ABOUT BIRSA MUNDA CHAIR

Birsa Munda Chair :

The Birsa Munda Chair has been established at Indira Gandhi National Tribal University (IGNTU), Amarkantak, with the duly approval and sanction of the University Grants Commission. Prof. Soubhagya Ranjan Padhi, Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology, is appointed as Chair Professor In-charge for Birsa Munda Chair. Birsa Munda, called as God of tribals (Birsa Bhagwan), was a young and charismatic freedom fighter. He was a prominent tribal leader of the nineteenth century. At a very young age, he stood against the atrocities the tribals faced during the British raj. Birsa Munda raised his voice against the oppression of the British to protect the tribal land and religion. His chief aim was to finish the British's political dominance to free their motherland from the grip of the Britishers. He stood with the tribals and for the tribals to protect the Zameen (Land) and Dharm (Religion/Faith) of the tribal community. His works and sacrifices are worth recognizing, as he dedicated his life to the tribals and started the tribal movement in Jharkhand. He mobilized the tribals and encouraged them to fight against atrocities fearlessly. His revolution against the British had an incredible effect. The inception of settlement and survey operations in the Ranchi district was a direct outcome of the Birsa Movement. He has enormous contribution not only to raise the movement against the oppressive British to free the motherland but also to intensify the feeling of Nationalism among the tribes of the Chotnagpur region. He devoted his entire life to the cause of the tribal community. Therefore his sacrifice for tribes and tribal land is praiseworthy and needs recognition. Today the tribals of the Chhota Nagpur Plateau worship him and call him "Dharti Abba" (father of the earth). Hence, setting up a chair in Tribal University at Amarkantak in his memory is a tribute to all his struggles.

Objectives :

The prime objective of this proposal is to provide well-equipped centers of learning to disseminate knowledge in the backdrop of interdisciplinary perspective for academicians and students to undertake studies and research to understand, assess and disseminate ideas and thoughts of Birsa Munda, particularly on disciplines like Sociology, Social Anthropology, Tribal Studies, Social Work, Economics, Political Science, Religious and Cultural Studies, Philosophy, Constitutional Studies, Education, Human Rights as well as other disciplines considered relevant for inclusion and attainment of Social Justice.
As the first National Tribal University of the Nation, the first and foremost objective of establishing this Chair is to focus on research and teaching for the study of deprived sections of Indian Society, especially for tribal communities.
In achieving this objective, the Chair conducts research on the socio-economic and cultural life of the Tribal Communities of the country. It encourages the students of tribal communities to carry out their higher studies like Ph.D. and post-doctoral degrees on various facets of tribal life.
The Chair specifically strives to develop proper perspective and ontological procedures to interpret and convert Brisa Munda's ideas and thoughts into practical propositions and policy documents for the development of tribal communities.

Specific Activities of the Chair

Broadly the Chair serves as the Center of learning and research for amplifying tribal development and recognizing the tremendous cultural traits of tribal Society. Nevertheless, the specific objectives of this Center are:

• To focus not only on the subjects concerning Birsa Munda's Works and Philosophy but also highlight the contribution of other tribal leaders of the country.
• To publish some untold facts about tribal life, their culture, and traditions.
• To undertake research for understanding the tribal culture of the country in general and of Madhya Pradesh in particular.
• To conduct various conferences/Seminars/Workshops/Evaluation Studies on various problems of tribal Society and, based on those intensive discourses, to provide recommendations for policy documents that help to eliminate or reduce the constraints of tribal Society.
• To provide various training programs and coaching to tribal students to enhance their higher study and prepare them for various competitive examinations.
• To procure books on tribal issues (both in English and Hindi) for easy access to scholars and academicians who want to carry out their research on issues of tribal communities.
• To conduct empirical studies and prepare monograms on different tribes and publish books on various tribal issues.