By Sumana Paul
Northeast India in general and the town of Shillong in particular in blessed with a host of magnificent history, culture, life and events of many great personalities who have created a dent in the past glorifying the land in some form or the other. I take the opportunity to discuss on Verrier Elwin (1902 – 1964), an eminent anthropologist of the past century, who took the discipline of anthropology to gallant heights and was instrumental in framing the tribal policy of the nation that still bears testimony to understand the social and cultural dimensions of tribal situation in India.
I first came to know of Elwin about fifteen years ago through one of my old acquaintances (Dr. Gautam Kumar Bera, henceforth GKB), sometime in the early part of this millennium, who had just then published an article titled ‘Verrier Elwin: An Anthropologist with Romanticism’ in an international journal as a tribute to this great scholar on his centenary under the series Dramatis Personae of Indian Anthropology, a copy of which was given to me. He later publications included Passage through Aboriginal India: Anthropological Profile of Verrier Elwin (2008) and an edited volume titled Romanticism Remembered: Verrier Elwin after fifty years (2016).The readings fascinated me to understand this great scholar who had a varied exposure in the tribal domain of India, especially in central India and in this far flung part of the country, that is referred to as north east India. I had several rounds of academic discussions with my friend (GKB) on the tribal policy and its impact on education vis-à-vis its progress over this long passage of time since its formulation and inception in this country under initiation by Nehru-Elwin duo. As a resident of Shillong town for the last fifty years I had the dual pride of understanding Elwin since his family stays here and he was laid to rest here way back in February 1964. In addition, I also gathered additional information on Elwin from his daughter-in-law, Mandy Elwin Kharbuli (wife of Elwin’s first son late Wasant Elwin) and their eldest daughter Faith Elwin Kharbuli, who is currently pursuing her doctoral research in history in NEHU. This is how my understanding on Elwin began. I am thankful to all of them for their academic pursuance and creating an understanding on one of the luminaries of the past.
Born on August 29, 1902 in Dover, Kent, England, as the eldest son of Edmund Harry Elwin, an Anglican Bishop of Sierra Leone, who died young of yellow fever and Minnie, Harry Holman Verrier Elwin grew up in a modest environment of early twentieth century England, educating himself in Theology at Merton College in the University of Oxford, where he was Charles Oldham University Scholar and Matthew Arnold Prizeman. Securing first class degree in both English Literature and Theology, Harry became Vice-Principal of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford at the early age of 24 only. In 1927, at the age of 25, he became the Chaplain at Merton College.
At Merton, he was doing well with a promising career ahead when his spiritual search – mystical rather than missionary – led him to come to India to join the newly formedChrista Seva Sangha, an Anglican Order, in Pune (Maharashtra) with a serious possibility of becoming a monk. Genealogically India was not new to him since his maternal grandfather William Laban Holman worked for the East India Company. Elwin’s mother, Minnie, was born there.
During the period between 1928 and 1932 he was involved with the Indian national movement as an associate of Mahatma Gandhi and was later advised by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel to work among the tribal people of the country. This was probably the turning point in his life for associating with the nation. His interests centered between Gandhians’ demand for assimilation of the tribes among the Hindus, especially from the modernizing India, or mainstream freedom fighters and isolationist demand of the others such as British bureaucrats, and finally rationalists such as Jawaharlal Nehru, who had been reading Elwin’s writings, evolved a policy of national integration of the tribal folk, while encouraging them to develop as per their genius.
In the post independent era the Nehru-Elwin duo provided the countrymen a five-point action plan as five fundamental principles of development, called Nehru’s Panch Sheelformulated on the 9th day of October, 1958. With the formulation of such principles, the foundation of India’s tribal policy was laid. The community development model extended to tribal areas and Special Multipurpose Tribal Blocks were set up to ensure real development for the tribals. There was an over emphasis on subjective factors, the attitude of the agents of change, need for sympathy and understanding of the real problems that were gripping the country particularly in the areas which were occupied by the tribal people.
I chose to have Elwin as the focal point of discussion since it is felt that Elwin has become a victim of academic amnesia, at least among younger generation. In reality, probably, Elwin changed the definition of anthropology in India. GKB finds Elwin’s work as visually stunning; academically mind churning that provides food for thought and attests that Elwin strikes a chord with Indians and Westerns. His fantastic career graph and legacy are a result of his hard work, inspiration, and the courage to never take the same road twice. His books are a compassionate universe – they may bend the laws of reality, yet they are ethically sound.
GKB has an understanding that the anthropological world and culture move in a connected as well as in a parallel manner. But, more importantly, there is a Western view, especially colonial view that Indian anthropology ended sometime with Elwin, soon after his demise. But Indian anthropology continues to evolve from this rich heritage and is vibrant today. It contributes to the understanding that the history of anthropology runs parallel across many places. Elwin’s work helps the readers to reflect on the need to consider multi-centrism of anthropology and creativity. There is wonderful work and a huge heritage everywhere waiting to be discovered by others, especially the West.
GKB also has certain things in his mind to defend Elwin’s works. Early in his career, Elwin was faced with the conundrum that all ethnographers must try and resolve at some point: ‘How can I (VE) be modern and unique and true to myself’? In this context, it was being Indian. What makes Elwin a great ethnographer, beyond merely an accomplished poet, was his resolution to this puzzle. Elwin found his voice in central India and the ‘flat technique’ that was in opposition to the Western lifestyle he was trained in at Oxford. The medium was a tropical country instead of Western climate, the subjects were indigenous population and rural rather than the wealthy Western patrons and the technique was Indian in its representation, in contrast to the Western realism. Elwin borrowed but never mimicked. His line and perspective had the sophistication to transform indigenous tribal life into high life. Beyond the academic beauty is the fact that Elwin’s search for cultural independence was taking place simultaneously with the fight for political freedom. It was the search for the modern Indian identity. And, it was this idea that increasingly attracted GKB over and above the ‘love at first sight’ based on the lyrical beauty of his writings.
(Sumana Paul is a senior faculty in Women’s College, Shillong pursuing research in tribal and cultural studies).