In general,
tribal society is perceived to be self-efficient in which the produces made by
the livestock played a key role. Livestock not only provides the source of
foods but they also boost their capabilities to have other goods. Different
surveys have shown a boost in the number of livestock in India but those data
weren’t able to capture the changes in the number of livestock of those
communities which were traditionally engaged in rearing animals for their daily
needs. This post is focused upon the effects of mining over the livestock
keeping capability of tribes of Rajasthan. In addition to this, the post will
try to capture the impact of the decreased number of livestock and the reason
behind it among the tribes.
Mining is not a
contemporary phenomenon, but the modernity led mining for industrialisation has
been devastating for many communities especially the indigenous peoples. Here
the modernity not only diverted the interests of indigenous peoples in the name
of development but also disturbed their economy by forcing people to work in
their modern institutions like industries. Livestock in tribal society has an
important role in maintaining the availability of resources. In many places,
the tribal economy is mainly dependent upon their land (agriculture), forest
(for fruits and fuel) and livestock (for flesh and milk) and all these are part
of their identity. The process of mining has affected all three aspects more or
less equal but for this post, I would like to highlight the livestock
aspect.
The data
collected by the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairy and Fisheries clearly
show a 4.51 percent increase in the number of cows and buffaloes (Livestock
census, 2012). Along with this, the National Dairy Development Board data
suggests that there is more than 5 percent growth in the overall milk
production in the last five years (2015-16). But these data were unable to
capture the reality of those communities who were traditionally engaged in
rearing and herding of animals. From the field experiences in tribal area of Udaipur and discussions with
the elder people of the society, it was analysed by me that the livestock has
decreased in a good strength. Now I would like to paraphrase one statement
given by an elder person ‘In our childhood every house was having a good
amount of livestock and us as children were used to handle them while
grazing…we play with them, wash them in the lakes, and decorate them in
festivals…. But currently very fewer houses are having animals and even they
have the number is quite low…’
From the
above-given statement, it is quite evident that how the phenomenon of mining
has affected the livestock keeping capability of the tribes. In fact, this was
shared by many of the villagers and when asked about the perceived reasons that
mines are the X-factor of this process. In other words, mines have heavily
affected the forest, grazing land and natural water sources which are resources
for livestock management. It was alleged by many that, most of the dumps of
mines are being thrown upon grazing land and there are very few grazing lands
available right now. The open blasting in the mines have killed many animals
and the leftover mines sometimes troubled animals to fall into the deep of
hundreds of feet. Whereas the forest regulations and its misuse by
authorities have restricted tribal entry to their forest for fodder and other
requirements of the animals. Apart from this, the destruction of the forest has disturbed
the food chain and the carnivorous animals (like tigers) used to make prey to
the goats and cows.
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| Photo by Satish Makadiya |
In addition to
this, a majority of people are either working in the mines or migrating to
other cities in search of livelihood. It is quite evident from the people
experiences that how mines have affected their lifestyles and made them
vulnerable. Because the modernity led industrial mining have shifted tribal's traditional economy from self-efficient to dependent.
Thanking You in
Anticipation
Mohammad Imran
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