DZONGU THE HOLY LAND OF THE LEPCHAS

Faokraam - Takraam (Dzongu),
the Lepchas’ Holy Land in North Sikkim

1. All are well aware that the Lepchas are the original, indigenous people of Sikkim, Darjeeling District, lllam (Nepal), and south-west Bhutan.

2. Faokraam-Takraam (Dzongu) is holy to them all. The indigenous Lepchas’ origin, their language, literature, ancient religion, rituals, ceremonies, custom, tradition, culture and civilization are directly associated with Faokraam-Takraam (Dzongu).

a. ‘Faokraam-Takraam’ - The original Lepcha nameof Dzongu is ‘Faokraam-Takraam’:

i. Here ‘Faok’ in Lepcha means ‘through or channel’
ii. ‘raam’ means ‘a source’
iii. ‘Tak’ means ‘to nestle’
iv. ‘raam’ again means ‘a source’

The Lepcha language is basically mono-styllabic one. Metaphorically, ‘Faokraam-Takraam’ means ‘the source of Lepcha origin and life’. The Lepcha priests, Boongthing, and priestesses, ‘Mun’, use the name, ‘Faokraam-Takraam’, indicating to Dzongu in their prayers, invocations and ovations. ‘Dzongu’, the second name, is incorrectly pronounced as ‘Dzongu’. In fact it is ‘Dzongbu’ meaning the land of plenty, abundance and prosperity. The most important letter ‘b’ in the word is errorneously replaced by the letter, ‘g’.

b. ‘Kingtsoomzaongboo Chyoo’ - It is the Lepcha name for Mt Kanchanjanga meaning the great mountain with an auspicious bright forehead. It is the ‘Guardian Deity’ of the Lepcha. ‘Fudongthing’, the first Lepcha man and ‘Nazaong Nyoo’, the first Lepcha women, the Lepcha firmly believe, were created by Itboo-Deboo Rum, the Creator, from the pure virgin snow of Mt Kanchanjanga and placed them in Dzongu to prosper and spread. The present day Lepcha living all over the world are their directdescendants, children and off-springs. Mt Kanchanjanga is holy to the Lepcha. The Lepcha perform ‘Chyoo Rum Faat’ meaning prayers, ovations and offerings to the Sikkim Himalayas when the fresh snow fall is being experienced in the high mountains in the months of October-November each year.

c. River ‘Ronggyaong’ - ‘Ronggyaong’, the main river in Dzongu, is pronounced as ‘Ronggyaong’ in Lepcha. Ronggyaong is one of the most holy rivers of the Lepcha people. Here ‘Rong’ means Lepchas and ‘Gyaong’ means prayers. Literally it means ‘the river where the Lepchas pray’ in Lepcha. The confluence of Ronggyaong and Rong Nyoo (Teesta) at Naamprikdaang is holy to the Lepchas. A ‘Pildon Mun’, a born Lepcha priestess, guides a departed soul to his/her ‘Poomju’, the final resting place after death, along the river ‘Ronggyaong’
.
d. Posingdaamg - Now it is errorneously called ‘Passingdang’. Here ‘Po’ means bamboo, ‘sing’ means twigs and ‘daang’ means low land. While a ‘Pildon Mun’ takes and guides a departed soul to Poomju, the souls is asked to stand on the bamboo twigs at this low land. The bamboo twigs obviously do not break indicating the person in question is certainly dead; therefore, the name of the place ‘Posingdaang’ in Lepcha. This method of checking whether a person is dead or not by a Pildon Mun is called ‘Shree-Shrong Kintaoh’ in Lepcha. ‘Moormi Long’ meaning a stone statue in Lepcha, now incorrectly pronounced as ‘Maani Long’, is found near the confluence of Ronggyaong and Rong Nyoo.

3. Most places’ names in Dzongu ralate to the Lepcha myths and legends that really took place long long time ago these are holy to them.

a. Nyebraok Tungbo- The Lepchas believe that form this ‘Nyebryaok Tungbo’ varieties of cereal and vegetable seeds will be made available to the Lepcha during a great natural of man made calamities in future.

b. Sabum Daom - A treasure box. The Lepchas belive that they will be protected and will survive a great deluge in the future through ‘ Sabun Daom’. It is a treasure box of Lepcha literature and wealth also.

c. Rong Veng Taksaot - Rong Veng Waterfall. Here ‘Rong means Lepchas’, ‘Veng’ means a door or passage, and ‘Taksaot’ means waterfall. Lepcha souls before entering into ‘Poomju’, the final resting place of departed souls, are purified in this Rong Veng Taksaot.

d. Aazaor Da - The first Lepcha ‘Boongthing’ male priest, was consecrated in this lake. ‘Aazaor’ in Lepcha means crystal clear and ‘Da’ means lake. Hence the name, ‘Aazaor Boongthing’ for the first consecrated Lepcha male priest.

e. Lingmoo Choat - A sandy bank on the river ‘Ronggyaong’. It is here that the footprints of departed souls are checked to indicate that he/she is actually dead.

The above places, watefall, lake, sandy bank, serials a to e, are found at Pantong, Dzongu, North Sikkim.

f. Nyoolik-Nyoosong- It is situated in the middle of Sakyong. This is the original and holy place where the first Lepcha priestess, ‘Nyoolik-Nyoosong’, was conserated.

g.Taarbong-Naarip Purtaam - The place where the first Lepcha Marriage ceremony was solmanized between Taarbong, bride groom, and Naarip Naom, bride.

h. Rong Zeng Purtaam- The place where the first Lepcha Marriage Customary Laws were made.

i. Chimoo-Yongmoo Pobong - Planting of bamboos to commemorate the establishment of Lepcha Marriage Customary Laws in the Lepcha world. The sacred bamboo groove still stands.

The above holy sites (serials f to i) are found in Sakyong, Dzongu, North Sikkim

j. Lingthyen - It is improperly called ‘Lingthyem’. ‘Ling’ means a place or land and ‘thyen’ means to laugh. The place where Laso Mung Pano laughed aloud to scare off the Lepchas.

k. Flyong - The place or land where Laso Mung Pano ran with fear.

l. Leek - The place where Laso Mung Pano cried out in loud voice.
4. Lep- ‘Lep’ in Lepcha means a ‘door, passage or gateway to Poomju’. Pomju is the final resting place of the departed souls with their ancestors. Two main ‘Lep’ are found at the confluence of ‘Faokraamroong Oong’ and ‘Pasam Oong’. They are:

a. Chehem Maarkoo Lep-for women
b. Syom Maarkoo Lep-for men

5. Taarkaol Taam ae Taam - means a valley of deliverance. It is the place were the legendary ‘Laso Mung Pano’ was finally slained. A site of victory of the Lepchas over evil. This is the place where the ten Lepcha clans, Rong Kati, originated. Taarkaol Taam ae Taam is in Tholoong area, Dzongu, North Sikkim. It is a holy place for the Lepchas.

6. Maayel Kyong- Here ‘Maa’ means hidden, ‘yel’ means eternal and ‘kyong’ means a village in Lepcha; therefore, ‘Maayel Kyong’ literally means a ‘hidden and erernal Lepcha Village’. The indigenous Lepcha people firmly believe that seven immortal Lepcha couples live in Maayel Kyong. It is a paradise on earth. It is believed by the Lepchas that ‘Maayel Kyong’ is situated at the head of Faokraam Takraam i.e. Dzongu. The Lepcha offer their prayers, ovations and salutations to Maayel Kyong in the form of ‘Sakyoo Rum Faat’ each year in November-December after harvesting for peace, prosperity and good health. It is also predicted in the Lepcha myth that these seven immortal Lepcha couples of Maayel Kyong will rescue and save the Lepcha during a great man made or natural disaster that will take place in Maayel Lyang, today’s Sikkim, Darjeeling District, Illam and south west Bhutan Hills. ‘Maayel Kyong’ and the seven immortal Lepcha couples are sacred to the Lepcha people.

