Gadchiroli March 31 (District Correspondent) The tribal population in the central India was meted out with grievous injustice during the reorganization of states. Though the states were reorganized predominantly on the linguistic basis, the tribals were deliberately ignored even though they formed a large number of communities speaking Gondi or Madia languages. The injustice on the tribals has thus started since the period of reorganization itself, pointed out Mr. Prabhu Rajgadkar, well known author and thinker while expressing his views in the seminar on tribal literature here the other day.
The states comprising the tribal communities could have been formed during the time of reorganization. There had been a large section of the tribal communities in the central province. Had there been such separate states of the Gondi speaking regions, those states would have protected the language and culture of the tribals and the tribals would not have to struggle for their rights, Rajgadkar observed further thereby raising a new subject of debate before the researchers, rulers and thinkers.
Adiwasis had their separate identity and existence with a prosperous nature-based culture and traditions. Their languages are still in actual use with lakhs of people speaking it. However, there has been no any special focus on these languages in the education system. The tribals have been demanding the recognition to their language by including it in the VIII th schedule of the constitution since a long, but this demand also is being systematically ignored and the tribals are thrown like anything on the roads to struggle for their constitutional rights, Rajgadkar lamented and strongly demanded that the tribal language be given the legal status.
‘Established Marathi literature and actual life of the tribals’ was the topic of his lecture that was organized by Sahotya Akademi and Dandakaranya Sahikshan Sanstha jointly. Note tribal litterateur Waharudada Sonwane presided over the seminar.
