The Adivasi Will Not Dance ....

2016 India. First shot: A ladder rests on a wall; the best and smart climb to the roof top to fly kites, pull away the ladder. Second: the best and unsmart Dalits and Adivasis wait silently, afraid to call the ladder; they also have kites; the roof toppers demand a dance; promise the ladder. Adivasis and Dalits refuse to dance; walk away; their kites do not take the skies. Yes, The Adivasi Will Not Dance writes, Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar. After 69 years, Shekhar is brave refusing to dance. The collection of 10 short stories is bleak; women sexed for cash; land robbed for power development; living in Gujarat without meat; yes, Gujarat is a Hindu state. In the last two years, Indian literature can be proud of two books:  Baluta by Daya Pawar (English translation by Jerry Pinto) and The Adivasi Will Not Dance by Shekhar; they are political statements on an unequal nation priding imbalance. And there is a literary lilt; Dalits and Adivasis have rhythms in them; there is abuse, madarchod...; there is hurting lyricism...' When Basanti had first heard of the accusation, she had been shocked. A long-buried, agonizing recollection had assaulted her, like a thin rubber band which snaps as one is trying a chignon, and stings the fingers...'.; a three-page November is the month of Migrations crunches with its brevity....'The policeman heaves himself up and helps Talamai to her feet. He throws the used condom away and wears his clothes. Then he gives Talamai two pieces of cold bread pakora and a fifty-rupee note and walks away. She re-ties her saya and lungi, stuffs the fifty-rupee note into her blouse, eats both the break pakoras, and walks back to her group.'  That's what we have been doing to Adivasi women. Its not as if they are against development; are they consulted before their lands are snatched; has any minister thought of talking to them about coal deposits below their fertile farm lands; has any member of Niti Aayog consulted them?; politicians dine and dance with industrialists in New Delhi for their Budget views.  Ah, that's not done? Will any of these gentlemen and women read Shekhar: 'Johar, Rashtrapati-babu. We are very proud and happy that you have come to our Santhal Pargana and we are also very proud that we have been asked to sing and dance before you and welcome you to our place. We will sing and dance before you but tell us, do we have a reason to sing and dance? Do we have a reason to be happy? You will now start building the power plant, but this plant will be the end of us all, the end of all the Adivasi. These men sitting beside you have told you that this power plant will change our fortunes, but these same men have forced us out of our homes and villages. We have nowhere to go, nowhere to grow our crops. How can this power plant be good for us? And how can we Adivasis dance and be happy? Unless we are given back our homes and land, we will not sing and dance. We Adivasis will not dance. The Adivasi will not ---' The power plant will keep Mumbai and me cool; GDP will be 10 per cent, Sensex up 20 per cent;
corporates owing infrastructure will make money, email it to Swiss banks. They will dance the bars of New York. The Adivasi need not dance....he need not be in 2016 India.