerably larger in Rourkela. rqion at the time of the survey.
With in Rourkela region. households of the largest size, were found among the people other than schedul· ed castes. scheduled tribes and non-scheduled Hindus. Households of the next largest size were found among the scheduled tribes; next in size were the households of the non-scheduled Hindus. Households of the smallest size were found among the scheduled castes.
It will be possible to gain more insight about the size of households in Rourkela region. in the old villages, from the following table showing the percent· age distribution of households and population with reference to the number of members per household.
TABLE 5
Percentage distribution of households and pop141ation "With reference to the number of members per household in
Rourkela region, prior to displacement
Size group of households with reference to the number of members
1-3 .
4-6
7-9
10 or more.
Percentage of the total No. of households in t he size-group
at Col. I
2
20'7
42'6
23'S
13'2
Percentase of total population who aremembers of tbe households in the size-8l'oup
at Col. I
3
7'8
34'$
29'7
28'0
The tabk shows that 23'5% of the households were large. having 7-9 members in each. and 13'2% of the households were vel)' large having 10 or more members in each. In terms of population 29'7% of the total population lived in large households and 28'0% of the population lived in very large households. In other words 57'7% of the populatioo lived in large and very lar~e households together. 111_ figures are of great SIgnificance. The very fact that the majority of the population Jived in large and vel')' large households. seems to indicate that rohcsioa of the family was a value. Hence the institution of f~ was likely to be considerably effective 8S a restrainini factOT 'against deviant behaviour which was boiInd' ~ come up 88,8 result of disruption of old vm.ae. and in.flux of new populatiOD,' .' ' ,
It is, however. to be noted .that there .. , , •. variations in the averase size of bo~ IIItOJW itaD.
diIorcat. iliduatrial categories. The same are indicated.below:
Occ:upatlon
---------.. --- .. _._.
Alrlculture .
Al1'iculturallabour
Other labour
Trade _
Transport
Production (other than cultivation) .
Service.
Family sizo
2
6·31
5'83
5·51
5'00
6'00
5'45 5,)9
The above statement shows that households with the largest number of members were found among the cultivators and households with the smallest number of members were found among the traders. But as the over-whelming majority of the population were engaged in cultivation. it can be presumed that the social field was surcharged by the ethos of the agricultural families.
13
(c) ~ ollie poJllllldoa wIda .... to iuchiIDtaI c .. m ....
In the pre-displacemcnt villages. 84'8 % of the population were mainly dependent on agricultural occupations and 15'2% of the population weco dependent on other occupations. Theil' detailed broak-up is as foolows:
Owner cultivator Non-owner cultivator Non-cultivatina owner Alrlculturallabour Others. Non-alrlculturallabour . Trade , Production othor than cultivation Transport Servico and profesalon Notllvcn
7S-7
1'1 0-3 4-6 0'1 5-9 1-8 JotS 2-1 1-5 0-3
(d) Distributioo ~ the Jl'C)plll86on (beloaPla to diiIenot edIDk ~) io cUlereot WrIaI cateprie8
Particulars of the break-up of the different ethnic categories of the population (Scheduled Tribe. Scheduled Caste etc.) in varjous industrial cate.gories are also available. The same are furnished below:
TABLE 6
Percentage distribution of the population, belonging to different ethnic categories and different industrial categories, prior to displacement
Agriculture including owner cul·
tivator. non-own-er culti-vator.
non-cul-tivating Aarleul-
owner and tural Bthnic cateaory of the popLilation others labour
--~---.. -------------
2 3 ~-----.--.--.-,--
Non-scheduled Hindu . 76-1 4-S
SchtduJecl Caste . 72'6 4'3
Scbedllled Tribe • 84'3 4-8
Othon Sl-0 4-2 A __
80-2 4-6
Produetiml Non· other Service ajrlcul- than and
tural cultiva- prof. Not labour Trado Transport tion sioll liven
4 5 6 7 8 D
6-2 2'$ O'S $·5 3-4 0-6
I" 0-4 2" !Jo1 Z-O 0-4
5-0 0-4 H 1-% 0-4 0'1
3'4 CI'O loS 2·9 O-g 0'1
"9 1-8 2'1 3-5 1" 0'3
allltnlg the scheduled tribes accountfng tbr 84'3% of the scheduled tribe population: 111' other industrial categories also there were wide, ranges of variations. On the whole. it appears that tha schedulod tribes were most tied to the soil and had been least attracted towardi other. occupations; on the other band. it appcan that comperativc1y more divcr&i1lcation or ~ .)Iad ~ pIacC amona the .Schcdulocl
t'.ist0i. Ioih. ill ~C11lturai labour and productWn other than cultivatlon. they were foUDd in the lar.Je$ numbers.
(e) D.iIIdJutioa of tM pGJ 'adoa ~ to ..... e60ie caIepdeI) ft ....... .......,.
~ Another dimension of the economic life of thc
population in the Old villap is available. .(f the pdtccntage break·up .of the diftercnt ethnic catepil8,.of the population with reference to their lubsidiaty occu. pations. irrespective of their main occupations. is considered. A table giving the break·up as above is furnished below:
TABLE 7
Percentage distribution of lhe population belonging to different ethnic categories, who were having subsidiary occupations, prior to displacement
The table shows that about 70% of all categories of population had subsidiary occupations. Proportionately largest number of Scheduled Tribes and smallest number of Non·scheduled Hindus had subsidiaryoccupations. It is significant to note that while among the Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes. non-agricultural labour was the most important subsidiary occupation. among the others. agncultural labour was the most important subsidiary occupation. •
(~ OwDenblp of land As indicated earlier. 78'7% of the total popula
tion were owner cultivators. Average size of holding per household was 8'0
acres. Cultivable land per acre was 1'17 acre. Percentage distribution of the households with
reference to size-groups of holdings as well as percentage distribution of the total cultivated area in each size-groups of holdings are indicated in the table below.
TABLE 8 Percentage distribution of hou!eholds with reference to size-groups of holdingS and percentage distribution of the total cultivated area in each size-group of holding, prior
to dtsplacemeltt
SiIo-,roup oC holdi1ll (in acres)
1
Porcentace oC total number of cultivatq bouaeholda
area. 34·1 % of the households owned 5·9 acres of land each and altogether they owned 29'3% of the total cultivated area. If taken together. it is found that 73'5% of the households having the two lowest size-groups of holdings owned only 43'3 % of the total cultivated area; the rema:ining 26'5.% of the households having larger size-groups of holdings owned as much as 56'7% of the total cultivated area. These figures show that even in this predominantly tribal area concentration of land ill the hands of a smaller section of the population bad taken place in the old villages.
If the acreage of land owned by the different ethnic categories of population in Rourkela region are considered separately and compared with corresponding figures for Sundargarh district as a whole, it is found that the regional pattern slightly differed from the pattern prevailing for the district as a whole and that there were some differences among the various ethnic categories both in Rourkela region and in Sundargarh district as a whole. The particulars are furnished in the table below:
TABLE 9
Acreage of land ownsd by the different ethnic categories of population in pre-coloniration vil/Qges
per hi SuD-No. of oWninJ daIadl ow." f~ly di.frict
3 4 .5.
1,337 8'4 g ... 500 7'7 4-'.
2.119 . ,7',8 ., ... ,. 848· 8'0". . j"1 :,)'
, .' i' ,,:, '" ~; ";
IS {J) ..... TABLE 11
• In the &anomie Survey Report of Rourkela. 1955. Distribution of holUlholds with refeml" to incOIM iDcomo data. by industrial categories have been fur- groups, prior 10 displacement nisMd. Tho same are reproduced below with slight adjUitment of heading. Peroeotap
of tho TABLE 10 total Perc:ont!f
Income lJ'OuP No. of No. of Ire,e ortota Income per household and per person by industrial (in RI.) famili", households ( R •• ) income
categories,prior to displacement 2 3 4 ,
Income per Income 1- 100 42 O'S 3.265 0'1
No. Total house- per 3'6 31.379 0'7 Industrial House- of incomo bold person 101- 200 191
catCilory holds persons (in Rs.) (in Rs.) (in Rs.) 201- 300 360 6" 94.4351 2'0
1,601-1,700 77 1'4 127.797 2'7 From the above table it is found that. the highest
1.701-1,800 59 1'1 103,834 2'2 per capita income (Rs. 281-23) was enjoyed by the • population depending on trade; next in position were 1,801-1,900 • 48 0'9 88,906 1'9 the population depending on service. Per capita !n-
1.901-2,000 52 0'9 101,214 2'1 come m the latter case was Rs. 227·70. These two groups. however, constituted only a small fraction of 2,001-5,000 291 5'4 824,009 17'4 the po~ation. Though. the agriculturists constituted the b k of the population. their per capi'la income 5,001 aud above · 36 0'7 280,366 "9 (Rs. 142'47) was lower than the average per capita
Not stated 69 Jo3 ~me (Rs. 143-81) of the region. Lowest per capita mcome was found among the agricultural labourers. It
Totli 5,363 100'0 4,15l,W 108'0 was only Rs. 117'50 whereas per capita income of the • noo-agricultural1abourers was Rs. 138'52.
It will be possible to have some idea about the 1'bc above table .hows that 52'0% of the hoose-
hold&.havins iDcoJne of as. 601·100 or leN per anDwn pattern of concentration of income from the table fur- commanded only 25'6% of the total income of tho Dished below, showing the distribution of households region. 00 the other hand 9'0% of tho houaeholds. ~ aU cate&ories with reference to the size-groups of having iDCOU1e of RI. 1,701·1.800 and above per ann\lm UtCOmeI. .commandcd 29'5% of the iDcomc of the rcsion.
SoClAL PROCESSES ON THE EVE OF DISPLACEMENT
A ..... of impeodIaa clillptlM:emfat ~ient as the sit~ for the plant. But within a short time, It became obvIous to the people that much more land th~n what they originally counted for, would be reo qUIred for the project. This alarmed many of them. They were aware that the people who were earlier affected by the Hirakud Dam in the adjoining district of Sambalpur. had not been rehabilitated to the satis· fact!on of the I'eople concerned. Tbey were therefore, anXIOUS about their own future.
In 1951. the Government took the first step for acquisition of land for the project, and survey parties began to visit the villages. At that time the local people had little idea of what was going to happen. Some of the more influential ganjus or village headmen like Monidhar Naik of Rourkela, Durjodhan Sandilya of Guradehi, Joseph Tirkey of Bhangamunda. Mangni Chandra Dwivedi of Mahulpali, who were in contact with Government officials of the sub·divisional and district headquarters, vaguely k.new that a steel plant was going to be installed. But they were under the impression that a few acres of gora (upland) type of land would be acquired for the project.
During the present study. the displaced villagers now living at Jalda Colony, stated that it was only in 1952, that they got some definite idea about the nature of displacement. At that time a hand·bill was issued by the Government. which indicated that lands in 99 villages around Rourkela would be acquired for the purpose of a steel project. The villagers alleged that in that hand·bill it was not clearly indicated that even agricultural lands would be acquired for the purpose of the project. They, therefore, did nol bother much about the acquisition and readily accepted what· ever they were told. by the Government officials. At that time some 'big men', from Delhi and Bhubaneswar visited the villages a number of times. The villagers could not tell who they were; but, from the fact that they were accompanied by high Government officials, the people knew that they were 'big men'. They held public meetings and told the people. the benefits that they would derive, out of the project.
As a result of the exhort ions by the 'big men' in a number of public meetings, the expectations of the people rose high and they welcomed the project.
It is difficult to say how exactly, the popular impresaions were created. During the present survey. the displaced persons made many allegations which could not be verified and which appear to be unlikely to be true. For instance, one allegation which was made by many displaced persons was that, the then Central Minister for Heavy Industries, visited the area at the stage of formulation of the project and assured the people that their agricultural lands would not be acqUired. When the people make this allegation. they appear to believe it to be true. But it seems that it is a case of collective make belief. generated out of reverse flO\-! of frustrated expectation.
Without trying to analyse further how the popular im~iODI were created. it may be noted that at the imtiat 'taae. the people h.ad the idea that mainly the pa lands of Tumkela. Dabiposh, Kantajhar and Ragbunatbpali .would be acquired for the township, and that the gora laQdi of Sunaparbat would be sum·
17
Readioo 01 the people
By the end of 1952, the site for the steel plant was tinally s~lected and it became known to the people that the villages of Guradehi and Bhangamunda v.:0uld ?e acq~red. Durjodal:l Sandilya gem/u of Guradehl. belonglDg to Munda tnbe. approached Vinod T~rkey-an intluentia.l Oraon leader of Bhangamunda WIth a proposal that they should jointly resist the installation of the plant in their villages. It is alleged by the people of Guradehi that the people of Bhangamunda sp~r~ed the proposal of joint resistance. They held the missionary of the Lutheran Church responsible for it. In support of thiS View, they cited as an alibi the fact that the Germans were concerned about the success of the project.
J t has not been possible to verify whether, actually the people of Bhangamunda refused to form a common front of .resistance with lhe people of Guradehi, because of the mtluence of tbe Lutheran Missionary. It is. however, very unlikely that the Germans took any direct interest in this matter; and that even if the Lu~heran .Mission~ry persuaded the people not to resls~ the mstallatlon of the plant. he did it, only in tbe IDterest of the Germans operating in the area He mihgt have the larger interest of the economic development of the region in view. It seems that these ~ort of allegati~ns r~flect more the mentality of seekIDg scapegoat. lD .dlfficulty. than dispassionate judiement of the Situation.
The displaced persons from Guradehi were not only unhappy about the response that they received from t~e peo~~ of Bhan~~munda about tbeir proposal of stagmg a 10IDt opposltJon. but they were unhappy about the attitudes of the people of Rourkela, Jharbaha~. Milmili and Raghunathpali as well at that time. It IS alleged .that, they said. at that ti;rne that the people of Guradelu were oPPOSIng the lOstallation of the plant. as the lands of ganju of Guradehi were loiDJ to be affected. It ia further alleged that the BrahmiDI of Tumkela and Mahulpali did not join the asitation against installation of the plant. because they did not like to be Jed by Durjodhan Sandilya-a tribaL
It has not been possible to verity all the above statements. But the very fact tbat these allegations have been made, show some of the vulnerable points
of int!:lr-village ~nd inter-comll1unity relatiorts in the region. prior to the displacement of the old villages.
It is reported that. only after the Government issued notification to all the villages to the effect that lands under their respective jurisdictions would be acquired, the ganjus of five villages. viz.. Guradehi. Bhangamunda. lharabahal, MUmili and Mahulpali. decided to take united move in this matter. Here. it is to be noted that. though. in all these villages. the tribal people were predominant in number, the dominant tribe in ~ch of these was not the same. At Guradehi the dominant tribe was Munda; at Bhangamunda and Mahulpali it was Oraon and at Iharabahal and Milmili it was Bhumij. It therefore. appears that at the face of adversity. the Jnter-ethnic prejudices did not impair common action at that stage at least.
Sometime towards the end of 1952. the ganjlAs of the above villages convened a public meeting at Mohania Bagan. where about 200 persons participated. The meeting resolved that the people did not want the steel plant in their area. If. however. the Government was bent upon setting up a plant. it should be located near Bonai. where existed vast forest tract of forest land. Further it was resolved that, if the Government felt that there was no alternative to the establishment of the plant. on the site already selected. the displaced cultivators should be given equal amount of agricultural land as compensation. To place their demands before the Deputy Commissioner. a committee consisting of Sri Durjodhan Sandilya. Vinod Tirkey and Dbanurjay Mohanti was cosntituted.
In the beginning of 1953. it became known that the lands under the jurisdiction of the villages Hamirpur, Ahirabandh. Tangrapali. Pumapani and Upram. bahal would be acquired for the steel township. By this time. the people of these villages were aware of the lead taken by Durjodhan Sandilya. Dbanurjay Mobanti etc .• in other villages. The ganjus and a few leaders of these villages met at Ambagan. Jokim Sahu a leader of Hamirpur took the leading part. In this meeting they decided to press upon the Government. the fact that the agricultural lands in the villages under their jurisdiction, were most productive in the region; hence such lands should not be diverted to other use; the Government should acquire the gora lands of Tumkela. Dahiposh, Kantajhar and Raghunathpali for locating the steel township. They also decided that they should form an united front along with the ganjus of Guradehi, Rourkela. Bhangamunda etc., for pressing their demand.
After the meeting. Jokim Sabu and other ganjus met Dhanurjay Mohanti and Durjodban Sandilya. to discuss the strategy of action. It appears that. at this point Dhanurjay Mohanti and Durjodhan Sandilya were emerging out as the generally recognised leaders of resistance to the plant. The people veered round these two persoll&. not only because thoy. W«e among the first to voice public misgivings about the project. but also because they happened to· be important members of the District Congress Committee. Dhariurjay Mohanti was for sometimo President of the Diatrict
Conps Committee and Durjodhan Sandilya wu. also a member. How they came to occupy important positions in the Congress at the district level was not wmined during the field investigation. But it amars that. many· believed that their contact wit.i?r infiuential Congress leaders. as a result of their position in the District Congress Committee, would be useful in the campaign of opposition to the plant. On the face of it. such belief seems to be rather strange. It would either mean that the villagers were not aware of ,the fact that Congress leaders at the national level and state level would give first priority to the success of the steel project or that they thought that notwithstanding the general policy of the leaders at the national and state level, its implementation could be tempered with, by political manipulations at the district level.
Whatever might be their underlying belief. the people started to organise themselves. in early 1953. An organisation called "Steel Plant Site People's Federation" was formed with Dhanurjay Mohanti as its President, Durjodhan Sandilya as Vice-President. Jokim Sahu as Secretary and Lalit Mohan Panigrahi of Abirabandh as Treasurer.
On behalf of the Federation. a deputation met tlle District Magistrate at Panposh Inspection Bunglow. It is alleged that the District Magistrate assured the pec'P1e that their agricullural lands would be spared and that they would be given preferential treatment in the matter of employment in the plant.
The particulars of the developments noted above. were collected from various informants. Sometimes, the information collected from different sources were mutually contradictory. It was not possible to verify all the facts by cross checking or by examining the records. Also, it was not always necessary to verify the facts; the purpose of the present study was not primarily to determine what actually happened. but to find out what image the people have about the developments of that time and how they interpret the same. Sociologically, it is more important to know how the people define a situation of the past; as the same would. to a certain extent, .illl1uence their lcsponse to the present and their involvement in the future.
Developments immediately lbefore diIp)ac:eIIIeot
Recapitulating and summarising what have been stated in the foregoing pages about the develo{!JleJIts immediately before the displacement of the old viUqts. the following may be noted.
(a) At the initial stage. the people did n<1t know that the steel project would affect them very m.'uch. 'lmJy thought that only some of their uplands \VouJd be acquired by the Government, on payment· of cottq:leDsation; hence they did not have any obje;tion ,to tbe establishment of the plant in their area. lA·fact ~ of them welcomed it. as a potential IOUI'Ce .;tif ,a4cU." tional income. . . . .. ,
(b) When the peop1~ ~e to know ,fIhat 5·· ... . .... , . tural lands also were 6eing aeguiI'ed. in 1lO$e. • .. • .,. '
they began 10 feel uneasy. 'Ihey ~ ~. . ....
the aCtv_ of' a ncw oconomy in the region without dia.tUl'baftoei to their agriculture, but when agriculture itsiV was af'feote(l. resistance developed from among them. In·this reeistance, leadership was provided by tho gtUJ/UI or traditional village headmen. ~
(c) It 8pPOUS that at the initial stage there was some hesitatIon among the different groups of people, in deciding what attitude they should take about the project. As a result, some suspicion grew up among the dilferent villages about one another and rumours spread that some communities were not falling in line with othen. because of extraneous influences. In course of time, however, most of the villagers overcame their, initial hesitation and tried to come together to safeguard their interest.
(d) As organisation in response to the situation began to emerge at the regional level, slight change in the nature of leadership took place, Persons with political contact at the district level, were able to consolidate their leadership. They. however, were local people and operated through the ganjus or local . traditional leaders. It seems that an alliance of the local traditional elite and the political elite at the district level. was taking place.
(e) While the above statement holds good in a general way for all the villages in the region, there were many twists and turns through which the process indicated above stabilised itself, For instance. at the initial stage. the people belonging to the Kisan tribe did not like to join other people. They felt that by going along with others. they might ultimately be the loosers. The Kisan belonging to Udutum, Barkani and Purnapani formed a separate committee to look after their interests. But this committee failed to make any impact. Ultimately. the Kisan had to fall in line with others.
When the people began to agitate in an or:ganised manner for protection of their interests. the Govern· ment had to take notice of the same, In the beginning m 1953 a public meeting was called at Vedaviyas which was addressed by Sri Nabkrishna Chaudhury. t~e then Chief Minister of Orissa and by Sri Kripa Smdhu Naik. a Deputy Minister of Orissa. About 4,000 persons gathered at the meeting. They were ~ssured that those who would be affected by the establishm~t of the steel plant would be given good compensation; they would also be given preference in the matter of employment. .
During the present survey. some of the informants alleged that in this m~ting. even Sri Chaudbucy assured the people that agnculturallands will not be acquired for t~e purpose of the project. It. however. seems very unlikely that he had gIven such a categoricai ~. at that stage.
. l1;··seems. that the intervention of Sri Chaudhury ~. Pf.'d.:.to ... cal. m down the situation COllSiderably. ~tiorI to the. plant. as such. weared off. Now
;:::~;. ==-focuued on the question of
19 Rata 01 ~doo • uti&' wAy ...... by .... ~
After takina into consideration the value of .$ri.:" cultural landa in Orissa and the rates of COtllpeDSaUOD paid to the displaced persons at Hiraklld Dam of Orissa. and at Hatibari and other places of Bihar. the Government of Orissa. decided to pay compensation on an average rate of Rs. 500 per acre m asncu1tural land. Compensation was also to be paid for trees. crops, irrigation tanl(s. huts etc,
For huts compensation was to be paid on plinth area basis. For this purpose. the rates prevalent in the area at the time of notification of section 3(i) of Act VIII of 1948 were to be taken into consideration. Depreciation charges were to be deducted accordina to the condition of each house,
The rates per square foot (.09 sq. metres) of plinth area as well as for the walls. roofs etc., of different types were fixed as follows by Orissa Government:
Walls of luodried bricks, thatched roof. mud flOOf; height4' 57 metres(l S Ct.)
2 Walls of sun-dried bricks, and mud plastered OD botls sides. country tile roof and mud floor; height 4' S7 metres
3 Walls of burnt briclcs and mud plastered on both sides, country tile roof and mud floor; bciabt 4'57 metres
4 Walls of burnt bricks and mud plastered on both sidos, thatched roof and mud floor; height 4'57 metres
$ Walls of burnt bricks and lime plastered on both sides. country tile roof and cement ftOOf; height 3'0, metres
6 Walls of burnt bricks and lime plastered 011 both sidos. O. C. T. sheet roof and cement flOOf; height 3'05 motres
R. •. P.
3'37
7 POf two storeyed buildinall with schist slab floor andwalllupt02·llmetres. . . . 2'50
(ror I Ioor only)
8 Mud walls mud plastered 00 both sides. country tile roof mud 1I00f includins leapinl. hoi.ht 3'05 metres
11 Mud-composed wall; mud or plastered botb sides. country tile roof; boiaht upto 1"2 metres
12 Open abodI or lean-to shods of JUDllc wood, polea . of 1t.D. filler, tbatcbld roof and floor .
M01'e8 .. e....- BIOV.. of .... _ ........ project
. In the middle of 1953. a public l!leeIina 'l!at. called at the open space in front of the preaont building of Employment Exchan&e by the influential JeadeN of the locality, including Dhanurjay Mohanty. Duriodhan Saodilya apd Vinod Titkey. Particulars or aU of them have been fumilbed. earlier. ·BetideI. th-.. SOIK ~.·who Q8le to the fordront. ~ ... count of 1bI peopIe'. qitatioa. alIo played importaat
role in organising this meeting. Among them mention is to be made of Rahim Bux of Rourkela. Thibru Kisan of Pumapani. Augastine Krispatta and Brindaban Bebra of Hamirpur. About 1.000 Persons from Udutum. Bhangamunda. Rourkela. Bijubandh. Mahulpali. Ahirabandh and other villages attended the meeting.
In the meeting. the consensus of opinion was that the rates of compensation fixed by the Government for houses were satisfactory. but that the rates in respect of agricultural lands were rather meagre. It was decided not to cooperate with the Government or H. S. L. authorities. unless the rates of compensation for agri· cultural lands were revised and the Government agreed to allot equal acreages of cultivable land of the same' type. in lieu of the lands acquired for the purpose of the project.
It seems that after this meeting. the people began to be organised to obstruct the work of the project. It is significant that even at this stage. political parties. as such, did not enter much into the picture. By and large, the leadership of the agitation rested with the village headmen and a few local persons who sprung up into prominence during the course of the agitation. All most daily, people began to assemble in small groups. at the sites of the operations in connection with the project. As a result. a tense atmosphere was created and a second intervention by the Chief Minister of Orissa State was felt necessary.
The Chief Minister again came to Rourkela. A deputation of the local leaders consisting of Dhanurjay Mohanti. Vinod Tirkcy. Durjodhan Sandilya, Thibru Kisan. Rahim Bux. Monia Seth and Nand Ganju call· ed on the Chief Minister at Panposh School. It is reported that they demanded compensation at the rate of Rs. 2.000 per acre of Bahal land. The Government was prepared to pay compensation of Rs. 600 per acre of Bahal land. in. addition to equal quantity of land of the same type. in an area. outside the region. where lands were being acquired for the project. This offer was not acceptable to the deputationists. Then the Chief Minister said that he could not go further. with· out consulting the Union Government.
It is very difficult to reconstruct the history of the period. stage by stage in correct sequence. It. however. appears that. it became difficult for the Govern· ment to formulate any firm policy, because. it did not have clear picture about the amount of land. that would be required for the purpose of the project.
On 21-1-1954. a meeting was held at Bhubaneswar which was attended by Sri Radha Nath Rath. and Sri Kishore Chandra Bhanj Deo, Finance Minister and Industries Minister respectively, Government of Orissa. Sri H. B. Mohanti. Secretary. Ministry of Industries, Government of Orissa, Sri A. K. Chanda, Secretary, Ministry of Production. Government of India and Sri B. C. Mallick. Director of Rail Movement, Eastern Railway. In the meeting it was recorded that after the location of the plant is finally settled. the Govern. ment of Orissa would acquire land over a territory of 129' SO sq. km. according to necessity and make the
same available to the steel plant. free of. cost. it wlU further recorded that if necessary. the Government rI. Orjssa would agree to acquire in patchei, cu1tivabfe lands. within the D()tified area. for the purpose of th. project and wolJId accept financial responsibilitiea upto the extent of Rs. 5 lakhs. Land required for the ex· tension of railway was also covered by this agreement.
In January 1955. the H. S. L. authorities submitted their. layout plan for the project. It covered land spread over 207'19 sq. Kms. for the purpose of tM steel plant and the ancillary industries. It also indicated that at the initial stage about 10,500 acres of land would be required for the township. Later on. the town may be further developed west of Brahmani river. Hence. a suggestion was made that the territory between Rajgangpur and Panposh, should be reserved for future development.
Even though the layout plan was submitted by H. S. L., it appears that even as late as March 1955. the Government of Orissa did not feel very certain about the extent of land required for the purpose of
'the project. 1t is staled that Minislry of Heavy Indus· tries had at first indicated that their requirements would cover an area of 176·12 sq. Kms .• later on it was increased to 305'62 sq. Kms. and then again it was further increased to 331'52 sq. Kms. The Orissa Government is reported to have its doubt at the time whether so mueh area was actually needed. There was also a view among the officials of the Government of Orissa that as far as possible. existing cultivation should be disturbed only when. the land to be aequir. ed was needed for: immediate construction as acquisi. tion of land without proper planning had caused much discontent.
By this time the discontent of the people took another turn. When the layout plan was known to the people. some persons tried to persuade the local people not to work for the H. S. L. As a result, some· times. it became ditlicult for the H. S. L. to engage local labour. Particularly. where agricultural land. belonging to their own villages were involved. the local labourers were not infrequently quite reticent to come forward. It seems that they were influenced by social pressures at the village level. rather. than by instigations of outside political parties.
But. as the Chief Minister, by his intervention had shown that he was responsive to the difficulties of the people, many of the local leaders considered that it would be more appropriate. to abide by the advice of the Chief Minister and at the same time pre!!S for. the acceptance of their demands. Both Dhanurjay Mohanti and Durjodhan Sandilya. the two most important spokesmen of the local people, were of the above view. Under their influence the resistance in the viUages of Guradehi, Rourkela, Iharabahal, Milmili. Chbend.· Ragbunathpali. Ourgapur. Tarkera. Mahulpali. Tan· grapali. Iharmunda, Bijubandh and Batkani. gradually took a mere soft line. The people came forward to work as labourers. for H. S. L. But the .peop1e r:l the villages of Hamirpur. Ahirabandb. IC~~· Ban<lposh. Khariabahal and Udutum where .~. Cbristians were dominant in. number •. eom:tnued: to oppose tho project. Jakim sahu of ~ waa ~:: .
chief ~. He expressed discontent with the work.ina: of the Steel Plant Site People's Federation. He alked the people neither to vacate their lands. nor to cooperate with the project authorities, till the question ot compensation was settled satisfactorily. At this time two Catholic tribal leaders from Ranchi came to Rour· kela. and helped organising the Catholic tribal memo bers in their agitation. Thcy were Bonifas Lakra-an advocate and David Minz. a M. P. They put forward the plea .that in the matter of rehabilitation. the tribals should receive special consideration, because if they were treated like the other communities, they would be lagging behind.- because of the inherent weakness of their social structure. On behalf of the tribals. they pressed for the following facilities:
(I) The displaced tribals should get preference in employment in the plant.
(2) They should be settled near the plant site; they should also be provided with the facilities of cultivation near their place of settlement.
(3) The Sukhbasi (tenant·al·will) trib:tls also should be allotted some lund.
The above demands did not remain contin~d to the Catholic tribals only; other tribals also began to press for special treatment for themselves.
At this stage. the various political parties also began to take part in the agitation of th~ local pef)pJ~. In many places. the construction works were hinder· ed as a reiult of the rcfusill of the locul people to cooperate.
In March. 1955. a report sent by an officer of H. S. L. reads as follows: "for the last five days trouble has been increasing at Rourkela in respect of the site both for the construction of houses and the excavation of the channel for Guradehi nullah. People collect and stop work. Similarly. for the last two days the work was stopped at Guradehi nullah. The trouble was initially started over a month ago by Dhanurjaya Mohanti. President of District Congress Committee and Steel Plant Site People's Federation and now though be is trying to be helpful to us, the Gantantra Parishad and Socialists are coming in the way. Whenever we try to make them understand the situation and the advantages they will get by direct employment, the people altet they hear from the political parties begin to feel that they should not work for us. particularly where their villages are involved. I am sorry to say so. but the situation is becoming more and more diffi· cult",
It appean that the resistance of the people was developing another focus at this moment. As indicat.ed earJie;. ori,fnally the agitations of the local peop'e .... l!1ainly d~ted to the question of adequate com· . peqsatioD. botb m money and land. But gradually. 'they beau to be exercised about the goal of rehabili· • tion. ~y after the lead given to the tribals. by the !\Yo .... ~adelI . from Ilanchi. .Many of them were ~ ~:tbal they ·shouid be abJe to settle neat the
21
plant site. so that they could direcly avail of the em· ployment and other opportunities created, by the pr0-Ject. At the same time. they were not prepanld to cut off their agricultural mooring. Their dilemma and their aspirations were being expressed in different forums.
With the entranCe or the political parties in the field. another dimension was added to the agitation. So long. the agitation was being carried on mostly by the people. directly affected by the project. But by this time the question of preferences in the jobs under the plant and commercial aDd other activities. became an all Oriya concern.
Through the forums of the political parties. t"fle Oriya middle class in other parts of the State were making their voices felt.
Recapitulating the situation, it may be noted that by the middle of 1955. the following cross-currents of pressures developed about the project.
(i) Firstly. the project was considered to be an effort to serve some vital and strategic needs of the country as a whole. It therefore, could not accommodate local parochial inter· t:sts beyond a certain limit.
(ii) TIle local population. the bulk at whom were cultivators. were organised to press for their demand for adequate compensation!! both in land and cash. They alS(} demanded that they should have the benefit of employ. ment and other opportunities created by the industrialisation of the area.
(iii) The tribal population living in the area. demanded preferential treatment for them· selves. even among the local displaced persons.
(iv) The Oriya middl,e class throughout tbe State were demanding through the forums of poli. tical parties that Oriyas should be given preferential treatment over the rest of the countrymen, in the matters of employment and other benefits created by the prOject.
PreIW note related to Mhabilitation progr8IIIIDet
It is easy to imagine what was the position of the State Government when faced with all these conflicting demands. The harried State Government issu· ed a press note a~ follows :
!. "The Government of Orissa are aware of the existence of wide spread anxiety. among all section. of people and in particular among the population of the. area to be acquired for the construction of the Steej Factory at Rourkela. in the matter of enlurias that the people of the State derive adequate benC!· fits from the establishment of the Factory .in Orissa • The local population. who have to make room for the Factory are also deeply OO1lCemed abeut lb • future. at-. .tbey give up tbeir hearth 8Jld homcia. Interested parties are takiDs ad\':lDtap of this apiety
to circulate false and exaggerated rumours, calculated to disrupt the smooth progress of construction and to generaUy hamper the progress of this national ventUl'C. Government have. therefore. decided that it is desirable to give the widest possible publicity to the arrangements they have made in aU these matters.
2. First and foremost. with the start of the construction of the Factory and township. a large number of people now in occupation of the 20,000 odd acres of land immediately required for construction of the Factory and township. will have to give up their hearth and homes and resettle themselves elsewhere. Every one may not be required to leave atonce. but once construction starts in full swing. it would become increasingly inconvenient for persons to continue occupying the existing villages. This disruption of normal life would affect about 2.000 families and their resettlement in the shortest possible time is therefore, an operation of some magnitUde. The entire population will therefore. have. immediately to be found. alternative sites fOr building new villages and also as much agricultural land as is possible.
3. In order to cope with this problem and to ensure that the evacuation and re-settlement is made as expeditiously as possible and at the same time with the least ,hardshIp. Government have decided to appoint the present District Magistrate of Sundargarh as Deputy Commissioner. Land Acquisition and Resettlement in addition to his own duties to make all necessary arrangements. This Officer will be responsible under the general supervision of the Member. Board of Revenue. Sambalpur for payment of compensation for acquired land. houses etc., as also for arranging the laying out of the new village sitC6. new agricul· tural colonies and also for ensuring that aU employable persons among the persons displaced are given gainful employment in the construction of the Steel Factory.
4. Agricultural land in adequate quantities to satisfy every one will. obviously. not be available. Also. with the increased employment opportunities offered by the Steel Company. every one will not require agricultural land. The problem of each individual and family will be different and it will be the aim of Government. through the Deputy Commissioner. Land Acquisition and Resettlement. Rourkela, to assist each individual to resettle himse1f in the best manner pos· sible.
S. A certain amount of new forest land will be leased out for reclamation to those who prefer to continue agriculture. The leased area will mostly be in the commanded areas of minor irrigation projects under construction. although for certain portions, irri- . gation facilites cannot be guaranteed. As the land wDl require to be reclaimed, before it can grow crops. the displaced pel'Sons who are anotted these lands. will be given some subsidies. in addition to the compensation f-or their land. It is also proposed that the displaced }'mOns ""o:ukl. be giv~n SOJ.lle &ubsidies to help the!:D ·te '~'new,h~ in th" ~ viUaee sites, .,
6. As already stated, the evacuation and .reaettlf:, ment of over 2,300 families in the short period of .~ or two months. is a stupendous task. The extent to which Deputy Commissioner. Land Acquisition and Rr.settlement is able to prevent hardship and to arran"" smooth resettlement will, to a great deal. depend 0Jl the extent of cooperation that would be forthcoming from the persons to be displaced. Government have. therefore. decided that all these facilities such as allotment of new land, village sites and subsidies for. housing building should be made available. strictly on the condition that the persons concerned co-operate. to the fullest extent. with the Deputy CommiSSIoner and obey his instruction implicity. It is only on these condition that hardship and confusion can be prevented and Government therefore. hope that every one concerned win extend to this Officer his utmost co-operation.
7. Doubts have been expressed in certain quarters regarding the adequacy of compensation. Government want to make it quite clear that there is absolutely no room for such doubts. Adequate compensationbased on actual land values but not speculation values and other relevant consideration wilJ be paid for all land. trees. buildings etc .. and arrangements. have been made to effect these payments as soon as the acquisition is completed. The rate offered for different varieties of land will naturally vary. but the Government give the as..c;urance that in all cases adequate campen· sation will be paid.
8. Anxiety is also expressed in regard to employment opportunities for the people of Orissa. In this matter also. a great deal of false propaganda is being made to the detriment of the smooth progress of work. Government wish to give the widest publicity to the fact that the Hindustan Steel Company have undertaken that the inhabitants of the State, if they are qualified. will be preferred for all jobs under. them. Already a good percentage of the labourers now engaged by the Company is from among the local population which is going to be displaced. Employment in other categories has not yet made great progress. but Government have been assured that preference will be given to Oriyas for jobs in all categories provided they are qualified.
9. An arrangement has been made that the Com~ pany may draw upon surplus personnel of the Government. Already a large number of Engineers from tile State Government service have been made availah1e to the Company.
10. An Employment Exchange will shortly be started in Rourkela by the Government of India. the managetmnt of which will be taken over by the .$tate Government before long. The State .~, in con;uction with the Government of India. wi1l6Ottly start an Adult Training Centre. to be located forJ~ present in Cuttack. but ultimi1:tely to be. fIhiftecl: 'i. Rourkela, to train Technicians and recruitmeotJ ~ ~ 'will be restricted in the tint instanee. to lOcal iI~ .' tanU, -terence beinc -iVeD. to .Adhra&is. ~!.if~, .. nw-!"'~...;n ~ . ~." ,jJO '1- -~ .. "'" '.!o-.'.~." :":".' ' •. A .••. '.'.·· .. · " ·'¥¥_ • .-ny "fl" II'_' -reserJ<lt ","eJr'~;~'" , " '\ ' .
. . . \ .",
PORTION OF SUNOAAGAAH D'STAICT
SHOWING RECLAMATION CAMPS AND RESETT t.EMENT COLONIES
for their own training (,'Ourse, to the people of Orissa and selection parties for this purpose will shortly begin r~nd the districts of Orissa.
11. As far as the employment of persons to be immediately displaced is concerned, there would be no difficulty for anyone willing to. work to get a job in construction. For the small trader who is not accustomed to manual labour there will be increased opportunities for trade due to the large labour population that will spring up.
12. The Government have also in hand plans (or building up one or more semi industrial areas around the Steel Company's Township in which building sites. Factories and shop sites will be allocated to inhabitants of this State who wish to set up in business to provide various amenities to the increased population. Preference in such allotments wiII be given to the persons displaced by land acquisition. Again the Steel Company have already agreed that Oriyas will be preferred for tbe allotment of shops, bazar etc., inside their own areas.
13. It will be the special concern of the Deputy Commissioner, Land Acquisition and Resettlement to help the local people 10 take full advantage of the above facilities. The Government have also made available to the Steel Company the services of one of their senior lAS. Officers Shri G. C. Dash. The Company have posted this Otlicer to Rourkcla as Development Officer. Thus both from the Government side and from thc 5>idc of the Company, high level Officers have been put in charge of ensuring that all the facilities that can normally be expected to accrue to the State by the establishment of a National concern within its border. would. in fact, become available 10 the people of Orissa.
14. Government wish to reiterate that their efforts in this matter would only be successful if they have the whole bt!arted co·operation of all concerned. In particular, Government wish to warn the local population against being led away by false propaganda of interested parties. who do not have the interest of the people of the State at heart but who merely wish to eause disruption and dislocation to the smooth progress of work, to the detriment of the National Development Plans and to bring into disrepute of the people of Orissa, Government therefore. earnestly hope that TlO attention would be pai8 to such false and malicious propaganda."
As can be seen from the press note. the State Government committed itself to the almost impossible task of accommodating aU the conflicting interests and pleasing every one. It seems that tbe press note failed to quell the situation; rather, the pressures mounted up more' and more. The Steel Plant Site People's Federation, formally demande.d that the affected people should be settled somewhere near present Uditnagar and that agricultural lands should be given to them in such areas which were easily approachable. For the latter purpose, they wanted that the forest land round about IJatibandha. (situated near present Jalda Colony) should be al10tted to them. While the Govern-
4-5 a.G. tndia/67
23
ment agreed to provide facilities for the settlement of the desiring persons, near the plant sites. they could not accept the proposal of allotting agricultural lands in the ~djoining areas, as such lands would be required for ancillary industries. After protracted negotiations. it was docided that three colonies would be set up near Rourkela and that lands would be provided in 16 far flung forest areas for being reclaimed for agricultural purposes.
Location of reeettk1meot colonies and reclamation area
The sites of the resettlement colonies near the plant site, which were agreed upon, are:
(I) lalda-about 5 kilometres south of the steel pInnt site.
(2) lhirflani-·-about 7 kilometres north or the plant site and about 4 kilometres north of the Steel Township.
0) Bondonwnda--·about 6 kilometres east of the plant site.
Particulars of the sites, selected fl1r reClamation for agricultural purposes are as follows:
Name ofsile Situation ------_---------_._-----
Amgaon
2 Ulundajharnn
3 Hatidharsa
4 Silikutta
5 Champajharan
6 Gohmi .
7 I<.acharu
8 Raghudhara
9 Sukuda.
Deogarh Sub-divi~ion of Sam-balpur, about J3S Km~. south-east of RourkeJII.
Bonai Sub-division of Sundargarh, about 48 Kms. southwest of Rourkela.
Sadar Sub-division (Rajgangpur), about 48 Kms. southwest of Rourkela.
Bonai Sub-division, about 87 Km~. south of Rourkcln,
Bonai Sub-division, about 40 Kms. south or RourkeJa.
Bonai Sub·divlsion, abollt 48 Kms. south of Rourkela.
Panposh Sub-division of Sundargarh, about 80 Kms. north of Rourkela.
Panposh Sub-division, about SO K.ms. south of Rourkela.
Pan posh Sub-division of Sun-dargarh, about 50 Kms. north·ea~t of Rourkela.
10 K.adlibahal Panposb Sub-division, about 321C.m9. north-east of ROUfula.
J I Taimar.
12 Ratokendubbama
13 &rtagutu
14 Sankarla
15 Uua
Panpo~h Sub-division, about '0 Kms. south of Rourkcla.
Panposh Sub-division, about 40 Kms. south of Rourkela.
Panposh Sub-division, about 50 Kim. north of Rourkcla.
Panposh Sub-divislon, about 128 Kms. north-welt of ROUfkela.
Panposh Sub-division, abot. 32 JC.ml. north-welt of Rourtela.
24
Rates of compealltion 'Ot' dilertIlt typel 01 laDd, &tanding crop and tree!I
The rates of compensation for agricultural land. crops and trees were also re·fixed by the Government. The particulars are as follows:
Rates of compensation for different types of land and standing paddy crop per acre
Type of land
Bahal Bherna Mal Gora KlIdar • Ghatbari Barchlla •
Rate per aero
2
Rs.
900 600 401 200 227 227 748
Rate for atandlnl paddy
crop per acre
3
R.I.
" 60 45 30 30
Rates of compensation for differenl types of tries
Tree
Malaul (Basla 10tl/olla) •
Mango (Manltfera tndica)
Mango (graft)
Bahera (1'lrmlnalla bel/erlca) •
Kusum
Telltu/l (T'marlnduJ Indica)
Small
2
RI.
Medium
3
Rs.
18'50
21'00
28'SO
7'00
7'00
17'00
Big
4
R.!.
12"0
21'00
21'00
4'00
4'00
12'50
Rates of compensation for different types of trees-concld.
EXTENT AND PAITERN OF DISPLACEMENT AND REHABILITATION
Propamme of "'bilitatioa
Names and locations of the resettlement colonies, near the plant site, have been furnished in the previous chapter. Of the three colonies, largest in size is Jalda Colony.
In Jalda Resettlement Colony 1.787 plots were laid, out of which 60 plots were 24·38 x 15·24 metres in size. In Ihirpani Colony, 1.790 plots, each 18·29X 12·19 metres in s.ize, were laid out. In Bondomunda, there were 428 plots each 24·38 x 15'24 meters in size. The Jalda Resettlement Colony was laid out at three places; these were named as Jalda 'A'. Block. Jalda 'B' Block and Jalda 'C' Block. Jalda 'A'. Block covered an area of 100'39 acres and 501 plots were laid out there. Jalda 'B' Block covered an area of 55'51\ acres. with provision for 330 plots. Jalda 'C' Block is the biggest of the three with an area of 212·32 acres and provision for 956 plots.
Particulars of the 15 sites where agricultural land!il were agreed to be allotted. have already been furnished. These places are called reclamation areaS. Particulars of acquisition of the same. and their allotment arc furnished below:
TABLE 12
Particulars of reclamation areas, with reference to the acquisition and allotment of land
SI. No.
2 3 4 S 6 7 8 9
10 II 11
13 14 IS
Name of the reclamation
area
2
Area ae- Area al-quired lotted 10 for re- Date of the dis-clamation aequisi- placed purposes t ion persons
TerrJ18 and cc,nditiolls of extending various facUitjes to indivi ..... hOWleholdl
The authorities tried to relate the rehabilitation facilities to the needs of the individual households. For this purpose. along with others the following particulars were collected from each household :
(l) Name of head of the household.
(2) Names of married persons and Illllllh~r of adults and children attached to them,
(3) Area of land under acquisition,
(4) Number of houses with rooms under acquisition,
(5) Occupation of the adults of the household.
(6) Brief history of the household and its mode of living,
(7) Nature of resettlement requirements. and
(8) Orders with regard to resettlement.
In pursuance of its press note of June 1955, the facilities. which the Government of Orissa. decided to provide to each category of persons, are as fo)lows:
(I) Full compensation for lands ;Icquircd. and for trees. crops. wells. tanks ctc .• thereon. at rates indicated earlier. should be paill.
(2) Each married couple would be allotted one plot ror the construction of a. house in the resettlement colony. This plot would be leased for 99 years on terms of payment of Rs. 5.00 per year. The allottee will not be allowed to sell or mortgage the plot or the building constructed on it.
(3) In the reclamation area selected boy the displaced persons, land would be reciaimed and converted into wet lands of various classifica. tions at government cost and would be given to them in exchange of their acquired Bahal. Berna and Mal land cmly but not exceeding 33 acres to any individual cultivator. Each landless perscm (Sukhbas() would be given at least five acres of land. In reclamation areas. 25 decimals of land would be given to each displaced family as home· ~-r.ead land. rBcMes. welts. tanh. schools. roads and dispensaries would be provided in the reclamation areas.
{4) Reclamation subsidy at the rate of Rs. 100,. per acre. would be offered to all the displaced persons for the reclamation of the area allotted to them. 50% of the redamation subsidy would be paid before the startln8 of
the reclamation work. viz., felling the forest trees and preparing the soil. The< remain~g 50% would be paid. when ~he .reclamatlon work was over and the cultivation began. Further, the Block Development Officer and the Sub-Divisional Officers of the area were asked by the Collector. Sundargarh. to give preference to the displaced persons in grant of reclamation loan from the funds placed at their disposal for this purpose.
(5) Free transport would be provided by the Government for carrying the displaced per· sons along with their personal effects. to the resettlement colonies of their choice.
(6) Transit camps would be provided for ~he displaced persons it!- the resettlement coloOle:" for their stay. while they constructed theu houses.
(7) Though full compensation would be given for the houses. affected by the acquisition of the area. the displaced persons would be al· lowed to remove their housing materials and USe the same for the construction of their new houses.
(8) All the displaced households would be o~ered housing sites in the resettlement coloOles. irrespective of whether the household concerned had offered to go to the reclamation area or not.
(9) A subsidy of Rs. 200/- to Rs. 400/- would be given to each family in addition to the compensation money for construction of new houses.
26
(10) The resettlement colonies would be well developed. where 12.19 metres wide roads would be provided and arrangements would be made for filtered water supply by taps. In these colonies other essential amenities such as community centre, school. children's park. drinking water. sub-post office. playground. market etc. would be provided. In due course police outpost. dispensary and electriaity. will also be provided in the resettlement colonies.
Besides the above facilities to the individual dis· placed households. the Government decided to undertake the following stepg :
(1) Minor irrigation projects would be executed in the reclamation areas where the displaced persons wanted to start reclamation work.
(2) Welfare schemes. such as intensive poultry development. vegetable and fruit cultivation. sericulture organisation. eo-operative 80ciety for production of bricks. tiles etc.. setting up of MaMa "Samities. crafts and adult literacy centres. etc.. would be concentrated in the resettlement colonies.
(3) At the instance of the District Magistrate. Sundargarh. the R.S.L. authorities coopted the Special OOicer. Rourkela Land Orsani-
sation on the committee incharge of recruitment of class IV staff of H.S.L.
(4) The District Magistrate also took up with'the H.S.L .• the question of giving preference to the displaced and local people, in the matter of allotment of shops. The Resident Director of H.S.L. agreed to the same.
(S) H.S.L. agreed to give preference in allotment of temporary sites. in Steel Township. to such displaced persons. who could work as washermen. milkmen. petty shopkeepers and labourers for the Company or for their contractors.
(6) H.S.L. was also persuaded to agree to give preference to the displaced persons while giving on lease lands on river side for vegetable cultivation, poultry development etc.
(7) The State Government set up an Indu~trial Training Institute. at Hirakud; later on when the building for the purpose was constructed at Rourkela. the Institute was shifted there. Matriculate and Non-matriculate youths were selected for receiving training in the Institute. so that. they could qualify themselves for employment in H.S.L. and other industries which would come up. The courses offered for training in the Institute were those of mechanic. moulder. fitter etc.
(8) H.S.L. also organised a condensed course for training up persons to work as helpers. clean· ers etc.
Problema aDd pI.'OteIf!Je8 of rehabilitation
These will be discussed in two parts-the first relating to the resettlement colonies. the second relat· ing to the reclamation areas.
A. RESBTTLEMENT COLONIES
Extent of rehabilitation in the resettlement colonies
It has been mentioned earlier. that by the acquisi. tion of 30 villages. 2.465 households with approximate population of 15.200 persons were dislodged from their hearths and homes. By the end of April 1963, all the ousted ihouseholds were aUotted housing plots in one or the other of the three resettlement colonies. but only 1.721 households availed of the facility. 42 households (41 of Deogaon and 1 of Hamirpur) had not by that time vacated their old homes and 702 households had not settled in the resettlement colonies.
Out of 2.465 households, 1.373 were -allotted plob at Jalda, 916 at Jhirpani and 176 at Bondomunda. But only 1.028 settled at Jalda, 637 at Jhirpani and 56 at Bondomunda.
A table showing the number of households displaced from the various villages and settled in the resenleJDCDt c()lonies by the middle of April. 1963 is furnished on the following page.
I-7-w ~I/) wW ..JCI r-4(
Z I-...J W..J
o ~> _ a: Z
1.9 0 W ~ i=
... a:: I/) « o 0 ~ a. ..J Z i ..... 00
. ~ :z:..J ,~_J w O
~W ~ ~ o~ 00:: zcrl:1l. ~ u..:l o O~ c::c z u..
01/) i=w «-U
Z
03 ..JO ...Ju c:
27
TABLE 13 R~selllemenl of displaced persons in Jalda, Jhirpani and Bol'I4omunda .Re.ttk",'111 Colonies
No. of house-
holds No. of ovacuated house- No. or h()usehold. settled in
till holds r-----...... -------., SI. 15th yet to be Bondo-
No. Name of the village April, 1963 evacllated lalda Jhirpani munda Total REMARKS
22 Uparmabahal 30 29 29 Tho romaininl 702 familiel have made • heir own arralllO-ment In other
13 Sanlajlbherna 31 31 31 places.
24 Hamlrpur 47 22 22
25 Bandposh 28 16 12 28 ., 26 Chhend 135 37 3 40
27 Bank!. 85 3 3 6
21 Pardhanpali 32 3 3
29 Luakera 97 2 1 5
30 Dahiposh 22 13 6 19
Total 1,4%5 41 1.011 637 !6 1.721
From the table 13. it is found that most of the households of the villages. Guradehi. Raghunathpali. Tarkera. Mahulpali. Bhangamunda. Milmili. Jharabahal. Rourkela, Jharmunda. Udutum. Khariabahal. Kantajhar. Jhitpani Ahirabandh, Purnapani. Uprambahal. Sanlajibhema. Bandposh and Dahiposh occupied the plots allotted to them in the different colonies. But larger proportion of the households displaced from the villages. Deogaon, Barkani. Tansrapali, Bijubandh. Tumkela. Hamirpur. Chhend. Bankia. Pardhanpali and Luakera did not "'occupY the plots allotted to them in the resettlement colonies. Among those who did not occupy the plots anotted to them in the resettlement colonies. there were three categories of persons. In the first cate~ory. belonged the 41 households of Deogaon. who dId not vacate tlu!ir original homes. To the second category belonged those who had not started construction of houses in the plots allotted to them and to the third category belonged those who first occupied the plots but later on abandoned the same.
As regards the households belonging to Deogaon, the position is as follows. At Deogaon there is a Shiva temple and the village consisted of three hamlets. Two hamlets. namely, Khandaittola and Dhobitola were adjoining the Shiva temple. In these hamlets lived 46 hnuseholds. belonging to the following communities--Khandait (Dcuri or priestly class). Naik. Teli. Dhobi or Seth, Behra and Tanti. The third hamlet known as Oraontola consisted of 23 households, belonging to the following communities---Oraon, Lohar, Manjhi. Bhumij, Munda, Muchi and unspecified communities. The Deuries of the first hamlet with the support of other households of the Dhobitola claimed that they were the servants of the Shiva temple and that the lands occupied by them were actually owned by the temple. They were, therefore. not in a position to vacatc the lands. They filed a suit in the law court and obtained stay order. Thus. they evaded evacuation till the disposal of the case. These Deuries as well as 19 other households belonging to Khandaitto)a and Dhobitola continued to stay where they were. Five households of the Dhobitola. however, vacated without waiting for the disposal of the case in the court. As regards the third hamlet. there was no difficulty and all the households. vacated their lands on receipt of the acquisition order. The single household at Hamirpur which did not vacate had also analogous circumstance. This household belonged to the headman of the village. who was quite influential in the locality. His house was adjoining the church, which was left out of acquisition. He also filed a suit in the court, to the effect that he was in the service of the church and hence his house should be exempted from the scope of the acquisition. He, however, lost the case and would have to vacate shortly.
Those who belong to the second category. i.e., those who had been formally dislodged from their old homes but who had not constructed houses on the plots allotted to them in the colonies can be divided Into the follOwing categories:
(I) Those who have made arrangements in other places where they have acquired lands and are doing cultivation.
28
(2) Those who have settled in the township of Rourkela. •
(3) Those who are living with other members of their family in the colony itself. but have Dot constructed any houses on their own plots.
(4) Those who are living with the members of their family or community in other colonies or blocks.
(5) Those who have gone to reclamation are" without occupying the plot in the resettlement colonies.
The number of households in each of the above; sub-categories could not, however. be ascertained.
Amltng the households belonging to the third category i.e., those who first occupied the plots but later on abandoned the same, mention may be made of 9 households of Deogaon. They first settled in Jalda A. Block but later on went back to the old village site. when they found that a large number of their co· villagers could successfully evade evacuation,
There is an important feature of the villages. the majority of whose displaced households ha~e not occupied the plots in the rescttlement coloDles. A study of the map 4 wouLd show that most of these villages are situated in areas where at the time of the present study no work or little work had been started by H.S.L. The households concerned continued to carryon cultivation of their old lands. though it was unauthorised and they had no legal rights over such lands. Hence, though they have been officially displaced. many of them are not actually displac.ed. There are also a few households, who have constructed houses in the resettlement colonies. but who are actually carrying on unauthorised cultivation in the. old 'villages. The members of these houS'ehol~, etther do not live at all in the houses constructed by them, or live partly in these houses and partly in the old villages or near about.
One interesting aspect of the pattern of settlement in the resettlement colonies deserve mention. The households belonging to the various communities settled in these colonies at various proportions. All the households of the Bhumij. Kumhar and Mali communities who were offered plots in Jalda Colony. occupied the same; 80·97% of the Lohar. Kurmi. Nai. Pana. Puran and Muslim households availed of the opportunity; only 50'79% of the ~a':ld. -':Charia .. Kisan. Mahali. Munda. Oraon. Raotla, Teh, Tanh Md Brahmin households made use of the offer. In else of the Muchi and Khandait the proportion was much lower; it was only 20'25%. In case of the Behra and Dhabi. none occupied the plots offered to them in this colony.
Facton cIetermioiDI the 8e1ectioa of particular coIoRy by ~ peI'IIOIIII with ditlerent antecedeID
It is stated that originally. the officials concerned with the reattlement of the displaced persoDl. bad
the idea that the people hailing from different villagl6 wo~ld be ~ig!led to diffe~ent colonies. according to physIcal prOXlIDlty. For thIs purpose, the villages were roughly grouped into three categories. These arc as follows (Map 4);
(1) Villages to the south of Durgapur and Barhni hillocks-Tarkera, Raghunilthpali. Mahulpali, Bhangamunda Milmili, Jharabahal. Tangrapali. Rourkela. Jharmunda. Bijubandh. Barkani and Udulum.
(2) Villages to the north of Durgapur and Barkani hi1locks-&nlajibherna. Ahirabandh Khariabahal. Uprambahal. Kantajhar. Jhirpani. Hamirpur and TUlllkela.
(3) Villages on the south-western bank of the river Koel-B:inkia. Pardhanpali and BilUUposh.
(4) Villages on the casll!rn bank of (he river Brahmani-Raghunathpali and Chhend and their adjoining villages viz .. Dahiposh and Purnapani.
It was contemplated that the villages belonging to the first. third and fourth categories would bc assigned Jalda ColollY <I11d the villages belonging to the second category would be assigned Jhirp:lI1i Colony for the purpose of resettkment.
It was. however. recognised that though by and large. the above pattern of resettlement was visualised at the official level. the people might have their own ideas. It was. therefore. decided to give opportunity to the people to give their option.
The displaced persons who were interviewed in J~lda Colony stated that option was given with the vIllage as the unit and not the household as the unit. The informants who belonged to different villages stated that in each village. a meeting was held which was addressed by the Zonal Officer,· who gave them the particulars of the resettlement colonies and asked them to indicate their option. After he left. the viI!agers used to carryon discussions among themselves JD gt?uPS and make their choice. More frequently. the village as a whole chose a panicular colony and block; but there were instances where different groups-mostly constiuted on the basis of caste or
·n has been noted earlier that the responsibility of rehabi· litalina the oustees in a satisfactory manner waS vested with tho Deputy CommiSSioner, Land Acquisition and Resettlement. Rourkola. by the Orissa Government. At the time of the survey. hRowever, a Special Officer, Land Acquisition lind Reclamation.
ourkcla. or Rourkela Land Organisation (R. L. 0.) waS deaUna With tho alTain of rehabilitation. This Special Officer was assisted by a numxr of junior officialS mown as Zonal Officer' in c1ilCbaralng his duties. '
29
community, chose different colonies or blocks. Wben asked whether the authorities refused to entertain option given by individual households. the informants stated that very few persons thought of making individual options separate from those of their respective village communities or ethnic groups at that stage.
A look at table 13 would show that out of the 30 villages affected by acquisition. all the resettled households of 18 villages arc found in one of the colonies only; practically all the resettled households of 3 villages arc also found in one colony only. Overwhelming majority of the rcsettkd households of 6 villages are found in one colony. while u small number arc found in one or th~ oth~r colonil!s. Only the hou:ieholds of three old vilbgl.'s are found in considerable numbers ill more than onc colony. The above figures confirm in a gencral munm:r that thc people of old villages opted for resettlement with the village as the unit.
But then the question comes in. how in some cases. households belonging to the same village were distributed in more than one colony.
It seems that at some stage after the initial as· signmel'lt of colonies to dltkrcnt villages. attachment to caste Or COlIIlllWlily. cutting across .. ~clIse of idenlity at thl: village level. began to assert itself. For instalJce. thoug.h. along with the othn cl)·vilhlgers. the Bruhmins of Tumkcla. Tarkera. Durgapur. Purnapani etc. w~re allotted plots at lalda ('ohlllY. most of them later got their allotments transferred to Jhirpani Coh>ny. Out of .Jbollt 3.'\ Br~hlllill hOIN:hnkh of Tumkcla, and 3 BrahlJJin houst'holds of Tarkera. oilly one of' each viU;Jge settled at Jalda. the re,( settled at Jhirpani. All thc Brahmin hou~eh()lds of [)urgapur. Luakcra and Purnapani sdllcd at Jhirpani. One Brahmin infOrrJWllt stated that when the)' came to know that households bdonging to trihal communities like Oraon. Munda. Kharia and Klsan. untouchable casles like Pana al1d also Muslim~ and Christians would settle at JJlda. they preferred to sell Ie at Jhirpani.
It was not only in case of th.: Brahmins that there was a resurgence of communal feeling over the feeling of village unity, but in case of a few other communities also. there WQS such resurgence. For instance. the Muslims living in a number of villages. who were distributed in the different colonies along with their co-villagers. at a later stage preferred to come together and live in the same colony. They were allotted plots in 'A' Block of Jalda Colony.
The officials of RourkeIa Land Organisation (R. L. 0.) statcd that, as far as possible, attempts were made to allot plots to persons hailing from the same village. in the same block with.in the same colony. But it was not always possible to do so. A table showing thc distribution of households. hailing from different villages. in the different blocks of lalda Resettlement Colony is furnished below:
TABLE 14
Distriblltion of households hailing from different ~'iIlages who flllVl! sell led in different blocks of Jalda
Resettlement Colony
SI. No. Name of the village
2
I Bt'.ndposh
2 B'lOkia
3 Barkani
4 Bijubandh
S Bhangamundll
6 Chhend
7 Dahiposh
8 Deogaon
9 Durgapur
10 Ouradehi
II lhllrabahal •
12 Iharmunda
13 Luakera
14 Mahulpall .
15 MLlml1l
16 Pardhanpali
17 Purnapani •
18 Raghunathpa Ii
19 R.ourkela
20 Tanarapali .
21 Tarkera
22 Tumkcla
23 Udutum
Total
No, of households settled in
r------...J..----~ 'A' 'II' 'C'
Block Block Block
3
5
37
3
19
6
9
7
1
3
64
118
178
4
42
10
8
29
5
11
3
S
4
37
4
29
60
~O
12
4~
2
2
76
32
117
14 34
106
215
30
The table shows that people of 23 village. arc found in the three blocks of lalda Resettlemeltt Colony. Out of these 23 villages people of 11 villages are found in only one block. For instance. all the 118 households belonging to the old Rourkela village have settled in 'A' Block. all 32 households belonging to Tangrapali have settled in 'C' Block. Though not all, practically all the households of 2 villages have also settled in the same block. For instance, out of 118 households hailing from Tarkera, 117 have settled in 'C' Block and only 1 has settled in 'A' Block; out of 109 households hailing from Udutum 106 have settled in 'B' Block and 3 in 'A' Block. Overwhelming majority of the households hailing from 3 villages are found in the same block. For instance out of 77 households from Guradehi, 60 havc settled in 'C' Block, 8 in 'B' Block and () in 'A' Block. The households belonging to the remaining 8 villages are distributed in more diversified manner. For instanc(,. out of 140 households hailing from Raghunathpali. 64 are in 'A' Block and 76 arc in 'C' Block. Out of 45 hOijseholds who originally belonged to Durgapur. 6 are in 'A' Block. 10 are in 'B' Block and 29 are in 'C' Block.
In those cases, where people of the same village were found to have settled in different blocks of Jalda Colony, it was examined whether there was caste or communitywise difference in allocation and occupation of plots. A statement indicating the position is furnished at Appendix. II and Ill.
The following case studies will, however. provide more insight:
(i) One Shumij of Udutum was allotted plot in 'C' Block. but he preferred to stay with the people of his own village who were allotted plots in 'B' Block.
(ii) Three households of Udutum liked to settle in Jhirpani Colony. They are Khandait and Raut (Hindus) and did not like to live in'S' Block of Jalda Colony. where Christians were predominant.
(iii) 4 households of Hamirpur preferred to have plots in Jalda 'C' Block, though their covillagers opted to settle in Jhirpani Colony. The reason for their preference for Jaida Colony was that. at the time when decisions were being taken in this matter. con&truction work was going on near Jalda and the persons concerned were employed there. But later on, when they found that employment opportunities had dried up. they wanted to change their option and get plots in Jhirpani Colony where their co-villagers had settled They therefore. did not occupy the plots allotted to them in Jalda Colony. Similar was the position of 29 households of Pardhanpali.
(iv) In case of the household& hailing from Guradehi. the dispersal iD different blocks
was influenced by affiliation of different factions in the old village. The original official plan was to allot plots to all the displaced households of Guradehi in Jalda 'C' Block and the adjoining areas of Jalda 'B' Block. But the leader of one of the factions preferred to settle in J aida 'A' Block. He persuaded his followers also to press for plots in Jalda 'A' Block away from their co-villagers in the other two blocks.
(v) There were two factions in Durgapur-onc was led by the Brahmins. the other by the Gauds. There were Mundas. Kharias and other tribal communitip.s also in the village. The Mundas were closely tied to the Brahmins as farm labourers. The Rrahmins preferred to settle at Ihirpani. specially becaUSe of the proximily of the river. Some of the Mundas also settled along with the Brahmins in Ihirpani. But most of the households belonging to the other faction led by the Gauds settled in lalda 'C' Block. A sma)) splinter from the other faction consisting of 8 Oraon households. however. settled in lalda 'B' Block These Oraons wcrl' Lutheran Christians and likl:d to Jive along with other Lutheran Christians.
(vi) 11 Kisan households hailing from Bankia. Chhend. Iharabahal and Pardhanpali, were offered plots in lalda 'C' Rlock. hut except for one household from Iharabahal none availed of the same. They wanted that all Kisans should be provided with facilities to settle at the same place. They were all allotted plots later on. in lalda 'B' Block.
(vii) The people of Tumkela had opted for Ihirpani Colony. but later on the Purans of the same village wanted Ihat rIots should be allotted to them in Jalda 'C' Block. as the Purans of Tarkera had been allotted plots there.
Selecdon and occupation of plog .. the level of Iodivi· dUll households
45 Plot Schedules were canvassed in lalda Colony. Out of these 45 plots. 39 plots were occupied. 1 was deserted after occupation and 5 were unoccupied.
27 houSeholds stated that they liked the plot~ which were allotted to them. Out of these 27 house~olds. 7 could not give any specific reason why they liked their plots. 7 .households liked the plots be· cause their caste members hailing from the same village were also allotted plots in the nearby areas. 10 households liked their plots because these were situated Dear the market. 3 households liked their plots because these were by the side of the main road.
31
I:! household~ got their original plots changed. Out of these 12 households, 4 stated that thl'Y chang. cd their original plots because they wanted 10 be hy the sides of their own caste or tribe fdlows; 3 stated that they wanted to be near their own relatives: one each gave the following reason: (n) di~tance from the forest from where fuel wood could be collected. (h) distance froll! the plant site. (c) nearness to the burial ground, (d) distance from the house of the leader of the old village on whom thi.! household depended for advice. (e) proximity to the drain and (f) proximity to the "pork eating" tribals.
The five houscholds. who did 110t occupy the plots allotted to them WLTe contaclcd. They gave the following rC.lsons. for their dcf;wlt.
(i) Two hoU"cholds compktcly settkd in recla· mation areas and were not therefore. inter· ested in having plots in resettlement colony.
(ii) Two houst.:holds preferred to stay near the plant site in Rourkclll. The head of one of them was a Khalasi. in the plant. He also carried on some culli,'alion 011 a rIot of land under th~ jurisdiction of old Tarkera vill~ge near the plant. The head of the other household was also working ncar the plant site.
Both these households had constructed temporary hul~ at their presenl place of slay.
(iii) On\.' household IVa, cl)llllllUing to Slay in the old village. as. though its land had been acquired. it had not beel! brought under new usc by H.S.L.
The study of thc desertion of one plot. showed that. in this plot the owner had ~tartcd construction. but without finishing the same went hack to the old village to carryon unauthorised cultivation on land which though acquired by H.S.L. had remained unused.
Extent of change of plots after allotment and the reasons for !loch change
In the officc of the Land Acquisition and Reclamation. Rourkela applications received from 142 households who had been allotted plots in Jalda Colon) and who wanted to shift their plots. could be traced out and studied, It was found that 69 appli. cation~ were for chan!:!~ within the colony and 79 were for change ouL~ide the colony.
The particulars of these applications indicating the grounds on which change of plot'! were sought and the extent for which the same were allowed are fumished in the table on the following page.
32
TABLE IS
Particulars of applications received/rom allottees in la/da/or change of plots within the colonJl
Grounds on which changes were sought/allowed
Unit
Nature of action (received/allowed) in res
pecl of applications
Total No. ofapplications
receivedl allowed
Proximity Proximity of people
of close of same relations caste
Proximity Proximity of
of steel rnar~et plant
Proximity of
forests
Pro:dmity of Away
people! from unof same desirable religion elements
2
-----,--- ._--_ .. ,.-Colony as a whole Applicatioll received
Cha.ngc allowed
'A' Block:
'B' Block
'C' Blo~k
Application received Change allowed
Application received Change al lowed •
Application received Change allowed
3
69 S9
35 30
6 5
28 24
4
29 27
16
IS
3 2
to 10
It is to be noted that out of the 69 applications for change of plots within th~ colony in 50 cases. the people wanted to shift their plots for social reasons like desire to be in proximity of close relations. caste fellows. co-religionists and to live away from undesirable elements; only in 19 cases, changes were sought
5
13 12
6 6
7
6
6
2 2
2
2
7
8 1
1 4
8
9 3
7 4
9
s , 2 2
2 2
10
3 3
3 3
on economic grounds and for physical conveniences. viz., proximity of market, steel plant and forest. In 59 cases. the applications were favourably disposed off. The ground which found least favour was proximi~y of forests. Out of the 9 applications seeking change on this ground. only 3 were allowed.
TABLE 16
Particulars of applications receil'ed(rom allollees in lalda Colony for change ofplolS 10 Jhirpani Colony
Grounds on which changes were sought/allowed Total r- - .... No. of Proximity Proximity Proximity Proximity
appliea- Proltimity of of of of N (lure of action (re- lions re- of people people people Scarcity agrieul- Proximity ccived/allowed) in res- ceived/ close of same of same of same of tural of
Unit P!ct of application3 allowed relation Casto religion village water arci town
reason, viz. scarcity of water, proximity of agricultural land. proximity of town. In almost all cases, the cUnges were allowed. Only 'in 6 cases, these were not allowed. Out of these 6 cases in 2 cases change was wanted on the ground of desire to live in proximity of the people of the same caste. in 3 cases it was wanted on the ground of scarcity of water at the site of tho existing plot and in one case it was wanted on the ground of desire to live nearer the town.
CompeIIIItioo received by the people and manner of udIiIation of tbe 8IDle
By the end of 1956. the Government had paid compensation amounting to Rs. 9.117.279.05 P. to the displaced persons. Out of the above amount Rs. 1.216,581'25 P. were paid as compensation for houses and buildings and the rest were paid as compensation for agricultural lands, tTees and other effects.
Particulars of allotment of lands to the displaced pa~r~holders.,'" ilil tielu oe the l:ands acqui~l:d from them. will be furnished latcr on. Herc only cash compensation will be taken into consideration.
The rates on which compensation was paid have been noted earlier in Chapter TIT. The actual compensation for houses and other effects varies from Rs. 200(. to Rs. 2.000(- depending on their si7_e and materials used in construction. In all cases, the assessment was made by the Zonal Officer. He was helped by the village headman and other leading personalities of the village.
Ouring a number of group discussions. the displaced persons were asked whether they were satisfied with the compensation that they actually received. Individually also. this question was placed to a number of persons. It appears that. by and large. the people were satisfied with the compensation that they received for their houses and other asscts. In fact. many of them stated that tbe Oovernment was quite liberal in this matter.
Many people were not. however. satisfied about the amount paid as compensation for agricultural land.
It is significant that there were not many complaints of corruption in the disbursement of compensation. Sociolo~ically. it is perhaps not just a matter of accident. The solidarity displayed by village community. in this area when confronted with the prospect of complete disruption of their economic and social life, might have been an prophylactic factor in this matter.
It should not be construed from the above that there was no corruption. There were. But it appears that it was much less. than what it could have been. had the people not tried to face the new situation in an organised manner.
33
·Tenant. who besides having the riaht to till the land can &lao mortpp Or sell tile mase. He Ilas to pay tbe land revenue.
Another important matter should also be kept in view in this connection. Though. the people were confronted with a new situation, by and large. the leadership for organised action, rested with the local traditional leaders. At a later stage. in some places new leader or leaders from outside also appeared on the scene. But they did not supplant the old leaders; they only supplemented the same. It is difficult to say whether the old lead.:rs were always efficient or effective. But through them the tradition of social responsibility. which is inherent in village community life. asserted itself. This development certainly helped to keep corruption within limit.