7. The original name of the Lepcha land comprising of today’s Sikkim, Darjeeling District, Illam (Nepal) and south west Bhutan, no wonder, was ‘Nye Maayel Lyaang’, literally meaning, the holy, hiden, enternal land.

8. There are other Lepcha holy mountains, lakes, caves, places in Dzongu which it is not possible to list here in this booklet. ‘Faokraam Takraam’ i.e. Dzongu is absolutely and naturally holy to the original and indigenous Lepcha tribes living all over the world. The life-cycle of the indigenous Lepcha tribes, their origin, birth, life, death, their souls returning to ‘Poomju’, the final resting place, culture, custom, tradition and civilization begins in Dzongu and ends in Dzongu.


9. Faokraam-Takraam or Dzongu, North Sikkim, is holy to the Lepcha. The Lepchas origin, source, their language, literature, ancient religion, custom, tradition, culture, civilization are directly related and associated with their Dzongu, North Sikkim. The original indigenous Lepchas, the Number one Citizens of India, have not been given the right to visit, offer their prayers and ovations to their Gods, Goddesses, Deities in the land of their origin and source, Dzongu. Though it very clearly indicates that Faokraam-Takraam or Dzongu, Sikkim, is an entegral part of India.


Rong Raamo Vam
Rum Lyaang mo, Dzongoo Lyaang aarey
Sukden Lepcha
Damsang
Rum lyaang mo,2
Dzongoo lyaang aarey,
Rum lyaang mo,
Eet Rum rem tsum lyaang mo.

Punjaok aaphaong kaa,
Koorsaong rip boor baa,
Kaongchyen Choo plong kaa,
Aadoom sanaong tuk baa,
Dzongoo lyaang aarey,
Eet Rum tsum lyaang mo.

Rongnyoo Ronggyaong rem,
Nyungru maat ngak baa,
Daanaok aarey bek kaa,
Mee tukpit aom baa,
Dzongoo lyaang aarey,
Eet Rum saa kamaor mo,2

Nye Maayel Lyaang saa,
Lee kakyaot ching baa,
Rongkup kaayoo saa,
‘Chyoo, Da, Lep’ ching baa,
Dzongoo lyaang aarey,
Nyoothing saa,
Poomju Nye Lyaang mo.






Dear Mutanchi Rumkups,
Khamrimo!

It is a blatant fact that education and knowledge is the only road to success. This as we all know has long been denied to our children, where majority of our people live in remote villages in between the slopes of mountains and ridges which are barely invitable.
Under the initiative of the Indigenous Lepcha Tribal Association, the people have themselves struggled to open up 40 Lepcha Night Schools in different parts of the District of Darjeeling where Government Schools are not available and even if so they do not have the standard and the quality. It is also to your knowledge that the Girls and Boys Hostel in Bom, Kalimpong, District of Darjeeling, gives refuge to our various children from different villages coming for higher education in the town.
Lack of resources in these schools and need for a library in the hostel, is the crux to this letter. Our enthusiastic children walk several hours to reach these one room schools, where Lepcha and English are taught to the children. We need your help in contributions of any kind.
Things that you can do to help are as follows:-
1. By sending any old books that are not in use in your house which is suitable for a student, be it in Lepcha or English on subjects like Science, Mathematics etc., old magazines, story books; novels or for that matter even a month old read newspapers, this includes all positive readable materials.
2. By forwarding this letter to any of your friends or families who may have books which are not in their use.
3. By sending Rs. 5/- or Rs. 50/-(Any amount) in an envelope with your address, contact number, where every details will be accounted in a register. This will be used exclusively for the various expenses in reaching the books to different villages and for other educational purposes.
4. By giving suggestions in letters to carry out the dream of educating, each and every one of our child, by multiplying these Night Schools and improving their infrastructure.
5. By giving suggestion and career guidance to our children residing in the Boys and Girls Hostel in Bom, Kalimpong.
Your contributions will be highly appreciated if left in the following address:-
Lepcha Boys and Girls Hostel, Below Kumudini Homes, Lower Bom, Kalimpong-734301 District Darjeeling, West Bengal.
If it is convenient for you, the undersigned, when informed, will send our co-ordinators at your residence or office for the collection.
Let us help ourselves. There is no future for us without our children. Please remember that your books will be read a thousand times by a thousand knowledge hungry children who are deprived of it in the remote villages. We have always wanted to make a difference in the lives of our people. Here is an opportunity for you to do so. This might seem little to you but it will have an everlasting victory in all the things that we have been denied in our Nye Mayel Renjyaong Lyang.
Aachuley!

Azuk Tamsangmoo Lepcha, Ph. No 980033650.
Email:azukval@gmail. com

Our Coordinators:
1. Lazen Lepcha, Ph. No. 9932745041 2. Neema Lepcha, Ph. No. 9832478327 3. John Lepcha, Ph. No. 9932859674
P.S.: Your Old and discarded clothes will also be accepted, for distribution to our children in the remote villages.

Traditional Lepcha Crafts Training

Distribution below

Subject:- Traditional Lepcha Crafts Training
An Administrative Instruction

1. The above training is being organised and given to the Lepcha men and women, twelve of them, with the following aims and objectives:
a. To preserve, maintain and developed the traditional Lepcha crafts for posterity.
b. To help prepare the Lepcha trainees to make additional income for their families through Lepcha traditional crafts.

2. The Traditional Lepcha Crafts Training is being sponsored by M. Charitable Trust, UK in collaboration with the Indigenous Lepcha Tribal Association, Headquarters Kalimpong. It will commence on 1 September 2010 and end on 31 October 2010.

3. The following two categories of Traditional Lepcha Crafts will be taught to the potential trainees:

a. Lepcha Weaving for Women. At the end of the training, the Lepcha female trainees, eight of them, will be able to weave and give good finish to:
i. ‘Naamrek’ - Lepcha waistband, kamarband
ii. ‘Tunggip’ - Lepcha hand bag
iii. ‘Dumpraa’ - Lepcha men’s dress

b. Lepcha Hats Making for Men. At the end of the training,the four Lepcha male trainees will be able to make the following:
i. ‘Paapree’ - Lepcha men’s hat worn in the field or jungle.
ii. ‘Saamaok’ - Lepcha ceremonial hat
iii. ‘Tukvil Lyaak’- Lepcha women’s necklace
iv. ‘Taalyoong’ - Lepcha winnowing fan etc.

4. A separate training programme will be issued in due course.

5. Imperative qualification of the young Lepcha trainee students:

i. Fluent in Lepcha language.
ii. Interest and aptitude towards their respective traditional Lepcha crafts.

6 Dress:

a. Dumpraa / Thyaaktuk
b. Dumdem / Dumbun

7. Medium of instruction - Lepcha

8. The following Lepcha Association Branches are requested to send their nominations to the President, Indigenous Lepcha Tribal Association, Headquarters Kalimpong by 16 July 2010.
Lepcha Weaving Lepcha Hats Making
(Female) (Male)
a. Lepcha Association,
Sokhyam Branch,
Darjeeling Two One

b. Lepcha Association,
Meerek Branch,
Kurseong Two One

c. Lepcha Association,
Karmi Branch,
Darjeeling Two One

d. Lepcha Association,
Damsang Branch,
Kalimpong Two One

9. The Indigenous Lepcha Tribal Association, Headquarters Kalimpong, have handpicked the following competent Lepcha Teachers, Master Craftman and a Supervisor to run the training and they are:
a. Supervisor - Ren Rumden Lepcha, Ngasey, Kalimpong
b. Lepcha Weaving - i. Head Teacher - Renyoo Phurba Lhamu Lepcha, Ngasey, Kalimpong
- ii. Assistant Teacher -Renyoo Larmit Lepcha, Prektaam, Kalimpong
c. Master Craftman - Ren Jokhim Lepcha, Lower Byong, Git-Dabling, Kalimpong.
All the teachers and trainee students are to report to the Supervisor on 31 August 2010 at 2 pm at Mayel Lee, Ngasay, Kalimpong.

