Dear Rainer and others
I visited the Andamans islands as a tourist a couple of years ago and drove
through the ATR- a road that caused the deaths of so many Jarawa. The local
administration has actually put up signs along this road saying beware of
Jarawa as if they are some dangerous creatures. While the government has
infested the beautiful islands with other settlers, there is no attempt to
understand the indigenous tribes. In fact the local people are hostile to
the Jarawa and often beat them up. The Jarawa dressed flamboyantly dressed
in red, often stop the cars and beg for food. It was a horrific sight to
witness. I think we have taken away their beautiful islands and ruined them
as a people. In fact contact with our so called wonderful civilisation has
decimated these people- there was a huge measles epidemic among them after
some "wellintentioned" government efforts to give them food some years ago.
Oram is only furthering this stupid process and will probably finish off
what remains of these people.
I saw at that time that some people were interacting with the Jarawa and
liasing with them. They have become bizarre tourist attractions - and know
tourists can give them food- in fact they stopped our vehicle and took away
some things- this is the result of their contact with our great world.
I really dont know what can be done?am not even sure tourism is such a great
idea having been there once and seen the damage we tourists can cause. The
Jarawa seem so remote from all this- how can we help them? CAn someone who
has studied them give any constructive ideas? Is leaving them alone the best
option?
meena
----- Original Message -----
From: "Rainer Hoerig" <rainer@...>
To: <andamanicobar@...>
Sent: Tuesday, November 04, 2003 1:53 PM
Subject: Re: [andamanicobar] Fwd: Re: Oram wants to mainstream A&N tribals
in seven years


Dear Sugato,

you have raised a point that is indeed relevant in the situation of the
Andaman tribes people. The world they are living in is indeed so
different from the one we "civilized" have created around us that it is
very difficult to imagine a meaningful communication happening between
those two worlds. For instance, if you would meet a Jarawa on M.G. Road,
what would you like to tell him? Even if you meet within their own
habitat, the forest, what will you talk about - the weather, latest
Bollywood movie, the war in Irak?

The Andaman tribes people are different in the way that their contact
with modern way of life is nearly nothing. You may visit Adivasi
villages in Madhya Pradesh or Jharkhand for instance and you will be
able to talk to these people in Hindi at least and you can ask them
about their problems and how they imagine them to be solved. After a
visit to the Islands about two years ago I can tell you: Encountering a
Jarawa you are lost of speech, you do not know their habits, you cannot
judge their reactions. How then can you try to find out whether they
like the settlers or not, whether they would like to have a road through
their forest home or not? Well, in case of the road at least, they have
made their stand very clear by raiding the construction camps many
times. But in many other issues, it is not that easy.

Mr. Oram is a catastrophe. He is an Indian Uncle Tom. How can he decide
what is best for the tribes people in the Andamans whom he has never
encountered? We should enshure that nothing is been forced on the jungle
dwellers, that they can exercise their free will towards development or
not. Development again is a construct of our world with hardly any
relevance to theirs.

A last point I would like to make.

In the discussion about tourism it is good to first stick in your pole
and express your doubts about the harmfull effect on the tribes people.
I presume that if the administration would simultanously close the road
and effectively take care that no intrusion by settlers can happen into
the tribes territories, then I can see not reason why the visit of
tourists on other islands may harm the Jarawas. Instead of fundamentally
opposing the tourism plan, why not try to strike a bargain by putting
the closure of the ATR as a precondition? Anyway, after the closure of
most forest operation the island's economy needs some push, some new
direction. I think that tourism, if done in an ecological friendly
matter, is not the worst option for the A & N islands.

Any comments? I would be glad.

Rainer Hoerig, correspondent for German media in Pune



Pankaj Sekhsaria schrieb:

