Who Was Birsa Munda: Tribal Hero, Freedom Fighter

Who Was Birsa Munda: Tribal Hero, Freedom Fighter

Birsa Munda Chowk in Delhi. 

• Birsa Munda Chowk – The space is located next to Sarai Kale Khan ISBT and memorializes the renowned tribal head and activist, Birsa Munda. Many VIPs including the Union Home Minister Amit Shah were present at the inauguration of the square wherein a statue weighing 3000 kg was dedicated to muǵdā. Birsa Munda is a memory appreciated and reviled in equal measure, that of a man who fought against the British Government and acted as the voice of the tribal people. Thus, changing the name in the resources material is not only aimed at bestowing respect to the great son of the soil but also protecting his self-proclaimed identity during his contribution towards the patriotic awakening in India.

Birsa Munda (1875-1900) was a visionary tribal leader or hero and social reformist deeply revered among the Munda tribe and other indigenous communities of India. He emerged as one of the key leaders from India who orchestrated a movement against the British Raj, and led the famous Munda Rebellion, also referred to as Ulgulan - The Great Tumult, in the late 19th century.

Birsa Munda was a well-known freedom fighter social reformer and religious head of the Munda Tribe in India. He was an active participant in the Indian independence struggle in particular in the Jharkhand region and states around it, opposing the British colonization as well as the subjugation of tribal peoples.

Birsa Munda

Early Life and Background of Birsa Munda

• Born on the fifteenth day of November, in the year 1875, Birsa Munda was from the village Ulihatu, which is in the present-day Khunti district of Jharkhand, India. He was a member of the Munda tribes who are indigenous to the Chota Nagpur Plateau region. The childhood of Birsa was unfortunately surrounded by misery encountered through colonial rule and almost unendurable conditions of existence of the tribal populations.

Family and Early Influences

• Birsa’s family belonged to an agrarian society that was also victimized by the colonial British land policies and the Zamindari system. The father, Sugna Munda, and the mother, Karmi Hatu, were both laborers. The Mundas like several other tribal communities had great cultural and spiritual ties to the land which was slowly taken away by colonizers and even local landlords.

Education and Spiritual Awakening

• Birsa Munda first attended a primary school at a German Mission School where he went through a process of baptism because he wanted to go to school. Later, he turned away from it and re-embraced the customs of his people. His cultural and religious contact in his younger days developed a sense of spirituality in him and he became a dynamic personality who urged his people to fight for their land and culture.

Socio-Political Environment

• To Birsa's own lifespan, the area was severely afflicted with land alienation and squalid forms of labor by the British. The oppressive dikus (outsiders British and landlords) altered the simple farming ways of life. Birsa was affected positively and negatively by these environments, and therefore he was motivated to stand against the British and feudal rule.

Role in the Freedom Struggle Birsa Munda

Birsa Munda played an important role in the Indian independence movement. In this case, especially, as an avid follower of the tribal movement in opposition to the British colonial rule in the region of Chota Nagpur Plateau, Birsa Munda will always be remembered. The people known as the Mundas – and other similar tribals, in turn, are historically recognized for opposing this powerful, oppressive foreign regime, fighting for independence and land rights. Here are some roles which he is credited with;

1. Revolt Against British Oppression

• Towards the end of the 19th century, Birsa Munda was at the helm of the Munda Rebellion, which is also known as Ulgulan (which means ‘the Great Tumult’). This movement was borne out of the very injustices and subjugation that the tribal societies encountered due to the British system and native zamindars.
• He rallied the dikus (non-tribals) who sought to occupy tribal land and implement atrocities on his people. It was one of the most prominent anti-colonial tribal insurrections in India.

2. Spiritual and Social Reformer

• He declared himself to be a god, a prophet who received messages from God. Birsa undertook community development activities through a socio-religious movement. The vision he followed aimed at minimization of social ills and worked towards bringing all tribes under one umbrella to promote their own ways of life.
• The restoration of tribal rights was a cause for political agitation as well as a proclamation of religious reform and unifying the tribes, as tribes were oppressed both by the British and the feudal systems.

3. Impact and Legacy

• Birsa Munda and his rebellion have been suppressed but it did usher in some positive developments such as the changes in the legislation on land and the protection of Tribals from exploitation. His fight highlighted the issues and the conditions of tribal people and forced the British to think about changes.
• The fact that he was martyred when he was only 25 years of age turned him into an icon of valor and defiance and motivated countless others to keep fighting for freedom and justice.
• Birsa Munda succumbed to death at the very tender age of 25 years on the 9th of June, 1900, in undisclosed situations while in the hands of the British. However, even after his early demise, he made a contribution that will never be forgotten, and he is revered as a hero who died for the oppressed people’s rights. 

4. Cultural Icon: 

• At present, he is revered and honored as a designer culture, where he has statues, universities built in his honor, and throngs of individuals celebrating his day of birth – whose date is marked on the calendar. 
• To many, including the people of Jharkhand and Odisha, Birsa Munda is neither a mere symbol of defiance alone, but a figure of tribal social and cultural pride, celebrated all across the nation.

The figure of Birsa Munda is overwhelmingly potent even today, especially for the tribal people of India. His works are remembered every year on November 15, the day he was born, which is a public holiday in the state of Jharkhand.

Frequently Ask Questions

Who was Birsa Munda?

Birsa Munda was a tribal leader, a religious figure, and a national hero who played an important role in a great rebellion against British imperialism at the end of the 18th century. He was known to advocate for the rights of tribal people, in particular the tribal population of the Chota Nagpur Plateau.

What was the Munda Rebellion?

The Munda Rebellion also known as Ulgulan (the Great Tumult) was a movement in the system led by an Indian tribesman Birsa Munda, against the British Raj and its feudal lords. It was aimed at protecting tribal ownership of land and against the oppression of tribal people.

Why is Birsa Munda considered a spiritual leader?

Birsa Munda provided his creed with a rallying religious as well as cultural cause aimed at engendering social change but called for people’s return to the original way of life of the tribals. He made himself a prophet of sorts of new religions exhorting people against foreign cultures and its vices like superstition and preaching unity.

What is Birsa Munda's legacy?

The legacy of General Birsa Munda lives on as a sign of hope and strength for the tribal people across the continent. General Munda is remembered in other parts of India, along with Jharkhand, for his contribution to the Indian freedom movement and his death anniversary is declared a public holiday in Jharkhand on the 15th of November.