10. Location of the trainning: The Traditional Lepcha Crafts Training will take place at ‘Mayel Lee’, Ngasey, Kalimpong.

11. Food and Accommodation: Food and accommodation will be arranged at Ngasey Kyong for the teachers and trainees for the period 31 August to 31 October 2010. Ngasey Kyong Shezoom is requested to arrange simple food and accommodation for them during the above period. The teachers and trainees will contribute Rs. 1000.00 (Rupees one thousand) only per month to Ngasey Kyong Shezoom for their food and accommodation

12. Pay and Allowances per Month: Pay and allowances per month for the Supervisor, Teachers, Master Craftsman and Trainees will be as follows:

a. Supervisor - Rs. 5000 - 00 (Five thousand )
b. Head Teacher/Master Craftman - Rs. 4500 - 00 (Four thousand and five hundred)
c. Assistant Teacher - Rs. 4000 - 00 (Four thousand )
d. Trainees - Rs. 3000 - 00 (Three thousand)

13. Duty and Task

a. Supervisor
i. He is responsible for day to day management and running of the training.
ii. He is directly answerable to the President, Indigenous Lepcha Tribal Association, Headquarters Kalimpong.
iii. To store the cotton yarn in safe keeping.
iv. To distribute the cotton yarn to the Lepcha Weaving Head Teacher/Assistant Teacher when they require it.
v. To prepare and construct ten suitable handlums for Lepcha weaving inside the hall.
vi.To keep an account book for:
(a) Cotton yarn
(b) Bamboos and canes
(c) Various weaving and hat making instruments
(d) Pay and allowance
(e) Food and accommodation charges etc.
vii. He is also responsible for the cleanliness of the ‘Mayel Lee’ and its surrounding area.
viii. Discipline of the trainees, teachers and master craftman.
ix. He is responsible for creating a healthy atmosphere among the teachers and trainee students.
x. To record and store the finished products in safe keeping and hand them over to the President, Indigenous Lepcha Tribal Association, Headquarters Kalimpong at the end of training in person.
b. Head Teacher, Assitant Teacher and Master Craftman

i. You are responsible to teach the various traditional Lepcha techniques on the Lepcha weaving and crafts to your trainee students with outmost care and love.
ii. You are answerable to your Supervisor on all matters.
iii.You are responsible for creating a cordial, happy and healthy atmosphere among your trainee students.
iv.You will also teach the two skills of Lepcha language, reading and writing, for an hour in the morning and Lepcha songs, dances and culture in the late evening each day to the Lepcha trainees.
v. The Indigenous Lepcha Tribal Association, Headquarters Kalimpong and Ren Michael Way expect your trainee students to do extremely well and go away to their respective villages and areas with immense confidence in their techniques in Lepcha weaving and crafts. You are expected to work extremely hard and lead your trainee students with examples.

15. The following are requested to attend a meeting on 16 July 2010 at 11:00 am at the Lepcha Boys Hostel, Kalimpong to discuss and decide on the finer points of the training:

a. Ren Rumden Lepcha, Ngasey, Kalimpong
b. Renyoo Phurba Lhamu Lepcha, Ngasey, Kalimpong
c. Renyoo Larmit Lepcha, Prektaam, Kalimpong
d. Ren Jokhim Lepcha, Lower Byong, Git-Dabling, Kalimpong
e. President/Secretary, Ngasey Kyong Shezoom, Kalimpong
f. General Secretary, Indigenous Lepcha Tribal Association, Headquarters Kalimpong
g. President, Indigenous Lepcha Tribal Association, Headquarters Kalimpong

16. Visitors
a. The President, Indigenous Lepcha Tribal Association, Headquarters Kalimpong, and his Executive Committee Members may visit the training in progress any time without prior notice.
b. Ren Michael Way will be arriving Kalimpong in October 2010 and he may visit he training centre as and when he wishes without prior notice.
c. Other interested parties may visit the training centre.
d. The Supervisor,Teachers, Master Craftman and trainees should be able to welcome them with big smiles.

17. There will be a Lepcha function on 31October 2010 to mark the end of training. Ren Michael Way will be the Chief Guest of the day. He will be requested to give away the ‘certificates’ to the successful trainees at the end of the day. The Executive Committee Member of various Lepcha Association Branches will be invited to witness the programme on the day. A separate instruction will follow in due course.

18. To make this very important Traditional Lepcha Crafts Training a grand success all people involved in it, must work extremely hard, diligently and with total dedication.

‘Aachuley!’

LYANGSONG TAMSANG LEPCHA
President
Indigenous Lepcha Tribal Association,
Headquarters Kalimpon
Distribution:
Action:
1. Paragraph 8 Sub- paragraphs a, b, c, and d
2. Paragraph 9, Sub- paragraphs a, b, and c
3. All Executive Committee Members, Indigenous Lepcha Tribal Association, Headquarters Kalimpong.

Information:

President/ Secretary - Lepcha Association Branch,
Singritam /Mane Danra/Dabai Pani
Lepcha Association Branch, Sittong, Kurseong
Lepcha Association Branch, Kolkata
Lepcha Association Branch,New Delhi
Ren Michael Way, M. Way Charitable Trust,UK
Lepcha Youth Association, Headquarters Kalimpong
Ren S.M. Lepcha Darjeeling

Aachuley’ Lepcha Community Radio

99% of the indigenous Lepcha tribes live in remote villages where the basic human facilities are non-existent.The literary rate of the Lepcha tribes is the lowest among the various communities in this region. Without proper education, they are living in the 19th Century today. Marginalization of the original indigenous Lepcha tribes in West Bengal has a telling effect on their socio- economic and political conditions. No wonder anthropologists, linguists and scholars are repeatedly saying that the original indiegenous Lepcha tribes are a vanishing tribal race.

Bollywood and western musical and cultural craze have not spare the Lepcha community either. Beautiful and meaningful folksongs, folk music and traditional cultural heritage seem unfashionable to many today. India is known throughout the world for her varieties of ancient, rich and unique languages, literature, culture, traditions, customs etc. People of the world marvel at her. It is very important that the Lepcha tribes do not falter in their thoughts and action and must endeavour to conserve their very rich and ancient cultural heritage in Mayel Lyang.

Useful and important Government information is hard to come by in this region, especially in the remote villages where the Lepcha tribes reside. Take the example of ‘Census of India 2011’. Most people in the remote villages are not aware of the importance of Indian Census 2011 and how each individual or the head of family at least could be immense help to the Goverment of India in compiling the most important and correct census in order to plan the future development works.

There are hundreds of problems for the Lepcha community in this region. Each problem has its own solution. Through the community radio, we fimly believe, it will not only help to communicate among the Lepcha tribes better and solves problems, it certainly can help us to preserve, conserve, maintain and develop the very rich, ancient and unique Lepcha language, literature and cultural heritage for posterity. A Lepcha Community Radio Station is a must for the original indigenous Lepcha tribes in Kalimppong, the heartland of the Lepchas.

The long awaited cherished dream, hope and aspiration of the original indigenous Lepcha tribes of the Darjeeling District, West Bengal of a quality radio communications in their own language, is going to be materialized and fulfilled soon. ‘Panos Institute South Asia’ is here to help the Lepcha community of West Bengal to establish their own community radio in Kalimpong.


Dr Sanjay Barbora, the Regional Manager, Panos Institute South Asia with his staff on the invitation of Ms Laden Lepcha, a forward looking young Lepcha lady, arrived Kalimpong on 25 January 2010 and met Ren Lyangsong Tamsang, the President, Indigenous Lepcha Tribal Association and his executive committee members. It was unanimously decided that the work to establish a much needed Lepcha community radio in Kalimpong should start in earnest . True to his word, Dr Sanjay Barbora returned to Kalimpong to conduct a ‘Radio Training Workshop’ from 2 to 7 May 2010 in Kalimpong with the following experts in radio communications:

a. Sanjay Venniyoor - Who used to be with Prasar Bharati and is now with Deutche Welle. He is a part of the Community Radio Forum of India.

b. Mr Hemand Babu. He works with NOMAD and has been a Community Radio practitioner and trainer.

c. Mr Karun Thapa. He hails from Kathmandu and is a media cosultant and Community Radio practitioner.
d. Mr Arupjyoti Das. He also represents Panos South Asia.

e. Mr Nayan Bhuyan. A Journalist from Assam.

