On the entrance of Marlavai, a village nestled deep within the tribal heartland of Telangana’s Kumram Bheem Asifabad district, a commemorative arch studying ‘Adivasula Aathmabandhuvu Haimendorf Betty Elizabeth’ stands like a sentinel. At first look, it’d appear to be an extraordinary welcome, nevertheless it conceals the fascinating story of an unlikely bond cast between a tribal neighborhood and an Austrian anthropologist who made this land his house.
Tucked away on the forest’s edge, Marlavai was as soon as a nondescript tribal village, positioned about 300 kilometres from the State capital Hyderabad. Life right here adopted a rhythm as previous because the hills — easy, quiet, and steeped within the traditions of the Raj Gond tribe. That modified within the Forties, throughout the reign of the Nizam, when Christoph von Furer-Haimendorf and his spouse Elizabeth arrived right here. Drawn by their ardour for anthropology, the couple lived in a modest mud-walled, thatched-roof house, immersing themselves locally’s lifestyle for 2 years.
Guests to this tranquil hamlet are drawn to the memorial that homes the tombs of Haimendorf and Elizabeth, mendacity aspect by aspect. Close by, a photograph gallery stands of their honour, providing glimpses into the lives of the couple who made Marlavai their second house.
Haimendorf’s legacy continues to reside via his pioneering contribution to advertise literacy among the many aboriginal folks as an instrument of transformative change among the many indigenous Raj Gond neighborhood. His deep dedication to their welfare earned him the title of ‘Athma Bandhuvu’ — a soul good friend, a revered determine whose affect is palpable even many years later.
A deep bond
His landmark tribal welfare initiatives have been far forward of their time. By meticulous area research performed alongside together with his spouse Elizabeth within the Forties, Haimendorf recognized the socio-economic challenges confronted by the Raj Gonds below the Nizam’s rule within the erstwhile united Adilabad district. Their work went past educational curiosity, delving into actionable options to uplift the neighborhood, securing the couple a novel place within the hearts of Marlavai’s folks.
It leaves one to ponder: what drew this realized couple, hailing from privileged backgrounds in Austria, to a distant tribal village hundreds of miles away? What made them not solely embrace Marlavai as their second house but additionally select its soil as their everlasting resting place?
“It’s the heat of the Raj Gonds and the strategic location of Marlavai within the geographical centre of the erstwhile Adilabad district that made them reside in Marlavai within the Forties,” says Thodsam Chandu, the primary physician from the Raj Gond tribe within the State and a former District Medical and Well being Officer of Adilabad.
He says he was at school VI when he first met Haimendorf in Tiryani, a village in Kumuram Bheem Asifabad, in 1976. “He inspired me to pursue larger training. I had the uncommon alternative of assembly him later whereas pursuing an MBBS course in Hyderabad throughout the Eighties,” he reminisces.
In 2012, Dr. Chandu witnessed a poignant second when Haimendorf’s household arrived in Marlavai to enshrine his ashes alongside his spouse Elizabeth’s within the village they’d cherished. Reflecting on this, he describes the couple’s profound connection to Marlavai as a transformative chapter for the tribal communities of the erstwhile composite Adilabad district.
Haimendorf’s contributions have been monumental. His painstaking analysis led to the institution of Trainer Coaching Centres in Marlavai and Ginnedhari villages below the ‘Gond Training Scheme’, an initiative that empowered Adivasi youth via training.
He additionally championed land rights for tribal households, facilitating the redistribution of almost 1,80,000 acres of forest land — a lifeline for numerous households. Remarkably, Haimendorf achieved fluency within the Gondi language, whereas Elizabeth, fondly known as Jangu Bai by native Adivasi ladies, grew to become a beloved determine among the many neighborhood.
Kanaka Tukaram, son of the late Gussadi dance maestro Kanaka Raju, gestures towards the sprawling banyan tree close to the Authorities Ashram Excessive College in Marlavai. “That is the place Haimendorf as soon as held courtroom,” he says, recalling the times when Adivasis from distant villages gathered below its shade to converse with the anthropologist. The tree, just like the village itself, stands as a silent witness to a rare relationship that bridged continents, cultures, and centuries.
“My son, Yadav Rao, is decided to hold ahead the cultural legacy of his grandfather in preserving the enduring Gussadi dance for posterity,” Kanaka Tukaram declares with satisfaction.
The picture gallery arrange in reminiscence of the well-known ethnographer within the village has a wealthy assortment of images depicting the milestones of his extraordinary journey via the tribal heartlands and seize his efforts to grasp and uplift the Gonds, from 1942 to 1944.
“The names of Haimendorf and Elizabeth will ceaselessly stay etched in our hearts,” says Kanaka Venkatesh, a third-generation trainer from a Raj Gond household.
Shaping the longer term
For Venkatesh, the connection to Haimendorf’s legacy is private. His grandfather, Kanaka Hannu grasp, was among the many first academics educated on the academics’ coaching centre established by Haimendorf in 1942. Impressed by that, Venkatesh and his household have continued the custom of educating. His father, Sone Rao, and sister, Anuradha, are educators too.
