Dear Friends,
I agree with Aletha's and Latha's Point of view.
Tribals world over have sufferred brutally at the
hands of the so called civilised society.
It is better to live them alone. Otherwise we will
lose a tradition of culture and knowledge.
Why should we corrupt them with our ideas.
They have rich knowledge on their own.
there must be all efforts to stop the attempts to
interfere either with the tribals or their ways of
life and living?

Ullaash Kumar.R.K

--- chalakudy river river
<chalakudyriver@...> wrote:
---------------------------------
Dear friends,
I agree with Aletha's point of view on this highly
sensitive issue. Honestly how many of really
understand tribals,their world vision? Are we humble
enough for that? There is lot of evidence on how the
primitive tribes all over the world are vanishing or
becoming extinct due to the so called 'mainstream'
barging into their cultures that has evolved tuned to
their specific natural surroundings unlike ours where
control over natural surroundings has been our
'trained' world vision.Probably we have to redefine
the term'civilsed'if we have to understand them .

So we should sent as many materials as possible on the
tribes of Andaman as pointed out by Aletha to the
Ministry.This news should appear in the National pages
of our dailies as well .Can anyone please give more
information on the court order, stopping all attempts
to interfere either with the tribals or their ways of
life and living?
Latha

On Mon, 10 Nov 2003 Aletha Tavares wrote :
>"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."???
>
>I wish people read their histories before making such
outlandish statements!
>The people on the Andaman Islands have been "in
touch" with the so called
>"human race" for centuries- there are instances that
have been recorded
>since the 16 or 17th C of them being captured & taken
into slavery to the
>Orient.
>The British who attempted to bring them into what
they called "civilization"
>regretted the grave mistake, moreso after the
syphilitic epidemic spread.
>Soon after India's independence, came some
anthropologists from
>Calcutta(kolkata) who stated that since they(the
andaman islanders) fell
>into the hunting & gathering category- only certain
amt of land should be
>alloted to them for their "activities" & the rest of
the virgin forests to
>be utilized for lumber activities!- based on an
anthropologist who had
>studied them, worked with them, etc..
>
>Yes one cannot go & leave them as is, but
simultaneously one cannot barge
>into their lives & dress them into what we want
"tourists" to see them as.
>Till today so little is still know of them, their
contact with the so called
>civilization has only helped to bring their nos. down
& die a slow death. &
>moreover, we saying things about what not to do will
not help them. We have
>to come together to bring in a step by step
solution-wherein they can live
>with dignity the way they choose & the tourists can
have their heaven on
>earth spots without wanting to see " specimens" as
part of their itiniary. &
>we can do this. A series of articles about the
history of the island, the
>early interactions, the mistakes, the primitive
solutons offered, should
>first be made available & maybe then within this
scenario- a solution can be
>offered to Mr. Oram.
>For eg. clothing them without teaching them hygiene
will not save them from
>disease, specially since their own way of keeping
clean was so different-
>covering themselves with the clay/ soil of the land,
that helped keep the
>mosqs at bay & also their own body clean. If one
understands this then
>before handing out a Tshirt to cover themselves up,
one will think twice
>about giving them something we think is beneficial
but later will only be
>harmful. These small so "cultural" understandings
will go a long way in
>everyone's interaction with them & thinking about
their future too!
>
>-----Original Message-----
> From: rosalindad1@...
[mailto:rosalindad1@...]
>Sent: Saturday, November 08, 2003 2:11 PM
>To: andamanicobar@...
>Subject: Re: [andamanicobar] Fwd: Re: Oram wants to
mainstream A&N
>tribals in seven years
>
>
>This gets interesting folks!
>If 'benefits' of 'development' is any indication of
what is happening to the
>Onge's and the Jarawas then I totally agree with
Samir Acharya, this plan
>should be shelved post haste.
> Yes!and who decides the tribal 's cause??? Meeting
an Onge in his own land
>one is dumbfounded as there is no common languge that
we share? What is his
>worldview? Bangoleees!! Pigs!!?? Do we know what he
thinks of his other
>tribal cousins in the island??How can we then decide
for him? Oram or any
>other??
> Alternately where can one get a copy of the Tourism
plan for A& N Islands?
>
>Regards,
>Lima
>----- Original Message -----
> From: <radhakamath@...>
>To: <andamanicobar@...>
>Sent: Sunday, November 02, 2003 10:40 PM
>Subject: Re: [andamanicobar] Fwd: Re: Oram wants to
mainstream A&N tribals
>in seven years
>
>
>This is worse case scenario. Can we approach the
supreme court/NHRC on this.
>
>Radha
>
>----- Original Message -----
> From: Pankaj Sekhsaria <pankajandaman@...>
>Date: Sunday, November 2, 2003 4:10 pm
>Subject: [andamanicobar] Fwd: Re: Oram wants to
mainstream A&N tribals in
>seven years
>
> >
> >
> > 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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