>disgusting_100 <disgusting_100@...> wrote:Date: Sat, 01 Nov 2003
14:09:38 -0000
>From: "disgusting_100"
>To: andamanicobar-owner@...
>Subject: Re: Oram wants to mainstream A&N tribals in seven years
>
>Its a very interesting perspective.
>A political leader wants his ethnic group to mainstream and an NGO
>thinks it shouldnt happen
>
>Lots of value judgements happening here
>Fundamentally - why should an ethnic group remain in the way it had
>for millenia when the world around them is changing
>
>And who decides to exclude them from the "benefits" of "development"
>(I guess I also mean who defines "benefits" and "development")
>Who indeed decides the tribal "cause"?
>
>Hmmmmm
>
>Sugato
>
>
>--- In andamanicobar@..., "pankajandaman"
>
>wrote:
>
>
>>Dear Friends,
>>Hindustantimes.com is running a special series of five articles on
>>
>>
>the
>
>
>>situation on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The third article
>>
>>
>that
>
>
>>was
>>posted today, quotes the Tribal Welfare Minister and his plans for
>>mainstreaming the A&N tribals in the next seven years.
>>A worse fate for these tribal people could not have been conceived.
>>The story is pasted below and so is the link, which will help you
>>access the
>>other stories as well give you an oppurtunity to post your opinion
>>
>>
>in
>
>
>>the
>>matter
>>Pankaj Sekhsaria
>>(Kalpavriksh)
>>
>>Minister pokes stuffy nose in tribal matter
>>Shailesh Shekhar | Friday, October 31, 2003
>>
>>http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/specials/andaman/jualoram.html
>>
>>
>>If Union Tribal Welfare Minister Jual Oram has his way, by 2009 no
>>tribal of
>>the Andaman and Nicobar Islands will anymore be part of the
>>
>>
>Primitive
>
>
>>Tribe
>>Groups.
>>Since 2002, his ministry has been working steadfastly to "reform
>>
>>
>the
>
>
>>tribals
>>and assimilate them with the mainstream." This is despite a court
>>order,
>>stopping all attempts to interfere either with the tribals or
>>
>>
>their
>
>
>>ways of
>>life and living.
>>Minus the Nicobarese, the Jarawas, the Sentinalese, the Shompens,
>>
>>
>the
>
>
>>Onges
>>and the Great Andamanese are currently classified under the
>>
>>
>Primitive
>
>
>>Tribe
>>Group (PTG) by the tribal affairs ministry. (Indeed, this is the
>>first time
>>the Government of India has a separate ministry on Tribal Affairs
>>
>>
>and
>
>
>>a
>>Cabinet rank minister to head it.)
>>The minister says the PTG development has been a focus area for the
>>ministry. In 2002, the ministry drafted a seven-year plan to take
>>
>>
>the
>
>
>>category tribes out of the group. Currently, 75 tribes in India
>>
>>
>are
>
>
>>part of
>>the PTG.
>>The minister says earlier efforts "proved disastrous" because of
>>
>>
>the
>
>
>>gap
>>between the plans and their implementation at every level -
>>economically,
>>culturally and socially. "This time, we are engaging with NGOs
>>
>>
>such as
>
>
>>Ramakrishna Mission, and our Project Officers are going to be in
>>constant
>>touch with the tribes to take care in every possible manner."
>>The minister, of course, has assured himself that his plan neither
>>violates
>>court orders and nor interferes with tribal life. ".we just want
>>
>>
>to
>
>
>>know
>>about them. It is not right to leave them as is. They should
>>
>>
>realise
>
>
>>their
>>surroundings - that a human race exists around them.
>>.we will deal with them anthropologically. People only offer
>>suggestions, we
>>want solutions."
>>On whether the Government of India has formulated any guidelines
>>
>>
>for
>
>
>>the
>>local administration vis-à-vis the handling of the tribals, he
>>says, "we
>>have asked them not to make the life of tribals difficult."
>>
>>Mr Oram is also certain that the Tourism Ministry plans for
>>
>>
>Andaman
>
>
>>and
>>Nicobar Islands must be implemented. "Tourism should happen. It
>>
>>
>will
>
>
>>not
>>disturb the tribals. They are a little away. Moreover, we will have
>>restrictions."
>>Incidentally, the minister is not part of the nodal group which
>>
>>
>has
>
>
>>drafted
>>the grand plan for tourism in the Bay of Bengal archipelago
>>
>>Samir Acharya of Society for Andaman & Nicobar Society (SANE),
>>
>>
>which
>
>
>>has
>>been working overtime for the tribals' cause, says the ministry's
>>plan need
>>to be shelved immediately.
>>
>>"It is the worst possible plan. They will never get away with it.
>>They have
>>almost finished the Andamanese and the Onges under the guise of
>>ameliorating
>>their living conditions. This plan should not be touched with a 20-
>>feet-long
>>pole."
>>
>>
>>
>>Kalpavriksh
>>Apt. 5, Sri Dutta Krupa,
>>908 Deccan Gymkhana
>>Pune 411004
>>India
>>Tel: + 91 20 5654239 / 5675450
>>Fax: 5654239
>>Email: kvriksh@v...
>>
>>
>
>
>
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>
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