It is now proposed to examine how did the people sp~nd the mOlley rccciwd hy them as compensation. An attempt will be malic tn gain some insight through a few caSe studies.
4 Bhumijs. 1 Tanti and Oruon hailing from Guradehi. Tarkew 'lnd Mahulpali village. who were resettled in lalda Colony. decided to jointly purchase 37 acres of land at Donai. 'n'e price was fixed at Rs. 11.000(- and they paid Rs. 5.S00;-. But when the dced was to be finalis<:d. it was detectcd that the party selling the land was not a genuine one and that they had been cheated.
5 Onions hailing from Purnapani, who were resettled in Ihirpani Colony. did not know what they could do with the money received by them as compensation. As they were hahituated to heavy drink. ing, they arprchend~d that if they kept the money with themselves, they would spend it out. They there. fore. aPl'foachcd a tnlst~lI person to assist them in dcpositing the money in post-office. That person promised to do the needful and received the money from them. Later on it was detected that he had misused the trust. Neither did he deposit thc money, nor dill he return it to the persons concerned.
A Tanti. hailing from another village kept with the t:anju of his village Rs. 500/- which was received by him as compensation, He never got back the amount.
It is alleged that number of half-educated persons belonging to the area. tried to take advantage of the ignorance of the people-sp:cially the tribal people~and misled them in the matter of spending the money received as compensation. Except in ca~e of the' Catholic Christian'i, there was hardly any orga· nised effort worth the name to protect the people from the clutches of unscrupulous persons.
For the Roman Catholics only. Catholic Cooperative Society with headquarters at Samhal)1llr. was in operation in the region. Its branch office was situated at Harr.irpur. Most of the Catholics. became its memo ber and deposited with the Society at least a part of the t'.mount received by them as compensation.
It seems that most of the persons tried to put. chase agricultural lands with their compensation money. Rut as noted earlier. sometimes they wero cheated. Even then they felt that this was the safest
field in which they could invest their money; as othel fields were practically unknown to them. An educated Lahar of Guradehi, startl?d a restaurant, but could not earn much. A numbcr of persons were drawn towards transport business and purchased trucks. Bul in most cases they lost their money. Among the persons who came to grief in this venture mention may be made of the gail}!' of Guradehi, a Kurmi of Milmili and two Christian Oraons of Tangrapali.
Instances of successful investment in business are provided hy twelve Muslims of lalda 'A' Block. They started grocery shops. cycle-repairing shops, cloth shops and tailoring establishments. At the time of the survey, they were having flourishing business.
Many persons in contact with the displaced persons for a long time. pointed out that there were also certain evil consequences of payment of compensation in cash. For instance, ostentatious expenses in connection with marriagc and other ceremonies had gone up. Many had also purchased luxurious goods like wrist watche~. gold ornaments etc. Drinking of alcoholic liquor hact also gone up. The liquor vendor of Jalda Colony stated that sale of liquor in 1958-59. when people got cash compensation was much higher than that in 1963. when the survey was conducted. The most ~crious harm, that cash compensation did to many, was that it made them apathetic towards work.
It is alleged that as long as they had cash in hand. a good number of persons did not seriously try for regular employment under H,S.L. At best they would undertake occasional work under contractor~. The disparity in the wage rates under the H.S.L. and the contractors, helped to sustain this attitude. The wage rate under the H.S.L. at that timc was Rs. 1.50 P. and under the contractors it was Rs. 2.00 P. per day.
Many liked to work occasionally for higher wage under contractors and to while away their time by gossiping and drinking liquor on the days on which they did not have any work.
Particul8l'S oE other facilities provided to the displaced penotlS who settled in resettlement colonies
Among the other facilities provided to the displaced persons, mention is to be made of subsidy for construction of house. transit camp facility and transport facility. 111cir details arc furnished below:
(a) SII!Jsidy for constructinn of hOllses-1t has been mentioned earlier in this Chapter that two types of subsidies were paid to the displaced persons~one was subsidy for construction of new houl'~s. the other was subsidy for reclamation of agricultural land in reclamation areas. The particulars in respect of tpe second type of subsidy would be furnished while discussing the condition of the reclamation areas.
As regards housing subsidy. it is to be noted that its amount varied from Rs. 100/- to Rs. 400/- depend-
34
ing upon the type of house that the recipient of the subsidy owned in the old village.
The payment of housing subsidy started in 19~5. The responsibility for its disbursal rested with tho Special Officer, Rourkela Land Organisation.
In each case, the subsidy was paid only after the old hOUse was acquired and the household concerned had started evacuation. In away, it was an inducement for speedy evacuation, after the acquisition of the house,
A table giving the amount of housing subsidy disbursed to the displaced persons. till the end of Arril 1963. is furnished below:
S!. No.
2 3
TABLE 17
Amount of housing subsidy disbursed till rhe end of April, 1963
It is to be noted that though housing subsidy was made available after actual evacuation. generally. it ~ given we]] in advance of compensation paid for immovable assets.
(b) Transit camp facility--Bcfore the displaced persons were actually evacuated. a number of transit camps were set up by the Government, so that, after Jeavmg their homes. the persons concerned could stay in these camps and construct their own houses (III
their respective plots. Two such transit camps were constructed in lalda 'C' Block. One of the c:lmps ',vas near the present market site. It consisted of 20 temporary sheds in a single row. The other camp was on the southe.liil side of the block. I t consisted of j 5 temporary sheds. TIlt':se temporary sheds were made of bamboo and thatching grass.
Many people, however. did oot avail of the facio lity of transit camp. GenaaJly, persons whose plots were very close to the sites of the transit camps stayed in the camps for a maximum period of two months when -their houses were being constructed. Others set up temporary shelters on portions. of their respective plots and con!>tructed permanent houses on other portions.
(c) Tramport facility .. .. The displaced persons were provided with free transport facilities for reIllovlllg their belongings from their old home~ to th~ resett.I~. ment colonies. They were also prOVided With faclhties for carrying housing materials fmlll the old sitt:~. to the new sitcs. Tmcks for the abow purposes \Ver~~ requisitioned through the villagc headman.
B. RECLAMATION AREAS
Names of reclamation areas The Orissa Government press note of 1955, about
which mention has been made earlier, promised. that requisite amount of forest land would be reclalmcd and leased out to those displaced persons, who would like to be rehabilitated in agriculture. It was further indicated that such lands would be within the command areas. of minor irrigation projects and th~t facilities for constmction of houses would be prOVided to persons who would settle in the reclamation areas.
In pursuance of the above press note, 15 recJam~tion areas were operated by the Government. Particulars of the same have already been furnishcd.
Out of the 15 reclamation areas. 9 were situated in reserved forest areas and the rest were situated in khasra or village forests'.
The reclamation areas situated in reserve forests are as follows:
Amgaon. mundajharan. Hatidharsa. Silikutla. Champajharan, Gohmi. Kacharu. Raghudhara and Sukuda.
Following are the reclamation areas situated in Khasra or village forests:·
Kadtibahal, Tainsar. Ratolcendubharna. Barta-gutu, Sanlcarla and Usn.
35
P~on of Md Before July 1956, R.L.O. could not take posses
sion of any of the above areas. This delay in getting control of reclamation sites by R.L.O. seem to have influenced the subsequent course of events considerably.
Much berorc the R.L.O. clluld start work on reclamation <la'as, thL: n:sdtkllll'nt colonit's near Rourkela had been set up and the evacuation of the people from the old villages hud started. Hence the displaced persons either shifted to the resettlement colonies or made their private arrang~l11ents. Had the facilities in the reclamation ~Ireas been available at tllat time, perhaps many of them would have moved 10 the reclamation areas. It seems that the timc lag was the crucial factor in that situation.
As the bulk of Ihe porulution sellled in the resettlemcnt colonies nl'ar Rourkl'la, it was not possible for them to carry 1I1l agrieultur:tl pursuits- their tradi~ tional occupation even if they wanted to do Sll. At that time construction work in till' sted plant was in full swing and many of them began to work as labourers cithcr umkr H.S.L. or under contractors, Thus they gained exrcrience in a new field and t.e~t,cd a new way of life. Hencc, when the facliJtIes of cultivation in reclamation are;]s were available to them, manv of them became less cnthusiastic about the same, ihan what they Wl'l'C when they were lirst confronted with the possihility of displace'lIIent frolll their old villages.
It would. how~V('r. he wrong to con~ilkr that the above factor exerciscd the greatest influencc in detcrmining the pattern of response of the displaced persons to the programme of their resettlement in reclamation areas. There were other important factors as well which will be considered, in this chapter. But bcfo'rc that. the det:Ji!s of allotment of land and (he actual extcnt of thcir utilisation of the same, would be furnished.
According to official records of R.L.O. 2,285 holdIngs wcrc acquired by thc Government. An~ong them 790 holdings had only f:oru land~. Accordmg to the policy decision tahn hy the Govcrnmcnt. n() land in lieu of J~()ra land. acquired from the people. was to he allotted. Leaving out of the hou~cholds, which owned r:ora land only, lands in lieu of the Bahal, Mal and B/wrt1a hinds acquired, werc to he allotted to 1 J~6, palta holders, owning about 7,700 a.cres of land. DI~tribution of these pall{l-Iwldcrs, hy Sl1c~groups of their holdings is indicated below:
Size-group of holdings (in acres)
LeS! than I . 1-10 •
MC're than 10. Un' pecified .
No. of pallaholderS
2
132 677 373 IS4
Aereaee of land available and its 8IlIotmeDt to the ... placed households
As against 1.495 households, which had claims for allotment of lands in the reclamation areas. 1.393 households were allotted lands by the end of 1962.
In addition to allotment of land. the rehabilitation programme provided for grant of reclamation subsidy. at the tlat rate of Rs. 200/- per acre. It was to be made available in two equal instalments. The first instalment was to be paid. when the work for reclamation was startcd; the second instalment was to be paid after the Zonal Officer was satisficd that thc felling of trees on the lands and other reclamation work were over.
A table giving village-wise number of pattadars whose lands wcrc acquircd: who wcre allotted lallds and subsidies and actually took possession of the lands is furnished below:
TADLE 18
Village-wise distribution o/pat ta holders whose lands were acquired alld "110 were allot led lands in reclamation areas
No. No. No. of of of holdingg
holdings holdings to whose No. that whom flll/wi. of took full
Mal or holdings posses- sub-BItt'l'IIa who sion of sidy
Name of llid villagc lands ,",cre lands has Sl. from ",here hOlls~holds were! allot tcd allotted been No. were displaced acquired lands to them given
2 3 4 S 6 ---,._-------- ,. '-----_-. . _._-
Gliradehi 45 43 42 3S
2 Tarkera 84 79 49 11
3 Deogaon 41 38 2R 4
4 Bhangamllnda 23 22 5 4
S Jharmunda 22 21 10
6 Ahirabandh 26 26 II 6
7 Milmili 23 22 19 9
8 Bijubandh 19 19 17 7
9 Saniajibherna 17 17 12 9
10 Dahiposh 17 17 8 2
11 Tangrapali 38 34 27 6
12 Kantajhar • 52 47 24 2
13 Mahulpali . 37 32 18 S
14 Jharabahal . 30 27 24 13
IS Bandposh 32 30 11 4
16 Raghunathpali 92 89 24 10
17 Barkani 75 70 61 17
18 Tumkcla IS3 143 90 9
36
TABLE 18
Village-wise distribution of paUa holders whose lands w,l're acquired and who were a/rotted lalld in reclamation areas -Concld.
2 3 4 S 6
19 Bankia 44 40 3
20 Uprambahal 22 22 IS 3
21 Chhend 71 65 24 2
22 Hamirpur 62 59 15 2
23 Khariabahal 24 24 9 3
• 24 Jhirpani 36 33 16 4
25 Pardhanpali 14 13
26 Luakera 61 57 38 10
27 Udutum 75 70 57 20
28 Purnapani 91 82 7 2
29 Durgapur 5<) 45 14 3
30 Rourkela 110 107 51 20 -_._----
Total 1.495 1,393 729 223 -------- ._--_"--- -_ .. --------------
The above table shows that out of the displaced patta holders of 30 villages. all the patta holders of only 6 villages were allotted lands in the reclamation areas. In other villages, varying proportions of the total number of palla holders were allotted lands. In total. 94';{. of the displaced palla holders were aUotted lands.
But out of the 1,393 households who were allotted lands. only 729 households took possession of their respective lands. ' Out of these 729 households again, only 223 households fully reclaimed the lands allotted to them and availed of thc reclamation subsidies in full. In other words, by thc end of ] 962. only 16% of the total number of allottees, made full use of the facilities made available to them in the reclamation arcas.
Here, it is to be noted that. the extent of full utilisation of the facilities in the reclamation areas varied from villagc to vilbge. The maximum proportion of full utilisation was found among the allottee! hailing from the village Guradchi. Here, out of 45 displaced households 43 were allotted lands and out of these 43, 42 took possession of the lands allotted to them. Again. out of the 42 households. that took possession of lands. 35 households completed the reclamation work and availed of the subsidies. to the full. In other words 81 'X, of the allottees fully utilised the facilities provided to them.
If considered in terms of acreage of land rather than number of displaced households. it is found that out of 5,117'22 acres of land allotted to the displaced households of different villages, 4.041,39 acres of land were taken possession of. and out of the latter again only 1.488'63 acres of land were actually brought under the plough. ..
A table iDdicatina a~e of. land available in each of the reclamation centres, ac:rease allotted to diJpJac:cd pcl'IOD-. acrea,o actually occupied by the
37
TABLB19
displaced persona. acreap brouaht UDder cultivatioa and also the number of housebolda involved. is furnished below:
Partlculll1'a ojrlciomatlon III'l!aalndlCtltlnt IDlal Qcf'tage of /01Jd, acreage al/Dlled to displaced [Jerso1l3. acr~ actually occupied, acreage brourht under cultlY4tlon and number of households livilrl in reclanJ4tio1l QTtQS
Total
51. aeroalc 01
land No. Reclamation area availablc
2 3
Amgaon 2,211'00
2 U1undajharan 345'00
3 Hatidharsa 1,3.5"00
4 Silikutta 1,002'25
5 Champlijbaran 332'40
6 Gohmi 497'52
1 Kacharu 91'12
8 Raghudbara 91'91
9 Sukuda 140'"
10 Kadlibah.t J 68'8.5
11 Tainsar 187'16
12 Ratokendubhcrna . 117'48
13 Bllrtagotu 232'22
14 Sankarla 92'82
IS Usra 326'11
Total 7,091'65
It can be noticed from the above table, that proportionately largest extent of land was brought under cultivation in Champajharan reclamation area. where out of total 332.40 acrea of land 323.42 acres were allotted to displaced persons and as much as 309'47 acres were actually cultivated. Number of ~ouseho)ds actually living in the area was also proportIonately quite high. 24 out of the 40 households to whom allotments were made. actually lived in the area at the time of the survey.
In terms rA the largest number of households Rttled in any reclamatioa area. AmpOll stood first. Here 74 hOUlehcMa were settled. Most of. them belong to the Kurmi caste. It is said that they availed of the aaricukural facilitiea in Iarpr number, because being
,_, 1..0. 1a4iaI'7
No. Acreqeor orboUM-
Acroap or laud ACfC&lC 01 No. of hold. ac-land actually land hOUieboldl tuallta
allotted to oocupied by broUl!:t to whom lIviD1 displaced displaced un er allotmcnt reelama-persons persons cultivation was madc tion ar~a
4 5 6 7 8
1.829'10 1,631'2.5 400'30 260 74
265'64 219'42 84'49 37 7
910'20 335'87 "'11 56 8
589'44 498'53 369'69 a5 31
323'42 323'24 309'41 40 24
318'99 311H~9 56'64 58 7
89,60 8!Jj'60 62'13 24 1
82'93 77,90 1.5'94 11 -109'18 108'.52 0'.54 16
~3'97 ~3'97 17,.57 11
117'78 160'78l 91'20 41
77'20 70'20 14
31'71 24'95 14'67 4
9'42 8'97 0'34 2
188'64 .59'20 8·48 11
5,117·.ZZ ".041'391 1,481'63 676 153
fairly good in caste structure, they did not go in for industrial labour. much.
In terms of proportionate utilisation of availab~e land. for cultivation. the achievement of Amgaon IS not. however. very satisfactory. Out of 2.211.00 acres of land available in the area 1.829.10 acres bad been allotted to the displaced persona. Out of tho latter again, only 400·30 acres were brought under cultivation.
It is iutet'Csting to note that in many caw, though the lands were brought Wlder cultivation. tbe ,nottees eoD~meC did not actually live in the reclamation areas. For inJtance one Nal bailin, from Ouradelli. who had settled in Jalda 'A: Bklek. stated that due to old age he could not go to the reclamation area at ChampajbaraD. and do the bard job of ree1atDltioD fA
th= land allotted to him. He had therefore. given his land to a Munda who had settled at Champajharan. to reclaim the land and cultivate it on share-cropping basis. Similarly. a Kumhar hailing from the village Uprambahal had leased out the land allotted to him in Silikutta reclamation area to a Raotia. on share cropping basis. At Amgaon 19'78 acres of land and at Silikutta 8·00 acres of land had been sold by the allottees to others. Such transactions were. however. considered to b~ unauthorised. At the time of the
l8 present survey R.L.O. was conaidcring the action to t'"
be taken about these.
Faclors for the noo-utilization of facilities available'" II reclamatiloo .eM An attempt was made to get some idea through
actual case studies about the factors responsible for the non·utilisation of the facilities available in the reclamation area by a large number of displaced house· holds. For this purpose 29 households were specially studied in Jalda Colony. Their particulars are furnished in the tablc below.
TABLE 20 Utilization of reclamation area facilities by various households belonging to different vii/ages and ethnic groups
No. 0 No. of househo-
No. of No. of households Ids that Total house- Name of house- that did not
No. of holds reclamation holds availed availed house- 10 whom area where to whom of facili· of facill· holds Doland land has land ty in re- ty in re-
Sl. Interview- has been been has been clamation clamation No. Village of origin Caste or tribe ed
2 3 4 -----
Iharabahal . Oraon 3 Bhumij •
2 Raghunathpali Munda. 2
Mah:Jlpali . Munda • 2
4 Tarkers Munda. I
Kumhar 1 Puran . 3
5 Udutum Munda. Bhumij • I Kisan . 2
6 Dcalaon Oraon
7 Bhanpmunda Oraon 2
8 Barkanl Gaud
9 Chhond Munda. 5
10 Ahirabandh . Oraon
11 Pumapanl , Oraon • Bhumij •
Total Z9
The table shows that no agricultural land in reclamation areas was allotted to 11 households. out of the 29 households specially studied. These 11 households belonged to different villages. viz., Jbarabahal. Raghunathpali. T8:rbera, Chllend. Udutum. Qeogaon. Bhangamunda, Ahirabandh and Pumapani. But on the other hand a number of households, belonging to most of above villages, were allotted lands in different reclamation areas.
allotted allotted
S 6
Hatidharsa Siliicutta
2
Amgaon Sililculta
Amgaon Amgaon Gohmi.
Amgaon Amgaon
2
Amgaon
Amsaon Silikutta
Hatidharsa
11
aUot ted area
7
2
1 1 2
2
3
18
8
area
9
5
2
1 1
3 1
1
u
Out of the 18 households. who were allotted lands in reclamation areas. only 5 households availed of the facilities and 13 did not. These 13 households stated that they had tried to reclaim the lands alloued to them., but found that the lands were not suitable. These places were situated in hilly terrains 8.Ild the amount of subsidy given to reclaim such lands was Dot adequate.
Out of the S households who availed of reclamatU>n facilities. the head of one Munda household hailing fi'om Mahulpali. which has settled in JaIda Colony. stated that though. he had not gone to the reclamation area, his father. father's brother's son etc. had settled there. In the old village, the land ownership rights were in the name of his father's brother. In the reclamation area also. land was allotted in the name of his father's brother. But this being a joint property. he had a share in it. He was contributing to the cu]th:atioD expenses in the reclamation area and if necessary, he could draw upon the income from cultivation. The heads of another three households also stated that they had constructed houses both in the resettlement colony and the reclamation areas and that their family members were living in both the places.
During various group discussions with the dis. placed persons. an enquiry was made, whether the various households were given opportunities. to indicate their options for allotment of agricultural lands in the different reclamation areaS'. It was admitted by all. that each household was free to indicate its preference for one of the 15 reclamation areas.
Though the allotment of lands in the rec1amution areas started in 1957. the people were asked to indicate their preference much earlier. Most of them visited different reclamation are~ and made their choice.
It appears that the choices were influenced by two factors. viz. proximity of kins and members of the same caste or tribe. Unlike in case of resettlement colony. solidarity of the village appears to have been a Jess important factor in the matter of selection of reclamation areas. For instance. though the Bhumij families of Iharabahal and Milmili village had opied for Jalda 'C' Block, along with the majority of their co-villagers. belonging 'to other communities. they preferred to avail of the agricultural facilities en block in the reclamation centre at Silikutta. On the other hand, the Oraons of the same viUages. preferred to go to Hatidharsa Reclamation Area. It is reported that all the Oraons of Tumkela. Luakera, Purnapani. Jhirpani. Milmili. Ahirabandh. wanted to be allotted agricultural lands en block at Silikutta or Hatidharsa Reclamation Areas, though they succeeded to a limited extent only. On the other hand. on the advice of some leaders from Ranchi. the Mundas of the above villages preferred to live away from the Oraons. Sometimes. the people gave negative choice. For instance. the Lohars of Guradehi. wanted to settle. in any reclamation area outside Champajharan. where the majority of their co-villagers had settled. They were guided by the consideration that they were opposed to the ganju of their old village. who had settled at Champajharan.
PIlIticaIan of two ............... Detailed studies of the rehabilitation pattern were
made in two centres. viz., Silikutta and Otampajharan. Both the places were situated inside reserved forest area Of Bonai Sub-division. In 1957. the lands under tbe jurisdiction of these two areas wen: dereserved.
Si1ikutta Reclamation Area is situated at a distance of 90 kilomems south of Rourkela. There is a fair weather motorablo road from Rourkela to Tamara.
headquarters of Tamara Forest Sub-division. The distance from Rourkela to Tamara is about 70 kUometree. From Tamara upto Bonaikela. a distance of about 10 kilometres is not so smooth. From Bonaikela to Sili· kutta a foot-track goes through dense forest. At many places. the foot-track disappears on barren rocks.
The nearest villages from Silikutta are Tombai and Mandalia-each situated at a distanco of about 3 kilometres. The area which has been marked out as the jurisdiction of Silikutta Reclamation Area. was pre. viously considered to be the forest area of Tombai village. The adjoining forest is known as Rusimath (abode of hermit) forest. It is so called. as it is believed that. centuries ago. a hermit used to stay here.
Champajharan Reclamation Area is 43 kilometres. south-east of Rourkela. Buses ply upto 32 kilometres on Rourke1a-Bonai Road, from Rourkela. The remaining 11 kilometres are covered bY a bridle·path. whic)l passes through dense forest. Bullock cart and cycle can ply on this bridle-path.
The nearest village is Barghat. It is situated 4 kilometres,south of the residential area of the reclamation centre. The area of the reclamation centre is bounded by Jhirpani hills on the north and by Brahmani river on the south and the west. The local people cal the reclamation area site as Ihirpani as it is situated al the foot of Jhirpani hills.
The forests surrounding the centre are covered with sal. bija, tendu and karam trees. The settlers are allowed to make use of tho torest fiora upto the height df S ft.
Lands were allotted to 85 households at Silikutta and 40 households at Champajharan. Out of tbem only 27 household~ of Silikutta ~~. 24 households of Champajharan avaIled of the faCllltles. The particulars of the households that Iwere allotted lands and that availed of the same aro furnished in the table below with reference to their community and vilJagc of origin.
TABLE 21
PartlcultU's 01 householtls by ethnIc grOtlpS and ~vl11alll of origin to whom land had been allotted in 5llikutt" and ChampajMran Reclamation Areas and who are
actually living there
No. orhouscholds to
whom Caltc lands
'. or Village of have beell trifle orllin allotted
No. or boulebold, ac
tually IlvtlJl iJltfie
reeJamatloJl area -------------------- --------2
A. SiUkutta kIM'". Area I Oraoa Udutum .
Upnmbahal PumapuI • ~i.blMt
3
1 3 I
4
1 1 2
TABLE 21 Particulars of households by ethnic groups and villages of origin to whom land had been allotted in Silikurta and Champajharan Reclamation Areas and who are actually
living there-Coneld.
2 3 4
A. SiUkaU. ReclamatloD Area-concld. 1 Oraon-- cone/d.
The above table shows that in Silikutta Reclamation Area, agricultural lands were allotted to 8S households belonging to 7 cODlDlupities. Tho names of these 7 communities. the Dumber of bouseholds belonging
2
40
to each of these communities. to wbom JandI were allotted and the number of households who actUlJ settled in the area, are indicated in the table below.
TABLE 22
CommUllity-wise break·up of the hou.reholds 10 whom land was allotted and who have actually settled In
It Is found from the above that out of the 85 households only 27 households and out of 7 communities only 5 communities settled in the reclamation area.
Tile 85 households to whom lands had been allotted hailed from 18 villages: out of them 21 households belonging to 11 villages settled in the reclamation area of Silikutta. For convenience the particulars in respect of the above villages are consolidated and restated as follows:
TABLE 23
A.lIotment of land in Silikutta Reclamation Area and the number of households actually settled with
reference to the vjllage of origin
Name of the 'IiI1. from where haiUnIl
Udutwn Upnmbahal . ,unapllDi
No. of house
holds to wbom
agricultural land was allotted in re
clamaticn area
2
2 <4 I
No. or boUle· holds
actually settled in re-
clamation area
3
2 1
TABLE 23 Allotme,.t of land in Si!ikutta Reclamation Area arad the number of households aClually settled with
The above table shows that the village from where the largest number of households were allotted land and settled in the area is Milmili. 8 households hailing from this village settled in Silikutta Reclamation Area and all these 8 households are Bhumij. Here it is to be noted that Bhumij is the single majority community in the reclamation area, with 12 out of 27 resettled households. These facts are of significance for determiniIl! the structure of influence and power in the emergent community lile of Silikutta.
In Champajharan Reclamation Area. agricultural lands were allotted to 40 households belonging [0 6 communities. The particulars of aUotment of land to these communities. and the number of households belongin~ to them. that actually settled in the centre are furnIShed in the table below.
TABLE 24 Community-wise break-up of the households to whom land
was allotted in Champajharan Reclamation Area and who have actually settled there
Caste or tribe
Bhumlj &isan Lobar Munda Nai Tanti
ToIIII
No. of households 10 whom landa were allot-
ted
2
20 2 1
12 2 3
...
No. or households actually settled in the
area
3 -, .. _". __ .. ~ ... -------
14 2 1 6 I
24
2
2
8
41
It is found from the above table that except for one community. viz .• Tanti. households belonging to all the communities. that were allotted lands. actually SCIJlcd in Champajharan Reclamation Area.
The 40 households who were allotted Jands iii this reclamation area hailed from 5 villages and 24 households that actua)]y settled hailed from 3 villages. The particulars in respect of the above villages are consolidated and restated as follows:
TABLE 25
Allotment of land ill Champajharan Reclamation Area and the number of households actually sell led wilh
reference to the "iIlage 0/ origin
Name of the village from where hailing
Guradehi .
Deogaon
Tarkera
Rourkela •
Bhao81lmunda
Total
No. or households to whom agricultural land was allotted in the rec-
c1amation area
2
34
2
2
40
No· of households that actually settled in
the reclamation arci
3
20
2
2
The above table shows that this reclamation area has been practically inhabited by the people from one village. namely Guradehi. Out of the 24 households settled in the centre. 20 hailed from this village. Out of these 20 again. 12 belonged to a single community. viz., Bhumii. the remaining 8 belonged to three communities. viz .• Lohar. Munda and Nai.lt therefore, seems that both tribe or caste solidarity and village solidarity played some role in choice of the reclamation area. Further it is obvious from the above facts. that sorbe of the social processes in the old village of Guradehi. would continue to influence the social pr0-
CHAPTER V SOCIAL PROCESSES IN VILLAGES WHICH CONTINUE TO EXIST IN SPITE OF
THE NOTICE OF EV ACUA TlON It bas been reported earlier in Chapter IV that 41
households of Deogaon and 1 household of Hamirpur. resisted evacuation. on the ground that they were connected with Hindu and Christian reJigious institutions. Besides the above households. in these two villages. a number of households hailing from Chhend. Luakera. Bankia. Pardhanpali. Barkani. Durgapur. Raghunathpali. Tumkela. Tarkera. Deogaon. Hamirpur. Tangr~pali. Bijubandh and Iharabahal had gone back to theIr original villages after being formally evacuated.
It was possible for them to go back to their old villages. because. long after they haa vacaled the lands. H.S.L. had not made use of the same. After returning to the old villages, the households. concerned had constructed temporary huls for their living and resumed cultivation of available Land.
A rapid study of the social processes in two villages. viz., Chhend and Deogaon was made in connection with the present investigation.
The particulars are .furnished below:
A. CHHEND
LocatioD of the -riDage and other prelimmary daia
The village Chhend is situated on the eastern bank of the river Brahmani. just near the confluence of Sankh and Koel rivers. Small hillocks separate the village from Rourkela town and Uditnagar in South. Raghunathpali Police Station and Rourkela Jail are <.It a distance of about I kilometre from the village. Howrah-Bombay railway line passes thro~gh the w~stcr.n part of the village and Pan posh Railway Sta.tlOn IS
hardly 1 kilometre in the south west of the vJilage.
Before the introduction of the steel project. many persons from Chhend were employed as labourers in a stone quarry located at a distance of about 1·50 kilometres. north of the village.
At present. the steel plant has been installed at a distance of 4 kilometres. south-east of the village; Jalda Colony, where most of the households hailing from this village. were allotted plots. is situated within a distance of 6 kilometres south of the village.
In 1956. 135 households out of 213 households in the village agreed to vacate. Out of these 135 households 119 were allotted plots in JaIda ·C. Block. 8 in JaJda 'A'. . Block. 3 were allotted plots in ]hirpani Colony on their own request. The remaining 5 hcusp.holds made their own arrangements for rehabilitation cd did not want any plot to be allotted to them.
Only 40 households, out of tbose who were dotted plata in Ute mettJ.ement colonies. ultimately
43
settled in the colonies; the rest either 1>cttled elsewhere or went back to Chhend. In fact most of them weat baek to Chhend. but their eXllet number could not be ascertained during the rapid survey.
Circumstan.ctcs of the viUa&e cootilluioc to eDIt ia ~ of noric-e of evacuation
Before displacement of households. the village wu divided into a number of hamlets. which were not close to one another. The names of the hamlets were Baghbudi. Ruputola. Mundatola and Pujaripara.
In 1956, lands of the tirst time hamlets wero reo quisitioned. Plljaripara was acquired in 1957. as it was at some distance from the area immediately required for the project.
TllOugh. the requisition notices were issued in 1956. all the lands wcre not acquired at a time. First of all. the residents of Baghbudi were asked to vacate. as til:: area covered by this hamlet. was immediately required. At Baghbudi, there were about SO Munda households. they preferred to settle at 'aida 'C Block. Most of them vacated the village and shifted to Jalda 'C' Block. But some shifted to adjoining villages Iik.e Panposh. which were not acquired at that time. Again some. after moving to lalda 'C' Block. came back to the villuge and began te stay in temporary huts. Some shifted to the quarry siding of the Tatas.
Gradually. all the requisitioned areas of the village were acquired. As indicated earlier. the people concerned were olfered resettlement facilities in the colonies. But whereas. in case of the first batch of the displaced persons belonging to Baghbudi. most of the households had availed of the offers. ilJ case of the subsequent batches of [he displaced persons belonging to the otha hamlets. the enthusiasm for availing of the resettlement facilities offered by the Government had much waned down. Most of them shined to Jhopdies (temporary shelters made of bamboo and grass) near the quarry side of the Tatas and the unacquircd village of P&nposh. In this way they could earn their livelihood by workin, in the quarry; also they could carry on some cultivation on lands which though acquired. remained to be brought under new use by living in the nearby viUase Panposh.
Mostly. the households belonging to the Munds and Oraon tribes shifted to the resettlement colonies. The households belonging to the other communities like the Kharia. Lobar. Kisan. Tanti and Teli did QOt s)t:i't to the colonies. They either moved to the qu~ side of tbe Taw and Panposh village or made tbear own arrangements.
As Doted earlier, many of those who avaUed <11 the OOVffllment facilities of rehabilitation. later returned to the villaae. Main _IOn for their retUI'D to
the old village. was their disappointment about the prospects of employment opportunities in the colonies. They expected that on their settlement in the resettlement colonies. they would find ample opportunities of work in the steel plant. But many of them found in course of time that the steel plant did not need them. At the most, they could get- some works under contractors; but about such works their experiences were not always happy. On the other hand, they found that a large portion of the land acquired for H.S.L. had not been put to any new use. They, therefore. decided to carry on unauthorised cultivation on such lands. In many cases, the entire family left the colony and went back to the old village; again in many cases a part of the family went back to the old vjllage and another part remained in the colony.
CIIIDp in "rilJage layoot and land utilisation pattern
Before acquisition of its land. the old village covered an area of 1,416'66 acres. out of which 1.032 a(;res were under cultivation. about 180 acres were cultivable fallow, about 100 acres consisting of a hillock in the south of the village were uncultivable fallow and the rest were village abadi or residential area.
There was no forest in the village; the hillock mentioned above was barren. At the northern fringe of the hillock. was the sartta or sacred grove of tne village.
As mentioned earlier. the river Brahmani flew by the western side of the village. There were separate burial grounds and cremation grounds for different communities. on the bank of the river. There were six wells and three tanks in the village. There was no shop or no place for marhting.
After acquisition. the erslwhik residential areas of Baghbudi and Ruputola have been used by the Government of Orissa as the sit(:s for the newly constructed jail and one wing of the Technical Training Institute respectively. On some portions of the agricultural lands of Mundatola. residential houses of the steel township have been built up. About 67.5 acres of land in the south-west of the village. originally acquired by H. S. L. have been surrendered to Orissa Government. The Government has neither allotted the land to the cultivators. nor has made any use of it. so far.
The displaced persons who returned to the village are at present living in two places. The Munda are living with Tanti at the site of old Pujaritola. The Oraon have set up temporary shelters at the northeast end of the village. The area occupied by them for the purpose of construction of temporary shelters covers about 3 acres. It was estimated. on the basis of the records available in the office of Rourkela Land Organisation. that about 800 acres of land, within tbe 'jurisdiction of Chhend village had been utilised by the Government and H. S. L. authorities. Nearly 616 acres remained to be utilised.
The displaced persons made unauthorised cultivation of about 110 acres.
44 The places where dead bodies were disposed of in
the past. have been brought under new use by the Government. Now officially there are no cremation grounds and burial grounds in the village. but the people of the different communities dispose of their dead bodies in different places.
Tho sacred grOVe or sarna has remained untouched 10 far and the villagers still make their offerings there.
ChIInp ill etlmic compolition and Jize of popuIUiGD
Before the village was acquired for the H. S. L. there were 135 households in it with a total population of 991 persons.
Caste and tribewise break-up of the 135 households. who were asked to vacate. is as follows:
Munda 91
Oraon 29 Kisan 2
Lohar 2
Tanti 8
Sahu (Tcli).
Kharia
Nai
Out of the 135 displaced households. 37 have settled in lalda Colony. and 3 in Ihirpani Colony. 19 households have made their own arrangements. Out of these 19. 11 households have either settled in Panposh village or near the Tata quarry. The caste and tribe-wise break-up of these 11 households is as follows: .
Munds 3 Oraon S Lohar 1 Kharia Nsi .
The remaining 71 households have gone back to Chhend. They are carrying on unauthorised cultivation. on lands acquired by H. S. L .• but not yet brought under new use.
The caste and community-wise break·up of these 71 households is as follows:
Munda Oraon Tanti.
• 48 21 2
Thus. if the village as a whole is tak.en into consideration. whereas. in the past there were 91 MUDda households in the village. at present there ~ 48 Mundi households: the number of Oraon households has been reduced from 29 to 21. the number of Tanti households has been reduced from 8 to 2; three communities, viz.' Kisan. Lohar and Tell have been completely eJiminated.
The implication of the above change is that. the overwhelminl majority of the Nunda has been
s,bstantially reduced. It is quite possible that there has been a corresponding reduction in their influence in the affairs of the village also.
4S
Change in ecOllOOlic life of the populetion
The industrial classification of the population. according to 1951 Census is as follows:
TABLE 26
Industrial classification of the population of ehhend village according to 1951 Census
Cultivators of land whl)Uy or mlinly own· od and th,ir .bpJa- CLlltivating labollfcrs
dents and their dependents
1 2
782 37
Non-cuitivatinll owners of land. agricultural receivers and their
dependents
3
10
It is found from the above that as many as 829 persons primarily depended on agricultural occ~pations and only 162 persons depended on non·agncul· tural occupations.
It is significant to note that among the agricultural population. the overwhelming majority were owner ~ul. tivators. Even if the entire population is taken mto consideration. 78.9% were owner cultivators. There was no cultivator of land. whol1y or mainly unowned. Persons dependent on cultivating labour were vcry insignificant in number-being only about 4 'X, of the total population.
Among the non·agricultural occupational category. the most important was other services or miscellaneous sources. Labourers. working in the Tata Stone Quarry belonged to this category. Another important n?n· agricultural occupational category. was productJ.on other than cultivation. Under this category. were m· eluded the Lohar who were engaged in blacksmithy and some Draons and Mundas. whose main source of livelihood was collection of forest produce.
At the time of the survey. the economy of the \illage had undergone a radical transformation. 'J!te main source of livelihood for the bulk of the population was other than agriculture. Most of them were work· ing as labourers either under H. S. L. or under contractors. According to a rough estimate. 25% of th~ working force at Chhend. were engaged as Khalasl under H. S. L.. most of the remaining persons were earning major portion of their income as la~ou~ers under contractors: only a few persons had cultIvatton as the main source of livelihood. Before displacement. two persons were engaged in trade and commer~e. but at the time of the survey none was engaged 1D any busineSJ.
In 3 households it was enquired. what actually the adult pcrsODJ were doing. There were altogether 5 adult males. out of them two were Khalasi in the Steel plant. 2 WIn labourers under contractors and one was arppd in cultivatklo. . The two persons who were
Persons and their dependents who derived their 1 ivcli· hood from production other than cultivation
4
28
Persons and their dependents whe. derived their liveli· hood fmm com-
merce
s
2
Persona and theIr dependents who derived theillivcJi· hood frl'Di otber services and mil' cellaneous sourcea
6
132
working as labourers under contractors. did agricultural activities during spare time. on the other hand the person who was primarily cultivator. was also a cow· herd. It was reportt!d that no female in any of these three households. was economically active. This. how· ever, did not correctly reflect the position in the village. lIt was observed during the present survey. that a consi<krahle lllllllha of females were working liS labourers under contractors in construction works.
From a discussion wilh the villagers. it appeared that they were Lossing between old loyalty and new love. The oustees. who returned to Chhend. rather than settling down in Jalda Colony. had the attraction of cultivation as their main consideration. But when they came back. their devotion to cultivali{)n was only formal. Though. they CQuld carry on unauthorised cultivation on unused lands of H. S. L.. they were aware of the risk involved: as they were always liable to eviction. Hence they practised cultivation to a very limited extent. On the other hand they found that other occupations offered them more tempting opportunities; and as indicated above. they availed of the sam.e avidly. But even then. in a sense. it would be correct to say that by their c1andcostine return to the old vUIage. they had returned to mother agriculture. In the old village. prior to displacement, agriculture was not only the main sour~ of livelihood. but also the main determinant of the way of life. The social relations. the ritual structure. the rhythm of life grew around agri· culture.. It is quite possible that what the displaced persons missed in the resettlement colonies. was not so much the means of livelihood-at least at the initial stages---but tbe way of life that they were accustomed to. When they returned to the old villge. the founda· tiM of the old way of life. bad been cODiidcrably shattered. but even then the trace of it was still there. They found it more satisfying. more condign. if 1011 secure.
In the three households r.pecially studied. it WIt found that the average income per month was Rs. 4.7l from ~c and RI. 6S trom otb« aoua..
Average expenditure per month in the above three households is as follows:
The above shows an average surplus of Rs. 0.72 per month per household. The surplus does not, however, reflect sound consumption pattern. Two items of expenditure are worth noting here. The first is monthly expenditure of Rs. 8.30 on account of alcoholic drinks. and the second is monthly expense of Rs. 0.70 as bribe. The proportion of expense on alcoholic drink is striking. Though, reliable information about the expenses incurred by the villagers on this account, prior to the introduction of the steel project is not avc.ilabie. it can be stated in a general way that these were much less, in absolute amount as well as proportion at that time. It seems that changes in the source of income and nature of income have promoted wasteful expenses. When the main source of livelihood was agriculture. the income was derived by collective labour of various members of the household, hence, \ there was some amount of collective control over its expenditure. Besides, the income was in the form of goods. which required to be converted to cash. for purchasing alcoholic drink. It can be easily visualised that when the main sourCe of livelihood became labour for cash wage by individuals. the moral pressure of the household about its expenditure became slackened. Besides, the ready cash. could easily be spent for purchasing liquor. It is. however. to be noted that the I
description above. is more based on the fecl of the I situation. than on specific enquiry. ! CllaDp ia j.jmam or trRditiooal patron-client
reWiOlUlbip In the old village. the Bhuiyas. the Mundas and
the Telis were served by Brahmin priests of Tarkera. on the occasions of birth. marriage and death. At the time of the survey these Brahmins had shifted to Jalda 'C' Block; but they continued to serve their old clients. who stayed back at Chhend as well as those who shifted to Jalda.
The villagers had also jajmani ralationship with Nai or barbers and Lohars or blacksmiths. The Nai who had shifted to Panposh village, continued to serve his old clients as barber, on the basis of payment in kind. The Lohar households had shifted to Jhirpani, too far away from the village and the villagers did not enter into jajmani relationship with any Lobar. stayin~ in adjoining areas .. They explained that in the new situation. agricultural tools were not so regularly required. Whenever. necessary they purchased the same from the market. or sot them repaired on cash paymeaL
CUap iD matedaI eqtdpmeot (a) Changes in. hause The most important change has taken place
in the structure of the house according to the displaced persons living in Chhend at present. According to them. before displacement of population, most of the houses were perman.ent structures, made of lTUId walls and mud or tile roofs. In comparison to the present temporary huts those houses were bigger in size. In front of a house there used to be a veral'ldah where goats were also kept. One side of the verandah was enclosed and served as pigsty. Kitchen and living room were separated from store by placing grain bins or low partition wall in between. The cattle-shed was at some distanCe from the living room.
In contrast to the old houses, the houses of those who are clandestinely staying in the village. are different. These are only temporary huts; with mud or wattlc wallg and thatched roofs. The size of such· houses is invariably small. The floor space vary from 10 to 30 sq. metres and the height of the wall hardly goes beyond 1.5 metres. In all the cases the same hut is used for sleeping, cooking. keeping cattle and storage. As in the case of permanent structures, in these huts also. frequently there are partition walls to demarcate one area of use. from another. A sketch giving ground plan of a typical temporary hut is furnished below.
CATTLE SHED STORE
20'
KITCHEN, LIVING ROOM ~ AND PEN FOR GOATS
(b) Changes in dress, Vl10twear and various Iwuseholds goods
In no house inventory of household goods actually found, was prepared. But in group discussions attempts were made to find out the changes that had taken place in their material equipment. during the last five years. The most important change that was mentioned by all. is in the dress of females. Previously. only a small num· ber of tribal girls used to wear blouse or upper garment At present it is a must for all young girls; only a few old women are found without upper garment. Most of the women are found wearing bright silver ornaments. It was reported by the villagers, that many of these ornaments have been reoently purchased with the money received as compeDJation. A good number of yOUlli girls are also found with hair nets, for keeping thc:ir hair buns in position. This is a new acquisition. Use of cosmetics is also becoming common. ADOther Datable feature is the use of leather and plastic pursel. TIle villagera stated that in tho past. they uled OBly couatry made IIDIU cloth ~ and DeVer canied the ... ill their baDda in 0It0n_'" DJ.IUIDS'.
M regards males, the most important change is il\ the frequency of use of foot-wear. Previously, footwear was found only in a few households. But at present, quite a good number of males are found to wear leather and Hawai slippers. Those who are working in the steel plant, are using ankle shoes. which they have received from their employer. as part of their outfit.
Another important acquisition in the village is bicycle. Quite a good number of persons are having it.
CbImae iD food babiCJ
The villagers reported some significant changes in their food habit. Before introduction of the steel project. when the villagers had few contact, with the outside world. wheat was hardly ever consumed in the village. But at present consumption of wheat has become quite common, specially. among the labourers working under H. S. L. or contractor. lbey find it convenient to carry their midday meal in the form of chapa!i. to their place of work. Consumption of tea and sugar has also gone up in the village.
Change in the membership of houselwld8 and in mutual relations arnoue the members
A few case studies were made to find out the changes in the membership of the households and in mutual relations among the members. The particulars are furnished below.
Case No. l-Chamu Munda was allotted two plots in lalda Colony. one for himself and another for his married son. After receiving notice of evacuation. the entire family shifted to lalda. His son got a joh under H. S. L., his son's wife also was getting work for some time with a contractor. But he himself could not get any work. He, therefore. returned to the old village. His son, daJ.lghter-in-Iaw and an unmarried daughter remained in the colony; himself. his wife lind an unmarried son returned to the village. As the old house had been demolished earlier. he built up a temporary shelter (jopdhi). At present he is mainly carrying on unauthorised cultivation. on land acquired by H. S. L.. but remaining to be brought under new use. During peak agricultural season. his daughter, son's wife and sometimes his son, come to the village and help him. During slack season. he sometimes goes to the colony and stays with his son. Part of the agricultural produce is carried to the colony for consumpti-on by the members of the family staying there. On the other hand. sometimes he receives cash contrihution from his son, for spending in the village.
Thus. it is found that physical unity of the household has been broken; what was previously an extended family has been split into two. But this has not affected tho ecooomic unity of the family. The members of the family living in two different places. remain united
47
oconomicalJy and ritually. 'The extended famUy hal been turned into a joint family.'
Case No. 2--Budhu Munda and his younger brother were members of the same household at Chhend, prior to displacement of the population. They were allotted two separate plots in Jalda 'C' Block. They shifted to their respective plots and began to live separately. After sometime. the younger brother returned to Chhcnd. Here he is now carrying on cultivation as well as earning cash income as labourer under a contractor. During peak agricultural season. Budhu comes to the village and helps his brother. He also lett some share of the agricultural produce.
It is thus found that in this cas:. though the unity of the household has been broken, it partially retains irs economic unity.
Case No. 3-Dasarath Munda and his brother used to live logdhcr before disr>laccm~nt. At present. Dasarath is living at Chhend with his mother. wife and unmarried children. His younger brother is living in Jalda Colony, with his father's mother. Along with other works. Dasarath is practi~ing agriculture in the village. He sends a ~hare of the grains produced by him, to his brother. On the other hand. the younger brother sends cash remittances to him.
In this case, it would be incorrect to say that there has been a dissolution of the original household. What has taken place, can be described as establishment of a branch of the ori~inal houscholll, in Jalda Colony; the mother household being still at Chhend.
CaSt' No. 4-001'<11 Munda. his cIder brother Jiblal and younger brother Gaur Singh used to live together before displacement. Under the rehabilitation programme each of them was allotted It separate plot of land at lalda C. Block. When they had to vacate their original home. they shifted to Jalda Colony and occupied their respective plots. The compensation money that they received was divided equally among the thT~e brothers. With his share of money J iblal purchased some land at Karibahar in Bonai Sub-divi. sion and shifted there. Latcr on, Gopal and Gaur also left Jalda Colony. They returned 1.0 Chhend and built up two temporary shelters. side by side.
At present Gopal and Gaur are earning their livelihood by working as labourers and also by cultivation. While their incomes as labourers are kept separate. their cultivation is joint and they share thcir income from cultivation. They have. however. no connection with Jiblal.
In this household. changes have taken place in tW(J stages. In the first stage the extended family was dillsolved. In the second phase, one unit of the erst. while extended family remained separate, but two unilt w~re partially in jointness, They remained separate
I It il proposed to typologically differmtiate betWeetl extendltcl family and joint family. Extended family would envi"ae ph)ot_1 propinquity, unity of authOrity, cCQncDlY, ritual and ICICiIl involvement. In joint family, jointneas may be with r~Cl1'CIICe to. aDJ or the above element. lOpUately,
in respect of personal economic activity, viz., work as a wage labour, but come together in respect of collective economic activity. viz., agriculture. It can be described as co-existence of the ethos of two economics-economy of agricultural society and economy of industrial society.
B. DEOGAON
Location of the village and otber prelimuuuy data
The second old village. which was studied is Deogaon. It is situated on the eastern bank of th:! river Brahmani. but further south of the village Chhend. Jalda Resettlement Colony is about I km. south and Rourkela Steel Plant is about 1 km. east of the village.
The village is within the jurisdiction of R aghunalhpall Police Station and is situated at a distance of about 3 kms. south of Raghunathpali village TI1C village Tarkera, where a water pumping station was set up before the displacement of villages. is at a distance of about 500 metres north of Deogaon.
Rourkela-Bonai Road passes through the northeastern portion of the vi1lage and divides it into two.
The village covers an area of 328.64 acres. Tn December 1955, notice was issued for acquisition of 327 acres out of the above 32X.64 acres, I :52 acres of land belonging to Mahadeo temple. was left out of the notification.
There are altogether 69 households in the village. All of them were asked to vac~lte.
Circam8tallcee of the vilJa&e contin~ to ex_ in spite of notice of evacuation
Before displacement there were three hamlets in the village. viz. Khandaittola, Dhobitola and Oraontola. Khandaittola was mainly inhabitl'd hy Khandaits. Dhobitola was inhabited' by Behras, Seths or Dhobis and Tantis; Oraontola was inhabited by people belonging to Oraon, Lohar and a few other communities.
. Oraontola was situated slightly away from other hamlets of the village. In December, 1955, acquisition notice was issued on this hamlet. TIlcrc were 2S house. holds in this hamlet. All of them vacated without putting up any objection.
In the beginning of 1956. notice was issued for acquisition of Khadaittola and Dhobitola. There were altogether 41 households in these hamlets. 1'52 acres of land. belonging to Mahadco, was. however, left out of the scope of acquisition, as it was the Government policy, not to touch sacred places like temples. churches and mosques. The people of Khandaittola and Dhobitola took advantage of this policy and re>fused. to move. They contended that they were the servants of the temple and hence were entitled to exemption. The priests of the temple filed a suit in the court and obtained an injunction against their eva· caution. It seems that when faced with this difficulty. lOme departments of the State Government were
48
favour.ing a flexible approach. This encouraged the mtransigient attitude of the persons under notice of eVJ· cuation. When the Government failed to shift tne households belonging to Khandaittola and Dhobitola five households belonging to Oraontola, who had left the village earlier. also came back to the village and claimed that they too were connected with Mahadeo temple. someway or other.
Change in village layoot and land utillJatioo patter.
As noted earlier, prior to acquisition of land, by the Government, the village covered an area of 326'64 acres of land. Out of the above. about 250 acres were under. cultivation. 50 acres were fallow land; 20 acres on the eastel11 side of the village were under forest. 1'56 acres belonged to the temple of Mahadco; the rest were homestead land.
There was a sarna or sacred grove in the village. The place. where it was situated, belonged to the category of fallow land.
Each caste or tribe. had its separate cremation or burial ground. All the cremation or burial grounds were situated on the bank of the river Brahmani. which flows by the western side of the village.
There were altogether four wells in the village. one within the campus of the temple. one in Ora ontola and two in Khandaittola.
There was no shop or place of marketing in the village. For purchasing their day to day requirements. the people had to go to Raghunathpali.
After the lands were acquired by the Government a great deal of change has taken place in the land utilisation pattern. Here it is to be noted that, though. 41 households have refused to vacate their houses. they have transferred rights over. their agricultural lands to the Government and have accepted compensation.
A road has been constructed to connect the steel p1ant with the Rourkela-Bonai Road. This road passes through the residential area of old Oraontola, In another portion of the same area, R.S.L. has installed a water pumping station.
At the time of the present investigation in 1963. about 50 outside labourers had constructed temporary huts on a portion of agricultural land near Oraontola. These labourers were working at the stone quarry near Jalda Village.
Altogether. about 47 acres have been brought under new use by H.S.L. or its labourers. and more than 80 acres are still to be brought under new use.
The old places of cremation or burial. the sacred grove or sama and the temple of Mahadeo, have ~ mained untouched. These are. therefore, being used in the same way as befOfC_
" a-p .. edIIIIc compoeltIOII aod &fze or popuIatioIl , Before displacement. there were 69 households in
the village with a population of 272 persons. Average number of members per household was therefore about 4. In 1963. there were 182 persons in 41 households staying back in the village. Average number of members per household was therefore, about 4-5. PlIrtic.:uJars in respect of the 50 temporary households of outside labourers. who were staying within the boundary of the old village were not collected.
Ethnic composition of the villager~ before displacement and at the time of the survey are indicated below.
TABLE 27
Ethnic composition of Deogaon village before and after displacement
Calte or tribe
Khandalt
Behra
Dhobi
Tell
MUDda
Bhwnij
TaDti
Muchl •
Or80n
Lobar
U napecllied •
Total
No. of households ,.-. ____ A_. ___ . ______ -,
At the Before time of
displace- the men! survey
22
2
12
2
11
69
22
2
12
2
3
11
!7
49
It is thus found that except for the Oraon, there has been no change in the number of households belonging to the other communities. In case of the Oraons only. the number has been reduced from 15 to 3.
Chap In ec:oaomk fife of the popaIatioa
The ind)lStriai classification of the population according to 1951 Census is as follows :
TABLE 28
Industrial classification of the populatfon of Deogaon l'Wage according ro 1951 Census
Cultivators of lano wholly or mainly owned and their depen-
dents
~17
Cultivating labourers and their depen-
dents
3
Persons and their dependents
who derived their livelihood from produ .... -tion other than cultivation
34
Porsons and their dependents who derived their livelihood from other scn'j,'es lind misccllancou~
sllurces
4
13
It is found from the above thai for the overwhelming majority of the population "l!ltivatiol1 of own land was the main somee of livdihood. ll)c occupation of households who dcrivcd tlwiT livclih(1l)L( mainly from production other than cultivation, and other miscellaneous sourc(!s ~re as follows:
Basketry was the main source of livelihood of the persons hchlnging to three houschnkls; blacksmithy was the IllDin S()UfCC of livdih 000 of the persons belong· ing tn one hou~ehoJd; J H pcrs,)ns canlcd their livcliho~d as labourers in JaJda quarry; the fest depended on colleclion alld ~ale of forest produce including fuel wood. as their main source of liveliho<xt.
Both mah~~ and females were .:ngag::d in various economic activities including labour in slone quarry lit Jalda. In fact. the llIajority of the labourers in the stone quarry a1 J aida WCfe females. The C1(uct sex rutio in the various oc(.;upalions is however, not known.
At present most of the hou~ch()lds are carrying on agriculLure as part time occupation. But they are de pending more on other a venues of income. 15 per· S(ln.~ are working as KhaJasis in the steel plant and 2 persons are working as Khalasis in the fertiliser plant; 14 persons arc working as labourers in Jalda Stone Ouarry: most of the others are working irregularly as labourers under private contractors. The households who had previously blacksmithy and basketry respectively as their main occupations, are keeping to their traditional occupations, but these arc no longer their main occupations; these have become only subsidiary means of livelihood for them. Their main occupation is now labour under contractors. Two Oraon households, habe started tea-stalls. to cater to the outside labourers, who have shifted within the area of the village.
The village forest has been completely cleared by the H.S.L .• hence. collection of forest produce. as a sonrce of livelihood has ceased to exist.
NOTIONAL MAP OF
SILIKUTT A RECLAMATION AREA
() WtIMII!Me.
• R£I'DDR'~ MU
N.B. UNDER LINED NAMES ARE THE VILLAGES OF ORIGIN.
LEGEND
o BHUMIJ • WELL • ORAON ====KACCHA (ROAO) • RAOTIA ~ if> HILL (i) KUMHAR ~ AGRICULTURE. <t MUNOA LAND i SARNA ~;~~:~~ FOREST
CHAPmR VI
DEMOGRAPHIC PATIERN AND SOCIAL PROCESSES IN TWO RECLAMATION AREAS
The details of resettlement of displaced households in two reclamation areas viz.. Silikutta and Champajharan have been furnished earlier.
DemOJl'8Phic Pattern For studying the demographic pattern and social
processes in these two reclamation areas. special investigations were carried over in 6 households of Silikutta and 4 households of Champajharan. Besides. in. formation of general nature were collected through group discussions.
The particulars are furnished below: (8) Di8tdhudon of households by caste and rdigioo
A table giving the distribution of households by caste and religion is furnished below:
TABLE 29
Distribution o/households by caste and religion In two reclamation areas
Name of reo c1amation
area
Silikutta
Clute or tribe r-____A...--~
No. of house·
Name holds
2 3
ReliaioD ,------"-------,
No. or houso-
Namo boldl
4 , " -----..... _-----------_ ... _"---
Bhumlj 12 Hindu Il lCumbar I Hindu I Raolia 2 Hindu Z Munda 4 Hindu
Christian (Ro-man Catholic) 1
Oraon 8 OrIOn 8
TABLE 29 Distribution of households by caste and rrllgion in two
reclamation areas-concld. I 2 3 4 $
Cfwn~baran Bbumlj 14 Mundi 6 Lobar Nai 1 KlsoD 2
Hindu Hindu Hindu Hindu Christian (Lu·
thoran)
14 6
2
It is to be noted that excepting the M linda scttled at Silikutta. aU the households of the S,lffie ethnic group returned a single religion only. For. insl~n~. all the 12 households of Bhumij returned their religion as Hindu: both the households of Kisan returned their religion as Christian. all the 8 ho~~holds of Oraon returned their religion as Oraon rell~l~n; the~ stated that they practised their ancl!'itral rehglon whIch was different from Hindu religion. I~ conlrast •. t~e " households of the Mundas were havmg tw.o rehgloos: 3 households returned themselv~s to be Hmdus and I household as Roman Catholic Christian.
It is to be noted that though. their is no Hindu Oraon in the two reclamation areas under study. there are good number of Hindu Oraons in the regIOn .. II is reported that their reliflious beliefs and pr~ctlCes hardly differ from the religIOUS beliefs aDd pr~c.hces of those who return the religion to be Oraon. rellglon. It appears th~t .the dete.nnining ractor~ in thiS matter.are nol the religiOUS beliefs. a~d practIces but the onen· tation towards social affilultJOn.
(b) Dilbibutioo of bouseholdl by 1aaguu11!l1pOiu!n
TABLE 30
Distribution of households by languages spoken In two rec/amatlon areas
The table shows that four languages are spoken as mother tongue. by the people belonging to the different communities. Sadri is the mother tongue of the Mundas, Lohars and Raotias; Bengali is the mother tongue of the Bhumijs ; Kurukh is the mother ton!!_ue of the Oraons and Oriya is the mother tongue of Kumhars. In a way, the reclamation areas may be considered as babels of tongues. But it is not a devia· tion from the pattern that prevailed in the old villages. Traditionally. ethnic group-wise differences in mother tongues existed among the people living in the same villages. This is suggestive of the failure of any grou p to emerge out as the dominant community in the region.
In spite of multiplicity of mother tongues, the people do not face much difficulty in communicating with one another. Most of them are multilingual. A table showing distribution of the polulation by mother tongue as well as subsidiary languages is placed in Appendix IV.
52
The indications of the table are discussed here community-wise:
Munda·-All the Mundas have Sadri as their mother tongue. There are 2 males and 1 female in the age·group 0-15. All of tbem speak Oriya and Hindi as subsidiary languages. Besides, one male in this ag~· group speaks Bengali. There are 3 males and 3 females in the age·group 16-50. All of them speak Oriya and Hindi as subsidiary languages. Besides. 2 males and 2 females speak Bengali.
Bhumij-Bhumiis of all age groups have Bengali as their mother tongue. There are 7 males and 4 females in the age·group 6-15. All of them speak Oriya as a subsidiary language. Besides, Sadri is spoken by 4 males and 2 females and Hindi by 2 males and 1 female. There are 4 males and 6 females in the age-group 16-50. Out of them 6 males and 5 females speak Oriya as a subsidiary language. Besides. 2 males and 2 females speak Sadri and 2 males and 3 females speak Hindi. There is only 1 female in the age-group above 50; she speaks Oriya as a subsidiary language.
Oraon--oraons of all age-groups have Kurukh as their mother tongue. All of them also speak Oriya as, / a subsidiary language. I
Lohar-Lohars of all age-groups have Sadri as their mother tongue. There are two females in'the age. group 0·15 ; they do not speak any subsidiary language. There are 2 males and 1 female in the age·group 16·50, All of them speak Oriya and Hindi as subsidiary language.
KlImhar-AIl the Kumhars have Oriya as their mother Longue. There arc 3 males and::; females in the age·group 0·15 and 1 male and I female in the age·group 16·50. All of them speak Hindi as a subsidiary language.
Raotia-All the Raotias have Sadri as their mother tongue. 111cre are ) female in the age·group {l-J5; 3 males and 2 females io the age·group 16-50 and I male In the age-group 51 and abov~. All of them speak Oriya as a subsidiary language.
It is obvious from the above that practically every· body speaks Oriya, either as main language or subsi. diary language, It is the lingua franca of the region,
What is. however, of great sociological significance is thut taking advantage of resettlement of the popula· tion in a gond number of reclamation centres people did not try to cluster together with reference to common mother tongues. Had language been the primacy consideration. rather than living in multilingual settlements, all the Sadri speaking communities viz .• Munda, Lohar and Raotia might have settled in one area, all the Bengali speaking Bhumij might have set uP another area and so on. The fact that this did not take place, indicates that the language principle was subdued by some other principle.
(c) Distribution of population by sex and age
A table showing tbe age and sex distribution of the members of the tcn households covered by the sur· vey in two reclamation ureas is placed below.
TABLE 31
Distribution of popu/arion by sex and age in two reclamation areas
The table shows that at OIampajharan. there an: 20 persons in the 4 households covered by the survey. In other words there are 5 persons per household. Out of these 20 persons. 9 are males and 11 arc females. At Silikutta. there are 36 persons in 6 households i.e .. ther.: are 6 persons per household. Out or these 36 persons. 20 are males and 16 arc females. Altogether there arc 56 persons in the 10 households in two centres; out of them 29 are males and 27 are females.
The age-group-wise distribution of the r"!1ula1lon shows some significant features. Out of the 56 persons in the 10 households. 27 arc in the age-group (}-I5, 2 are in the agc-group 51 and above; the rest are in the age-group 16-50. In other words abouL 50';:, of the members belonging to the households covered by the survey are children and about 50';:) belong to the middle age and the age-group above 50 is only nominally represented. In one way. it can be consid~red to bc a balanced population. Accordin~ to Sundbarg, in a balanced population persons belongmg. to the agegroup 15-50 represent 50% of the populatIOn and the rest represent the remaining 50%·. Br~adly sr::akll1g. the age-distribution indicated ab.ovc. satisfies thiS condition. But if exumillcd in details, It IS found that It does not. Firstly. the children are over r.epresented. and secondly the old people are under represented. Apparently. the above figu~e~ contradIct th~.gene:al belief that as a result of pnmslOll of dual faclht.'cs. m: .• facility of settling down in resettlement colOnIes near Rourkela and earning livelihood ~Y industrial, occupation and facility of settling down 1D reclamatIOn areas and carrying on agricultural pursuits •. the younger persons settled in the resettlement coJomes and the older people moved to the reclamation area~. Here. it. is to be noted that it would not be approprIate to amve at any canc1usion on the basis of th~ data av~jlable in respect of 10 houSeholds only. BesIdes, even III respect of these 10- households. another picture would emerge out, if the figures are examined in some more deta!l. Out of the 27 persol\s in the age-group 16-50, 7 are In the age-group 16-20 and 6 are in the age-group ~6-50. If they are left out. there are only 14 persons 10 the age-group 20-45. which may be considered to be the 'Viable age-group for industrial occupation.
.Mallam, cap lAin 0.1. and Dundas. An.F., Censul of India. 1931. vol. "lV, North Weal frontier Provinces, ParI I, Report, p.e.
1
2 1
2 :I I I
1 :) 2 I 1 3 3 I
During group discussions with the people living in the area. it app<:arcd that simultaneously two opposite tendencies wen~ in operation. There was n tendency for older people to shift to the reclamation area and at the same time there was a tendency for very old people to stay in the resettlement colony.
As noted earlier. immediately after evacuation from tJIClf old villages. the people could not be provided with ()!1portullity to takc up agriculture. They were setLied in the resettlement colonies and many took to industrial occupations. Later on, when they were allotted lands in reclamation areas, very old per, sons continued to stay in resettlement colonies. as they \ were not physically ht 10 undertake the arduous task of reclaiming lands ill the reclamation area and carrying on cultivation in difficult conditions. On the other hand people in carly youth were more attracted towards opportunity of industrial evacuations near about RourkeJa. Out of the 10 households studied in the reclamation :lrea. young lTILmbers of 5 households remained outside. in connection with economic activities and the middle aged persons who had less chance of getting regular employment lD industrial establishments. drifted to the reclamation area in larger number.
Along with middle aged persons, their wives and children also shifted to the reclamation area. They had Jess 5COpe of economic activity in indostrial setting; but in agriculture they could make substantial contri. butions.
(eI) Diltribation of population by lip, IleJ ad ecIocatlon
One of the most im~nt sociological sigmA. cances of the pattern of dlstributian of the population by <.!ge-group examined in the previoul para. it that the next generation is not being built uP. for absorbing th.:: lIO.o'lOck of industrialisation.
If the drift of children to reclamation area in IalJe proportion. as has been indicated by the preacnt limit.. cd study. is substantiated by a study based on adequate sample, it would moan that the houacboldl COIl.
c:cmed havo aiven little dlouaht to tho qUClltioll of
54
providing to their. children the educational taciliti~ which are available in the resettlement colonies, and which are practically absent in the reclamation Uta.
A table giving the distribution of the populatiolf by age and educational status', is furnished below. It will give further inJight into the question.
TABLE 32
Distribution of population by age and educat{o1l41 status In two reclamation areas
AP'FOUP 0-15 A,e-aroup l6-50 Aae-sroup 51 and abo, •
Illite-Reclam~I!OD arca Cuta or ttl"') rail
1 :I S
Cbampiiharlll , Munda 2 Bbumlj Lobar
Sillitutta , Or&on 3 Kwnbar , 3 RaoUa BhumU 6
Cl1atnpa,ihllflll Mundi 1 Bhumlj 1 Lohar :a
Silikutta Oraon :z Kumhar 2 RaoUl I Bhumlj 3
Total for male ad female n
The table shows that in both the centres. all the boys and girls belonging to the age of 15 and below are illiterate. In contrast. out of 13 males in the age·group 16·50, 7 males are literate. All the 14 females in that age-group are, however. illiterate. 1 male and 1 female in the age-group 51 and above are also illiterate.
It seems from the above that though there is little tradition of literacy among these people. some head· way in that direction was being made~ in the recent past, as a result of which a few literates can be found in the age-group 16-50. But, in case of the children of the present day, a retardation has taken place. The dimlight that was lit has gone out. It seems that. in these households, the "tomorrow" of the coming genc· ration is being mortgaged for a confused "today" of the present generation.
(e) DIstri:butioD of populadoo by ace, ,e~ and IIIIIritaJ .... A table showing the distrib.tion or the male. and
females belonging to the 10 households, covered by the, survey by age, sex fUld marital status is placed in Appcndlix V.
The table shows that all the males and females in tho ase·aroup ()'lS are 1lJl1IlaJTied. Out of the 4 males
._~
Literate Malrie literatI Matrie Lltc:r&tc Matrie below and Illite. below and Illite- below IIIId Matrle aboVII rata Matrie abo", ratc: Mltrle above
4 ~ 6 7 8 9 10 11
Mal, 3
1 1
1 a
2 1
Pemale
" 2 1
1 I 2 4
20 7 Z
in the age·smup 16·20, 2 are unmarried and 2 are married. The 2 unmarried males belong to Lohar and Raotia communities and the 2 married males belong to Munda and Raotia communities. Out of the 3 females in the age-group 16-20, 1 is unmarried and 2 are married. The unmarried female belongs to Bhumij tribe; out of the 2 married females in this age-group 1 is Munda and the other is Raotia. There is no unmarried male or female above the ~e of 20. There are 2 Bhumij widows above the age of 30; except this solitary case, all the males or females above the age of 30 are mamed, and Me having their spouses with them.
Provided that the small sample can be considered to represent the general condition. the above statistiCl, land themselves to two interpretations. One possible interpretation is that, thGSC who married early, tended to settle in more numbers in reclamation ar~, on the other hand, the unmarried youths who could afford to ri&k the uncertaintie3 of life, stayed in larger num· t-era in the resettlement colonies. Tho other. possible interpretation is that the unsettled conditions ~uacd by the displacement of old homes have not led to late marriage tor boys and &iris.
Due to the inadcquaqo ot tho data it would be ~ 1.0 buud a pea DuriDI tbo Idd
CHAMPAJHARAN RECLAMATIO A NOTIONAL DIAGRAM
AREA
LEGEND o 8HUMIJ
G NUNDA • NAt • KlSAN • LOHAA , weLL === RIVER ..fi MAtCULTURE LAND • 'OREST _ tiLL ••• ~ - RAILWAY
~stisation only one case ot a Bhumij girl was noted, whose marriage was deferred due to her stay in the r.eclamation area. Her people explained that as suit. able youngmcn of marriageable age were staying out· side the reclamation area, they were finding it difficult to establish contact and marry off the girl. This
5S
case seems to lend some JUpport to the firIt hypothtei •. The analysis of the age of marriage of the males and females of different age-groups also tcnds to give the same indication.
(f) Age at maniaae A table on aae at marriage is fumiahcd below ;
TABLE 33
Communlty·wise distribution of population by age at marriage in two rec/amatiort a,eas
Marriaaes that have taken place earlier than 19~3 Marriaaea that bave laken place after 19S3 r----------------------------~ ----------.
No. of males whose aie at marriaic
was
No. of females whose alC at marrillic
was
No. of males whose aie al marriBie
was
No· of femll •• wbose lie at marri .. ,
was r-------""'\ Rcclamatlon Caste or 21 & 21 &; 21 " 21 til
The table shows that before displacement all the recorded 10 marriages of males took place. when the male6 concerned were in the age·group 16-20. After displacement also both the recorded cases of marriage took place when the males concerned were in the age· group 16-20. The marital status of the existing male population in the different age-groups are also in con· formity with the above facts. But in case of the females. the position is differenl. The above tatlle shows that before displacement 8 females were marned when they were in the age·group 0·15 and 4 females were married when they were in the age·group 16-20. On the other hand, after displacement out of the 2 recorded cases. in 1 case. the female was married when she was in the age-group 16-20. The marital stat.us. of the existing female population also su~ge~ts dev.lUtlOn from the predisplacement pattern. As mdlcated 1D the table at Appendix V. among the existing female popu· lation there is not a single married female in the age· group 0·15 ; on the other han~, out ~f the two females in the age-group 16-20, one Is mamed and the other is unmarried. These data, would undoubtedly confirm tbe statements made by the villagers during group dill' cussions that age of marriage has gone up. But even thell. at the risk of repetition, it is to be stated that in auch matters, it is always better not to overlook che limitationa of tqo data.
7
1
1
4
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
1 .1 1
Within its limitations. the above data give another indication which may be noticed. They ahow that there IS a uniformity of practice for all the caltes and tribes cllvcri,!d by the survey.
(I) MarrieJe payment
One important aspect, connected with mama,e, viz .• marriage payment, was specially studied during the survey. All the households reported that before displacement. the groom's party used to make marriaalS payment to the bride's party and that there has been no change in the custom after displacement.
(b) KiD5hip with IIpOUfJe
One Munda and one Shuroij stated that they had married their n..-spccUve mother's brother's daughter. Displacement had not brought about any change in their custom.
(I) Analy. of hollldaolds IItructure
(I) Distribution of houselwtds with reference to tlW number oj members per hO~hold
A table showing distribution of the 10 houscholdl, with reference to the number of membell per bOUlehold is given on the foUowina paac:
TABLE 34
blstribution of households with reference to the number o/members per household in two reclamation areas
RcclamatioD area
Caste or tribe
No. of households having ,.-- ----.
