Perhaps no other segment of society in the country ponders over the events of the preceding year, which affect the community as a whole, as do the aboriginal Gonds of Adilabad. On December 31, for the last 28 years, the community has discussed issues retrospectively and prospectively at the ‘Barsa’ or annual review organised at Utnoor which sees elders or the Sarmedi gathering from across the district for the purpose.
The outcome of the discussions held under the aegis of the Gondwana Panchayat rai Centre on Wednesday was a list of suggestions for the community to follow in 2015 in addition to a charter of demands for the government to implement for uplift of the tribal people. This relatively new trend actually has its roots in the centuries-old tradition of ‘Panchayat’ of the Adivasis which had the Mokashi or the Raja at its centre.
“The Barsas were held at the village level only until the advent of this event in 1986. The Gond Raja or Mokashi concerned used to adjudicate matters related with the community in consultation with the Kathoda or priest, the Deshmukh and Deewanji,” recalls elder Madavi Raju.
“The Chawdi or the community hall located in the middle of the village was the scene where reviews were held in the presence of the elders. At a slightly higher level such meetings were also held involving people from a few villages which were under the jurisdiction of a given Raja or Mokashi,” adds Thodsam Dev Rao, general secretary of the Gond Rai Centres.
“The traditional panchayats used to be held either on the Amavasya or Punnam of the Poos month which more or less coincides with the end of the year according to the calendar which everyone follows. It was the then Project Officer of the Utnoor ITDA, P. Subramaniam, who started the trend of holding the Barsa on December 31 so as to bring the entire community on one platform,” Dev Rao remembers as he gives the rationale.
In 2014, as was evident from the discussions held at the Barsa, the Gond community was worried about protection of lands under its temples. At the community level, the meeting suggested strict adherence to traditions and customs in order to control the loss of culture.
