Janjatiya Gaurav Pakhwada: Remembering Birsa Munda, the Dharti Aaba

In news

• The Janjatiya Gaurav Pakhwada is being observed from 1 to 15 November 2026.
• It leads up to Janjatiya Gaurav Divas on 15 November, the birth anniversary of Birsa Munda.
• The fortnight celebrates the contribution of tribal communities to India's freedom struggle, culture and heritage.

About Janjatiya Gaurav Divas

• Declared by the Government of India in 2021.
• Observed every year on 15 November.
• Jharkhand was also formed on 15 November 2000, on Birsa Munda's birth anniversary.
• 2025 marked Birsa Munda's 150th birth anniversary.

Who was Birsa Munda

Item	Detail
Born	15 November 1875, Ulihatu (present-day Khunti district, Jharkhand)
Tribe	Munda
Region	Chotanagpur plateau
Title	"Dharti Aaba" (Father of the Earth)
Movement	Ulgulan (the Great Tumult), 1899 to 1900
Died	9 June 1900, in Ranchi jail, aged 24

Why the Mundas revolted

• Loss of land: the traditional Khuntkatti system of joint land ownership was breaking down.
• Dikus (outsiders): landlords, moneylenders and traders took over tribal land.
• Forced labour: the practice of beth begari (unpaid labour) was imposed on tribals.
• Colonial forest laws restricted tribal access to forests.
• Missionary activity and changes to tribal religion and customs.

The Ulgulan

• Birsa started a religious and social reform movement. His followers were called Birsaites.
• He preached against alcohol, superstition and witchcraft, and asked people to return to their traditional faith.
• The movement soon became a fight for land, forests and self-rule.
• He called for "Abua Raj" (our own rule) and an end to the Queen's rule.
• Followers attacked police stations, churches and landlords' property in 1899 and 1900.
• Birsa was arrested in February 1900 and died in jail in June 1900.

Legacy

• Chotanagpur Tenancy Act, 1908: restricted the transfer of tribal land to non-tribals. It was a direct result of the Ulgulan.
• His portrait hangs in the Central Hall of Parliament.
• Birsa Munda is a symbol of tribal identity, land rights and resistance.

Other tribal revolts to remember

Revolt	Year	Region	Leader
Santhal Hul	1855 to 1856	Rajmahal Hills (Jharkhand)	Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu
Rampa Rebellion	1922 to 1924	Godavari Agency (Andhra Pradesh)	Alluri Sitarama Raju
Koya and Gond resistance	1940	Jodeghat (Telangana)	Komaram Bheem ("Jal, Jangal, Zameen")
Bhil Revolt	1818 onwards	Western Ghats and Khandesh	Various leaders
Kol Uprising	1831 to 1832	Chotanagpur	Buddhu Bhagat

Telangana and Andhra Pradesh connect

• Komaram Bheem led the Gond tribals against the Nizam's rule. His slogan was "Jal, Jangal, Zameen" (water, forest, land).
• Alluri Sitarama Raju led the Rampa Rebellion in the Godavari Agency against British forest laws.

Static connect: tribal welfare in India

• Fifth Schedule: administration of Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes in most States.
• Sixth Schedule: Autonomous District Councils in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.
• Article 342: the President notifies Scheduled Tribes.
• Article 338A: the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes.
• PESA Act, 1996: self-governance through Gram Sabhas in Fifth Schedule areas.
• Forest Rights Act, 2006: individual and community rights over forest land.
• PM JANMAN (2023): development of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).
• Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (2024): development of tribal villages, named after Birsa Munda.

Exam relevance: UPSC Prelims and GS-1 (Modern Indian History, Tribal movements); TGPSC, APPSC (History, Telangana and AP tribal movements).