3 , 6 7 mem- mem- mem- mem-bers bers bers bers
---------------"---_ .. 2 3 4 6
CbampejbaraD Munda
Bbumij
Lobar
SillkI&tta OraoD
Kumhar
Raoti1l
Bhumij 2
----------"'-Total 1 4 3 2
The table shows that majority of the households covered by the survey at SilikuUa, are large sized i.e., have six. or more members; on the other halld out of
the four households covered at Champajharan only one is large sized. It is difficult to say, whether these represent the general position in the two areas. But logically it is not unlikely that there would be proportionately larger sized households at SiHkutta than
at Champajharan. The former reclamation area is situated at a distance of 87 kms. from Rourkela; whereas the latter is at a distance of 43 kms. from Rourkela. It is, therefore, easier for the families at Champajharan to have dual centres of residence, so that, one part of the family would be in Rourkela or the adjoining resettlement colonies and another part would be in the reclamation area. But such an arrangement would be difficult for the families at Shikutta.
Perhaps the figures indicated in the table reflect the aboYe facts.
(2) Distributiol! of households with reference tv nature of compo.$itidn
A table showing distribution of the households with reference to the nature of composition is as follows:
TABLE 35
DistribUtioli of households with reference to '"'til'. 0/ composition in two ree/amation areas
Reclamation area
Caste or Tribe
2
Champejharan MUDda
Silikutta
Bhumij
Lohar,
Oraon
Kumhal'
Raotia
Bhumij
Total
No. of households with r-------~------~
Self, wife, and unmarried children
3
3
7
Self, wife, unmarried children Self, wife
and and married widowed
son mother
4 s
2 1
The table shows that except in three cases, in all the cases the households are nuclear families; in one case the widowed mother stays with the head of the household and his wife. This is a broken extended family. In the remaining two cases the married sons live with the head of the household. These are extended families.
Now. it is to be examined whether settlement in the reclamation area has any bearing on the nature of composition of households, as indicated above. The following facts would suggest that it has. All the four households specially studied at Champajharan have members of family. living outside the reclamation area. At Silikutta also, family members of one household are living outside the centre. Had th~re not been split of families as a result of members settling at two places, the number of extended families would have been morc.
EXTERNAL RELATIONS
Reiatious with Rourke.
Both at Champajharan and Silikutta, it was found that the people were having regular contaGl-with Rourkela proper. Such contact was, h()wever, more intense in case of Champajharan than in case of Silikutta.
(a) Categories of members stayiac ouCIide
In addition to the 10 households specially studied in the two reclamation areas, in 10 more household& an enquiry was made to find out what categories of members were staying outside. The particulars arc furnished on the followina page:
57
TABLE 36
Categories of family members staying outside the rec/amal ion aret2
Reclamation area
Champajbaran
SiJJkutta
Caste or tribe
Munda
llhwuij
Lobar •
Raotis •
BbumU·
Munda.
Oraon •
Kurnbar
2
Total
No. of bouse· holds
3
2
9
;3
2
20
The table shows that out of the 20 households 16 households were having members, who stayed in the same household in the old villages, but who wen; liv· ing outside the reclamation area at the time of the survey.
The fact that most of these members arc either one generation above or one generation below tbe genera· tion of the heads of the households living in the n;c1a· mat ion area is also of great significance. Jt confirms, the statement made earlier. that very olel persons who were not physically competent to reclaim new areas for cultivation and persons in their carly youth. who had more opportunity of work in the industriul setting of Rourkela and adjoining areas, refrained from set· tling in reclamation areas. Mainly. the middle aged persons and their dependents availed of the facilities in the reclamation areas.
(b) Rea80IIS for members stayillg outside Heads of 14 households stated that th~ir bmily
members were living in lalda and Jhirpani Resettlement Colonies; head of 1 household belonging to Silikutla stated that one member of his family was staying in the village Chuabahal in Bonai Sub-division, about 19 Kms. f,Gm Silikuua: head of another household stated that smne members were staying back in the old village lharabahaI.
Out of the 14 households whose members have ~e,tIed within Rourkela industrial complex. 10 hou~e· holds stated that at least one member from each C'i them was emplOYed in the Rourkela Steel Plant. TIle remaining households stated that their members w~re working as labourers under private contractors. Out
No. of households whose members stayinll outside afC related 10 the heads of the household I'
r--Father and Brother',
mother Mother Brother Son 10D
4 .5 6 7 8
2 I 5 7 I
No. of boUle-' boldl
without Inymem· ber out·
.Idr
4
of these four households h~ad of one household stated that his mother and younger brother were living in Jalda Colony. The mother was working as labourer undcr contractor. but the younger brother was rel:ldina in the M. E. School at Jalda. n,is was the solitary instunce, of a member of any family staying out for education. But even in this case, it is to be noted that th~ person concerned is not the mcmbl:r of a nuclear family.
There is no eusc where the head of the household is living In lh~ rCI.:!Jmaliotl <lr~a lIlId his son or daughter 15 slaymg III rescltlement colony or any other place for the purpose of education.
The hcud of the household whose brother was staying at Chuabahal belongs to Bhumij tribe. They purchased some land at Chuabahal with the compensation money received in lieu of their land. The brother is carrying on cultivation of the same.
Th~re arc sever~l c~ses at Silik~ttu, where part of the family was stating 111. the pre-dIsplacement village of Jharabahal and carrytng on unauthorised cultiva. tion on lands acquired by H. S. L. but not brought under new use. One such case was covered by the 20 households among whom enquiries were made.
(c) Nature of contact with memben Ita,.. out. side Heads of .\0 households stated that virtual split had
taken place WIth the members of their erstwhile extend. ed families. who were staying outside at the time of the survey. The particulars of these households and the categories of members who were involved in split are indicated OIl the follOWing pale:
58
TABLE 37 Particulars of the households /lving in two reclamation areas &: the categor~s of members who are living OTdsidt
the areas and who are involved in the split of the family
Reclamation area Caste or tribe
2
Champaibaran Munda _ Bbumij -
No. of households among whom
enquiry was made
3
2
No. of households reportilll split, where tbe members involVid are rotated
to the heads of the household concerned as
Brother'. Father SOD Brother IIOD
4 5 (I 7
Lohar . • • Silikutta . Otaon _
Kumhar Raolia •
Bbumi • .. Munda.
Total
The circulllstances of the splits were collected from the various households. These are as follows:
Two Mundds and one Omon of Silikutta slated that after settling in the reclamation area. for some lime they were receiving monetary assistance from til..: members of their n:spective families. who wen: living in lalda Resettlement Colony. But afterwards such assistance was stopped. It was exRt:.cted that they would send a part of the agricultural produce from the reclamation area to their family members living in the resettlement colony. But as reclamation work took long time and also as due to the unsuitable nature Dr the soil, quantity o[ yield was rather low, it was nul possible for them to send anything to the colony. This caused misunderstanding. The members staying outside, thought that those who were living in the reclamation area were not exerting sufticiently to break-in the virgin land; on the other hand. the lattcr considered that the formcr were more concerned with their own comforts. Gradually. the mental distance increased, until the economic ti"cs were complctely snar-ped.
Another persoll stated that dispute over the share of compensation money caused split in the erstwhile extended family. He with his wife and children had come over to the reclamation area, whereas the other members settled in the resttIement colony; and they were not having any economic tic. One person stated that dispute over the question. as to who 'You1d setjle in the reclamation area and who would remain in the resettlement colony, strained his relation with his brother and at the time of the survey they were not having any economic tie with one another. He wanted his younger brother to come to the reclamation area with him. as he himself was weak in physique and it was difficult for, him to bear the brunt of reclaiming the land and making it fit for cultivation. But his
•
2 1
1 9
.. 3
20
2
3
younger brother did not agree. He was hurt at the lack of consideration of his younger brother, and decid. cd not to have any connection with him.
. The above is, however. only one side of the picture. The other side is also there. All the heads ~1f the hous~hol.ds who statcd that they were not hav· IIlg e(;OnOl11le tiCS. with the members of erstwhile ext70ded families, ~ho were staying outside the reclamation area ~t the time o~ the survey. also stated that they were havmg some umty in ceremonial and s<X;ial matlers. During marriage, worship of village deity at the sacred grove and other ceremonial occasions, they pay VISit to the members of the erstwhile extended families living outside or members of the erstwhile extendcd families. come to the reclamation area, and behave. as if. no split had taken place among them. Dissolution of economic obligations, in day-to-day life, seem to have reduced the emotional tensions at least in ~ome cases. As t~ere is no burden of mutual expectatIOn, natural affectIOn scems to find expression more freely.
Th~re. are 10 households, out of the 20 among whom lliluted study about presence of family members outside the reclamation area was made, who stated that they were having some sort of economic ties with their member~ staying outs!de. Tl?-ey generally visited the reclamatIOn area durmg sowmg and barv.esting and helped in the agricultural operations. Many of them stated that they were receiving remittances. from the members of the households staying outside.
Particulars were collected from 5 households about the amounts of remittances received from absentee members and also about the frequency of visiting the reclamation area by such members. The sam. aM furnished on the followina page:
59
TABLE 38
Amount 0/ remittances received/rom the/amily members living outside the rec/amalion area and the frequerlC~y of their visit to the area
No. of households where the absentee members visit the household
No· ofhouaeholds wbOlC member~ send remittances
amounting 10 r ____________ A_ _________ ----~
r------~--~------~ Once Once Once 3 or 4 RI. 40/
Rs. 10/· R). '2.0/- to RI. ~O/' a a i.I times Rcclamltion area Caste or tribe weelc fortnight month :J year p.m. p.m. per year
._--------_._------"--------_._"--2 3 4 6 7 8 9
Cbampajbaran Munda. 2
Bhumij.
Lohar . Silill:utta Bbumij.
--"- ---------- "---Total 1
The table shows that in all the households, absentee members maintain solidarity with their respective households by visiting and remitting monry at regular intervals. It may. therefore. be stated that these households constitute parts of joint households, whose other parts are living elsewhere. This. however, is an incomplete description of the structure. A complete structural appreciation would rcquir~ an analysis to find OUt whether any part constitute th~ permanent core and other parts constitute the satcllik of the system or whether there are shifts in the core role and satellite role according to operational can· text. It is also possible that. the system is sustained. not by any core role of any of the parts but by extraneo:Js pressures. During the rapid field study. information, however, were not collected with thest: foci and hence the analysis will have to remain incomplete in the present report.
There is, however, some information of lZencral nature which give some more insight about the~' structure as a whole and the same are indicated here. Earlier. it has been stated that even in those cases where econmic tics had been cut off with the members of erstwhile extended families. some amount of unity persisted in ceremonial and social matters. Besides the above. it was also examined, what was the pattern of relationship in the reverse position; whether absentee members who were maintaining economic ties with the households in the reclamation area, were always having harmonious relations with one another. It appears that in some ca~ eco~omic unity. did .not necessarily mean harmOnIOus .mterpersonal relatl~nship. One Munda stated that hlS son. ~ wh? was ltving in the resettlement colony w.as remlttm.g ~lm mon:y occasionaUy. but as X was addicted to drmkmg he did not encourage X ~ visit him at the reclamation <l!"ca. Hence. in spite of their economic ties, they had bitter personal relations. The son was sending money to the
1 2 3 1 1
fatha occasionally. no! so much hecause of ;lIfection \)J" sense of dllty'; perhaps he was motivated by selfinterest. It was necl:ssal'Y for him 10 maintain economic unity. as it enabled him to claim a share of the J.Hlll. when his Lither was dead.
Most of the other informants. wIll) were n:ceiv· ing remittances from abscntrc members, also stated that their n:lations with such members were not always harpy. Fn:quclltly. thl' ahscllt"t: ll1eJJlbcr.~ living ill the indu\trial zone. Ihought thul th()~e who were living in reclamation areas, wert: 110t doing their b(~st to maximise the prodUCe from the lands allotted to them. On the otllt'r hand. Ihe inforillants thenl~elves felt that lbl' mcmbcrs slaying in thc industrial area had developed extravagant habits. Had they livt:d more frugal life, they could have remitted larger sums to help their family members living in the reclamation areas, The invc:stigatinn Oil this aspect tends to indicate lhat in spite of their economic unity, an alicnation is slowly taking place amollfl the absentee members on the one hand and th()se who are living in the reclamation area, on the other.
It. thcrt'ff1orc. appeilrs that there are two contradictory as well as complimentary directions in which the family life of the displaced persons is shaping itself. There is on the one hand. continuity of social and emotional dependence a~sociated with break of economic unity; on the other hand. there is strained social and emotional bond, associated with continuity of econo· mic unity. rt is. however. difficult to !lay whether these two patterns are typologicalJy very much different from one another. As, furthl'T analysis of this question will involve huilding of models of development histories of families in the type of situation under consideration and as such, model building would be very much outside the scope of a rapid socio-economic survey. it is not propolled to carry the analysis further in the pre.sent monograph.
60
(cI) Particaluw 01 hollll!holdlt that were ...... in ... old vii .... but were joined in the reclamation .. An enquiry was made to find out whether s01!1e
closely' related households ~hich were separate in the old vdlages. became united in the reclamation area. for convenience of pooling together resources and man· power. It was reported that there was no such case.
(e) Particulars of households in the reclamation area which constituted IlOCdons of jOint family in the old viUages and which became separated on tettlemeot in the reclamation area Head of one Munda household in Champajharan
Reclamation Area stated that his y.ounger brother was also staying separately in the same area. In their old village they lived in the same household; but as they thought that it would be better if they had specific responsibilities in the matter of rec1amati.on of lands aHot· ted to them. they established separate h.ouseholds here. Their mutual relation is. however. quite cordial. They helped each other in the reclamation of their respective lands. Besides. in ritual and social matters, they be. have as if they c.ontinue to live in the same joint family. This statement was not, however. verified in detail.
Head of one Bhumij household, living at Cham· pajharan, also stated that he and his brother were members of an extended family in their old village and that though. they were living separately in the reclamation area. they helped each other in rec1amati0n of lands and were united in ritual and social matters. He, how· ever. did not reveal the reason. why the extended family was dissolved.
breakup of the households in the two areas are indicated ... below: ..
TABLE 39 Distribution o/households in two reclamation areas by main
and subsidiary occupations
No. of household' No. of having as sub· house· sidiary occupa· holds tion having ,-__ .A. __ ~
cultiva· Agri· tion cultural as labour
primary Agri- and Reclamation Caste or Total occupa- cultural sale of
area tribe No. tion labour liquor
2 3 4 5 6
Champajharan Munda 2 2 Bhumij I I .. Lohar I I I
Silikutta Bhumij 3 3 I Kumhar I I 1 Raotia 1 1 ., Oraon I J 1
Here it is necessary to make a mention of three points. Firstly. most of the persons who work as agri. cultural lab.our. work outside the. reclamation area in the adjoining villages. Secondly. occupations have been categorised as ma.in or subsidiary occupations solely On the basis .of the statements of the heads of the house· holds concerned. It is quite likely that the person who has returned sale of liqllor as subsidiary occupation. derives more income from this source, than from cultivation and that he has returned the latter as primary occup'Jtion because of its prestige value or because the eLhos of the community life is centred around it. This
Economic life of the hOUl'Jeholds settled in, the reclama- aspect of the question was not. however. examined in don arM the field. Thirdly. the present data indicate the occu· (a) Main and subsidiary occupations pational pattern but not the relative importance of the
various sources of livclihod. As mentioll~d earlier. Both at Champajharan and Silikutta the main OCCll· many households are recipients of remittances from
pation of all the households is cultivation. Qut of the households specially studied. (i reported agricultural absentee members Jiving .outsitde the reclamation area.
To what extent they depend on such remittances and labour as a subsidiary occupation. Out of these 6 house· to what extent they depend on income derived in the holds. 2 belong to Champajharan and 4 belong to Sili· kutta. lout of the 4 households at Silikutta who rc:. reclamation area itself. was not assessed. ported to have agricultural labour as a subsidiary cccu· (b) DiYribution of households by ownenhip and pation. also reported to have sale of liquor as a subsi. reclamation of land diary occupation. Thus out of the 10 households spe· A table showing the distribution -of the to hOllSe-cially studied. 5 had one subsidiary occupation and 1 holds. specially studied. by land owned in the redama· had two subsidiary occupations. Caste and tribe·wise tion area is furnished below:
TABLE 40 Distribution of households in two reclamation areas by ownership and reclamation of land
No. of No. of households having agricultural land households hav-
ing under home· Under cultivation Yet to be cleared stead Total
~ r--~ .A.-__ ,
Upto 0,25-0·25 O·~O Less More More More
Reclamation acres acres than 6-7 tban 3-5 6-7 than 1-2 3-5 6-7 tbaD area of land ofland 5 acres acres 7 acres acres acres 7 acres acres aCfeS acres ?acres 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Ctwnpajbaran • 3 4 4 1 2 SlIlmtta 5 2 3 3 3 I
Total I 2 1 2 7 7 3 1 1 3
The above table shows that whereas at Champa-~an. all the 4 households specially studied own more than 7 acres of cultivable land each. at Silikutta. out of the 6 households specially studied. 3 have less than 7 acres of cultivable land each and the remaining 3 have more than 1 acres of cultivable land each.
61
(c) DUtribudoa 01 ....... okII by ~ or ..... broupt ..... cultivation fa the rec matioD ....
At Champajharan. all the households have yet to reclaim considerable proportions of their lands. on the other hand at Silikulta. most of the households have cleared up the bulk of their lands. In this regard. a more clear picfure would be obtained froll! the tuble below;
TABLE 41 Distribution of households b)1 proportion of land brought under cultivation in (110 reclamation areas
No· of No. of households that bwught under cultivation households ,--_ ... ___ . ___ ........ _ . .A. ...... ___ ... ____ .•. _ .. ___ -.
allotted 76~~ or more .51 ~~--7.5~~ or 26~~-·~0·~ of 2~~; or leiS Roclamation area land of allotted land allotted land I\lIott~ land or allotted land .-----_---- ... _. ----
Champajbaran SilikuttQ
Total
2
4 6
10
3
4
4
4
2 I
3
6
2
The reason why reclamation of land progressed land jointly. Though the housl.!holds which dissolved better at Silikutta was not examined in detail. It. joint ownership. stated that eben after separlltion. they however. appears that availability of other sources of continucd to assist each other in cultivation. it is pos-livelihood might have played some role in this matter. sibil.! thM those who are owning land I' oinlly are having As noted earlier. all the households studi~d at Chamra- more intt'nsive utilisation of llvailab c manpower for jharan receive remittances from outside. whereas only the rurpose of l'ultiv(ltion and lhut this factor has 1 household studied at Silikutta, receive remittances considerably helped them to bring under plough more from outside. where also the source of income is culti- land, In absence of pointed enquiry on this question. vation. It is thus obvious that therc is less pressure this statement should. however. be trealed at the level on the households at Campajharan to derive income of hypothesis and not that of conclusion_
from land. Statements of the heads of the houselH)lds on Another interesting fact. viz., division of land reasons for land lying fallow an: as follows:
among the co-sharers. may also have some bearing in this connection. Out of the 4 households studied at In the foregoing para. an attempt has been made Champajharan. 3 households reporte.d that in their ol~ to analyse the reasons for cOIllp'dratlvely less progress villages ownership of land vested III extended ~~nll- in the reclamation of land at ChlJlllpajharan Rec1amu· lies. Out of these 3 households. 2 had parhfJOn- tion Area. in terms of the logistic of the situation.
h i Another way in which the question may be examined. ed their ownership of land. on settlement in [ c rec u- is_ based 011 consideration of the rt!asons that the heads mation area and I continued to have joint ownership of land. At Silikutta all the 6 households specially ()f the individual households give for kaving their res-
pectiv.: lands fallow, studied. reported that in their old villages agricultural lands were owned by extended families: 01'1 settlement A tubl..; giving the acreage of land lying fallow at the area. only 1 household dissolved .joint owner- and the rea_~ons S,iven by the respective heads of the ship. the others continued the old pattern of owning households IS furnished below;
TABLE 42 Distribution of households stating acreage of land lying fallow in two reclamation areas alld the reasons for 1M .fame
No. of household. No. (\f households \INd. have fallow whot.C lands arc lying
land measuring fallo~ because of ,..-,---_.....____-----, r----"--~
It is found from the above table that the main problems that the settlers .were confronted w!th, were density of forest and unsuitable nature of sol1. Nona'tailability of seed. though. reported by one household, does not appear to be a very great impeding factor.
While the importance of the problems posed by the density of the forest and unsuitable nature of th.~ soil. need not be underplayed. for a proper appr.eciation of the developments, the same should be considered in the context of the motivational and organisational aspects analysed carlier.
Cd) LeMine out of land
One Kumhar household in Si)ikutta Reclamation Area had leased out a portion of land owned by it. for cullivation on share cropping basis.
62
(e) Typee 01 cropIlfOWD - ..... cytteel"'~ c:1IIturaI _'ritie& Information about the types of crops grown and
the annual cycle of agricultural activities could not be collected from all the individual households due to shortage of time. In fact. as the ma.in focus of the study was the emerging pattern of socio-economic relationship at different levels. with reference to different situational contexts, a lower priority was given to the collection of such data. But at the same time. it was recognised that information about cropping pattern and annual cycle of activities connected with agriculture would be pertinent to the present study as they help in constructing the situational contexts for further analysis.
The information collected in a general way in two reclamation areas arc furnished in the tabJe below:
TABLE 43
Types of crops grown and annual cycle of agricultural activities in (IvO reclamation areas
Nature of activity and the season for the same
(""._. __ .-_
Type of crop grown Ploughing
2
Paddy (gora) Late part of May to early part of July
First ploughing is in Decem-
Paddy (Others)
ber'-]anuary ; plO~18hi~g for SOWlDg IS ID May-.lune
'Cwlthl (Small millet) May-June
Maize
June-July
The above table shows that there is not much diversification of cropping; it also shows that there are only certain periods when the agricultural activities are intensified. These periods are late May to July and late October to December. During the other months. there is not much work connected with agriculture. This periodicity of agricultural activities makes it possible for the absent~ members to visit the
Sowing Weeding Transplanting
3 4 S
June-July Nil August-Septem-ber
Do
Late June to early August
Harvesting ,
6
October-No-vember
November-De-cember
October-No-vember
January-Fobruary
area for short time and contribute their labour for augmenting household economy.
(f) Acreage of }and ODder each type of crop
Information about the acreage of land under each type of crop were collected from 2 households at Champajharan and 5 households at Silikutta. The same are furnished on the following page:
63
TABLE 44
Acreage of land WIder each ty~ of crop in two reclamation areas
Name of crop Reclamation area
2
No. of househ()lds report ina the cultivation of the
crop
No. or h"Lnehold~ hwing unclor ctlltivatlon unil"riglltcd land rneasuri nR
o· S I :! 4 ~ 6 R acrCl acre acre~ acro~ acr~s acre~ acrc.
4 5 6 7 )0
Paddy (gora) Silikutta . 4 2
Paddy (mal) Do 3 1
Llllrht Dn
Mu'tard Chilmpajh!lraD
Til (Sosamum) Silikutta
Urid(Puhe) Do
Mung (pul~o) Do
Itahar (Pulse) Do
Unspecified puhe~ Champajharan
Sirgu/a Silikutta
Blrhl Do
Maize Do
It is found from the above table that larger varieties of crops are grown at Silikutta than at Champajharan. It. however. seems likely that the households interviewed at Champajharan did not give complete statement of crops grown by them. The fact that none of the two households interviewed at Champajharan made any mention of cultivation of paddy lands support to this suspicion.
At Sili,kutta all the households. from whom information was collected reported that they grew Kulthi or a kind of small millet. Cu1tivation of gora paddy was reported by five households. Both these varieties of crops can grow on upland without irrigation ra~bties. The above information. therefore. givei some UIsight about the terrain of the land. Wliat is. however. more interesting is that 3 out of the 5 house!-:oldl cultivated mal paddy without irrigation facilities. Tni,
7-5 !l.O. India/61
4
shows that low land at the ba~in of slopes is also availahle to a considerable extent.
If both the typ-.:s of paddy are taken together. it IS found that all the households at Silikutta grow paddy. III fact paddy accounts for the maximum acreage of land. Altog.:ther. the 5 hou~holds cultivate paddy over 21 acres of land. With reference to the acreage of land under cultivation. the next place is held by the different varieties of pulse~;. Though Kllirhi is grown hy all the household~ at Silikutta, the acreage of land under thi~ crop is not much. In 19~3. the 5 household~ at Silikutta grew it only on 3 acres or land.
(I) Quutity of lIritoItuntl ~ Mid ..... of ditpoIaJ of die lUBe
A table indicating the quantity of agricultural produce grown by 2 households at Champajharan and 5 households at Silikutt3 in 1963 is furnished (In the foJ. lowing page:
64
TABLE 4S
Quantity of agricultura( produce and manMr of disposal of the same in two reclamation areas
All the households have reported that whatever Both the reclamation areas being situated wit.hin dense forests, have ample opportunities for animal hus· bandry. A table indicating the distribution of households with reference to the type and number of livestock is furnished below:
they grew. they consumed themselves. They did not produce any surplus for sale.
(h) AniDlal IaUl_dry
TABLE 46
Distribution of households with reference to the type and number of 1i1lestocki n' wo reclamation areas
A verage price
No. of households possessing (R~.) for each
type oflivestock No, of households livestock numbering during possessing livestock: for
-----"- ---, r-~--' ,---~-~
Reclamation area Type of livestock More Pur- At Agri· Milk
2 3-5 6-10 than 10 chase pre~ent culture only Sale
SilikuuI Cow 3 2 45 60 6 Bullock S 75 95 5 Buffalo 140 150 Galt 4 13 IS 5
"to • The table 46 shows that livestock are reared tor agricultural purposes. consumption of milk and it :;aJe. BulloCK IS the more COmmon draught animal. But ~ulfalo IS also used specially in marshy lands. COW IS reared not only ~or ha.vJOg progeny of existing cattle, but also for obtaInIng nlilk. At Champajharan. a good number of households hand over their milk to middlemen, who carry the .s~me to Rourkela and adjoining ~reas for sale. At SJlIkulta the scope for sale of milk IS much less, because of its distance [rom Rourkcla and also because of bad communication. Both at Chall1p~jharan and Silikutta, goat is reared mainly for sale. lioat mJlk IS locally conSll rned; but as thcr" is ~rcat demand for mlltton in Rourkcla alld the ;Jdjuin· mg mdustrIal areas, dealers from outside come' and purchase over the he-goats from t he village JweJlers.
. T~us it is found thal animal husbandry is prac-tised III reclamation ;In:as both for agricultural and commercial purposes. ] his is a tkparturc frolll fhl.: position il_l the old villages. where <lnim.ti husbandry ",:as practIsed almost soll!Jy for agncultural purposes. 1 he commercIalisatIOn of livestock is fe/kcted In the increased prices of the livestock. the details of which have been furnished in the tabk .
Administration of reclamation area
At the time of tht: survey. the areas covered by the reclamutlOn blocks were under lht.: jurisdiction of Roufkela Land Organisation. These had not yet beeJi transferred to the care of the normal Revenue Depart· menl nor wr.:re these covered by the Community Development Progra:Hl1ll:. Hence. for v'lrioliS purpow'. the inhabi~ants of the redamatioll arcas had to depcnd OIl
the offiCials of the Rourkela Land Organisation.
Cootaet. .. with Rourkela
Sometimes. the olficlais of Rourkela Land Orga. nisation. visit the rl'cIamation areas in connection with allotment of plots. checking whdha the allotted plots ar.e actually being reclaimell and brought under plough and also for disbursement of n:damation subsidy etc.
It wa~ reported by the inhabitants of Champa. Jharan that the Zonal OlT1ccr of R. L. 0 .. had \i~il~J the area five times during one yeitr. It appears thill Silikutla was visited much less frequently. The inhabitants stated that the Zonal Officer, visited their area only once during the year.
More frequently. the inhabitants of reclamation areas visit Rourkela to contact the officials. As mentioned earlier. they received 50°1<. of the reclamation subsidy when they started to clear the forests; they were entitled to receive the remaining 50';i, after 'hey had cleared the forests. During group discussions many persons stated that Ihey required to go 10 the R. L. O. Office. quite a number of times before they got the;r reclamation subsidy in full. They had also to go to the R. L. O. Office for receiving assistance for agril,;ultural activities and other development activities. Sometimes, they visited R. L. O. OlIke 10 seltle dispu~es among themselves. In a few cases. there were dis-
65
putes amoDI the inhabitants a. to which plotl bad actually been allotted to them. 'lbe officiali of R.L.O. had to intervene in such cases.
Some of the inhabitants of Silikutla stated that during the period of Ollt' year they had vi&ited RourkeJa. a number. of times. in CODUC<;llon with some suits likJ by lh~m in the law court. They had purchased lands III the adjoliling villages; but when wanted to take possession of the same, they mct with opposition. Hence. tbey hall sought the intervention of law courts.
A few persons in Champajharan Reclamation Area stated that they had registered their nallles with the Employmcllt Exchange at Rourkela. They had heard that the steel plant was likdy to recrull new labour and that preferl'nec wlluld be gIven to displaccJ persons. They were periodically viSiting RourkcJa to kcer their flallles in the Live Register.
All Ih,' inform:lIIts slakd lhat. whcnc\w they visit., cd Rourkck they uvaiJcd of (he opportunity to purchase grocery goods and other articles like clothes. footwear etc. But r:m:ly. tlwy visited i{ouricela only for purchasing these articlt:s.
On an :Ivcragc. members of the various hou~cholds residing at Champajharan visited Rourkcla at lcast once a 1I10nth. whereas members of the variou~ households residing al Silikutta visited Rourkela quarterly once.
Relatioll. wilh the retettlement coiOlIie8
It has been earlier stated that the households that seltled al Champajharan. hac.! also becn allotted plots III Jalda. Rcsctllellll:llt Colony; Similarly the house· holds that settled at Sdikulta had bel!n :t1lolteu plots eitha in )aIda or in Jhirpuni Colony.
All the four households ,5tudied at Champajharan have taken possession of the plots allotted to them in the n:scttlcment colony and constructed residential houses 011 them. In 2 cases. some family members of the households concerned ure living in these houses; ill I case the hous(! has been rented out and in the reo maining I case the house has bl!l~1l kepI under lock and k.;y for occ'lslon'tl Il~C by the members of the household. Out of the h hou'>cholds specially studied at Sili· kutta. 2 have 110t occupied at all. the rIots allolted to them in the resettlement colony and 4 have constructed houses on the plots alloued to them. Out of lheso 4. 1 has deserted the house .. :! have renled out their respective how,cs In outr.idcrs and I has left it unaer care of a relation for occasional Use by the memben of the household.
It is thus found that most or the inhabitants of the reclamation arcas have some sort of economic interests in the resettlement colonies. Even where they do not have. direct economic interests. they have intimatc social interests. as their close relations live in these colonies. It is. therefore. no wonder that the inhabitants of the reclamation areas visit the rcsdtiement colonies quite frequently. A table giving the frequency of visits by the inhabitants of the two reclamation areas to the resettlement colonies is furnished on the followini page:
TABLE 47
Frequency of visits by the personJ livlni in two rlclamallon areas to tilt resettlement c%nieJ
No. of houleholds whose members visited resettlement
Total colony durilll one year No. of r- .A.. _____ ~
Reclamation arca Caste or tribe RClctllcmcnt colony wbere
plou are IOCiltcd house- 25 20 10 5 holels time. times timel time.
Cbampajnaran
SiliJcutta
Munda.
Bhumij.
Lohar
Oraon
Kumhar
Raotia .
Bhllmi .
2
],Ida "A" Block
lalda "C" Block
JaJda "A" Block
Jilida "A" Block:
Jhirpani
Jhirpiloi
JhirpBni
Jaida . 'C' Block
It is found from tht:. above table that, as expected, the houscholds studll::d ul Chumpajharun have more frcq ucnt contacts with the resettlement colonies than the households at Silikutta.
In addition to the enquiries ill the specific households. the question of contact with the resettlement colonie.s wa~ taken up in a gcneral way during group dISCUSSIons III both the reclumatlOn areas. Many persons specially at Chumpajharan. stated that sometimes th~y. Visited ~he rcsettle~ncnt,.colonies, even without any specific end 1I1 view. 1hey Just wanted to escape from the ngours of the difiicult conditions of life in the reclamation areas and their viSIts to the resettlement colonies hclp them in this matter. Such visits without delinilc purp~sc were more frequent during Ralha latra (car feshval), Durga Puja, Makar Sal1kranti etc. A few Christian informants stated that they visited the colonies dunng Christian festivals as there were no churches in the reclamation arcas.
Pattern of rclatioM with the neighbouring tillages It has been noted earlier that the areas which were
marked out as reclamution areas, where the displaced pers?ns could carryon their agricultural activities, were preVIously under rese~vcd forests. The adjoining villages .had no econOllllC flgi!lS over these areas. Only sometimes they grazed thclr cattle In some of those areas. H('nee when the areas were released for settlement of tlisplac.:d pcr~ons, th.: economic interests of the adjoining ,:i1Iages were not mucl~ affected. Only among those vlllage~s whose ~cope ot grazing was reduced, there was slight feeling of uneas.iness. llJis feeling. however. was not strong enough to cause lasting antagonism between the villagers on the one hand and the settlers in the reclamation areas on the other.
. In s.:>me ~ases the people were attracted to a par-ticular rec1aahon area becaUSle of the ethnic compo-
4 6 7 8
sit ion in the adjoining villag(;s. For instance. in the village Tombai. Jailldhara and Tumara which are near about the Silikutta Reclamation An:a the inhabitants mainly belong to Munc1a, Oraoll, Raotia, Bhumij, Kumhar and Gaud communitll.!s and this is one of the reasons why people belonging to the above communities were attracted to this reclamation area in larger number. At present there arc frequent mutual visits among the people belonging to the saJlJe ca~te of tribe in the Silikutta Reclamatioll Al\'(l and the villages mentioned above. For some time there was another special relation of thl! settlers at Silikutta with Tombai village. When the displaced persons settled at Silikutta they fell the need of a sumo or sacred grove. but they did not know what were the sacred spots within the area allotted to them. As the people of Tombai village used to graze th~ir cattle in these areas, it was believed that they knew whcr~ the sacred spots and the abodes of supernatural spirits were located. Hence. the settlers decided to have the village priest of Tombai as the priest for SiJikutta also. for sometime. This priest functioned for about thrC4 years. After that thl.! arrangement was changed.
In addition to social and ritual matters, in economic matters also, some amount of inter-dependence between the settlers in tbe reclamation areas and the people of the adjoining villages is emerging out. At Silikutta labourers from Tombai and other villages are employed in connection with clearance of the forests and preparation of the lands for agricultural purposes. One Kumhar of Silikutta has given some land for cultivation on share-profit basis to a Raotia of Tombai. A Bhumij of SiJikutta purchases country liquor from the villagers of Gurundia and Jamdhara for sale to the settlers in the reclamation area.
• The lCttlers of the reclamation area at Silikutta purchase their: requirements from the weekly markets at Kansar Tamia, Satkhuta, Gurundia and Jamdhara. Thus they are rapidly developing economic tics in the region.
As regards Champajilaran, partil.:uiars of relations with the neighbouring villages were not collected in detail.
SOCIAL PROCESSES iNSIDE THE RECLAMATION AREA
(a) Residential pattern 8ild (actors contributinl tu theJ S8IIDe
In botl] the reclamati0Jl areas, t/H.: scllkr~ lli.J nbuilt up their houses in different clusters. As t11c~e arc dense forest arcas. the settlers prefer to ~ta) nCJr lill'ir respective agricullurallands. Hence. four 10 lile Ihlmcholds tcnd to dd'orest a particular arc:! afld .~el up their houses in a single dllster. SOIllL'lirm:s the,., clusters arc situaled ,II a di~tancc of :illOLit 'lill': Kill'· meter from on.: anutll.:r. Fn.:qut:ntly. tl1e...,,:. dllsh:h :Ir~ based on membership of same cast.: or Irio.: or sallle old village. It seems that b,)th th~se factors pbYI.,d equally important roles in this matter. At Clwrnpajharall a few MUllda and l\'ai Ilousdmids or (iurauehi have constructed their houses in a sillgle cluster. A few other households of Mundas of the' salll": village have constructed their houses in another duster. At Silikutla a fcw Or:1011 houwholds of Uparambahal. Purnapani and Rourhla ha\'e ,(tlkd :it <)lle l'lac':, \\h,L' the Oraon, of Kllariabahal and Saniajibhcrna Ilavc settled at another place. Again two Oraol1 11llusclwlJs hailing from Bandposh and Uparambahal have scltl~d in an isolated corncr :Is it is Cl1nvt:lllent for \hc~,' housdlOlds to look af(l'r their agricultural lanus from that place. At Charnpajllaran, ~as rm:!I11oned ,'arlier. only a few households havr settled. Hcre mcmbersllip of a paflil·ular tribe or c:.de or a partil'uiar village do~s not a rpcar to have been. as important factor a~ at Siliklltla. For instance. tile MlIllda~ llf Guradcili are livil1~ in a c1ustcr but at a distance from peapL: helonging to other communities. A Lohar of Guradchi is living separately in an isolalcd Cl'mer. Thc Munda, of Guradchi are livin[' in tW\1 sL'paraL~ clusters; and so on. It sC':ms that here til,; scttl::rs ar~ yet to strike their sC)ljal WlltS. They appear 10 look upon their c<:(ablisilmc:nts at Chall1r~Jjh:!raJl unl)' :I~ subsidiary to their main ·:slablishments, \\ hi(:h arc eithel in tht: resdtkmcnt ("olonics or cbc',I.hcn:. A~ such. till the time of the survey they do not arpear to have bothered much about their neighbourhood patlan Their main concern seem to centre round physical conveniences. such as proximity to roads. foot· tracks and cultivable lands.
(b) Segmtntlltion b85·ed on ,illage of ori~ill It was examined wh~thcr irrespective of residential
pattern some sort of segmentation has emerged out in reclamation areas bascd on village origin. It scrim that there is some tendency towards sueh s.t:gmcnlatioll. At Champajharan out of 24 households of seuicis 20 hail from Guradehi. 2 fr{lm Tarkera and 2 from Bhangamunda. Among the 20 households from Gurndc!:i. one is that of the brother of the ganjll (headrnan) of the old village. Though. he docs not hold any office in the reclamation area, he is considered by
67
the households hailing frOtll Ouradehi to be their spokesman, His leadership. however. is not accepted by the households haIling from Tarkera and Bhanga. munda. At Sihkutta. out of 27 households, IS hail trom Milmili. tJ from Jharabahal and the rest are from a numba of other villages. In this centre the old ganju (headman) of the village JhJrpani has settled. He IS I.:Ollsidered to be lh~ir leader. by the people bluling from those VIllages which were represented in the area by only a f..:w households. But the households hailing from .the vill:.tgc Milmili. who constitute the single m'lJonty group III the area, do not accept him as their kJJer. JiIC 11OusdlOld:. hailing from Jilarabahal also do 11ll( acc~pt his kadcrsllip. Slwrlly before the sur· \\:y. thc CjlJcslion of appointing somebody (rom amollg Ih..: settlers as the priesl for lhe !i(1rrUl or sacred grOve: I' <IS consldt'l"cd. 1 he pcopk hailing from Milmlll and Jharabah.JI wanted a Bhumij belonging to the old prlestl) Lllndy 01 J 11;1 r<lb.ll1al t,) I'c thl.: priest in th.: Cl'Jltr.:. But thl: (il:llplt: hailing from other villages, e'r"':LI:i1ly AlurabaJldh. Purnapani lind Jhirpani, did lIot :tgrc~~ to It. As OJ result. the unity of the seUiers in the malter of worship in th~ sarnil or sacr..:d grl)ve has becl! hn~ken. Till! sama which was originally selected. rcmam, under lhe C(lutroJ of the scuJers from Md. mili and laharbahal. Another .wnw or sacred grove has h~L'1I sckctcd by Ihc othl!r sdlkrs and another perSllll from arl1011g them Ius been appointed as th~ pnest.
(t J SCl:mentati()n ba~ed Oil IIn1.l1&4.' with n.'St:ttie. ment colollil'S
An allcmp1. was made to tind out whether lhere is ~llly tendency of formation of groups in the reclamatiJn :lrC:iI'i on lh!! hasis of their having been allotted plots III the ~alllc re.)ellkmcnt colony or block of Ihe same rcscttkmCl11 colollY· II ar[lCars that at least in the clustering of th\! houses. linkage with the same n:sellletHe.11 cololJY has not played any significant rok At SdlklJlla the IlllllSt:holds. who had heel! :.Illoltl.'<I plots :11 Jalda .( .• Block have conslructed their houses III four JlIr~rcnt clustl:rs. Simrlarly. those who have hCCll al1ntk.d pitHs at J hirp:.llli, Iwvc constructed their hlluses in tllr!!e dllT.:rcnt clusters. At Charnrajharan it ha~ h,:en found I!LIl 111;: peorlc who have b(~en al1ott.ed plots in JalJa . ". Hiock and '\.' Block have construcll'J h'Jw,,·s in til..: ,amc cluster. But again a fcw other households who hale heclI allotted plots in Jalda 'A' B1l)~k and 'C' Bh)ck arc In·jng in scparate clusters. BeSides. one household which has plot III lalda 'S' B!ock is Ii~jng ~eparatdy.
The ~b()vc facts tend to show that the bond of common rC'iettkmcnt colony has not emerged out as a stron.g .enollgh force which might have its impact in dctermllllllg the resHlentlal pattern in the reclamation areas.
During group di'i<:ussiollS aiso, the settlers in the reclamation areas. st;Jtcd that linkage with the resettleml!nt colony had con~ribut~d little ~owards emergence of a sense of uDity which mIght persist when the people went out of the resettlement colony.
(d) Segmentalion bllfied on ethnic i.deotity During group ~i5cussi~n, most of the peopJe staled
that the overwhelmmg dcsuc among them was that the people of the same caste or tribe should settle tOlctbc:r
in the same reclamation area. It has been mentioned earlier that majority of the houseolds at SiJikutta belong to the Bhumij tribe. They huil from two villages. namely. Jharabahal and Milmlli. Similarly six households of Oraons hailing frum live different villages have settled at Sillkutla Reclamation Area in a single cluster. Here it is of further lIller.::st to note that none of these households were mutually rdated. Obviously. they were drawn together by a sense of tribal unity.
It is, however. to be noted that the people were not guided solcly by ethnic unity in all cases. In onl' case. one household of Oraon. ItClillng from Bandposh lives ~epar.ltdy ill an Isolated corner uf lhe. village. He prdl:[s to Iiv..: by the side of his land than by the side of the people of his tflbe. Another hou"ehold of Oraol) Iiv..:s a long with the people belonging to thn.:e other communi [ies, namely. Rant ia. Kumhur and Munda lills hous..:llllkl also cOllsiders othl:f COll
veniences rather than tribal unity. <IS the more imlJortant factor.
At ChampJjil,H,11l abo some tendency for the people of the same community to live together can be noticed. Thus the Uhurnijs live in clusters of their own. But on tile other hand, the Mundas. even of the same village, namely. Guradchi. are living in two separate clu~ters. Hence. though there is obvious pull of the community. it is supplanted to some otent by Olher factor~ a5 wdi. The overall picture. however. IS that of caste Of tribl:wisc grouping of pcople. in tile residential path.:rn in both the rccbmation afcas.
During group discussions an attempt was mauc to find out whether the caste or tribe-wise grouping ill
residential pattern had raml1icatiolls in other ~phcres of the community Iif..:. It was not possible to obtain a very clear picture during the rapid survey. It, however. appears that the developments did not take place uniformly in this matter.
At Silikutla. the Oraons hailing from different villages consider an eldt:rly Oraon hailing from Sanlajibhcrna as tl1cir leader. Before the displacemcnt of the persons. he was the parha raja of the Or:Jons. Hence. in the rcdumatil)ll ,lr'~a he providl:~ a focu~ of organisati~JI for the Oraons. But in respect of the other oommunities. caste or tribe-wise unity does no! appear to have crys~allised o~t a dist~nct f~rce. For instance, the Bhumljs life diVIded With rdcn:nct: to their village of origin. An elderly Raotia of Ihirpani is considered to be the kader not only of the Raotias but also of the people belonging to a few olher communities belonging to Jhirpani and adjoining villages. It appears that the personalities of some of the i_odividuals settled in the reclamation arcas havc prOVIded important focus for rally of the ~oplc; and the factors. such as unity of caste or unity of village. arc sometimes supplanted by thc same_
(e) Segmentation based on religion During group discussions it appeared that in re
clamation areas segmentation Or factionalism has !lot deyeloped much on the basis of religion because there is not much scope for the same. Jt does not. however. mean that no segmentation has taken place among the displaced persons on the basis of religion. In fact. some
63
SCjmentation hili taken place, but that is more at tbe6
inter rather than intra reclamation area level. lYor instance, the Christian Mundas of Tumkela, Luakera, Purnapani. Jhirpani. Milmili and Ahirabandh etc. at the instanct! of their leaders from Ranchi have kept away from non-Christian Oraons of the same villages. Only one Christian (Roman Catholic) Munda has settled with nOll-Christian Mundas and Oraoos at Sili· kulla but this being the solitary Christian household in this area. there is hardly any scope for segmentation on the baSIS of alliliation to ChristIanity here. It hus been mentlOlIed earlier that there arc eight Oraon households at Sillkutta who 11a ve returned their religion to be tribal religion, whert:as. the three households of Mundu.s and ail the households of' Bhumij, Kumllar and .Raotla have returned their religion to be. Hindu reilgJOn. Dunng the Held J[Jvestigation, it was found that SOIl~C. social dIstance exist among th;.; different c.ommullltlcs. But it appears that tltis IS more a COIltllluation of ethnic Jitlcrenc..:s than of reli~ious dllkrcnccs. Though the eight housdlOJJs of ()[Jons have returnl'd their reiJgloll as tlib~d n:!Il!.ioll. thc~ other Hindu housclll)lds of the reciJrnation ar-.:a do Hut consider th::tt their religion is ~,)fll<:tlllng diHcrent. There l~ no eVl(Jencc that the Bhumijs. Mundas. etc. conSIder themselves to be nearer to Olll.~ anolhl'r. thall the Oraons. because they have retum-.:d themselves to be Hindus when:as. the Oraons hav..: r..:turncd thl~nlsdves to be tribal in religion. At Champdjlnr,m tllele arc two Ill)uscholds of Lutheran Christians and the rest arc H!ndus .. Ihest.: two Christian housell01Lls belong to KIsan tnbe and they stay a bit aloof ft om others. but it is ditlicult to say that in this matter they h:1vc heen gUIded by tht.: factor of religious difft:rl·[lcc.
(f) Scgmentatinn baored on kinship Both at Silikutla and Ch:.tmpajharan tht:rc is not
much seprc. for segmentation on the basis of kinship. At Chan\paJharan tht:re arc only two households who arc rdat..:d to onc another. At Silikutt:1 none of the households is interrelated. by kinship tics. Thc<;c facts ~how that in the matter of selection of and sctllcm..:nt ill the reclamation areas. the p.;oplc h~lrdly considered whether their rebtions wl;rc settling ill the same area.
(g) Factions ill the reclamation area Both at Champajl1aran and Silikutta the hJUsc
holds specially studied, were asked whether there were factions in their respective reclamation arCdS due to allY reason. At Champajharan. all the households stated that there was no faction in the area but at Silikutla four households stated that some factions existed. One interesting point to note in this connection is that according to the dwellers of the centre these factions were based on inter-village conflict. None of them stated that these factions were continuations of factions which might have existed in the old villages. At Champajharan the households hailing from Guradehi stated that in their old villagc there were two factions based on caste ties-one was Munda faction and the other was Lohar faction. At the time of selection of the reclamation area, the Munda faction decided to settle at Champajharan and the Lohar faction of Gura· dehi decided to stay out. In this process the factionalism of old villages was eliminated. According to the
~babitants ot Champajharan. at the timo of this surve~. no new type of faction had emerged out there. At Silikutta Reclaf!lation Area •. there was a diffe.rent story. The people hadmg from dIfferent villages stated that in their old village.s there were factions and the households belonging to the different factions had settled there. But on scttlement at Silikutta they forgot their old factional affiliations and became more united 011 the basis of village of origin. At presellt. on one latta basis. there arc two main factions ;\ t Silikutt:.t. In one faction arc the households hailing from Milmili and Iharabahal VIllages and in the other faction arc the households hailing from Purnapani. Ahirabandh. Jhirpani. Hamirpur. Khariabahal. Uprambahul. Sanlajibherna and Bandposh. As a result of the factioll;Jlism. two somas or sacred groves have come into existence at Silikutta.
(h) Leadership pattern (I) Panc/urval It lus been earlier staled that in
the old villages" C;Jstc Of rribc panclwvlIts were in exis· tencc. At Champajharan and Silikutta it was enquired whether caste or tribe-wise pllflchayals had been organised among the people living in rcclamation areas. At both the places the information was in the negative It, how~ver. appears th;.!t sometimes the people as~oc-iate thcms~lves with the caste PWU'!t(/\'rll.\· of the neighbouring vilbgcs. For instance. the Raotia households of Silikutta attend the meelines of Ihe Raotia caste pallcllnmt al TOnlhai. .
It was furlher enquired whelher any panchCly[Jf or (lI'ganiscd body of all the dwellers . helonging to the different communities had COIllC into existence and the answer was ill the neg;Jtiw.
(2) Leaders ill Ih(' .f,"dllJI10IioJ1 (]1'NZS olld Iheir (llllc('cdellls---At Champajharan out of the 24 housrholds 20 arl~ from the olet" village Guradehi. 2 are from Bhamwmul1da and Tarkera each. In thIS centre had scttk(I the brothcr or thc headman of the old vill<lgc Guradehi. He is respected by all because of his family connection_ Further. he has .l!0t pcr.sonal qualities of his own He is literate and is capable of handling outside officials. As a re~;ult. h~ funclion~ ;JS the spokesman of the residents of the area. At Silikutta there :.lrc two categories of leaders. In anI.' catc· gory belong persons who held some special status in the old villa!,es hut who df) not have much intluellC'~ in the reclamation area. To the second category be·
69
long persons who had special stlllll~ in the old villagCl and who are commanding influcncl.! in the rccl3mation area aho, beGll1~e of their personal qualities and have become dIcellV!;! spokesmen of the people. To the first category can b.: included two persons-one is an elderly Oraon hailing from Sanlajibherna and the other is a middle-aged Bhumij hailing from Milmili. The elderly OrallO hailing from Sanlajibherna was the parah raja of [Ill' trinal 1)(l11cl1(1,1'III, prior to the displacement of the populalion. He is still rl~speclCd mainly by the people of his OWIl community. b~cause of th.: otlice held by him ill the pasi. but he do.:s not have any aptitutc to deal with the new Iyp,'s of problems. which the dwellers were facing at tht: time of the survey. As a result. though he is respected. he has not much influence. The ll1iddlc-agl~d Bhumij hailing from Mil· mili was the priest in the old Village. He continued to command some respect in the H'dalTl;Jtioll area but docs no' have much influence. To the second ClI.tegory belongs a Raotia from Jhirpani. He was the glllljll or headman of lhirpani. Ht~ is an elderly perSOil and literate and is :lIso quite alert abt1llt the various problems faced by the pl.!opk at Silikutta. He has. therefore. emerged out as the spokesman of Ihe settler. at SilikUlta. As noted earlier. thl'rc are two factions at Silikutta, but slIch factionalism mainly rdales ttl nlual and social maIlers. In alirninistratiVl!. ecnllomic and <lther de\'clopnlL'nt matter,. he is acecrh~d as the ~r(lkesnHln, cvcn hy lilt: people. hclllllpng 10 tl~e other factioll.
Here, two fucl~ are worth mentioning. One i~ that ill the reclamatioll area. 110 efft:cti\'(: kader has come up who did not cnioy SOIllC special status in his old village- Secondly. both at Silikutla and Champaiharan il ha~ been notc:d that the dTective leadership had , ... :stcd on pcrS(llIS who had sOl11cthin~. Ie. do with the ndministrali:m in the past, eifher being a RO/lju 01
lieadman ()r heing a lIlember of Ihe family of the ganju, in the old VIllages. It i~ possible that in addilion to the position that thest: PC',OIlS traditionally held among their pt!ork. tilt." at.tiludcs of tile Government OfliCIUI5. has al~o <;onldhing 10 do ill t:ulIlinUlllt! Ihe infiut:m;c of the p"r~on~ C(JnCCtIIl'(j ill tI1,' n:dalliatioll area. As the Government ofJiciah had contacts wilh thc~l' pt:rsons or their families C"CII in Ihl' old villages. they tend to conlact them first. wilen they visit the reclamation area. Thi~ certainly ha~ helped to .qabili'e thei~ influence and status ;Jmong the co-settlers.
PLATE 1
Approach road leading to Jalda-' C' Block
PLATE 2
A view of a two slapped house of an Oraon in Jalda 'e' Block
8-5 R.G. India/67
PLATE 3
View of a Bhumij hou5ehold by the side of a lane (in Jalda 'C' Block) with tiled roof and brick walls. In the lane itself a bamboo structure has been constructed on which piles of paddy Straw have been kept.
PLATE 4
The house or"a displac~d Bhumij in Jalda ' C ' Block. One room of the house is ren:ed out to a Kol hailing from Asansol area. The owner ofth:: house is standing in front and his wife is seen in the back ground. The tenant is sitting on the doorstep of his room and
his daughter is standing by his side.
PLATE 5
Members of a Christian Oraon family as£embled in tr.e verandah of the house
PLATE 7
A plank press for crushing oil at one side of an Oraon house in Jalda 'C' Block
Stlldents attending classes outside the building of Ashram School in Jalda 'C' Block
PLATE 8
On way to the work site
PLATE 9
An attendant of mobile health unit attends the patient outside the dispensary in Jalda 'C' Block
PLATE 11
Weekly market in JaJda 'C' Block j'
~ •
•
PLATE 10
In front of a Iiquol' shop
PLATE 12
j
Weekly market in Jalda 'C' Block
PLATE 13
Weekly market in lalda 'C' Block PLATE 15
PLATE 14
Weekly market in Jalda 'C' Block
WeeklY market in Jalda 'C' Block
PLATE 16 PLATE 17
Blrbers at work in the weekly market in lalda 'C' Block
Weekly market in lalda 'C' Block
PLATE 18
On way to the market
o
PLATE 19
On way to the market
9-5 R.G. India/67
PLATE 20
A Munda woman with tattoo marks
PLATE 21
Reminiscents of the old Village Chhend
PLATE 22
Inside view or a hut in Chhend vilIage-The hut is having only one room and the same is used as store, kitchen and living room
PLATE 23
Inside the kitchen of a Munda house'tn Chhend Village
PLATE 25
A Munda father and his children taking their lunch in the yard of their house in the Village Chhend
10-5 R.O. India/67
PLATE 24
Drying Barj (a preparation of pulse and pumpkin mixture) in sun on the roof of a Munda house in Chhend Village
PLATE"'" 26
A Munda boy showing how he operates his bow and arrow when he goes for a game
NOTIONAl MAP OF
JALDA VILLAGE SHOWING LAND UTILIZATION PATTERN OF THE AREA
'BEFORE ACQUIRING IT FOR JALDA REHABILITATION COLONY
.. RESERVE FOREST SI-VlLLAGE FOREST Ji AGRICULTURE LAND = RIVER
•• .: KACCHA(AOAD) O'HlLL • PUMPING STATION t SARNA (TEMPLE)
~:.i BURIAL GROUND • POUCE OUT POST m M.E. SCHOOL
11-5 R.G. India/67
CJIAPI1tR VB
DEMOGRAPHIC PATfERN AND SOC1AL PROCESSES IN A RESETTLEMENT COLONY
It has earlier been stated that the displaced per. sons were provided with facilities of resettlement in three colonies roundabout Rourkela. namely, jalda. Jhirpani and Bondomunda. Jalda Colony is further divided into three blocks. Out of 1.787 plots in Jalda Colony, 501 are in !alda 'A' Block. 330 are in 'B' Block and 956 are in 'C' Blocl.
Colouy aa a J*'t of old vWace Jaida The area where Jalda Colony is situated. previ.
ously. partly. belonged to Jalda village and partly. to forest land belonging to the Government of Orissa. At present the colony covers an area of 368·29 acres. out of which i 76·76 acres belonged to old Jalda village and the rest was forest land. The portion of land which has been acquired from old Jalda village was uninhabited at the time of acquirement. Hence. the acquirement did not cause any displacement of popu. lation of old Jalda village. Even now, the onginal inhabitants liVe! in the portion of Jalda village which has remained unacquired. It is stated that about 50 years back. there were some residential houses in the area which has been acquired. But a particular spot in that area gained the notoriety of being abode of evil spirits and hence. the area was deserted. It is interest. ing to note that, the earlier evil reputation of the area has not stood in the way of its being occupied at present.
Democraphic Patten The Master Plan for the colony was laid in the
year 1956. After that roads were constructed and 1.787 plot- were demarcated. out of which 1.433 plots were allotted to l.O:!9 families. but by 1957 only about 600 plots were occupied. By 1962 approximately 1,016 h~)useh()lds constructed their houses in the colony.
(8) Distribution of Jto.ebolds by caste aOO tribe The distribution of households with reference to
10 Mali 11 Mahali 12 Muchj 13 Munda-14 Oraon IS "ana 16 Nai 17 Puran 18 Raotia 19 Tcli
Occupied household
222 ? 6
27 28 SI
6 S4 41
I 6 2
J60 ll2
" 19 29 13 7
1\
Occupied CaStC or tribe household ---:----------_. -------_._.
20 TADll 21 Muslim 220thon " l6
I
Total 1,016
For the purpose of studying the demogruphic pat. tern and social processes in the colony, Ii study of 29 households was made at lalda Colony. Out of these 29 households. 22 households belong to Jalda 'C' Block 6 belong to Jalcta 'B' Block and 1 belongs to Juldl1 'A' Block; 2 more households belonging 10 Jhirpani Colony were st~dicd 10 gain an insight about what wus happening there-.
(b) Distribution 01 taot.MoIcIII by area ur orilia. elite aDd ftliaiOb The 3) households hail from 13 villal,!-=s. They
were alSQ further divided wilh reference 10 their caste. and religion. The particulars of the households ar~ furnished in the table below:
TABLE 48 Distribution of households studied In two rrseltf,,,,enf colonies by I'illage of origin, commWlilY and religion
Nll.of Colony bouse-
and Caate or hold~ block Villaac of ori,in tribe Rcllllion II tidied ---__ ._-----_. __ ._._--. _ .. ,", , ... ,--, ... -.~-.~.,.-.--.-
Jalda 'A' Block 'D' BJocio
'C' Block
Jbirpaoi
2 ] 4 ,
Jlcopon OrllOD Tribal/Orion)
Dhana_munds Oraon Christian 2 Udutum. Kiaan Tribal (Klsen) 2 Udulum • Bhumlj Hindu 1 Durppuc Munda Tribal (Munda) I Tarkcra • . Kumhar Hindu I TarkGra . Puran Hindu 3 TaTkorB . Munda Hindu I Udutum Munda ChrlltiAD I Chhcnd . Munda Hindu 6 Chhcnd • Munda Tribal (Munda) J lharabahal Oraon Hndu (Dha.at) l Jbacabablll Oraon Tribal (Ocaoll) 1 Jharabahal Mund. Cbrlltjao J Duraapur Kharia Tribal (Kha.ria) I RIIJbuolllhpail Munda Hiodu 2 Purnapanl Bhumij Hindu J MaDloli (Tllclte· Karan Hiodu I ca)
Barbnl . Oaud Hindu Ahirabllodh Orllon Tribal (Oraon)
T_I 31
·Durina tabulation !Satll rtIIardinll the two bou.holds of Jhirpani WC1'C Dot t.eparalcly compilw. Thote will tc coa1il.lcre4 Ilona with other bouaebo\dt of Jl14a.
The particulars furnished in table 48 may be restated as follows with reference to caste or tribe and religion only:
TABLE 49
Distribution of households studied in a resettlement colony by community and religion
Total Households reported a~ No. of -. house- Tribal
From the above table it is found that some of the tribal communities like Oraons and Mundas have returned themselves under three religions. namely. Hir.du. Tribal and Christian. Some of the tribal communities like Kisan and KhaTia have returned themselves only under tribal religion. But as the samples in respect of these communities were only nominal, these need not reflect the actual position in the area, It is quite likely
72
that there are Kharias and Kisalls who may return themselves as Hindu and Christian as well. The tribal communities like Bhumij and Puran have returned themselves only as Hindus. An inquiry was made whether there are social differences among the Mundas and Oraons who have returned their religion as Hindu and tribal religion respectively. It was found that the persons who return(:d their religion as Hindu tended to call themselves Mundari rather than Munda. It seems that they arc in the process of shifting their social affiliation from the mother Munda. community. Though. not firmly some of them have a tendency to align themselves with the Bhumij. They are. therefore. marginal people to the Munda community. During group discussions. it was said that the true Mundas tended to return their religion as tribal religion. Similarly, among the Oraons the members of the household which returned its religion as Hindu. were Bhagats*. The Oraons who stick to their tribal tradition were found to return their religion as tribal religion. It appears that the tendency on the part of some of the tribal communities like Oraoll. Munda. Kharia and Kisan to return their religion as tribal religion. is a recent development. For some decades they also claimed to be Hindu by religion. But during recent years. due to growth of political consciousness. there is a tentil:ncy among them to claim their distinctiveness and this is rcfiecku in their recording themse'ves as tribals by religion. This. however, need not necessarily make any change in their beliefs and practices. Religion seems to be considered bv them to be a dimension of their social affiliation. .
(c) Distribution of popula.jlm with n·rerent'Co to age and sex A table ~howing distribution of the porulation with
reference 10 age and sex is furnished below:
TABLE 50 Distribution of population in a reseillement colony by age and sex
0-15 16-50 Above SO Total ,--A---, ,---...... __ ....., , __ .A-___ -. ,.... ___ ...... __ -,
Caste or tribe Male Fomale Male Female Male Female Male Female
Bhumij
Kbaria Munda Kumhar Puran Oraon Kisan Gaud Karan
Total
2
2
1
10 2 I 7
2
3
2
13
4
9
1
31
The above table shows that out of 139 persons in the 31 households. 67 are males and 72 are females. Thus. the sex ratio in these households is ) ,075 females per 1 ,OO~ males. This seems to suggest that as a result of the dIsplaced h_ouseholds beil_1g provided with facili-
·Follower. of one of the cult movements inculcati.D-g puritanism.
4
2
17
3
10 2
38
2 2
14 2 2
10 2 1
36
6
2
4
7
1 2
5
8
4 2
28 4 4
19
2 3 1
67 .
9
4 3
28 3 8
20 3 1 2
'72
ties both in the resettlement colony and the reclamation area. proportionately larger number of females have been settled in the resettlement colony. It would. however. be wrong to rely 100 much on these figures. If considered with reference to distribution by agegroup. it is found that it is only in the age-groups 'O-IS and above 50 that the females preponderate over
males. In the age-group 16-50, on the other hand. the males preponderate over the females. If the above figures imply anything. it implies that in the households where split of residence has taken place as a result of availability of facilities in two places. bOYi> have more migrated to the reclamation areas and the girls ha ve more remained in the resettlement colonies because of the difficult conditions of life in the reclamation areas. In case of persons of middle-age. the females have more migrated to the reclamation .Ifeas and males have mOl e settled in the resettlement colony. Th~ above interpretation of the figures. is in conform;ty with the logic of the situation. ]n the rcclamati'1!l areas where hard labour is necessary to prepare the land for culLivalion, boys arc likely to be more us,:ful than girls. Hence, it would be quite in the la,lis of t.hings that, if there is any scope for choice. more boys would go to the reclamation areas than girls. On the other hand. among the grown up persons the males would be more attracted to the resettlement colony. because. for them there are more employment opportunities in the colony. SimIlarly. as the adult
73
females can render useful assistance in agricultural I
operations in the reclamation areas. they would be more attracted towards the reclamation arcas.
If considered in terms of age distribution. irrespective of sex. it is found that the population in the agcgroup 0-15. c,lI1~titute 40';[" 16-50 constitute 53 % and above 50 Clll1stitute only 7" of the total population ~'overcd by the 31 households. According to Sundbars's· cOllcept it is obvious that there is all imbalance of th~' population as the persons in the middle-age group preponderate and where the persons in the older agc·group arc proportionately few. In a balanced population. the population in the age-piOup 16-50 constitute 50';{, of the total population. 1 he preponderance as indicated here is. however. in conformity with the logic of the situation as discussed earlier.
(d) ARC, sex and marital status A table showing distribution of popuLltion of the
31 households by community, age, sex and marital status is furnished below:
TABLE 51
Distribution a/population in a resettlement colony by age, sex and marital slatus
Agc-group
,--------------------------------~--------------------------------~ Caste or
Irlbe
Bhumij
Kharla
Munda
Marital status
2
Unm1lrried Married Widow
Unmarried Married Widow
Unmarried Married Widow
Kumhar • Unmarried Married Widow
Puran Unmarried
Oraon
Ki.ao
Gaud
Total
Married Widow
Unmarried Married Widow
• Unmarried Married Widow
Unmarried Married Widow ,. Unmarried M:arrfed Widow
UJIIIIIlrrled Married WlcIow
0-15 ,-._.A._ .......
M F
3 4
2 2
LO 13
2
I 4
7 9
1
2
1
31
'" Sundbar .. D/I. cit., p. 65.
16-20 ,-_.A._ .......
M F
5 6
2
.. ,,3
z ,. 5
21-25 ,--.A._ .......
M F
7
.. 4
.. 3
.. 7
8
.. J
.. 2
.. 1
I:
9 1
26-30 r--_"'_'_~
M F
9
.. t
.. 1
.. J
.. 1
.. J
1 8
10
.. J
. -1
. . J
1
.. 1
7
11
.. 1
.. 7 3
.. 2
.. 6 I
1
20 ..
12
.. 1
.. 1
. . 4 1
.. 1
.. I 2
. , 1
.oj
15 ..
Total ,. .. _.A. ......
M F
J3
3 2
10 J4
]
2 2
2 2
8 10 1
.. 1
2 1
.. 1
28 35 ..
14
2 2
J
.. 2 2
51 10 1
I 2
1 1
31 36 5
The table 51 shows that altogether. there are 28 unmarried males and 31 unmarried females. 35 married males and 36 married females. 4 widowed males and S widowed females in the 31 households. The excess of married males over married females by 1 person suggests that the wife of this person is staying outside the resetUement colony. Most probably she is living in one of the reclamation. areas but this point was not specifically enquired at the time of the survey.
If examined with reference to age. it is found that all the 25 males and 31 females in the age-group 0·15 are unmarried. In the age·group 16·20. there are 2 males and 5 females. Both the males are unmarried and all the 5 females are married. In the .lge·group 21·25 there are 7 males and 10 females. All of them except one female are married. This female is a widow and belongs to Kharia community. In the ::tge-group 26-30. there are 9 males and 7 females. Out of the 9 males. 1 is unmarried. All the 7 females are married.
74
The unmarried male belongs to Puran community. In tbe age-group above 30. there are 24 males and 19 females. Out of the 24 males. 20 are married and 4 are widowed. Out of 19 females. 15 are married and 4 arc widowed. The widowed males belong to Munda and Oraon communities. The widowed females belong to Munda. Puran Ilnd Oraon communities.
The above table shows that at the time of the survey. in none of the communities there was any case of child marriage. either among the males or among the females. The lowest age-group in which any married or unmarried male was found is 16·20. Even in this age-group there are only 2 married Munda males and 2 married Munda females and 2 married Oraon. females.
(e) Age at ma'rriage and period of marriqe A table showing the distribution of populaticm
with reference to actual age at marriage and period of marriage is furnished below:
TABLE 52
• Age at marriage as related to caste/tribe and period of marriage in a resettlement colony
No. of persons whose age at marriage for marriaaes taken place before 10 years is
No. of persons whose age at marriage for marriages taken place during 10 year& is
Above Above Caste or tribe 0-15 16-20 21-25 26-30 30 0-1' 16-20 21-2' 26-30 30
1 2 3 4 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Bhumij. M 1 F 1
K.harla M 1 F 1 1
Munda M 4 4 1 4 4 P 3 3 1 8
Kumhar M I 1 F 2
PuraD M 1 F Z
Oraon • M 3 4 2 1 F 2 4 1 1 3
KiaaD M Z F 1 I
Galld M I P - ..
Karan M I p I
Total • M I 10 10 I I 7 9 F 9 U 1 2 t 15 I
The table 52 shows that 23 males married earlier than 10 years. Out of these. I married when he was in the age-group O-IS. He belongs to Puran community. 10 married when in the age-group 16-20. The community.wise break.up of these 10 is as follows:
Bhumij •
Munda Christian
M\Jnda non·Chrlstian 3
Oraon Christian
Oraon non-Christian 2
Kiaan • 2
Another 10 got married when in the age-group 21-25. Their community·wise break·up is as foJJows:
Munda Christian .
Munda non-Chri.tian 3
Kumhar
Oraon Christian 2
Oraon non-Christian 2
Gaud .
Only one male W&I married when in the age-grQup 26-30. He belongs to Puran community. During the last 10 years. 16 males married. Out of th~sc 16, 7 married when in the age-group 16-20. 9 mamed when in the age-group 21·25. Out of the 7 males w~o married when in the age-group 16·20. 3 are non-Chns· tian Mundas and 1 is non·Christian Oman. Among the remaining 3. 1 is a Kumhar.. 1 is a Christian Munda and 1 is a Christian Oraon. Out of the 9 males who married when in the age-group 21-25. 1 is a Bhumij. 1 is a Kharia. 4 are Munda. 1 is a Christian Oraon. 1 is a non·Christian Oraon and I is a Karan.
. If the above two sets of figures are compared. it is found that there has been slight change in the Tange of dispersal of age-groups within which marriage takeS place. Whereas. in case of tho marriages which took place earlier than 10 yea~s. the r.a~8e was 0-15 to 26-~0. but in case of the mamag~ whIch took Dlace dunng the last 10 years. the range was 16·20 to ~1.2S.
Coming over to the females it is found that 24 females were married earlier than 10 years and 17 w~e married within 10 yoaIS. Out of the 24 marriages
75
which took place earlier than 10 years, in cue of 9 marriages. the females concerned were aged 0-15 and in case of 12 marriages. they were aged 16·20. The community·wise break·up of the 9 females who married when in the age-group 0-15 is as follows:
Bhumlj •
Munda non·Christian 2
Munda Cbrhtian
PurID.
Oraon Chri.tian
Oraon non·Cbrlstian
Kiaan •
Gaud
The community·wise break·up of the 12 females who were married when in the age-group 16-20 is as follows:
Kumbar
Kisan .
Kharl •• 1
Mund. Chrl.tian
Mund. non·CIlrI.Ulfi 2
Pur.n • • • • I
Orion Christian 3
Oraon Don-Cbrt.t1au
Out of the 17 females who were married within 10 years. 1 was married when in the age.group O·IS ; she belongs to Oraon non·Christian community; 1 was married when in the age-group 21·25 and aho belongs to Karan caste; the remainmg 15 were married when in the age·group 16·20. Their community· wise break -up is as foUows:
BhumiJ •
nul •.
Mumla uoa-Chrl,llan
Kumar. •
Oraon CbrIltlq
Oraon Ilf?D-CbrIttJu
8
2
2
These two iets of figures in case of females &how that there has been a definite trend for the age of marriage to go up. Previously whereas considerable number of marriages used to take place when the females were in the age-group 0-15, at present such marriage has becolJle practically absent. On the other hand. the phenomenon of marriage of females even beyond the age of 20 is coming up.
76
(f) Distribution of hicNIIeIddI with referemce to mother toope and sub6lidlary IaDguages spoken by the membenl « die households (L) Mother tongue-Information in respect of all
the households in the colony is not readili available but particulars were collected in respect of the 31 households specially stuuied. A table showing the distribution of the 31 households with reference to the mother tongues of the respective heads of the households is furnished below:
TABLE 53
Distribution o/households in a resettlement colony with reference to mother tongue and subsidiary languages spoken by. the heads 0/ the households
Caste or tribe
1
Total No. of households
2
--_ .. _-- ------------------
Bhumij
Kb.aria
Munda
Kumhar .
Puran
Oraon
Kisan
Gaud
Karan
Total
2
1
13
1
3
7
2
31
Bengali
3
1
The above table shows that out of the 31 households. heads of 11 households ha ve Sadrj as their mother tongue. Mundari. Kurukh, Oriya. Kisani and Kharia are spoken by heads of 7,5,4. 1,2 <.Ind 1 households respectively. As the households were not selected on any random sampling basis, the proportions indicated in the above table should not be considered to hold good for the colony as a whole. But the table gives some insight about some aspects of the Janguage situation in the colony. It shows that. not only there is no homogeneity of mother tongue among the different ethnic groups, but also that in caSe of some ethnic groups there is no homogeneity within the ethnic groups themselves. For instance. out of 2 households of Bhumij. head of 1 household has Bengali as mother tongue anp of another household qas Sadri as the mother tongue. Out of 13 households of Mundas. heads of 6 households have Sadri. as their mother tongue and heads of 7 households have Mundari as
No. of households where the head of the household speak.
Kisani
4
2
....
1
Sadri
s
6
1
1
2
11
Kharia Mundari Oriya Kurulh
6 7 8 9
7
2
...
