TRIBAL POLICY IN INDIA

TRIBAL POLICY IN INDIA

Approaches to tribal development in India are based on three models, to conserve, assimilate and integrate.

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First, there was a school of thought which favoured isolation. Hutton, who was a Commissioner for Census of 1931, gave a solution to the tribal problems of uncontrolled acculturation. He suggested the creation of self-governing tribal areas with free power of self-determination.

Earlier Verrier Elwin suggested the creation of’ National Parks” where the tribal people could live safely without being victims of what Elwin calls an” “over-hasty and unregulated process of belief and civilization”. But later on Elwin discarded the idea of a national park. Both Hutton and Elwin were severely criticised for recommending this policy of isolation which was looked upon as a proposal to create a museum or zoo, instead of helping the tribal people to utilise the resources of modern knowledge and improve their condition of life.

Second, there is another school which favoured assimilation. According to G.S. Ghurye, the tribals are backward Hindus and they should be completely assimilated into Hindu culture. D.N. Majumdar has put forward a philosophy and programme of tribal welfare. He says that it is not possible to ignore the entire .tribal population and leave them to their own lot. It is not also possible to completely assimilate them in the Hindu culture.

Therefore, a gradual transformation of the tribal population is the best policy. We should try to help them in assimilating in their own way of life the elements of alien culture which they readily accept. This view was also supported by social reformers and voluntary organisations.

The Christian missionaries and some social reformers like Thakkar Bapa have recommended and have worked for the assimilation of these tribal groups either into Christianity or into Hinduism.

The third view, which is followed in the recent years, is that of integration. The policy of integration, as against isolation and assimilation, was laid down in five principles by Nehru in 1957 in forwarding to Verrier Elwin’s the philosophy for NEFA.

The tribal ‘Panchasheel’ as enunciated by him are as follows:

(1) People should develop along the lines of their own genius and we should avoid imposing anything on them. We should try to encourage in every way their traditional art and culture.

(2) Tribal rights in land and forests should be respected.

(3) We should try to train and build up a team of their own people for the work of administration and development. Some technical personnel from outside will, no doubt be needed especially in the beginning. But we should avoid introducing too many outsiders into tribal territory.

(4) We should not over-administer these areas or overwhelm them with a multiplicity of schemes. We should rather work through and not in rivalry to their own social and cultural institutions.

(5) We should judge results not by statistics or the amount of money spent but by the quality of human character that is evolved.

To conclude, the policy of isolation was neither possible nor desirable. Assimilation as advocated by some was not accepted because it would mean imposition. Only therefore, the policy accepted which would make available to the tribes the benefits of modern society and yet retain their separate identity is integration. However, the process of assimilation is bound to continue as some of the tribal groups are adopting Hindu customs because of their association with the village people. Others have been converted to Christianity.