Ranchi: Followers of Birsait faith are pained over the prevalence of ostentatious practices in the name of its founder Birsa Munda. The faith is facing a challenge of survival with the number of followers having dwindled.
This was visible on the occasion of Birsa Munda’s death anniversary on Monday when the who’s who of Jharkhand made a show at his memorial at Kokar while the followers of Birsait kept their distance quietly over the simplistic legacy of their faith’s founder getting lost in the government programmes.
Birsa Munda is referred to as ‘Dharti Aaba’ (Father of the Earth) by the tribal population. He was born on November 15 at Ulihatu village of Khunti district. He was not only a freedom fighter but also a social reformer, religious revolutionary and an ideologue. He is treated as God by his followers.
Birsa Munda had his initial education at Salga village under the tutelage of Jaipal Nath. He later enrolled in German Mission School and even converted to Christianity. But he soon found conversion to be a design. Thereafter he left the School and Christianity to start Birsait as a religio-cultural movement.
In his book ‘Birsa Munda Aur Unka Andolan’ writer and former bureaucrat Kumar Suresh Singh has mentioned that when the tribals were demanding protection of their forest, land and cultural rights, Birsa Munda realized that both the traditional religious structures as well as the Christian missionary activity were distant from this movement. It was then that he started the Birsait faith in 1895 along with 12 of his followers who were to propagate it. Its’ followers say that it is not a faith but a way of life where self control, cohesion with nature, purity, and self sacrifice are of prime importance.
The followers of this faith are known to abhor meat, liquor, smoking, chewing tobacco and other intoxicants. They do not eat food prepared by members of the other communities or in the market. They do not pluck leaves, flowers and even tooth cleaning twigs on Thursday which is treated as a holiday. They wear white cotton apparel. They are known for religious, moral and social discipline.
An expert on tribal affairs Gopinath said, “Separate arrangements are made for a visitor to a Birsait household. Matrimonial alliances are also amongst the followers of the faith only. This lack of flexibility and complex social behaviour are responsible for their dwindling numbers.”
He said the faith is facing many challenges and there is a need to preserve it by the followers who treat Birsa Munda as their God.
Experts say that the number of Birsait followers has come down to around 400 families only. A follower of the faith Budhuva Munda has demanded that the state government declare a weekly holiday on Thursday in schools. He has also sought other steps to protect and preserve the faith.
There were two sides visible at the recent death anniversary event of Birsa Munda. On one side the who’s who of Jharkhand politics and other domains offered floral tributes which found coverage in the media and on the other the followers of Birsait faith remain in oblivion eve as they quietly offered traditional tributes to their Dharti Aaba with water, leaves, flowers and earthen lamps.
A Birsait elder said, “Birsa Munda had shown us the path of self control and self respect. Today there is politics going on in his name while no one is adopting his ideology.”
Observers say that Birsa Munda’s legacy is linked to protecting land, forest, water and culture. Adhering to his path means imbibing his values and not paying cosmetic floral tributes. The question today is whether his path is being followed or his legacy has been reduced to just formal tributes on his anniversaries.