1 7 4
their mother tongue. Out of 3 households of Puran. head of 1 household has Sadri as mother tongue and of 2 households have Oriya as their mother tongue. Out of 7 households of Oraon, heads of 2 households have Sadri as their: mother tongue and heads of 5 households have Kurukh as their mother tongue. Here, it is to be noted that the heads of the 2 households who have Sadri as their mother tongue are Christian by religion and heads of the 5 households who have Kurukh as their mother tongue. returned their religion to be tribal religion. Of the both households of Kisan. heads of households reported their mother tongue as. Kisani.
The diversity of the mother tongues within tho same communities as reported above is an interesting phenomenon of cultural dynamics in the region. The processes through which this diversity has come into existence has not. however. been examined in the field. But it is possible to gain some more wight in this
77
!~ ~ ... ...
8~ .... N .... N
, ._ ~ co. ...
~~ 0 ~ u ~ on "c=, ~ . .!..~ "bIl N .... = .8 ~v. oB 0( ,
~.;:: '" = bIl e .9Su c::... ..... 'c- -ob .... ,... N ..,. .,.. e ~ t ~e ",.- on ...
~ t;Il'"
.s.9"c .9 , .-e!'~ :;
l e- N f'4
~ &i:' "1' N N
L.
..8 0 "8 :S WI ... ~ ~ ~ '36 .... g ~~'..s oz 0 f .... .... "1' ,.. ... 00 ~ .... .... ... 10 0- ~ .... ... ... - ... N ~ ;:!
I-< & N
~..c ~ ~G)G) IC
8"c .... J? N :E '" :E '" ~ II. :E II. ~ '" ~ a. :r '" :I IJ" ~ II. :r Dr. ... oa
~ "I 'E ! .. 0
S ::- .. j j c 3 ~ a j ~ ! -g ! iii ~ W II
~ 0 0
T1te indications of the table 54 are briefly discussed below:
Altogether 8 Bhumijs were covered by the survey. Out of these 8. 4 are in the age-group .~-1.5 and 4 are in the age-group 16-50. All the BhumlJs In the age-group 0-15, have Bengali as their mother tongue. On the other hand. out of the 4 Bhumijs in the agegroup 16-50. 2 have Bengali as their mother tongue and 2 have Sadri as their mother tongue. It seems likely that the younger generation of the Bhumijs is switching over to Bengali. Altogether 56 Mundas were covered by the survey. Out of these 56. 23 are in the age·group 0-15. 31 are in the age-group 16·50 and 2 are in the age-group above 50. Out of the 23 Mundas in the age-group 0-15. 11 have Sadri as their mother tongue and 12 have Mundari as their mother tongue. Out of the 31 Mundas in the age-group 16·50. 19 have Sadri as their mother tongue and 12 have Mundari as their mother tongue. Out of the 2 Mundas in the age·group above 50. 1 has Sadri as his mother tongue and I has Mundari as her mother longue. It is thus found that there is not much significant differ· ence in the age-group·wise distribution of persons hav· ing Sadri and Mundari respectively as their mother tongues. If. however. the figures are further examined with reference to sex-wise distribution of speakers of Sadri and Mundari languages. it is found that in the age·group 0-15, out of 10 males. 4 speak Sadri and 6 speak Mundari as their mother tongue and out of 13 females. 7 speak Sadri and 6 speak Mundari as their mother tongue. Hence, in this age-group proportionately more males speak Mundari whereas more females speak Sadri. But in the age-group 16-50. out of 17 males. 12 speak Sadri amI only 5 speak Mundari. The 14 females are equally distributed among the speakers of Sadri and Mundari languages. Hence. in this age·group. Sadri language seems to be more patronised by the males. whereas both Sadri and
18 Mundari languages are equaUy patronised by the females. In the age-group above 5.0. the female speaks Mundari and the male speaks Sadn. These figures seem to indicate an erratic development among th~ Mundas in the matter of their mother tongue. Dunng group discussions. it was. however.. stated by the people tha~ the present trend is towards replacement of Mundan language by Sadri language. Out of 12 Purans covered by the survey,S are in the age-group 0·15 and 16·50 each and 2 are in the age·group above ~O. All the 5 Purans in the age-group 0-15. speak.Onya as their mother tongue. Out of the 5 Purans 10 the agegr.oup 16-50. 3 speak Sadri as mother tongue and .2 speak Oriya as mother tongue. Both the Purans III
the age-group above 50. speak Oriya as mot~er tongue. During group discussions with the. Purans I~ was rc· ported that ordinarily they speak Onya as theIr ":l0ther tongue. The circumstances in which 3 Purans In the age·group 16-50, adopted Sadri as their I!l0ther tongue were not examined. As regards Orao~s,. It has alr.e~dy been indicated that there is an aSSOCiatIon of religIOn and mother tongue. The Christian Oraons speak Sadri whereas the non-Christian Oraons speak Kuru~h as their mother tongue. Hence, the age-gToup-wlse distribution of the speakers of Kurukh language need not be discllssed here. It may. however. be noted that during group discussions. both Christian and non~ Christian Oraons reported that the prese~t trend fo~ their younger generation is tmvards adopllon of SadrI as the mother tongue. Our.ing house to house survey this. however. did not come out.
(2) SlIbsidiary languages-Sadri. Oriya. Hindi, English, Bengali and Mundari were found to be spo~en as subsidiary languages by the households belongmg to the various ethnic groups in the colony. A table showing the number of households from ~hcre ~~ least one member speaks a subsidiary language m addItIOn to its mother tongpe is furnished below:
TABLE 55
Distribution of' households in a resettlement colony where at least pne member speaks a subsidiary language
Total No' of households with at least one member speaklnJ No. of • as subsidiary language hOUSe- '"" r--
. . a N"" 0000 ..,"" ..,OD 0'10 N ..... ... - ... N tO~
..s~ u u"'<Il~ ~ 0 ...... 0 NN -N !9
- o-SJ2~~«Ie '0-Z 0 8. ..
~ ~ ~..d=a CII 6'0~ e~ ~ i
..
-;J~.c V'l §. ~ El t~ ~ I
V'l ,<:!.s·S 0 tI'J:'= i l ""I 0 0 0 II ., II 0
ii i~ 1 0 ";
0
V'l u '..d u til ~) 0""; ~a -!OI 0""; o. 0 1 !
u ~ ~ ~ 8 ~ S'oS.~ &l '0- I""; G .9 ~~ is ::0 - a "':.a ... ·c a::: I~'" ~d! ~~ :r~ ~ ~'" s j~t=!,;;] g~~ ,S ... - o~. ! 4) • ~.g,~ tI) '0 ~ o :!2 N !f'II .. fOI .... .... N -~ ~.a_g ~e ::e~1 Z_8,g I COl
t;
I '- :I f-::l .~
~.8r;jS 0:;' ,g_g t:I
.8 I· J :; 1 •
'S ~ ..
... 1 0 I 0 b i . . .. .. j a I :1 a 1 ~ I ~ ! w 0 ~ ~
The table 56 shows that out of the 139 persons covered by the survey, 3 persons in the a~c·group 0·)5. IS persons in the age·group 16-50 and ) person in the age-group above 50 speak Sadri as their subsidiary languages. Oriya is spoken as a subsidiary language by 25 persons in the age-group 0-15, 67 persons in the age·group 16-50 and 6 persons in the agc-group above SO. Hindi is spoken as a subsidiary language by 2S persons in the age-group 0-15, 67 persons in the age-group 16-50 and 7 persons in the age·group above 50. Bengali is spoken as a subsidiary language by nobody in the age-groups 0·15 and above 50, but only 4 persons in the age·group 16·50. English is spoken as a subsidiary language by 3 persons in the age-group 1tJ..50. Mundari is spoken as a subsidiary language by I persoll in the age-group 0-15 and 3 persons in the age-group 16·50. If further spelt out, with reference to eomrnuuity and sex. it is found that subsidiary
TABLE 57
lansuageS are more spoken by the males and female. belonging to Munda and Oraon tribes. The differ· ence in this matter. as indicated in the table, may, however. not reft.ect the actual position prevailinl among the population. as the sample in respect of the Munda and the Oraon tribes were much larger.
(g) EduutiOft
During group discussions it was estimated that in Jalda Colony there were 13 persons among the displaced h;:)Useh,olds. who were Matriculates. Out of these 13 persons, 3 had Bachelor's degree in Arts or Science. It was also reported that though, literacy had not spread much among the females. it was progressing satisfactorily among the males. Statistical data in this matter were cvllected from 3 t households and the same arc furnished in the table below:
Di!tributio1l 0/ mtmbers of households in a resettlement colony with reference to their caste/tribe, age, sex and education
The table 57 shows that out of 25 males and 31 females in the age-group 0-15. 14 males and 3 females are literate and 11 males and 2S females are illiterate. As these figures include children of nonschool going age. it is not possible to assess the actual position from this. It will be possible to gain more insight if the position in the age·group 16-50 is considered. In the latter age-group out of 38 males. J 9 are literate whereas in this age-group only one femak is literate. Therc is no one (unong the 19 lilaa l~ l11aks who has passed matric. Even in the age-group above 50. it is found that out of 4 males. 3 are literate and I is illiterate but all the 5 females in that age-group are illiterate.
(h) Educatiooa) institutions
The statistics furnished above. reflects. to some extent. the result of the educational facilities providcd to the displaced persons. There are 5 educational institutions in the colony. The particulars of the same are furnished below:
Middle English: School-The schoo,] was established by the f;ducation Department of the State Government in 1960. It is situated just outside the 'C' Block 011 the ri>ad side. There are altogether 11 students in the school. Their break-up with reference to sex and residence is furnished in the table below:
TABLE 58
Distribution of students studying in Jalda Middle School with reference 10 sex and residence
'A' 'B' Ie' SOli Total Block Block Dlock Others Remarks
2 ~---- -_-----_ ..
Male 10
Female 2
Total 12
3 4
2 3 .. 2 4
S 6 7
2
3
3 ·Out of these 3. 2 bail from origi' nal lalda village and I from Kansar villsie, All
3· of (hem belong to Raotia CUSIc.
Out of the above 12 students. 10 are Hindus including 9 males and I female and 1 arc Christians including 1 male and 1 female.
The rate of attendance of the enrolled sludents is not unsatisfactory. Out of the 12 students all attcnchl the school regularly. There is no particular season when there is more absenteeism. Whereas in the 0W vil1?ges a num~r of them _used to stay away from theIr classes dunng peak agncultural seasons like harvesting. sowing. etc .. in the colony there is hunllv any scope for staying out because of these reasons. GCIlC
rally. the students remain absent from school on occasions like marriage. death, etc.
. It was enquired whether extra curricular activi-hes were undertaken by the school. Some facilities for out·door games like football existed in the school.
81
Besides that. no other organised extra curricular activity is undertaken.
The Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste students ure not required to pay any fee other than game fee.
There are 3 teachers in the school. One is a JJrahmin. one is a Raolia and the other is a Teli. Till March 1ge3 there was no managing committee and the school was directly under the supervision of the Education Department. SinCe then a managing committee has bcen set up with 5 members to look after the varioll~ mallers of the school. The president of this committee is Banmali Sahu who belongs to Teli caste. The other members belong to Lohar. Puran. K isan and Raotia castes.
Ashram Schoo/-The school was established in 'C' Blo:k in 1958 by the R ural and Tribal Welfare Der'Jrtment. G0VeTllment of Orissa. It has 45 students. Their break-up with rderence to sex and residence is furnished below:
TABLE 59
Di,\'tributioll ofstwlents studyil1g ill Ashram School of Jalda with rljerence to sex and residence
Sell
Male
Femillc
Total
Total
2
35
10
45
'A' Block
2
2
'B' Block
4
10
10
'C' Block
23
10
33
Il is to be Ill)lcd that pupils frolll 'A' Block and 'B' Block haVe been enrolled in proportionately much smalkr number in this school. 11 is further to be noted lhat ther.: is no female student from these two blocks,
If considered with reference to religion. it is found that out of the 45 students. 39 arc Hindus and 6 are Christians, Out of the 39 Hindus. 31 are males and ~ are females. It was reported that about 75% of the students attended the school regularly. There arc no peak seasons when absenteeism goes up. A number of extra curricular activities like gardening. exeursion. out·door games etc .. arc arranged hy the school. The Scheduled Tribe and S(.:hedu\ed Caste students arc given concession of tuition fee. They are a).~o given a pair of garments every year.
There are 3 teachers in the school. Out of these 3. :2 are Hindus and one is Christian. The Headmaster belongs to Karan caste. The <?th.er Hindu t~achcr belongs to Bhumij tribe. The Chns~lan teacher IS. also a tribal. He aelongs to Munda lnbe, There IS no managing committee to sllpervi~e the affairs of the school.
Lower Primary School-The Lower Primary School is situated in Jalda 'B' Block. Originally it was established in the village Jharabahal in the year 1958. When displacement of population of Jhardbahal took place. the school was shifted to Jalda 'B' Block in 1957. At the time of the survey there were 116 students in tile school. Their break-up with reference to sex and residence is furnished below:
TABLE 60
Distribution of students studying in Lower Primary School,lalda with reference to sex and residence
'A' Sox Total Block:
2 3
Malo . 96 33
Fomalc 20 4
Total . 116 37
'B' 'C' Block Block
4 5
44
13
57
19
3
11
It is to be noted that whereas in the Ashram no female from outside the block had been enrolled. in this school females from other blocks have also been enrolled.
It appears that the reason for the same is that in tbe Ashram School, the children are to do out-door work like gardening, whereas in this school they are not required to do gardening. In fact, Ashram seems to be less popular among the displaced persons. even though a pair of garments are provided in that.
Out of the total 116 students, 72 are Hindus and 44 are Christians. Out of the 72 Hindu students, 64 are males and 8 are females. On the other hand, out of the 44 Christian students, 32 are males and 12 are females. It appears that the Christian femak'S have taken to education proportionately in much larger number., In this school, many extra curricular activities are not undertaken. There is, however. provision for out-door game like football. About 75 % of the students regularly attend the school It appears that there is not much seasonal variation in attendance. There are 4 teachers including the Headmaster. Out of these 4, 3 are Hindus and one is Christian. Out of tbe 3 Hindus, 2 belong to Raotia caste and one belongs to Bhumij tribe. The Christian teacher belongs to Munda tribe. There is a managing committee to look after the affairs of the school. It consists of II members. Out of these 1 I, 7 are Hindus. 3 are Christians and one is Muslim. The president belongs to Lohar caste, and the vice-president belongs to Bhumij tribe. The secretary is a Christian Oraon and the jOint secretary is a Hindu Kisan. The. other members belong to Bhumij, Oraon. Teli and Raotia communities. It is thus found that attempts had been made
82
to as[!Ociate the members of the different communitiea with the management of the school.
Missionary Lower Primary School-The school was established in 1960 by Catholic Missionary in 'C' Block. At the time of the survey there were 25 students in this school. Their distribution with reference to sex and residence is indicated below:
TABLE 61
Distribution of students studying in Missionary Lower Primary School. lalda, 'C' Block with reference to
sex and residence
'A' Sex TOlal Block:
2 3
Male. 15
Female 10
Total _ 25
'B' Block:
4
2
3
'C' Block
5
13
9
22
]t is to be noted that all the 25 students arc Christian by religion. The students are given free tuition. There is no bar against non-Christians joining the school, but they have not been attracted towards it. The school is situated very near the Ashram. where much more facilities are provided than in this school. It was enquired why in spite of that, good number of Christian tribal students belonging to 'C' Block were attracted towards the Missionary School. It was reported that they were attracted to the Missionary School because they felt that theological climate was more congenial. Absenteeism in the school was reported to be 10% without seasonal fluctuation. Th~ school provides facilities for out-door games. Besides that, there is no other extra curricular activity. There are 2 teachers in the school. Both of them are Christian Oraons. The school is under the direct control of the Missjon and there is no other advisory board.
Madar-so-There is a Madarsa or school for imparting religious education to the Muslim children in Jalda 'A' Block. It was established in 1962 by the Muslims inhabiting the colony. Toere are 12 students ,in the school and all of them belong to JaJda 'A' Block It is needless to say that they are an Muslims by religion. No tuition fee is charged from them. Except for religi()us education. there is no extra curricular activity
in this school. Absenteeism is reported to be aboul 10% on average without much seasonal fluctuation The school is managed by Muslim Welfare Com~ittee. which consists of 5 members including the president and the secretary. There is 1 teacher in the school and he is a Muslim.
83
(i) DilCribution of popukdon by.. _ IIId am known
A table showing the distribution of population in the 31 households by age. sex and the skill known is furnished below:
TABLE 62
Distribution o/population in a resettlement colony by sex and skU! known
The above table shows that there are altogelher 42 males and 41 females above the age of 15. Out of the 42 males. 7 males have acquired skill in some craft or industry. Out of the 41 females. none has acquired any such skill. I of the males, who knows pottery is Kumhar by caste. He acquired skill in the craft during his childhood in his own village Tarkera. He also acquired some skill in masonary work during his childhood. Besides this Kumhar. 1 more person knows masonacy work. He belongs to Munda tribe and hails from Mahulpali. He acquired his skill in the craft during his childhood. One Munda has acquired some knowledge in electrical machine operations. He is an employee of H. S. L. Originally he was an unskilled labourer but in connection with his work hc acquired skill in electrical machine operations. by physically handling the machines. One Munda and one Puran have acquired some skill as fitter. Both of them are employees of H. S. L. Originally they were unskilled labourers and in the course of time acquired skiij in this line. by being involved in this operation. Slm~· larly. an Draon has become a skilled crane: operator through being involved in the work. The last pr:!'son was turned into a skilled worker from an unskilled ' worker in the course of four years.
Total • Electrical No. of
Mason at machine Crane persons Mahul- operations Fitter at mrator above paliand at H.S.L., HS.L., S.L.. IS Sk.iII
Ialda Rourkela Rourkela Rourkela years Iulown
4 S 6 7 8 9
2
2
IS
3
4
II
2
I I 3 I 4.
It is noteworthy that at the time 'of the survey, Ilone from among the displaced persons was having any formal vocational training to qualify himself for employment in the Rourkela industrial complex. In this matter. the Stall; Government issued a policy statement that preference would be given to the displaced persons. in .the technical institute set up at Rourkcla. An mqUiry was made why in spite of this policy decision of the State Government. none of the displaced persons living in Jalda Colony was availing of th.e facility and i.t was reported that they were handicapped by. their madequate academic background. Some of the displaced persons. however. refuted this statement. They pointed out that among them there was a young man who had Bachelor's degree in Science. and though he wanted admission in the technical college at Rourkela. he was not selected. As a result. rather than going into the technical line. he was earning his livelihood by runn.ing a canteen.
(j) Industrial claMification 0( the population of Jalda aDd Jbirpani CoIon.iee and tbe adjotnia& areu Population data of lalda and Ihirpani Colonies
were not separately compiled during 1961 Census. They constituted portions of ward Nos. 25. 26 and 21
84
of Rourkela Township. In these 3 wards. the population living in the colony, constituted the bulk of the population. Hence. industrial classification of the popu-
lation of these 3 wards. would give an idea of the industrial classification of the population in the colonies as well. A table giving the figures is furnished below:
TABLE 63
Industrial classification o/persons at work and non-workers In two resettleme1lt colonies according to J 9tH Census
Workers ,..-__________ ._. A_. ____________ ..,_
Total As As In mlnina or Total p()pulation
Total workers non-workers cultlvat()rs agricultural labour quarrying. etc.
Nlme of the ,-----"-----v-----"---..,_,---·---"-----v--·.A-·--------·-- .A._ ... ___ -- -v---.-.-.A---__ """' colony PM F P M PP M PP M PPM F PM F
As er than houschold In trade and household industry Industry construction commerce
and communica- In t ion other services
Name oltho r- ----'--~--__ ---.A.--..._-----'---_v__--...... --.-__ - --._ ...... - _. _ -:-v----......___-- __ Colony P M F P M F P M F P M F P M F I P M P
Percentlpl for both the co-lonies 2'2 3'~ 0·7 9'5 16'4 1'9 I'S 2'7 0'2 1'3 2'1 0'4 0'9 1'6 0'3 16·1) 21'0 12'5
The above table shows that in ward No. 25 and 26 females. The industrial category in which the largest of which lalda Colony is a part. out of the total popu- number of workers are found. is other services. which lation of 5.460, 2.1 71 are workers, In' other words. the accounts for 654 males and 362 females. The persons workers constitute 39.8% of the total population. Out engaged in other services are generally salaried em-of the 2,171 workers, 1.676 are mal~ and only 495 are ployees of H.S.L., and other Government and semi-
gl>VmllDent agencies. This category of persons include peons. scavengers. etc. If the other services are left out. the industrial ca~egory which accounts for largest number ·of workers. IS manufacture other than household industry. 420 persons are found in this industrial category. Out of these 420. 401 are males and 19 are females. The next important industrial category is mining. quarrying etc., which accounts for 283 persons (181 males and 102 females). Other industrial categories are nominally represented. It is interesting to note that, 196 persons (193 males and 3 females) have reported cultivation as their main occupation and 3 persons (both males) have returned agricultural labour as their main occupation. In the ward of which Jhirpani Colony is a part. the main industrial category is other services. Out of the total 1,295 workers. 482 (309 males and 173 females) are in this category. TIle next important industrial category is manufacture other than household industry which accounts for 408 person~ (348 males and 60 females). In household industry there are 81 persons (55 males and 26 female~). Other industial categories are nominally represented. The difference in the pattern of distribution of the popula· tion in the two colonies and their :.dj.)ining arca~ with reference to industrial categories jJ1 interestjng. 11 is noteworthy that only 7·7";) of the wvrking force in Ialda Colony is engaged in manufacturing other than household industry. whereas 12·1 ')(, of the v,.orking force in Jhirpani Colony and adjoining area i, in the same category. It appears that proportionately much larger number of people in Jhirpani Colony have b~en able to take administrative and industrial employment. This may be accounted for by the facts that. the bulk of the population in Ialda Colony Jnd adjoining areas belong to backward. tribal and semitribal communities. on the other hand the bulk of the population at Jhirpani Colony and other ~djoining
85
areas belong to more advanced communities, whose edUcational a.nd other backgrounds qualify them for employment III the sector of manufacture other than household industry.
. In the context of the general pattern of distribu-lion .of the population in various industrial categories. as dIscussed above, types of occupations in which the people o~ Jalda Colony are engaged. may be considered. Durlllg the rapid survey. it was not possible to collect the particulars in respect of all the households. the particular.s were collecteu in respect of the 31 households which were specially studied. The breakup of the households with reference to the main source of livelihood is furnished below:
Trade •
Skilled and semi-skilled laoour
Unskilled labour •
Non-white collared salaried workers
White collared jobs
\
I
7
21
(k) Distribution of population by main Slid ,ub· sidiary O<'Cupatlcms
The above statement shows that with rcfaence to main source of livelihood of the housetJol(i. though very little diversification has taken place. nOlle of the Iraditional occupations pl:rsists as the main ~ou('cc of livelihood. A slightly ditfl!rcnf picture. howel :r. emerges out if subsidiary oceurations of the households arc taken into consideration. It is found that I [ houses have subsidiary occupations which have not been covered by any of the cal\'gorics of occupations indicated above. Their particulars are furnished below:
TABLE 64
Distribution of households studied in a resettlement colony by main and subsidiary occupation
No. of households having main occupation as ._. ___ . ______ .... __ ....A... __ . _____ . __ 4_. __ . ____ ~. ______ .. ___ . __ ~~
r----..A..------~ diary Subsi- Rope diary Pre- oceupa- diary making oc:cupa-
No. of paralion No. or lion as No. or oceupa- No. of aDd No. of lion.a bouse- or lear Agri- house- Agrj- house- tion as hOIl~e· Sale of house- Casual
Caste or tribe holds cups Trade cultue hold! culture holds Mason holds liquor holds labour
2 3 4 S 6 7 8 9 10 II 12 13 .. _--_ .....
Bhumlj 1
Munda 9 Pur an 1 Oraon 6 Kumbar
Kitan 2 -.-.---.,-~
Tetal 19 1 4 1 2. 2. 1 1 1 1 1 1
12-5 R..O. lodJa/67
86
viduals. rather than households, a picture emerges out.
sli,shtJy di6ereJ1t The table 64 shows that three households have agriculture as subsidiary means of livelihood and one household has preparation and scJling of leaf cups and plates as subsidiary ~~ans of livelih?od. Both of these A table giving the distribution of the individual occupations are traditional occupatlOns. If the ~ccu- wor~e~s in the various households by their main and pational data are considered at the level of the JOdl- subsidiary occupations is furnished below:
TABLE 65
Distribution o/the individual workers in the various households in Q reselliemenl colony~b, main and subsidiary occupations
,..._--- Cases without subsidiary occupation where main occupation II ~
Casual labour in which are involved workers ,_......_,
FeMale male
24
1
Mason In which are Involved workers
,--""__, Fe
Male male
26 27
I
Trade 10 which are Involved worken ~
PcMale malo
28 29
%
2
The table 65 shows that out of 37 male workers. 28 male workers have only one occupation. They do not have any subsidiary occupation. Similarly out of J5 female workers. 9 female workers are ha ... • ins a single occupation without any subsidiary occupa· lion. Leaving out the workers with single occupation each. there are 9 male workers and 6 female workers having more than one occupation whcre one occupa· tion is the main occupation and the other occupation or occupation~ are subsidiary occupations. Among these 9 male workers with subsidiary occupations. 2 have casual labour as their main occupation and trade as their subsidiary occupation. They occasionally purchase vegetables and sundry goods in Rourkela market and sell till: same in the weekly market in the colony. 2 are employed as helper.s. in Rourkela Steel Plant. They also carryon part-time cultivation in thdr old villages. 2 have masonry as their main source of livelihood. l)ne of them also carries on rope making and sale of rice beer. The other person works during different seasons as casual labourer. One worker is employ. ed as a peon in H. S. L. He supplements his income as mason. 2 havi! trade as their main source of livelihood. All the 6 female workers having subsidiary means of livelihood. are primarily casual labourers. One of them augments her income by preparation of leaf cupo;. 4 carryon trade as a subsidiary means of livelihood. They purchase vegetables and other sundry goods at Rourkela market and sell the same in the colony. One has agriculture as subsidiary means of livelihood. Durring cultivation season. she assists the male folk of her household in agricultural operJtions that arc carried on. on lands in her village of origin.
Household strudures:
(8) Distribution of hOUgeholch with reference to ownber of members per h01Jl!leholds
The 31 households covered by the survey contain altogether 139 persons. Hence. the average number of members- per household is 4·5. Earlier it has been stated that during the survey conducted by the Government of Orissa in Rourkela region. prior to the displace. ment of the vi1lage population. it was found that the
• number of members in an average household was 6'19. lL is. thus. found that a considerable change has taken place in the size of the household. This seems to be rdated to two factors. The first is distribution oC members in two places. namely. resettlement colony and reclamation area. The second is split in the family. even though. all the members are living in the same colony. These two aspects would be considered later -on. In the' mean time. distribution of the households with reference to number of members per household is proposed to be examined.
A table giving the break-up of the households ~ith reference to caste or tribe and size group of mem~fS is furmshed as follows :
87
TABLE 66
Distribution of households with reference 10 numb,.,. 0/ members per household in a nselliemenl colon)!
Caste or trjbe
Bbumij
Kharia
Munda
Kumhar.
Puran
Kisnn
Oraon
Oaud
Karan
Total
2
2-3
3
6
%
2
2
14
No. of members .... , 6-7 8-10 Above 10
-----4 , 6 7
._-----
s
2 2
10 3 4
The abovc table shows that out of the 3 L house· holds. 14 households have 2-3 members each. 10 households have 4-5 members each. 3 households have 6-7 members each and 4 households have 8-10 members each. It is signitkant to note that there is no household with a single member. If considered with reference to cast\!' or tribe, it is difficult La find any association between the size of the household and the caste or tribe. Because of the small si7.c of the sample. it is. however. not possible to draw any conclUSIOn in this matter. The Mundas have very small households. as well as very large households. Out of I3 Munua households. 6 households have 2-3 members each. 5 households have 4-5 members each. I household has got 6-7 members and the remaining I has got 8-10 members. It is to be noted that. the 13 M unda households include 2 Christian Munda houschokls. They have 4-5 members each. Similarly. the Oraons also have very small households as well as very large households. Out of the 7 Oraon households. 2 households have 2·3 members each. 2 have 4-5 members each. 1 has 6-7 memo bers and 2 haVe 8-10 members each. It is to be noted that the 2 households with 8-10 members each arc Christian by religion. Another community which has got a very wide range is Puran. Out of the 3 Puran households covered by the survey. 2 households have 2·3 members each and 1 household has 8-10 members.
(b) Distribotlon 01. household. with ref_ce to natUft 01 eompolitiea
A table showing the distribution of household. with reference to nature of composition is f\lI'lliShed 01. the following pase:
88
TABLE 67
DlJlribulion of householdJ with reference 10 Nltur. of compoJitiolf in a res.tllemenl cololl)'
Self, wife, married lon.1I0n'l wife,
married Self. wife, daughter Self, lon, married Self, wife, Self, wife,
wife's Self and wife with or without unmarried children
and with son's wife Self, wife, brother. unmarri- Self. son's or with- with or widow brother's ed chil- widow widowed
mother and unmarried children
oul un- without mother, wife and dren and and son's married unmarri- with or unmlrri- unmarri- unmarri- Self and
widowed mother
son~ and ed chil- withoLlt . ed chil- ed bro- ed chil-Cane or tribe daughters dren chi ldren • .lren ther dren
2 3 4 s 6 7 8 9 10
Bhumij 2
Kharia
Mundi 8 1
!lumhar
PuraD
Orion 2
1(,1 .. 0 2
Gaud t
SaraD
--------------------------_. __ .----Total 4
U the above table is examined. it is found that 16 households are nuclear households consisting of self and wife, with or without unmarried children. 2 hous.::holds are nuclear households with adhesion. consisting of self. wife. wife's widowed mother with or without !1nmllrried children. I household is a broken nuclear household. consisting of self and widowed mother. : households are of linear extended household type con· sisting of self, wife. married son. son's wife. with or without unmarried sons and daughters of self and married son. One of these 2 households has, however. adhesion. In this household a married daughter livtrS with her parents. Her: husband is Jiving away for earning means of liveJihOOd and casu'ally visits her. ) household is extended household of collatera] type. coosistinB of self, wif~, manied brother, manied
3 1 I 1 1
brother's wife. and brother's unmarried children. The rest are households of transitional type. which are either broken extended households or nuclear house· holds in the phase of formation of extended household •. Out of them in 4 households live self. son. son's wife with or without unmarried children. In 3 households live self. wife. widowed mother with or without unmarried children. In 1 household Jives self. wife. unmarried children and unmarried brother and in another household lives self, son's widow and son's daughter.
(c) CafelOries of penous Ilayiac ouCIide
A table giving the particulars of the boUJeholdl. from which at least one member is livm, outaide. is furnished on the following page:
89
TABLE 68
Categories of family members staying outside the resettlement colonp
Total No. of house-holds
Total whose No. of members
are living 3-.5 outside Kms.
houso-Caste Of tribe holds
1 2 3 4
Bhumij 2
Kharia . 1
Munda 13 ., !
Kumhar.
Puran 3
Otaoo 7 2
Kisan 1
Gaud 1
~aran 1
Total 31 12 3
The above table shows that out of the 31 households, members of 12 househ<Qlds are living outside the resettlement colony. It is found that the largest number of households from which members are living outside the colony, belong to the Munda tribe. Out of the 13 Munda households covered by the survey, members from 7 households are living outside. All these 7 households are non-Christian. No member out of {he 2 Christian Munda households, is, however, living outside. Break of physical propinquity b~s been less noticed among the Oraons. Out of the 5 Oraon households, members from 2 households are staying outside. Out of these 2 households one Is Christian household. One household each of Bhumij, Puran and Kisan, has also at least one member living outside the colony.
The distances at which the members of the various households live outside the colony, do not cover a very wide range. Members of 3 households live at a distance of 3-5 kms. Members of 2 households each live at distances of 6-10 kms. Members of 2 households live at a distance of 32 kms. Members of one household each live at the distances of 40 kms., 50 kms., 55 kms., 70 kms. and 110 kms.
During the investigation, it was reported that no member from· any of the households covered by the survey are living in any reclamation area. A few persons, however, stated that some members belonging to their respective household are occasionally visiting the reclamation areas where lands have been allotted to them. It has been. ihowever, asserted by various persons during group discussions, that some members belonging to a good number of households in the colony are living in the different reclamation areas, though, those households did not appear to be included in the sample.
No. of households whose family members are living outsIde at --A.-_______
The actual places where some members from the various households are found to be Hving at the time of the survey are as follows: .
TABLE 69
The places outside the colony where some members of the households Irving in the colony are staying
No. of Distance house-
Name of the place from colony holds Purpose
1 2 3 4
Ragbunathpali 4 Kilometers 1 ) Cultiva-rtion in
Chhend. 6 Kilometres 1 old viI-J Jage
Durgapur 6 Kilometres 1
Rourkela 6 Kilometres
Belkudar 32 Kilometres 1
Bonaigarb 40 Kilometres 2
Chirmiri SO Kilometres
lamdhara S5 Kllqmctr~s
Blrinda 70 Kilometre&
Samardari no Xilometres
The 3 households. some of whose members are living ~t Raghunathpali. Chhe.nd and Durgapur r~s· pectively. hail from those very villages. They are engaged in cultivation on lands acquired. by H. S. L., but not yet brought under new use. The one household whose members are living in the Steel Township belongs to Oraon tribe. The members concerned are working as casual labourers. In this case. however the unity of the household economy has been practically
90
broken. The persons belonging to the various honae. holds who are staying at distant places like Belkudar, Bonaigarh. etc., have purchased agricultural lands in those places and are carrying on cultivation. .
(d) Nature of reJatiOlJ8 of the memben livinl outside with die heads of the bomeboJds concemed'
A table indicating the categories of 'persons with reference to the heads of the households concerned who are living outside the colony is furnished below:
TABLB 70
Categories of persons living outside the colony and their relationship with the heads of the households
Bhumlj
Munda
Puran
Oraon
KisaD
Cute or tribe
Total •
No. or h9UJeholds "'hose membcl'l are liviD, out.ide
T
2
12
The above table shows that from one Bhumij household the father and tbe brother of the bead of the household are living outside. In 7 Munda house· holds the fonowing categ()fi~ of relations are living outside.
Fatlw . 3
Brother • 2
SOD, 100" wifo and Ion's IOD
Brothen wltb tuit (amililll
No. of household. whose memben staying outside are related to the head of the household I. r",-----------A--------______ ____,
Father . IDd brother
3
Brothers Widow Son,lon', with mother wire and their and
Brother son', Ion families brother Father
4 6 7 8
2 3
2
z 3 I I
In one Puran household the father is living outside. In 2 Oraon households the son. son's wife and son's son are living outside. In one Kisan household, the mother and brother of the head of the household are Jiving outside. In all these cases, in spite of the fact that the above categories of relations aer living outside. the unity of the household is maintained in either or both of the following forms.
1. Contribution in cash or kind.
2. Mutual viait as member d. the same bOUle
hoJd.
91
Jf i ..,. N - ... VI N
'0 ,..,
1) ~ ... N
~~ :::: ... . ... -' "0 4) ~ 4) :; ~, ~" :a ~ I)
)1 .0 ;:l "". Cl ..Cl ..w .r;:...Cl Cl
E~ j ~2 - ... 0" O ... !3 .......... ~it N :: l~.s ~ 0 fA .5.13 Ci.s ... 0 ...
I " ~! ... o • -S'O"«I i~ 3 N .., - - ... j.s ~ ~ ~ L,o ~]] •• _ i
<.~ II. 8~ '~.j ~~ :::ll!'" ... "0 ~ 8 of! g ~ g .:!J .r! j ~ Ii; "'1 :I !
,.. "
... .:. j' ~.:. A~ . B9 . i~-8 i'a .. ~ 0
I l' . :i! ~J!I .!s . . i 13-
i 'l 1~ oS I I -=8 ~j J i'2= J .... ~~~ ~
~iJi • .IS
r£ i_of; £~~ ~
case DO remittance was sent. because the father had shifted to Bonaigarh only a day before the survey. for cultivation of newly acquired land.
In one case. the father and the brother arc living outside the colooy. During 2 years either one or both of them visited th~ colony about 20 times. They were also visited more than 10 times. They were carrying on cultivation, on Jand acquired outside the colony and sent for consumption by the members of the households in th.e colony, about 10 quintal of paddy-. On the other hand. they received from home. remittances of Rs. 200 for meeting the expenses connected with cultivation.
In two cases, the brothers of the heads of the households concerned are living outside the colony. They visited the colony quite frequently during 2 years. One of them was visited more than 5 times during 2 years, by the members of the household concerned. The other one was not, however. visited by anybody from his household. Both of them sent to the colony paddy grown by them on land taken up by them for cultivation outside the colony. One of them received remittance of Rs. 30 from home for meeting part of his expenses. The other one, however. did not receive anything.
There is one case, where the brother of the head of the household is living outside the colony with his wife and children. He was visited by the members of the household concerned more than 20 times during 2 years. He is carrying on cultivation outside the colony and sends back a portion of the produce for consumption in the household in the colony. On the other hand, he receives a contribution of about Rs. 100 for meeting the cultivation expenses. •
There are three cases, where married sons with their wives and children are living outside the colony. In one case, the married SOn or persons Jiving with him visited the colony almost every week. In the second
92
case. the above categories of persons vis;ited the c:olOIlY only twice duriDg 2 years. In the third case, DOne from among the above categories of persons visited the colony even oncc. The reciprocal visits by members of the respective households staying in the co~~ny also followed the same pattern. In one case, the: VISIts were more than 20 times, in the second case, It was only once and in the third case. there was no visit at all. In two cases, the sons sent some quantity of harvested paddy for oonsumption in the household iII: th~ colony, In the third case, there was no such contnbuuon. On the other hand, in one case, an amount of Rs. 100 was sent from the head of the household in the colony, to the son staying outside for meeting the a~ricultural expenses. In the other two cases. no remIttance was sent from the colony.
In one cas·e, widowed mother and a brother are staying outside the colony. In this case two-way visits were quite frequent. Besides, a portion of the paddy harvested by the brother, was sent to the household in the colony and on the other hand, an amount of Rs. 200 was sent to the brother by the head of the household in the colony, to meet his expenses.
It is thus found that in most of the cases even though, some members are living outsi~ the c.olo~y, unitv of the households concerned are bemg mamtamed through mutual visils and contribution. either in cash or kind. Only in one case. it is found that the married son staying outside the colony has completely cut off with his parental household inside the oolony_ In this case, the sor. is Jiving in RourkelD. and is heavi1y addicted to drink. The father is disgusted about his behaviour and does not like to maintain any connection with him.
(e) Particulars of related hOUfiebolds ill the colony
A table giving the particulars of the related households in the colony is furnished below:
TABLE 72
Casto or tribe
Particular" of ,elated households In the co/r:my
No. No. of households which hne related households belongina to of r-----------________ :__ ....... houlehoid.
The table 72 shows that in 3 cases the fathers of the heads of the households covered by the survey, are living separately. The other cases of close consanguineal Io.:ins living searately are as follows:
Son
Brother. 11
Father', brother 3
Father'~ brother's son 7
:Brother's Son 3
The afflOal relations living separately 111 the same colony are as follows:
Sister's husband 2
Wife's father's brother 2
':lister', husband's bruther 2
Father', sister's husband
Mother', brother
Mother'. liller's SOD
Siller', IOn • 4
Motber', .itter
93
A table indicating the number o( cases wherr the :elated houaebolds constituted lingle household at sometime or: other is furnished as follows :
TABLE 73
Number of 1 dated households Which cOlUdruttd ,.1. howehold before displaetmellt
Calegory of
kins
Brother •
Falber's Brother
Sisler's husband.
No. of households who constituted slnalo bousehold with the categories in column I before dis· placement and now Ie·
parated because of
Dispute ~Ispute over In fa- the dis-roily tribu-afler 001 lion of
marriaae ICplirate com-of the plot In penee-
related the tion member colony mono)'
2 3
2 2
2
No. Dr bouacbolc1. ba~iDl with relaled houldloJds
term. e'
Vcr, cordial Cordial PonnaJ
6 1
2 2
2
The abovc table shows that the separation. with the son took plaCe even before displacement of the household. Out of the 12 brothers who arc living in separalc households. 7 sq>arated even before displacement. 5 scpuraled after Jisplaccment. Out of thesc 5 case~. In 1 case separation took place after thc marriage of the brother. in 2 cases separation look place because separate plots were available from tho Government and in the remaining 2 cases separation took rlaco because of dispute over the share of money rc;a:ived as compensation. All the 3 cases of separation with father's brother took place after displacemenl. Out d these 3, in 2 cases availability of separate plols from Government was advanced as reason for separation and in one case dispute over the share of compensation money was the cauSe of separation. All the other ca_ of separation with consanguineal relations took place even before displacement. it is interesting to Dote thai in one case the sister', husband was staying with his brother-in-law before displacement and the separatioa took place after displacement. The reason WII. availability of separate plots from Government.
As regards tenn. among the families whicb ~ve separated after displacement. it is found that tluu varied from formal to very cordial. Out of. the heads of 5 households who aeparated with their broth .. after diaplaccmcaU. I reported hia rdatiOD with biJ
brother as very cordial, 2 reported their relations as cordial and 2 reported as formal. Out or the 3 heads of households. who separated with their father's brothers after displacement. 1 reported the relations with father's brother as cordial and 2 reported the rela-
, tions as formal. The head of the household who separated with his sister's husband after displacement
reported that he was having very cordia) relations with the latter even after ~paration,
An inquiry was made. whether notwithstandiq physical separation close kins were maintaining solidarity in certain matters. A table indicating the position is furnished below:
TABLE 74-
Categories ()f lIouseholds maintaining solidarity in spite o/ph),stcal separatlofJ of dose klns
No. of households who come toruther with the categories or rolltionl in eo umn I for No. or housoholds havln. with
the purpose of the related houleholds terms on r- -----, ~---.._j..----~
Social Ritual, Coni- Ritual matters social and
No. of truction Beano- and and ccono-house- Social of mit social reerea- mic Very lnimi-
Categories of relations holds nlat ters house malton matters tion matters cordial Cordial Formal cal
2 3 4 6 7 8 9 10 II 12
Fathor 3 3 3
Son
Brother 12 ~ I 3 7 4 j 3
Plther's brother 3 2 2
'ather's brother's son 7 2 4 3 2
Brother's !IOU • ) 2 2
Slator 2
Wifo's ratber's brother 2 2 2
Silter's husband's brother 2 2 2
P&thor's ,Ister's husband
Mother'. brother 1
Mother'. IiIlor'llOn
Sister'. SOD 4 4 3
Mother'. sisler
Total ~ 17 I I 13 I • • 2tI 13 Z
.Pigures will not tally with the total of the households stUdied. Total in different colllUlJls will not talIy with the total of the household because though in some of the households more than ODO catecory of relations are foUDCI they have becD cODliderad Iq)Irltely i.a this table.
The table 74 shows that in spire of physical separation. many of the households are having solidarity in ritual, social and economic matters, with their close relations. The heads of households who are living separately from their fathers reported that the relations between the households are cordial and they cooperate in social and ritual matters. The head of the household 'who is living separately from his :;on J eported that his relation with his son is cordial and that frequently they co-operate in economic and soci,al matters. Sometimes his son gives him monetary assistance. In social and ritual matters. specially those concerned with rites of passage. he acts as the head of the family, even though, he lives se!ydrately. The heads of the 12 households who are living separately from their brothers reported that they are having ~ome sorl of unity with their brothers in spite of separation. Out of them. 4 heads of households reported their relations with their brothers to be very cordial. 5 reported the relations to be cordial and 3 reported the relations to be formal. Out of 'these 12 heads of the households. 7 reported that they are having solidarity not only in ritual matters but also in economic tn(ltters. They occasionally help one another in agricultural pursuits and other necessities. I head of household reported that he is having solidarity with his brother in economic matters. He helped his brother in purchasi'l-g land. The head of I household reported that he is also having his ties with his brother. During construction of his house. his brother helped him though. separately living. All the 3 heads of the households who are living separately from their brothers' sons reported that they are having either very cordial or cordial relations. They are also having unity in social and ritual matters. In times of rites 0(
passage in the households of their brothers' sons. they are looked upon as the heads of the households in absence of their brothers. Out of the 7 heads of households who are living separately from their father's brother's sons, I reported that his relation with his father's brother's son is antagonistic. The others reported that they arc having solidarity in social and ritual matters. 2 out of them, however. reported that their relations with their father's brother's sons are formal. Heads of 3 households who are living separately from their fathers' brothers stated that they are having either very cordial or cordial relations with their fathers' brothers and in social and ritual matters they behave as though, they belong to the same unit. The fatbers' brothers are looked upon a9 thr: heilos of the families on those occasions. The consanguineal relations on mother's &ide as well as the aiiinal relations living separately stated that they have maintained social bonds with 000 anotbor. There is, however, only
95
one exception, where the head of the household atlted that his relation with his mother's siSler's son is inimical because of dispute about the share of lheir mother', father's landed property. Jt is. however, to be DOted
that the social and ritual ties with the consanguineal' relations on mother's side and the affinal relations. are not of the same type as in case of the consanguiaeal relations on rather'S side. who are living separately. In the latter case. the relations concerned behave on ritual occasions as if. they belong to the same unit. but the relations on mother's side and the affinal relations are always considered to belong to separate familial unitl even though, sometimes they may take more mponsi. bililies than some of the consanguineal relatiolll OD
rather's side.
~f) Parru:ulan 0{ householu whlda were liNt SC!parateJy ill old t'ilJa,ew but which "eft' ~.ft1 in the COlony
There is one household where the members of the h,Juschold who were separated in the old village reunited after coming to the colony. This household belongs to Munda community. In this case the married son of the head of the household was living separatcly in the old village but on coming over to the colony he began to live with his father in the same establishment. The reason was that the old man lost his wife and he required to be cared and looked after by his son.
SOCIAL PROCESSES
Changes in intra family relatioM
During group discussions. many pointed out that a very important change was taking place in the family complex. In the old villages. the sons had to depend on their ancestral lands for their livelihood. Hence. the economic control of the fathers was more effective. In the colony. the sons have various means of livelihood. The grown up sons are hardly dependent on their fathers for their livelihood. Hence. the fatben (Ire loosing their traditional authority. There is. howcvcr. another point of view as well. It is stated by some. that in the old villages the sons had opportunities to become econorrlically active even at early lie. but in the industrial setting of the colony they caD become economically active, only when lhey Brow up in age and thus they are to depend more on their fathers to prepare themselvea for taking up economi· cally active life. Hence, though the control of the fathers on the grown-up children has slackened. the' capacity of the fathers to influence the lOcialiiatioa processes of the children has increased. Durin& tho present rapi4 survey no attempt was made empirically to find out. actuany what was bappeniul. AD attempt. ho·,vever .... 11 made to fiI1d out the c:lwIIII
96
in the family complex through interview method by questioning people. about their opinions on what was
happening. A table containing the opinions given by the various informants is furnished below:
TABLE 7S
Changes amang relations in the colony
No. of households reporting in relation of father and son
No. of households reporting in relation of mother and son
SOil doe~ not Loosing Cilll- want to live trol by father with father
Son docs not obey
LlJosillg control by mo
ther Son dis
obey
Son does not want to live with mother
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Munda 5 2 3
Puran
Kisan
Bhumij
Oraon 4
Karan
K.haria
Total 14 4 6 2 1 4
No. of hOllsehold, rcporting in relation of No. of houschnlds reporting No. (If IwuschoJds rcporling in relation of brother and sister brlltilcr ami brother in rc\;,tion of husband and wife
The above table shows that in all the cases the informants are of the view that the relations between fathers and sons, mothers and sons alfd brothers and brothers have become strained. On the other hand as fc;sards, the relations between husband and wife. two contradictory dC'Ie1opments were reported. Out of the
Brothcr Sister does not
embarass- want to Bccom- live
Wife More Equal ing
upon ing with More dcfient cordial status brothcr formal sister cordial
1
16 17 18 19 20 21
2 3
3 1 3 1
7 persons who expressed their opinion. 1 stated that the husband-wife relation has become more strained. 2 stated that it has become more cordial. 3 stated that now there is equality of status between husband and wife and the remaining one stated that the wife is found to be defient in the new context. Tbia statement
und<?ubtedly indicates complex developments in this parbcu~ar sphere of rel~tionship. It is quite possible that wIfe w~o was efficIent ~nd adequate in the agricultural settIng of the old vIllage is found defient in the ~ndustrial setting of !he colony. It is also quite ~sslb!e that. new .values In the husband and wife relatIOnship are causmg problems of adjustment. The old patte~n of male authority is now giving place to partnershIp of husband and wife. This would makl' the relation more cordial in some cases and more strain.ed in some other cases. depending upon the personahty structures of the individuals concerned. The diversit~ of opi~i~ns seem to indicate that this sphere ?f relatJOnshlp l~ In a st~te of flux and u stable pattern m the new settmg lS shll to crystallise. This amorphous conditi?n in t.h.e h.usband wife relationship has undoubtedly Its ramIficatIOn on sex and married life of the ma_Ies and females in the colony. Some en4uines on thiS matter were made during the survey. The particulars are briefly discussed here. ..
Sex and muri.
(a) Opinioo about the extent of looseness ill the sex lit'e on the pam of the mldes and the females
(I) Opinion about Jooseness in sex life of the mules --Out of the 31 persons who were interviewed. II persons stated that they are not in a position to say whether looseness in sex life on the part of the males is on the increase or on the decrease, 4 persons stated that there is no change. The remaining J 6 persons stated that looseness in sex life on the part of the males is increasing.
(2) Opinion about looseness ~n sex me ()Of tilt' temalt's-Il persons stated that they were not in a position to .~ay whether looseness in the sex life of the females is on the increase or on the decreu'le. The remaining 20 stated that it is on the increase. Out of these 20. 13 persons did not indicate any reason why it is on the increase. Out of the remaining 7. 2 indicated outside work. I indicated lack of social control. I indicated work as Aya or maid-servant and 3 indicated general slackening of morals as the reasons. The~e matters were further considered in group discussions. It was pointed out that in the steel plant about 700 females were working. Many of them were swept off their feet by the new conditions of life. Quite a good number of tribal girls were working as maidservants in the houses of the technical and supervisory personnel, many of them were staying at Rourkela alone at the initial stage. Thus a condition prevailed for looseness in sex life.
It would. however. be wrong to consider that th(' lonely supervisors and technical personnel. many of whom were foreigners had the greatest responsibility for whatever looseness in sex life prevailed in the area in the early stage of the project. In and around Rourkt-la there were good' number of other floating popuhtion aDd it appears that they were as much responSible as the tompers in this matter. #
97
(b)' Opinion about prevalence of pre.marital ... mantic love
It was hypothesised that jn the chunged context. pre-mantal romantic love may be on the increase among the population concerned as 11 result of youn, men and young women of dilTerent cultural kvell ~omillg !Ogcthl'C This question was put to the 31 mformants. 22. informants stated that they did not have any opUllon or lllformatioll in this matter. 3 s!uted th~t .there has been no I.:hangc frolll the pust. 1 he remammg (J stated that the phenomenon is on the increase. They. however. did not try to analyse the contrih:Jtory factors.
(c) Opinion about chanle in the incidence of adal. tacy
Out of the. 31 persons illt~f'lic:wed 12 persons stat· ed that they did not have any information or opinion in this matter. 2 persons stated that there had been TID change. The remaining 17 persons stated that adultary was on the increase. One Df them stated contact Witll ~mtsldcrs as the contributory factor. Others did not give any reason.
(d) Opinion about cbanl:C in the lncideMe of dl· vorce or de.ertioo
11 persons stated that they did not have any information or opinion in this matter. 8 ~rsons stated that there hus been no change from the past. The remaining 12 persons stated that incidence of divorce and lor desertion was on the increase. T,he reasons for incn:a~e in the incidence of div,)rce or desertion us giwl1 by the various inf()rmants are as follows:
( I) Lo,s of interest in household work on the paM of thl: females ---Out of the 31 persons interviewed. 20 made a mention of this phenome· non. They further stated that this loss of interest in household work on the part of the females is causing great dcal of strain in family life.
(2) Lure of (Jut-door work--20 persons referred to the phenomenon of greater attraction of outdoor work for the simple girls who have come from the villages to the colony as an impor· tant reason for break of homes.
(3) Looseness in sex life-According to most of the informants. extra-marital sex relations in the colony are responsible for a good number of divorces.
(4) Status consciousness on the part of the females -A few informants referred to the growing reluctance of the females to accept their traditional subdued slatus in family life. This according to them is also responsible for break of a number of homes
(~ OpiBion about eMilie ill tile m.tioaI of b ... bad and wHe from the traditiooal .,...em
12 persons did not express any opinion in this matter. Out of'the remaining 19. 9 stated that no chan~e had taken place in the traditional pattern of relationship between husband and wife. 10 stated that
the old concept ot superiority and inferiority had been replaced by the concept of mutual friendship and equality of husband and wife.
0dIer challl~ JD '.emily complex In the 31 households covered by the survey in
the colony. an inquiry was made about the specific changes that have taken place in the respective family complexes. The particulars arc furnished below:
(.) Change in the uture of particq,ation of the ",omen in economic adivitiil8 of the family
~me of the informants made a mention of the cba.nge that is taking place in the nature of participatIon of the women in economic activities. In the old villages. they used to assist the males in agricultural works. They also used to 'accompany the males to the market for sale of agricultural products. At any case the~ were mostly self-employed family workers. But 10 the colony they are mostly working liS employees to H. S. L.. contractors and others.
(b) Cltange in cleanliness and hygienic habits Out of the 31 persons interviewed. 6 stated that
ther~ has been no change in cleanliness and hygienic habits. <?ne. stated that previously their living was more hygieniC. but the rest stated that after coming over to t~e colony they have become more conscious about their personal cleanliness and' hygienic habits, It appears that they now try to wear more clean clothes and also to .keep their surroundings clean. On the other hand, It appears that they are now living more
TABLE 16
98
cramped. In the old villages their houses were more commodious and they used to live in more dispersed pattern.
(c) Oumge in tile DufritioaaJ 'Value of food Out of the 31 informants, 10 informants stated
that they were not in a position to say whether there has been any change in the nutritional value of food. 14 j~ormants stated that there is no change in the nutntJOnal value of food. 4 informants stated that nutriti~nal va~ue, of f~d has gone down. They, however. dId not mdicate In what aspects it has gone down. The rest stated that nutritional value of food has in~ cre~scd. One of them supported his statement, by indio catmg that the people are taking more milk in the colony. The rest did not give any supporting data. It was, h?wev.er, observed that many of the males who arc workIng m workshops are taking chaparis made o~ wheat. On enquiry, they told that in their own Villages they were not in the habit of taking chapa/is. ~ut as they are working in the workshops. they find Jt more con~enJent to take cliapatis with them for being eaten as mId-day meal. Thl! nutritional value of ~'hapa(is being more than that of rice, it can be stated In a general way that displacement has not adversely affected the food value of quite a good number of persons.
(d) Proportion of leisure time spent in home aod outside home 'fOt' adult male memlbers A, table indicating the proportion of leisure time
spent In the home and outside home by adult male members is furnished below:
Proportion of leisure time spent in the home and outside the home by adult male members of the h014seholds
No, of ho lSehold members No. of household members No, of households according of which during pre·colo- of which at present spend to whom members spend now
nisation period spent in home in home or outside out compared to pre-colonisation or outside Ollt of leisure time of leisure time period in home ,. ---------"-.-~ ,----_._.A. ____ -, ,- .. _ ... _-- - .... -.-----~
MOSl of Most of Most of Most of More Less
Caste ortribe the time the time the time the time leisure Same leisure in home outside in home outside time time time
2 3 4 ~ 6 7 8
Mundi S , 10 3 j 6 2
Orion 3 4 6 3 3
Puran 3 3 2
Bhumij 2 I .. ltlIan 2 2 1
KarID
~
I(baril
Gaud 1 1
Total 20 It 26 5 , 17 •
The table 16 snOWs that 17 persons stated that there has been no change in the proponion of the leisure time spent in home after cOming over to the colon>-:. 5 ~so~ stated that they now spend tess of the leIsure tIme In home and more of it outside the home and 9 persons stated that they spend more of leisure time in home after coming over to the colony than in the past.
(e) Cbaap amoac W08IeD after com.ioa· to the cotooy iP matters cOIlIleCted witb .Iel!iure IIId reueatioD
6 persons stated that in the old villages the women used to spend their leisure time in dance, music and gossip. The rest stated that they hardly had tiny time for leisure and recreation in the old villages. As reo gards change after coming over to the cotony. 12 per· sons stated that there has been hardly any change. 3 persons stated that now there is less time for leisure and recreational activities. 2 persons stated that the women have more opportunity of recreation after coming over to the colony. Frequt:ntly. they go to the cinema to enjoy their time. The remaining informants stated that. though there has not been much change. the females have become more conscious about the need of leisure and recreation. Whereas, previously they did not mind to work the whole day without any leisure and recreation. now they grumble if they do not have any opportunity for leisure and recreation.
Ceremonial friendshtp
On enquiry in the area, it was found that people belonging to the different communities entered into stable relations with a number of individuals through ceremonial friendship. Out of the 31 households studied in the colony one or more members of 13 households were reported to have ceremonial friends. From these 13 households. 16 penoons have ceremonial friendship with 24 persons. Out of these 16 persons. 5 have more than one friend. A statement indicating the break. up of these 16 persons with reference to number of friends they are having is furnished below:
One ceremonial friend Two ceremonial friends Three ceremonial friends. Four ceremonial friends •
II 3
There are variOus ~onsiderations on which the ceremonial friends al'e selected. The grounds on which the ceremonial friends were selected by the 16 persons are 85 follows.
Clast matc and play mate Facial rCIICIIDblanco • Racmblance iD name Good craftlmOD Hayin, sarDO number of cblldroo l1oIoDIiDI to tbe _locality . Worbc\.toptber • Mot 10 Gat WII)' ••
•
7
I J 1
• J 3 2
99
In 9 cases the ceremonial friends belOJJ, to the sa~e. age. In the remaining cases there arc sliJht dil. pantIes of age.
Generally. the ceremonial friends belong to the same sex. In the sample. however. there are two casCs where the ceremonial friends belong to different sexes.
In 7 cases the ceremonial fciends belong to tho same occupation. In the remainmg cases they belolla to the different occupations.
In 9 cases. the ce~emonial friends belong to the same caste or tnbe and 10 15 cases they belong to ditfc:rent castes or tribes.
In 22 cases the ceremonial friends belong to the same religion and in 1 cases they belong to different religions
. In 17 cases the ceremonial friendships were solem. nlzed . when the persons concerned w~re staying in the old VIllages. In 7 cases the friendships were solemnized after displacement.
Out of the 17 ceremonial friendships which were performed when the persons concerned were living in the old villages, in 4 cases the ceremonial friends were living al distances of more than 16 kms. In 8 cases they were living at dislIIlIces of 5·6 kms. and in 3 cases they were living within the distance of 5 kms. In 2 cases the ceremonial friendships were performed among people belonging to the same village. Out of the 7 cases of ceremonial friendships performed after displacement. in 2 cases they were staying outside the colony at II distance of more than 5 kilometres. in S cast's the persons concerned were living in the same colony. However. in 2 cases friends were staying in ditfrcnt blocks of the same colony.
These ceremonial friendships are of different type., namely. MahaprQSfll/, Makro, Sohia • Saenaon and Korma. The details of the different types of ceremonial friendships were not collected in this locality but a study of the same was made by Tandon· in other areas ()f the same region. The salient features of his oscrvations are briefly furnished below: -
The oltlest and most honourable type of ceremonial friendship in Orissa is known as Mahaprasad. Rice cooked in ) agannath Temple, PurL is exchanged between two persons entering into the bond of friendship. Mukro and Korma friendship should be solemnised on the eve of Makar SankranJi and Karma dance. These types of friendship do not have the sanctity of Mahaprasad type of friendship.
A very common type of friendship in the region is Snhia. It is formed between two married or widQro" ed women having the same number of Ions and daughters. Another cornmon type of friend.hlp i. Samoan. Two persons having the same name enter into this fonn of friendship. Much sanctity is nol assigned to it.
·TaDdoD. J. '.--Ceremonlal friend.hir. aIDOn, the Bhattr. of Bastar, JOIIfDll of Socia! Raearch, Vo ,Ill, No. J, Mareh, 1960. J'l). 21-37.
As regards the categories of persons entering into different types of friendship and their mutual rights and obligations, the following are to be nOled:
1. Generally, grown-up persons enter into bonds of ceremonial friendship. though strictly there is no age restriction in this matter.
2. After entering into bonds of friendship it is customary for friends to invite each other and provide a good feast.
3. At the times of imporlant ft.:stivuls in their respective households or villages. the friends are expected to invite each other. During marriage and other important cen:rnonial activities. the friends are given special place of honour.
4. The friends are considered to stand to one another ID the r~lation of a hrother/sister. Such [('lationship is accepted by their respective kins also.
5. Cl!remonial friends would not address each other by their pmpcr names. Frequently. th!.:y would address each other by the name of the type of friendship to which they have taken pledge. for instance. if the type of friendship is Mahaprasacl, friends would call each other Mafl'lprasad.
As regards the manner of solemnization of the ceremonial friendship the following particulars were given by the p::rsons eoncl!rned :
Exchange of turban Exchange of food . Exchange of food and cloth
5 1
18
An enquiry was made about mutual assistance rendered by the ceremonial friends. All thl! informants stated that the male ceremonial friends treated each other as real brothers and femal,~s ceremonial friends treated each other as real sisters. The ceremonial friends of different sexes treated each other as brothers and sisters. Marriage between ~ons and daughters of ceremonial friends is tabooed. In case of death. they observe period of mourning as though. they arc real brothers. 3 persons stated that during their financial difficulties they recciveu help from thdr c~n.:moniul friends. 2 persons stated that they received help from their ceremonial friends during other occasions. One person staled that he rendered financial help to his ceremonial friend in times of his need. Another person who is a woman. stated that she was prepared to help her ceremonial friend. in case of financial need. She further stated that whenever she visits her ceremonial friend. she takes eggs with her as present. She treats her ceremonial friend as her real sister. One person stated that she presented a golden ear-ring dur-
. ing the marriage of the daughter of her ceremonial friend.
During group discussions. the people. however. stated that incidence of cerernonial friendship has gone down after the displacement of population. Even among the old ceremonial friends, intensity of relationship is on wane. In the old village. social and economic relations were guided by kinship principles. Even when the people purchased goods they frequently entered into not only economic relationship. but also mutually binding social and ritual obligations. In that
100
social. setting. there were diverse motivations for hay.. ing large number of ceremonial friends. This gave a sense of security t() the persons concerned. In times of need the ceremonial friends were to stand by one another. Outside the kinship nexus they were the reservoirs of goodwill, on which the people could draw in times of their social and economic needs. But in the changed context of market economy and in personalization of social relationships. ceremonial friendship seems to have lost much of its old relevaocl!. Now the types of needs are such, that by mutual assistance the ceremonial friends can hardly render significant help to one another. All social actions involve vast network of social relationships which can no longer be sustained by the ritual structure of the society. The old order based on personal relationship is being reo placed by new order based on organisational rclationship. For help and suppon one must ultimately. solicit an organisation either in the government bureaucracy or in the net work of modern types of economic and social associations. Not that the people concern· ed are conscious of the implications of the modem c.banges in this matter, but it is. nevertheless, true that they do not feel much enthusia~l1l for the old institution centering round ceremonial friendship.
NeigbblHll'hood pattern
Out of the 3 I households specially studied I () households have 7 or less neighbours, 12 households h<Jve g-IO neigh hours and 3 households have 11 or more neighbours within a distance of 200 metres of their respective dwellings. .
For each ·of the households specially studiea, an inquiry WJS made to find out how many of them lived in completely homogeneous. homogeneous. mildly heterogt:neous. heterogeneous and completely heteroge· neous neighbourhoods with reference to caste or tribe and religious afilliations of the neighbours.'" The ties with the neighbours with reference to kinship and village of origin were also examined. The particulars arc furnished below:
(8) (1) Categories of neigbbolll', with refel"ellce to caste or tribe 88 well as religioWl affiliations
For 5 households. all the households living within a radius of 200 metres of their respective dwellings belong to the same caste or tribe and religion. These 5 households were distributed as follows:
Completely homogeneoUS noiahbourhood - 100% of the households belong to tbe same oommunity.
Homogeneous neighboUrhood - 7S to 99 per cent of tbe households belong to the same community.
Mildly hetero.aeneous neighbOurhobd • 51 to 74 per cent 01 tbe householdl belong to the aame eommWlity.
Heterogeneous neiahbourhOod - 26 to SO .per cent of the households beJon, '0 the Same. co~unitf.
Completely hctero,eneous neiahbourhood - 25 or lou per cenl or tbe hoUs6hold' bolobc to the aamo c:ormnDllh1.
For 3 households. 15% - 99% of the neighbours within a radius of 200 metres belong to same caste or tribe and religion. These 3 households are as follows:
MutdaHindu 1
Munda Tribal
Oraon Christian
For 4 households. 5] % - 74% of the neighbours living within a radius of 20 metres belong to same caste or tribe and religion. Their break-up is as fol· lows:
Munda Hindu
Munda Tribal
Puran Hindu
Oraon Tribal
For 7 households. 26% - 50% of the neighbours living within a radius of 200 metres belong to the same caste or tribe and religion. Their break-up is as follows:
Munda Hindu 4
Munda Christian
PuranHlndu
OraonHindu
For 8 households. 25% or less of the neighbours living within a radius of 200 metres belong to the same caste or tribe and religion. Their break·up is as fol· I()ws:
BIl1Imlj HiDdu
K.bIIria Tribal
Munds Hindu
Munds Tribal
Oraoo Tribal •
1tlIID TtDal • 19-5 1l0.lDdla/67
2
1
101
It is found from the preceding statenlents that the Hindu Munda. Hindu Puran and Tribal Oraon Jive in different types of neighbourhoods with reference to caste or tribe and religion. The Hindu Mundas are found to live in completely homogeneous neighbourhood and different shades of heterogeneous neighbourhood. The Hindu Purans are found to live in completely homogeneous neighbourhood. us well as some shades of I heterogeneous neighbourhood. The Tribal Oraons arc found to live in homogeneous neighbourhood as wdl as some shades of hetero~eneous neigh· bourhood. The Christian Oraons provIde a different puttern. They live either in u completely homogeneous neighbourhood or practically homogeneous neighbourhood. In fact. the Christian OrL1on households covered. by the survey hail from one village and they live ill Olle block. They arc Lutheran Christian by religion. The Tribal Kisans arc found to live in two extrema patterns of neighbourhood. Wh..:reas. one household has all thc neighbours belonging to the same tribe and religion. another household has only ~5":, or less neighbours bel(}nging ttl the same tribe and rcligiclIl. The neighbourhood pattern of the Tribal Mundas is slightly different from that of the Hmdu Mundas. None of the Trihal Mundas hnuseholds covered by the survey has all the neighbours belonging to the same tribe and religion. But one household has 75';{, ._- 99';;', of the neighbours belonging to the same tribe and religion. Another household has S I (~:) ._ 74',~{J or. majority of tht: neighbours belonging to the same tribe and religion. The remaining one has got 25'}{, or less of the neighbours belonging to the same tribe and religion. Somc of the communities like Bhumij. Kharia. ctc. do 110t have any homogeneous neighbourhood. They have. 25'::, or ]es.~ of the neigh~ bours belonging to the same tribe and religion.
(2) Catepriell or nellhbount with ref~ to dileretlCe in religion but identity or clIMe or Crtbe
4 households reported that they have neighbouMl who belong to tho same caste or tribe but to ditfc.rent religions. Their particulars are as follows:
One Tribal Munda has 2S'}{, or less neighbours who belong to Munda community but .... ho claim to be Hindus by religion. One Hindu Oraon household stated that he has 26% -50% of the neighbours be· longing to Oraon community but claiming to be Tribal by religion. Another Oraon who returned his rcIigion to be Hindu stated thai he ha~ 25 % or less neighboWll who belong to the r.arne tribe but who are Christiana by religion. One Tribal Kisan slaled Ihat he had 25% or less neighbours who belong to Kisao community but who are Christians by religion.
(3) c.......... of IIIfPboIn wida refenaee to identity fJl Nlcion bat ........ In eute or trIIIe . A table indicating the position is furnisbed on the
toHowins pqe:
102
TABLB 77
Categories o/neighbours wirh reference to identity of Ctuft or trlb,
Total No. of houscholds raportina tbatllOUlcbolda bcIO~iJI' to di6c-No. reot castes or tribes but same religion conuitute tb rerorence of to all tbe bousebolds in nei&hbourhood
house- ,-holds
Casto or tribe Rellslon studied
2
BbumlJ Hindu. •
Kharia Tribal.
MundI Hindu &- Tribal
Munda . Christian
Kumhar Hindu
Puran Hindu
Oraon Hindu & Tribal
Oraon Christian
KUan Tribal
Gaud Hindu
Karan Hindu .
Total
In the above table the neighbourhood pattern of the two Christian Munda households is of particular significance. It is interesting to note that only one household has neighboUrs belonging to the same religion but different castes or tribes within a radius of 200 metres. but even in this case the number. of such neighbours is 25% or less of the total number of neighboUrs. It is further to be noted that none of the Christian Oraon households specially studied has any neighbour belonging to the same religion but different castes or tribes. within a radius of 200 metres. It appears that ~n detennin~g the settlemen~ pattern religion per lYe dId not exercise a very strong mfluence lIDon8 the Christians, As regards Hindus, tbe religious
3
2
11
2
3
S
2
2
31
100% 75-99% 51--74% 26-50% 25% and
lei. Nil
4 , 6 7 8 9
3 ,
2 3
2
l
----I 3 • 3 14
factor would obviously be diffused because of the fact that they are overwhelming majority of the population.. U~le.ss they consciously seek neighbours from other relIgIOns. under the law of probability their neighbours would more often than not. be Hindus only.
(4) Categories 01 neighbours with refereoce to 111. lage 01 origin .
Out of the 31 households. 24 households have got at least one neighbour hailing from the same villa~e Their break-up with reference to caste or tn~ and religion as well as extent of homogeneityl heterogeneity with reference to village of orishi is fur. nished on the following page,
103
TABLB 78
Categorieg 0/ neighbours with reference to village 0/ Dr/gin
No. of
Caste or tribe house-
Religion holds studied
2
BhumlJ Hindu. ICharia Tribal Munda Hindu and Tribal • Munda Christian x.umhar Hindu. Puran Hindu • Oraon Hindu and Tribal Oraon Christian Klsan Tribal Gaud Hindu J<iaran Hindu
Total
The above table shows that 5 households live in completely homogeneous neighbourhood. 2 households live in homogeneous neighbourhood. 4 households live in mildly homogeneous neighbourhood. 5 households live in mildly heterogeneous neighbourhood. 8 households live in heterogeneous and 7 house-
3
2 1
11 2 1 3 5 2 2 1
31
No. of households reporting that households belon,in~ to sarno village. caste or tribe or same religion constitute
in respect of total households in neighbourhood r-
100% 75-99% 51-74% 26-50% 25% and
jess Nil ._--_-_. .. _---4 5 6 7 8 9
2 1
2 2 2 3 1
1 1
!I Z ... 5 8 7
,holds live in completely heterogenoous neighbourhood. with reference to village of origin.
An attempt was made to find out the association between village of origin and difference of religion in the neighbourhood pattern. The particulars are furnished in the table below :.-
TABLE 79
Categories of neighbours with reference to caste/tribe and rellg/()n
Caste or tribe Religion
----------_ .. _-----_ .. _---
Bhumij
Kharia
Munda
Munda
Kumhar
Pl1ran
Oraon
Oraon
Kisan
Gaud
Karan
Hindu
Tribal
2
Hindu and Tribal •
Christian
Hindu
Hindu
Hindu and Tribal
Christian
Tribal
Hindu
Hindu
Total
Total No. of house-holds
studied
3
2
11
2
3
.s
2
2
31
No. of households reporting that householtls belonging to same village or caste or tribe but dilfe~ent ,religion constitute
in respect of total households In neighbourhood r-------------A.-------------"\
2S%and 100% 75-99% 51-74% 26-S0% less Nil
4 5 6 7 8
2
3
9
2
1
8
2
1
3
4
2
The table 79 shows that there. are 5 hou~eholds where neighbours belong to same village but dIfferent caste or tribe. Out of these 5 households. 2 and 3 households respectively reported that 26-50% and 25% or less of their neighbours belong to the above categories.
(5) Categories of neiahbours with reference to kiIuWp Out of the 31 households. l~ households
reported that they have at least one km among the neighbours within a radius of 200 metres. The break-
104
up of these 19 housoholds with reference to the number of kins in their n~ighbourhood is fumilhed below:
No.ofldna
1-2 3-' 6 & above
No. of housohoJde
14 4 I
A table indicating the categories of kina liviD, in the neighbourhood of the different households speCially studied is furnished below:
TABLl~ 80
Categories of kins living in the neighbourhood
Number of households reporting to be Iivln, within 200 metres where households belong to
TotalNo. of boUIebolda be-10ngiD,to catc,oriea
Categories of kin Oraon Munda K.lsan Bhumij Puran ICharla IC.aran of kiM
Son
Father
Brother
Father's brother .
