International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples: ‘People don’t know there are many Adivasis in Mumbai’

Manisha Dhinde is a busy woman. Being a part of the Warli tribe in Mumbai's Aarey forest, the Mumbaikar currently has her hands full. When she is not studying, she is busy protesting near her home in Aarey Forest against the Metro Car Shed construction. The protest, most importantly, has the local tribals themselves who are raising their voices to protect their forest.

Since 1995, every year, people around the world observe International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples on August 9. The primary aim set by the United Nations is to protect and promote the rights of the indigenous people, more commonly known as tribals, around the world or adivasis in India. Mumbai is home to many such tribes and Warli is one of them, known for their Warli paintings. Yes, Maharashtra is home to a unique art form because of the Warli tribe, which is known for its Warli paintings. They appear in different parts of the city including the railway stations, which sees crores travel through it daily.

Manisha Dhinde has been participating in the protests to save the Aarey Forest from being cut down. Photo Courtesy: Manisha Dhinde

But, how many of us really know the tribe beyond this art form? Do we even know that they call Mumbai their home? They are very much a part of the city's fabric just like all the different communities including Parsis, East Indians, Sindhis, Keralites and Tamilians - all of whom give the city its cosmopolitan identity. To celebrate Mumbai's tribes and their culture, Mid-day Online spoke to two tribals in the city, who happen to be from the Warli tribe, to understand their idea of identity and misconceptions, in a city which boasts of being cosmopolitan, down to the very fibre of its being.

One of them is Dhinde, who is one member of the 27 villages in the Aarey forest, and among seven other tribes that the city actually boasts of. She is trying to protect this very identity which also involves protecting her home. In fact, she feels it actually took the Aarey Metro Car Shed construction protest, which started in 2019, for people to actually take notice of them. The 23-year-old was even detained on two occasions at the time. However, three years on, nothing deters her, and she is as motivated as before.

The Aarey identity

Even when we connect with her on a Sunday, she is busy being part of a protest. Dhinde isn't the only tribal who feels that the protest actually made people take notice of their tribe, Shyam Bhoir, another member from the community has also seen the change since 2019. While he believes only a limited number of people knew about them earlier through walks and culture tours, they are happy more people know about them now and have even come to support them by their side. "Till then, people didn't know there were many Adivasis in Mumbai. They don't even know that the city has Aarey, a natural jungle," shares Bhoir, who has been actively involved in activism to protect the Aarey Forest, which he proudly calls his home.

Bhoir's family has called the forest their home for as long as he can remember. But over time, he says, the forest has been destroyed due to various issues and development is one of them, and that means that their home is being taken away from them. "Aarey is ours. I have been born and brought up in Aarey," Bhoir says plainly. While he traces how the forest around him has changed since the dairy was created, more recently, the city native highlights how the cutting of trees for the car shed has been a huge problem simply because the tribe worships the forest. This, coupled with the fact that all of us have grown up learning that protecting the environment is important, is the reason he finds it necessary to protest.

"If anything is disturbed in the jungle, we feel pain. We are connected to the soil; we are connected to the jungle. We don't want to cut even one tree here. We maintain such discipline that we don't even touch the trees when night comes because we know they are sleeping and so we don't even break a leaf," he explains. Even Dhinde feels the same way. "We don't want people to harm the place we live in and for us, the forest is our God," she adds.

Dealing with misconceptions, busting myths

The Warli tribe calls the jungles in Mumbai its home - one of which is the Aarey Forest, Bhoir tells us, which originally housed as many as 222 tribal communities. They have disappeared due to various elements including development and slums, and reduced the number drastically down to less than 30. While many problems plague the community, Bhoir is thankful that more people know about the tribe now but understandably there is still a long way to go.

Every time, Dhinde or Bhoir meets somebody new, they are met with surprise because people tell them they expected them to be otherwise, owing to the kind of portrayal done in films. He explains, "People get shocked and say ‘We thought Adivasis don't wear clothes and are poor'. However, that is not true - times have changed, people are educated now and have jobs, and are even involved in doing business. Over time, we have also become financially better."

Bhoir isn't the only one. Even Dhinde has faced such assumptions and had to deal with misconceptions on her first day in college. She explains, "When I was in college, the girls asked me how did I manage to reach the college, they thought we didn't wear clothes. I literally told them, "We are Adivasis from Mumbai, obviously we wear clothes and are updated with everything." The fact that her parents even allow her to wear jeans or shorts, she adds, is something they couldn't believe. "People even ask me if I know Marathi, which is surprising. I feel very proud to say that I am a Warli and live in Mumbai," says a grateful Dhinde.

Hopes and dreams

While Dhinde and Bhoir are always dealing with people not knowing much about tribals, the country recently witnessed a unique election. Only recently, India elected its 15th President, Droupadi Murmu, who also happens to be the country's first tribal president. Belonging to the Santali tribal family from Odisha, her election was applauded by many, especially because it was a first for the tribal community, when she assumed office on July 25.

Bhoir is realistic and says with politics and governance, he doesn't see the appointment affecting the lives of tribals in the country. On the other hand, Dhinde says Murmu's support is left to be seen because governance is a different kind of playing field. However, she has a wish. "The first thing that President Droupadi Murmu can do is declare August 9 as a holiday because it is only one day that Adivasis celebrate because there is no festival that is designated for us. We don't get holidays on our festival days but end up getting holidays on festival days of other castes." While there are many problems that Adivasis suffer from around the world, she says, this would be a good start. "Adivasis will also be happy that as a President, who is a tribal, she has taken the initiative," she concludes, as she prepares to work on the festivities of the day.

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