The following Lepcha enthusiasts were successfully given traning in the community radio:

Mr Suksing Kongchyen Lepcha
Mr Nimsing Lepcha
Miss Lazem Lepcha
Miss Tsheringkit Lepcha
Mr Ongden Lepcha
Mr John Lepcha
Mr Nima Lepcha
Mr Rumden Lepcha
Mr Kuldip Lepcha
Mr Noyel Lepcha
Mr Lawong Lepcha

A Committee consisting of the following have been elected to run the Lepcha Community Radio on 15 June 2010:

President -Ren Lyangsong Tamsang Lepcha
Secretary- Renyoo Laden Lepcha
Treasurer- Ren Tasothing Lepcha
1. Ren Thupden Lepcha - Executive Member
2. Ren Dorjee T. Lepcha - Executive Member
3. Ren Azuk Tamsang - Executive Member
4. Ren Yusuf Simick Lepcha - Executive Member
5. Ren Pemba Lepcha - Executive Member
6. Renyoo Jyomit Lepcha - Executive Member

It was felt that ‘fund’ is needed to run the Lepcha Community Radio Station efficiently and therefore, it was unanimously decided by the newly formed committee to raise Rs 50,00000.00 (Rupees fifty lakhs). It was also decided that the interest earned from the capital investment will only be used wisely to run, maintain and pay the staff of the newly established Lepcha Community Radio Station.

All the Lepchas and those well wishers of the Lepcha tribal community are requested to come forward to help and assist the Executive Committee Members, ‘Aachuley’Lepcha Community Radio in Kalimpong.

Finally the Indigenous Lepcha Tribal Association, Headquarters Kalimpong, the apex body of the Lepchas of West Bengal, is very grateful to the’Panos Institute South Asia’ and its Regional Manager, Dr Sanjay Barbora and his colleagues for coming forward to help eastablish the much needed Lepcha Community Radio Station in Kalimpong. The name of the Radio station will be ‘Aachuley, Lepcha Community Radio’.

It is hoped that the ‘Aachuley’ Lepcha Community Radio Station will be fully operative by May 2011.
A Senior Correspondent

Bare footed delegation of the Lepchas to the SDO Siliguri

Increasing number of lepcha youths, boys and girls have joined the Dharna (demonstration) which has started from 10th August 2010 at Tenzing Norgay bus station , Siliguri , West Bengal .
With the Recruitment polices of the Government in armed and quasi armed forces, the lepcha tribe in West Bengal and Sikkim not belonging to the ‘blanket term’ Gorkha although considered as indigenous tribe of Darjeeling District, West Bengal and Sikkim are deprived of employment and not being able to serve in their own Government .
Shockingly, the demand of the gorkha certificate even in the state armed forces such as the recruitment of the Eastern Frontier Rifles which was earlier eligible with the tribal certificates has put a deep sense of insecurity among the Lepcha youths in the State of West Bengal . The lepcha youths have no other recourse but to stand by their democratic right to freedom of expression and assembly in order to achieve their goals.

This , which is just a tip of the ice berg has made the lepchas wonder about the polices of the Government which favors other communities while the indigenous Lepcha tribes, the true sons of the soil and number one citizen of the Darjeeling Hills West Bengal, India are being denied the basic rights in their own home land.

Apryaa Vom (Lepcha Classical Folk Song)

Apryaa Vom is the oldest and richest form of Lepcha classical folk song. The descendants of Fadongthing and Nuzaongnyoo, the Lepchas, in praise of Eetboo Deboo, the Creator, Kingtsumzaongboo, the Guardian Deity, Fadongthing and Nuzaongnyoo, their progenitors, offered their prayers in the form of an ‘Aprya Vom’. During, ‘Soogi Lyaot Tek’, an offering of prayers, invocations, devotion, and thanksgivings to Tamsangthing, Nyoolik Nyoosong Mun, Azaor Boongthing, and their respective Gurus, the Lepcha Mun and Boongthing sing ‘Apryaa Vom’. Normally there are two parties; one represents the ‘Dangmoo Rum’, a God of low land, and another party represents as the ‘Sangnyo Rum’, a God of the mountains and high lands. The singers representing the ‘Dangmoo Rum’ sing using the ‘Dangit Nyoo’ bird’s tone and the other party representating ‘Sang Nyoo Rum’, imitates and sing in ‘Chyak Doon’ and ‘Kakoo’ birds tones.

There are mainly three types of Aprya Vom Sut (tunes) for common Lepchas:

1. Renjyong Sut: As the name suggests, Renjyong sut is related to the Sikkimese tune. The Darjeeling and Kurseong Sub-Divisions are historically included in Sikkim; therefore, the Lepchas of these two Sub-Divisions also follow the ‘Renjyong Sut’. The tune flows like a stream.

2. Damsang Sut: Damsang Sut pertains to the Lepchas of present day Kalimpong Sub-Division. Damsang Sut is , vigourous and flowing.

3. Illam Sut: It is related to Illam, east Nepal. Illam Sut is always in rhyme. It is little bit slow in rhythm but it flows slow and steady without stop.

Apryaa Vom is sung on all occasions and there are basically four kinds of Apryaa Vom as follows:

1. Sawo Apryaa Vom - Prayer song
2. Aagao-Apryaa Vom - Joyous song
3. Asyaot - Sam Kyao Apryaa Vom - Sad song
4. Dungeet Aprya Vom - Patriotic song

In the old day Apryaa Vom was also sung during funeral and death ceremonies but, today, unfortunately, it has almost ceased to be sung except one person, Lapon Sonam Tshering Lepcha of Kalimpong.

While singing an Apryaa Vom, a singer must observe and strictly adhere to the following rules and regulations:

a. It must be sung in the standing position.’’

b. His or her head-gear, if any, must be in his or her hands.

c. No musical instruments will accompany the song because Apryaa Vom started well before the advent of the Lepcha musical instruments.

d. A singer normally has to concentrate on a particular, relevant subject demanded by the situation, and spontaneously compose his or her song then and there, describing and stressing the points and very frankly expressing his or her thoughts, without any restraint, to the audiences.

e. it must flow like a river, smooth, cool and non-stop.

f. A singer is allowed freedom to use praise, humour and sarcasm, where applicable, without restraint in his or her song.

g. Apryaa Vom normally starts with the word, ‘Haa Aey’ and if it is a patriotic song, ‘Aachuley’ is used. At the end of the song, all will shout out ‘Aachuley!’. It is an expression of admiration, praise and joy all rolled into one except on ‘Aasyaot’ or ‘Samkyao Vom’ (Sad song) all will remain silent for obvious reasons.

To protect, maintain and develop this unique Lepcha traditional classical folk song, Apryaa Vom, workshops and competitions among the Lepchas, young and old, male and female, are being organised from time to time in Kalimpong, West Bengal.


Lyangsong Tamsang

NATIONAL TRIBAL POLICIES

For the first time after the country became Independent, the Government of India is proposing the formulation of a National Policy on Scheduled Tribes.

The policy seeks to bring Schedule Tribes into the mainsream of society through a multipronged approach for their all-round development without disturbing their distinct culture.

There are 67.8 million Scheduled Tribe people, constituting 8.08 per cent of India’s population. There are 698 Scheduled Tribe spread all over the country barring States and Union Territories like Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Pondicherry and Punjab. Orissa has the larest number- 68- of Scheduled Tribes.