Pather's brother's son •
Brother's son
Sister's husband
Wife's ratber's brother.
Sister's husband's brother
Pather's sister's husband
Mother's sister's son
Sister'S son
2
4
4
2
Total
It is to be noted that the total number of households indicated in the table would not tally with the total number of households specially studied. as a few households have more than one category of kiDS living in the neighbourhood.
The category of kin found most frequently to be living separately in the neighbourhood is brother. Out of the 31 households, 10 households have their brothers living separately in the neighbourhood. The next frequently found category of kin in the neighbourhood is father's brother's son. Out of the 31 households. 7 households have their father's brother's son as their neighbours. The third important- category of kin as neighbour is sister's son and the fourth important ~ate~orr of kin as Dei~hbour i~ brol}ler'$ S(lD, with the
3
3
2
2
11
4 6 7
3 4 I
8
I
2
10
2
1
3
2
2
2
4
31
frequencies of 4 and 3 respectively. Other categories of kins found in the neighbourhood are father, son. father's . broth er. sister's husband. wife's father's brother. sister's husband's. brother. father's sister's husband. mother's sister's son and mother's sister. It is interesting to note that in 3 cases fathers and sons are living separately. in the same neighbourhood. The above figures when compared with the figures in respect of related households in the colony. provide an interesting clue to the settlement pattern. The comparison shoWJ that most of the related households in the colony Jive in the neighbourhood of the households concerned. Thus neighbourhood in the colony not only retleels the geograph_ical proximity. but also social density wherein al~ng W1t~ caste .and tribe and village of orisin. kinship provide, all Important DOlUS.
lOS
j r . I!J~~j 110 ... "'" ...
.c::toS I &:l ii I
~~~~ ..... . .. e In OI'~ ,8 ... . '
:!iI'::: N.,.8
Jli I "'l ,g..!! I Ii ~~.a5 \0 ... ... i li" CI.,.·~ 0 ... . 0·_
~ .. e~~ -< .a~, d 8~ ~~ ... ..... ~ ~ i .... rII .8 I!! 0 ~'82
e = ~'2'b ~~,c:1 -'OB.a 1'0 ~ ,,; ~ 0 ·if· .s. - N '" ..r - N N to -- ...
= .c -=';'i a c:= Q ~~_g.8 ...
.. . I'
I OJ! ... 'j 1 ~ a
to
! a a ~ S'C
I i ~.- :s i CI
106 \
It is to be noted that the number of households indicated in the table 81 does not tally, with the total number of households specially studied as in some cases some households come under different columns. For instance. one household which has stated that it has very friendly relations with 25 %-49% of the neighbours has also stated that it bas formal relations with other neighbours, who may constitute 25 %-49% of the households in the neighbourhood. It is noteworthy that not a single household bas reported that it has very friendly relations with 75% or more of the neighbours. Only 3 households have reported that they have very friendly relations with 50'Xl-74% of their neighbours. On the other hand. only one household has reported that it has very friendly relations with less than 25 % of the neighbours. Thus, most of the households have friendly relations with 25%-49% of the households in their neighbourhood. Without paraphrasing the data in each column, it may be stated that one of the most striking indication of the above table is that, quite a good number of households . feel that they have only formal relations with their neighbours. As many .as 11 ~ouseholds stated that they have got formal relations WIth 75% or more of their neighbours and 3 households stated that they have got formal relations with 50%-74% of their neighbours. These show that to a considerable extent the neighbourhood remains only a physical entity in the colony. It has still to grow as a viable social entity.
(d) Presents, Ile~ ek., siven to othen including neighbours
Only ~ ho.useholds re~rted that during 1962 they helped t~CIr.neJghbours dunng ~rformance of marriage ceremomes In the houses of their respective neighbours. Head o( one household presented a piece of clod1, during the marriage of his neighbour's son. Head of another household stated that during the marriage in one of his neighbour's house he served water to the guests. Head of one Christian Munda household stated that in case of any trouble in bis household, he aprroac~es his father's ~ather's son, who lives very close to hIS house, for advice. If the father's father's son is not there, he consults other neighbours. Head of one Pura.n household, ~ho is a woman. stated that during ~er Illness she rec~l.ved help from her neighbour who IS a~ elderly BhumlJ woman fr.om the village Tumkela. She 10 he~ tum helped a :ranti woman from the village Mahulpah when she fell Sick. She took the sick woman to the hospital and also cooked for other members of h.er family, ~uring this period. During group discusSIOns, the vI.Hagers stated that in the colony 2 processes are ~omg on. They do not have a sense of unity of the .enlm colony as they had in their old villages. Even In respect of the neighbourhood, they do not have the same depth of attachment as they had in their own villages. But, at the sam.e time within the. nejghbour~ood itself, more intimate per~ sonal relatl~ns are bemg formed. These intimate personal relatl.ons. mostly depend upon kinship factors but sometImes other factors like common background of distress, similarity On age. similar type of unhaFPY . relation in fam.ily, . etc.. help to cement bo~ds 0 uruty aD?o~g persons. These new bonds of uwty are no less mtlDlate and intense than the tradi-
tional bonds which subsumed in the old villages. tt, however. appears that in this matter the experiences of. individuals vary very much. from one another, and a new pattern is still to be crystallised,
. There are 10 shops for grocery and other articles m Jalda 'C' Block. The details of the same will be furnished while discussing marketing facilities and na~ure of economic transactions. With reference to neIghbourhood pattern it is to be mentioned that out of the 31 households specially studied. 25 households reported that they purchase various commodities on credit through account and out of these 25 households 24 households have accounts with the shops located izi the colony; only one household has its account with a s~~p situated at Deogaon. his old village. The commodItIes purchased by the various households on credit are grocery articles including ration and cigarette. soap and oil. In addition. one household reported tbat It purchases cloth also on credit, from a shop situated within the colony.
It was, however, found that in the matter of purchase of articles on cash payment, the people draw llPO~ various sources including the sources located outSIde the colony. A talile indicating the places of purchase of various commodities by the. different households is furnished below:
It will be obvious from the above tabl~. that a g?<?d number of households purchase the same commodJtl~S from more th.an one source, according to convemence. However. In a general way it seems that grocery articles and provision like cereals are more frequently purchased either from shops situated within
the colony or from the weekly market. On the other hand, cloths and footwears are more frequently purchased from the shops situated in Rourkela town. VeJeta~les. fish and meat are more frequently purchased In the. ~kly market. Milk is more frequently purchased wIthin the colony. But it appears tliat m~jority of the people in tho colony do not purchase milk.
Material equipmeat of tile people Ii" in the colony <a) HOUle
(1) Number 0/ ploAr where houses have been constructed 45 plots were specially studied. Out of these 45
plots in 42 plots houses have been constructed and in 3 plots houses remain to be constructed at the time of the survey. Particulars of the plots. years of construction of the houses and who did the oonstruction are indicated in the Appendix VI.
(2) Building units
Particulars of the building units were conected In respect of 31 houses. These have 1 to 4 building units each. The break-up of the houses with reference to the number of building units is furnished below;
No. of buildioa units
1 2 3 <I
No. of houses
3 8 S
IS
The sizes of the main building units in the different houses vary from 9.28 sq. metres to 37 sq. metres (100 sq. ft. to more than 400 sq. ft.). A statement giving the break-up of the houses with reference to the sizegroup of their. main building units is furnished below.
Size-sroup
Less tban 9 '28 sq. metres 9·29 to 23 ·00 sq. metres 23 ·01 to 37'00 sq. metres More than 37.00 sq. motros •
No. of houses
3 8 6
14
(3) Existence of variOat elements in the domiciles
Separate kitchen-Only 4 houses have separate kitchens attached to them.
Separate cattle shed-Only 3 houses have separate cattle-sheds attached to them.
Kitchen-garden-Particulars of kitchen-garden were collected in respect of 45 houses including the 31 which were specially studied. Out of these 45 houses. 16 have attached kitchen-gardens. in all of which seasonal vegetables are grown.
On the compounds of most of the houses various ~pes of trcct have been planted. A table indicating
107
the types of trees grown during different years is furnished below:
TABLE 83
Types of trees grown during different years in the colony by the households
Type ortrce planted
No. of households where the households planted trees in the year
1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963
2 3 4 s 6 7 8 ------.,---------_ .. _---Neem
Mango 2
Tulsi
Guava 1
Tamarind. 1
Plaintain .
Drum-stick
Kaner
Jara
Bel
Lemon
Papaya
Jack fruit.
2
2
2
1
2 4
6
2
3
2
2
2
2
1
3
In addition to the tre\!s planted by the owners of the houses. in 4 cases trees and plants have been grown by the persons to whom the owners of the houses have rented out their houses. The types of trees and plant. grown by these tenants are as follows:
Tulsi • Peepal Pui creeper Kundru
1 1 1 1
Compound or yard-12 houses have attached compounds or yards. Out of these 12 houses in 11 houses the compounds are fenced and in one house j& is not fenced.
(4) Change in structural elements of the houses
(i) Size--Out of the 31 households specially studied 12 stated that the houses in the colony that they have built up. are of the same size as the house, that they had in their old villages. 12 households stated that the houses in the colony. are bigger in size and 7 stated that the houses in the colony are smaller in size.
(1i) New elements introduced in the houses in the cololry-Head of one household stated that in hi.
house in the old viUage. there was no store-room. Here he has a separate store-room. Heads of 10 households stated that they are having more rooms in the houses in the colony than in the houses in their old villages. Heads of 4 households stated that in their old houses they did not have pucca structure but here they are having pucca structures. Heads of 2 households stated that in their old houses they did not have C. I. sheet roofs. but here they are having the same. 7 households stated that they did not had kitchen-gardens in their old houses but here they are having kitchen-gardens.
(iii) Opinion about ctJmparative position of tne houses in the coJony-22 households stated that their present houses have ,some advantages over their houses in the old villages. The types of advantages indicated by them are noted below :
Separate kitchen 2
Separate cattle-shed • 2
Better protection from rain . 4
Opportunity to earn rent 6
Unspccifil:d 8
20 households have indicated that they suffer from certain disadvantages in their present houses. These 20 households include a few who stated that their present houses are better than their old houses. The disadvantages mentioned by tbe different bouseholds are indicated Below:
Small in size
Absence of cattle-shed •
Absence of store •
7
9
Absence of kitchen-garden • 3
(b) ChaBge in dftss
(1) Upper garments of males
Heads of 20 households stated that after coming over to the colony. change has taken place in the upper garments of the boys. Out of these 20 households. 10 households mentioned more frequent use of shirts and sweaters by boys as a significant change. The remaining households did not spell out the change. 23 households stated that the upper garments of the married and unmarried adult males have also changed. They are more frequently using Hawai slippers and full-sleeved shirts. As regards old men, no change has been reported by anybody.
(2) Lower garments ~ males
14 households stated that change has taken place in the lower garments ,of the boys. They more frequently use half pants or nickers. 26 houseb()lds stated that change has taken place in the lower garments of the adult married and unmarried males. Out of them. 10 households mentioned that the males are now using trousers whereas they did not use the same in their old villages. The rest have .not specified the changes. As regards the lower garments of the old males, no change has been reported by anybody.
101 Shoes ud veIts 81 new ltemt havo been _t:io1:itc1
by 2 and 6 porsona .. pectivo1y.
(3) Upper garments of females
23 households reported that changos have taken place in the upper garments of girls. Out of these 23 households 10 households repor-ted that now the girls arc using frocks. The remaining households did not specify the change. 24 households staled that changes have taken place in the upper garments of the adult unmarried females. Out of these 24 households. 15 households mentioned use of blouse and brassiere. The remaining 9 households did not specify the changes. 19 households stated that changes have taken place in the upper garments of the adult married females. Out of these 19 households. 10 households mentioned blouse and brassiCIe as new items. 9 households did not specify the changes.
(4) Lower garments oj females
17 households mentioned that changes have taken place in the lower garments of girls. Out of these 17 households. 5 households made a mention of Saya or short petticoat and one household mentioned use of loin cloth. 11 households did not spell out the changes. 22 households mentioned that changes have taken place in the lower garments of the adult married and unmarried females. Out of these 22 households. 6 households made a mention of petticoat. Another 6 households made a mention of sari. The remaining 10 households did not specify the changes.
(c) Change in omameots
During group discussions. it was stated that in the matter of ornaments. the urban fashions are coming in vogue among the displaced persons. Glass bangles are replacing the lac bangles; glittering neck ornaments of glass beads and costlier metals like gold and silver have considerably replaced the necldaces made of alloys of bell-metal and other cheap stuff.
(d) Change in haU ~Ie and body decoratious
Though not very frequently. one can occasionally come across young tribal girls putting their bair buns in hair nets and using nail polish. face powder and other cosmetics. Use of toilet-soap and scented hair oil is more frequent. It Is not infrequently that they carry with them cheap leather and plastic purses in placo of indigenous small bags of tbe past.
An inquiry was made about changes in the practice of tattooing. among the different communities. Almost all the persons stated that even in the past the boys hardly ever got any part of their body tattooed. The adult males were occasionally tattooed, but now it has almost been given up. Among the females tattooing was more in vogue in the past. but for some time. ~ ciaUy after moving over to the colony. they are looking with disfavour this practice. Though. it has not been completely given up. the people bclo~ing to almost all the communities. stated that their females rarely Jct their bodies tattooed Qowoa-days.
lEGEND • te~OUL.U e."l
• ,eNIDIL" noH
NOTIONAL MAP OF
JALDA RESETTLEMENT COLONY SHOWING IMPORT ANT PUBLIC PLACES AND DISTRIBUTION OF COM'.AUl'fllES
lO_ 10"-'-YMIOilU UT_ .. TI ..... u...n& I. ""'l1li .. -... .,.-I'-
t J
I I , ..
I ~ , .. \. fJ7 -_ -_ '. '.
~
.' • • • •
01
•
(
Pub ......... iD tile coiGay
(8) EdudItioaaI inltitutiOlUl
Particulars about the educational institutions exist· ing in the colony have already been furnished while discussing education.
(b) MedkaI and Health 1DItituti-
The colony is served by a mobile allopathic dis· pensary r.un by the Health Department of Orissa Government. It was started on 24th December. 1959. At the time of the survey, its office was located at the recreation club building in Jalda 'C' Block. In the master plan of the colony. provision has been made Lo have a separate building for this dispensary in the same block. No qualified physician has been appoint· ed for this dispensary. A pharmacist was in·charge and a mobile van was at his disposal. Besides the pharo macist, the staff of the dispensary consists of a driver. a cleaner and a peon. Though. the dispensary was stationed at Jalda 'C' Blocl. the mobile van was ex· pected to visit by rotation two centres. namely. Jhirpani on Thursday and Friday and Bondomunda on Sunday. About 20·30 persons avail of the facilities of the dispensary. As no qualified medical man is attach· ed to this dispensary. the pharmacist is authorised to give medicille for only ordinary ailments like malaria. skin diseases. cut. injury etc. He works under the Civil Surgeon of Sundargarh district. For more serious types of ailments. the people are expected to visit the lspat General Hospital of H.S.L.. Rourkela and the Gov· ernment Hospital at Panposh.
During group discussions. many people stated that they were not satisfied with the medical facilities avail· able in the colony. It seems that the utility of the mobile dispensary has been limited. because of the fact that the van remains out of order frequently and also because of the fact that the pharmacist has to do a number of odd jobs in Rourkela and Sundargarh. The supply of medicines also does not appear to be ade· quate. The annual sanction for medicine and crmtingency charge varies from Rs. 2.000 - Rs. 5.000. The other short-comings in the matters connected with public health. as mentioned by the inmates of the colony are as follows:
1<»
1. There is no mid· wife.
2. There is no health inspecto~.
3. There should be at least one sweeper.
4. There should be telephone connection so that the Chief Medical Officer can be contacted in case of emergency.
Besides the above mobile medical van. there is one private allopathic doctor in the colony. He lives in Jalda 'C' .Block. but his clinic is situated in Fertilizer Colellf. He hails (rom old Rourkela. Thouah he
undertakes allo~thic treatment, it is undoratood that he is not a qualltied medical man.
There are two homeopathic doctors in the c(liony. One of them lives in Jalda 'B' Block. the other in Ialda 'C' Block. Both are Bengalis and hail from Ranchi. According to them they are having 40-50 patients in a month. One of them claims to be a specialist in veneral diseases. It is interesting to note that thou,h they are homeopathic doctors. they also administer other types of medicines. Sometimes. they even administer injections- of allopathic medicines.
There are also a few persons, who carry on indigenous methods of treatment. 3 of them belong to Nai caste. People approach them for: treatment of headache. ordinary fever. stomach trouble etc. They, however. do not have more than a few patients in a month. It seems that treatment of patients under ayurvedic system. cannot support them completely They are old persons and mainly depend on other r.el~. tions for their livelihood. There are also a few pnmttive magicians in the colony. Particulars in respect of three could be coliected. The same are furnished below:
(I) JodIuw Taoti-He is living in Jalda 'C' Block and treats patients suffering from ordinary fever and pain by magical means. He also administers herbal medicines. On an' average he has 10-12 patient!, per month mainly living at Jalda 'A' and 'C' Blocks. He hails from Guradehi village and claims that he receiv~ ed his training in magical treatment, from a guru or preceptor.
(2) MaogaI BhlllDij-He hails from Iharabahal and is at present living in Jalda 'C' Block. According to him. illness is caused by wrath of evil spirits. He in his trance devincs the spirit responsible for the iU~ ness and tries to exercise the spirit by magical means. He has about 10·12 patients per month. mainly belonging to Munda. Oraon and Bhumij tribes.
(3) Sukra Bhumij·-He hails from Asansol in Burdwan district of West Bengal. and is at present liv. ing in a rented house. in Jalda 'C' Block. He claims to have specialised in the treatment of veneral disease •. Like Jodhan Tanti and Mangal Bhumij, he treats the patients by magical means and also by admini8terina herbal medicines. But whereas the first two persODS do not charge any cash payment from their clients, he charges cash payments. He has about 10 patients in a month. from wi~hin the colony and also the adjoin. ing villages.
EcODOlDic resources, re'latiOlllhipe and iDltitutiOllll
(a) Culdvable land
There is no cultivable land inside the colony 'many of the households have been allotted land$ 1)~side· the colony. A table giving the break·up of the households with reference to land of different typet owned by them in one of the reclamation areas or in other places is furJlishcd on tho followiD& palo:
TABLE 84 B"ak.up of the households of the colony with reference ID a"iculturalland of different types owned at various
places
No. of households ownins type No. of of land in pro-coloni&ation h.~5.
villase OWDlDl , ____ -"-_-...... land r- in recla
mation arca and
Sirc-lI'oup of land other (in acres) Bhorna Bahal Mal Gora places
Lou than 1 acre
1-3
4-6
7-9
10 &I abovo •
Total
2
8
7
2
18
3
7
S
15
4
9
3
2
15
5
9
3
2
6
21
6
7
1
8
17
2 households Slaled that as compared to the total acreage of land. they had in their respective old villages. they are at present having more ae.reage of land. 8 households stated that they are havmg romparatively lesser acreage of land. The remaining households stated that they are having the same acreage of land as they had in their old villages.
The data on land, as furnished above, do not include oomestead land and kitchen-garden attached to homestead.
110
(b) HOIIMIItaId Information about homestead lands were collected
from 45 households. Out of these 45 households, 7 households stated that they had been allotted two plots each. The remaining households stated that they had been allotted one plot each. The households which stated that they had received two plots each, were joint households. where more than one married males were living together. Out of the 45 plots, owners of 3 plots had not constructed any residential buildin.g till the time of the survey. Owners of 7 plots had mformally leased out the plot to different persons. Owners of 13 plots had partially occupied their plots by constructing temporary sheds. The others had constructed permanent dwelling structures.
(c) NatUl'e of right in respect of dwelliaa sCructuree Leaving out the 3 persons who llad not oc(;upied
residential structures and 13 persons who had only constructed temporary sheds. out of the remaining 29 allottees of land who were specially studied. on~ had wholly rented out the building constructed by him and 15 had rented out portions of their respective dwelling houses.
It was not specifically enquired whether in the old villages the practice of renting out constructed buildings. wholly or partially. prevailed. It may. however. be safely assumed that there was hardly any such practice. But in the colony. renting out portions of dwelling house seems to have emerged out as a very important source of livelihood. Its sociological implicatIons would require a thorough probe. A limited study of the same was made during the present survey and the particulars would be furnished in the relevant context. Here. only the ethnic and occupational backgrounds of the tenants are proposed to be furnished.
TABLE 85 Break-up of the households who have rented oul their premises with reference to the caste/trlbl oft",
tenants and their occupations
Occupation oftonant.
NO.of livins in house- WhOI~ or holds No. of household. who rented houses partially to tenants part ally
whoren- where tenants are rented house No. of ted out r- ..... ,..._......_"'"\ house- wholly Sor-
Total holds where vice in No. of Iivins tenant Ksh- Unspe- indus.
Community of the house with is Bra- Ka- Bra- Bbu· Or- Mu- Tan- Rao· atr- ei· trial house owner owners tellllllts hmin ran hmin mij aon nda ti tia Toli iya fied Trade ostts.
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11- 12 13 14 15 16
Bhumij 11 6 2 1 1 2 4 Oracn 10 I 1 1 Munda 9 1 I Kiun 1 Kharia 2 1 Puran 2 Kwnbu • 2 :2 I I I Lobar 3 3 I 1 2 BrahmIn 1 TuU 2 2 -. 1 2
Total 45 IS 1 4 :z :z 1 1 1 I 1 1 1 5 11
The table 85 shows that very frequently the owners of tho: houses and the tenants belong to different communit\es. Out of 6 Bhumijs who are living along with their tenants • .only 2 have tenants belonging to the same community, the rest have tenants belonging to other communities including Karan (2). Oraon (I) and Unspecified (I). Out of 2 Tantis who are living along with their tenants. one has the tenant belonging to Tanti caste. th~ other has tenant belonging to Karan caste. One Munda household has a tenant. whe. hewever. belongs to ·the same caste. 2 Kumhar hou~holds bave rented out portions of their houses. the tenants being Brnhmin. in one case and Kshatriya in the ether. The 3 Lahars who have rented .out portions .of their hous(!s. have tenants belonging to Karan. Ruotia and Tcli castes. One Kharia has a Brahmin tenant. He. how~ver. has rented the whole .of his house and docs not live with his tenant.
It is feund from the above that in many cases, through tenant·landlerd relationship. peeple .of different castes and communities are living under the same roof in the new settlement. This is something which rarely ever prevailed in the old villages.
As regards the occupational background of the tenants. it is to be noted that 5 are engaged in trade. Out of them one is running a tea-stall in a portion of the dwelling. TIle rest are running grocery shops and cloth shops in portions of their respectivt< dwellings. The remaining tenants are employees of the different industrial establishments. Their nature of jobs ara indicated below:
Fitter Helper to skilled workers Labourers enllaged by contractors Points-man . Quack doctors
(d) Time of renting oot of hOU!le5
4 1
3 I
3
A statement indicating the years of renting out of houses is furnished below:
1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963
1 6 5 1 2
It appears from the above. that 1959 and 1960 were the peak years. when the owners of houses gave out portions in their houses on fent. After t~at. there has been a slackening of the tendency. Dunng greup discussions. it came out that the relations between the displaced persons and others who have settled as tenants are not always very happy. The main issues of their conflict mainly relate to use of pipe water ~hich is considered to be inadequate even for the dIsplaced persons for themselves. Sometimes incoDvenience caus-
III ed by smoke in the kitchen also cause conflict between &he landlord and the tenant. It is also alleged &hat frequently the tenants belongin$ to the higher castes. put up an air of superiority. whIch is resented by their landlords. belonging to tribal and other baekwanl communities. Because of these developments the climate .of opinion has grown in the colony against renting oul of houses to outside tenants.
(e) Livestock A table indicating ownership of livestock of
various types, by the different households before Iheir displacement is furnished below;
TABLE 86
Livestock owned by I he households in pre-colonisation )lilIagE's
Bullock Cow . Buffalo Goat.
Type of livestock
Sheep and ram Horse. Fowl.
No. of housoholds pOlseasina No. of livestock livestock
2 3
2S 99 13 60 9 19
l' 97 2 '0 J 1
19 J15
This table shows that out of 31 households. 2S households hud owned bullocks. 13 ,households had owned cows before displacement. Buffaloes wye owned by 9 households. Goals were owned by 15 house hold~. Sheep and ran were owned by 2 households. One horse W,tS owned by onc hOlJ~ch(}ld and fowls werc owned by 19 households.
In the colony quite a good number of hOW1Cholds which owned livestock befere displacement are not having the same after displacement. Their particulars are as follows:
Type oflivestock
Bullock Cow Buffalo Ooat Hone . Fowl
No. of houaeholdJ which owned In
old villalo but do not own at
present
16 8 9 8 1
10
There are again. quite a good number of househ()lds. which did not own livestock before dl,jplace. ment. but are having the same. at prescnt. Particulars of the same are furnished on the foJlowinS peSe;
TABLE 87
LI,eltock owned In the colony by the households which did not OWn }i,estock before displacement
,.,---------------------------------
Cow
Goat
Powl
Typo oruvestock
No. of households
Total No. of livestock
2 3 --- ~ .---------~
3
8
S
12
48
It is to be noted that the persons who have freshly acquired livestock, after moving over to the colony, have acquired the same for commercial purposes, 'fller~ is good demand for. goat for supply of mutton at Rourkela. Similarly. fowl has got good demand as a source for meat. The one household which has acquired 5 cows. sells the milk in the Fertilizer Colony.
(f) Change in the utilization of forest products
Out of the 31 households. 22 households stated that before displacement they were making use of forest products from forests situated within a distance of 2 kilometres of their respective villages. 6 households stated that. the forests where they used to collect forest products, were situated at a distance of 3 kilometres from the respective villages. The other households staled that the forests were situated at much longer distance and that they could not make use of forest products. The nature of utilization of the forest products by the various households are indicated below:
TABLE 88
Number of houvehold$ utilizing the f ores' near the colony
No. of households atudiod
I
No. of households reportinll to utilise the forests near the
In the colony 12 households stated that even after settlement in the colony they are utilising forest products for own consumption. They collect fuel wood. roots and tubers, leaves and vegetables [rom Hathibandha forest, situated at a distance of 3 kilometres from the colony. 10 households stated that though, they were using forest products before displacement. at present
112
they were DOt makins use of forest products for any purpose.
(g) FishIn& Quite a good number of households were carrying
on fishing. mainly for own consumption, before displacement. Distribution of the households practising fishing with reference to the source. is furnished below.
River • Pond Water IOB8ed field _ Stream and bund •
11 9 4 6
In some cases the same households practise fishing, in more than one area. Hence. the total number of the above will not tally with the total number of households. The fishing operations were mainly carried on during rainy season. As the households concerned carried on fishing for their own consumption. they did not go out for: fishing very frequently. Some of the households went out for fishing during the rainy season once or twice a week. Others went out for fishing less frequently.
Four households stated that even after settlement in the colony they were carrying on finishing, There is a tank in the colony. belonging to the State Government. These four persons carry on fishing in a clandestine manner, without permission. It appears that the other inhabitants of the colony do ot like it. but they have not taken any initiative to stop it. Here. It is to be noted that. though. the river is very close, the people arc not able to catch fish there, as the water of the river is polluted by the release of the dirty water of the steel plant. During group discussions. many of the displaced persons made bitter reference to this. a number of times. It seems that they suffer from a sense of frustration in this matter. Some of them used to live far away from any river, but they considered it a matter of privilege to be near a river: so that they could catch fish. now they are Jiving near a river, but they cannot catch fish.
(h) Practice of craft
Two households reported that they were engaged in some sort of craft or household industry in their old villages. One of them was a potter and the other a mason. They are not at present engaged in the same occupations. On the other hand. there. are 3 ~rsons who were not engaged in any household mdustry 10 the past but are at present ~ngage<;i in hous.ehold i~dustries. in the colony. These lOdustnes are tile makmg. mat making and rope making. Particular~ of the households and the operations connected WIth these mdustries are as fonows :
Tile making--The household engaged in this industry belongs to Munda tribe. It obtains clay for the purpose from the fallow land near the colony. The work is carried on throughout the season. The head of the household reported that in 1962 about, 5,000 tiles were manufactured.
Mat making-The household engaged' in tbis household industry belongs to Oraon tribe. The household obtains raw material. namely. leaves of palm tree in and around the colony. Generally. the work is done in winter. The person who actually weaves the mats is a female. This household manufactures mats for own consumption only.
113
by the sides of the streams adjoining the colony. The work is generally done during May and June by male members of the household for own use.
Employment bistory of the difleft'llt hou8eIIolda ill the . colony
A table giving the years of displacement of the Rope making-The household engaged in rope various households. specially studied and the number
making belongs to Kumhar caste. The household of households from which at least one person got obtains subai grass for the purpose from wild growths employment during different years is furnished below:
TABLE 89
Employment history of the different households In the colony with reference to the year of dlsplaceme"t
Year of displacement No. of households at least one member of which sot employment during Not
r-1955 1956 19~7 1958
1 2 3 4 -,----
1955 3 1 1956 3 6 1957 4 1961 1 1962
In 1955, 6 households were displaced. In the same year at least one person from 3 out of these 6 households got employment. In 1956. 15 households were displaced. During the same year members frem 10 households got employment. The cumulative balance of households wherefrom none got employment was 8 at the end of the year. In 1957. 7 households were displaced. If the cumulative balance of previous year is taken into consideration. there were 15 households
, 2
1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 employed anywhere
6 7 8 9 10 11
2 1 1 2
without any member having employment. During the same year memb~rs from 10 households found employment in the area.
ClI!I11uiative employment data of the various households A table giving cumulative employment data of the
various households specially studied. is furnished below:
TABLE 90
Cumulatl,e employment data of the various households
No. of households at least one member of which got employment durlna No. of households displaced r------------------------------------------------------~
1955 1956 19~7
1 2 3 4
30 3 10 11
The above table provides information about the number of households. from where persons got employment during a particular year and also the total number of persons involved. These data include households from where some members got employment in the previous years and also persons who were employed elsewhere. but later on shifted to some other job.
RellWll.el'lltion. 101' the jobs done by the memben of the "ariODl householdl
A statement indicating the remuneration for the jobs in which the members of the various households were engaged from time to time. after: their displacements is furnished as follows :
19S8 1959 1960
5 6 7
7 6 3
RaDse ofremuDeration in R5. per month
Below SO
50-74 •
75-99 •
100-149
ISO & above'.
1961
8
5
1962 1963
9 10
2 2
No. of housoholda at least one member of whlch act remuneration
9
16
9
5
5
114
The preceding statement shows that for the maximum number ot jobs the range of remuneration is Rs. 50 to 74 per month. Next important is the range of Rs. 75 to Rs. 99 per month.
. LOll of job
14 households stated that their members became unemployed after being employed once. Out of these 14 households. 10 households stated that the jobs that their respective members found at first were not regular ones. These were of temporary nature and a9 soon as the jobs were completed. they became unemployed. 2 households specified the nature of the temporary jobs in which their members were being engaged. before being unemployed. In both these households the members concerned were employed in construction of
houses under contractors. After the construction phase was over. their services were no longer required. 2 households did not indicate any reason why their members became unemployed after once being employed .
Unemployment at the time of IUrvey
At the time of the survey 9 persons stated that they had registered their names with Employment Exchange at Rourkela for employment and 2 persons stated that they were in search of employment but they had not registered themselves with the Employment Exchange. The above 11 persons belong to 6 households. Particulars of these households and the persons are furnished in the table below:
TABLE 91 Particulars of household members who are ill search of job
Number of persons searching Cor job ,--------- ~ ------------------------~ No. of
household Belons to age-group Have previous With
members of , ____ . ___ __.A.
ClUte or tribe
Kisan •
Munda
OrlOD
Total
which arc sear-ching for job
,~---,
1 person
2 per- Below 15-24 sons 15 yrs. yrs.
2 3 4 5
4 2
2
3 4
25-34 yrs.
6
2
The above table shows that except for one person all the persons seeking employment belong to the agegroup 15-49. The only one person in the sample belonging to the age~group above 50, is also in search of employment. Out of these deven persons, four have previous experience of work as casual labourer under contractors. One of them has given up the jobs because of illness. One has been found surplus by his employer and the remaining two have given up their jobs. because they were not satisfied with the work under their respective employers.
One person out of the 11 is assisting his father and brother in family cultivation. He. however. is not satisfied with this type of work and wants some job with regular cash income.
Other aspectl of ecooomic rel8tioos
(a) Indebtedoel8 During the survey only one household stated that
it was in debt. This household belongs to Gaud caste. It obtained loans of Rs. 30 in May. 1962 and Rs. 50 in December, 1962. from a Marwari of Panposh. Be
35-49 yrs.
7
3
4
above 50 yrs.
8
1
Have academic QUalifica-tions
9
experience of contractor employment for 2 yrs. as labourer because
and became un- of employed prob-
Have because of lem of other , __ ..A..----., job profi- No sat is-
ciencies Illness work faction
10 11 12 13
2
1 1 2
Helping at present In family cultiva-
tion
14
1
took these loans for performing some family rituals. He spent the money on the first occasion. for performing the birth-rite of his son and on the second .occasion {or performing the Navakhai ceremony at his uncle's place. On both the occasions he had to mortgage ornaments as security and also. he agreed to pay interest of 6 paise per. rupee per month.
/
(b) Patron-client relatiorulbip
It is well known that in many parts of rural India. the economic relation is generally marked by social and ritual relations in various forms. This constellation of economic. social and ritual relations is called jajmOl,i system or patron-client system of relationship. As mentioned by Wiser'" under this system. "in return for the various services rendered. there are payments in cash and in kind made daily. monthly. bi-yearly. per piece of work and on special occasions and in part on the goodwill of the jajman. The strength of the
·Wiser. W.H.-"Thc Hindu Jajmani System", 1936, p. xxiv.
system depends. however. not on the actual payments made. but on the concessions granted to the different occupational groups."
115
An enquiry was made about the prevalence of Ja!mani system. in the old villages, as well as in the colony. The position is indicated in the table below:
TABLE 92
Persistance of patron-client relationship in the (%ny
Category of person~ servinll as
No. of households before displacement
, ____ .A.. _,
Being served
Not being served
----.--... _- ~--- -.-~---- ----~----
2 3
Priest 16 IS
Barber. 17 14
Washerman 12 19
Blacksmith 11 20
Sweeper 31
The above table shows that jajmani system prevailed in the old villages, in respect of the following services.
Priesthood.
Shaving and hair cropping.
Washing of clothes.
Blacksmithy.
The same type of services are continued under jajlllani system even in the colony, but there has been a change in the proportion of people receiving service~ under jajmani system and under market system respectively. The changes in respect of each type of services are indicated below.
Prieslhood-Out of the 31 households, 16 households reported that in their own villages they wen; served by pliests under /ajmani system. Out of these 16 households. 12 households have continued their old relations even after displacement. It is interesting to note that out of these 12 households. 2 households do not Jive in the same colony as their priests but even then they are maintaining the old relations. On the other hand. 1 household has discontinued the old relations even though this household and the priest of the old village are living in the same colony. 3 other households which have discontinued the old relations ,Ire living in a different colony.
Shaving and hair cropping-I7 bouseholds reported that they were being served by barbers under traditional patron-client relationship. 14 households stated that they were not receiving services from barbers under traditional pattern. At present, 12 out of the above 17 households are maintaining the traditional l~-' R.O. India/67
No. of households whose patron-client relationship ellist nnd serving families
Llvo in Does not same live in
colony same colony
4
No. of households whose patron-client relationship docs not ex.ist and serving
families r---- -"--- -------.,
Does not live in live in
same colony same colony
6 7 --_ -- ----_ .... _-_._-
10 2 1 3
8 4 4 1
4 3 3 2
2 2 5 2
relatiuns. Out of these 12 households. 4 are not living in the sallie colony as the barbers who rendered to th":l11 tlle traditional services. On the other hand. there are 4 hous-.:holds who have discon[lnucd the tradi .. tional relations with the family harbers of their old villages. even though they arc living along with the barbers in the sam..: colony. There is another housefluId which ,has discontinued his tradi[ionJI relations. bllt in tbis ('as'~ the old family barber is living in a separate colony.
Was/ling Clf ciot/res-12 households reported tha~ they had traditional j(ljllllllli relations with their washermen. Oul of these 12 households, 7 households arc contir1lling to receive traditional service from 1 heir family washermen. Oul of these 7 hOUReht~lds again. 3 househ(}lds do nol live in the same colony as their washermen. On the other hand there are 3 households whieh arc living in the same colony as the washermen, but who arc not continuing the traditional relations with the washcrmen. Besides. there are :2 households. who have discontinued the traditional relations. but they arc not living in the same colony :is: their family washermen of the old villages:
Blacksmithy -11 households reported tnat they had jajmani relations with blacksmiths in their old/ villages. Out of these II households. 4 households stated that they were continuing the same relations. Out oE these 4 households ag~in 2 are not living in the same colony as their family blacksmiths of the old villagcs. There are 5 households. who arc living in the same colony as their family blacksmiths, but who are not maintaining the old relations. There are also 2 households who a~ not maintaining the old relations. with their blacksmiths. but in these cases they are not living ill the same place as the blacksmiths of their old villages.
116
(c) Markedug and shopping centres
There are two weekly markets in lalda Rehabilitation Colony-one is held in lalda 'B' Block and the other is held in JaJda 'C' Block. The weekly market in Jalda 'B' Block was slarted in 1957. At Ihat timc the other blocks did not come into existence. According to the Government plan. the weekly market was to be held in hlda 'C' Block. After the Jalda 'C' Block came into cxistence. the weekly market was shifted to that Block in 1959. But the {'corle of lalda 'E' Block. specially. the owners of the shops wJlich were set up in the market area. did not like this shift. They were able to make brisk trade on the market days and they apprehended that with the shift of the wcckly market to Jalda 'C" Block. the numher of their customers would be reduced. They. therefore. carried on propaganda among their customers. not to go to Jalda 'C' Block. This led to a great deal of tension; bzcausc the people of Jalda 'C' Block wanted to have the market there. for their own convenience. On a numher of occasions there were apprehensions of breach of peace and force was required to be applied for maintaining law and order. As a compromise, the shopkeepers of lalda 'B' Block put forward the suggestion that the weekly
market could be held on two days-one day in Jaida 'C' Block and the other day in Jalda 'B' Block. This proposal was not accepted by the authorities. But in spite of that. an unauthorised weekly market is he_ld in Jalda 'B' BLock on every Wednesday.
In lalda 'C' Block. the weekly market is being held since 1959 on every Monday. This market is quite big and buyers and sellers from outside the colony. visit it in large number. Quite a good number of persons come from Rourkela. Town. Suidihi, Biruel, Kanser . .Ialda village. Tarkera old site, Fertiliser Colony. Hathibandha. Buchhanda. Birkera and other adjoining villages.
In the marketing areas of both the blocks. there are a number of shops. Particulars are, however, collected in respect of the shops in Jalda 'C' Block only. Th~re are altogether 8 shops. in the marketing area of Jalda 'C' Block. Out of these 8 shops. 2 are tea stalls. 5 arc general provisions stores and one is a cycle repair shop. Besides the above. there are a number of unlicensed liquor shops. Particulars in respect of only 2 are collected. Particulars of the owners of the shops including the two unlicensed liquor shops about which information could be collected are furnished below:
TABLE 93
Particulars of shops at Jalda 'C' B/(;ck with reference to the caste/tribe, village of origin of the dealers and commodities dealt with
Caste or tribe of Place of origin of the dealer the dealer and No. r--- .... ,-___ A ___ -,
Tel stall and edible like sweet·meat and chana etc.
General merchandise including provisions, cosmatics cereals and cloth etc.
Liquor •
Cycle repair .
Teli
Unspecified
Brahmin
Baniya
Bhumij
Muslim
Kurmi
Kumhar
Bhumij
Total
1
2 2
1
1
111 2 3
Year of esta!). lishment
7
1959
1961-62
1962-63
1962
1960
1962
1962
1960
1960
It is found from the above that out oi the 10 shop-keepers. 5 belong to displaced households. 2 are from other areas of Orissa and 3 are from other States. Out of the 5 shop-keepers belonging to displaced households. 2. are dealing with general provisions. I is engaged In cycle repair and 2 are selling liquor. Out of the 2 shop-keepers from other areas of Orissa, 1
is selling general provisions and the other is running a tea stall. Out of the 3 shop-keepers from other States. 2 are dealing with general provisions and one is running a tea stalL These shop-keepers belong to different castes and communities. One out of them is a Muslim. one is a Brahmin. two are tribals, two are Baniyas and the rest belong to other. communities.
All these shops were established during 1959-1963. The first to be established was the tea stall. Next came the cycle repair shop and one e..<;tablishment of liquor vendor and one general provisions shop. Most of the shops dealing with general provisions came up only at a later phase. It seems that there was a phase of instability in the establishment of the shops. A number of shops came into existence from time to time but they could not stabilize their position and oisappeared Again. some of the shops existing at present have not been continuously dealing with the same commodity. For instance. the owner of the tea stall hailing from outside the State. first started a cycle repairing shop. Later on he got a job in H.S.L.. and closed the shop. After some time he was retrenched and came back to business. but this time he did not start cycle repairing shop. as by this time another cycle repairing shop had been established in the area. Ht: started a tea stall.
(d) Extent of b1l!linea9 A table giving the extent of business for the shops
belonging to the different categories is furnished below:
TABLE 94
Extent of business per month for the shops at .lalda 'C' Block belonging to different categories
Extent in Rupees
Below 100
101-250
Commodity
Cycle repair Liquor
2
General merchandise and provision
Tea stall and other edibles .
No. of shops
3
1 2
General merChandise and provisions 2
501-1.000 Tea stall. sale of edibles and ge-neral provisions
General merchandise including cloth and other provisions
1000 and above . General merchandise Including cloth and other provisions
The above table shows that out of the 10 shops, only 3 shops have monthly business of more than. 500 rupees. The remaining 7 shops have monthly bUSlllCSS
of less than Rs. 500. All the 3 shops having monthly business ·of more than Rs. 500 mainly deal with general provisions. One of these 3 shops also. sells ~e~ and edibles. The other two shops sell cloth m addItlon to general provisions. Among the shops having monthly transactions of less than Rs. 500 also there are 2 shops which deal with general provisions.
These shops carry on their: transactions both on cash and credit in varying proportions. A table indi-
117
cating the proportions of transaction!! on cash payment as related to commodity is furnished below:
TABLE 95 Proportions oj transactions on cash payment as related to commodities by shopkeepers at Jalda 'e' Block
Commodity
Cycle repair Liquor
General merchandise and provlsloDs
Tea stall and other provisions
Proportion
2
50% 75% 80%
100% 33~ 25% 100~ 40/0
No. of shops
3
I
1 2 2
The above table shows that the cycle repamng shop carries on 50% of its transactions on cash rayment; the 2 liquor vendors carryon 75 ';{, and 80% respectively of the transactiollS on cash payment. Out of the 5 shDrs dealing with general merchandise and provisions. one carries on ccnt per cent of the transactions on cash payment. the rest carry on 25';{,--33'/{, of their transactions on c~l~h payment. The shop which carries on \00% of the transactions on cash payment. previously used to sell commodities on credit al<.o But according to the dealer he suffered a loss of Rs. 500 and now he has completely stopped transactions on credit. Out of the 2 tea stalls, one carries on lOO',';, of the transactions on cash payment and the other carries on 40';;) of the transactions on cash payment and the balance of 60';(. on credit. The last person stated that previously he used (a enlcrtnin requests for credit. but he suffered a loss of Rs_ 3.000 and then stoppc:d the practice.
An attempt was made to find out whether there i~ a relation between the volume of business and proportion of transactions on cash. A table giving the paliiculars is furnished below: •
TABLE 9(,
Volume of business. proportion of transaction on cash and number oj shops at Jalda 'C' Blade
Volume of business in Rupee~ (monthly)
Below 100 .
101--250
251-500
501-1,000 .
1,l)OC & above
Propor- No. of tion shop!
2 3
80~~ 75% 50%
25%
100% 40% 33 ~~
100% 33%
25%
1 1 1
1 1
1
The table 96 shows that the three shops having monthly busjness amoulltjng to less than Rs. 100 each carryon transactions of commodities on cash payment to the proportion of 50'/,,~SO';<.l of their respective total sales. The one shop having monthly business of Rs. 101-250 carries on 25 % of the transactions on cash payment. The three shops having monthly business of R s. 251~500. on the other hand, provide a varigatcd picture. Out of these tIm.:. one carries on 100';(, of the transactions on cash p~lyment and the remaining two carryon ])"" 40'!;, of the transactions on cash payment. The two shops having monthly business of Rs. 501-·-1.000 also, do not have uniformilv of practice. Out of these two, one carries all 100 'X, or" the transactions on cash payment and the olher c~mies 011
33 ~~ of the transactiJn:; on CJ,ll payment. The one shop having monthly transactions of more than Rs. 1.000 catTics on 25 ';;, of the transactions on cash payment and the rest on crcdlt. It appear,s [rotJl the above that there is 110t much Jircct rc]ation between the volume of busin~ss and the proportion of transaction on cash or credit.
(r) Extent of profit
The owners of the different establishments were asked to indicate the extent of profil earned by them in their respective trades. According to thcm the Illargin of profit is never very high. It varied from 6":', to 12 ":,. It is. how'~ver. dilIicult tn sa)' how far correct their st"temcllts are. h. however, appears that then: is not much scope for profiteerism. Most of the inh"bitallh of tllC colony, han: r~guhr contacls with Romkcla and if th:.; lraJas in the colony dlilrge at mucll hlgncr thall the rales prevailing at ROlJrkt:!J. they arc: jik~!y to loose their mstomers.
(f) Side business
An enquiry was made to find out whether th.: tr:ldcrs of the different commodities have also other businesses or occupations. A table indicating the posiliun is furnished bdo~ :
TABLE 97
TVumber of shops with rl'jerenre to commodifies 0/ m(,in business and side husi'le.H (II .Ialda 'C' 8lork
Commodity of main bllsiness
Cycle repair
Nature of side business
2
Casual labour
No. of shop
3
General merchan- 1. No side busim:ss • 3 disc & provision 2. Cloth s~op al Rourkeb also
Tea stall & other edibles
Liquor
3. Sell paper packets
1. No side business 2. Sell edible goods in
weekly markets •
Serve in H.S.L.
other
2
118
It is found from the table 91 that out of the IC tradersA do not have any side business or occupatioll but 6 have some. The person running the cycle repair shop also w()rks as a casual labourer. The owner of one general merchandise and provision shop, has got a cloth shop at Rourkela. The owner of another similar shop. collects used papers and makes packets for. sale at Rourkela and other places. The owner of the tea stall also sells edible goods in the weekly markets held at Rourkela, Chandiposh. Sui· dchi and Nohnipara. The members of the households of the liquor vendors also work as labourers in H.S.L. One of these liquor vendors previously purchased two trucks with the money received as compensation to rUIl transport business but he suffered a heavy loss. N Ow he is no longer running the transport business.
It has earlier been stated that in Jalda 'B' Block, also in addition to the weekly market, there arc a few shops. In Jalda 'A' Block though, there is no weekly market, there arc a few shops. There are 6 shops in Jalda 'B' Block. Out of these 6 shops. 3 mainly deal with general merchandise and cereals. Owner of one of these shops was a Christian tribal hailing from Rhangamunda village. The owners of the other two shops belong to Baniya community. hailing from Bhagalrur in Bihar. Besides these three shops, dealing with general merchandise and cereals. there are two t:.liloring shops and one cycle repairing shop. The owners of all these three shops are displaced Christian tribals.
In lalda 'A' Block there ilre two cycle repairing shops. a few shors of general merchandise and about ten tailoring establishments. The last ones sell ready· made garmcnts as well as undertake orDers. The owners of all thcse shops are displaced Muslims hailing from old Rourkela village. There is also one laundry in Jalda 'A' Block. This is the only laundry in the entire colony. The owner of this laundry is a MlIslim, hailing from Bhagalpur in Bihar.
Cooperative Society
In 1957. a Multipurpose Cooperative Society for Jalda and Jhirpani Colonies was start~d wjth head oflicc in Jalda 'B' Block. Any displaced person could be mt'llliler of the Society. on purchasing a share valued at Rs. 10. Maximum number of shares that a person was allowed to purchase was 100. At the time of the survey, the Society had gone into liquidation and it was not possible to examine the records for collecting the particulars in respect of it. From the Chairman and the Secretary of the Society. some particulars, howcl'er. were collected. According to them. share capital of Rs. 5.000 could be raised when the Society was functioning. In addition. a loan of Rs. SOO was receiveli from the Government. Altogether 40 members were enrolled. Out of them 25 were Hindus. 10 were Christians and 5 were Muslims. Out of the 2S Hindu members. 10 belonged to Bhumij community and the rest belonged to a number of other communities.
At the outset. the Society started manufacturing bricks and sale of cement. At that time construction of houses in the colonies and adjoining areas was going on. Th'~ ~ociety visualised that there would be good
demand lor bricks and cement. But things did not take the expected course. The Society piled up large stock of cement without proper arrangement for protection of the same from rains and moistun.:. As a result, there was a heavy damage. The bri(.:k.s turned up by the Society were also not good in quality and did not attract customers.
Some persons belonging to Jalda 'C' Blo~:k, havt: alleged that the office bearers of the Society did not function in proper way. They were mOle alter their own interests and failed to understand the re~ponsjbilities that went with the .offices held by them. After functioning for about 2 years, the Society was on the run. Ultimately it was liquidated.
Other instilutiODI Police outposl-There is a police outpost III
the colony. It comes under the jurisdiction of Raghunathpali Police Station. It was established III
1959. At that time there were many cases of theft ill the colony as well as in the neighbourillg village:,. Gangs of thieves had come into existence who were engaged in stealing telephone wires and oth.:r .public properties. The poli.:c outpost v.:as set up malllly. to deal with them. Other types of crimes were abll t~klllg place in the wake of the socio-cconomic developmellt; in the area. In the climate of social fiux Cleated by the displacement of the population, and. tile psychological insecurity that came to prevad III thc rapidly cilanging techno-economic and cultural contexts there wa~ a strong motivation among many to seck atl eSGlpC from the realiti.:s of life. Cash money Ihat they received as compensation from the GOVCrtllllcnt made it easy for them to seek the n:!eded escape through addiction to intoxicating drinks. It was not mfrequent to find large number of persons. indulging ill drinking bout and it was also a common Sight. to cOllle across brawls among the drunkards. lmporlallt leadcrs of the displaced persons, became alarmed about these 1evelopmcnts and wanted the Government to extend the heavy hands of law to put down the IlIJnlfest,ltlOI1S of deviant behaviour. S~ltlel1lent of 0 LI ts)(jers. a Illong the displaced persons. in the rehabilitation colony, alsu created new problems and new tensions. It W~:; n:c.::;sary to keep constant vigilance So that unh)warJ SltU~\tion could be averted.
1t appears that the inhabitants of the colony consider that the police outpost has served useful purpose by maintaining law and order but at the same time the location of the outpost seems to haw provided the different blocks with opportunity to dispara$" each other. Originally the outpost was 10cat~cI III
Julda 'B' Block. At that time the people belongll1g to the other blocks, used to point out this, as a,n evidence that there were many anti-social elements in 'R' Block. Later on, the location of the police outpost shifted tf.)
'C' Block as more suitable house was available there. This has given an opportunity to the pe0ple of 'B' Block to suggest that anti-social behaviour is on the increase among the people of 'C' Block.
The staff of the police outpost ~o~sists. of a subinspector and 3 constables. The Ju.nsdlctton of the outpost extends over Kanser. Gunatola, Patratola. Jalda village and Jalda Colony.
119
Water pumpillg station .. -There was no provj· ,ion. for ~upply of tap water in the master plan for Ih..: I,;olony. But at the request of the displaced per~Oll~, the Public Health Departme.nt of Govemment _of Onssa agre~d to extend the facilities of tap water to the colony. The pumping station was comll1is~ oned in 1959. From this pumpillg station drinking water is ~up[1lied through 4H public taps to tIle whole colony. No tap connc.:tion is given in any private house.
The pumping station is on the bank of tile river Hr.lhmurri beyond Jalda village. The stall of the station mllsists of two drivers, olle line-man, two khabsis and one chaukidar.
It is to be lJotl:d that. in drawinj! water from the pu blic water taps, no restrict ions all the basis of caste or crl:ed arc observed. For instance, in Jalda 'C' Block tller~ is a water point, adjoining the house, of the people belonging to llruhlllin. Pana. Oraon and Christian MUllda comlllllniti~s. All of tht::m draw water (rolll the sallIe po 111 I. Nobody is reported to have claimi.!d any special privikge or to have suflL'fed any disability.
1 il..: water supply position is. Ilowevcr. 1I0t satisfa,-tory. It is supplied irregularly and ill ill:ldl.:t[uate (; uantity. Further, it is allegcd that the water supplied tr(\Jll tho; pumping statioll is not properly filll.'red. An ,i1y ~ubstallce is visibk 011 thl.: water and it emits a tu\', i smdl. The inhabit'll1ts of the e\)lony complain lhat the water of the river is polluted by the discharge frolll the workshop of the :;tcd plant which is earricd [0 [hmugh Guradchi l1alla, and that they are forced to tak..: inaJeLjuatdy Jiltl,.![eu w<ll\:r at gre<tt risk of their health.
l'u.11 OOin' --/\ hranch ro~t office \\'~IS established ill the col(1ny ill 1956. It is hous,,'d in the huilding of the Ashram School. The headmaster of the school servcs as part-time postmaster, and there i~ 11,)
tl!legraph office attached [0 it. The post oflicc serves tll~ needs of Jalua Colony as well as the adjoining villages. n:llncly, Jalda, Suidihi and Kanscr. During 1% 1-62, 296 money orders amounting to Rs. 2.696'44 were sellt through this post otIice. On the other hand 86 mOIl~y orders amollnting to Rs. 3,562'11 were re;,,:eivcd.
The hulk of the money orders were sent in 19(iJ(12. by immigr:lnts labourers from Bihar. who were employed ill the stone quarry of Jalda village. Ac. cording to the postmaster. except fo~ a few Christians r'~siding in ]aIda 'D' Block. few of the inhabitants of lhe colony receive or send money orders. The out. side tr::tc!crs operating ill the colony are. however .. the most important category of people who avail of the Inoncy order facilities prOvided by the post onicc. But they do not reside in the colony.
Bcsilles the Government offices mentioned above. there arc 2 other Government organisations with which the inhabital1ts of the colony are very intimately connected. These are Rourkela Land Organisation and Rourkcla Employment Exchange. Particulars
about Rourkela Land Organisation. Wive earlier ~n furnished. The Employment Ex.change was estabhshcd in 1955. It is located at Udltnagar area of Rourkela Town. Quite a good number of persons belonging to the colony have registered themselves with ~!1e Employment Exchange. But their exact number is not known. These particulars relating to the Employment Exchange will be furnished in the relevant context.
Retigi0U5 institutions
Among religious institutions in the colony mention may be made of sarna or sacred grove of ~e tribals. Durga Temple, mosque, Roman·Ca\hollc Church and Lutheran Church.
Sarna-In lalda 'C' Block a sacred grove was t'stablished in 1960 by the Bhumij. Munda and Oraon IJeople. hailing from Jharabahal. Tumkela and Chhend villages. All thcse people live in a contiguous area in Nichlapara (lower portion of the Jalda 'C' Block). Most of the people living in Lhe upper portion of 'C' Block who wcre questioned about the sarna were found to be unaware about it.
Durga Temple-Jn 1961 a Brahmin preceptor from Bhagalpur came to deliver some religious discourses. He ultinlately settled in Jalda 'B' Block. In 1962, through his initiative, a Dllrga Temple was established in the same block. He was mainly assisted by a Kisan. It is interesting to note that, other members of the family of the same Kisan are Christians. He was under pressure from his relations to cmbrac;') Christianity, but he resisted thl.: pressure and became a staunch follower of the Brahmin preceptor. It .... as he, who went to collect subscriptions from other people hving in the colony for the purpose of the temple.
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There is provision for a temple in Jalda 'C' Block. The land acquisition authorities have set apart a plot of land for the above purpose. In 1961 a com· mittee of the displaced persons was formed in this connection. The office bearers of the committee are as fc,llows:
President-Shri Banmali Sahu of Tumkela
Vice-President--Shri Pitambar Mishra of Raghunathpali
Secretary-Shri Motilal Ludam of Guradchi
Members-Shri Shamsingh Bhramar of Guradchi
and Shri Niranjan Mahato of Tarkera.
According to the President of the committee thero is not much local enthusiasm. in the matter of constructing a temple in the colony. In fact the initiative had come from the Special Officer. Land Acquisition and Reclamation, Rourkela, who had suggested to them that they should have a temple of their: own. The committee has met only onCe and it was decided that all the Hindu households of the colony should keep apart one handful of rice daily as their contribution for the purpose of the temple. The sl1le proceeds of the rice thus collected would be spent for meeting the expenses connected with the construction of the temple.
The decision of the committee could not. however. be implemented. It is alleged that the main impediment is factionalism among the members. S/Shri Motilal Ludam, Banmali Sahu and Niranjan Mahato belong to one faction and S/Shri Shamsingh Bhramar and PH ambar Mishra belonged to another faction.
Mosque-Before the displaceme:Qt of the villages there was only one mosque in the aera. It was locat~d at old Rourkela town. It is still in existence. In 1961 another mosque came into existence. It is located in Jalda 'A' Block. where a good number of Muslims have settled. The management of the mosque lies with an elected anjuman (association) of the local Muslims. It has appointed a mullah to arrange congregational prayers and other ritual activities in the mosque. The onjuman also runs a maklab or religious school. A mau/vi (teacher in theology) hailing from Azamgarh district of Uttar Pradesh, holds the classes. The mosque is the centre of community activities for the Muslims residing in the colony. Some time back, they raised funds for digging a well within the premises of the mosque.
Ramal! Catholic Church-This church is situated in Jalda 'C Block. The building of the church was cons.tructed in 1960. This church is under control of the mission at Hamirpur. During construction of the building. substantial aid was received through. the mission at Hamirpur. Besides. subscriptions were raIsed from the local Catholic population. A preacher is incharge of the church. He belongs to Munda community. He also teaches in the primary school attached to the church and receives a remuneration of Rs. 100 per month.
L[ltheran Church--The Lutheran Christians main. ly hail from the village Bhangamunda. They have settled in Jalda 'B' Block. In 1961 they started tne construction of a church building, but till the time of the survey it was: not complete. They are having their congregations in the house of a prominent Lutheran Christian Shri Vinod Tirkcy. The church is under the control of the Lutheran Mission whose headquarters are at Ranchi. The affairs of the church are controlled by a conlJ11itlce of three Christian Oraans, hailing from Bhangamunda. Besides congregational prayers and other ritual activities the church has not taken up any humanitarian activity.
Cultural institutiONl
Library-Tn 1959 a library was established in the colony with the encouragement of the Block Development Officer. At that time the colony was included under Panposh Community Development Block. In ]960. the colony was included under Noti.fied Town Area and the block ceased to function. With the removal of the patronage of the Block Office, the library began to languish. In 1961. it stopped functioning. At the time of the survey. there was a nominal committee with Shri Motilal Ludam as the Secretary, but he was not taking any active interest. The books which were
earlier collectetl for the library. were being maintain· ed in an almirah kept in the r.ecreation hall of the colony. The key of the almirah was with Shri Ludam but he was 1Il0t willing to take the responsibility of cir· culation of books.
Football Club-There is a football club in Jalda 'C' Block. It was established in 1960. At the time of the survey it had 25 members. Their distribution is as follows:
Kurmi 6
OraoD ~
MUllda 5
Puran • S
Lobar • 2
Nal Bengali
It is to be noted that all the members reside in one particular residential cluster of the block, known as Upparpara. It is located at the north·western corner (If the block. The members belong to the age-group 15-25. 3 out of the 25 members are students, 2 arc unemployed and the rest are engaged in different ')CI.:Upations. including unskilled labour, clerical post. busi· ness, etc. The responsibility for running the affairs of the club is mainly borne by 3 persons. namely, Niranjan Mahata, Shamsingh Bhramar and Raghunath Puran. Shri Niranjan Mahato and Shri Shamsingh Bhramar arc matriculates and are working as clerks in H. S. L. Siui Raghunath Puran is under: matric and he is working as helper in H. S. L. All the 3 belong to the ~gcgroup 20·25. The Football Club. sometimes provides facilities for Volleyball to those members, who arc interested in it.
Drama CIllb.-This club was estahlished in [961. At the time of the study, there were II regular mcm· bers. There were also others who took interest in lhe affairs of the club. The distribution of the 11 rcgular members by caste or community, is. as follows:
Kurmi 3
Munda 3
Karan 2
Lohar I
Brahmin Unspecified •
The break-up of the members by occupation. is as follows:
Student 4 Clerk. 2 Helper. 2
Fitter. 2 Compounder
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It is to be noted that the leadership of this club mainly rests with non-displaced persons, who have settled in the colony. A few displaced persons are also associated with the club. The members mostly belong to thl.! age-group 20-25.
Here, it is interesting to note an important role of the Drama ClUb. Among its members arl.! son of the ex-headman of the old Guradchi village and son of an important leader of the Lohars. hailing from the sam~ village. In the old village the ex·headman and the Lahar belonged to two different antagonistic tactions. The legacy of that antagonism has been carried over to the colony also, but it has not stood in the way of the sons of the rival faction heads coming together in the same club. It seems that the club is lInking important contribution in demolishing some of thc emotional barriers o[ the past.
There arc a few other clubs in 'B' Block and "A' Block. An exhaustive list of the same is not prepared Some information is. howcver, collcctcd about the Christian Youth Club located in JaIda 'B' Block. This club organi~s in·door and out-door games b~sides it, organises seasonal sports, debates. etc. This club is mainly organised by the Lutheran Christians residing in the I.:olony but Lutheran Christians belonging to the adjoinillg areas also are associated with it.
On 22nd and 23n1 May. 1963. a Youth Conference wa~; organised hy this club. Thc progr,llll1HC of the YOUtil Confcren.:c: is furni~hcd in Appendi}' VIi. It included a procession. debate. a congregational prayers. discourse on irnrortance of Bible and role of prayer in the life of young men ~ll)(l young WOl11l:n. music competition on devotional songs, Christian dalll.:c. excLirtion etc.
Leisnre and recreational activities TIle lc:isure and recreational activities of the resi·
dents of thc colony cover participation in ill·door alltl out door games. clubs and Jibraries. hearing of radio. leading of n.:wspapas, joining gossip groups, attending religious discourses. dc. The leisure and recreational activities also provide occasions for structuring as well as re-enforcing inter-community relationships. Some of these aspects are proposed to be examined here. Simultaneously an attempt will be made to indicate the changes that have taken place from the practices prevailing in the old villages.
(8) Indoor and outrloor games
7 persons reported that in their old villages the children used to play the following games:
Dhuia, Kallcha. Thappa, Guchu. God/l. Kati. DlIndar and Kabaddi.
The persons who mentioned that these games used to be played in the old villages, also stated'that in the colony some of these games are no longer played. Among the games which have disappeared mention may be made of godu. kati and dandar. The reason why these games have ceased to be played by the children in the colopy, has not been enquired in detail.
Some information. however. casually has come to notice during the investigation. For instance, ~e dandar mucll used to be played in some of the pld villages. has been replaced by guJi-danda. In dandar one boy used. to climb a tree and from there he used to throw a stick which was to be caught by the boys standing on the ground. Obviously it is not possible to carry on this game in the colony. on l~rge sc~le. because there are not enough trees convefllentl~ situated. under. which the children can carry on thiS game. In gull·danda which has replaced da"1ar the. ne~essity of ~hrowing the stick from the top 01 a tree IS dispensed with. Here the game is carried ,-?n .in two techniques. In one technique. a shallow pit In scooped o~t and a small peg is kept inside it. A boy would stnke one end of the peg with a stick in hi.s ha_nd and w~en the ~g is thrown to the air. he strikes It agam, wIth the stick and pushes it to a distance. In the other technique. the boy would hold a peg in .one hand ~d thro~s it in the air. When the peg IS In the aIr. he tnes to strike it with the stick in his hand and push it to Ii distance. In fact, tht:se two techniques were in existence in some of the old villages also. Now. in the changed conditions. these have been adoptc:d by the children of all the villages.
In the colony. some new games have also been introduced. For instance. in the old village. football was not generally played, but in the colony it has become the most popular game for the children. In a]1 the households. an enquiry was made about the types of games played by their children during three days. prior to the day of the survey. Out of the 3.1 households, only 4 households reported that thclr children had played some games. Names of the games mentioned by them are as follows:
Kaneko (glass marble) !/ull-danda Bali or Dhula (sand)
2 2 1
A<; regards sports of the adults. infor!llJtio!l was furnished by 13 persons. out of the 31 lllterviewed. They reported that in the old Christian villages. Bhangamunda, Hamirpur and Raghunathl?a~i. football ~nd hockey were popular among th.e Christian populatIon. Here. it is to be noted that In the predBplacement period in Hamirpur there was a Mis~ion High School and in Raghunathpali there was a Middle School. In the colony, football has become more popular among all sections of the population. Hockey has, howevcr. not been adopted much by the people. On the ('thcr hand, some indoor games like carrom and playing cards have become very popular. Sometimes, cards are played with stake but more frequently these are played without stake. Generally cards are played under the shade of a tree or in an open space, in front of a house, where not only the players participate. but a number of onlookers gather and spend their time.
Out of the 31 households, 3 housch'llds stated that during the three days immediately before t!te day of the survey, their adult members played some game. In 2 households, cards were played and an adult memo ber from the remaining household played hockey.
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As regards adult females. eve17.body reported that no indoor or outdoor g_ames prevailed among thom in the old villages. After coming over to the colony also. no change has taken place among them. in this matter.
(b) Pamcipatioo in clulbs IIIICI libnuiell
In all the 31 households. an inquiry was made. whether any person belonging to them was a member of any club or library before displacement. In none of these households. anybody was a member of any club or library. The position does not appear to have changed much after coming over to the colony. even though, a'J noted earlier, there are a few clubs and libraries. here. Out of the 31 households. only one Chris. tian Oraon household reported that. ODe person from
. that household is a member of Jalda Christian Asso· ciation. He generally visits the club for playing car. rolT' and also for gossiping. On average he visits the club 4 days in a week.
(c) Hearing of ndio
One Christian Oraon, one non-Christian Munda and one Hindu Karan reported that they regularly hear radio but none of them has got a radio. 1he Christian Oraon. visits the house of another Christian Oraon, to hear the radio. The other 2 persons hl!ar radio. wherever they can. More frequently. they hear radio. in the tea stalls. All of them stated that they arc more interested to hear film songs; two of them also stated that they are interested to hear news broadcast in Oriya language. They were asked when they ldst heard radio. The Christian Oraan stated that he Pad heard radio even on the day of the survey. The other 2 persons reported that they had heard radio 7·10 days before the survey. It is interesting to note that 2 out of these 3 persons stated that they heard film music broadcast by Radio Ceylon.
(d) Reading of books and newspapers
7 persons reported that they regularly read news· parers. Out of these 7 persons. 4 belonged to the agepoup 25-34 and 3 belonged to the age·group of 35 and above. 2 of them are just literate. 4 have read upto matric and aile is matriculate. According to their statements. all of them started reading newsparers, after comin~ over to the colony. 2 stated that they read newspapers in the office and. others read newspapers whenever they get time. The t:lames of the papers men· tioned by them are as follows:
Statesman Utkal Samachar Lokmanya or Prajatantra Kalinsa or Matrubhumi . Other Oriya news papers 3
The topics of current interest reported by the above persons are as follows: .
Sino-Indian War . India's acceptance of Colombo proposal Unspecified .
2 2 3
All these 7 persons reported that they rcad boob of different types. The books last read by them are as follows:
Bible In Hindi t Mahabharata and Valmiki Ramayana in Oriya • 1 Unsp=cificd detective and social novels In Orlya 2 Kala laso08 (detective) in Orlya Others. 2
(e) GOI!l5ip FOupl
12 households reported that their adult male members participate in gossip groups regularly. Out of the&e 12 households. 8 households reported that the gossip groups attended by their respective male ml~mbers mainly consist of persons belonging to their own communities. 4 "households reported that the gossip groups attended by their male members are heterogclic, ous· in composition.
4 households reported that the most common topics discussed in the gossip groups are cost of living and conditions of life. 2 households reported problems of workshop as the most corumon topic for discussion. One household reported that morals of the girls of the colony is one of the most frequent topics for discussion. One household reported life insurance as the topic for discussion. At that time. a life insuraIlce agent was rl.'gularly visiting the colony. It is obvious that this topic was of momentary interest only. The other households did not report the topics of discussion.
4 households reported that. the adult females belonging to them, participate in gossip groups of their own. The topie~ of discussion arc unemployment, a social drama. the rehearsal of which was going on at the time of the survey and similar other matters. It is interesting to nott: that whereas. in ease of adult males disclJSsions about th~ morals of the colony girls lias been mentioned as a topic for discussion. in ca~e of females this spicy subject has not been mentioned at all.
Participant observation of one gossip group was made during the survey. A brief description of the sallle is furnished below:
On 27th January. 1963 at about 8 p.m .• 5 persons constituted a gossip group in Bihari's tea stall. These 5 persons included MOlilal Vaish. a dealer in general merchandise living in the house of Lalu Kharia. Bhola Puran. a displaced person who is employed in H. S. L.. Sardar Pana. who is also a displaced person and employee of H. S. L. and the owner of the tea stall.
Sardar Pana made a mention that a decoity had taken place near tho old village Deogaon on the previous day. Under one bridge the decoits had slain a
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goat. and l~~ft behind two boxes containina clothes. Motilal Valsh then informed that. he had an encounter the previous day. with. some persons of questionable character. He along With other traders was returning from Bankl marke~. when three cyclists passed them at a cross 109 and hid themselves in the forest. Nothing . untowar? however. happened. Another participant in the gossip group. told that there was a theft in some hous.e in 'A_' Block. The discussion gradually glided to the Illsecunty of life. prevailing in the colony at the moment ~hola Puran mentioned that previously this sort of thlllgs never happened. The crimes are on the lllcrease since outsiders have been allowed to settle in the colony. He deplored the tendency of the inhabitants of the ~olony to augment their income by renting houses to outslde~s. By co~tact with. them the displaced persO.ns. speCially. the dIsplaced tnbals. are developing cri-111l~al tendenCies. He recalled that when they first settl· cd III the colony. there was a great deal of unity among the displaced persons. At that time when erin-lieal activities had just started taking place. they hUllg a notice·board at the entrance of the colony. to the effect that anybody who would try to corne to the colony a~t~r 9 p.m .• would be shot. They also used to keep vlgllam:c. Once the Supenntmdent Police was coming to the colony. they slopped his jeep and told him that he w(",uld be shot if he did not return. Bhola Puran was sugg.;;~tiJlg that they should try to manifest sindar unity and n:organise their community life. While carrying on these cliscussions they were smoking biri. (indigenous cigarette).
At about 9 p.lll. Sardar Palla left t!le place. as he had ~O!l1e other work and Motilal Vaish also went to his house. He. however. returned after sometime. The dlSCtl.~sioll then centred round the pezformancc of Durxa Puja in the colony Bhola Puran was telling that. previously there was no DurRa Puja in the area. It was started l!l the colony by the outsiders only. His commellt gav~ rise to discussion on a different line. Tho.: HC)1gali homeop::thic doctor from Bihar. mention. ed that Utkal Brahmins do lIot know how to pezf<.lrm Durga Puja. but whenever there is any function in the colony. the Oriyas try to assert the leadership. Bhola Puran confirmed the same. Though. he belongs to this area. his ancestors came from Bihar. He mentioned that once he had a quarrel with an Oriya foreman. when tht: foreman told him that. being a Dihari. he should go back to his State. This enraged Bho)a Puran ; he rebuffed that for the H. S. L. he had given his land which was like his blood. Hence. there was no question of his going away from the area. He would remain here; if necessary the foreman should go back to his Cuttack. On this. the foreman asked whether ho.: was a trihal and when Bhola Punn con finned that lle was. the foreman was silenced. Bhola Puran mentioned another incident. About three veal's ago. when he was working in the stone quarry. an Oriya leader asked the displaced labourers to go on a strike for higher wages. but Bhola Puran opposed it. He stated that he was getting the proper wp,ge and the 0\VIlet'5 of the quarry always conceded the genuine demallds of
the workers. Hence. it was not proper to caUSe un· necessary conflict. Then the discussIOn rolled 011 to various other matters. for about half an hour or so before the group dispersed.
