*We are suffering the agony of displacement, may you not have to endure it.

Translation of article “visthapan ka dard humlog zhel rahe hai, aap mat zheliyay” by Dayamani Barla in Prabhat Khabar dated Nov 2, 2005))

Status of the People displaced by the Swarnrekha Project.

“We know what the agony of displacement is. We are bearing it. You should not have to bear it. One’s birthplace is more loved than any God’s temple. Even today we dream about our devastated village. The scenes of that forest, those hills, the river and streams, that pond are always in our eyes. Here we have neither trees nor rivers or ponds. Here there are no farms and fields, and no cows and goats.

*We are suffering the agony of displacement, may you not have to endure it.

Translation of article “visthapan ka dard humlog zhel rahe hai, aap mat zheliyay” by Dayamani Barla in Prabhat Khabar dated Nov 2, 2005)
(Translation by Vidya Jonnalagadda)

Status of the People displaced by the Swarnrekha Project.

“We know what the agony of displacement is. We are bearing it. You should not have to bear it. One’s birthplace is more loved than any God’s temple. Even today we dream about our devastated village. The scenes of that forest, those hills, the river and streams, that pond are always in our eyes. Here we have neither trees nor rivers or ponds. Here there are no farms and fields, and no cows and goats. After the displacement in 1981 due to the Swarnarekha Project, no one knows where most of the displaced people are – whether they are even alive or dead. Some of the displaced farmers have become daily-wage laborers. Some have become rickshaw drivers. Women have become laborers in the crushers. Many women have become servants and nannies. In the Chilagu resettlement area, some displaced people were given 0.125 acres of land and others 0.25 acres. But even today, the displaced people have not been given legal rights over that land. There is no proper arrangement for water or schools and hospitals”. This heartwrenching story is of the people displaced in 1978-1981 by the multipurpose Swarnrekha Project from the Chandil area and moved to the Chilagu Resettlement Area. From Dimbu village in Chandil region, Ramesh Lal Murmoo, the son of late Sanatan Murmoo, and Lalu  now live with their families on plots of 0.25 acres. They have constructed a house, a well and a small garden on these plots. Rameshji says that his father had lands of 25-30 acres in Dimbu village. That was a village with a Santhal majority, where 200 families used to live. Lost in the memories of days past Rameshi said “There we had our social life and culture. That was our community, we had our identity. We used to celebrate the festivals of Sarhul and Soharai for 3-4 days. There we had our Jaher Thaan (public meeting place). The Jaher Thaan is the main component of the cultural and spiritual existence of Santhali life. Here we have absolutely nothing. People from all different villages have been brought and stuffed here. Here we have become sidelined.” Rameshji said that they do not worship any tree other than the Saal tree. That is why he has planted 5-6 trees in his portion of the yard and made a Jaher Thaan, where each year they worship the Sarhul and Soharaayi. Rameshiji informed that they are two brothers, but neither was given a job in the form of compensation. They only received two lakh (200,000) rupees in lieu of land, which is nowhere adequate to last a lifetime. Some people of Dimboodeeh village are still there. Their farms and gardens are gone; they are now landless and survive on labor. They say “when the height of the dam is raised, then these people will just have to leave, if not today, then tomorrow”. The displaced say that the old name of that village was Dimbu, but Dikus have renamed it Dimbudeeh. When asked “Why did they do that?” They replied “They want to erase our identity”. They told that Lalu got Rs. 6,000 and Ramesh got Rs. 8,000 in exchange for their houses. They question “Tell us, how big a house can one get for this amount?”

Manzhiji says that they had their cattle wealth there. They had everything like hens and chicks, cows and calves. Here they don’t have enough space even for themselves, where can they keep the animals? He told that earlier people used to keep bullocks and ploughs to work on their farms and gardens in their village. Now two or three displaced families have kept a couple of bullocks in the resettlement area and use these to work as farm labor in the nearby villages.

(To be continued).