Khambu Rai demands scheduled tribal status

KalimNews, Kalimpong, 16 January 2014: While celebrating the new year with its cultural groups Khambu Rais declared relay hunger strike in demand of tribal status to Khambus. 
The hunger strike will start from 18th January at Kalimpong in the banner of Khambu Rai Rights movement with a batch of nine participants declared Sandip Rai, spokesperson of KRRM. This will be followed by several other programmes and it may also boycott the forthcoming Loksabha election, if needed added Rai. 
The declaration was also supported by Bishal Khambu Rai Secretary of KKRS Kurseong, Arpan Khambu Rai Chief Patron of KKR Youth Association Central Committee Darjeeling and Manjil Khambu Rai president of Central Committee Kirati Khambu Rai Youth Association.
About eight thousand Khambu Rais of Darjeeling hills and terai and plains gathered at Mela ground celebrated 5074 Yeledong the Kirati new year in Kalimpong, during a programme organised by Sub- Divisional Committee of Kirati Khambu Rai Sanskritik Sansthan Kalimpong, the crowd gathered also rallied in the Kalimpong town demanding scheduled tribe status. Later the rally gathered in the Mela ground was addressed by several speakers who spoke demanding tribal status to Khambu Rais and others. Culture of Khambu Rai were displayed in various forms of Khambu Rai traditional dances and performances. A team of leaders also presented a memorandum to the SDO of Kalimpong.In absence of SDO, Mr. Pritam Limbu second Officer received the memorandum.

The memorandum signed by the President and Secretary of the Sub-Divisional Committee of Kalimpong stated that the Constitution of India gives special privileges to the aboriginal tribes of the Indian union and the tribes called “Khambu Rais” were in Indian Sub-Continent before Indus Valley Civilization started which has been established by the extensive research of Prof. G. P. Singh – an eminent historian of our country. He has researched for his entire life and brought these facts before us who said that how Kiratas (other name of Khambu Rai explained later) have contributed in the development of Indian civilization and were supressed politically, socially and culturally by the Aryans over 5000 years back in his work “Researches into the History and Civilization of the Kiratas” (Gyan Publishing House, New Delhi 2008 pp 1-572), stated the memorandum. 
It also said "however, due to some misconceptions and misunderstanding about us among the policy makers of our country, we have not yet been considered as the indigenous tribal of our country. More so because we are shy in nature and we do not come out to claim our rights. Further, majority of the Khambu Rai live in remote villages, inside or in periphery of the forest areas.We,the undersigned on behalf of the community, would like to furnish the following facts before your honour for your kind and sympathetic consideration of including Khambu Rais in the list of schedule tribal of our country."  
"1.That we the “Khambu Rais” are also called “Kiratas” that has been established by almost every scholar on the Eastern Himalayas. Charles McDougal writes, “Rais and Limbus are descendants from the ancient Kirati”. Even today, most of us call ourselves “Kirati” and our organisation itself bears this word. Earliest mention of the population of the Eastern Hills, contained in the ancient Hindu epics such as the Mahabharata, speak of the Kirat as fierce barbarians of Mongoloid race, noted as inhibiting the country between the Sun Kosi River and Bhutan including a parts of present day Sikkim but occasionally venturing into the plains (Charles McDougal, 1979: 1-2).
2.That it may be mentioned here that Government of West Bengal had earlier recommended for inclusion of Limbu and Khambu Rai communities in the list of Schedule Tribes of West Bengal, and the union Government included the Limbus but Khambu Rai was not included in the list at that time. The West Bengal Government had conducted a study on ethno-cultural and socio-economic aspects of Limbu and Khambu Rai, in which it was found that both the communities are very close to each other. However, we, the Khambu Rais were deprived and we were not given what we deserved being to get rightfully then.

3.That the Khambu Rai community has its own cultural traits which are unique and which just cannot be identified on any superficial study. For example, when dead body departs from the house Rs. 1.00 coin is attached on the forehead of the dead body. It is considered that the soul shall have to travel a long way to be assembled with the soul of the ancestors and for the journey the soul will require some travelling expenses. The coin will serve the purpose etc.
4.That regarding language, it may be mentioned that we have their own language.It is also worth mentioning here we have quite distinct and different history of our own. On religion, the majority of Khambu Rai still practice our traditional religion, which has some similarity with Shamanism or Bon – a primitive form of religion.
5.That we have certain cultural similarities with the Limbus (already included in Scheduled Tribe list of India). The way the traditional priest of Limbu perform the ritual are more or less same with that of ours and we call our priest as “Mangpa” or “Bonpa”. We believe that the well being of our family and misfortune including any type of ailment are caused and governed by the spirits of the ancestors. So, we worship our ancestral sprits every day. We participate in the “ Nature Worship”.
6.That the majority of Khambu Rai people (86% as stated by West Bengal Government) live in rural and jungle areas, where our dwelling houses are located on the stiff gorge. There is no way of easy communication in our community.
7.That we are very shy type of people. Poor economy of the Khambu Rai associated with low level of education add up to the this nature more at large. Besides this, we also have barrier of language to communicate with neighbouring people.
8.That our community shows a comparatively little occupational mobility due to barrier of language to communicate with neighbouring people and also because of our poor economy as we are associated with low level of education that adds up to our shyness at large.
9.That we still have their traditional Panchayat in our community. The traditional Panchayat restrict our activities in social and cultural terms of concerned society. Our Traditional Panchayat is known as “Minma Senma” where all major social decisions are taken jointly.
10.That the extent of participation of the students in secondary and higher secondary level has sharply declined indicating maximum drop-out prevailing in our community. It is also emphasized that the female literacy is not satisfactory among the members of our community chiefly due to poverty."
" It further said , "therefore, we earnestly request your honour to kindly take up the matter of recognising Khambu Rais as the scheduled tribes of India and provide our children and grand-children an opportunity to be able to come to the national mainstream competing with other citizens of our country on nation building for stronger, brighter and world leader Hindusthan. Our forefathers were compelled by the Aryan Kings then to follow their religion and culture or face the death penalty that jeopardised the entire religious and cultural life of the Khambus and now over 5 decades, we all Khambu Rais are reorganising our lost cultural heritage and if at this stage, the Union Government comes up to help us by giving our rights what is due to us, it will immensely help us in coming to the national mainstream."