Today, we celebrate 75 years of Indian Independence. We join with all the Indians around the world, hoping for a better future for our childrens, and remembering the efforts we took to get here.

On 15th of August 1947, India was declared free from British rule. We all have grown up celebrating this day with patriotic songs and stories of freedom fighters who participated in the struggle for a free nation. The British ruled over India for nearly 200 years. During this period they had introduced policies that were unfavorable for the local people which led to several revolts. Unfortunately, most of the incidents remain in our folklore and find little or no space in our books.

The first war for Indian independence started in 1857, with sepoy mutiny pioneered by Mangal Pandey. But two years before that, in the year 1855, a major rebellion happened in Bengal, the first ever against the British East India Company. This revolt led by the santhal tribes was a fight against the atrocities of the land lords, moneylenders, the officials and all those who dominated the economic sphere of their life and exploited them.

This is one such story, about a community, a tribe, which contributed a small but significant efforts for independence, and also gave us our first president from a tribal heritage.

Who are the Santhals?

The Santhals are the third largest tribal group after Gonds and Bhils.

Santhals are an Ethnic community native to present day Jharkhand and neighboring states of Bihar, Bengal and Odisha. They are skilled in various arts including music and handicraft and have a rich cultural heritage. They speak Santhali language, and also have a script called “Ol Chiki” which belongs to austro-asiatic language group. The santhals are the third largest tribal group after Gonds and Bhils. They live in villages near forests and depend on forest produce and farming for livelihood.

Historical background

The Santhals lived a nomadic life and practiced shifting agriculture until the 18th century when they were invited by the officials of East India Company to settle in the foothills of Rajmahal hills ( now in Jharkhand) with a promise of non- interference in their land.

After the battle of Plassey in 1757 CE, the control of Bengal had passed to the British East India Company. They decided to clear the forest and reclaim the land to be used for growing cash crops like jute, poppy and indigo. These tribals provided skilled and cheap labour for the purpose. In 1793, Lord Cornwallis introduced the famous Permanent settlement or the Zamindari system . Under this act, the British auctioned away large tracts of land belonging to the santhals to anyone who would pay the required revenue. Taking advantage of this, a lot of rich people based in cities bought lands in these far off forests. Thus a new class of landlords or Zamindars was created . The Santhals lost all rights to their land and were reduced to hired labourers working in the fields of these new landlords who began exploiting them for more profits. Their old tribal systems and political structure that had continued for generations came to an end.

The introduction of currency was another blow that made the life of these tribals more miserable. The Santhals had been following a barter system but now they needed cash. To sustain themselves they had to borrow money from the moneylenders who charged high interest from them. When they were unable to repay the loans, their land was confiscated and they were made to work as bonded labour. Some of them migrated to work in mines and railway tracks. An unrest followed among them and they decided to fight for their rights.

The rebellion was organized under the leadership of two brothers, Sidhu and Kanho Murmu. Born in the clan of priests, they lived in the village of Bognadih in Sahibganj district in Jharkhand. One day in June 1855, Sidhu Murmu claimed that he had a divine revelation that the oppression can only be overthrown by an armed rebellion. The brothers sent emissaries across Santhal land with sal branches as a secret form of communication. In response to this a large number of Santhals assembled in the village and on the last day of June, they all took an oath to fight till their last breath.

This triggered a series of conflicts between the Santhals and the Government. The Santhals were passionate and fierce fighters. The Santhals had captured a large tract of land but unfortunately, their simple bows and arrows could not compete with the firearms of the British and the rebellion was suppressed within a year. More than 15000 Santhals including the Murmu brothers lost their lives. Their Sisters Phulo and Jhano continued the struggle but they also met the same fate as the brothers.

The santhal rebellion or the Hool as it is locally called was short lived but its significance cannot be overlooked. It was the most fierce revolt ever faced by the British and they had to make changes in their policies. It became an inspiration for similar movements later, and the formation of the Jharkhand state.

The Santhal uprising marked a turning point in the development of Contemporary Santhali Identity. It developed a sense of unity among them. It also promoted the tribals to protect their culture and traditions from any kind of destruction or interference. Today, Santhals have a high literacy rate as compared to other tribes in India. They are engaged in different professions including administration.

This year, in the 75th year of the country’s independence, Draupadi Murmu, a santhal woman has reached the highest office of the constitution, our 15th president of India. She is also first president born in Independent India, and first from a tribal background.