(f) Participation in religious discourses
Out of the 31 persons interviewed, only 3 reponed that they regularly participate in prayers and religious discourse. Among these 3. 2 are Kabirpanthi Oraon Bhagats and one is a Christian Munda. The two Bhagat Oraons. attend religious discourses on full·moon night at Kansbahal-a village about 20 kilometres from the colony. They have got a religious preceptor at Kansbahal. who holds the discourse. During their visit to Kansbahal. they stay with their rdations there. The Christilln Munda is a Roman Catholic; he reported that every Sunday along with his family mem· bers. he goes to the church.
Besides collecting information by interviewin~ the persons indicated above. an attempt was made to collect information by observing the Christian congregations at ciitfe,ent places. Every Sunday morning. services are held in the Catholic Church situated in Jalda 'C' Block. About 60-70 persons attend the service. On enquiry it was learnt that these pcrso[ls .:;ome from all the three blocks.
The LutherllTI Christians do not have any church of their own. They attend the service on every SL!nday morning in the house of Vinod Tirkey.
The Muslim population residing in Jalda 'A' Block. regularly attend prayers in the mosque constructed in that block.
Religious discourses are occasionally organised for the Hindu popUlation also. A Brahmin hailing hem Bhagalpur district of Bihar State from time to time narrates the story of Ramayana and Satya Narayalla at some open place. in the night. Participant observation of one such religious discourse, was made dUrIng the survey. J [l the opcn space adjoining th.: house of Shamsingh Bhramar, the discourse was being held at 9 p.m. A few elderly Bhumij and Kurmi males and about 15 childrc,n were hearing the discourse. It seemed that they were drowsing and were not very much interested to hear the discourse. But even then they remained present, perhaps. as a matter of decorum and also perhaps they liked to remain together in that late hour. as a noval experience.
Annual cycle of religious and noo.religious festivals
Among the non-religious festivals performed in the colony mention may be made of Independence D:ay and Republic Day. About Independence Day no 10-
formation was collected during the survey. A.bout RepUblic Day some information was collected by participant observation method. It was performed at two places-one in the Ashram School, the other in the recreation club. In the school, the celebration started at 8 a.m. First the flag was hoisted and then sweets were distributed among the participants. It is noteworthy that except for Shri Banmali Sallu. hardly any important person from among the displaced people participated in the ceremony. in the ~hool. Most of
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the participants were teachers and students and a lew other persons. The second performance was in the recreation club. Most of the leading displaced persons attended the ceremony there. Some children of the colony were also present. The ceremony started with hoisting of the national flag; followed by singing of the national anthem. Shri Motilal Ludam. leading person among the displaced people. distributed biscuits among those present.
Religious festivals can be considered under four categories. namely. traditional Hindu festivals, tradi. tional tribal festivals. Christian festivals and Muslim festivals.
(a) Hindu festivals
It has earlier been indicated in Chapter II that in the old villages. the Hindus used to observe a number of festivals. The following were more, importantDlIssehra, Diwali, Raj Sankranti. Bali, Paus Sankranti. Rilkhi and NOllkhaya. In the colony also all these festi· vals are performed by the inhabitants. Some changes. however, have taken place in the extent and nature of participation of the people on these festivals. in the colony. Particulars in respect of the same are furnished below:
Raj Sankranti-3 households stated that they wefe observing this festival in their old villages and also are observing the same in the colony. On the other hand. 3 other households stated that they were observing this festival in the old villages and have ccased to observe it at present. One household stated that it was not performing this festival before displacement; but is observing it now only. This household belongs to Munda community.
Gamha or Rakhi Puminw-5 households stated that they were observing this festival in their old villages and are also observing the same in the colony. 2 households stated that though they were observing this festival before displacement they are not observing it now.
Ekadashi-4 households stated that they were observing this festival in the old villages and have discontinued the same now.
Dussehra-6 households stated that they were observing this festival in their old villages and are continuing to do the same at present. 2 households stated that they were observing this festival in the old villages and have discontinued the same after dis· placement.
Diwali-20 households stated that they were practising the religious performances on the occasion of Diwali in their old villages and are continuing the same at present. 4 households stated that they were performing religious performances in the old villages on this occasion but have ceased to do the same. at present.
Rath Jatra-6 households stated that in their old villages they used to perform religious rites on this occasion and that they are doing the same at present. One household stated that it has discontinued this
religious performance at present. Two households stated that they were not performing any religious rite in their old viUages and have started to do the same, after settlement in the colony.
Makar or Pus Makar (Paus Sallkrantl)-9 households stated that on this occasion they used to perform religious rites in the old villages and -are continuing to do the same, at present. One household stated that it has discontinued religious performance on this occasion, after displacement. On the other hand, another household stated that it was not performing any religious rite previously but has started to do the same, after settling down in the colony,
All the above religious rites except Rath latra, were used to be performed at the family level in thl.: old villages. At prescnt also they are performed at Lhe family level.
In the ritual complex of the Hindus, another very important change that has taken place after their settlement in the colony deserves special mention. It is performance of DurRa Puja, at the community level. Performance of Rath lafra at the community level has also undergone a qualitative change. Brief descriptions of the performance of these two festivals at community level are furnished below:
Dllrga Puja--Durga Puja is performed in the colony in three places, one is in 'B' Block and 2 are in 'C' Block. Particulars were collected in respect of the Durga Pujas performed in 'c' mock.
In 'C' Block, the community level Durga Puja was first performed in 1959. After two years there was a split among the organis.::rs of the Paja and since 1962 it is being performed at two places.
The initiative for organi~ing community level Durga Ruja in 'C' Block was first taken by Motilal Ludam, an influential Lohar hailing from the village Guradchi. Among tile persons who actively supported him, in organising the Puja, mention may be mado of a Brahmin of Raghunathpali, a Teli of Iharabahal. a Lohar of Durgapur, a Kurmi and a Puran of Tarkera and a few Mundas of Guradehi. An amount of Rs. 1,000 was raised by subscription. The non-Christian tribals like Oraon, Munda and Kharia. etc., willingly made their contributions, but the Christians stayed out. A Muslim residing in Block 'A', also contributed Rs. 10 towards the subscription. The clay-image for the Puja was obtained from Rourkela and the Puia was performed by a Brahmin living at Rourkela. In addition to the cer.emonial performances, singing of devotional songs, staging of drama and other recreational activities were organised on this occasion. After two years, differences cropped up on the question of the manner of utilisation of the fund. As mentioned earlier, the organisers were split into two factions. 'flle leader of One faction was with the Lohars of Durgapur and Guradehi. They were supported by castes of low social status. like Tanti and Pana and tribal communities like Bhumij and Munda. In the other faction were the Brahmins of Raghunathpali, Tarkera and Iharababal. who were mainly supported by the nondisplaced persons living as tenants in the block.
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Durga Puja in Jalda 'BI Block is performed since 1961. The initiative in organising this Puja has been taken by the businessmen hailing from Bihar. They are being assisted by a few Kisans of Bhangamunda village. It appears that the bulk of the displaced persons living in 'B' Block, are still to be actively as~ . ciatedwith this Puja.
RaJh lalra-It is stated that previously Rath Jatra was performed in only one or two villages, in the area and that the prerogative for performing it rest~d with the high caste Hindus. At present, even in the colony it is perform cd in two places separately, one is performed in lalda 'A' Block, and the other is performed in Jalda 'C' Block.
In Jalda 'A' Block, Rath latTa is mainly organised by Durjodhan Sandilya, the cx-ganju of Guradehi village. He was supported by the tena[lts hailing from the coastal parts of Orissa, who have settled in the colony. Here it is to be noted that previously Roth latra was used to be performed in the old Jalda village. When Durjodhan Sandilya took the initiative in organising RaIl! jarm in the colony, he collaborated with the heauman and other people of old Jalda village. Gradually. however, the initiative almost completely passed over to Durjodhan Sandilya and the new comers associated with him. For. the purpose of Ralh Jatra, annually about Rs. 200 are raised as subscriptions.
In lalda 'C' Block, the initiative for orgaOlsmg RaliJ jatra festival is taken by the people hailing from the old villages of Guradchi and Raghunathpali. All people living in the colony, except the Christians, make monetary contributions for the purpose of Rath latra. The chariot is constructed by the Lohars of Guradehi. During the festival. the image of lagalllUllh is worshipped and boiled gram and sweets are given as offerings. The same are later on distributed among the people.
(b) Tribal festivals
Earlier it has been mentioned that the following tribal festivals used to be performed in the old villagea Sarhul, Karma, Sojwrae and Ind. ]n the colony lnd is no longer performed. Sarhul, Karma and SoharOJe only continue to be performed, by a number of tribal families. The extent of performance of these festivala among them is indicated below:
Sarhul-IO households stated that they were per· forming Sarhul in their old villages and have continued to do the same in the colony. 3 households stated that they have discontinued the performance of Sarhul. 2 households stated that they were not performing Sarhul in their old villages but are doing so at present.
Karma-2 households stated that they used to perform Karma in their old villages and are doing the same at preselu. 3 households stated that they have discontinued the performance of Karma after &ettJins down in the colony.
(c) CIIriIdan feed_
It appears that there has not been n,tuch change in the performance of t.he Chnstlan festlv,als., They continue to perform Chnstmas day, New): ear s Day,
• Good Friday and Easter.
(d) Muslim festivalJ
About the performance of Muslim festivals no inquiry was made at the family level. In, a general way it can, however. be noted that the maIO Muslim festi"als, namely, Id-uz-Zuha, Id-u/-Fitr, S}zab('-[Jarat and Muharram which used to be performed in the old villages continue to be performed at present.
Community organisation
Community organisation in the colony is marked by both contliet and co-operation among the inhabitants. Some of the conflicts are carryovers from the old villages and others have grown around nt:w situations in the colony, Similarly, the solidarity and cohesion among the inhabitants of the colony reflect the solidarity and cohesion that prevailed in thc old villages on the one hand and the emerging sense of unity among the inhabitants of the colony as a result of their physical proximi1y as well as awareness of com!TIon interests. on the other. Before considering th.: dimensions of cooperation, it is proposed to examilJe the dimensions of conflict. Afterwards an aU.:mpl will be made to examine to what extent. contlict at one level is a contributory factor to co-operation at another level.
(a) Occasions of conflicts
Rivalry and conflict among the various cJtcgories of social units, namely, people living in the same blocks, people hailing from different pre-colonisation villages, people belonging to same factions in the old pre-colonisation villages. castes or communi tics, religion etc., arc manifested in matters relating to orgalllsation of festivalS', management of weekly markets. control of educational institutions, dealing with outsidcrs, and so on,
(b) Inter-block rhalries and C()n.fticts
The 'B' Block first came into existence in this colony. As a rcsult the people who settled in 'B' Block got certain opportunities. They got plenty of forest produce to be utilised Us building materials. They also got an opportunity to start business and take to new avenues of life in the colony. But when 'A' Block and 'C' Block were estabilshed. the people of 'B' Block (;Quid not retain much of the advantage of their earlier start, because of a few factors. The forest was near 'C' Block. Hence, when 'c' Block was inhabited. the people of 'C' Block began to oppose the utilisation of the forest produce by the people of 'B' Block, Due to their proximity to the forest, the people of 'C' Block could make greater use of the forest resources. Secondly, in the master plan of the colony certain provisions had been made at the very be$inning. which went in favour: of the people of 'C' Block. According to the m.aster plan. the M. E, School, the recreation centre and the dispensary were to be established in
'C' Block. Thirdly, the people livin, in 'A' Block could derive certam advantages because of the settlement of wealthy Muslims. and a few leading personalities like Durjodhan Sandilya, the Secretary of The Steel Plant Site Peoples' Federation. in that block. It appears that at preselll. in 'A' Block there are Ci)mparatively more number of wealthy and prestigeous persons who have influence over Government officials as well as other inhabitants of the colony, But it cannot be said that the wealthy, prestigeous and intluential persons in 'A' Block have been able to establish their complete do.nination over the colony. As a result. neither interblock conflict and rivalry is completely subdued nor has il come to a sharp focus in the form of rivalry bctween 'A' Block and the rest of the colony. The tension and conflict, may be described as free floating tension and conllict, wherein according to the situational context. all the three blocks tight one another, or two out of the three blocks combine against the third one. Thus. though. there is jealousy among the people of . S' Block and 'C' Block against 'A' Block, there is a q lI<1rrel between '.If Block and 'C' Block on t~e question of location of the weekly market. The tenslOn alllong the different blocks sometimes manifests itself in the form of stereotype. For instance. the people of Jalda 'C' Block would say lhat Jalda 'B' .Block is full of goom!as and drunkards. During group discussions in Jalda 'B' Block many expressed the opinion that the people of Jalda 'A' Block are over-bcaring type. Similarly. in respect of 'C' Block. their statement is that, it, is full of thIeves. About themselves, the people of 'B' Block. express that they are hard working lots and that is why they are found in largest number in H. S, L. Excerpts from a few statements made by people belonging to different blocks are furnished below:
Statement j---A Christian Munda aged 20 years, living in 'C' Block_ "I do not want to mix with the people of 'A' and
'B' Blocks, They are thieves and drunkards. There arc many cases of thcft and road fight, among drunkards in 'B' Block. Besides. jf they find any lonely passer-by with money, they will not hesitate to snatch away the money and inflict injuries on him".
Statement 2 ·-A Christian Kisan aged 50 years, re~idillg in 'B' Block.
"The people of 'A' and 'C' Blocks slander us that wi.~ arc drunkar{]s and rogues, but this is wrong. Nobody (~xcept a few in the whole colony. can tell that he docs not drink. In fact, in many houses in 'A' and 'C' Blocks. illicit distillation of liquor is carried on. Here, in 'B' Block ihe people arc more united and more hard working".
Statement 3--A non-Chnstian Ora on aged about 35 years, living in 'B' Block.
"We do not like to talk with the people of 'A' and 'C' Blocks. There are many cases of theft in the colony and the thieves are from these two blocks."
(c) Intra·block. confticts baled on ethnic coosideratious
Conflicts on the basis of caste or tribal affinities do not always come to the focus because other factol'I
like old village ties. neigbbourhood, etc., also get mixed up; but even then there is an under-current of conflict and tension based on caste or tribe. During the study. ma.ny persons stated that in 'C' Block the Mundas and the Bhumijs form one group. They are also supported by the Brahmins. On the other hand the Lohars constitute the core of another faction. They are generally supported by Purans and Mahatos or Kurmis. In 'N Block. the Muslims constitute a distinct faction. They are mainly opposed by the Nais who draw upon the support of the Mundas. It is. however. difficult to say. how far the factions indicated above have clear-cut social boundaries and also whether always they -serve as functional unit~. It seems that the above statements indicate some broad contours of alignment, but these contours are not always recognised at every level; dcviations froin the alignments are also not infrequent.
Many peoplc stated that no factions existed in '8' Block on the basis of caste or community. Here, it is to be noted that bulk of the population in 'B' Block ~onsists of Lutheran Christians from Bhangamu,nda. There are only a few households belonging to Bhumij and Kisan and other ethnic groups. During the rapid survey. it was not possible to ascerta in whether there are rrally no factions in this block bascd on caste or community. It is quite pmsihle that they may have factions but at the same time one of the factions is so predominant that there is a vested interest to conceal the existence of factions from outsiders. Maintaining a front of solidarity before outsiders. may be just ,I
dimension of inter block relationship.
Some of the factional activities on the basis of caste or community in '(" Block have earlier been mentioned_ For instance. due to factional conflicts DlIrl{ll
l'lIja is hcing rerformcd in two places. One faction is led by the Lohars with the support of Purans and Kurmis. In the other faction. are the Bhumijs and the Mundas. It is to be noted that factions based on caste or community transcend pre-colonisation village ties to a certain extent. The position would be clear from the statement below:
Faction--A. r-----.A.-__ ---,
Villages from Community whore hailing
2
Lohar Ouradehi
Kurmi
Puran
Durgapur
Raghunathpal i
Tangrapali
Tarkera Mahulpali
Tarkera Tumkola
Faction-B ,-___ .. _. __ .A. ______ __,
Villages from Community where hailing
--~--.,-
3 4
Munda Ouradehi Tangrapali
Bhumij Milmili
Iharabahal Tangrapali Tarkera Raghunathpall
Brahmin Tumkela Raghunathpali
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It is found frOm the above statement that whereas from Guradehi, the Lohars are in faction·A and Mundas arc in fuction-B; fwm Raghunathpali the Lohars and the Purans are in faction-A and the llhumijs and the Brahmins are in faction-B; from Tarkcra the Kurmis and Purans an: in fa~·tjon-A, and the Bhumijs urc in faction-B ; from Tumkela the rurans arc in factiOll-A and the Brahmins are in faction-B.
Another faction of similar type has also been rerort-:d in lalda 'C' Block. There was a quarrel between a Kurmi from Milmili and a Bhumij from Tarkera. ;\11 the KUI"IlIl households in the block hailing from Tarki!ra joined together and on the other hand all the Bhumij households in the block hailing from Milmilh Tarkera, Jharabahal, Ragllunathpali and Tangrapali becamc united.
(d) Persistence of old village ties and factionalism in the colony
In Jalda 'D' Block, un important focus of factionalism appears to be old village tics. This block is mainly populated by the people belonging to Oraon, Munda and Kisan tribes. hailing from Bhangamuntla anu Udtllull1 villages. There are some Bhumijs, Mundas and Oraons hailing from Guradchi village also. The r~orlc hailing from Bhangamunda village welT the first to b~ settkd in thi& block. Their leaders Vinod Tirkey and Samuc] Tirkey (both Lutheran Christian Oraons) tried to arrogate to themselves the positions ot the lead~rs of the hlock. In matters requiring negotiations with Government olIkers or outsitkrs. they always came forward as the spokesmen of the people of the block. But their domination was not liked by the reople of the block hailing from UdutulTl and Guradehi village'S. who came lah:r. The leaders of ll(iutulll village wen~ Bhola Kisan (tribal religion) and Ncgi Bartla (Roman Catholic Oraon). The latter was th<: ga.'lill (headman) of Udutum. The Bhumij household~ hailing from 1 Jduturll village and Munda households hail in!.! from Guradehi village also joined the faction of Ncgi Barua. Thus the inhabitants of the block have become divided into two factions cutting across caste or tribe affiliations and religious affiliations. The rosition is indicated in the statement below:
The above statement shows that if considered in terms of caste and tribe. irrespective of religion. and denomination. the Oraons, the Mundas and the Klsans are found in both the factions. The K~ari'~s. are. foun.d only in faction-A because all the Khanas lIVIng 10 this block hail from only one village. namely. Bhangamunda. On the other hand the Bhumijs and qauds are found only in faction-B bccaus.e there IS no Bhumij and Gaud hailing from the ~11~age Bhangamunda. If considered in terms of relIgIOn and denomination it is found that Lutheran Christians are found in 'both the factions. People following tribal religions are also found in both !he factions. People who stated th3t their religion is Hindu. arc, however. found only in faction-B. because there is no~e h~iling from the village Bhangamunda who stat.ed hIS ~ellgl?n to be Hindu ~:eligion. The extent to which factIOnalism based on solidarity of village has affected the sohdanty of religion. can be best perceived from the fate <;>f. t~e incomplete Lutheran Church in this block. The IOltlative for constructing this church was taken by the people hailing from Bhangam';loda vil~age. Though there are six Lutheran Chnstlan Kisan houschol~ls hailing from Udutum village, in thi~ block. they did not take much interest in the constructIon of the church. A lpokesman of the other faction stated that the p.rogress of the completion of the church was laggmg behind because of the lukewarm attitude of the Lutheran Ch~istians hailing from Udutum Village.
When the people are required to meet Government officials for getting certain things done, they generally first approach the leaders of their respecti~c fa~tions. Sometimes solidarity of action of the whabltants of the block is affected due to factionalism. even though. the leaders of both the factions may have_identity of attitude in respect of the matters under Issue. For instance. when Negi Barua and Bhola Kisan. the leaders of faction-B took initiative jn approaching the Government to remove the liquor shop from the area. Vinod Tirkey and Samuel Tirkey. the leaders of the other faction who also want the liquor shop to be removed, did not come forward to give acti~e support to the mOve because the leadership came from other faction.
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In 'A' Block also, to some extent factionalism based on old village ties exists, but the position is not as clear as in 'B' Block. It seems that other factors also have been mixed up. There are two main factions in 'A' Block. The leader of the first faction is Durjodhan Sandilya. the ex-ganju of the old village Guradehi. The leader of the other faction is Rahim Bux. hailing from old Rourkela village. The villages completely aligned with the first faction are Durgapur. Barkam. Deogaon. Chhend and Guradehi. The villages eom~ pletely aligned with the second faction are Tangrapah and Tarkera. There are two villages which are partly aligned with each faction. The first is old Rourkela. As already mentioned the leader of one of the faction is a Muslim from old Rourkela. The Lohars, Kurmis, Raotias. Tantis and Muchis hailing from the same village are in this faction. The Oraons are mainly in the second faction but there are a few in the first faction as well. The village Raghunathpali is also divided in this factional alignment. The Muslims. and the Gauds of Raghunathpali are in the second faction but the Bhurtlijs, Kisans, Mundas and the Oraons are in the first faction. It appears that rather than village tie. religion is the dominant factor in determining the pattern of the factional alignment in 'A' Block. The two villages. namely. Tarkera and Tangrapali. whose entire popUlation are in the second faction. have. !10 person living in 'A' Block, who belong to commumtles other than Muslims. 00 the other hand. whereas, the Muslims of Raghunathpali arc in the second faction. most of the other communities are in the first faction. Only Gauds among the non-Muslims are in the second faction. It is to be noted that the Gauds being the village graziers, generally hold a satellite status to thc dominant communities of the villages. where they used to live before displacement. Their lining up with the Muslinis. the dominant community of the old village. therefore. is not unnatural. The division of the different communities hailing from old Rourkela village. however. seems to he the outcome of a number of morc complicated factors. It seems that Rahim Bux. the Muslim leader. was successful in drawing a number of communities of this village around him. beoause of the position of economic domination. that he himself and his community have in that area. It is strong enough to overcome the religious antipathy of some of the people, belonging to that village. Summing up. it seems that in 'A' Block. while persistence of old village tics has been used as a lever in factional manoeuvres. religious and economic factors havo also played important roles.
(e) Factiooali8m in the colony as carryover of factionalism in the old vilJagl'B
The ramification of factionalism in the old villages in the community life of the colony. can best be seen in case of the people hailing from Guradehi. There were two factions in Guradehi. One was led by the Durjodhan Sandilya. the ganju or headman belonging to the Munda tribe. The other did not have any important leader. but the core of that faction consisted of the LDhars. The entire population of Guradehi was allotted plots in lalda 'C' Block. But because of the factional conflict. Durjodhan Sandilya decided to shift to J aIda 'A' Block along with his followers belongin8 .
to Munda. Nai and Tanti communities. Some of these followers. however. stayed back in lalda 'C' Block. Even after this physical break. the bond of old antagonism did not cease to exist. As mentioned e~rlier. when Durjodhan Sandilya started organising Durga Puja in Jalda. 'A' Block. Motilal Ludam who emerged as leader of the Lohars of Guradehi settled at Jalda 'C' Block. also started the performa.nce of Durga Puja in his block. But ater two years. the followers of Durjodhan Sandilya who stayed back in 'C' Block, refused to cooperate with Motilal Ludam and took the initiative to organise another Durga Puja in the same block.
There is reason to believe that there are a few other cases of carry over of old village factionalism in the colony. more or less in the same manner; but those cases are not as much obvious as the one of Guradehi.
(0 Other factors of facuoualism !n the colony
One of the important factors of factionalism in the colony. is the existence of a good number of nondisplaced persons in the colony. as ll:nants living in the houses of the displaced persons. As indicated earlier. the factionalism manifested itself in the performance of Republic Day celebrations in- 196~. Most of the tenants participated ill the celebration held in the Ashram School. whereas the displaced persons mainly participated in the celebration held in the recreation club. In the same year, during Jelh Sanskrallli a fcast was arranged by the employees of the different inst~tutions, like, Ashram SchooL mobile dispensary. etc. Most of the leading personalities. among the displaced persons. did not participate in the feast. On the other hand, non·displaced persons like businessmen. physicians. etc .. participated in it. As a result of this factional contlict. some of the displaccd persons living in lalda 'C' Block. are not sending their children to the Ashram School situated in the same block. For instance. Shri Motilal Ludam has sent his son to [he L. P. School situated in '8' Block. though. the Ashram School in 'C' Block. is within a distance of 200 metres from his house whereas the school in 'B' Block is at a distance of nearly one kilometre. The displaced persons state{j that the main rcason for their disenchantment with the outsiders. is the fact that the lattcr always put on an air of supcriority ; also they arc very selfish and try to dominate over the displaced persons. On the other hand, the non-displaced persons living in the colony say that, the displaced persons try to fleece them simply because they do not have any recognise,l status in the colony. in the eyes of the govemment. They do not live on the charity of the displaced persons. They pay rents for the houses occupied by thcm. but tlicy are not given any receipt. During different festivals. like Durga Puja. Rath Jafra. the bulk of the contribution is made by them; but even then. the displaced persons do not want to associate them with the decision making processes in important matters.
It appears that in addition to what the displaced persons and others have stated, there are other matters of more vital interest. which arc responsible for mutual tension among them. One of the most important matters is competition for jobs under H.S.L. The dis-
129
placed persons consider that they have got special claim over the jobs which have come up in the area. through the disruption of their age-old economic life, They. therefore, feel unhappy when the people from tht: coastal region get away with most of the new jobs. On the other hand. the non-displaced persons who have' settled in the colony consider the attitude of the displaced persons in this matter as irrational. They have more skill and better qualification and they fail to understand why the displaced persons should object when they get preference in the matters of employment.
The second reason why the displaced persons find the presence of Oriyas from [he coastal region to be irksome. is that their suspicion that the latter have organised contacts at higher levels, which they can ulilise in their own interest. Whenevcr new job opportunilil:s are created in the area or new facilities are provided. the Oriyas from the coastal region claim the same for themselves under the slogan of prcference for the children of the soil; but they do not care to give appropriate share of these henefits to the displaced persons. who according to the laltcr arc the real children of the soil. This feeling among the displaced persons seeIllS to be quite deep. Some time back. there was a violent clash bctwecn the Punjabis and the Oriyas living in Rourkel:l. At that time the displaced persons remaincd ncutral. 111is has further accentuated distrust and tension umong the displaced persons and other Oriyas.
An enquiry was made whether there was any factionalism based on loyalty to politcal parties at regional or State level. In a general manner it was stated by the people during group discussions that on the basis of affiliatillll to political parlies factionalism did not exist in the area. as a permanent feature. Three important political parties functioning in this area among the elisplaced persons are Congress. Gantantra Parishad and Jharkhand. None of the parties has liot a permancnt office in the colony. though. they have their oftices in Rourkcla Township. During the general election. individuals lined up behind the different parties but it docs not arpear that the same left behind any permanent scar in the community life of the colony.
(~) Pattern of new integration in the context of fadional confticts As noted earlier thew is free floating tension in
the colony. But this is only one side of the picture. Along with free floatin~ tension. there is also free floating integration. In fact, tension and integration appear to be two sides of the same coin. Looked at from a different angle. it may be stated that tension and factionalism at one level has facilitated integration at another levcl. Before amplifying this statement, it is neces3ary to take note of one important character of factionalism in the colony. Though, there is multiplicity of factions. the factions are not in nesting pattern, SO that. one faction lies embeded in a larger faction. For illustration. in a nesting pattern, though, there might hnve been community-wise conflicts, there would also exist an evolving pattern of unity on ethnic basis. Under that pattem, while the Oraons and Mundas
might have been at loggerheads with one another. they along with other tribal communities would have comprised constituen! element of a larger corporate entity called tribal entity and would have lined up
. against the non-tribals living in the colony. Similarly. the non-tribal communities also would have poised in a corporate entity. against the tribal communities. Or. again. taking village as the basis of factionalism. though. all the villages would be fighting one another. there would have been some sort of grouping of the villages of one region as a corporate entity against the villages of another region in a nesting pattern of factionalism. It appears that this pattern could not evolve. because the components of the various structures involved in factionalism. are overlapping. FOr instance. though there is conflict between A' Block and 'C' Block. when matters of common interest to the blocks concerned come up. the Mundas of 'C' Block have linkage with the Mundas of 'A' Block. when matters of community mterest come up. Again. though. there are intcr-community conflicts. the Oraons and Kisans of Bhangamunda line-up with the Mundas and Kharias of the same village against the Oraons and Kisans as weJl as the Bhumijs and the Gauds of Udutum village. in matters in which inter-village rivalry provides the main focus.·
]t is obvious from the above. that though. there is mUltiplicity of conflicts. there arc no clear-cut social segments in the colony. except for the territorial segments provided by the division of the colony into three blocks. The effect of the territorial scgm.:nts have also been diffused because of existence of fac~ tions cutting across the territorial segments. It can be stated that the overlapping factions have served to inter-stitch the different constituent elements and join them together to constitute a single structure. a very precarious structure though it may be. at the colony level.
The entire structurc can be conceptualised as the outcome of a number of abortive social changes or as a mark of fa ilure of the new to sever from the um· bilical cord of the past. For instance. in the changed context. the old village ties have become disfunctionaI. but they are still continuing. The ties on the basis of caste and community affiliations have bccome irrelevant. but still they are there. The tics on the basis of factionalism of the old villages have lost their meaning but the same are also continuing. Taking separately. each of the above can be considered to be a symptom of cultural lethargy. but taken together. they serve a very important function --the function of reducing the harmful effect of each of them in isolation. Hence. though separately each of them is a symbol of the past. jointly they constitute a prop for the new. But as already mentioned. the new structure which depends upon such antic prop. is a very clumsy one. How this new structure functions. is proposed to be examined here briefly.
(h) Oraanised activities to JeCUI'e common interestv eft. Af~r the displaced person~ settled in the colony
they trle~ to present an orgamsed front for pressing their vanous demands. It is. however. significant to note. that no permanent organisation which can be considered to represent all the sections of the displac-
130
ed persons came to stay. The meetings were called. from time to time, by different influential persons. Their leadership position was not legitimised through any formal organisation. But at the same time. it would be wrong to say that they asserted their leadership roles. without any sanction of community consensus. In fact. consensus was there. but it lacked focus. As a result. a pattern of conftictin.z collective leadership seems to prevail in the colony. The nature of fum.'tioning of the community as a whole under this situation requires more thorough study. A few instances of combined efforts of the displaced persons inhabitillg the colony arc. however. furnished below:
In February. 196]. a meeting was called by Durjodhan Sandilya at the recreation club. People from all the blocks attended the meeting. Here. they mainly discussed the fate of the displaced labourers working in the steel plant. They also discussed matters connected with communication. street lighting and drinking water facilitics in the colony. In the meeting. it was decided that a deputation consisting of Durjodhan Sandilya and ten important persons would meet the Special Officer. Land Acquisition and Reclamation. RourkcIa in this connection.
Tn May. 1962 Shamsingh Bhramar invited a few influential person~ of the colony. including Motilal Ludam. Durjodhan Sa.ndilya. Niranjan Mahato. Pilambar Misra. Banmali Sahu etc .. for a discllssion in the M. E. School premises. Here they decided to put up a demand for starting higher sCl:ondarv classes in the school. A deputation lead by Sham singh Bhramar mct the District Inspector of Schools in this connection. But whcn the latter did not agree to upgrade the M. E. School to higher secondary stano[\fd. another meeting was called in March. 1963. In this meeting. not only the influential persons of the colony. but other interested persons also attended. They decided to start higher secondary classes privately. by engaging somc teachers. For this purpose they also decided to raise funds. hy collecting subscriptions from the people. From each block one or two persons were selected as the authorised collectors of subscriptions and Banmali Sahu was elected as the treasurer. But afterwards. no follow-up measnre was taken for implementing the above decisions.
In the month of May 1962. Durjodhan SClndilya Mohammad Ismail. Yusuf. Amir, Bhola Kisan. Jaitnath. Sukhlal Kisan. Samlal Munda and a few other persons met at the residence o~ Durjodhan Sandi~ya. They wanted that in the shoppmg centre at Fertlhzer Colony, pre.ference should be given to the displaced persons in the matter of allotment of shops. Th.ey authorised Durjodhan Sandilya to meet the SpeCial Officer in this connection.
All the above meetings. are instances of spontaneous responses of the people of the. col0!lY' i.rres~ctive of factional alignments. to speCific s1tuatlOns 1lI
volving common intere~ts of the colo~y. ~ut as already mentioned. it is also slgnficant that m spIte of spontaneous comin~ together on various occasions. they have not been able to establish an all-embracing permane.nt forum through which their responses can be channellsed in every situation.
There are, however. several organised forums relat-ed to specific functions. Particulars of the same are furnished below:
(I) V~ CommiUee In 161, the social life in Rourkela was marked by
high tensi()n. There were several disturbances involving the Oriya people on the one hand and the nonOriya workers of H. S. L., on the other. In this context, a vigilance conunittee of the colony dwellers was formed. or conducting the affairs of the committee, an executive committee with 11 members was set up. The community and olockwise break-up of the members of the executive committee is as follows:
'A' Block Muslim 1
Bhumlj 1
'8' Bloclc Oraon (Christian) . • 4
Kisan . • I
'C' Block Munda m Bhumij 1
Lohar. 1
At the instance of the committee, all the households in the colony were required to provide one adult male by rotation to keep watch in the night, so that no miscreant could commit any mischief. This committee was quite effective so long as the situation remained tcnse in Rourkela. Afterwards the committee ceased to function.
(j) Managing Committee of Jalda L, p, School As noted earlier, the school is located in 'B' Block, but the members of the managing committee have been drawn from different blocks. For instance. the President and the Treasurer, Shri Bisesar Tirkey and Bhola Nath Kisan are from 'E' Block. but influential members like Durjodhan Sandilya. Chaitan Nai are from 'A' Block and Motilal Ludam and Sam singh Bhramar are from 'C' Block. There are also a few members from the adjoining villages. It. however, appears that the committee is not functioning very harmoniously or effectively. For instance, in April. 1960 it was decided that each household would pay Re. 1 for rennovation of the school building, but it was never fully implemented. Only a few persons made some payments. Later on. there was controversy about the manner of utilization of the funds, collected for the purpose. In October. 1960, the committee decided on the suggestion of Motilal Ludam, that every Sunday evening, the teachers and the students would visit the different households and collect donations for the purpose of the school. This was unanimously accepted but was never implemented. In the same meeting. they decided to tlake steps for constructing fences round the school compound. But even this, though, acclaimed by everybody. was never implemented. While going through the proceedings of the managing committee. one feels that there existed mutual perpetual confrontation among the members with show of good intention and god will. Everybody wanted to be on high pedestal
15-' R.O. India/67
131
~ut none was prepared to t.aJce the responsibillty or lmplementing the good intentions. ThlS is another dime~s!on .of the ambivalence of unity and disunity prevailmg m the community.
(k) Managing committee of Jalda M. E. School
In this committee also. the members belong to different blocks. There are two members from the two adjoining villages also. The composition of the managing committee is as follows:
I. Ba.nmal- Sahu-Presidenl-'C' Block 2. Motila} Ludam-Vice President-'C' Block
It may be noted from the above. that three members including the President and the Vice President are from 'C' Block. where the school is located. There is only one member from 'B' Block and there are two members from 'A' Block.
The functioning and composition of this committee, may be compared with the managing committee of the Primary School As noted earlier, the Primary School is located in 'B' Block and the President of the school committee also belongs to 'B' Block. Though. the Primary School committee has not functioned very effectively, the initiative in matters connected with the Primary school. mainly rests with the members hailing from 'B' Block. But in the managing committee of the M. E. School. out of the 6 members belonging to the colony, 3 including the President and the Vice President, belong to 'C' Block. There are two members from 'A' Block and only one member from 'B' Block. In the affairs of this school, members from 'C' Block are more actively interested and exercise more prerogative. At the time of the survey, any stable pattern in the functioning of the committee had not, however, emerged out, as the committee had been set up only a few months before the survey. The matters discussed in the committee, were, shortage of teachers, provision of a drinking water well near the school. irregular attendance, rennovation of tcacher's quarter, fencing round the school compound and so on. These matters are of general interest and there is no difficulty for members with any social or personal background to faJ! in line with one another. It s~ems that till the time of the survey, the honeymoon period or the new establishment was not over and the memben confined their interest to matters of common agreement. Hence. even though as stated above, 'Ct Block seems to have greater link with the school. this link is the outcome of physical proxtmity and not of any moral imperative developed through contribution to the growth of the institution. in ca~h or kind or in any other manner. The greater prerogative that the 'C' Block seems to have established, is also fCJrtuitous to a certain extent. Here
it is to be mentioned that majority of the pupils in the M. E. School. hail from 'C' Block, but a large proportion among them are not children of the displaced persons who have settled in 'C' Block. They are the children of outsiders who have settled in 'C' Block by taking houses on rent. from the displaced persons. But no representative of this outside element has been t~ken in the committee. All the members of the comlmtt.:e from 'C' Block arc displaced persons. One can see in such a situation incongruous organisation of the community life on certain fictitive principles which are the legacies of the past. One of the principles is that. of territorial basis of area of interest of the eommuruty. Undcr this principle, as the M. E. School is situatc:d in 'C' Block. the people of 'C' Block have got special claim over it. The other principle is that of special right of different categories of population. derived out of historical factors. Under thiS prmclple. as the colony is mainly meant for the displaced persons they have a special position in all matters in the colony, irrespective of their functional roles in those ~attcrs. In other words, in the colony, they are something lIke first-class citizens and second class citizens. The displaced persons are thc first class citizens and the tenants who have settled there, arc second class citizens. Hence, though in the school. the contributiafl of the tenants is signific~lltly marc. they are kept out of lhe position of 'authority. which is considered to be the monopoly of the displaced persons. It is obviolls that in the present-day context these two principles analysed above will have to face rough weather, within a short time.
Summing up, it may be noted that while no formal leadership has yet emerged out centring round the
132
various issues. that the displaced persons residing in the colony are faced with. there is consensus about the ar.eas of common interest and througb this consensus some sense of solidarity also prevails in the colony. Besides, there is an attempt to develop composite leadership centring round the functional bodies like Managing Committee of Primary School. Managing Committee of M. E. School. Vigilance Committee etc. These composite bodies, however. have still to show that they can function cffectively and harmoniously. At the same time, the very fact that in the composition of these bodies, attempts are made to bring in the different sections of the displaced persons. excluding the non-displaced persons living in the colony, shows that in spite of mutual tension, distrust and factionalism. there is an awareness of the need of strengthening the solidary of the displaced persons. Whether in fact. through these forms the solidarity of the displaced persons is ~ing fostered or not. is. however, a different matter. It would require a thorough study which would be .;1 separate project by itself. Here a few aspects <Jf the prevailing leadership pattern in the colony would b~ further examined.
(I) Position of the leaders of the old viUSCes
Particular:; in respect of the ganjus or ex-headmen of 18 old villages, 9 III em bers of old village committees. 4 pri.!sts and sacerdotal heads and 3 other influential persons of old villages have been collecled. The particulars for each of them are furnished in the Appendix VIII. A table giving the consolidated picture for the different categories of leaders is furnished helow:
TABLE 98
Categories of old village leaders, t',eir present place of residence and their social position in the colony
Status Total No·
No· staying in colony who have at prescnt ,..._-
Social position among p~rsons staying in ,- _._......,
The above table shows that out of the 18 ex~alljas or ex-headmen of the old villages. 13 are living in the colony and 5 are living outside. Out of the .13 headmen living in the colcmy. 2 have influence over toe people living in their respective blocks. as well as those hvins; outside the blocks. 5 have influence only over
3
S
4 5 6 7
... 6 3 2 L
6 2
3
the people living in their respective blocks and 6 have lost their special status and influence. The two exf,?anjus. who are having influence even outside tlle blocks in which they are staying deserve special mention. Onc of them is Durjodhan Sandilya. hailing from Guradehi village and the other is Negi 'Barua bailing
fl:om Udutum. As I!lcntioned earlier. Durjodhan Sandilya .played a very Important part in the agitation of the displaced persons for safeguarding their interests. At present he is a member of the Advisory Council for the resettlement of. the displaced persons. Hence. ~ot ?nIy people belongmg to his old village. who live m dlffe~ent blocks of the colony. approach him but also qu!te a number of other persons who hail from other villages. approach ~i~. He. along with two other _persons. namely. AuglstlOe Knspatta of Hamirpur Village and Dhanuqay Mohanti of old Rourkela village, are consid~red to be the most inlluential persons among the displaced population and their influence spread even outside the colony. The other ex?anju .who is having influence beyond his own block IS Negl Barua. He is a Roman Catholic Christian and is cons.idere~ . to ~e the leader of the displaced Roman CatholIcs. hvmg. m the different blocks of the colony. a~ well as outside. There is. however. a qualitative difference between the position of Durjodhan Sandilya and that of Negl Baruu. Durjodhan Sandilya's leadership is of more pervasive character. In every context in the life of the displaced persons, he would be accepted as one of the most important persons but Ncgi ~arua's. leadership is more parochial in character. Only m speCIfic contexts. wh(!re the Roman Catholics arc involved in a significant manner, Negi Barua would be considered to be an important factor.
Out of the 5 ex-ganjus living outside the: colony, 3 continue to have considerable influence over t~c peopl.e . of their old villages living in the colony. the remalt1lt1g 2 do not have any special position or influence. These three ex-galljus are Mangni Chand Dwivedi (Brahmin) hailing from Mahulpali, who is at present settled at Rourkela. Chandru Munda (Christian) hailing fr?m Hamirpur who continues to stay there and Harpal Singh (Khandait) hailing from Deogaon who also continues to stay in his old village. Mangni Chand Dwivedi is having a petrol pump and a provision shop at Rourkela. He has good contact with high officials and others in Rourkela and is in a position to intervene. to secure benefits for this acquaintances. This seems to be the main reason. why he is in a position to exercise good influence over the people of his old village. as well as a number of other displaced persons, even though he is not staying along with them. Th~ amount of loyalty that he even now can evoke from the people of his old village, can be measured from the fact that. when sometime back some persons wanted to encroach over a vacant plot of land that he owns in 'C' Block, the people hailing from Mahulpali resisted such encroachment. even in his absence. The exganjus of Hamirpur and Dcogaon continue to have special status as they have emerged out as symbols of resistance to acquisition of land by the Government. They have successfully evaded displacement and are residing in their respective old villages. Their co-villagers. who have come over to the colony. maintain contact with them and accept their guidance. in the hope that sometime later on. they also would be able to go back to thei~ old villages. with the help and support of these leaders of resistllllCC.
Out of the 9 members of the old village councils. 7 have settled in the colony and 2 are living outside
133
the ~olony. Out ~f these 7. only one enjoys some spec.lal statl!s and mfluence. The 2 persons who are staymg ~UlsI~e the colony do not have any role in the COIUIUU.lllty hfe of the colony. The one person who is l~vJng. In t~e c~lony an~. also is having special posi~I?~ IS Jokun S~hu. hailIng from Hamirpur. At the l~lt~al stage of displacement. he took considerable initJatJve to ~rganisc ~e resistance of the people and thus came mto promlllence. Even now. he is one of the spokesmen. of the displaced persons. in matters relating to their commOn interests.
All the 4 priests and sacerdotal functionaries of the old vill~ges. about whom particulars are available. have settled In the colony. Out of them one has special status a~ prescnt and the remaining three have gone into oblivion: T~le soht~ry person. who is having special status IS Vlllod Tlrkey. He is a Lutheran Christian ~aon.' hailing from Bhangamunda village. He was :1 Chflstlan . preacher in the old village and continues to be same m the colony. Hence. even in his case. it is not the traditional status of sacerdotal functionary of the village wh ich is continuing. The other three persons who have gone int'O oblivion. were the sacerdotal functionaries in the traditional setting. They have not gone into oblivion automaticolly. but through various phases. One of them. BieHlU Dandscna of JharabahaJ, was selected as kalo or pujari for the sarna (sacred grove) of lalda 'C' Block. He was required to perform annual Imja at the sarna. For this purpose, the people paid contribution ell the rates of 50 paise to Rs. 2 per household dunng the first year. With the contribution he purchased a goat. He was also given a dlzoli. as his. remuneration. In the secnnd year. the people refused to make extra payment for his dhoti. He was also no! kcc;ping good health. He. therefore, refused to continue as kafo. In his place. Uday Singh Puran of Tumkela village was selected by the people to function as kalo. It is to be noted that he was not holding the post in the old village. It is. therefore. a case of replacement of a sacred specialist, by a new category of person. But Uday Singh Puran was not a complete Jayman. He is considered to be a magician of a sort. whose forte is treatment of smallpox. The second ex-sacerdotal functionary who has lost his special role is Budhu Bhumij of Milmili. He has settled in Uparpara of 'C' Block. The people of this para (hamlet) decided not to have a sarna of their own. Hence. there was no sco!)C for Budhu Bhumij to continue his function. His brother who has settled in Silikutta Reclamation Ana. has, however. been selected as the priest for one of the sarnas of that place. The third eX-!illcerdotal functionary who has lost his function is Dhan Singh Munda of Tarkera village. He has settled in Ialda 'C' Block Uparpara and for the same reas()n as in case of Budhu Bhumij. he does not have any scope to function as priest. at present.
Out of the 3 persons who were having good influence in their old villages, though they did not hold any office. 2 have settled in the colony and one is living outside the colony .• All the 3 persons are continuin. to have influence over the people of their respecuve old villages. even in the colony. These 3 persons aro Augistine J<rispatta, Rahim Bux and Dhanurj$Y
Mohanti (Karan). In the old village, Augistine Kris· patta was an important leader of the Catholic Chris· tians. He was also one of the organisers of the resis· tance of the displaced persons, to the acquisition of land by the Government. Thus. he came to be accept· ed as a leader of the non-Christians also. At present, he is a member of the Advisory Council for resettlement of the disp1aced persons. He is staying in Jhirpani Colony, but has considerable influence over thi! people of Jalda Colony also, Rahim Bux is an influential businessman. He was the leader of the Muslims of old Rourkela village. His influence is mainly confined to his own community. Dhanurjay Mohanti is a pleader. He is considered to be the brain behind the resistance of the displaced persons. to the acquisition of lands by the Government. For some time he was the President of Sundargarh District Congress Committee and was also the President of Steel Plant Sit,:: People's Federation. At the time of the present study he was a Member of Rajya Sabha. It seems that through his association with the movement of the displaced persons, he has been able to elevate his position. Now he is considered to be a mediator between the displaced persons on the one hand and the Government officials on the other. He seems to be exercising a moderating influence in the area. Thus. though he is staying at Uditnagar area of Rourkela Town~hip about four miles from the colony, he is an important factor in the community life of the colony. His hous:! is very ncar the Employment Exchange and the Ollie..: of the R. L. O. and when the people visit those offices, they fn::quently approach him, to seek his intervenlioll in their favour.
(m) The new leadEn In 'C' Block through group discussions attempts
were made to find out who were the new leaders. Four nafJeS were obtained. Their particulars are furnished below:
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M.L.L.-He is aged 35, hails from Guradehi village and belongs to Lahar caste. He is employed as a time keeper under H. S. L. His emergence into the position of influence has taken place only during recent years. In 1957, when he shifted to the colony from his old village, he had nothing special about him. He had read upto 9th class and could not go in for white-collared job. It was also difficult for him to work as unskilled labourer. He started a hotel, but failed in the busincss and became unemployed. It was at this period, that he came into contact with the Spe- . cial Officer, Employment Exchange Officer and important leaders of the displaced persons like Dhanurj<lY Mohanti, Durjodhan Sandilya, etc. The fact that he was slightly ahead of most of the displaced persons in education. gave some edge in his favour, He conkl impress everybody with his initiative and drive. Gradually he becan]e the rallying centre of the younger people in the colony. Also he became the rccogmscd leadet. of the Lohars. Thus. he could draw his support from two different categories of people in the co]ony. (I) an important ethnic group and (2) an increasingly organised vocal section' of the eommunitythe youth. In 1962, he got the job of time-keeper under H. S. L. After that there has been slight change in his position. He is not getting much time to devote to
public work and his old fire also seems to be leaving him. At present, he is more a leader: of his caste only, than a leader of the 'new men'-the ,Jising generation, The new turn in his career, seems to have been a gajq to his caste faction, but a loss to the rising generation. The man who was agitating four years ago, for improving the chances of employment of his people in the new industrial context. has now reverted to the old frames of contlict and tension. As noted earlier, as a ramifi· cation of his involvement in factionalism centering caste he has also been involved in factionalism relating to inter-village relationship and relationship of the dis· placed persons and others living among them.
P.M.-He is a Brahmin aged 40, hailing from Raghunathpali, He has read upto Matric standard and is in service in the office of R.L.O. as a clerk. He holds an important position in the life of the colony because of his posting in the office of R,L.O, The displaced persons going there, frequently use him as the contact ma.n. He also takes interest in various cultural and social matters of the colony and is invariably a member of the organising committees formed in connection with these matters. Like M.L.L. he also has emerged out as the leader of the younger generotion, but there is a difference between him and M.L.L. As stated earlier, M.L.L. is now primarily a caste leader and a leader of other parochial factions. On the other hand, P.M. has a more diffused and wider arena of operation. He maintains contacts with the younger people, not only among the displaced persons but also among the out· siller~. His influence is more based on friendship and hi~ capacity to render service. in the context of the urban life of RourkcJa. On the other hand. the leadership of M.L.L. is based on his capacity to whip up certain emotions and values connected wilh the old social order. Thus P.M. is an antithesis of MLL. But at the same time, it is difficult to say that P.M. is the symbol of the new generation in the colony. He bas got certain disabilities. One, is his caste. In the context of the old social order. it was not only possible b'ut almost inevitable for a Brahmin with good background and social awareness. to emrge out as the kadcr of a multi-ethnic community in that area. But ill the changed context, when the backward people, specially the tribal people, are more conscious of their rights and privileges, there is a natural reluctance against giving the supreme position to a man of high caslc, in their local affairs. This reluctancf' could perhaps be (wercome if P. M. had other compensatory factors like great wealth, high education. etc. Lacking these, he has got only a limited potentiality. Another hctor which would go against his emergence as the supreme leader. is the presence of Dhanurjay Mohanti who also belongs to ~ caSlt6. Had Dhanurjay Mohanti not been there, P.M. would have been the contact man with influential non-officials at the district level. But because of the presence of Dhanurjay Mohanti and because of the fact that he is in service, his scope of development in that direction is elJ(treme· ]y limited. Lastly. his age is also a factor, which goes against him. At the time of the survey, he was aged 40. Hence. he could at best served as a bridge-man between the older generation and the younger genera. tion. Even at this age he could have been the rallying centre of the younger generation had he been endowed
with high iontellectual capacity. but he does not possess that. Hence. his leadership can be described as both paroc~ial and ~a~ve .. It. is paroc~al in the sense that Its potentiality 18 liIDlted and It would remain confined to the local level. It is pervasive in the sense that it goes beyond the narrow loyalties of castes. and colDlllunities. even the loyalties based on belonging to displaced category and non-displaced category.
S.S.B.-He hails from Guradehi and is aged 32. He has also been mentioned as an important person by many. He has passed Matric and is employed as a clerk in H. S. L,.. It seems that in spite of his educational background and youth. he does not have the same type of influence that P. M. has. The most iIi:tportant factor: in this matter is the fact that P. M. is holding a strategic post. whereas S. S. B. is holding a post. which. though of equal status, is not strategically important. As a clerk. in H. S. L.. he is not ill a position to intervene in fa.vour of his friends and acquaintances in a significant manner. Hence. though he is a prestigeous person in the colony, he cannot be considered tQ be an influential person. His personal demeanour also seems to have limited his scope of emerging out as an influcntial person in the colony. He is shy and withdrawing type. and comes forward to participate in public affairs, only when he is pushed by his friends.
N.M.-He hails from Tarkera and is aged about 30. Like S. S. B. he is also working as a clerk in H. S. L. and has the ..,arne limitations as those of S. S. B. But there are two factors which impart some more importance to him. He is a good spolisman and also good on the stage. Hence, he is a hero among some sections of the younger people. But in the affairs of the community as a whole he is practically a non-entity. Rather, the qualities which have endeared him to the younger people urc counted against his being taken seriously by the older people.
B.S.-He is aged 60, hails from Tumkela ami is a retired teacher. He cannot be considered to be an illfluential person in the colony, but is highly rcspectl'd as a retired teacher. In cultural and social matters in the colony. he is frequently made the formal head.
M, V.-He is a non-displaced person. hailing from Delhi and is running a general merchandise shop in tile colony. He is also having a cloth shop in Rourkcl:! Township. He commands some influence not only among the non-displaced persons, but also among the displaced persons because of his wealth and because of his willingness to oblige them by selling things on credit. He is aged 45 and is of amiable disposition. He liberally contributes to Durga Puja and other social and cultural performances organised in the colony. His influence is. however. limited in scope. On matters, in which the people of the colony are most emotionally involved, for instance, land, compensation. etc., he is considered to be an outsider. But at the same time, because of his influence ovet some sections of the displaced persons. he is in a position to smoothen to some extent. the sharpness of conflicts among the dis-
. placed and nOllodillplaccd peIlODl.
135
(n) RelatioD betweea traditiooaJ elites and aew eUtes
It appears that at the present phase of the community life. there is not much sharp ::::>ntlict between tt.e traditional clites on the one hand and the new elites on the other. though. individually some of the old Icaders and the new leaders do not maintain ..... ery good terms. For instance. the term between Durjodhan Sandilya and M. L. L. are not good. But what is more significant is the fact that the newly emerging leaders have not organised any platform to confront the traditional leaders. Similarly, the traditional leaders also do not appear to offer any organiSed obstruction to the new leaders. The lllUtual relation between these two categorics of leaders. is more marked by collaboration and accommodation. This may be bc<.:ause of the fact that the emerging pattern of life of the displaced persons does not have allY single focus which would require all-out conflict anHJng the diverse elemcnts, for the establishment of the domination of a particular way of lifc. The commullity life in the colony has multiple foci fosse because of the presence of the following factors.
1. Lingering contact with the old villages. 2. Opportunity to tak.e alternativc ways of life by
taking to cultivation, by moving to the reclamation area on the one hand or by taking to modern ways of life by availing of the employment oportunities provided by the industrial complex of Rourkela, on the other.
3. Migration being the outcome of a group process. the strappings of group life have remained intact. On thc other hand. settlement in a new setting, has irretrievably created an awareness of severance of the past. Thus while at the social plan the old world has bcen carried by the displaced persons along with tllemselves. at the physical plan the new world is too much of a reality to be ignored.
Though. it is hypothesized here. that the above factors have contributed towards the leadership profile of th~ colony based on collaboration of traditional elites and modern elites, it should be noted that no systcmatic study was carried out to find out the processes by which the abuvc factors have contributed towards the leadership profile as found in the colony. This aspect would require more investigation with the help of appropriate tools.
Incidental1y one or two facts may. however., be mentioned, here. whieh will show the dilemma of the new elites as well as theu submission to the traditional elites, on consideration of some of the old values. Durjodhan Sandhilya's son, Sadanand Salldilya is politically alert and active. He is a member of Gantantra ParishlJd whereas Durjodhan Sandilya is a mel11ber of Congress. Sadanand is quite convinced of the futility of the type of political activities undertaken by his father. but be feels that it will not be good for him to publicly oppose his father in the colony. This. however. has not stopped him from participating in political and social actio vities, in the op~sition platform outside the colony. In his mental connguration. colony is an extenlion of the traditional family and he would faU in the
filial pattern. if he takes an opposite posture to his father. in the context of the colony. Here he is an obedient son submitting to the authority of the father; but outside the context of the colony. There is no prescribed pattern of behaviour which would require him not to take a posture of public action which can be construed to be in defiance to the authority of hiS father. In the context of the old world. the social orbit was confined to the village level or inter-village caste or community level. In the context of the new world. the social move of the old world would not apply beyond what was the social orbit of the old world. In the regional context of Rourkela. both the father and the son are 'non-persons' in terms of the old world and the son is free. to assert his independence in that context, without qualm of conscience so long as he submits to the authority of his father, in the context of the colony or the caste. This case, gives some insight about the processes, which facilitate the collaboration and accommodation of the traditional elites and new elites. This collaboration and accommodation, seem to be by an untold division of spheres. than by the synthesis of the old and the new.
(0) Inter-penetratiOill of leadelshlp One important aspect of the leadership pattern m
the colony deserves mt"ntion. It has becn found that though there is nl) Integrated platform or forum for guiding the affairs of the colony and though the per· sonnel of the institutional leadership and is.sue leadership are not always same •. there is a number of persons who are practically involved in all the platforms, which are either of temporary nature centring round certain issues or of more permanent nature centring round certain institutions. For instance, Durjodhan Sandilya is the President of the L. P. School, a memb~r of the M. E. School Managing Committee. a memb.:r of the Vigilance Committee, also a recognised lcader. of the displaced persons and either presides over meetings for ventilating the grievances of the displac· ed persons or at least speaks in those mcctings and is associated with the deputations sent from time to time to the Government to represent the cause of the displaced persons. Motilal Ludam is also a member of various committees at the block level; he is at the same time respected speaker on different issue platforms. To a lesser extent Pitambar Mishra, Vinod Tirkey. Samuel Tirkey. Bhola Kisan are also associated with different committees and different platforms.
(p) Disputes referred to variOlM authorities
For gaining an insight about the extent of effective fUllctioning of the social control mechanism in the colony. a study was made of the disputes referred to various authorities. Particulars of the same are furnished below:
Case /-Two brothers hailing from Guradehi viI· lage, who belong to Nai caste, had a difference of opinion about their settlement pattern. They have been allotted lands in the colony as well as in Champa· jharan Reclamation Area. The elder brother was staying in the colony and the younger brother had gone to the reclamation area. Unable to bear the hardship of life in the reclamation area. the latter insisted
136
that the elder brother should go to the arta, but tbe elder brother refused to do so. On this issue one day there was a bitter quarrel between the two brothers. Then the elder brother approached Durjo· dhan Sandilya to adjudicate the issue. Durjodhan Sandilya persuaded the younger brother to stay in the reclamation area. as the elder brother would not be able to do anything there due to his physical disability. But at the same time he enforced a condition that the cIder brother would not get the equal share of the crop. In view of fact that the younger brother would be contributing the entire physical labour. he would get 2/3rd share of the crop and the elder brother would get only 1/3rd share.
Case 2-During Diwa/i two Bhumijs hailing from Guradehi. abused a Kurmi liquor vendor in an intoxicated condition. The Kurmi lodged a complaint with the police. who took the two Bhumijs to their custody and gave them good beating. This enraged the Bhumijs of Guradehi. hving in the same block. They combined against the KUf1nis (hailing from Milmili village). This frightened the Kurmis who convened a meeting of influential persons of the block on which Motilal Ludam. Pitambar Mishra. Tole Bhumij. Ratan Munda and Banmali Sahu participated. The meeting brought about a conciliation between the two parties. It impressed upon all of them that as the neighbours they should try to liVe amicably without doing anything which would perpetuate bitterness among them.
In this case there are three important facts to be noted. (I) Though, there arc households belonging to Bhumij tribe which hail from villages other than Guradehi. they did not combine with the Bhumijs of Guradehi against the Kurmis. (2) Though there are people of Lohar and a few other communities hailing from Guradehi, they also did not actively combine with the Bhumijs of Guradehi to bring pressure on the Kurmis. (3) When the Kurmis were faced by the combined pressure of the Bhumijs of Guradehi. they did not go to the police for protection. They appealed to the leaders of the block to bring about reconciliation. These leJlders included members of different communities including a Bhumij from Tarkera village.
It is obvious from the above tllat at the block level. the solidarity of the people has come to be recognised as a moral category. When the Bhumijs of Guradehi organised themselves against the Kurmis. their ire was raised against the Kurmis taking a minor dispute to the police. Though the people belonging to other communities and other villages did not actively join them against the Kurmis. when the matter was referred to them, they also impressed upon the Kurrnis the fact that as neighbours they should maintain their solidarity with the Bhumijs. It is also obvious from this case, that in the colony two principles seem to have subsumed one another. In a segmental conflict affecting people of two communities and two villages, it is the minimal social group which tend to get involved, Under the principle of unity of village. all the households hailing from Guradehi would have been combined with all the households hailing from Milmili. whatever may be caste or community. but this did not hap. pen. On the other hand, under the principle of unity of
caste or community. all the people belonging to Bhumij caste hailing from different villages, would have txX:lJ
combined against all the people belonging to Kurmi caste hailing from different villages. but this also did not happen. Only one person belunging to Bhulllij community hailing from Milmili village joined thl! Bhumij group because of personal relationship; but other Bhumijs hailing from Milmili rl!mained aloof. The group solidarity was expressed only where both thl! principles--the unity of village and the unity of the community coincided.
Case 3-Son of a Hindu Munda hailing fram Guradehi and living in 'A' Block, was having sex relation with a Christian Oraon girl, hailing from Bhang<.lmunda and living in 'B' Block. As a result of this sex relation, the girl conceived and gave out the namc of the boy to the Christian panchayat of 'B' Block. The panchayat sent for the boy but he did not care to attend. The panchayat could not take any action against him. Finally. the girl was married to a :Joy of her own community.
C".~e 4-1n the pre-colonisation village of Udutum a non-Christian Kisan. married a girl of his OWl!
community and got a son by her. After that he deserted her along with the son and married a Christian girl. He also becoming a Christi:llI. Afler displ:.!c~ment, when he got compensation for his land and house in the old village, he did not give any share to his son by the first wife. The son. though. non-Christian. referred the matter to the Christian Pancl!ayat for adjudication. The patK:hayat forced the father to give a share of the compensation to the descrted son. Their relations however. remained strained. Later on. there was a quarrel between the father and the SOil. whcn the son beat the father. The latter has taken the maltcr to the court. At the time of the survey it remained undecided.
Care 5-Two non-displaced persons-a Christian Munda and a Muslim-used to sell liquor in the colony. after obtaining the same on commission basis from the licensed liquor seller of Rourkela. There was an informal understanding between these two that they would not sell liquor in the same area. but the understanding was not respected. On this matter one day there was an exchange of hot words between them and the Muslim hawker persuaded the liquor shop ownC"r. who is also a Muslim. not to supply hquor to the Munda hawker for sale. The Munda refcrred the matter to three influential leaders of 'B' Block, namely. Vinod Tirkey (Christian Oraon), Samuel Tirkey (Christian Oraon) and Bhola Kisan (non-Christian Kisan) to adjudicate on the matter. These three leaders constituted a sort of informal panchayar, and found that tllc M~slim hawker was at fault. They imposed a fine of Rs. 15 on him and threatened that if he did not pay the .. fine he would not be allowed to sell the liquor in the block. Faced with this threatened boycott. the Muslim hawker paid Rs. 15. with which a goat was purchased. The meat of the same wa'> distributed among the regular consumers of liquor in the block.
The above cases provide considerable insight about the community life in action. mainly at the block
'137 r
level. This shows that the block is not just a physical configuration. It is emerging out. as a moral entity. though, with diverse amount of cohesion, depending upon the nature of issues and also perhaps upon the persons involved. These cases also show that in addition to being a moral entity, the cOlllmunity at the block. level wields coerciVe power. to some extent. For instance, in the last case, the Muslim hawk.er was forced to pay a tine, under the threat of boycott of his ware.
Dc~iant behaviour
Another measure of the quahty of !.he social life is provided by the extent of existence df deViant behaviour at the jndlvidual level. In this study two items, namely, alcoholism and crime have been taken up for special investigation.
(8) Alcohotism
In the old villages, the tribal population were habituated to intoxicating drinks like liquvr of IIwhua and rice-beer. Frequently, the tribal people used to brew liquor in their respective homes. They also used to purchase liquor from licensed and unlicensed liquor vendors. There were only two licensed liquor vendors in the rcgioll-one was at old Rourkela and the other was at old Raghunathpali. Both the liquor vendors used to sell mahua liquor. The data relating to the exact ljuantity of li4UOr. sold by the liquor vendors. at Ihat time could not be collected. But according to the residents of the colony. at that time. sale of liquor, both by the liccnsl!d vendors as well as by the unlicenscd dealers, was much less thun at present. The people did not have much cash money to purchase liquor regularly. After displacement. with the receipt of compensation money. the position has changed. Many persons. who only casually used to drink ill the past, have become habitual drlllkers at present. The particulars of the liquor shops and the habitual drullkards of the colony are furnished below:
(b) Liquor shop 1n 1958. a liquor shop was stal1cd ill J OJ !dJ 'C'
Block. One Dilawar Mian of old Rourkehl village. got the licence to start the shop. According to him in 1960-61, country liquor (mahua) worth Rs. 50,000 was sold by him. He further stated that in 1958-59. his sale was much higher but he could not give the exact figure at the time of the study. Bulk of the displaced person.s received their compensation money in 1958-59 and it appears that many. of them spent qu~te a good port~on of their compensation money aftcr liquor. Aceordmg to the inmates of the colony, as well as the liquor vendor. after 1960-61. the sale of liquor went down for some time. because. at that time the compensation money obt<1illed by the displaced persons. had mostly been spent out. But aft~r 1962, there has been pr~gressive rise in the sale of hquor. Accordmg to the bquor vendor. the displaced persons and others who have settled in the area. are having steady income since this time and they are feeling more secure to spend money after liquor. It thus appears that. rise in income has not always been beneficial to the displaced persons. It has also fostered Ijissipation.
An inquiry was made, whether there is a seasonal variation in the sale of liquor, but the liquor vendor
stated that there is no such variation. The sale of liquor. however. goes up on Monday every week. becaU8e that is the weekly market day. in the colony.
(c:) N...mer of habitual druDIrartk
In consultation with the liquor vendor, as well as through group discussions, an estimate of the number of habitual drunkards belonging to the different communities was prepared. The same is furnished below:
TABLE 99
Habitual drunkards in the colony with reference 10 the caste/tribe population
Total Caste or tribe Population Drinkers
1 2 3
Munda 900 250 Bhumlj BOO 175
Kharia 200 SO Kisan. 400 so Oman 1,500 250 Gaud. 130 30 Khandalt 30 10 Raut • 25 7 Raotla 7S 10 Kurml 370 10
138
TABLB 99-cont:Id. Habitu«l drunkards In the colon, with rt/nmce to tAe
caste/tribe population
Caste or tribe Total
Population Drinlttrs
2 3
Lohar. 3$0 40 Muslim 1.50 .5 Tand • 450 60
Total 5,380 947
The above table shows that hroportionately larger number of persons belonging to t e tribal communities like Oraon. Munda. Bhumij and Kharia drink regu-larly. There are regular drunkards in the non-tribal communities as well. For instance. it is estimated that. out of approximately 130 Gauds. 30 regular:ly drink alcoholic liquor. Similarly. out of approximately 25 Rauts. 7 regularly drink liquor. Some of the commu-nities like khandait, are not so much accustomed to alcoholic li:ror, but they are regular opium addicts. They have so been included in this table.
(d) COIDpIIrisoo of the habib of cOll8U1lJlioi IIko-boHc drinks in the old villlllt!S and at present
A table indicating the number of households whose members are continuing/freshly taken up/given up alco-holic drinks after displacement is furnisbed below:
TABLE 100
Munda
Puran
Kumhat
K1san Bhumij
Oraon
Karan
Kharia
Gaud
Break-up of households of the colony with reference to the number of members who are conlinuinglfre.fhly taken up/given up alcoholic drinks after displacement
Caste or tribe
Households and persons reporting about consumption of liquor
r- .L. ... __ ..... ,
Households House· Per-studied holds sonS
No. of households and persons where conswnptioll of liquor is from
Befoce colonization
No. of households alld persons giving up drinking habit
After colonization after (oming to colony
,......---.-A. __ ........,. r---- ....... -"'"\ r-~ House- Per- House- Per- House- Per-bolds sons holds sons holds Son.
----------------------------_._------_._--2 3 4
-._-----_---------
13 10 23
3 3 4
1 1 1
2 2 2
2 1 1
7 4 8
1 1 2
1 1 1
1
Total 31 14 43
5 6 7
'-------~ .. ------..
8
2'
1
2
3
1
1
18
2
1
2
1
4
1
1
1
31
:1
1
3
8
S
2
3
1
11
9 10
I
1 1
In ~ houaeholds. at least 0IJe member was con· sumina alcoholic drink. even before displacement; and in those households consumption of alcoholic drinks is continuing. after settlement in the colony. In 3 households. consumption of alcoholic drink has been taken up only after settlement in the colony. The number of persons involved in these three households is 11. It is interesting to note that, in one household, consumption ot alcoholic drink has been given up, after settlement in the colony. The bead of this household is a Christian Oraon. It appears that after shifting to the colony, be is trying to adopt the more sophisticated pattern among the Christians of the region. Here, it is to be noted that though, there is no taboo against alcoholic drink in Christianity. the local church wants the converts to abjure from alcoholic drinks. The injunction of the church, however, is more frequently violated by its followers. There are only a few persons who are trying to develop a more conformist model in tbe changed context of their community life, so that. they can gain in respectability in the eyes of their neighbours.
(e) Frequeo(y of taking alcoholic drinks
A table giving the frequency of consumption of alcoholic drinks is furnished below:
TABLE 101
Liquor addicts;'1 the colony witt, reference to the frequency of taking alcoholic drinks
Caste or tribe
Munda
Puran •
Kumhar
Kisan.
Bhumij
Oraon
Karan
lOlaria
Gaud
Total
No. of persons
Frequency of taking liquor by No. of persons
consuming Twice Once Once alcoholic Daily a a a Casu-
drink week week month ally
2
23
4
2
7
2
1
1
41
3
1
4
3
5
12
3
2
4 13
6 7
6 2
1
9 5
The table 101 shows that except tor one per&OJl belonging to Kumhar caste. none consumes alcoholic drinks daily. The bulk of the regular drinken. 23 in numbers. reported that they consume alcoholic drink only once in a week. 4 persons reported that they con- , sume alcoholic drink. twice In a week. 9 persons reo ported that they consume alcoholic drink once in a month and 5 persons reported that they cosnume alco· holic drink only casually.
(0 Capacity of dri.nkinc liquor at • time
8 persons reported that they can consume only 1/4th bottle of liquor at a time. 11 and 23 persons reported ! bottle <lnd one bottle respectively, as their capacity.
(g) PJace of taking alcoholic drinb
31 persons stated that tbey purchase alcoholic liquor from the liquor vendor and consume the same in their rcspective houses. They do not like to form a crowd in tbe liquor. shop, and drink together. Only 7 persons reported that they drink in the liquor shop. The rest did not indicate any specific place where they drink.
(b) Crime
From the records of the lalda Colony Police Outpost, the crime statistics relating to different years were collected. The same arc furnished in the table below:
TABLE 102
Year-wist' crime statistics for Jafda Colony
Nature of crime
Dacoity
Burglary and theft •
House trespass
Rape amd other Sex crimes
Breach of trust
Physical injury
Excise •
Motor accidents
Using obsccI}e lonp and lansuage.
1958- 1959· 1960- 1961-S9 60 61 62
2
2
9
18
4
3
1
3
2
13
3
4
U
2
12
1
2
3
10
From the table 102. it is found that the crime with the highest rate of incidonce is rape and other sex matters. In 1958. as many as 18 cases were registered. Subsequently. the incidence of this type of crime seems to be coming down. In 1961-62, the number was 10. TIle category of crime with the next higher rate of incidence is burglary and theft. In 1958-59, as many as 9 cases were recorded. In 1959-60, the number came down to 3 and in 1960-61, it again went up to 1), In 1961-62, the number subsided to 3. The fluctuations in the incidence of burglary and theft may not be unrelated to socio-economic factors. But during the present rapid survey it has not been possible to probe into the same. Among other crimes, mention may be made of the dacoities which took place during 1958-59 and 1959-60. Later on, there has been no incidence of this type of crime. House trespass also
140 continued upto 1960-61. Using obscene ta.nguage is a crime which seems to be a recent development. Before 1960-61, no case of this type of crime was registered. In 1960-61. one such case was registered. There were three cases relating to motor accidents in J 959-60; and one case of the same category in 1960-61. These cases more than anything else show. how the community life in the colony is rapidly taking a new face from the one which prevailed in the old Villages. In the old vilages. there would be hardly any occasion for motor accident to take place, but in the colony occurrence of this type of mishape, perfectly fits into the new pattern of things. This shows that the displaced persons have left behind the bullock-cart age and have come over to the age of motion and speed. Even though the westiges of the past are hanging on, the people have irretrievably turned the leaf for a new.
> '" 0 · j •
· I ~ • (
~ • ~ .. .. -' 'J
0 ~
~
u 0
CHAPl'ER VOl
S'OCIAL PROCESSES IN THE INDUSTRIAL SETTING OF ROURKELA WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO THE DISPLACED PERSONS
The most important nexus fOr the social processes at Rourkela is its industrial complex. It is. therefore, proposed to examine first the industries which ha.ve ' grown up in Rourkela. the employment OpportUDltlCS created by them. and then to examine the activity. pat· tern which has come into existence and the ramifica· tions of the same on the social structure.