Haimendorf facilitated tribal darbars at Keslapur and Jodeghat, offering a platform for Adivasis to voice their grievances instantly, explains M.Lingu, basic secretary of the Haimendorf Youth Affiliation in Marlavai. “That paved the way in which for the idea of bringing governance to the doorsteps of individuals.”
Haimendorf’s task to conduct an intensive area examine of Adilabad’s tribal area was pivotal. It got here at a time when unrest amongst Adivasis was at its peak following the martyrdom of Kumram Bheem, the legendary tribal chief who fought for Adivasi rights with the rallying cry of “jal, jangal, aur jameen” (water, forest, and land) in September 1940. The Nizam’s regime, keen to grasp and quell the discontent, sought Haimendorf’s experience, says an aged villager from Marlavai, requesting anonymity.
In recognition of his efforts, Haimendorf was appointed adviser to the Nizam’s Authorities for Tribes and Backward Lessons. The function helped him sensitise authorities to the land points plaguing Adivasis and push for options. His initiative resulted within the allotment of title deeds to hundreds of tribal households, offering a semblance of safety and mitigating longstanding land disputes to a big extent.
The wants
Regardless of these strides, challenges persist. “There’s nonetheless a protracted solution to go,” the aged villager remarks, including that Adivasis want higher entry to larger training, safety from exploitation by non-aboriginal folks, and stronger safeguards for his or her pursuits.
The ashes of Haimendorf, who handed away in London in 1995, have been ceremoniously enshrined beside the tomb of his spouse Elizabeth in Marlavai in 2012, in adherence to the customs of the Raj Gond tribe.
Such was his bond with the village that he named his son Nicholas after Athram Lachu Patel, the village headman on the time, remembers Patel’s grandson, Atram Bhagwantha Rao, quoting the village elders.
Sitting in his modest mud-walled house in Marlavai, Athram reminisces about how the legendary Gussadi dance grasp, Kanaka Raju, typically spoke of the famend anthropologist’s deep affection for his or her village.
Haimendorf’s guide titled ‘The Raj Gonds of Adilabad – A Peasant Tradition of Deccan’ chronicles his immersive analysis work on tribal tradition, customs, myths, economic system and the socio-economic circumstances of the aboriginal folks, remarks Manohar, a trainer working in a tribal welfare instructional establishment in Utnoor (Adilabad district).
His ethnographic monographs present a meticulous account of tribal customs, conventional practices, marriage rituals, and funeral rites, providing a precious window into Adivasi tradition.
Gaps persist regardless of efforts
Nevertheless, a big chunk of the Adivasi inhabitants in Adilabad’s tribal heartland continues to be disadvantaged of entry to larger training, notes Purka Bapu Rao, district president of the Adivasi Hakkula Porata Samiti (Tudum Debba).
Bapu Rao laments the dearth of a college within the tribal-dominated district and the defunct state of the Trainer Coaching Centre (TTC) in Utnoor. Entry to technical and better training for aboriginal folks holds the important thing to empowering them and enabling them to defend their rights, he emphasises.
“The actual tribute to Haimendorf can be to arrange TTCs and Vocational Ability Growth Coaching Centres amongst different institutes of upper studying within the Company areas,” he opines, underscoring the pressing want for instructional infrastructure to honour the anthropologist’s enduring contributions.
Declining minor forest produce has forged a shadow on the livelihoods of Adivasis, forcing them to depend on rain-fed agriculture and tenant farming for sustenance.
Resolving the long-pending podu (shifting cultivation) land points and granting title deeds to eligible Adivasi farmers below the Recognition of Forest Rights (RoFR) Act is essential, the Adivasi chief factors out.
He underscores the necessity for strict enforcement of legal guidelines such because the Land Switch Regulation Act 1 of 1970 to curb the unchecked inflow of non-tribals and stop tribal land alienation.
The Authorities Ashram Excessive College in Marlavai, with a pupil power of 253, is a beacon of training for tribal kids. A digital library can also be being arrange close to the college, says Srinivas, Assistant Tribal Growth Officer on the Built-in Tribal Growth Company (ITDA) in Jainoor.
The ITDA operates 133 Ashram Faculties throughout the erstwhile undivided Adilabad district, addressing the tutorial wants of tribal kids in Kumram Bheem Asifabad, Adilabad, Nirmal, and Mancherial districts.
A bunch of occasions, together with cultural competitions in Gussadi dance and different tribal artwork kinds, together with a blood donation camp, have been lined as much as commemorate the thirty eighth demise anniversary of Elizabeth this weekend, in Marlavai.
Elizabeth, additionally a famend ethnographer, died on January 11, 1987, in Hyderabad whereas Haimendorf handed away in London on June 11, 1995.
The couple’s groundbreaking analysis and relentless efforts to protect tribal tradition and heritage have left an indelible legacy amongst tribal communities throughout South Asia, factors out a village elder.
Printed – January 10, 2025 11:35 am IST
