As India showcased before the world its first tribal in the august office of President, there has to be life beyond symbolism and showmanship. Droupadi Murmu’s growth from the precincts of a poor family in Odisha’s tribal region in stages starting from a ward councillor to a teacher to minister, governor and President was well-shaped. She has shown the grace and capacity to hold high offices with relative ease, which is also a tribute to the strengths of Indian women. There’s little doubt that just as Ramnath Kovind presided over the destiny of the nation for five years, Murmu will acquit herself well. That also denotes the strengths of India’s vaunted Constitution shaped by the British-educated barrister-turned first law minister of Independent India, BR Ambedkar, who eventually became the icon of the Dalits – the most backward in the Indian social system.
Fact of the matter is that an Ambedkar initiating India’s legal process from the high office he held in the initial years of Independence 75 years ago and Kovind’s ascension to the throne in recent years in themselves helped very little in furthering the collective causes of the most-backward segments of the society, including the hills-people that Murmu initially represented. Odisha’s Santhal tribals, of which Murmu is a part, have a rich legacy of art, literature and culture of their own yet remain hugely marginalized as is the case with tribals across India. Sections of the marginalized hills people got educated in the North-East thanks largely to the efforts of Christian missionaries. While the RSS stepped in to check “conversions” in this region for fear that it posed a threat to Hinduism, Christianity’s empowerment of the ordinary folks must be written in letters of gold. A similar attempt made in Odisha, in Murmu’s own backyard, ended up in a huge controversy over “conversions” by Christian priests and was stonewalled a couple of decades ago. In fact, there are those who see the elevations given to Kovind and Murmu as another way how India’s elite fools the poor; giving the poor something and yet nothing.
The good side of installing a Murmu in the high office is well-appreciated. But, real issues need to be addressed. Even in most tribal areas in the mainland, the government establishments are manned invariably by non-tribals or, more clearly, the elite. It does not require high voltage intelligence to run a village office. Common sense will do. Empowerment of the poor should start from the bottom as well. What is required first and foremost is political will, which is woefully lacking here.