IDAfuItrieB at RoUol'kelal aDd ita 8UI'fOUDCliD& reaioo A number of public sector and private sect?r
undertakings have come into existence. The publtc sector undertakings are two in number. namely. the Steel Plant and the Fertilizer Plant. Among the private sector undertakings the following are more important -Rourkela Fabrication Ltd .. Kohinur Aluminium Pro· duction. Mis Rourkela Machine Tools. Kalinga Flour Mills. Hirakud Automobile, Modem Engineering Workshop. Utkal Automobile. Atnbica Flour and Saw Mills. Orissa Timber Products. Richardson and Crudeas Timber Workshop, Mis Annapurna Timber Supply Co., S. Taneja Brick Kiln. United Construction Company. N. S. Corporation and Dodsal (P) Ltd .. etc.
<a) Steel PIam.t The Rourkela Steel Plant has 12.533 regular em
ployees, besides, there are 3,565 work charge tempo· rary labourers. At the time of the survey. the contractors working for the project. had a total strength of 24.553 skilled and unskilled laoourers.
The steel plant has 19 units. The particulars of the regular and supervising staff engaged in each unit (as on 31·3·1962) are furnished below:
TABLE 103
Different units of Rourkelc. Steel Plant with reference to the strength oj regular, lower and supervisory staff
Strength of regular
lower stafT of skilled. semi·
Strength skilled of super· and un·
Total vising Skilled Name of the Unit strength staff labour
2 3 4
Coke Ovens 1.097 64 1,033 B ast Furnaces 746 41 70S Steel Melting Plant 1.432 100 1.332 R.ollins Mills-SJabbina and
Plate Mills; Hot Strip M1ll5i Cold Rolling Mills. Rol 3.237 ISO 3,087
Tumml Mills
141
TABLE 103-concld.
Different units of Rourkela Steel Plant with reference to the strength 0/ regular, lower and supenisory staff
Name of the Unit Total
strength --_._----_._----_._---- -
Pipo Plant . Research Control Laboratory Energy and Economy Refractory Deptt. Design Engineering Mechanical Engineering Deptt. Electrical Engineering Deptt .. Safety Dept!. Scarp and salvage Dcptt. Civil Engineering Deptt. Industrial Engineering Deptt. Raw Material Deptt. Technical Institute Traffic Department Fire Fighting Service
2
210 451 249 635
30 2.195
743 13
160 343
62 41 91
641 157
Strength of regular
lower Staft· of skillod, semi
Strellith skilled of super· and un· viSing skilled
stafT labOur
3 4
8 202 82 369 28 221 24 611 10 20 55 2,140 42 701
4 9 8 1S2 6 337
28 34 3 38
19 72 14 627
2 155
Total U.S33 688 11.145
The above table shows that out of the 12,533 regular employees of the plant. 11,845 are skilled, semiskilled and unskilled labourers and 6B8 are supervising staff.
The employment pGsition under the steel plant Geems to be rapidly expanding. In March 1963. there were 20,086 regular employees, 836 work charge labourers and 3,721 Muster roll labourers. The .number of labourers under the contractors had also gone up to 18.018. In March 1965. there were 24.931 regular employees. 901 were work charge labourers and 1.070 muster roll labourers. Out of the different categories of personnel, as indicated above. only a small portion are displaced persons.
Figures relating to skilled. semi-skilled and un· skilled labourers separately could not be collected. Some idea about the types of jobs under each category and the nature of qualification. required for the same are. however. given below:
The unskilled workers include khalasis, loaders. sweepers, et~. For that, there is no consideration of
any training,-institutional or in plant, as a pre-requisite. The nonnal standard of physical fitness is, however, insisted upon and in view of the peculiar woz;k~ ing conditions of the steel plant, this is slightly higher
. than that required for similar type of unskilled work in mines. quarries, etc.
The next category of workers is that of semi-skilled workers, such as, helpers. greasers, oilers. drivers, hammermen etc. These posts are open to direct recruitment. Khalasis and loaders with some experience are also promoted. For these posts minimum physical requirements are: height--].52 metres; weight-45.37 kgs. 2·27 kgs. for every additional 2·54 ems. above 1'52 metres; chest unexpanded-73-66 cms. and expanded-78'74 cms.: vision--nomlal and age between 16-20 years. Education upto middle standard with trade diploma from any of the industrial institute, are essential.
The skilled workers include machinists, welders. electricians. shearman. manipulators. fitters. etc. For this category of posts the minimum required educational qualification is Malric and also certificate from a trade institution.
142
Above the skilled labourers. are the senior operators. such as, powennan, melters. inspectors etc. For these posts B.Sc. or diploma in engineering, is the requisite qualification. There is also arrangement in plant for imparting in service training to turn up this category of personnel.
The supervisory category includes. assistant fore~an. foreman. metallurgist, chief inspector and englllcer. For these posts degree in engmeering and requisite level of practical experience are necessary.
(b) FertiliBft' Corporation of .India
It was established in 1962 on the site of old Milmili. Iharabahal and Tangrapali villages. At the time of the survey 600 persons were employed by it.
(c) UndeDakinp under die private leCtor
A table containing the names of the important undertakings under the private sector and a few parti. culars in respect of them is furnished below:
TABLE 104 Undertakings under private sector al ROl4rkela
Strength When ofwor· estab- kers per
Name of the industry Iished Where established day Nature of work done
1 2 3 4 S
Rourkela Fabrication Ltd. 1960 Sterl Township 150 Manufaclure of iron and steel
KOhinur Aluminium Production 1960 Do. 80 Aluminium ~ares Mis Rourkela Machine Tools 1958 lJditnagar SS Mechanical tools Kalinga Flour Mills 1958 Do. 39 Flour and its product Ellora Saw Mills 1960 Do. 14 Sa~ing
Onkar Saw MilIs 1959 Do. 13 Sawing
Gurudyala Singh and Mohan Singh Saw Mills 1960 Do. S Sawing
Sanw Saw Mills 1957 Do. 14 Sawing
Hirakud Automobile 1959 Old Udutum village site 50 Repair and sale of trucks and cars
Modern Engineering Worlcshop 1958 Do. 3S Mechanical work Utkal A.utomobile 1958 Uditnagar 40 Repair and sale of trucu
and cars
Ambica Flour and Saw Mills 1960 Old Ahirabandh village site 5S Flour and sawing Orissa Timber Products 1961 Steel Township 21 Wooden furniture Richardson and Crudas Timber Workshop 1960 Do. 40 Wooden furniture
timber works and
Mis A.nnapurna Timber Supply Co. 1958 Do. SO Timber aawflli S. Taneja Brick Kiln 1961 Panposh SO Brick
Krishna Saw Mills 1959 Do. 16 Sawina United Construction Co. 1958 Do. 58 Manufacture of hollow
closed blocks
N. S. Corporation - 1959 Do. 250 Stone crushing
Dod!al (P) Ltd. 1959 Do. 526 Fabrication of pipes and structures
Total No. of workers per day 1,611
N1Dber of cIiIpIIIftd penIMW workiDI in tIIereot c:atoloriesot~
Exact information about the number of displaced persons working under the different categories of establishments is not available. Some figures, however. could be collected about the steel plant.
In 1959 out of the 3,258 regular employees under H. S. L. only 191 were displaced persons and out of 11.400 employees under contractors working for H.S.L. only 2,000 were displaced persons. The figures relating to the number of displaced persons among work charge labourers and muster roll labourers are not available. In 1962 there were 695 displaced persons amons the regular employees. The figures relating to the other categories of personnel are not available. In 1963, there were 2,000 regular employees and 140 work
143
charge labourers, who were displaced persons. The figures relating to other categories of personnel are not available.
It is found from the above, that the employment, position of the displaced persons in the steel plaut was . rapidly improving, upto the time of the study in 1963. This improvement, however, did not come about automatically. It was the result of a great deal of organised pressure on b~l,alf of the displaced persons. Before discussing the nature of organised pr.essure. mobilised by the displaced persons, it is necessary to examine the unemployment position among the different categories of population at RourkcIa.
A table giving the number of jobs seekers in different quarters from June 1960 to June 1963 is furnished below:
TABLE 105
Particulars of job seekers at Rourktla from. 1960 to 1963
No.orjob seekers No. of job
No. of job seekers as recorded in who have seekers No. of job No. of job live register educatio- j preferring seekers seekers
.~---____,.__------.... nal qua- for skil- register- register-lifications led or ed for ed for
Period Total s.es. S.Ts. above rna- semi-skil- unskilled other than triculation led jobs job labour
In the above table separate information in respect of the displaced persons is not available. But it is possible to gain some insight about them from the figu~es relating to the Scheduled Tribe population, as on the one hand bulk of the displaced persons are tribals and on the other, the bulk of the tribals seeking employment in Rourkela are presumed to be displaced persons.
The table shows that the number of job seekers . has more than doubled during the three years. It was 6.081 in June, 1960 and it went upto 12,388 in June,
"~----
4 5 6 7 8 - --.~-----.------.
221 646 1,469 3,751 861
375 1,037 1,722 3,787 933
318 1,035 2,520 4.231 1,158
383 1,035 2,955 4,335 1,21S
530 1,047
644
853
1,012
990
987 849 2,674 6,188 4,309
987 478 6,065 6,503 2,408
1,510 1,048 4,834 5,435 2,IJ9
1963. During this period. the number of job seekers among the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes went up several folds. In June, 1960. it was 62 among th~ Scheduled Castes and 221 among the Scheduled TrIbes. In June, 1963 the corresponding numbers were 433. and 1.510 respectively.
It is. ~bvious from. the above that the unemployment posItIon. was getting more and more acute both among the general population. as well as among the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe population. It was, however, proportionately much more acute among
the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe population. the bulk of whom are presumably displaced persons. Implication of this. is to be considered in the context of the employment policy of H. SL As mentioned jn
. Chapter III. an understanding was given to the displaced persons that they would be given preference in the matter of employment under H. S. L. provided that they have the requisite qualification. The Government had also set up the Industrial Training Institute for impart. ing training to matriculates and non-matriculates. so that, they can qualify themselves for employment in H. S. L., and other industries. as mechanic. moulder. fitter. etc. The pertinrnt question which requires to be examined is how and to what extent the policy of giving preference to the displaced persons in the matter of employment in Rourkela has been translated into action.
While discussing the employment position in H. S. L.. the qualifications required for the different posts have been indiCllted. It is obvious that among the displaced persons there was hardly an¥ who could fill up thl; higher supervisory and administrative posts. For employment in the category of skilled personnel also the scope was extremely limited. But there was some scope for employment as semi-skilled labourers; for employment as unskil!cJ labourers there was hardly any difficulty.
In order to ensure maximum employment to the people of Orissa in the steel plant, the State Government set up at Rourkela. an Employment Exchange. as soon as work in connection with the setting of the steel plant. was begun. Assurance was also obtained from the H. S. L.. authorities that other things being equal. preference would be given to the employment of the local people. The State Government also deputed some officer to work for H.S.L .. at Rourkela. It. however, appears that in spite/of these steps taken by the State Government. local people found that the H. S. L .. authorities were failing to satisfy their aspirations. In March. 1959. an adjournment mOLion was moved in the State Assembly by Shri R. N. Singh Dw. Leader of the Opposition and other M. L. As. to discuss various demands, put forth by some displaced persons from Rourkela. These mainly related to employment facilities. in addition to land acquisition and resettlement. On 13th March 1959. the Chief Minister informed the Assembly. that the Minister in-charge of Rourlcela Affairs along with the Leader of the Opposition and the District Magistrate. Sundargarh would examine the various issues at Rourkela. In pursuit of this statement. the Minister in-charge of Rourkela Affairs. Leader of the Opposition and the District Magistrate. Sundargarh visited Rourkela in April. 1959. Several cases were referred to this team. alleging that H. S. L.. had employed their staff from other States. without even intimating the vacancies to the Employment Exchange at Rourkela. The team was informed that the previous General Manager. H. S. L.. issued a circular pointing out that though. all vacancies in the H. S. L.. may be referred to Employment Exchange. candidates directly applying fo~ the vacancies should also be considered for employment. lhe matter was clarified by the Union Home Ministry. that all vacancies should be notified to the Employment Exchange.
144 But the team f<;>und that. ~ ~tc of the clarification given by the Umon Home Ministry. the H. S. L •• delayed in implementing the policy on the plea that no instructions had been received from the appropriate authority. namely. Steel. Mines and Fuel Ministry. The Employment Exchange was thus side traeted for a fairly long time ~~d allegations . were brought ~ainst H. S. L.. authontles that sometImes to appoint their own men. deliberately a short notice was given to the Employment Exchange and persoDs from other States were recruited in the H.S.L.. directly. The team while recognising the keeness shown by the State Government to ensure employment for the local people. felt that the H.S.L .. had not fully appreciated the fact that an important aim of the projects sponsored under the five year plans. is the development of the backward areas and that this could not be achieved unless the people in less developed areas are given better employment facilities. in all the undertakings under the plan. According to the team. the non-employment of local people was the main reason for general ~esentment in R ourkela and particularly among the displaced persons. The team recommended that it would be useful to plan In advance for training of technicians for future recruit~ent and to take in. the local people for such trainmg. The H. S. L.. should not rigidly insist on previous eXJ?C~lence and should take steps to give neces.~ary traml~g after recrUItment of persons having requisite. technIcal background. The team further recommended that all appointments should be channelised through the Employment Exchange. Rourkela and that. as far as J?Osslble, t.he Employment Exchange Officer should be mcluded In the various selection committees.
. In 1959. the H. S. L.. authorities adopted the followmg recrUitment policy:
~rio~ity was to be given to (I) di!tplaced persons workmg 1n work charge and muster roll establishments' (2) ot~er displaced persons screened by the selectio~ commlttecs: (3) other work charge and muster roll employees screened by the selection committees.
As a result of the above policy. about 800 displaced perso~s got employment in H. S. L. It is stated 111 some offiCial quarters. that at that time larger number of displaced persons could have found employment in H. S. L.. if they sa wanted but they preferred to work under contractors, as the latter paid better wages.
The employment J?Osition . among the displaced persons began to det.enorate WIth the completion of ~any of the cons~ructlon w.orks in 1960-61. The positlO~ further deteriorated WIth the adoption of a new ~hcy by H. S. L.. on 25th February. 1961. At that tl~e. there was a meeting at Ranchi where Secretary. Mmistry of Labour. Govt. of India. Director of Employment. Govt. of Oris~a. representatives of the H.S.L., and ~ few I~ade~s of vano.us trade unions participated. In thiS meetmg It. was .decided that priority in employment would be given 10 the following order:
1. Displa.ced persons who are already in employment 10 the H. S. L. in work charge and !'luster roll establishments and who have put ID at least one year's approved service;
2 Other work charge and muster roll employees who have put in at least one year's approved service to be screened by H. S. 1,., selection committee with participation of representatives of Employment Exchange;
3 Other displaced persons of the locality;
4 Persons working under contractors; and 5 Outsiders who have nothing to do with the
project.
It can be noted from the above, that H. S. L., discontinued to give priority to the displaced persons in the matter of employment in H. S. L. While highest priority was given to displaced persons who were already in employment in the R.S.L., the next priority was given to other persons who had put in at least one year's approved service in the H. S. L. The other displaced persons were given a lower priority. It seems that the reasoning of H.S.L., in this matter was as follows. They had already accommodated bulk of the working force among the displaced persons but they could not undertake the obligation of giving employment. on a priority basis, to the coming up working force. In other words. those who were minors at the time of displacement could not expect a higher priority Owr the non-displaced persons. who had already put in at least one year's work in the H. S. 1.. It seems that it was difficult for the displaced persons to appreciate the above logic. because what was involved was contlict of values. In the agricultural setting. to which tne displaced persons belonged. vocation did not relate to a person only but to his family. Hence. when they wer-: given an understanding of priority in enjoying the benefits of economic developments in the region. it certainly did not come into their mental configuration that the privilege would be confined to the existing gl'neration only and would not be extended to the future generations also. On the other hand. according to the logic of the industrial order. the employment opportunities would relat~ to individuals and not families or other corporate groups. Hence. the tYPl: of continuity which the displaced persons from agricultural setting expected would be out of the reckoning of the new order. based on the ethos of industrialisation.
Formation of the new policy. led to stiffening of attitude on the part of the displaced persons. On 19th April Hnd 20tl1 April. 1961. a good number of them squatted in front of the Office of the Sub-divisional Officer and the residence of the Deputy General ManJ(l'~r. H. S. L.. and demanded their immediate absorplion in the plant. As these squatters did not leave the place. and there was the apprehension of trouble. the police arrested a number of them. including Shri B. K. Panda. Secretary. Steel Mining Mazdoor Sabha and Shri A. K. Roy. Organising Secretary of the same organisation. but this had not put down the trouble. On 27th March. 1961 ahout 400 displaced persons attended a meeting organised by the All India Trade Union Con~ress (A. T .. T U. C.) where they pressed for absorption of all dIsplaced persons in the plant. They also discus!led a few other matters. For instance. they made certain allegations against a few
16-5 R.O. India/67
145
top officials of R.S.L.. and also expressed their resent· ment against the authorities, who did not allow their leaders to meet the Prime Minister Nehru. when he visited Rourkela. The agitation went on for quite som~ time but it appears that, the same did not make much impact. In fact, in September 1961, 450 displaced workers, were declared as surplus by H.S.L., and were retrenched. These workers included both males and females. One of the reasons why H. S. L.. could not absorb them in the category of regular employees. is that the scope for employment of female worker." \\\ H. S. L.. is very limited. Besides. tll..: policy decision about priorities as indicated earlier. stood in the way. At this point the State Government appears to have lent their weight, in favour of the displaced persons. The Employment Exchange as well as the Special Officer. Land Acquisition and Reclamation, Rourkela impressed upon the H.S.L.. autllorities that among the retrenched muster roll and work charge employees. the displaced persons should be given prefaenee in the matt~r of absorption to regular posts in H. S. L. They sugge.<;tcd that 724 displaced rersons should be absorbed by H. S. L. As a result of their efforts 209 displaced persuns were absorb.::d.
In J962. H. S. L. launched their programme of expansion of work. As a result. many more displaced persons were absorbed by thcll1 and the tension among the displaced persolls also abated a great dcal. New employment opportunities were also availahle to them as a result of starting of auxiliary industries in the region.
(8) EmJ)Joymcnt of displaced persons in Fertilizer Corporation o[ India and undertakings under the private sector
A~ mentioned earlier. it is not known how many displaced persons arc working under the Fertili7.er Corporatioll of India. The emrloyment position of the displaced persons in the underta kings under rriva te sector is also not known definitely. Through discussion with the Emrloyment Officer. S[)<'cial Officer. Land Acquisition and Reclamation. Rourke!a. and other offici,t]s and non-officials it could. however. be gathered that a few persons from among the displaced population. have found johs in these undertakings. Previously the fertilizer plant was controlkd hy H.S.L., and recruitme.nt of personnel for the same was also madc through H. S. L. Hence. the displaced persons were getting the priorities accordinj! to the policy deci· sion of H. S. L. In 1 q(;1 the management of the Fertilizer Corporation was separated but the priorities laid down earlier. were not changed. As, after separation from H. S. L.. the Fertilizer Corporation expanded rapidly. it is presumed that there has been corresponding benefit to the displaced persons.
Upto 1959 the R. L O. was maintaining some information ahout the employment of the displaced rersons in South Easlern Railway and also in the offiees of the State Governments. in addition to the infonnation relating t~:emplovr1H:nt in H.SL in Octoher. 1959. 21 persons were working in South Eastern Railway~ and 22 persons were working in the Offices of the State Governments.
146
(b) Nmnber of employees 01' U. S. L. aad other TABLE 106 industries and establishmentll &10011& the d.i8placed Estimated number of displaced persons emplo~d In pel'8OOli Jiving in the dillerent blocks of Jalda Colony.
various establishment at Rourkela-COncId.
An estimate of the employees of R.S.L. and other industries and establishments from among the dis-
No. of perSOn! from
placed persons Ii ving in J aIda Colony has been pre-, __ ..A.---.,
pared in consultation with the displaced persons liv- Name of Caste or Block Block Block
ing in the colony. The estimate was also verified Employer Reliaion tribe 'A' 'B' 'C' ~~-----
through group discussions. Hence, though the estimate 2 3 4 S 6 does not give the exact number, it gives a fairly good .--.--.-.~.------- -.---~-
idea of the employment position of the displaced per- 4 Railway Hindu Kurrni 3 sons. living in the colony in different industries and Bhumlj 2 S ancillary establishments. A table giving the estimate .. Tanti 2 2 in respect of different categories of establishments is Tribal Oraon :z furnished below : 5 Rourkela Land Hindu
TABLE 106 Brahmin
Organisation
Estimated number of displaced persons employed In 6 B.D.O .. Hindu Brahmin various establishments at Rourkela 7 Uditnajar Court Hindu Kurml 2
No. of persons Tribal Munda 2 from .. Oraon J
,-__A._~.--., Hindu Karan Name of Religion Caste or Block Block Block Employer tribe 'A' 'B' 'C' 8 Contractors Hindu Bhumlj S S 10
Hindu Kumhar 10 2 Fertilizer Plant Hindu Brahmin Munda 30 2.5 '0
Munda Tribal Oraon l' 20 30
3 Tata Quarry Hindu Hindu Pana S
Lohar 1 Puran 10 Munda 3 2 4 Tant! S S Tantl
10 2 Tell S .. Puran 1 Christian Klsan 3
Tribal Oraon , , 5 2 OraoD 10
Christian Oraon " , 20 ,
MUllda , 2'
The preceding table shows that altogether 1957 displaced persons living in Jalda Colony have found em· ployment in H. S. L., and 919 displaced persons have found employment in other establishments including State. Government offices. Railway and Fertilizer Plant. The table further shows that persons from tribal and other backward communities have also found employment in good number both in H. S. L.. and in other sectors. A consolidated table indicating the employment position for different categories of population is furnished below;
TABLE 107
Employment position of different categories of displaced persons in puhlic and private sectors at Rourkela
Railway, State
Category
Govt. and Fertili7.cr Corpora- Private
H.S.L. lion Sector
2 3 4
Schoduled Castc 66 4 54
Scheduled Tribe 663 15 7.50
Christian 155 121
Non-Christian S08 1.5 629
Others 228 9 87
Total 957 18 891
Openltions counected with some of the jobs wltere tlte d.i8pJaced persOlll!l are found in C:OII8i«ierable number .
Khalasi-The Khalasis working in the Steel Plant and with contractors are to undertake the following works:
(I) Loading and unloading scrap iron pieces. finished goods and earth etc, ;
(2) Digging earth and removing the same as head load;
(3) Clean the machines ~
(4) Spraying the chemicals in drains as public health measure ~ and
(5) Showing signal flags for cranes.
147
He/per-Helping the fitter in tightening and
loosening the nuts and bolts and also in handling the machines; and assist in operating various machines.
trollies of chemicals. cranes. etc.
Fitter-Operating various machines.
Mason-Construction of walls. platforms, etc .• with
cement.
Trme keeper--To sit near the gate and register the time of arrival and departure of the workers.
P£'on-To work as messenger and carry files and other documents of the office.
Future prospects [or various jobs
The future prospects for various jobs as stated by the persons concerned are indicated below:
Khalasi~--Out of 29 workers interviewed. 23 persons responded to the question about the future pros
. pects. 15 persons. who were working under contrac-10rs. stated that they do not have any future prospect. The remaining 8 pcrson~ were working under H. S. L. Out of them, 2 stated that they were looking forward
. for their confirmation and the remaining 6 stated that they could in future become helpers.
Helper--Three helpers were interviewed. One
stated that he could in future become mechanic and
two slated that they could become fitlers.
Pitter-Three filters were interviewed. Two stated that they could in future become crane operators
and one stated that it was possible for him to become assistant foreman in course of time. It is to be noted that the last person is an under matric. His esti
mation of the future prospect. is, therefore. related to his academic background. rather than his prescnt job.
Time keepa-One time keeper was interviewed.
He stated that he could become in course of time. a hcad time keeper.
Mason-One mason was interviewed, He stated
that he has no future prospect.
Peon-One peon was interviewed. Ho has no
future prospects as peon.
Perception of the manner in which the prospects of the job can be improved, actllal dlolts to improve the prospects o[ job and the time by which beUeT job is expected. An enquiry was made from 38 dj~placed em-
148
ployees. to find out the prospects of their jobs and attempts being made by them for improving the prospects of the jobs. A table giving these particulars in furnished below:
TABLE 108
Categories of displaced employees reporting prosptcts of their jobs
Nature of job
Ktlalasi
Time keeper .
Helper
Fitter
Mason
Peon
Total
No. oflnformanh who reported that they can
improve prospects of prescnt jobs by manner in
r--.- .-----" -A_ -_._._.,
Total No. of workers inter-
viewed
2
29
3
3
3
3
2
2
38 8
4 5 6
2
2 4
It is to be noted that most of the p(:rsons stated that they could bct!l~r their job position by working hard or by improving their personal skill. Only 4 persons distributed in four different jobs. stated that their job position would automatically improve hy virtue of their seniority: one person. a Khalasi. slated that he could not say how he could Improve his job position. The abOve statemenis seem to be signiticant. These seem to suggest that the workers do not ha ve much doubt that they would get fair play if they qllality themselves for the same. either by allaining bctt<.'l' skill or by seniority. What is most important here. is that. nobody has suggested that the job position could be improved by flattery or by under-hand means. Lack of cynical attitude in this mailer. may be because Ille organisation is in early stage and also is rapidly expanding. making it possible for the administration to accommodate the aspirations and expectations of tbe workers.
As regards the actual efforts to improve their job positions. all the persons stated that they were mak ing efforts in vl\rious ways. Nobody showed any apathetic
No. of informants wtlo reported that they
are doing to improve prospects of jobs
by activity No. of Informants
who expect to lIet at r-------- __ ..A.. ____ , ,------"-.-----,
5 S ~ ~ >. .,<U o:a~o'ii _g~ e E :.BE ~~ . .5-; bO~ \C
r"': Of) 0 QIJ.C: 13 Ol) U .5 ~ 'C. s:: <'I ....
.5 ~
>. .. .. o
Q .5(.) C::Vm~.o ~~.9 ~ ~ CE ~= E 5·Q, 0 0." :> u I-< I-< t- ~ ...
-5 :E ~
!a u
7 8 9 10
2
4
11
4
2
2
9
12 13
1
~ ~
14 15 16 17
2
2 1 1 10
attitude in this malter. It is. howevcr. to be noted that. during the rapid survey. it was possible only to collect thL: stCltcmcnls of tbe persons concerned. Perhaps. a dilrl.:n~llt picture might have emerged out. had their collt:agu~s and supervisors been interviewed or h]d ()h~erva(i()l1s of their actual behaviour been made. h'ell then. the fact that nobody expressed any frustration or attitllde of apathy. is by itself quite important.
As I'cgards the time by which improvement in job posilion can he expected to take place. most of the persons sated that they were unccrtain. Others indicakd time gap of six months to four years during which they expected their job positions to improve.
(a) Job satisfaction
41 persons were asked to indicate whether comparcd to the jobs that they were having in the old villages. their present jobs were giving them more
satisfaction or less satisfaction. A table giving tbe responses of the persons concerned is furnished i:Jclow :
TABLE 109
Categories of displaced emploJees reporting salisfaction from their present jobs in comparison 10 their nature of
job in pre-colonisation period
Nature of job
No. of informants who had in pro-displa
cement dilfercnt jobs and have at prescnt
r---~- ---"-_ .-'--- -1
Number M(lre Sarno Le~s of &atis· satis- salis-
workcfb taction faeti()n faction
2 3 4 5
-------------------- ~-------.---
Khalasl • 29 6 7 16
Time keeper
Helper 3 3
Fitter 3 3
Mason
Trader 3 2
Peon
Total 41 11 12 18
The above table shows that out of the 41 persons according to 11 persons their present _jobs arc more satisfying; 12 stated that the level of Job satisfactIOn is same as in their old villages and 18 persons find that the level of satisfaction is less in their present jobs_ it is 10 be noted that out of these 18. 16 art; khalasis or labourers of whom 15 are working under c@tractors, without any security of future employment. I~ addition to the Khalasis, 2. traders also stated that tht'lf pm,-.:nl jobs are less satisfying. Both of them are se~ling grocery articles in weekly markets. In the old vIllages. they were affluent cultivators. They feel that by taking up itinery trade, they have lost the stable means of livelihood, which cultivation provided to them in the past.
In a general way. it can be stated that even the Khalasis. who are dissatisfied with their present job position. more frequ~tly relate the diss~tisfaction to deprival of a way of hfe, than to loss of tncome. During group discussions. most of them ')taled that. they were not earniDa lesl than what they used to earn in
149 the old villages. But in the old villages when they wen~ engaged in agriculture. they had not to work day-in and day.out. at tile behest 01' olhers. Their economic activities were seasonal and Ihey had enough time to go in for social aClivities and olher types of personal satisfaction. Work. in the industrial selling has completely altered Iheir old way of life.
The persons who Slated that they found thcir present jobs more satisfying were maUliy tilose who were landless workers in the old villages. They diu not have work. throughout the year. On the other hand, it was not possibk for them. to build lip stock to support them during the lc~n jx:riod. Helice, they were haunted by perpdual insecurity in lile old Villages. They fecl that they have been rdie,'cd from the same. by cOllllng over to the industrial sctlillg, evcn thougn tlley have to work. as tClllpllrary unskilled labourers. Th\!y are aware that th\! lIIdustnal complex in RourkcJa. LS rapidly cxpanding. Hl.!tlee. I.!\ ell though. they lIlay have to shift fwm Olll.! est'lbltshm.:nt to another. there would be work for them for a IOllg timl: to come. Thus. the satisfactil)l) --llon-satisfal'li ,)n llichotomy can be restatcu as n:sponse to the pn:vaknt situation. at two levels. as a result of two (lljferclll categories of antecedents. Those .... ho had secure incollll.! in the past seem to have less sJtisfactioll at presellt. even though, they ar..: not cJrnig less than what they earned in the past. as they miss the slow rllythm of life of peasant community that prevailed in the old villages. On the other hand, those did not have stable means of livelihood. lind the present position as an improvcmcnt on the past even though. it may mean their involvement in a bewildering rush of things. By way metaphore. the dichotomy may be stated as a pendulum of the body and the soul. Those who had Ihe means to satisfy the hunger of the body. arc today missing the feast of the soul and those who were never sur.; ill the past whether they could satisfy the hungi:r of their body. are today more happy that they arc to be less concerned with it today_It is no time for them to think whether it is the haml of lIlephistophdc:;. that they arl,! clutching. today, to save their body.
~b) Scope to improve qualijy of work
In addition to the direct question about job satisf action, there arc SOtnL: indirect ways by which it is po!>Siblc 10 gain insight about the intL:gratiol1 of a person in the orbit of life centring his job. One of thcse. is to finll OLit wheth~r the fll'r~on engaged in a job. gives his thought as to how, the quality of the job can bt.: imrroved and in that casc ill what way. he thinks the quality of the job can be improved. The o.ther is to tind oul the social ramifications of one's involvcmcnt in a job. During the rarid survey it was not possible to make: much depth 6tudy on both these questions_ Some information. however, could be collected, The same are discussed here.
A table containing the views expressed by different persons about the scope for improving the quality of their respective jobs is furnished on the following pagr.:
150
TABLS 110
Categories 0/ displaced employees expressing views about the scope o/improving the quality 0/ thefT jobs
No.oCin- No. of informants accordiDi to whom the quality of work can be Improved by method forman ts re-
porting for r-- ~
the possi-ImprovfDi Sincere bllityof
improvement Givins Introdu- condi- Removlna effort on in the Givins trainins cina tion of undesir- the part
quality of monotary to tho Improved the able per- of war-tool. workshop ten Nature of job work incentive workers Ions
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ~----------'--"-.
Khalasl 12 Time keeper _ I Helper. J Fitter 3 Mason. 1 Trade 1
Total 21
It is to be noted that in the above table, if a person has expressed more than one opinion, each has been separately indica led under the respective column.
It is interesting to note that out of the 21 persons, 14 have pointed out that the quality of work can improve if there is sincere effort on the part of the workers. The suggestion next in frequency, is the necessity of monetary incentive. l3 persons out of the 21, have mentioned the same. The suggestion third in fre. ... quency, is the necessity of removal of undesirable persons. 9 perwns stated that some of the officers and supervisors were not the right types of persons. Their presence affected the moral of the workers. Necessity of giving training to the workers has been mentioned by 8 persons. Other suggestions are improving the con-
JO
1 2
13
5 2 3 6 6 1 3
2 1 2 2 1 1
8 3 4 I) 14
ditions of the workshops and introducing improved tools and equipment. The persons concerned mentioned that fire-proof boots and gloves. drinking water and other amenities should be provided regularly and adequately to the workers.
(c) Attempt t~ improve the quality of the job
38 persons were asked to state whether they were trying to improve the qualities of their: jobs. 24 stated that they were not making any special effort to improve the qualities of their jobs. The remaining 14 stated that they were trying to improve the qualities of their jobs- by doing hard work and by trying to gain better skill. The break-up of the responses of these 14 persons is furnished in the table below:
TABLE III Categories of displaced employees giving their views for attempt to improve the quality of the jobs
Nature of job
No. of informants that attempted to improve quality of own work by method r-- ~,----------------------______ ~
An inquiry was also made to find out whether any organised effort existed among the workers to improve the quality of their work. It was found that there was no such organised effort.
lSI
Social ramiicat.ioa of job situation 38 persons were asked to indicate the caste. reli
gion, area of origin and present residence of their closest job mates. A table giving the particulars is furnished below:
TABLE 112
Categories of displaced employees indicating caste, religion, area of origin and present address of the closest job mates
No· of persons whose most close collaborators in job helonll to
Pre-colonisation No.
of workers
Caste or tribe Religion village COIODY ,-___ ..A.._~ ,-.__....__.__ .......... r-----"----~ ,- _ __.A----,
Nature of job Sarr.o different Sarno Different Same Diffecont Sarne Diffecont
--------~-- .. "- ------.-- -~-----.-.--
2 3
Khalasi 211 8
Time keeper
Helper 3
Fitter _ 3
Mason
Peon .
Total 38 8
It is found that out of the 38 persons. 8 have: closest job mates belonging to the same caste Dr tribe and the rest have closest job mates belonging It) other castes and tribes. All the 8' who have" :closest jo~. mates belonging to the same caste or tribe, arc working as Khalasis.
With reference to religion. it is found that 31 have closest job mates belonging to the same religion and 7 have closest job mates belonging to different religion.
As regards place of origin, 4 have closest job males belonging to the same pre-colonisation villages and 34 have collaborators belonging t(} other villages.
23 have closest job mates who are living in the same colony and the rest have closest job mates living outside the colony. Out of the 23, who have closest job mates living in the same colony, 22 are working as Khalasis and one is working as mason.
The nature of relation that the different categories of persons are having with their closest job mates in jobs is indicated in the following table;
Nature of relation of different categories of displaced .. . employees with clOSe$1 job males
Naturo of job
Khalasi
Time keeper
Helper
Fitter .
Mason
Peon .
No. of persons Who have with loIost close job mate. term.
which is ,----_ ..... _--"----_._-, Friendly Formal Un-friendl,
2
7
2
1
3
22 J
1
2
4
Total 11 27
The above tattle shows that out of the 29 Khalasis. 7 are having friendly relations with their closest job mates and 22 are having only formal relation. The
solitary time keeper reported that he is having only formal relation with his closest job mates. Out of the 3 helpers, 2 are having friendly relations with their closest job mates and one is having only formal relation. Out of the 3 fitters one is having friendly relation with his closest job mate~ and two arc having only formal relations. The solitary mason included in the sample has friendly relation with hi) dosest job mates and the solitary peon is having formal relution with his closest joh lIIutes. N<>ne of the persons intaviewed stated that lie was having unfriendly relation with any of his dosest job mates.
(8) Membmilli,p of common trade unions
Out of the 29 Khalasis, 4 stated that their closest job mates are members of the same trade union: 8 stated that their closest of job mate!) arc membas of different trade unions and the remaining 17 did not know whether their closest job mates arc members of any trade union or not. The solitary time·keeper who was intl:fviewcd is not a member of any trade union
1!2
and he does not know whether his closest job mates are members of any trade union or not. Out of the 3 helpers. two helpers reported that their closest job mates are members of the same trade union and one reported that he himself is not a member of any trade union and does not know whether his closest job mates are members of any trade union or not, Out of the 3 fitters, one stated that his closest job mates are members of different trade unions and two stated that they are not members of any trade union and did not know whether their closest job mates are members of any trade union or not. The mason and the peon who arc interviewed are not members of any trade union and do not know whether their closest job mates are members of any trade union or not.
(b) Social tiC8 with job matC8 after office hours
A table indicuting the number of persons who spend some time after olIicc hour with their closest job mates is furnished below:
TABLB 114
Social ties with job mates after office hours
No. of persons Who spend wi th job mates after office hour at --._--~-. -------"---------------.
Nature of job
Khalasl Time koeper
lIdper • Fitter . Mason. Peon
Total
Tea shop
2
Tea shop and li
quor shop
J
3
4
Tn the house of
co-workers
4
3
2
6
In his oWn
house
s
2
2
Somo- Some-where where
in in the Do not Rourkela colony IJICnd
6 7 8
2 17
3 3 19
TABLE 115 The above tabk shows that 17 out of 29 Khalasis and cnc eaeh. out of the ~ helpcrs and ~ fitters do not spend any ti I11C With their clo,~,t il)h mates outside the ollicc hOUTS. The remaining Khalasis. titters. helpers as well as the time keeper. the mason and the peon spend some lime with their closest job niall'S uutsidc the office hours. Altogether 19 out of the 38 persons in the sample spend some time with their closest job mates outside till" otlice .hours Out of these 19. one spends time with closest job matl~s in the tea shop. 4 spend time in the lca shop and the liquor shop. 8 spend time in the houses of co-workers. 3 spend some time somewhere in the- township and the remaining 3 spend time together in the colony itself.
Frequency o/spending time together wilhjob ma/~s
(c) Frequmcy of lJPl'nding time fOft.'ther by job matN A table giving the frequency 'of spending time
together by Ihe closesl job males is furnished as fol· lows:
With frequency r-- ~
Oneo ---.
After 2 Oneo in 8 or 3 In 8 fort- Not
Nature of job Daily days week niaht specified ----- -- _-- --~--- .. -.. ~- --~-.-.- -----"'_ --
The table It5 shows that 4 persons daily speod time with their closest job mates after the office bours. All these are Khalasis. 3 persons spend time with their closest job mates after every two or three days. Out of these 3. 2 are Khalasis and aile is helper. 4 persons spend time with their closest job mates after oftice hours once in a week. Out of these 4 persons. one each is a Khalasi. time keeper. helper and fitter. 2 persons spend time with thejr job mates after olliee hours Ollce in a fortnight. Both of them are Khalasis. 6 persons could not specify frequency of spending time with their closest job males after office hours. Out of these 6 persons, 3 are Khalasis and one each is a fitter and mason and peon.
(d) Duration of spending time with c10fiest job mates after office houn
A table giving the duration of spending time With the closest job mates after office hours is furnished below:
TABLE 116
Duration of spending time .... fth job matc.I· after office hours
Nature of job
Kbalasi .
Time keeper
Helper
Fitter
Mason
hon
Tolal
for f _____ .. , _____ , .. ___ .A.. .. -- -.- ..• ~~
Aboul About 3- 4 UnspclI hour 2 hours bours citied
2 3 5
2 6
5 2 2 10
The above table shows that out of thc 19 persons belonging to different categories of jobs. 5 persons spend about one hour together when they mt:ct their closest job mates outside the office hours, 2 persons spend about two hours. another 2 persons spend ).4 hours on such occasions. 10 persons did not specify the duration of their spending time with their close~t job
153
mates when they lIleet outside the office hours. Accord. mg to .them, the duration varies from day to day. dependmg on the occasion. the place of meeting and other contingencies.
(I') Mulual visits in ho~ amon, d06eflt job mate~
Out of the 38 persons who were interviewed to determine the cxtent of mutual visits in homes among thL' (.·In,,~st JllO mates. ()nly I) slakd that they visited liJ,'lr ,ob ll1ate~ III their hOllll'S. The particulars ot thc,l' 4 pl'rsons \\ itll rdL'['t'll~\: to their jobs arc furnished below.
This table shows that out of 2IJ Khalasis. only 5 are Illv()lv~d in mutual VISJt~ among iob mates. Similarly 2 oul of 3 helpers. one oul of 3 titters and the solitary mason who wen: interviewed arc involved in mutual VI!>lh anmng the Job male~. 'I he time keeper and the peon who were interviewed and the remaining khalasis. helpers. tilters ure llot involved in mutual \'j\it!>, among dosesl job mates.
Industrial relations and the role of di!lpJaced pct"8OIIS
There arc 5 trade ull1on~ in Rourkcla. Out of these 5. 4 are affiliated 10 different AU-India federation~. Names of Lhe trade unions. the All-India bodies to which they "are affiliated and particulars of their office bearers are furnished in the {o\\owinp, table:
154
TABLE 118
Trade unions. their affiliations to all India bodies and particulars of their office bearers
Office bearers .-
Presi-Wor~ins
General Joint Assistant or VIce Name of the union Affiliated to dent president Secretary SeCretarY Secretary
----_ ... __ .. __ ._-_ .. _-_._ .. 2 3 4 S 6 7
.------_ .... _ -- _- -.-~.-. ._------_
Hindustan Steel Workers Asso· I.N.T.U.C. dation
Rourkela Mazdoor Sabha H.M.S.
Rourke!a Steel Mazdoor Union A.T.T.U.C.
Rourkela Workers Union U.T.D.C.
North Orissa Workers Union Unaffiliated but some-times backed by Gantantra Parishad
There are;;: few other tradc unions which cxisted
for some time, and which have now ceased to exist.
Particulars of the trade unions which have now ceased to exist are briefly furnished, before going into the
details of the main trade unions existing at present.
Michal U.K. S.L. Jhones Mohanti Passey
S.N. C.L. D. Bastia Jagdish Dwivedi Sharma Nag
D.C. B.K. N.N. Ajit Mohanti Panda Panda Roy
Prithi T.Datta D. Jena Chand
D.Amat B.S. Pant B.K. Das
Till 1959 there were two trade unions. namely, Hindllstan lspat Shramik Sangh (registered 011 14.9·56) and Pan posh Mazdoor Union (registered on 6-1-1954). These trade unions were not affiliated to any all-India body. Their membership also was not much. A table giving the nuItlber of members of the two trade unions in different years is furnished below.
TABLE 119
Number oj members ill two trade unjons whicf, do not exist now. from 1955-56 to 1958-59
Membership dUring r------------ --.---... -......______-~~-----.------ -,
-------------------------------------------------~,----~----~----------------------The above tabk shows that starting with 912
members in Iq5~·S6 mcmbnship of the Panposh Mazdoor Union wellt upto 1.002 in 195R-59. One interest. ing feature of this (raJe lInion is th,ll t\:maks Ilao been members of this trade union ill much larger number than males. This trade union dealt with lahourers working in Tata Stone Quarry, In 1960. the quarry stopped work. As a result the union also ccased to exist. .the other trade union. namely. Hindustan lspat ShrallllK Sangh started wlth 106 members in 1956.57. its membership came down to 48 in 1957.58.
It appears that the functioning of the above trade unions was adversely affected due to the existence of another body. namely. Steel Plant Site People's Federa. tion. Particulars about the latter organisation have been furnished earlier. This was an organisation of the displaced persons. It was not organised on trade union principles but it was trying to function as a pressure group of the displaced persons. Due to its existence the displaced persons were not drawn to the bodies, organised on trade union principles. But at the same time this organisation also could Dot func:tion
etfcctively, because of factionalism of political parties and also because of the fact that in the modern industrial setting, a pressure group of workers organised outside the frame of trade union has limited scope of functioning effectively.
Another trade union, namely, Rourkela Steel and Mi.n.in& Mazdoor Congress existed in the area for some time. It was reaistered in 1958. After some time the name was changed into Rourkela Steel Mazdoor Union. In 1960, it was affiliated to A.J.T.U.C.
(a) Membership (indudiog displaced persons) of die exisq trade wions
A table giving the particulars of members of the existing trade unions is furnished below:
TABLB 120
Membership, including tribal; non-tribal ar:d displaced persons of the existing trade unions
Name of the trade union
HimtQstan Steel Workers Association
Rourkela Maldoor Sabha
North Orissa Workers UnIon
Members r-----...A--4-----1
Displaced Others r-~---..A..~ ,--_.,.~--~
Non· Non· Tribal tribal Tribal tdbal
2 3 4
500 1,000 500 3,000
500 300 J ,000 3,000
500 2,000
Rourkela Workers Union 1,000 .500
2.5
800 600
Rourkela Steel Mazdoor 75 75 1,200 Union
ISS
The above table shows that exc~pt for one union. namely, North Orissa Workers Union. ill all tbe unions displaced persons have been enrolled in good number along with others. In Hindustan Steel Workers Association out of about 5.000 members, 1.500 are displac· ed persons and 3.500 arc others. Out of the }.500 displaced persons, 500 are tribals and 1.000 aTC others. If the displaced and non-displaced teibals are considered separately. out of the 5.000 members. I.()(){) arc tribals and 4.000 are others. In Rourkcla Mazdoor Sablla. out of about 4.800 members. 800 are displaced persons and 4.000 are others. Out of the 800 displaced persons 500 are tribals and 300 arc non-tribals. [f dis· placed and non-displaced tribals are considered separately out of about 4,800 members, 1,500 are tribals and the rest are others. In North Orissa Workers Union there is no member belonging to the category of displaced person. In Rourkela Workers Union. out of 2,900 members 1.500 arc displaced persons and 1.400 are others. Out of the 1.500 displaced persons. 1.000 are tribals and 500 are non-tribals. If the displaced and non-displaced tribals are coIlSidered
separately, 1.800 are trlbals and 1.100 are non·tribal .. In Rourkela Steel Mazdoor Union out of 1,375 members only 100 are displaced persons and the rest are others. Out of the 100 displaced persons 75 are tribals and 25 are non-tribais. If the displaced and non-displaced tribals are considered separately 150 are tribals and the rest are others.
(b) Nature of adivities of the trade uniUDS aDd their role in safeguardillc die interl'sts 0{ the en. placed persons
The Panposh Mazdoor Union which was the first trade unian to com~ into existence in this area was formed to tight [or the caUSe o[ the labourers working in mines and quarries. It is told that due to the efforts of this union, the authorities of Tata Quarry agreed to provide educational facilities to the children of the workers. In 1955. when the North Orissa Workers Union came into existence. it also was concerned with the labourers of mincs and quarries. The leaders of this union claim that tbey took a lead in dcmanding higher wages for the Jabl)urers working in the mines. I11C Rourk-cla Mazdoor Sabha which was registered in 1955 was concerncd with organising the labourers working under thc contractors of the steel plant. This trade union was pressing for adequate wages and slXurity of sCfviee for the contract labourers. Rourkela Workers Union. Hindustan Steel Workers Association and Rourkela Steel Mazdoor Union came into existence more or less at the same time. These are cllncancd with the labourers working ill the steel plant. As mel:ti'~\ned earlier. thl:se three union.'> arc alTiliated to dijf.:rcnt All-India f .... deratil)J1~. There is some ditIen:ncc ill their method of work and their programme. but a[1 of them an; pressing for security ot ,cf\'icc and ac!equate wages for the labourers. Out of these three UnlOl1S, Rourkt'la Workers. Union appears 10 ha\'e the lar!!eSI proportion (If members belonging to the category of displact:d persons. Hindustan Steel Workers ASSOCiation hilS also considerable number of !ll~rnbers bdong.ing to (he c:al\:gory of displaced persons.
ROLJrkcla Workers Union dJims that it was the first union to tight (or the cmployment of the dispJaced pers.ons. In May IlJ57 under tht: leadership of Tapas Datta. president of tlw union. nc.:arly 2.000 displaced persons demollstr:lleu in frollt of the office ()f the Gmeral Managa of the steel plant.
]t seems tha ( in the early sixlces ROllrkcla Steel Mazdoor Union could more clfectivdy project its image, as the champion for the cause of the tribal Iahourers. includinl! tile displaced persons alllong the tribal labourers. In June 1960. the llJuslc.:r roll and work charge workers launched ;j 'no work' strike under the leadership of B. K. Panda. president of the union. They inter·alia demanded that the rates of the daily wages should be raised from Rs. l.50 paise to Rs. 2. Better living conditions and adequate medical facilities should be provided for the labourers and the number of festival holidays should be increased. The strike continued for 9 days after which an agreement was arrived at. As a result qf this strike the wage rate was raised to Rs. 1.75 paise per day, the plant authorities promised to provide water and medical facilities :
the Dumber of holidays was increased aud over-time rules were changed.
Towards the end of 1960, under the leadership of Ihe Rourkela Steel Mazdoor Union. the skilled workers of the steel plant dcmJndl:u higher scales of pay, scope for promotion to higher posts .acconlmg to SenIOrIty and compl<.:te stoppagc of recfllltlllcnts to. hIgher posts from outside. To pn:,sunst: the aUlhontles to accept their demands, they a·dopted 'I¥> slow' tactics. Ultimately on 4th January, 1961 some amicable settlement was arrived at. But it appears that by thiS tIme. a climate of industrial unrest came to pn:vail. On 6th January, J96J the djsplac(;d persons undt'[ the leudership of Rourkela Workers Union demonstrated at the gate of the administrative building. demanding the immediute employment of about 1,500 displaced persons. In support of the above uemand, Shri Panda. president of the ullion. went 011 hunger strik~. The outcome of this agitation has already bCl:n described.
It app~ars from what has been stated above. that the trade union movements of the labourers got mixed up with the movements of the displaled persons and also the movements of the tribul population for special privileges. During the rapid survey. it wus not possible to disentangk how these three categories of II10vcmcnts articulated with one another and how thc:y manifested themselves through t he platforms of the different trade unions. It. however. :lppcars that the trade unions did n.ot succeed to completdy provide a sense of security to the displaced persons. The study in the Jalda Colony shows that at times the displaccu persons held separate meetings of their own. outSide the purview of thl: trade uniolls. to discuss their job problems in the industrial complex of RourkeJa. One such meding held in February 1961 has been described earlier.
It also appears tbat healthy growth of trade union, in Rourkela has been aft'ected. 10 some extent. because of the tendency among the displaced persons. among the laboun:rs. to seek redress of tlH:ir grievances through channds other than trade unions. More often than not tht labourers belonging to the category of displaced population. tri~d to bring pressure on Ule authorities. through sllch Government agencies as Special Ollicer. Land ACLJuisition and Reclamation. Rourkela. and through non-tT<lde union katkrs ,;ue'l as Dhanurjay Mohanti. Durjodlmn Sandilya dc. To some extent, self·image of the tribal labourers. both under displaced and non·displaced categories. as a sIX=cial class. has also adversely affected the growth of unified trade union movement in the art!a. It i~ dillicult to say. whether a morc Jx:accful and rational indu~trial relation would ha\ e emerged out had a unilied trade union movement grown up there. But it seems that segmental npproachcs of tht.: workers to Sl:cure their interests has conlributeu towards perpetuation of an atmosphere of free-Iloatillg tension and strif~. This atmosphere in the industrial complex. runs parallel to the atmosphere of such tl:nsion and strife which hiS
been noticed earlier in the colony of the displaced pt.~rsons. Perhaps. it would not be wrpng to say that one reinforces the other. But here again a more thorough sociological probe would be necessary before
arnvmg at any conclusioo al>out cause and effect relationship. During the rapid field study it was not possible to go deeper.
In the colony. information was collected from the 31 households. which were specially studied. about the number of persons belonging to them. who have become members of any of the trade unions. The paCli..:ulars are furnished below:
TABLE 121
Number of households of the displaced persons reporting at least one member as a member of trade union
Calle or tribo
Munda
Puran
Kumhar.
Kisan
.Bhumij
Oraon
Karan
Kharla
Gaud
Total
No. of households
studiod
2
13
3
1
l
1
7
I
No. of house· holds reporting at leut
one member liS member of trade unioD
3
4
1
4
1
---_._----- •. ---
31 11
The above table shows that out of the 3 I housc:· holds s[)Ccially studied, persons from only 12 households have become members of the various trade unions. The total number of persons who have become members of the trade unions frolll these 12 households. is 15.
(c) Distribution of thc members of the Irade union by age-grollp
Out of the 15 members. 4 are aged below 20. 10 are aged 20-40 and only one is aged above 40.
(d) Time of becoming member of trade ..non
Out of the 15 persons who have become members of (rade unions. 3 became members during 1956·60 and 12 became members after 1960.
(e) Occupational backp'Ound of the trade union membenI
Out of the 15 members, 2 are helpers. one is fitter and 12 are kbalasis.
(f) Level of awa.reDell IIIDOOI Cbe members of the tnde DDiOlll It is interesting to note that in the colony, none
of the members could say the name of the trade union to which he is a member. Nobody also could say what are the significant differences among the different trade unions. They, however, are aware of the names of the leaders of the different trade unions and identify the different trade unions by those names. When asked why they have become members of a particular trade union. they state that they were persuaded by some of their colleagues. that a particular leader is in a better position to secure their interests than another leader. H alS{) appears that the personal. charisma of the leader of a union is a significant factor for inducing the labourers to accept his leadership.
(I) Role of the WorJQs' Committee In the Stet'1 Plant
157
Orissa Industrial Disputes Rules, 1959 provides that any employer to whom an order made under subsection (I) of section 3 of the Act relates, shall forthwith proceed to constitute a Works' Committee. Tht? number of members constituting the committee shall be fixed by the Labour Commissioner or an ofiicer authorised by him. so as to afford representation tn the various categories, groups and cla,ses of workmt?n engaged and to the sections, shops or department, of the establishmenls. provided that the I;umher (]f representatives of the workmen shall not be less than the number of representatives of the employers and the total number of members shall not exceed twenty. The rules further provided that all workmen other than casual employees, who are not less than eighteen years of age and who have put in not less than six months continuous ser\'ic~ in the establishment. shall be entitled to vote in Ihc ckctioll of the reprcsentativ';$ of workmen.
The Works' Committee shall be compeknt to discuss any matter, that affects the rcbtiom betw~en the employer and thc workmen and may whencver nccessary and exr~dient. consider and suggest solutions of difficulties that may arise in the workin_(! of the establishment. The committee, however, shall not have any power to come to an agreement inconsistent with an order based on an award, which is in force Decisions shall be arrived at only by an agreement between the representatives of the workmen and the employers and these shall be binding on both the parties.
In accordance with the above rules. Works' Committee has been constituted in the Rourkela Steel Pbnt with I3 members, out of which 3 are representatives of the management and 10 are representatives of the workers. Out of the 10 representatives of the workers, 2 are not attached to anv union, 4 are members of RourkeJa Steel Mazdoor Union. I is a member of Rourkela Mazdoor Sabha and 3 arc members of Rourkela Steel Workers Association. The committee came into existence on 8th August, 1962. The General Superintendent of the Steel Plant is the ex-officio Chairman of the committee. According to a leading
member of Rourkela Maz:door Sabha. though the representatives of the workers were formally elected. the election canllot he said to be a free election. The workers were influenced by the management in the matkr of selection of their representatives. During group discussions, the displaced persons slated that thev did not consider much of the Works' Committee. ~OiH: from allll)ng thcm have hCC'l1mc a member of the Wllr!i.s' C,lfllnlitt,'c. Thcy fl'el that for safeguarding their illh:rc'st, they would more depend upon their own forullls ant] On tlte tr:l(k unions. rath~r than on the W,lrb' COlTlmittee.
Sillc',' its inception. thl' \\\lrks' ltllllmitk'e does not appear to have had a \ igofl1l1s existence. During Au!!ust 1(1)2 h) .lun.: 19(11, pnl.v one meeting of the W,lrks' COfllmittcl' \\,:1, hdd. III this meeting, only ruks (If busincs~ and other procedural matters were di'cussed. A srcond meeting wa~ to he held on 28th I\LI,I. J'j(l3, but it was pn~ll}(lll\'(1. The ·I~.l·llda (1f this Illl'l:ting ~hows that thl' committee was co'ncl:rncd with mailers of general interest fnr the employees of the steel rlant. Such malters included prcparatinn of uttL'l1dance, and pay hills, supply of cool water, imprm t::1lll'IlL of c\)olillg, arrangL:lllcllls in the shop floor. community CL!lllrc, hoI Illeal scnice in (he plant. rest room fLlr wnrhrs in thl' plant, co-operative I:rc:dit society. LJluI1erly <Il·L'llunl. fllr rrovilknt fund. etc. All the abm, itl'l1ls ulld,)uhlcdly would henefit the di~placcJ persons amoll~ the l'mployce~. aloll)! with other cmrloyces. Whcl] in spite of thl' potentiality of the Works' COllll11iltl'L.' to serve their interest io some cx(~nt, alnn,l!. with others. the displaced rersolls among the w(1rh~r, tin not \\;]nl to take' the WnrJ..,,' ('\'"lIl11ittel' seriously. it SI'('l11s () sllgcl'SI (hal the llIain fnell!> of their or,l!.anis~d actl\'iti~s at th~ communilY level. centr~s round Iheir distinct identity a~ displaced per~ons; till'ir identity in olher socinl nrhits h('ing of secondary Imporlance at present.
Aml'lIiti('s s\llilshlc ill H:01lrkela "lid (,!tteu! of hrnefils tn the displacl'd lJoersnns
In R(lllrk_~h thrrc are ~ix I . P. schools including :)~lC :11 ~alda ( Illonv ;Ind the \llher :It .lhirpani Colony. Thl' chtldrcll (1f (he dl<;placed persolls avail of the ducational facilities a\'ail~!hlc in the two primary schools located In the two coIDnic<;. In the other primary schools, 110 child of ani di~f1laced person is reported to be fL'a(~in.e There arc four sl'COnd;lry .KiJools In ROllrkcla, 1T1Cludlnl! (lnl~ public school. Out of Ihc~e four s~colilbry sch()()I~. in one secondary school. namely. Udltnagar HI).!,h School. ) rupils hel()ng~ng to dn,pIaCL'd households of Jalda Colonv are reading. Til the othcr selloul there is no di<;placed chIld. Thtre arc two collcJ!,('<; in Rourkch~one i!. 1I
degree collt:gc ::md the other is an engineering college. In n.on\: of Illese collef(cs, ;jIlY displac(~d rcrson is read 109.
111 crc is an lndustrial Training Institute in Rourkela. . Hcre aho no displaced person is havillg hi~ education.
. There are two hosr~tal<; in Rourke!a. One i~ U<lIllI.al!dr General HOSPital: the other is lsrat General Hosptf.al. The latter hospItal is meant only for the
employees of the steel plant and their family members. Those displaced persons who are in employment of the steel plant. take advantage of the medical facilities available in this hospital. Others visit the Uditnagar General Hospital in the cases of serious ailments. For ordinary ailments they obtain medicine from the mobile medical unit, about which mention has been made earlier.
There are two cinema halls namely, Rajjat and Lila in Rourkela. In Rajjak practically, only Hi.ndi films are shown and in the other cinema hall English and other films arc also occasionally shown. The displaced persons more frequently visit Rajjak. Here the rates are cheaper; besides, it is more conveniently located. There is also an open air theatre with a permanent stage. Here dramas in Oriya, Bengali and Hindi languages are staged in different seasons. Other types of cultural performances are also staged here. But the displaced persons, hardly, ever come (0 see these performances. mainly because these are much too sophisticated for them; besides, the rates of tickets are considerably high.
There arc a few clubs in Rourkcla. These are 8ituated in different sectors and the members also mostly belong to these sectors. There are, however, a few clubs and associations, whose members are spread all over the town. Among them mention may be made of Literary and Art Society, Rotary Club. Lions' Club. etc. The members of these clu~ and associatioM belong to the elite groups~ among the inhabitants of Rourkela. Neither the displaced persons are expected to be members of these bodies, nor do they care to have anything to do with such bodies.
]t is thus found (hat though living within the physical orbit of Rourkela. the displaced persons have assimilated little of the more advanced educational and cultural opportunities which have come up there. But at the same time. they have not totally escaped from being a part of (he industrial-urban complex of Rour-
lS8
tela. They earn their livelihood here; and as noted earlier they do considerable extent of their marketing in the shopping centres of Rourkela Township. Hence. even though, the new institutions of advanced level. have remained outside the reach of the old population of the region, who have been enabled through rehabilitation measures to hang around the area. even after their displacement, the tangible aspects of culture. associated with industrialisation and urbanization are making inroad in their life.
Simultaneously, another process is going on-the process of resurrection of the old gods.
The old gods and the new men
As mentioned earlier. there were a llumber of temples and places of worship in the old villages. There were the temples of Mahadeo at Deogaon and Abiraband; temple of Jagannath at Ahiraband; temple of Vedavyas at the confluence of Sankh and Koel river. Roman Catholic Church at Hamirpur and old mosque. at Rourkela. With the displacement of the old population, the gods in these sacred places were under the danger of going into oblivion. But it did not happen like that. The old population handed over the torches of their faiths to the new popUlation.
The old gods have come into terms with the new men. who also are in need of gods with aura. Old Vcdavyas. has emerged out at it new height, no langer. He is the mysterious god of the backward people of the region; He now is the familiar giver of the eternal epic of India-He is the hero of the enlightened souls of the past and the present; as we]) as of the future. The annual fair of Vedavyas which lasted for one day in the past, now lasts for three days.
The new age has found new meanings in the old gods. It c_an be presumed that the old population of the area wlll rediscover old meanings in the new life.
CHAPTER IX
CONCLUSION·
In the present study. the social pI'()CCs.ses that are taking place among the indigenous population of Rourkela region, since the planning and establishment of the industrial complex centering the gilmt steel plant and the ancillary industries have been e1(amin~d.
Rourkela lies 413 kilometres west of Calcutta on the main Howrah·Bombay railway line. It is located in Pan posh Sub-division of Sundargarh di,trict in Orissa State.
The steel plant established here has the capacity to produce 1.8 million tonnes of steel. The master plan also provides for a number of auxiliary industries round about Rourkela. Important among them are the pipe plant, grey-iron foundry and fertilizer planl.
Altogether 30 villages inhabited by about 2.500 households were affected by the acquisition of lands for the purpose of the steel plant and ancillary industries.
Under the scheme of rehabilitation. the Government agreed to provide to each displaced family facilities for living in resettlement colon ies, which would be set up within a radius of eight kilometers of the steel plant and also for carrying on cultivation in n.:clamation centres which would be opened in the interior. These f::cilities were visualised in addition to the compensation to be paid far all immovable properties.
The specific points of enquiry in the present study are-
I. What were the social processes on the cve of the displacement of the population with particular reference to:
(a) the reaction of the different categories of people to the prospect of the establishment of the steel plant on the one hand <Joel to the apprehension of 1heir displacement on the other?
(b) how did the old institutions respond to the new situation?
(c) whether new institutions and new types of relations among the different categories of population came into existence to meet the new situation?
(d) whether the displaced persons tried to exercise any organised pressure for safeguarding their interest? If so, what form did it take?
(e) whether the implementation of the project was affected due to the reaction of the local people?
·Adaplated from a paper "Social proCesses in the wake-of economic Change of a baCkward region-a Case study" presented by Dr. 8. K. Roy Burman in a seminar on Planning for Social Change. Council of Social Development. India International Centre. New Delhi, MarCh, 1968.
159
2. As each displaced household was offered tWtl types of facilities. viz,. residential facility within the industrial complex and facility of cultivation in the interior, both of which it could simultaneously enjoy the possibility of physical split of the households was inherent in thL: arrangement. H(}\\' did the various I.:ategories of members of the houscho!us actually behave in this situation?
1 What roles were pJayed by solidarity of predisplacement \'illa~e. religion. caste or com· munity and kinship in determining the neighhourhood pattern in the new ~etting?
4. what relevance do the old institutions and old relations have in determining the community life in the new setting?
5, what is the pattern of new life emerging out in the !lew setting?
Before examining the vari()tls questions. a fccal'lltlilation of th~ social situation. as it prcvaikd bdore the displacemcnt of the villages. would be tI~l'flll.
S(l('ial situation herore displacement
(i) An CCOIH)I11ic survey of Rourkda r,'f!ion made in 1'155. at thc instance of the Government of Oris~a. revealed that the caste Hindus. Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and others constituted, 26·6'::,. Q'6":" 45·3 ": and I R-.5";, respectively of the total population.
(ii) In Illost of the villages, the people lx'longing 10 Ihe different communities used to live in separate clu,ll.:rs of their own. Even death could nol bring th('m together. There were caste or community-wise separate places for the disflOsal of the dead bodies.
(iii) In each village, there wa~ at least one sacred grove or suma. dedicated to the (utdary deily of the village. On fixed occasions. the village priest lIsed to offer sacrifices at the sacred grove. on hehalf of the entire community, In somc villages specially under Rughunathpali P.S .. thert' were a few Hindu temples. Muslim mosques and Christian churches.
(iv) The r.;anjlls or village headmen exercised con· siderable authority. The village waste lands were under their control. Around 1951. however. with the establishment of gram p{V/cliayals, the control of village waste lands, passed out of the hands of Ranju~ and the elected members of the pancilayals tended to consti· tute alternat". foci of power. In many villages. how· ever. the ('(millS managed to hold positions of power in the panchayats: in the others factionalism became ram· pant. Generally, one of the factions wa!\ known as ~aniu's party. and the other was known as panchayat party. As the ganjus mostly belonged to Brahmin,
Karan and other higher castes, it was not infrequently that the higher castes supported the ganju's party and others supported the punchayat party. Thus there were ethnic correlates of factionalism at the village level.
(v) In addition to the leaders at the village level there were leaders at the caste level. Sometimes the caste leadership covered a number of villages and sometimes it was wnfined to a single village. The intervillage orga.nisations. however, generally operated only during ritual occasions.
(vi) One of the reasons why inter-village organisations could not develop much. was the lack of transport facilities. Till. 1950. there was hardly any motorable road. The villages were connected by foot-tracks and bridle paths. There was a small railway station at Rourkela. The position. however. changed considerably in 1952, when Rourkela-Bonai road was metalled.
(vii) 78·7';:, or the population were owner cultivators: 4'6';{, were agricultural labourers: 1·1 ';,', were non-owner cultivators; the rest were in. other (lCClIpations.
In the context of these facts. the questions raised earlier. may be consirirrcJ. While some of them will be discllssed here in some details. others will be di~cussed in a general way,
A. Socio-pol'itical proce58es 00 the eve of displacemcllt
(a) Accommodative indifference-It seems that at the initial stage. so long as the peo[)le did not heCOI11t: aware of the; fact that they would be displaced from their agricultural lands, they did not have any objection to the establishment of the plant in their area. I.n other words. they were prepared to accommodate ,I new economy in the region, but were not prepared to accept it as a substitute fOr the old economic base of their personal lives. At that phase. thcir attitudc towards the plant can be described as that of accommodative indifference.
(b) Bewildered c'011.front'tJti()n~When it became clear thaI the agricultural lands wmdd he taken over for the purrose l)f the project, the attitude of the people turned from accommodative indifference to bewildered confrontation. Through a numbcr of villagc level meetings. convened by the ganjlls or traditional village heads., they began to register their protcst. It is interesting to note that inter-village caste or community leaders did not have any special role to pl:IY in this matter.
(c) Conflicting class-interests and amhivrr}l>Ilc(' oj thl' ril/agc commrull'tv-A few attempts. made to Of!!anise inter-village concerted approach failed. 1t seems that the villagers were having conflicting interests. and ambivalent attitudes in this malter. which could be somehow reconciled at the villagc levcl ;Jlld not bl'\Olld
that. The rich cultivators belonging tl) the highcr castes wanted to have the best of t>nth the w()rlds. They certainly wanted to retain their command over the traditional economy; it was something which was
160
known to them for generations and they felt more secure in it. But at the same time they aspired to enjoy the benefits of the growing industrial complex. They had the re-sources to take up petty contracts and to invest to the education of their children, who could thereby qualify themselves for white collar jobs in Ute various industries and ancillary service sector. They, therefore. did not mind the inroad of the industrial complex, so long as they were not directly hit themselves. The landless agricultural labourers also looked upon the industrial project as a source of regular income. They had. therefore, nothing to lose, except their familiar ancient world. if the lands were taken away for the purpose of the project. It was the middle and small cultivators. who felt disturbed at what was happening. But so long as they themselves were not directly affected, they could not mobilise public opinion in their respective villages against the project.
(d) Channel of circulatioll of tension~The dilemma and hesitation of the different sections of the t'Opulation were vaguely known to all. It is. therefore. not surprising that inter-village rallies. could not take place at the initial stage. All sorts of rumours came into circulation and allegations were made that reople belonging to some villages. or some castes or trib~s were trying to strike a separate deal for them,elves. For instance, a rumour wa<; afloat that as the Germans were collaboratin.g in the implementation of the rroject, the Lutheran Christians were, under the advice of the missionaries, refraining from opposing tht: displacement of the agricultural people fl)r the purpose of the industrial project.
It scems that mutual suspicious Ikw along the channel or traditional inter-village and intcr-ethnic rivalries at this time.
(c) Moral order ~f the sodl'ty at t1le I'illag(' level and ~fs reinforcements-What is. however. significa nt is the fact that when it was definitely known that a certain village was going to he dislod!!cd. the solidarity of thc villapc C(Yuld assert itself III spite of the conflicting interests indicated earlier. It is quite possible that this solidarity reflected the moral order of the society at the village level. Tn the prevailing system of values it would have been considcred ~ingularly immoral for a landless cultivator not to oppose the rassing away of agricultuml lands from the control of th~ cultivating households of the village. simply hccause they arc not directly affected or because the ncw economy which would come ah0ut through the rrocess, was ex pec:ed to be more beneficia I to them. But JX'rhaps, the moral binding was not the solitary, ()f even the most important factor. There were other factors as well. which revolved round the questions of compensation for the immovable properties and facilities of rcs.eltlemen.t. The lanclless cultivators had no machinery of their own, which was organised on class hasi~ and which could safeguard their interests. They. therefore, had to make common cause with the rest of the villagers-to safeg1Jard their interests. It is touching to see how on the verge of their dissolution, the village communities drew all their children under their failing arms.
(f) Alliance between trrJdiIioM} elUe at the viUage level and political elile at the district level-It is at this stage. that is the stage, when the villages could attain their internal unity. that they could also serve 8S the bases. for external unity. Sometime towards the middle of 1955. the ganjus or headmen of the different villages convened a meeting at Mohania Bagan. where it was resolved that the people did not want the steel plant in their areas. It was further resolved that if the Government felt that there was no alternative to the establishment of the plant on the site already 'selected. the displaced cultivators should be given equal amount of agricultural lands as compensation. A small committee was also set up to press for the acceptance of the demands.
Gradually. an organisation called Steel Plant Site People's Federation came into existence. Some change also tooK place in the nature of the leadership. Persons with political contacts at the district level. came to the forefront. They, however. were local people and operated through the ganjw or traditional headmen of the villages. Thus an alliance between the local traditional elite and the political elite at the distrIct level was taking place.
Ethnid prejudices. however. did not completely cease to exist even at this stage. The people belonging to Kisan tribe of the villages Udutum. Barkani and Purnapani formed a separate committee to look after their interests. But this committee failed to make any impact. Ultimately, the Kisans had to fall in line with others.
(g) QualUarive change in the response in the new sl'tllation-{i) Use of the past as a lever in the proces!> of incorporation of the new economic order-Opposition to the plant was not confined to holding of meetings and sending of deputations only. In several villages it took the form ,of non-cooperation. The H.S.L. found it difficult to recruit local labour. specially in those villages where agricultural lands were lmder notice of acquisition.
At last the then Chief Minister of Orissa had to personally come to the area and induce the people to give up their resistance. They had to reconcile to the fact that their old world was irretrievably receding. The movement now developed two foci-one centering the question of compensation for the loss of their immovable property; the other centering the demand that they should get preference in employment and should have the facilities to settle near the plant site. This was a qualitative change. in a response to the people of the new situation. The previous attitude of confrontation and containment of the emergin~ economic order, was replaced by that of incorporation of the new economic order while using the past as a lever in the process of incorporation.
. (ii) Chlldm_r of the soil-genuine and spuriousWith the question of preference in employment and other economic activities created by the project comin~ to .the focus. an~her dimension was added to the agitatIon. So long the agitation was being carried on mostly by the people directly affected by the project ~
17-' R.O. Indfa/67
161
but now it became an all Oriya concern. The Oriya middle class throughout the State began to demand through the forums of the political parties. that the Oriyas should be given preferential treatment over the rest of the countrymen in the matter of employment and other benefits created by the project. This expansion of tbe concept of the children of the soil. however. created another tension. The local people. particularly the tribals. felt that they were the genuine children of the soil and the other Oriyas. particularly those from the coastal regiort. were the spurious children of the soil.
