Unit 4: Social Movements in India

1. Introduction: What is a Social Movement?

A **Social Movement** is a form of collective action by a large group of people to achieve a specific social or political goal. Unlike political parties, their main goal is not to *win* power, but to *influence* power and bring about (or resist) social change. They operate *outside* of formal political institutions (like parliaments and courts).

India has a rich history of social movements, which are often called "non-party political formations."

2. Tribal Movement

Tribal movements (or *Adivasi* movements) are protests by India's indigenous communities against their marginalization, displacement, and the loss of their traditional rights over **'Jal, Jangal, Zameen'** (Water, Forest, Land).

Common Causes:

• Land Alienation: Loss of land to "outsiders" (non-tribals), moneylenders, and industrial projects.
• Forest Rights: The state (first the British, then the Indian govt.) declared forests as "Reserved," denying tribals their traditional rights to access and use forest resources.
• Displacement: Large-scale displacement due to "development" projects like dams (e.g., Narmada), mines (e.g., Jharkhand), and factories.
• Identity Crisis: A feeling of being culturally assimilated and losing their unique identity and language.

3. Case Study: Santhal Movement (Hul)

The syllabus likely refers to the modern Santhal movement, but it's often rooted in the historical **Santhal Hul (Rebellion) of 1855.**

• Historical Context (1855): This was a massive pre-1857 rebellion by the Santhal tribe in present-day Jharkhand/West Bengal.
• Causes: It was a revolt against the "outsiders" (dikus) — the British colonial authorities, zamindars (landlords), and moneylenders (mahajans) who had taken over their lands and trapped them in debt.
• Leaders: Led by two brothers, **Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu**, who claimed to have received a divine message.
• Nature: It was a violent uprising to drive out the dikus and establish a Santhal-led state. It was brutally suppressed by the British.
• Significance: It remains a powerful symbol of tribal resistance against exploitation and land alienation.

Modern Santhal movements continue to revolve around demands for land rights, language recognition (e.g., inclusion of Santhali in the 8th Schedule, which was successful), and political autonomy.

4. Case Study: Bodo Movement

This is a modern ethno-nationalist movement in Assam, representing the aspirations of the Bodo tribe.

• Core Demand: The Bodo movement has had one central demand: the creation of a separate state of **"Bodoland"** for the Bodo people, to be carved out of Assam.
• Causes:
  • Identity & Language: A desire to protect the Bodo language and culture, which they felt was being dominated by Assamese.
  • Land Alienation: Fear of losing their traditional lands to Assamese and other non-Bodo settlers.
  • Underdevelopment: A feeling that the Bodo-dominated areas were economically neglected.
• Phases of the Movement:
  1. Phase 1 (Political): Led by the All Bodo Students' Union (ABSU) in the 1980s, using protests, bandhs, and political negotiation.
  2. Phase 2 (Militant): The movement split, with armed groups like the Bodo Liberation Tigers (BLT) and NDFB emerging, leading to an insurgency.
• Politics of Accommodation: The Indian state has used a "politics of accommodation" to manage this.
  • 1993 Bodo Accord: Created the Bodoland Autonomous Council (BAC), which failed.
  • 2003 Bodo Accord: Created the **Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC)** under the Sixth Schedule, granting significant autonomy. The BLT surrendered.
  • 2020 Bodo Accord: A more comprehensive accord to end the last remnants of the insurgency, offering more powers and rehabilitation.
• Significance: The Bodo movement is a classic example of a tribal aspiration for self-governance, moving through phases of political protest, secessionist insurgency, and finally, political accommodation.

5. Environmental Movement

Indian environmentalism is often called "environmentalism of the poor." It's not about protecting "pristine nature" for tourism; it's about protecting the *livelihoods* of communities (like tribals, farmers, fishers) who depend directly on the environment for their survival (water, forests, land).

6. Case Study: Chipko Movement

• When/Where: 1970s, in the Garhwal Himalayas (now Uttarakhand).
• What: A non-violent protest by local villagers, especially **women**, to stop commercial logging and deforestation.
• Method: When the loggers came, the villagers (led by women) would go into the forest, encircle the trees, and literally **"hug" them** (Chipko means "to stick" or "to hug"), daring the cutters to axe them first.
• Leaders: Key figures include **Sunderlal Bahuguna** (who spread the message) and **Gaura Devi** (the woman who first led the action).
• Significance:
  • It was a powerful **eco-feminist** movement, highlighting that women, who are responsible for gathering fuel, fodder, and water, are the worst victims of environmental destruction.
  • It successfully challenged the state's "development" model (selling forests to contractors) and asserted the local community's right to their resources.

7. Case Study: Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA)

• When/Where: Late 1980s onwards, in the Narmada river valley (Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra).
• What: A massive social movement protesting the construction of a series of large dams on the Narmada River, especially the **Sardar Sarovar Dam**.
• Core Issue: The dam promised development (electricity, irrigation) to Gujarat, but at the cost of submerging hundreds of villages and displacing lakhs of people (mostly poor tribal communities and farmers) in other states.
• Slogan: "No development without displacement," which later became a demand for "just rehabilitation." The movement questioned the very *model* of development. "Whose development? At whose cost?"
• Leader: The most prominent face of the NBA is **Medha Patkar**.
• Methods: Used a wide range of tactics: protests, hunger strikes, peaceful resistance (satyagraha), and high-profile legal battles in the Supreme Court.
• Significance: The NBA became a global symbol of the conflict between "big development" projects and human/environmental rights. While it failed to *stop* the dam, it fundamentally changed the way India thinks about development, forcing "Rehabilitation and Resettlement" (R&R) to become a central part of the national discourse.

8. Women's Movement

The women's movement in India is diverse, with multiple phases.

Pre-Independence:

• Social Reform Movement: Led by male reformers (like Raja Rammohan Roy) and early women leaders (like Pandita Ramabai) to abolish Sati, promote women's education, and allow widow remarriage.
• Nationalist Movement: Women's mass participation in Gandhi's freedom struggle (e.g., Sarojini Naidu).

Post-Independence (The "Second Wave"):

The 1970s saw the rise of a new, autonomous women's movement, independent of political parties. It was sparked by the 1974 "Towards Equality" report, which exposed the gap between constitutional promises and the harsh reality for women.

Key Issues and Campaigns:

• Anti-Violence Campaigns: Focused on "private" issues and brought them into the "public" sphere.
  • Anti-Rape Campaign (1980s): Sparked by the "Mathura Rape Case," leading to changes in rape laws.
  • Anti-Dowry Campaign: Fought against dowry deaths and domestic violence.
  • Anti-Sati Campaign (1987): After the Roop Kanwar case in Rajasthan.
• Legal & Political Rights:
  • Personal Law Reform: The Shah Bano case (1985) brought the issue of women's rights within religious personal laws to the forefront.
  • Women's Reservation Bill: The long struggle for 33% reservation in Parliament.
• "Newer" Issues: Contemporary movements focus on moral policing ("SlutWalk"), LGBTQ+ rights, and the "Me Too" movement against sexual harassment at the workplace.

9. Exam Corner: Key Concepts & Comparisons