Scheuled Tribes are those which are notified as such by the President of India under Article 342 of the Constitution. The first notification was issued in 1950. The President considers characteristics like the tribes’ primitive traits, distinctive culture, shyness with the public at large, geographical isolation and social and economic backwardness before notifying them as a Scheduled Tribe. Seventy-five of the 698 Scheduled Tribes are identified as Primitive Tribal Groups considering they are more backward than Scheduled Tribes. They continue to live in a pre-aricultural stage of economy and have very low literacy rates. Their populations are stagnant or even declining.
The Constitution through several Articles has provided for the socio-economic development and empowerment of Scheduled Tribes.(You may list the provisions here, if necessary.) But there has been no national policy, which could have helped translate the constitutional provisions into a reality. Five principles spelt out in 1952, known as Nehruvian Panchasheel, have been guiding the administration of tribal affairs. They are:

Tribals should be allowed to develop according to their own genius

Tribals’ rights in land and forest should be respected

Tribal team should be trained to undertake administration and deveopment without too many outsiders being inducted

Tribal deveopment should be undertaken without disturbing tribal social and cultural institutions

The index of tribal deveopment should be the quality of their life and not the money spent

Realising that the Nehruvian Panchasheel was long on generalities and short on specifics, the Government of India formed a Ministry of Tribal Affairs for the first time on October 1999 to accelerate tribal development. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs is now coming out with the draft National Policy on Tribals. Based on the feedback from tribal leaders, the concerned States, individuals, organisations in the public and the private sectors, and NGOs, the Ministry will finalised the policy.
The National Policy recognises that majority of Scheduled Tribes continue to live below the poverty line, have poor literacy rates,suffer from malnutrition and disease and are vulnerable to displacement. It also acknowledges that Scheduled Tribes in general are repositories of indigenous knowledge and wisdom in certain aspects.

The National Policy aims at addressing each of these problems in a concrete way. It also lists out measures to be taken to preserve and promote tribals’ cultural heritage.

Formal education:
Formal education is the key to all-round human deveopment. Despite several campaigns to promote formal education ever since Independence, the literacy rate among Scheduled Tribes is only 29.60 per cent compared to 52.21 per cent for the country as a whole (1991 Census). The female literacy rate is only 18.19 per cent compared to the national female literacy rate of 39.29 per cent. Alienation from the society, lack of adequate infrastructure like schools, hostels and teachers, abject poverty and apathy towards irrelevant curriculum have stood in the way of tribals getting formal education.

To achieve the objective of reaching the benefit of education to tribals, the National Policy will ensure that:

Tribls are included in the national programme of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan run by the Ministry of Human Resource Development.

Schools and hostels are opened in areas where no such facilities exist.
At least one mode residential school is located in each tribal concentration area

Education is linked with provision of supplemenary nutrition.

Special incentives like finalcial assistance, pocket allowance, free distribution of textbooks and school uniforms are provided

Teaching is imparted in tribals’ mother tongue at least up to the primary level. Educated tribal youth are given employment as teachers, wherever possible. (This will obviate the need to employ teachers belonging to far-off places who find commuting is as difficult as staying in a village with no basic amenities).

Pedagogy is made relevant so that tribals do not find it as alien.

Curriculum and cocurriculum include aspects of meta skill upgradation of tribal children.

Curricula for meta skill upgradation are to include aspects of tribal games and sports, archery, identification of plants of medicinal value, arts and crafts and culture, folk dances and folk songs, folk paintings etc.

Emphasis is laid on vocational/professional education. Polytechnics are set up for studies in subjects like forestry, horticulture, dairying, veterinary sciences, polytechnics.

Traditional wisdom:
Dwelling amidst hills, forests, coastal areas, deserts, tribals over the centuries have gained precious and vast experience in combating environmental hardships and leading sustainable livelihoods. Their wisdom is reflected in their water harvesting techniques, indigenously developed irrigation channels, construction of cane bridges in hills, adaptation to desert life, utilisation of forest species like herbs, shrubs for medicinal purposes, meteorological assessment etc. Such invaluable knowledge of theirs needs to be properly documented and preserved lest it should get lost in the wake of modernisation and passage of time.

The National Policy seeks to:
Preserve and promote such traditional knowledge and wisdom and document it

Establish a centre to train tribal youth in areas of traditional wisdom

Disseminate such through models and exhibits at appropriate places

Transfer such knowledge to non-tribal areas

Health:
Although tribal people live usually close to nature, majority of them need health care on account of malnutrition, lack of safe drinking water, poor hygiene and environmental sanitation and above all poverty. Lack of awareness and apathy to utilise the available health services also affect their health status. In wake of the opening of tribal areas with highways industrialization, and communication facilities, diseases have spread to tribal areas. Endemics like malaria, deficiency diseases, venereal diseases including AIDS are not uncommon among tribal populations. However, lack of safe drinking water and malnutrition are well-recognised major health hazards. Tribals suffer from a deficiency of calcium, vitamin A, Vitamin C, riboflavin and animal protein in their diets. Malnutrition and undernutrition are common among Primitive Tribal Groups who largely depend upon food they either gather or raise by using simple methods. The poor nutritional status of tribal women directly influences their reproductive performance and their infants’ survival, growth and development.

Tribal people, who are self reliant and self-sufficient, have over the centuries developed their own medicine system based on herbs and other items collected from the nature and processed locally. They have also their own system of diagnosis and cure of diseases. They believe in taboos, spiritual powers and faith healing. There are wide variations among tribals in their health status and willingness to access and utilise health services, depending on their culture, level of contact with other cultures and degree of adaptability.

Against this background, the National Policy seeks to promote the modern health care systen and also a synthesis of the Indian systems of medicine like ayurveda and siddha with the tribal system.

The National Policy seeks to:
Strengthen the allopathy system of medicine in tribal areas with the extension of the three-tier system of village health workers, auxiliary nurse mid-wife and primary health centres.
Expand the number of hospitals in tune with tribal populaion

Validate identified tribal remedies (folk claims) used in different tribal areas

Encourage, document and patent tribals’ traditional medicines

Promote cultivation of medicinal plants related value addition strategies through imparting training to youth

Encourage qualified doctors from tribal communities to serve tribal areas

Promote the formation of a strong force of tribal village health guides through regular training-cum-orientation courses

Formulate area-specific strategies to improve access to and utilisation of health services

Strengthen research into diseases affecting tribals and initiate action programmes

Eradicate endemic diseases on a war footing

Displacement and Resettement:
Displacement of people from traditional habitations causes much trauma to the affected people. Compulsory acquisition of land for construction of dams and roads, quarrying and mining operation, location of industries and reservation of forests for National Parks and environmental reasons forces tribal people to leave their traditional abodes and land - their chief means of livelihood.
Nearly 85.39 lakh tribals had been displaced until 1990 on account of some mega project or the other, reservation of forests as National Parks etc. Tribals constitute at least 55.16 per cent of the total displaced people in the country. Cash payment does not really compensate the tribals for the difficulties they experience in their living style and ethos.

The National Policy for Tribals, therefore, stipulates that displacement of tribal people is kept to the minimum and undertaken only after possibilities of non-displacement and least displacement have been exhausted. When it becomes absolutely necessary to displace Scheduled Tribe people in the large interest, the displaced should be provided a better standard of living.

The National Poicy, therefore, mandates that the following guidelines be followed when tribals are resettled:

When displacement becomes inevitable, each scheduled tribe family having land in the earlier settlement shall be given land against land. A minimum of two hectares of cultivable land is considered necessary and viable for a family(comprising man, his wife and unmarried children).

Tribal families having fishing rights in their original habitat shall be granted fishing rights in the new reservoir or at any other aternative place

Reservation benefits enjoyed at the original settlement shall be continued at the resettlement area.
Additional financial assistance equivalent to nearly one and a half year’s minimum agricultural wages for loss of customary rights and usufructory rights of forest produce shall be given.

Tribals are to be resettled close to their natural habitat by treating all the people so displaced as one group to let them retain their ethnic, linguistic and socio-cultural identity and the network of kinship and mutual obligations

Free land is to be provided for social and religious congregations

If resettlement is possible only away from the district/taluka, then substantively higher benefits in monetary terms shall be given.