(h) The new O1Toogement-The harried State Government issued a press note in which it committed Itself to the almost impossible task of accommodating all the conflicting interests and pleasing everyone, But it failed to quell the situation. Particularly the people were not prepared to accept the rate of compensation fixed by the Government. However. after protracted negotiations it was decided that threo colonies would be set up near Rourkela and lands would be provided in sixteen far flung fore~t arreas for being reclai~ed for agricultural purposes. The rates of compensatIon for agricultural lands, crops and trees were also refixed by the Government. For instance, for Rahal. Bherna and Mal types of land the rates per acre were fixed at Rs. 900. Rs. 600 and Rs. 401 respectively. 1t was also decided that each married couple would be allotted one plot of land for construction of a residential house in the resettlement colony. Further. in the reclamation areas lands would be reclaimed and converted into wet lands of various classifications at Government cost and would be given to the displal'Cd persons in exchange of the lands acquired from them, Reclamation subsidy at the rate of Rs. 100 per acre would also he given to all the displaced persons. Besides. free transport facilities. tra'nsit camps and other focilities would be provided by the Government.
An assurance was also given that the inhabitants of the state if they were qualified would be preferred for all jobs under the H.S.L.
With these arrangements closed the first chapter of the socio-political processes. which were takin~ place in the wake of the economic change of the regIon.
(j) Set-hock su{1ertd hy tile project-Before passing on to the next phase. it may be observed that the adverse reactions of the local population seem to have affect the implementation of the project to a considerable extent. The blue-print prepared by the H.SL in 1955 covered an area of 207.37 sq. kilometer no sq. miles) .' but faced with advC1'SC public reaction. tho Orissa' Government had to take the view that. as far as possible. existing cultivation should be disturbed only when the land to be acquired was needed for immediate construction. By 1961 only 19.537.06 acres of land was released to the H.S.L.
B. ~ooomk pt'O(eMeI liter IIIp1acement (a) Choice of the pitre qf re.ridtnct after displace
menr-{i) With reference to age-The second phase of the social process related to the choice of the resettlemellt ('olonies within tbe industrial complex or
reclamation centres in the outlying areas by the diff· erent categories of members of the displaced familil's. IL appe:m that there was a tendency for the older people to shift to the reclamation centres and at the same time there was a tendency for very old persons to stay in the resettlement colonies. as they were not p~y. sica lIy fit to undertake th.e arduous tasks of r~clalUling lands in the reclamatIOn centres and carrymg on cultivation in difficult conditions. On the other hand, people in carly YOllth were more. attracted towards the opportunity of industrial occupatIons ncar about RemTkcla. Middle-aged persons who had less chance of getting regular employment in industrial cstah!ishlIlcnts shifted to the reclamation centres in large number. Along with the middle-aged persons. their wives and children also shiftcd to the reclamation centres. They had less scope of economic activity in the industrial setting. hut in agriculture they could make suhsta ntial contrihutions. It seems th:lt as a result of this pattern of physical split of households, education of the youngcr generation has suffered a s:et back. An ~Inalysjs of the spread of literacy among the peopk of thc different age-groups. shows that then~ arc comparatiwly I1IDre cducated perSDI)S in the age-group 16-50 than in the lower age-group. [I seems that the tomorrow of the coming gcner,ltion has bcen mortg~ged for a confuscd looay of the present generation.
(ii) With reference to marital statuS'.-lf examined hy marital statlls it is found that those who married earlier tended to settle in more numbers in the reclamation centrcs: on the other hand unmarried youths who could afTonl to risk the uncertainties of lifc. stayed in larger numhers in the resettlement colonics..
162
(b) 11l1f1i'icatiol1 of the "hysical hreak of }'OIlIY'
holds-The :->hysical hre:lk of the households scem~ te have two types of repercussions. In ahout SO":, of the cases. the economic ties have c·ontinued even aft~r rhysical separation. Members of such families. who are living in the resettlement colonies. visit their rdations in the rcclamation centres during the busy agricultural scasons. Very frequently they send r('mit!an('e~ al~o. ft. however. seems that in some cases at IC';}st. economic unity does not necessarily mean harmonious inter-personal relationship. Frequently. the mel1lher~ living in the industrial ZDnc think that those who arc living in the reclamation centres are n()t doin!! their best 'to maximise the produce from the lands allotted to them. On the other hand thosc living in the reclamation centres feel that the memhers stayin!( in the industrial areas had developed extravagant habits. 1 n contrast. in many of those cases. where economic honds have heen discontinued. there are less emotion-al tensions and mutual recriminations: as there i~ no longer the burden of mutual expectations. natural afTection seems to have found expression more freely.
(c) R r)[e of .I'olidaritv of village Vs .. \·o/idarilv (J,f ('{/.~/(' (llId kinship in scIRc/ion of "races of residcl1(,('It is to be considered whether the solidarity of the villalZe or the solidarity of caste. C\)mmuni1y. rc1ir-icm and ki.nship has played more important role in thl' matter of selection of the resettlement colonies and reo clamation centres by the displaced persons, A few
empirical data will throw light on this question. Out of the 30 villages affected by acquisition, resettled h ous.eholds of 19 villages are found in one of the three colonies only. Practically all the resettled household of four villages are also found only in one colony. Overhelming majority of the resettled households of fouf villages are found in one colony. Only the households of three villagcs are found in considerable num· bers ill more than one colony. These figures tend to show in a general way that the people of the old viI· lage~ opted for rehabi1itation with the village as the unit. In some cases, the people of a particular village. who setlll:d en block in a particular colony. have also 'osta.blishcd sJcred groves, represtmting the tute1ary Jcitit.'s of the old village.
n. however. seems that at some stage after the initia I ortinn was given by the people of the different vilb[!cs. for different colonies. attachment to caste or cOlllmunity, cutting across the sense of identity at the vilbgc level hegan to assert itself, specially amon~ the so-called caste Hindus_ For instance, though along with the other co-villagers. the Brahmins of Tumkela. Durgapur. Purnarani. etc., were allotted plots at Jalda Colony. most of them later got their allotment trans[c:rred to Jhirpani Colony.
Mcmhershir of various factions in the old villages also seem to have played an important rolc in the 1l1~llter :1f selection of the colonies.
Inside the colonics. kinship seems have played an im f>Clrtant role in determining the immediate neigh· hourhood pattern. But it was not the most important fact ()r. There arc cases where close relations. parti· cul:irlv affinal relations. settled in different bl·ocks of Ihl' ,a'me colonv along with their respective co-villagers. nut ()f the 14~ applications for change of allotment. which could be traccd out in the office of the Rour· kcla Land Acquisition and Reclamation, only in 50 case<;. thc people wanted to change their plots so that they could live in the proxi'mity of their close rclati()ns.
Tn the matter of selection of reclamation centres, hClI\,ever. solidarity of caste or tribe seem to have pl:lycd a more important role. though the solidarity of the village was subsumed under that. Generally. peork helonging to the same caste or tribe tended to ,elect the same reclamation centre. but in some of the centrcs it was found that there was territorial segmentation among the people of the ~ame caste or tribe. on the hasis of village of origin.
(d) Organisation of community 14/e-(i) Tn Recla· !TUItion eentre·-No formal village panchayat or caste or community panchayat has come into existence in th' reclamation centres. Tn matters relating to caste customs. sometimes the people join the caste pancha· yaTs. which wcre existing in the adjoining vil1ages from before. In matters relating to common interests of the reclamation centres. they are guided by informal leaders. It is interesting to note that no effective leader has come up in the reclamation centres. who did not enjoy some special status in his old village.
Factionalism based on old village loyalties seem to be an important factor in the reclamation centres. In one centre, two separate sacred groves, had to be established because of such factionalisim.
(ii) ReSiettlement oolony-(l) Conflict and cooperation-Cori:ununity life in the colony is marked by both conflict and cooperation among the inhabitants. Some of the conflicts are carry-overs from the old villages and others have grown around new situations in the c.:>lony. Similarly. the solidari'ty and cohesion among the inhabitants of the colony reflect on the one hand the solidarity and cohesion that prevailed in the old villages and on the other, the emerging sense of unity among the inhabitants of the colony as a result of their physical proximity. as well as awareness of common i'ntereS'ts. Tho conflicts generany center round ethnic differences. old village ties and inter-block rivalry. Another focus of conflict is the existence of a good number of non-displaced persons in the colony as tenants of the displaced persons.
(2~ Inte~tjon througll inten-linked tensions-l't seems that the atmosphere of the colony is marked by free-floating tension. But this is only one side of t~e picture. Along with the free flOOdting tension there IS
also free floating integration. Tn fact. tension and integration appear to be two sides of the same coin. Looked at from a different angle, it may be ~tated that tension and factionalism at one level have facilitated integration at another level. Though. there is a multiplicity of factions. the factions arc not in a nesMng pattern, in which one faction would have lied embeded in a larger factioIl. In a nesting pattern though. there might have been conflicts community-wise. ther~ woul.d have been evolving rattern of unity also on ethnIC baSIS But this pattern could not evolve because of the overlapping -of the components of the various structures involved in factionalism. For instance. though. there is conflict between 'A' Block and 'C' Block when matters of common interest come up. the Mundas of "C'
163
Block have linkage with the Mundas of • A' Block when matters of community interest come up. Again though there are inter-community conflicts. the Oraons and Kisans of Bhangamunda line up with the Mundas and Kharias of the same village against the Oraons and Kisans as well as the Bhumijs and Gauds of Udutum village. in matters where inter-village rivalry provides the main focus.
It is obvious from the above that though. there is multiplicity of conflicts. there arc no clear-cut social segments in the colony except for the territorial segments provided by the division of the colony into three blocks. The effect of the territorial segments have also been diffused because of existence of facti()ns cutting across the territorial segments.
It can be stated that the overlapping factions have served to inter-stitch the different constituent elements and joined them together to constitute a single structure-a very precarious structure though it may he at the colony level.
(3) The soci'al strllcture ll~ the OI~t rome of a .I'erje,~ of abortive social changes·-The entire structure can be conceptualised as the outcome of a number of abortive social changes or as a mark of failure of the new to cut-off from the umbilical cord of the past. For instance, in the changed context. the old village ties have been dysfunctional; but they are still continuing. The ties on the basis. of caste and community altHiations have become irrelevant but they are also continuing. The ties on the basis of faclionalism of the old villages have lost their meaning; hut ~till they arc very much there. Taking separately. all these traits can be considered to be symptoms of cultural lethargy. hut taken together. they serve a very im[X)rtant function· the function of reducing the harmful effect of each of them in isnlation. Hence. though separately em:h of tllcm is a symbol of the past. jointly they con· ~titute a prop for the new.
APPENDIX 1
U' 0/ 'lIltJra &tudietl for Econcmic: Surve)J in 1955 b)J Oris,fa Government
'" os '" 0 '" Co .. C ., .. .0 ;:l '" .c .w ... ] tID '" .. .ll ~ '" '5 1:1 ::; .....
~ g ~ .... "0 ..
0 .. .. ~
::I ~ ~ .... ..... ::> 0 0. ~
SI. No.
Plot No,
Name of bead of household
1. Composition of household including head,
APPENDIX IX
~pes of Sdsedule
SCHEDULE I
Family Sdledule
Colony
Block
Name of InvCI.tial.tor
Date of Survoy
Pre-colonisation address ,.---.-..- ___ ____..A..
Name of place or
Relation to Ilcati 'oJ HousdlOlJ
place of birth LIIllJIUaae
Economic Sl. Status No, Name Sex
2 3 4
(i) Earner
(ii) Dependent
(iii) Casual member
Age in completed
years
5 6
,...----__.A.. ____ ,
Distance from
Name co Ie ll)'
7 8
Dist{lncc from
coluny
9
Tribe! re Ii-gion; c:aste
10
Mother Sect IC'lllllt
11 12
Marriage payment, if any r-- .-.---~-,..,.._-. _ .. _--~
Other lan~_lJlIllC:5 "noYon Idlleal ill
13 14
Technical skill r-----------~---------, Nature of Where from Wilen
.kill learnt learnt
Occupation r-----..A._. ----.. Main Subsidiary
Manlal AlI.c at M:Jlk [,y l{c(.;ci\cd by SiulliS nl~lTl'liC l.oll.'.dl.)" J.unll.r·)d
Whctt,er t),cre is aDY kin~hip "it), ~I ousc:
IS 16 17 18 ]9 20 21 22 23
______ .--------------------------.------------------------------------------------------------------Special status, oHice if Particulars of f(,clllmalion area
ilny held Whether alcoholIc
drink taken ,-----------__._-_.----------. r-----~--------, ,--._---"--------. Before coming Before cominl> to the colony At present to the colony AI present
25 26 27 28
~,amc of l'lace
29
Distance I-rom (he corony
30
How frequently ,-ialled reclama! ior. area
last year
31
2, Member of the family living outside the COIODY (as in I and the additioDDI data as follows)
PreseD t address Remittances
Dis(ance Why How frequently and on what received Remittancc! Name of from living occasiollS visited the family (rom the sent 10
place colony away during the last two ycar$ family family --'~--'~
2 3 4 S 6
183
32
7
186 j, PartiCUlar' of other lamf!ies livillB III tile colony which are cl~6el.Y ccnr:cctec! "ith tl.e [nTily (rartic:ulerly co,'er sJblfDp 0'
the head of the family, sons and dauahters, father and falLer b 61~lm&s)
If constituted a single household previously Name of head of the
family concerned Block and plot No.
Relation to head of household
under survey Where How many years ago Circumstances of separation
o. _. _________ ' ___ --,.---- -~~-, --------.----.----.-~--
- -~.---- 2
(xii) Fores! nnd facilities enjoyed by the family
Who owns
3
Gora
.---- --------5
Remarks
4
Remarks
4
Name of forest Dislance from '.'illage Flora and fauna Nature of fncililicz cnjeyed Remarks • __________ .... _. __ .,.,_ o. ___ ' _____________ ~ _____ • -----------.--•• ---".-------
2 3 4
(xiii) Fishery-source and extent of fishery by the family
Source Type of fish HOW frequently fishing was done Remarks
Source Nature of activity Remarks --_._----------_._------------_."----
2 3
188 (xV) Amlual cycle or , .. tival.
Name of tho festival Month Salient features of performance
2 3
(xvi) Particulars of caste panchayat
Name of caste pancbayat Office bearers Function of orece bearers How strong was casto
panchayat -----~--~-----------------
2 3 4
(xvi i) Particulars of other village leaders
Remarks
4
Remarks
s
Name Caste/tribe Occupation Office, if any held N'1ture of influence Remarks
2 3 4
(xviii) Were there factions in the village based on caste/trite or any oncr base
(xix) Any other salient !!.5Vect of the previous village
5. Di&placcmont-
(8) HOw and wIlen tirst Leilrd thattLey would to required 10 lea'e II.cir villaf,e
(b) What was reaction to it
(c) (i) Whotllcr tried to avert it ?
(ii) How?
5
(d) (i) Wjleth~f organised v iUage-wise to obtain fa\ourablc condi tion for rehabilitation
(ii) Whether some sOrt of inter-villll!:,e offan; oat ;(n (~n~e tiP t 0 rcprc~(Ot them
(e) (i) \\' hether organised casto-wise/tribe-wisc to obtain favollral,le condit ion
(ii) Whether any organisation of tte people of same cas:e/tril c Lclll1f I <: 10 (lifTcrcr,1 \'lliSEP cnmt up'
6
(I) Whether the fa.mily more depended on the village oraanisalion or on tl.e l'aste/tril:c or£uni~at,l'n III oblamilla fa"ourable conditions from the authorities
(i) Who were the Spokosmen at that stago
Name Village Caste/tribe Office, if any beld Occupation at
at thallime that time
Prescnt Present occupa- Present rolc in address tion community life
,----- .~---~----------- --~.~ ~---.---,-~-
2 3 4
(h) When and by whom were they asked to indicate option for
(a) PartiCUlar Colony
(b) Reclamation area
5 6 7
(i) Was each house asked to indicato option separately Or waloptioD asked village-wise
B
Remark.s
9
189
(j) Particulars of close relations, fricnds,livina in tbe DeighbouriDI vilJaaes
Namcofldn Relation with head of household Pre-colonization address Presenl addrcsa
1 2 3 s
(k) Whether there was any attempt on the part of the close kins to settle together (i) same colony (ii) reclamation area. evcn thougb tbe .. mages concerned opted for separate colonies and reclamation areaS l What WaS the result ':'
(I) Whether there was any attempt on the part of the poople of the same casteitribe 10 settle tOGet} t'T in (i) same co}eD) (ii) roclamatio!l area, even though the villages concerned opted for separatecolonic5 aDd reclamation areal? What was the result ?
(m) Whether village factions played any role in indicating option
Cn) Whether old village factions continue e\'en now
(0) Before settling in the colony, did the family come to sce it?
(1') Particulars of transport
6. Com;')enution and robabilitll.tlon facilitio! rocelved
(al PartiCUlars of compensation received for
Amount of compensation for .----- _j.__----- ----
When received House Land
2 3
(b) Particula~ of subsidy/loBn received
._-_._---, Other effects
4
Subsidy/loan Amount Purpose for which recei\'c,1 ._-------_---... ----- ----- ._-------
2 3
(C) (il Land received in reclamation area
Acreage of land received
Place of reclama tion area Distance from colony
Homestead Sherna Bahal
Remarkt
5
Remarks
4 5
Mal Gora Remarks ~- ------------ -----------_ .. _-----_._------
I 2 3 4 s 6 7 8
(il) Particulars of the roclamation area
Was option given by pre- colonisa- Communi·
tion viUage! cation, No. of Whether the How an:! cl~lc or tribe l Quality irrigation, fami- No. of family or Whether part of
Place or W'len the kin·groupl of lane! marketing. lie~ (am;. part of family in r. a. rc;llml- pile::: :Jl~ig)lbollrs In in tile h".llth trill allotted lies familya\'a i - rr nol is virtuallry
lion was PNi~:lt colony, reclama- edu~alion land scttled led of faci- why lleparate ar~l 1:1~;tcl tOJethor tion area faCilities in r. a. in r. a. liti,cs in r. B. not unit Remarks
I 2 3 4 S 6 7 8 9 10 11
190
7. E~01lomic history of the family after coming over to the colony.
(a) Employment history.
Year
Names of the members of the family who got
employment Where
employed Remuneration Tn caSe of subSequent unemployment.
circumstances of the same Remarks
--------------_._--------------------1 2 3 4 6
(b) Animal husbandry and livestock.
A-stock at the time of survey in the wlony,
No.
When and where from
obtained
Price at the time of purchase Presen t pr icc Purpose
Particular of grazing rear ing etc. Remarks
(I) Bull
(ii) Bullock:
(iii) Cow
(iv) GOlt
(v) Sheep
(vi) Fowl
(vii) Duck
(viii) Pig
2
(ix) Buffalo (he)
(x) BuffalO (ahc)
3 4
B--Cumrllative ownerShip and use ouring the year
5 6 7 8
Type
No, at the be!!'nnin~ <)1 year
Purchased during
th: ye~r
Ol herwisc oola ned
durin;s til~ yl.!lT
Natllral S"l,l dc~li1
Gift pr~scnt
ck. ilalancc
Remarks inclUding particulars I"~ S:llc, where sold 10 wh,;m sold 8ne\ ,m what term, and conditions
2
C -Product
Type or animal I bird -
1
Name of product
(milk. egg)
2
3 4
Appr. amollnt of product during the
year
3
5 6
Appr. amount of product consum
ed in the family
4
(C) History of bu~ines! or contract etc.
Finance Nature of business When Where ,- __ _ __ A. . ____ ,
or contract dono clone Source Amount . _.L ______
2 3 4 S
7
Appr. amount of product
sllld
8 10
RemarkS including particulars of ~ale, where sold. to whom sold and on what
terms and conditions ---- . -~--.-- ,.-------.-~.---.-----
6
Salient features of the Profit or business cont ract los9 Remarks
---------_ - ---------_- ------.
6 7 8
191
(d) Patticuiars of craft practisod by the family In the colony
Name of craft
1
Source of raw material
2
Types of objects
made
3
Season of Who works work
4 5
Appr. No. Disposal
6 7
(0) particulars of collection of forest produce by the family in the colony.
Local name English Who of forest eQui- cnllec- Appr.
Nature of use r--" --, _ _...,__ -._ .,
8
Name of forest
Distance from
colony product valent
Terms and conditions on which collected includin" nature
of ri"hls, facio lities. jf any Payment
ifany el1j 'yed ted Qty. Price
Domestic consump·
tien Sale Remarks
,1 2 3 4 6 7 8 9 10 II 12
(f) Particulars of casual labour durilli one week of stny of the investisator
Name of the member of
family Date of work Place of work Hours of work Remuneration Nature of work
2 3 4 6
(8) Pllrticulars of fishing and other economic activitie~
Nature of activity Where done On wlmt tnms and conditions
Acts of friondship rendered by frionds ~~--~--------~~~~
,--- During rllt·s Durin!l tribal Ordinary de pa:fsagc fouds
Dllrin~ fir)anClal
difficulties
----_. 13 14
Durin" othOr
occallool
_.----------15 16
Frequency anJ purpose of Y,~iting friend during last 2 years
,.--------~------Purpose FrcQ.uoncy
23 24
7
During other
occasions
17
8 9 10 11
Acts of friendShip rondered to friends ,--_ ... _._----- _......-------.-~~
DUring rites During tribal Ordinary de passage feuds
IS 19 20
Frequency and purpose of being visited by friends during last 2 yeaTS
, _______ A. __
Frequoncy Purpose
25 26
]2
During financial
difficulties
21
Remarks
27
(d) Particular! or members C0115Umma aJcoboHe drfDb.
Name or members
Type or alcoholic
drinlc
z
Sinoa when taking
3
(e) Noishbourhood pattern
How frequently takilla
193
Qaandty normally
takon Where takon
(i) Particular. of household within a radiu. of 1 furlons I
SpodaJ note on penona! characteri· sties of the member
7
Re11l&l'ks
8
Kinship if Distance (rom Terms with referent h.h. Religion and any with referent r-- ------~ Plot Name of C.I.~te/
No. head of h.h. trib<! denomination roferent h.h. head of h.h. Very friendlY Friondly Formal HO!tU. Very bOItUe
z
Cause, of puticular type of relation
12
3 4 , 6
If thoro is some doviation from the gOlloral pattorn of relation of tho two h.h~. in caso of somo injivid1la[ members. particulars of such deviations and ClUSOS of such doviaUans
13
7 8 9
Reaction of other members of tho h.hs. to the deviant behaviour of any parti
cular member
14
(ii) Whether tho roferent h.h. i~ hapt'Y about neighbourhood? Ifnot why not?
10 II
Remultl
(I) Particulars of prosent/holp given by Ill., roreroot h.h. to other h.h. during ono yoar (including those not listed as neighbours)
I'fame of h~ad of h.h. to Kin!hlp and Type or which -presents/help I~cli~ion. ,fenf)mi~'ltion anJ other partl· pmeat! When
was given ensto or tribe Addros~ cularS help given Occasion Remark,
----2 3 4 ~ 6 7 8
(g) Particulars of pre!ent/help received by the roferrent hOusehold from other hOusel.olds (including tl.o~e 1101 listed as nellllbours during last one year)
Name of head of h.h. from which prc~ent/help Religion. donom{nation
was rcoci vod cute Addres!
2 3
Kinship and other parti· WlJen
cutars received
4
Type of present/help
Occaalon received Remarlcs
7 8
(h) Particula.rs of marriag,o. death and other ceremoni,! of people ouuit!e t1.e caSte/trite allent'cd ";urir,~.I .. t one yellr
Patron-cll04t rolatloDlhlp [.hip in pro-ooloniaation rolltl." to _viOOI of villaao
I
(I) PrI ...
(II) Buber
(UI) W .. bOl'lDlD
(Iv) SmIth
(v) SWNPI'
(vi) Othtrl
ID. Material au!ture
Naturo of chanao Case history
2
Where those families live at preSCllt
3
3
SlItent of perlistance in thO colony,particUlarly note whether during rites de' passage the
family barber priest etc., are called upon to IOrve oven thou"h, thoy live outside
tho colony
4
Remarks
I (I) BrIof de!~rlptlon or tho domlcUe (lncludlns number and sizo of bulldina units for different purposel with specJll ror ... to main buildloa. kitchen ... rdon. compound or yard. fencing etc.
(b) Are thore new elomentl in the domicile complex which did not exist in the pre-colonis.lioD domicile
(c) Accordina to tbe informant what are thO relative advantaaes Or diudvantaaes of the present domicile c('mpared to onl ill thO pre-colODilatlon villa,-
(d) SpocW comments, If 8D1
n. Accordloa to tbe informant. whether any chanao bavo taken placo after coming over to the colony In respect of the: fOllowJIlI
Category
(I) QllclOrD (I) boJ (b) Frl
tU) Adlllt UDmIrriod mal.
(lll) Adult unmarried femal.
(Iv) Mult marrl.d 1IIIl.
tv) Adult married t'emaII (vi) Old III8D
(VU)OI4 ......
Upper IUIIICQt Garment
2 3
Ornament
4
Hair style Tatoo
6
Toilet Others
7 8
II. Lelmn aDd rtertatloa. (a) Oamll pl&JOd b,
In thO pre-colODiaation village
195
In thO colony
Name of
pnorally In tho 00100)' duri11l 3 da1I prIot Co \Sur.,
Name of Name of ,11]10 Plaoo Description pmo Place DoIcription pme Placo DOICrlptlOJl
I 2
(I) CblldrOD (II) Adult malo. (lll) Adult femalo.
3 4 5 6 7
(b) Dance and music onjoyed o. performed by tbe mombera of ttle familY
In the pre-colonisation village In thO relonY generallY
Category ,.....-----A------Name Placo I)OScriptlon Name Place Description
(I) Children (II) Adult malo, (Ul) Adult female.
2 3 4 C5 7
B 9 10
In tho colony ,luring 3 daY- prlo. to survey
8 9 10
(c) G05sip-i!'oup in which anY of the members of the family participated durlna :3 days prior to survey
OthOr particlpants Place Duration Topic
Name of the member of family who participated Name
2
(d) Participation in club. library etc.
Name of tho motnborof tbefalnilY
Particulars of club or library of Which wa3 member in pre-cOlonisation village
2
Caste TriUo
3 4 s
Part i culars of club or library o~' which is member at
present
3
6 7
How frequently visi ~ed the club or library during Nature of
last one week participation
4
(e) ParticipatioD In prayer, religious diSCOurse etc.
Name of Religion, Initiation in any Whether performs Whether attends Particulars of community
member denomi- sect by any religl- prayer regularly reli"lous class, dis- prayer~ religious Cl1l5S or
of the nation oUs preceptor course etc. , regularly discourse attended during one week
familY Tlmo Name.t Sect
address of Fre-procept or Place Frequency PlIca FreQuency Itom Plac:e Houri qucDC)'
1 2 3 4 , (; 7 • 9 10 11 12 13
(f) Membership or trade union/political parties.
Name of mmnber of family who hal beCOmo memlm
1
Occupation
3
Name or orpDilatlon
.. Since when member . ,
Nature of participation
6
Romarlta
11
11
Remarta
I
Remarks
Rcimukl
14
7
196
(,) HeariD. ra4l0
General practice P,l(ticulars of programme heard last
Name or t'he member or r.mlly Vt'ho hoars radio Where
regularty hoars
l
When hoars
3
(h) Nowapapor and boot roadinJ
Mon interested to hear which aspect of the When
programme heard
4 5
Whero heard
6
Particulars of the programme heard
7
Remarkl
8
Im~rtant newS publi
Hours or shed on tho readin, day of survey
Particulars of the book. last read Since when Name of
Nlmt or member reading news- nowspaper When Name of Nature or of familY reading Ago EdllcatLon paper road read book Author content
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
(I) Othe, 101luI'O tlmo actiYitiet.
Naturo of activity PlaCO of activity Hours of activity Frequency
2 3 4 5
(J) Proportion of loiluro time spent in the family and outside: the family for adult e:collOmically aethe: Ir.cmbrrs
Namo of member Proportion of timo spent in the family
ill pre-COlonisation village
2
12. AMual cycle or festival! in the (amily.
Timtof performance
Particulars of performance
Pro-ooloniulion village In colony
Proportion oHime: spent in the f::mily in colony
J
In ca5e of any change in the colony the reaSon thereof
(a) Wllat aro tho rlliativo m~rit5 and demerits of lalda and Jhirpani
Merits
Dtmerlt.
Relative merits &: demerits Jald3
2
(b) What aro the relative merits and demerits of the different blocks
Merits &: domerlts Block 'A' Block: 'II'
2
6
Jhirpani
3
Block: 'C'
4
, '191
(c) Haa there been improvement in thecondil;on oflh reeple (If tl c un ('Cr't, rut lcr;,... ..
(i) If yea, how
(ii) If not, has there been any dotorioration
(iii) 1r so, how
(d) (i) Has there been improvement in the condition of the family durina the last ten fean
(il) If 100, how)
(iii) If not, has thoro been any deterioration ?
(e) Describe the actual operations that the informant i~ required 10 perform in cOllnectiClIl .. jlh hi! job. UIlA JlarlicllJlra ue collected from each economically active: member of the family, each of them ahould te 1l0t,d.1 an Informant for tile purpose of main question.
(f) rn caSe the present job of the informant is different from wh,tllc was doin, before di.placemcnt, "a.lle D:ClrCl .afjf~cd ",jIll the present job ,than with the job tllal he was doing before displacement?
(s) Particulars of the persons with whom the informar.l is to cooperate most in the performance of his job.
Nature Terms with Whother member of lome of the informant union. club et-c.
Name Caste! Original Present Post coopera- (friendly. fonnal, Yos} of tribe address adjres5 held lion in unfnendly)
person tho job No
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Whether spend tim,: together after offtce hours Mutual visit at home ,----- --~--,-----------.. r-----~-~--------~
Yes/No If yes where Frequency nUration Yes/No
10 11 12 13 14
(b) (i) What is tho prospect of the preSOnt job?
(ii) How can the informant irr,pro\c tI,e prosf,cct of llis)her job.
(iii) Is the informal)t Joins any tIll e to impro\e tte prCSJ;w of bi&/l.er job?
(iv) How soon he/she expects to gct a lift?
Frequency
I,
(I) (i) Is there any organised attempts to impro~e the COndition of \'I'ork? If lo"ivo paruc:ulara.
(ii) What does the informant know about the various strikes at Rourkela?
Particulars of tbe orilnl .. tlon
,
Remarka
16
(j) (i) Is there any scopo to improve the quality uribe \\ork ill 9ihilh the i(lforJ:r;ant i6en,a,td b)' t)'J)e of mellU!t.
Measure
1
IntroduCing improvcd tools
Giving training to the workers
Giving monetary inccntive
Part iculars
2
Improving the condition in the 'l'orkshop
Romovina undesirable elements
Sincere effort on the part of the worker
Remaru
(ii) Is anY attempt made by the infom.a(ll to impro"c thc quality of hi'9I()rk? IJ IC, live the pertlcula,.
II tbore anY oraanised attempt on tbe pari of the infonoaE}t" ,.,ork-,fO\l,P 10 im~ou the Quality of work
18 (l) (I, AccordJDJ to e.he fArormant What II the &faut .1f00aJ J)loNtm todaJr
(JI) Whae doc. be know about the ptOlODt crill •• ClU) Accordm, to tho Informant how his preleDt job can fle geared up to acrve the delaco DCedl 01 the eo1llltrr.
(I) (J) Whae the informant wants to be? (Ii) What the informant want. hili/her IOn to be?
(ill) What the informant wants his/her dauahter to be?
(m) ACCol'diq to tho informant wbotbo. cbanaes havo tuen place amon; thO women in any of tho followinl {tom' aCter ~In CMJ to colony.
Itom
1
(I) ObJOJ'vatlon of purdah
Position in the pre-colonllaUon villaso
(iJ) Attitude towards household wort (Ui) Attitude towards ourdoo, work (Iv) Participation In economic activltlel "f the family (V) Attitudo towards earlY marriago (vi) Cleanliness and hygienic habiu (vii) Loisuro and rccreati()D (vlil) Any other aspcct
Chango, In tho colony Remarks
3 4
(£I) 0001 the informant think that the foUowina social phonon·,ene are on (he increase. If 10. wbat arc the dalaln luppert
Social phenomena Supportive data
2
(I) LoolOnCSS In lOX life on tho part of malol (iI) LooICoes8 in SOl!. life On the part of tbe female5 (iii) Romantic love be are marriage. without physicalrolatloll (Iv) Substitution of superior/ Inferior relation of husband and wifo by relation of mutual friend. (v) InCICB30 on divor(:o;dclIOrtlon (vi) Increase in adultary (vii) Alcoholism
(vUl) Quarrol inside tho familY (ilt) Bating of morc nutritloul food
(0) Acco,diDa to the informant what aro tho throe most Important problema of
Romlrtl
3
Colony Block PamUJ
1 3
SCHEDULED
Plot Schedule
(71% oj tfae plots at d/ffere1U sltlltUiOF13 In one block and 2l% Jllou tit di8'ereJtl "'."0111 in ot"" 610'*')
1. Bloct No.
L pJot No.
S. Situatioa of the plot
4. Size of plot
5. J)Ovelopmont activities undortaJtoD including COIIlItructioll of walls
1
S. Particulars of allottee
(a) Namo
(b) Pro-colollisatloD viDa"
(c) Casto/tribe
(d) Relialoll
(c) Aae to Occupation
(&) ProlOnt addro ••
7. Pa,ticularl of occupation
Nature of activity \\'bon undortaken
:I 3
(a) Occupiod by allottoo without constructing roaidentla lbulldllll-(I) whollY (Ii) PartlY
(b) (i) Lo_d out-(a) Wholly
(b) Partly
(II) If loased out. particulars of 105100 aI (oUows t
(a) NamoJ
(b) Previous addresl
(c) Casto/tribe
(d) Occupation
(0) Prosont address
(n Sinco whon rontO<! out
(c) Residential buildiDJ constructed and oceupied by aUottee-(I) WboUy (Ii) Partly
Situation of village (c) Situation or village Prescnt Situation of village I'resenl before and commUD- Present before and commun- use and before and CLrnrnun- Use 81ld colony ity conccroed user colony ity coocerllCd user colony it y concerned user
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
7. Myth.lcllood, history connected with tho various areas covered by ILe cOlonisalililo scl-.erne
Remark.s
7
Remarks
10
I. Draw a skelcll sI.owillJ laM utilisatio[! J atten of II r arc 8, (01 ere" t}' cCc r), 1 e~c )ll(ljl rifat:( I', I ani, ulirly illdicate )(luli(J) ofrcsideDtial area, forut~. c.ulti\ atiolilalld, important public placlel.tc
PART B
1, (a) Muter plao of tbe colony as originally prepared
(b) SU~SC~ll')llt cnUios a~ well a! the roa50n for tho lubloquoat chanica
2. Whon etcclltion of tho mastor plan started In
Block
Block 'A'
.Block 'B'
Bloc:k'C
Year of commcnccmcmt
2
By wbom executed
3
201
Remarks
202 •• PartiCU1are of ana and population Of tho cII1roNnC Bloctl
Area/PopuJalion
Area PopuIatioD
Colony a. a Whole r---~_"'"'I
1956 1961
2 3
5. Cutowiao distribution of household.
'A'
1956 1961
4
Blocks
'B'
1956 1961
6 7
Approximate No. ofhouaeholds in
Name of Caste
Colony as a Wholo r--~
1956 1961
2 3
6. Distribution of househOld with ref. to villaae of orlaln.
7. Draw a skotch of the colony showing villaE,e of ori.:in and caste-wise distribution of allottccs, (en munication, waler IUpPI7 Important putlic places, including market, educational and rcli&ious institutions elc
8. Allotments and occupation of households
Unit
1
Total allotment
:1
Colony as , wholo Block 'A' Block 'B' Block 'C'
When allotted
3
9. Occ upaUon and subsequent desertion of household
Unit
I
ColoDJ" , whOl. Bloct 'A' 1l_'S' IIkIGII 'C
Number occupied
:1
Numbe, OCCupied
4
Number not
OCCupied
5
Number deserted
3
Reason {or non·occupation Remota
6 7
201 10. Ca) ChaDae or plot
N1Imbor of applications received ror ohanae orpJots within tbe colOII,)' OIl poUDd or
Close Casto Unit relations people
J 2
Colony al a whole
Block 'A'
Block 'B'
Block 'C'
3
Distance frOID
People of same roli·
aion
4
Villaso p30ple
.5
Market, schoo) etc.
6
Scarcity oC
water Undesirable ne1abbour!
7 8
(b) Number of applications received Cor chanao of plots outside the colony on ground of
Distance from
Others Total Remarks
9 10 JJ
Close Caste People of sarno Unit relations people religion
Village Market, Scarcity people Scbool etc. of wator Undesirable ne1abbour. Others Total Remarks
1 2
Colony as I whole
Block 'A'
Block 'B'
Bloct 'C'
3 4 5 6 7
(c) Number of applications allowed for chlnie of plor within the colony on iround of
Distance from
8 9 ]0 11
Close Caste People of same Unit relatioI19 people religion
Village Market, Scarcity people school etc. of waler Undesirable nelahboutl Dtbert Total Remarb
1 1
Colony as a whole
Block 'At
Block 'B'
Block 'C'
3 4 .5 6 7 8
Cd) Number of application! allowed fo, change of plot outside the colony on ll'o1llld of
Distance Crom
Close Caste People of samo Village Market, Scarcity
10 11
Uult rolations people religion people SChOOl elC, of wato, Ulll1Osirablo oolahbOure Others TOlal Remukll
I 2
Colony u a Wholo
md'A' B10ct 'B'
JIadI'C'
3 4 5 7 a 10 11
e04 1 I. LeaslD, out of plots to outsiders (ascertain by interviews key person)
Unit Total No. of
allottees
2
Colony as a whole
Block 'A'
mock. 'B'
Block "C'
No. of allottees who have leased out whole plot to
outsiders
3
12. Combination of plots to constitute sil1£Ic } (lI~el.( k~
Unit No. of plots
Colony as a whole
Block 'A'
Block 'B'
Block 'C'
2
No. of aHottees
3
B. Renting out of households (sample of different situations)
Unit Nll. of plots occupied
Block 'A'
Block 'W
BlOCK 'C'
2
No. of hOllses ccmpIetely renlc(' out
3
14. Naturo of riahts conferred on tbe allottees
Block 'A' Block 'B'
1 2
NO. or allottees who have leased out part of plot to outsiders
4
No. of combination of plots
4
No. of r.Ousc;s portly rente(1 out
4
Block 'C'
3
RemarkS
s
Remark.s
5
Remarks
5
Remarks
4
15. Particulars of hamlets Or recogniSed constellations in the blockS, with reference to social, phySical or any other characteristics
Block Name of the rccognisc:d
constcllation
2
Characteristic features
3
Size Population
4
16. Namos aDd particulars of Govt. Officcs, and institutions functionin& in the colo.cy
Name ofthe Office or Institution When establilhod I Staff Nature of activity
2 3
Remark.
6
Rcmu.\J
4
205
11. (I) Whethernot~ u!.'an ofR.ourkela MUDicil'&\ity or Is part of Illy Gram Panchayat : Give particulars
(b) NameI and 'Pt\rtieu1arl oroovt. lDItitutio!1s and Offices situated outside the colony with which the people of tbe colODYarc partic:ularly concernod
Name of the Office Or Institution
1
When established
:3
Staff who particularly come in contact with the people of the colony
3
lit. AdditlODaI datalD relpeCl of post offico.
Nilture of activity Rernark.s
4
(a) Whether M. O. aro 'JrNlr 10j 1111i3'Jl'n 1 fOll rn Poll! I) fi co in tho colony
(b) M. O. aent durlna 19til·1961
No.
(c) M. O. received dUring 1961-62
No.
1~. Particui;lJ5 of cduc].tional institutions
Estd. by
Amount
2
Amount
2
No. of students from each hlock
, ____ ..A___------.,
No. of students from each religion
r---.. _..._-----., Religion Religion
Name of In!ti tutions Situations whom Since when in existence 'A' 'If 'C' I U
Concessions and facility enjoyed by
the students
11
Average of attendance of students
12
2
Occasional' irregUlar
3
attendancc/ E;1.tra absentees curricular
etc. actiVities
13 14
4 5
Staff r---. ....A..___. ----."
Caste Religion Management, or and deno- control and
tribe mination inspection
15 16 17
6 7
M
F
8
M
F
9
If there is any managing commit tce ,_--___________ .A... __ ._. _______ ,
20. Particu!arsof roli~ious in~titutioll5 (Church, temple, mosque), places of worship including Gram D,'ora
Denomination Name of Institution Soct Situation
1 :z 3
Bricf dC5Criplion of thc structure, important elements
and symbols
4
Since when in cKistcru:c
If ~pccially connected with some prc<oloni .
IIIlion villages, particuiall of san.O
6
If ~pecially connected with some bIllet or rccoj;llised \;on-~tella, Ian oj t be
\ illlli\cs, part i\;ul"rs 0/ Si.LlllC
7
206
If specially COMeCted with somo castOI Of tribel, particulars of
the samo
Jfl1*lally sourco connocted with lOme families, particulars
of tile Same
Ofllce bearers
---~ Function Name of ofoach Remune-
o1fico office ratiOll
Roliaious porformancos
Onspccial
If the institutloa hat spocialillOd in certain functiona amona iDat!t utions of similar t)'pO. aive particulars of lame Daily occasions
II 9 10 u 12 13 14 15
El!:pcDdlturc
Source Appr. amount annually Item Appr. total annually Particulars of educational institution, if any associated with the religious institution Remarkl
16 17 18 19 20 21
21. Polrticlliarl of otber public placo, includina grave yard, recreation centro etc.
Name Situation Description Users Romarks
2 3 4
21. (1) PMtic'1\1f! 1'nlt G)-o.nrative Society in tho colony
Qualification No. of members blockwise No.ormembor.
Area of When for member· Tyl)O of Society Name operation regislered ship
2 3
Govt. contri·
No. of members bulion castowise1tribewi80 Sbare towards ,..----'----. capital Working share C 1 C 2 C 3 C 4 realised capital capital
13 14 15 16 17 18 19
4 ,
Nature Govl. Loan of sub- by operat-sidy SOUrce ion
20 21· 22
(b) Organisational and other details of Co-op.
Total Shape No. of value members
6 7
Loss Or Extent of profit business last last year year
General note on the role of tho society inclUding whether aU sec-tio~s of the popu. lallon are aUra. cted, what are its
problems etl'.
26
R2
Jl
Remarks
27
~----------'--------------~--------------------------------. General mt?etings held after rellistration r--~
No. of Import. members ant de.
Non·official
Pre-coloni· Castel sation Official
Name or Society DosilJllation Namo Block tribe Religion village Occupation
1 2 3 6 7 8
Meetings of the board of m:magement held during tho last year
Date No. of members at tenlfina Important deciSion
14 1,
Office in the
Society
Remarks
IG
Date attending eldon
10 JJ 11
t07
23- PutlcalIn or IhopI
Particulars or Ibopkeoper
Previous Name Casto/tribe RoUalon address
1 2 3 4
Extont or buslnoss
Approximate transaction durlllI Proportion of
transaction on cash pa)'lllon t
Name or maiD and deferred
commodit1 1960-61 1961-62 payment
B 9 10 II
24. Particulars of market
PreIOnt Addreu
5
Side buslnesl. Ifeny
12
Situation or tho shop
6
Oenoral noto on tho business Includlna profitccrlsm. trenda of cbanac In nature of demand. quantity and method of
t ransaclion
13
Wbon lhop
was OItd.
7
Remarks
14
Commodities mainlY transactc d Servicing area
TYpoanei No. of porma- People or "bleh
From where mainly pia cos mainly Weekly Situation When Dont oftb. estab- ostabli- net Appr. Appr. Commo- broUght (nnme nnd purchase (name and
dity distance of pla,es) dinllncc of platOs) markot lIsbod shment sale Item qty. value
1 2 3 4 5 6
Symbiotic relation of castes and communities
Community
11
Castes &: Com· munities mainlY
supplying
12
Castel and communities mainlY purChasing
13
7 8
Weights and measures
14
9
Recrea tlonal a~tivities
15
10
Remarkl
16
2~. Particulars about fain and restivals commonly visited by the people of tho colony
General note includinl
Name Recrea- Reli· ~rends of changes in
of Itu: of gathering. main
fair! Placo tional gious Cultural IIttracti('n. nature of
resti- where When HoW Size of Commo- aclivi- activi- & social cernm('dilies and
val held DistancO held old gathering ditic& ties tics activities different actl\itie. Femarks
1 2 3 4 S 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
26. Particular. or vigilance committee
Number enrollod from Offico bearer
__.A.. Manner
Block 'A' BJock 'B' Block 'C' Reli- of ope-
.--- ,.--""'______" Name gion, How Nature ration of
When RoU- Tribel Roll· Tribe! Reli· Tribel and Tribel Office sele· of vigilance
Eatd. pOD caste glon caIto gion caeto block caste held Clod duty committoo Remarb
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
208
27. No. of houMholds In the colon)' to whom land hal been allotted in reclamation area and who has taken po.session Orthtlll\.d
No. of No. of No. of housoholds to whom No. of No. of households Who have housoholds housoholds land has not bOOn alloUed households not taken possession of who have to whom in R. A. for who have allotted land in R. A. for No· of claimed OD land has ,-------"-------"\ taken .-- ----. houlOholds land in boon allot· possession whosc
tcd in ReasoD RcaSoD Reason of land Reason Reason Reason cases arc reclamation area R.A. I It III in R.A. I II III pending Remarb
1 3 4 , 8 7 8
23. Particulars of places selected •• reclamation area
Acreage of land of various types available
Name Distance of from Total Home.
place District Rourkela acroage stead Bheroa Baha1 Mal Gora
2 3 4 , 6 7 8 9
Particulars of households to whom allotted Acreage of land already occupiej ___,._
Caste} Village Religion tribe No. of hou~Ohold& Village Religion
15 16 17 18 19 20
Particulars of desertion of any ,.--_. _________ , ___ • __ .A,,~ ___________ . ______ ,
land Families I _____ ____.J.. ___ ~ __ __...,
Home· Ca~tel No. of stead Bherna Bilhal Oora. Village Religion tribe h. h.
27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34
1'J. Particulars of penons in the colony who have passed matriculation
No. of Caste! house-tribe holds
21
Master plan of
develop· ment activities
3S
22
Educational .Iandard
Whether & year of
9 10 11
Acreage of land already allotted
r--Home· stead Rherna Bahal Mal Gar.
10 II 12 13 14
Particulars of households who ha," occupied
,----
Ca~teJ ViJlage Religion tribe
23 24
Development activities already undertaken with ref. to communi· cation, provision of irrigation. facilities, provision of drinking
25
No. of h.h.
26
Water supply, educ~tional facilities. medical facilitie~. ;lDd recreational facilities Remark.
36 37
Special role, if any, in t he socia)' cult ural
Prosent Caste' tribe'
dependent attaining Present economic life of the' Name address Religion Age ornol the standard occupation colony Remarks
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
209
31. Number of persons from the colony employed under the various industries and contractors of Rourkela and surrounding areas
No. employed from
Block 'A' Block 'B' Block'C'
r--------~---.
Name of Employer Religion Caste/tribe
1 2 3
32. Wage rates for various works in different seasons
42. (a) Are there fal:'ions in the colony on the hasis of \'ilta~e ofllflgin, e<lstc tribe, religion, membership nf \,oluntary ass('Ciat llOS i"cill.line; political party, pfesent rc~iccncc (:le.:
(b) Ifso, in what sphere, the faction:11 adivitics arc most marked?
43. (a) Is there any !lrollping o( certain I rih<!s or caste, for dominanco in [he affairs of the colnuy "
(b) lfso, give tM particulars
(c) W11at are the spheres In which dominance is sought
Cd) Has this grollPing ramilic;ltiuJI ill other spheres'
44. (a) Is there any grullping of pcople llclonl'in~ to <.:ertain prc'C(>ltlnisUlinli "jllares, I{'r {\{llllillilm<: in 11.<: ,111,111" Dr ILl' {, Ion: ~
(ll) Jf so, gi,c t!l~ particul:lrs
(e) What arc the spheres in which domillaneo is sought?
«I) HaS this grouping ramificat ion in 0:1Icr ~phcres i'
45. (aj Is there groupin:( or people bclongillL: In d,tkrent Illocks, lor uominar,cc in Ille il tlil irs (lIllie colony"
(h) Ii so. gi\'e the particulars
(.;) ''II;];\( :tr~ the 'J1:Ic:r~' w!,erc d.)minanec i~ 'o\lght ':'
(ell II tl t iti, '~r<'lI )i[\l~ r.lmjri~,\t j,m in other 5I,h<:rc,
46. C.:>n<:en i rat io;] 0'- wc"[th, inf:ucllcc. elr.:.
lloe~lditllhe block gain certain ad"aotugcs because of its earliest settlement'
IfSCl, gi\'e particlliars of tnc same
Village of
origin
Ii
(c) (i)
(ii)
Ha"o tho5c aLl"anlageS di9:lppcared or ;)rc t110se [lisal'pearin~ a'ter cSI;Jhli~hment ofolhrr B10ds :' If so. give particulars of the 'l::ln~es :Jntl how these.: have \:>CCIl brOllglit abollt )
other5
'I
(d) (i) (ii)
Have thoso advantages being intenSified or arc teing gradually intcnsil~d after e5tabll~lrmcnl ul other lllocb ! If so, give particulars of the cflanges and 1;ow thesc h.l\c been brought about ;>
Rem.,rks
If)
212
48. Ca> People of which pre-colonisation villages were settled first ?
(b) (i) Does/did the leaders of that village gain certain advantageous position because of earlier llettlement ? (ii) If la, give the particulars
(C) (I) Have these advantages disappeared or arc these disappearing aft,er settlement of people of other areas? (ii) Ifso, give particulars of the change, and how these have been brought about?
(iii) Whether in the aftermath of the change, new factors have been created ~
(d) (i) Have these advantages been intensified or are being intensified after settlement of people from other areas ? (ii) If so, give particulars of the changes and how tbese have been brouilht about?
49. (a) Leaucrs for castes/tribes
(b) Are there recognised leaders for each of the following units?
Pre-colonisa (ion village Block Religious group Caste/tribe Other segments Remarks
'0.
Name of
per for-manee
51.
52.
53.
54.
2 3 4 5 6
Annual cycle of religiouS, social and other community performances in the Block (The investigator should also prepare detailed case Itudie,)
Special association Extent of partici· pat ion by other
with any particular castesltri~s, reli- Finance Salient caste/tribe, religiOUS gious groups, pre- features
Wilen Where Mainly group, pre-coloniSation colonisation ~ _____ . .A.. ____ -, of
perror- perfor· organiseu village, present resi- villages, present Expcn- perfor-med med by whom dential area etc. residential area Sources Income dilUTe mance Remarks
Sometimes social distance between people of different s'gments arc channelised through mutual bantering (c.g., people of certaint segments are greedy, some are shirker and so on). Record the stereotypes and history of formation of the stereotypes
Had any of the pre-colonisat!on villn~e p~rticulnr nntagonism ~r rivalrr with some other pre-colollisation villa~e or villages? Does that rivalry or antagonism contlDue 1D thc colony" If SO, gIve partIculars
Had any of tre caSte or tribe particular antagOnism of rivalry with some other caste or tribe in a pre·colonisation village? Does that rivalry or antagonISm COntlOuc In the colony or has tbe pOSItIon been changed .,' GI,e partIculars
bolent (1:';[cti\'1; partIC'I';ltion (lj' t I,e pcoplc
oi Ill.lin c:lstc~ ~n(l
~{)mlllunltics
III pCriOrlllancc
5
i', jn'Hr~c !he col()ny. do vJ:>Itur,
from oJ.:b,,!(: pHllclpalc:'
r"~--'---- "-- .-'"
Aplll'O, ]';0.
G
Role 'player audience
ulItCTWisl: ..
7
Wh;tt :,,:cl1cy
~;JH ln~)ors
(lr WJ,q promot c~ I f3in~
ct c. " pi:Jyea.'
8 9
Rcmllrl.l
10
(vii) Ropublic day
"iii) Indepc1ldCllcc Day
(ix) Gandhiji's birthday
(x) Other celebrations, entertainments etC.
216
70. r .. rticulars of GllljUi an1 O::ler pr':,cc>lonisation Village leaders and their present position.
Name Castel tribe Occupation Present a.ddress
Pre·colollisation village
Status, office in
pro-colonisation village
-----~----~-.-- _------_._._---2 3
71. Cultural life of the colony
------------ ______ Name of clubs,
Libraries. drama par
ties or other cultural organisation.~ in the
Block
Wh"n e,tal,li-
shel
4 5 6
RDugh proportion of members belongmg to
.~----"------~.----,
DitTercnl castes
Di!Tcrent occllpation
groups Age
7
Whether holding special position
in any organisation or
community pL'rformance
at precsnt in the
colony
B
How frequently
approached by people
particularly those
under influence in pre-colonisation period
for advise, guidance, settlement
of disputes etc.
9
Remarks inclUding
general note on
the ex.tent to Wllich
maintains influence, prestige,
ele. Remarks
10 II
Otlice bearc rs
------------~
Namo CasteS Occupation Edu.
Age cation ~-----"~---'----'-~- -- ~ ---------
2 3 3(a)
Hrief note on basis 01" membership (subscription signing of pledge etc.)
J b)
Bricfnotc on ohjccti\c 01 the organislllion
4 4,a; 4(bl
Drief Il0tC pn act;';l ics of the organi sal ion
4(c) 4(d)
Remarb ----,.---~--.-.. ---.- "--------~-
5 6 7 8
72. History o~ mis,iollary activities in th" locality including the history of establishment of churches of \arious denominations in the locality
73. Hum.lnilarian aClivitic'lundcrtakcn in the locali'Y by Christian Missionary and other orga.nisations
74. Billgraphy of important leadcrs of the loca) churches at different periods
7S. N~'l1hcr of converts in different periods and ethnic and socia-economic background of the con\erts in ditrcrcnt reriods
76. Sp~;ial l>~nclits anJ c,mccssiolll enjoyed by converts in different periods in the institutions sponsored hy christian missionaries
Nature of institution Name: of the institutiOll
--'----"-- - .-. -~ -~~--.-------
2
Since when in
c1listcncc
3
Staff r-~-~
llcsigna- Non chri-tion stian
4 5
Beneflciary ,.-------___.A._.---"
NonChristian christian
6 7
Special concession for Christians
8
Remarks including parti. cUlars of missionary institutions that bave
eased to exist
9
17. Lo~al measures and OQ1livalent standard measures
Local measure
Weight
Size of objects
MUNre of land
Others
78. Local almanac
217
Equivalent standard measure
2
Name of month Number of days Equivalent English month
Equivalent Oriya month
Reason including how tM month is deter nined
2 3
79. Local names of days
Local names of days
80. Local SYlitclD of counting
II. Local system of reckoning of time
82. Master Plan for business communities and outsiders
83. No of families who have only availed of facilities in the rec')amation area and not in the colony
84. Preference for selecting the resettlement colony
Steel plant Forest
2
85. Gralina facilities in the colony.
English equivalent
2
River Others
3 4
86. communal hWlting parties-particular of each with rererence to the foUowin, POmlS :
Where held Participant and leader
~-- ,..----A Name Distance Village or the from the of ori- Appr.
When held place colony Caste Tribe gin Religion No.
2 3 4 5 , 7 8
(To be supplimcnted wiJh Case ItutUes)
WeapOns
I}
3
R.emarks
6
Remarks
3
Remarks
s
Oama Ilemarka
-----10 11
218
87. Forolt
Nature of facility
cnjoyed by Ownership and the peoplc
Remarks AA:roalo coDlrol Flora and Fauna of colony
2 3 4 5
88. Pi.bins
Source Approx. TYpe of of Type of value Who catches tools and
fishing Ownership and control Season fiSh of fish fish Disposal equipment Remarks
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
SCHEDULE IV
Scbl'duJe for Rourkelll
PART A
Condition at Rourkel", aud surrouding areas immediately before H. S. L. or durin& phase of collltrllCtion or H. S. L.
1. Particulars of tbe villages \from village Directory, 1951)
Main castC'i and communities
and rough propOrtion
Name of village Size
Population r--- -"--------, Total Males Femlles
Livelihood pattern Literacy
Institutional facilities or each Remark..
2 3 4 5 7 8
2. Summary of Significant information available in the SUTley report of GOI't. of Orissa OD
(a) Condition of agriculture
(b) Forestry
(c) Fishery
(d) Industry
(e) Otht.r economic activities
(f) Marketing
(g) Supply of drinking water
(h) Employment opportunities
\ i) InJebtcdncss
(ji Health and hygienic condition
(1:.) Educational altainlJlcn I S
(I) Tn~titutional facilities available
(m) Any ~Ithcr signiiicant information
9 10
3. SUpplement information available from the Economic Survey Rerort. by information from otber Bouree, on the abovi points
4. Particulars of industries
Name of industry When
establisl\ed
2
Where estahlished
No. or persons engaged before
H. S. L. No. of persons enga8ed
at present Remark. ------_._-_ .. _-------------
3 4 s 6
s. AllY other information about conditions prior to H.S.L. which is likely to influence the rebabilitatio%l patt.rn and attitude towards rehabilitation facilities and other development subsequent to intrOductiop of steel project
219
220
PART B-Existing J. WhcD H. S. L., was (akOD up
2. Muter Plan for H. S. L. and auxiliary industries at Rourkcla.
3. Aq~i5itio.l of 1ao;1 at Rourkela and surrounding areas
Year Villages notified
for acquisition Acreage notified for acquisition
Acreage actually acquired RemarkS
2 3
4. Particulars regarding the villages acquired
Total Total acreage acreage of land Total of land
Year of notilied acreage exem;Jled notification Total for of land and rea- Total
Name of for acquisi- acreage acquisi- actually son for No. of villaae tion of land tion acquired exemption lUI.
~ ---. --_. __ ._ ,.
2 3 4 5 6
S. (a) Master Plan for compensation and rehabilitation of displlced pcrsons ?s originally formulatnJ
7
4
Number No. of of h. h. h. h.
notiJieu exempted for Number and rca-
acq[Jisi- of h. h. son for tion vacated exemption RemarkS
8 9 10 11
Year of formui.ltion Salient features of Masto.:r Plan AttitUde of tbe people Remarks -------------------~.~-----.----~.-~.--.. ,
2 3
(b) Subsoquent changes in the M~lster ),lan
Year Salient features oj' the changes Attitude of the people -------.. ---~~-------
2 3
I,C' Circumstances under which the various changes were brot'gl,t about at various stages
6. Particulars of the Statc Govt. policy statement of 1955 n:ganliol! rehabilitatioll of displa(ed per50ns
7. What arc the major industries at Rllurkela including H. S. L.
Year of commencement
Name of £ndu,try of construction Pre"cnt phase
Prescnt labour strength r-- .------.--..)....----------,
Ski lieu Un-skilled Employment potential ,..._....J----------., "--'-~ ___ by the end uf 3rd plan Male~ Famales Males Females
H. Particulars of cinema. theatre and recreational centres
Name of centre When estab)j~hed Nature of entertainment RemarkS -----------~-- ._----_._---
2 4
222
1~. Particulars of church, temple, mosquo and other religious Institutions at Rourkels
Name of the religious institution Denomination
2
When established
3
16. Particulars of voluntary agencies at Rourkela
Name of agency When established Nature of activity
2 3
Nature of activity
4
Activities if any among the displaced persons
s
Activities if any among the displaced persons
4
17. Industrial classification of the population of Rourkela according to 1961 Census
Remarks
6
Remarks
18. Rough sketch of Rourkela showiog ecological pattcrn of distribution of residential arCa, ind\lstrial area. marketing area. communication system, education. medical and other institutions etc.
19. General note on market
20. Trade Uoions
Name of Traue Witon established Union
2
Members r---
Displaced r--_...-A--~--.
Tribal Non-tribal
3 4
----, Others
r--"------"""' Tribal Non-tribal
5 6
AflHiation
7
21. Parli':U)ars of clubs. 1 ibraries etc.
Name When e~tablisi1ed By whom established Basis of membership
2 3 4
Salient features of the various
works actu~lly undertaken
8
Nature of activity
5
22. Any other important l8~ct not covered above. which may have bearing 00 the life or the (1isplacement
Remarks
9
Remarks
6
SCHEDULE V
Pre-colonization Village Schedule
1. Name of Villase
2. (a) Location with reference to Steel Plant
(b) The Colony and block where most of the people of the village have gono
3. When did colonization start?
4. Size of the area covered by the vil1a&e before acquisition
S. Land utilization pattern of area prior to acquisition
6. Particulars of places of worship,~burial ground or cromation around and other I'ublic places before acquisition and their prescot survival
7. Caste·wise distribution or hou~cholds in the vilIa:;e at pre~nt and before acquisition
8. Name and particulars of GoVI. institution and offices Situated in the village prior to acquisition
9. Particulars of educational institution prior to acquisition and present slate of survival
10. Particulars of market prior to acquisition
11. Particulars of fair and festival prior to the acquisition
12. ,"-nnual cycle of rcligioUli. socia) anu other community prcformances in the village and pre~ent ~ur'i' a)
13. Particulars of religious institution prior to acqllisition and prescot surv\\al
] 4. Hi story or the m; ssionary activit ics in the locality inclUding the history of establiShment of churches of vari()u~ denominaUOD5 in the: locality prior to the acquisition
15. Particulars of leauers, influential person etc., of the village, prior to acquisition and their present sphere of ac:ti~jt ie.
16. Number of persons from the village employed under various industries prior to acquisition and preseDt survival
17. Give parI iculars and im.licate reasons in cae)l case
(a) No. of families who have availeJ at faCilities in the reclamation area and in the colony
(tt) No. of families who have availed of fa~ilitics in the colony only
(c) No. of Families who bave availed oi facilities in the rcclJ.mation area only
(d) No. of familie~ who refused to ht!.ve any facilitic~
(e) No. of families who were not ask to vacate
18. Whether in (he vill,lge there was any mutual ohti);atory service relationship amoDIl the different sections of the popul.tloa. If so, ~iv() partic:u!<irs indicatiTli if Ihat reJatJOD.lhip stIli exists
223
SCHEDULE VJ
Ree~amatton Area Schedule
PART A
I. LaDd utilisation pattern of tho area prior to reclamation
Name of pre·colonisation villase under which
tllD .. rea waS Total acreaae
of land
Acreage UDder
homestead
Aereasc under
cultivation
Acreage under forcst
Acreage UDder
other use Remarks
2 3 .. .5 6 7
2. Particulars of places of worship, burial around or crematiOn around and other public places before colonisation
Place of worship Cremation ground or burial around Other public pl,oat ~,~.--- --_' .-.----~ -_ .. -- ,-~ .--~.-~-- ._ .. _----_-. _. _- .~.- .. _. ,--- -- -'_
of village of village ofviUaac Situation and com· Situation and COI,,- Present Situation and com- Present .. roro munily Present before muniry use and before munil), u .. and R.A. Concerned use R.A. conCerned user R.A. concerned v.ser ltemark.s
3. Myth, legend, history connected with the various arca~ covered by the resettlement scheme
4. Draw a sketch map showing land utilisation pattern of the area, covered by R.A .• particularly ind'clle localion of tl,e residential area. forests, cultivation land, important public places etc.
5. Diltance from the nearest villase
6. Fore!!t facilities enjoyed by the people
Name of forest Distance from viUaSe Ftora and fauna Nature or racHi·
V. Marketing facilities including particulars of shop' and liquor shops
Where situated Distance from the R. A. Who ownS
2 3
8. Annual cycle of religious, social and other community performance
Special association with any particuliir caste/tribe, religious groUp, pre-industrialisation village, present residen-
Nam~ of the performance When p~rrormed Where performed Mainly organised
by whom tial area
2 3 4 s
Salient feature of the Finance ,.-------'--------.
Source Income Expenditure performance . Remarks
6 7 8 9 10
9. Whether the reclamation area comes under any Block DeVelopment and if so, give particulars.
Distance from B.D.O's Office
Distanco from the office of V.L.W.
Since when under the bloCk
DetailS of facilities rendered
from B.D.O. Office
No. of households availed different
facilities Remarks
2 3
1. Name of the reclamation area
2. Distance of R. A. from Rourkela
3. Composition of households including head :-
Economic statUll
1
No.
2
Earner Dependent Casual member
Occupation
Name
3
Main Subsidiary
13 14
Sell Age
4
Marital status
15
S
SpeCial status/office if any held
Relation to head of h.h.
6
Age at marriage
16
r-----------~ In pre-colonisation village In colony At present
20 21 22
4 6·
PARTB
Language Distance from colony where Other
plot WaS Tribel Mother languages allotted caste Religion tongue known E;d\lca~ioD
7 8 9 10 11 12
Marriage payment if any
Made by household
Received by hOUSehold
Whether there waS any kinship with spouse
17 18
How freqUently visited resettlement colony last year
r----------~------~ Name of block Frequency
23 24
19
Remarks
25 ' .....
227
4. Memb~rs of family living outside the reclamation area as in 3, and the additi(mal ;lata as followins :
Present address r- ."___'"
Name of the place Distance from R. A, Why livin!! away
--_.--------------------------------2
How frequently and on whar occasion~ \'jsited
reclamation area Jurin!! lust yeur
Remillance received from the family
5
RemltU
5. Particulars of other families li>"ing in the reclamation area whiC::l arc d("c(y ,'unneeled with II c familY (I'artil'ularly cover sl,b/i", of the head of" the family, son') and daughters, father an,! father"; sit-lings'
,-.
Relation 10 ;,,'au of Name of head of tho familY concern
Distan~e from the house of informant l1.h, ur.dcr Ilur" ey Where
3 4
To what extent and how continued to operate as a single unit ('iIII cf,/. ,,----------_ .. ----.------ _~_~...A_ ______ .• ___ ~____ "------.- ' __ "1
12. Particulars of reclanulion are~ lcac!crs anllleadcrs of the old village
Name Caste OT t ri be (}ee u pa tion o ITicc , if any held Nature of influence Remark:s . --- -~---- -_ .... __ ---_ .. _---------_.
2 4 5 6
13. Arc there auy ractions in the reclamation area based on caste/tribe .,r IllY other bale ?
1". Wilorl anil by whom were they asked to indicate option for reclamation area?
(i) Was each house asked to indicate option separately Or was option asked village-wise ~
(ii) Whether there waS any attempt on the parI of the clolle kins to Settle to,b'llther in the same R. A. e\IC1l lhoo.h the vlllqes, concerned opted for separate roclamation are.!. What was the result !
(iii) Whether there was any. attempt on t he part of the people of the same caste/tribe 10 ICtlle toaother in the lame rccl ... tion area even though the vllIaacs concerned opted lor separate resettlement colony. Wllal was the: result?
(Iv) Whether viUaae factions played any role in indicating option ?
(v) Refore settling in the reclamation area did the family come to see it ?
,v,) Particulars of trllDllpOrt
IS. (a) When the family actually came to settle in the reclamation area?
(b) Whether the family or part of the family availed of facililie~ in resettlement colooy ?
(C) Whether part or family ~t3yin!: irl rc'>!ttlcment colony virtually separated .nit !'
Chhend, 3,7. 10,20,27, 28,29,30,31,34,36, 38, 43,44,46,48,71.89,90,121, 128 - allotment of plots to households from. 43 - change in layout of, 44 - change in size of population of, 44-46 - circumstances of the continuing to exist of. 43-44 ~ expenditure in, 46 - income in, 45-46
Chhota Nagpur, 7
Chief Minister of Orissa, 19. 20, 144, 161 Chirmiri, 89
Factions, 31.68-69. 111,125, 127,128 - anta.oniatic, 121 - based on castes, 127, 134 - in old villages, 10
Factional alignment, 130
Factional conflicts, 127,128,129
FactioDalism, 159, 163 - as carryover of old villa.ge, lll), 129 - based 'on loyalty to political parties, 129 - based on solidarity of village, 128 - persistence of, 127 - village as the basis of, 130
Fair, Shivaratri, 6
FlLIllily
- change in, 98 - members (before displacemcnt), 12 - staying out side, 89 - size of (before displcement), 12
Hou8e - changes in, 46 - comparative position of, 109 -- new elements in, 107 - pacca structure, 108 - size, 107 - structural elements of, 107 - types, 7
Households - by mother.tongue, 51,52 - by religion, 5) - composition of, 55,87,88 - extended. 88 - goods, chango, in, 4 - industry - - mat making, 112, 113 - - rope making, 112, 113 - - tile making, 112 . - nature of relations of the members of 90·95 - nuclear, 88 - size of, 55, 56, 87 - structure, 87
Hunting, ceremonial, 8
Hygienic habits, 98
Immi8l'lnt labourers, 119
Income. IS,4S
Indebtedness, 114
Indian National Trade Union Congress (I.N.T.U.C.), 154
Industrial - categorics, - clas~ification,
- employment, - unrest
/
13, 8S 83, 84
85
- - go slow tactics, 156 - - hunger strike, 156 - - no work strike, ) 56 - - strike, I5S
Marketing - a.rea, 116 -centre, 7 - of commodities, 106
Marriage, age at, 74-7S
Ma.terial cquipments. t07 \ - changes in, 46, 48
Matrubhumi, 122
Medical institutions, 7 - mobile allopathic dispcnlary. r~, .129, J'8 - mobile dispensary (see mobiJc alJopathicdifpenllzy) - mobile medical unit (see mobile allopathic dilpcn.
{-1ST OF AGENTS FOR THE SALE OF GOVERNMENT OF INDI!\' PUBLICATIONS . (as on 17 February, 19(4) .
AOARTALA-L.nmi Bhandar Book. &: Scionli6c Sal ••
AORA-I NatiODai Book Ho ...... Jeon i !lUndi 2. WaI\bawa & Co .• 4S. Civil Lin. ) BlUlwari Lal loin, Publl ....... Mol i Kat .. 4 Enalith Book Depot. Sadar Bazar, Agr. Cantt.
AHMADNAGAR-V. T. 10mUr • Prop., Ram. Goneral Store •• Na.j Poth
AHMEDABAD-I lialaoviud Ku~' Da .. &. Co .• Gandh i Road 2 \_,'hand"; Kant Chi""", Loll Vo,", O.ndbi Road
1 1'0.1" .. Ordor Book Co .• Ellis Bridge 4 Manaion Bros .• Opp. KlUdin Polito Guto • S S I ;I~ Kitab Oll.r. Noar R.I i.r T .Ikl",. I'~ttb"r Kuva. Relief
Rood
AJMER-1 Bno1<·laIId,663,Mlldar Gale Z ~Jputal1d. Book House, Station RoaLi .
J>. P. U.llook Slall.I~()'H. KholWI,li Main R .... .t 10 Ne", Book Co •• ISR.190. Dr. n.""bllai NaoroliR"ad £ I Ptlj1u1ar Dl,(.,k Depott LaminAlon l~("!~\fJ
2S Sa N'arain & Son'i, ~n41, Mhud. Ali Bazar, Mori Gatt' 26 Kitab Mahal (Wholes.le Div.).I'. Ltd .• 2B. Faiz Ba:tar. 17 Hindu Sllhil~. San .. r. Nlli Sarak
6 The nircclor. Indian Bureau of Minoa. Govt."flndia.Miniltry ofMjlle~ II<. Fucl. Nagpur.
The A .. II. Director, Industrial Exlension Centre, Nadi." (;"j.r.t/.
II The Head Clerk. PhoiozinCo8raphic Prea.I. S, Finanee Road. Poona 9 GoVI. P'illtinll &StationerY,R.jk.ot
to The O,IIC. Eu.n,ion Centm.lndustri.t Estate, Kokar, Ranch. ] 1 The Director I S.I.S.I. Industrilt.l EXlCD:iion Centre. Uc.11Ina,Sural
f2 The R~'&istra, of Companies, Narayani Building. 21, BrabouT". Road, Calcuu .... !.
13 The RORist'"' of Compani ... Kentl •• 30, Foet Road. Emakuiam 14 The Registrar of Con'panios. H.No. 3-5-8~, H)dcrKUda ,Hyderabad 15 Registrar of Companie., Anum. Manipur and Tripura .ShilloDI!l
27 T:!:!~:!.':t~ of Companies. GujarBI Slate, Gujamt ~am.ch.' Bllildinl,
28 PubliclHlOn Divisicn. ~u'c Dq.'ol, l\.olth Hll d' t )\.C\:I, :Otllil
29 The VevelopDlent Con'mi"';OIlCr. ~mull Sc"le Intl1ml ••• )l;fw (Jell, , 30 TI,. O. lie. Univer.it) Eml'lo~m<nt Ilurtou, Lucimo .. 31 The O. 11 C.S.I.S.I.E1len5ion Centre,Malda
32 The O. I/C. S.I.S.I. E.lcn,ioll Centre. H.b, •. nt.Juri., :4.1"-1'"'''' 33 The O.I/C.ModeICarpentt)"Workshop. PilnJi Nager.I'.O.BurnpUr 34 The O. I{e, S.I.S.I, l.'h'OnlaJlnin~ l:".",,,.,, Centf<. 1."". 33, North
Topsin Roall. Crdcu1tn~6.
3~ The O. I/C •• S.l. S.I. Exte",ion Centre (Footwear), CaIct.Ua 36 Asstt. Director, Exten.ioll Cent,,,. H)"~rallBd 31 Assn _.JJiro:tor,Extl_rlsion Cent."c, Krjs.hna Distt. (A.P.)
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