When tribal families are resettled en masse, all basic minimum amenities shall be provided at the new sites. They include roads and passages, electricity, drainage and sanitation, safe driking water, educational and health care facilities, fair price shops, a community hall and a panchayat office.

Forest villages:
Tribals’ age-old symbiotic relationship with forests is well known. Recognising this fact, even the National Forest Policy committed itself to the close association of tribals with the protection, preservation and development of forests and envisaged their customary rights in forests. It is, however, a matter of serious concern that about 5000 forest villages do not have minimum basic living conditions and face a constant threat of eviction.
The National Policy suggests that any forceful dispacement should be avoided. Human beings move on their own to places with better opportunities. The forest villages may be converted into revenue villages or forest villages may be developed on par with revenue villages to enable the forest villagers enjoy at least the minimum amenities and services that are available in revenue villages.

The National Policy, therefore, mandates that

Educational and medical facilities, electricity and communication, approach roads and such other basic amenities be provided to forest villagers.

Public Distribution System (PDS) and Grain Banks be established to prevent food problems.

Advanced agricuture and animal husbandry technologies be introduced so that forest villagers raise their production, incomes and economic standards.

Bank and other institutional loans be made available for entrepreneurs with viable projects of income generation

Tribals be given opportunities to partake in joint forest management and encouraged to form cooperatives and corporations for major forest related operations

Integrated area development programmes be taken up in and around forest areas

Tribals’ rights in protection, regeneration and collection of minor forest produce (MFP)be recognised and institutional arrangements made for marketing such produce
Efforts be made to eliminate exploitation by middlemen in cooperative like Tribal Development Cooperative Corporations(TDCCs), Large Sized multi Purpose Societies (LAMPS) and Forest Deveopment Cooperatives by introducing minimum support prices for non aricultural produce on the lines of minimum support prices for agricultural produce.

Shifting Cultivation:
In the evolution of human civilisation, shifting cultivation preceded agriculture as we know it today. In shifting cultivation, tribals do not use any mechanized tools or undertake even ploughing. A digging stick and a sickle are the usual tools. It is widely practised in whole of North-Eastern region besides the States of Andra Pradesh, Orissa, Tamil Nadu and to some extent in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. Though the practice is hazardous to environment, it forms basis of life for tribals. Traditionally, shifting cultivation has been in vogue in hilly terrains where tribals have had the right on land either individually or on community basis. Because of poor yields, crops do not meet their food requirement for more than four months or so in a year.

The tribals involved in shifting cultivation do not seem to have any emotional attachment to the land as an asset or property needing care and attention as in non-tribal areas. In shifting cultivation lands, no attention is paid to the replenishment of soil fertility. Tribals merely believe in harvesting crops without putting in efforts or investments. Land is just left to nature to recoup on its own.

To handle the problem of shifting cultivation, the National Policy will focus on the following aspects:

Land tenure system will be rationalised giving tribals right to land ownership so that they will invest their energy and resources in checking soil erosion and fertility - which have hitherto been neglected as land belonged to no one but was subject to exploitation by every one.

Agricultural scientists will be asked to focus on shifting cultivation and evolve suitable technologies to improve production.

The shifting cultivators will be ensured sufficient food supply through the pubic distribution system and grain banks. Tribals will be encouraged to raise cash crops and horticultural plantations.

Training and extension prorammes will be organised to sensitise tribals about alternative economic strategies so that they can come out of shifting cultivation.

Land Alienation:
Scheuled Tribes being simple folk are often exploited to forgo their foremost important resource - land - to non-tribals. Although States have protective laws to check the trend, dispossessed tribals are yet to get back their lands. Yet, another form of land alienation takes place when States promote deveopment projects like hydro-electric power stations and mining and industries. These developmental activities, which do not confer any benefit on tribals directly, render them landless.
The National Poicy for Tribals seeks to tackle tribal land alienation by stipulating that

Tribals have access to village land records

Land records be displayed at the panchayat

Oral evidence be considerd in the absence of records in the disposal of tribals’ land disputes

States prohibit transfer of lands from tribals to non-tribals

Tribals and their represenatives be associated with land surveys

Forest tribal villagers be assigned pattas for the land under their tillage since ages

States launching development projects take adequate care to keep tribal lands intact and when not possible, allot land even before a project takes off

Intellectual Property Rights:
Scheduled Tribes are known for their knowledge and wisdom of ethnic origin. There is, however, no legal and/or institutional framework to safeguard their intellectual property rights.

The National Policy, therefore, will aim at making legal and institutional arrangements to protect their intellectual property rights and curtailing the rights of corporate and other agencies to access and exploit their resource base.
Tribal Languages:
The languages spoken by tribals - tribal languages - are treated as unscheduled languages. In the wake of changing educational scenario, many of the tribal languages are facing the threat of extinction. The loss of language may adversely affect tribal culture, especially their folklore.

The National Policy aims at preserving and documenting tribal languages. Education in the mother tongue at the primary level needs to be encouraged. Books and other pubications in tribal languages will be promoted.

Primitive Tribal Groups (PTGs):
Primitive Tribal Groups (PTGs) are Scheduled Tribes known for their declining or stagnant population, low levels of literacy, pre-agricultural technology, primarily belonging to the hunting and gathering stage, and extreme backwardness. They were considered as a special category for support for the first time in 1979. There are 75 Primitive Tribal Groups spread over 15 Sates and Union Territories. The 25 lakh PTG population constitutes nearly 3.6 per cent of the tribal population and 0.3 per cent of the country’s population.

PTGs have not benefited from developmental activities. They face continous threats of eviction from their homes and lands. They live with food insecurity and a host of diseases like sickle cell anemia and malaria.

The National Policy envisages the following steps to tackle PTGs’ problems:

To boost PTGs social image, their being stigmatized as ‘primitive’ shall be halted.

Efforts shall be made to bring them on par with other Scheduled Tribes in a definite time frame. Developmental efforts should be tribe-specific and suit the local environment.

Effective preventive and curative health systems shall be introduced.

PTGs’ traditional methods of prevention and cure shall be examined and validated.

To combat the low level of literacy among PTGs, area and need specific education coupled with skill upgradation shall be given priority.

Formal schooling shall be srengthened by taking advantage of ‘Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan’. Trained tribal youth shall be inducted as teachers.

Teaching shall be in tribals’ mother tongue/dialect

Considering PTGs’ poverty, school-going children shall be provided incentives.

Emphasis shall be laid on vocational education and training.

PTGs shall enjoy the ‘right to land’. Any form of land alienation shall be prevented and landless PTGs given priority in land assignment.

Public distribution system (PDS) shall be introduced to ensure regular food supply. Grain banks shall be established to ensure food availability during crises.
PTGs’ participation in managing forests shall be ensured to meet their economic needs and nourish their emotional attachment to forests.

Scheduled Tribes and
Scheduled Areas:
Although the Constitution is clear about the concept and strategy adopted for defining Scheduled Areas and tribal areas in terms of Fifth and Sixth Schedules under Articles as 244(1) and 244(2),there is some confusion among those concerned with implementing them.

The National policy, therefore, envisages the following steps.

The regulation making powers of State Governors to maintain good governance, peace and harmony in tribal areas will be further strengthened. It will be ensured that Tribal Advisory Councils meet regularly and focus on speedy developmental works and prohibition of land transfers. Money lending menace shall be curbed through implementation of money lending laws.

Tribal Advisory Councils will be established in States which have Scheduled Areas and even in States wherea substantial number of tribal people live although Scheduled Areas have not been declared.

The Autonomous District/Regional Councils in North-Eastern States will be further strengthened. The Councils are elected bodies having powers of legislation, an execution and administration of justice.
Administration:
The existing administration machinery in States and districts comprising Integrated Tribal Development Agencies (ITDA) and Integrated Tribal Development Projects (ITDP) have not been up in terms of the quality of performance and development indicators.

The National Policy seeks to revitalise the administration by proposing the following:

Skill upgradation-cum-orientation programmes shall be conducted for tribal administration officials.

Infrastructure development shall be given priority so that officials will function from their places of posting.

Only officials who have adequate knowledge, experience and a sense of appreciation for tribal problems shall be posted for tribal administration.
As the schemes meant for improving tribals’ condition take time, a tenure that is commensurate with their implementation shall be fixed for officials.

Research:
The National Policy acknowledges the importance of a good database to deal with Scheduled Tribes’ affairs. Research on tribals’ethnic profiles, spectrum of problems and prospects and developmental constraints and monitoring and evaluation of schemes and projects needs priority attention.

The National Policy for Tribals proposes that the existing Tribal Research Institutes located in different States shall be further strengthened for carrying out purposeful research and evaluation studies and work towards the preservation of the rich tribal cultural heritage. It also envisages the establishment of a national-level research institution.

Participatory Approach:
The National Policy recognises the importance of participatory approach to development. Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and Voluntary Agencies (VAs) act as catalysts in reaching benefits of Government prorammes and policies to the grass-root level and thus optimise the desired accomplishment. Such oranisations have direct linkages with people and are conversant with their problems. NGOs can underake and promote family and community based programmes and mobilise resources in tribal areas. Some well-established NGOs are eager to take part in the development of Scheduled Tribes in general and Primitive Tribal Groups in particuar.

The National Policy, therefore, seeks to enlist and encourage NGOs in tribal development activities. They can play an important role in the opening of residential and non-residential schools, hostels, dispensaries, hospitals and vocational training centres, promotion of awareness programmes and capacity building.

To bring the tribals with country’s mainstream, the National Policy envisages the following

Identification of tribal groups with ‘primitive traits’ shall be done away with on a priority basis.
The ‘distinct culture’ of the tribes reflected in their folk art, folk literature, traditional crafts and ethos shall be preserved. Their oral traditions shall be documented and art promoted.

Opportunities shall be provided for tribals to interact with outside cultures.
Their geographical isolation shall be minimised through development of roads, transport and means of communication and provision of concessional travel facility.

West Bengal Agricultural Policy: Lepcha farmers at stake

T. K. Das



This article is a sketch of an impact of commercialization of Indian
agriculture on the marginal people of this country like the Lepchas.
The Left-Front Government (LFG) led by CPI(M) proposed for a new
agricultural policy in 2002. This agricultural policy in tune with the
Mckinsey Report is another dimension of the global pressure on the
Indian farmers in general and tribal agriculturists in particular. The
basic target of this policy is commercialization of agriculture to the
extent to ensure full utilization of land, its products and manpower
for satiating global demands. This proposal has an apparent a priori
logic that villagers would be benefited, because this policy will
ensure employment and income generation for the farmers. At the same
time this policy will, on the one hand, relieve the cash-trapped
Government of its responsibility in safeguarding the interests of the
poor farmers of Bengal and, on the other hand, release the same from
the pressure of the global business houses and their Indian agents.

This new policy was a prelude to a major shift from agriculture to
agribusiness, which ‘is central to West Bengal’s 2010 Agribusiness
Vision.’ This policy was, in fact, a product of McKinsey Report on
problems and prospects of agriculture in West Bengal. The McKinsey, an
American consultancy firm, was first invited by the LFG in 1993. The
McKinsey Report proposed for three fundamental changes in agricultural
sector: a) opening of agriculture sector to private companies and
multinational corporations (MNCs), b) bringing variation in
agricultural products, and c) initiating into contract between
farmers and corporate (MNCs) for production and selling of particular
products. The first draft of the agricultural policy was vehemently
criticized by different sections of people and even by the smaller
partners of the Left Front. The LFG was forced to replace this policy
with two other policy-drafts under the supervision of Nirupam Sen, the
Minister of Industry, Government of West Bengal. However, these were
fundamentally similar to the former one. Such recalcitrant attitude of
the LFG primarily lies embedded in hurriedness of LFG for
industrializing West Bengal through free hand of private players. It
propagandizes agriculture as an unprofitable engagement for
livelihood. So, industrialization is the only panacea. To the CPM
veterans, farmers should sell his land and deposit the money in the
bank for living on interests. The urban bhdralok leadership of CPM
never likes tilling field and enjoying jatra as, to them, it is meant
for churl only. In fact, the ideological base of the dominant section
of the LFG also inspires such mode of thinking. It is thought that
agriculturists and their ethnic nexus to land are detrimental to
‘socialist path’ of progress. This disdainful attitude to farming
naturally propagandizes agriculture as an unprofitable affair for
livelihood. So, industrialization is the panacea. However, analysis
of the class character of those LFG propagandists reveals that they
are urban-centric, none of them are real tillers of land and they have
come from upper-middle class or from local elites of any class and
caste. Instead of nourishing the agriculture potential of the state,
what is long due, they obviously have prescribed shift from farming to
multinational contract farming -- the McKinsey solution.

Denuding the land is the consequential action of such institutional
arrangement. On the one hand LFG lays bare land for physical extortion
through hi-tech chemical farming and scrubs of land from the
psychosocial heritage on the other. Such aggressive advances need
certain legal instruments – acquisition and commercial use of land. In
consonance with this purpose and suggestions offered in the McKinsey
report, the LFG enacted a new land reform policy: the West Bengal
Land Reform (Amendment) Act in August 14 2005. The Section 14(Z) of
this new act legalizes entry of FDI in all sectors, like contract
farming, tourism, plantation, etc. It further empowers government to
change land use pattern at its whim. The results are: a) total
destruction of small and medium business including agriculture, b)
total opening of rural areas for FDI, & c) economy, management and
administration in rural areas will be controlled by MNCs. On the other
side, the LFG puts the British colonial policy of land acquisition of
1894 on use for facilitating industrialization in West Bengal. Such
attempt has already gained notoriety, as the clause of “public
purpose” of 1894 act becomes handy instrument for serving private
purposes of the big business. In any case, agricultural lands are
guillotined for non-agricultural use of land.

So, the agriculturists have two options: either giving up land for
industrialization or surrender to commercialization of agriculture.
Commercialized agricultural practices do not oppose cultivation of
staple food crops but propose for decreasing of cultivation area for
food crops. In order to increase production of food crops in
decreasing land-area, the LFG policy-makers encourage plentiful use of
chemical fertilizer, high-yielding seeds and insecticide.
Interestingly, the farmers have to buy all these again from the MNCs.
It also needs good irrigation system, which West Bengal in general
lacks. They also propose for use of land, extracted from land for food
crops, for “dream products” such as mango, litchis, pineapple, cashew
nut, vanilla, coco, mushroom, spices, potato, tomato, vegetables,
aromatic rice, and flowers and ornamental plants, etc. The private
players will select the products primarily according to the nature of
land. Kalimpong, for example, may be selected for floriculture only.
It has further been concluded that the processing of these products
and exporting abroad will be handled by eleven native and foreign
MNCs. In order to facilitate the whole operation, number of small and
big marketing centers will be established in the concerned areas.
Hence, according to McKinsey Report, the MNCs a) will decide what to
produce, b) will decide what type of seeds and fertilizer and how much
of water be used, c) will give loan against fixed rate of interest as
primary capital and d) will buy the produces partly in fixed rate and
partly in market rate.

II

McKinsey has divided West Bengal into four zones mainly in terms of
the nature of lands and other commercial facilities. The second zone
of these four zones comprises of Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and North and
South Dinajpur. It has also earmarked 15% of total land of this zone
now used for paddy cultivation will be used for commercial production
of those “dream products”. In order to bypass any sort of wrangling
over negligence to food crop production, the McKinsey report tries to
compensate with the proposal that production of rice per hectare will
be raised from 1.79 ton to 2 tons through high-tech farming as
mentioned above. Especially for Darjeeling, McKinsey often talked
about the horticultural potentiality of the hills. In fact, the Indian
business houses and MNCs have plans for capturing horticulture
business (like cultivation of orchids, gladioli, etc.), which has
already made Kalimpong famous for its contribution. It might have
been possible that these big players will spread their tentacles
through local entrepreneurs. The LFG certainly has accent on such
entrepreneurships. Besides, the LFG has exchanged ideas with the
Mckinsey on the future of cinchona plantation of Mongpoo. The Media
reports reveal that it seeks global buyers for cinchona plantation of
Mongpoo, which covers an area of 8,000 hectares and has work force of
5,000 people. – Mckinsey had proposed restricting the plantation area
to 2,000 hectares and distributing excess land to workers and
providing them with marketing and technical support for the first five
years to make them worthy for agribusiness. However, the Standing
Committee on Commerce, GOI, rejected the proposal and recommended
cultivation of crops like turmeric and cardamom and also sericulture.
The workers (Members of the Hill Employees Association, Cinchona Zonal
Plantation Committee & members of the Sanjukta Morcha comprising of
five unions) of cinchona plantation of Mongpoo also opposed the
downsizing as suggested by Mckinsey.

So it is found that corporate profiteering motivates the attitude and
policy of the policy-makers and business groups regarding the future
of Indian agriculture. A renowned expert on agriculture, Devinder
Sharma, has already laid bare the ominous nexus among the trinity: the
national and local governments, MNCs and Indian business houses. He
has observed that the Indian government follows prescription of WTO
and business interest groups like, the CII, Assocham, and FICCI and is
working to turn Indian agriculture into a “food factory”. In their
opinion, shift from agriculture to agribusiness would usher in
“rainbow revolution”. Sharma also reported that the Assocham has also
prepared a report (“Strategic Plan for Indian Agricultural Sector”)
for boosting food crops production to 5,000 million tones and
suggested modification of land lease norms, transfer of irrigation
management contracts to the private sector and removal of trade
barriers all at the cost of government expenditure. After ‘green’ it
is the era of ‘rainbow’ where revolution will again be propelled not
by tillers of the land but by industrialists. One can see a close
entente between those business houses and Mckinsey as all their
attempts are found laced with prescribed formula of Mckinsey. In
Sharma’s opinion it is part of the global design as ‘the WTO seeks to
liberalize global agriculture trade by increasing market access
through their personal agreement on agriculture. It reduces domestic
support for farmers and export subsidies and lowers tariff barriers to
imports, backed by provisions that limit the role of public stocking
of food crops.’

III

This little bit lengthy but critical introduction about the role of
the trinity in restructuring Indian agriculture is indispensable to
analyze the fate of the Indian farmers in general and the Lepcha
farmers in particular. Suffice it say, farmers in general have been
heading towards a bleak future for such new agricultural policy.
However, farmer-tribes have certain other unique characteristics or so
to say in Spencer’s approach, unfitness, which have made them
unsuitable for Mckinsey prescription.

To begin with the study of effect of such prescription on the Lepchas,
one should take a look at the Lepcha agriculture. There are few but
critical studies on that issue. A quick summarization of Roy’s
observation, a recent study of the lot, would be a good beginning. To
his opinion, the Lepchas 1) are dependent heavily on agriculture, 2)
are mostly small landowners, 3) are dependent on household labor, 4)
believe in communal ownership not individualistic ownership 5) follow
traditional method of cultivation so they belong non-capitalist
society; or so to say, as ‘tribal peasants’ they practice a
pre-capitalist society based agriculture, 6) try to mix capitalist
farming with peasant economy of late: especially in case of production
and marketing of cash crops, 7) thrive on subsistence economy: grow
food mainly to eat, 8) have strong social and kinship obligations and
9) preserve seeds for next year for domestic and communal use. Having
these critical features in mind, he further pointed to certain new but
disturbing trends have already shaken Lepcha agriculture. For example,
more and more lands are being brought under the cultivation of cash
crops at the cost of food crops even if such cultivation of cash crops
denies traditional communal leanings. Young Lepchas have started
taking land on lease on contractual basis either by paying cash or
kind for cash crops cultivation, which flares up sex and generational
differences within the community. Besides, cultivation of cash crops
is capital intensive that drives them into trap of money lenders.
Moreover, the mono-crop pattern is now replaced by multi-cropping with
a typical objective of producing food crops for consumption and cash
crops for money. As luck would have it, these new developments
certainly create tension within the community as it requires changed
mine-set and necessary support base, which they lack in general. On
the other side, due to pressure of middlemen in marketing of cash
crops they cannot get the benefit of hard work. Finally, such
developments also destroy the already vulnerable food security of the
Lepchas.

So, the Lepcha economy, which is highly contradictory to McKinsey
policy, faces new challenges thrown by expansionism of capital over
the globe, which can be summarized as a conflict between the Lepcha
value system (Like absence of desire for accumulation) and private
initiative of capitalist mode of economy based on commercialization of
agriculture (Cash crops in particular instead of food cereals) of
late. The agricultural policy of the Government of West Bengal has
further endangered the future of small and marginal tribal farmers
whose economic interests have already been jeopardized in the face of
indifferent attitude of the government and sheer profit-making
tendency of the Indian and foreign business houses. In absence of
freedom of the farmers scheme of mechanized and commercial farming
will reduce the farmers to agricultural workers who will remain
indebted to investors forever. All these economic factors have hardly
offered a better economy for the Lepchas in place of subsistence
economy.

The draft agricultural policy proposes for corporatization of farming
under the guidance of the government and private actors, namely, the
district administration, local body and MNCs. All agricultural
activities will be controlled by a contract between the small or big
farmers and the MNCs. The State, particularly the district
administration and local bodies, will play the role of the mediator in
case of any crisis grown out of such contract. The farmers’
cooperative is replaced by such joint venture farming. The farmers
will be accountable for any loss bourn due to ground reality. Landless
agricultural laborers are to be employed in the food processing and
marketing sectors again controlled by those MNCs. This policy, though
wants variety in produces, encourages production of cash crops only
rather than food crops.


IV

To conclude this sketchy write-up one has to give attention to some
other alarming issues exhaled out of profiteering venture of the MNCs
and its veiled and unveiled supporters. These are as follows:
a) Commercialization of agriculture gives way to massive unemployment
by displacing agricultural laborers from their own hearth: since 1950,
50 million evicted for development projects of which 40% are tribes.
b) The big business groups also attempts to capture retail business so
that they can destroy any resistance in their way to profiteering. So,
the Lepchas cannot produce and sell their own produces.
c) Dominated by small land holdings Indian agriculture, according to
the experts, is in no position to adopt the high-tech farm practices
espoused by commercial agriculture, which does not take into account
of the differential needs of small and marginal farmers.
d) This policy opposes three cardinal issues of agriculture: opposes
freedom of the agriculturists, opposes sustainability of agriculture
as it ignores natural potential of land & opposes production of staple
food.
e) The MNCs and their followers want to build ‘food parks’ for ‘food
factories’ through uprooting the farmers out of their land. The food
factory projects have already uprooted millions of subsistence
farmers. Not only that, poor man’s food (maize, bajra, millets,
potato, etc.) would become rich man’s edible and drink (beer, whisky)
in the near future. The food crop production in India has registered a
downward trend due to bad policies of the global and native players
and their ‘fatal obsession with intensive agriculture based on
chemical fertilizers. Such practices generate ecological imbalances as
well. As a consequence, starvation deaths would be natural
consequences as land becomes sick and unproductive.’
f) Further, Dr. T.N. Prakash and Dr, Tejaswsini of the University of
Agricultural Science, Bangalore, observed that intensive floriculture,
which is now becoming popular especially in Karnataka, West Bengal,
Tamil Nadu, Andhrapradesh and Maharashtra, will certainly ruin the
land, rendering it unfit for cultivation on the one hand and
pesticides and chemical fertilizers pollute environment and
contaminate ground water on the other.

Do marginal Lepchas have spirit and power to fight against corporate
giants propped up by local bureaucracy and political leaders? The
answer may not be affirmative but constant vigil and good reason would
be an amulet for the Lepcha community or any other affected people.


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