Champion of landless adivasis dies in poverty

HT, 4 Sep 2016, SILIGURI: Jhamela Somra Oraon (80) of Lal Jhamela Basti fame in Jalpaiguri district died at his home after prolonged illness. Oraon is survived by his two children and wife Basanti, once his comrade-in-arms.

Oraon, a former labourer of Chengmari tea garden, and his close aide Lal Somra Oraon were the two Adivasi youths who took the centre stage and led the locals in their fight to get land rights near Chengmari tea garden under Looksan gram panchayat of Nagrakata block in Jalpaiguri district.

It was the days of Congress rule in the early 60s when the trade union movement in tea gardens was beginning to draw the attention of those in power. After years of struggle, in the early 1970s the villagers captured the land and each of the 329 landless families was given three to three-and-a-half bighas of land free. As the land movement was led by Lal Somra Oaron and Jhamela Somra Oaron, the new basti was named after them— Lal Jhamela Basti. The basti turned into a CPI(M) citadel.

More than 45 years later, the basti near India-Bhutan border is no more a CPI(M) bastion and both Jhamela Somra Oraon and Lal Somra Oraon have almost faded into oblivion. The two families struggled for survival. Jhamela was paralytic for the last few years and with a tumor on his tongue he could not speak. A fierce fight with the police ensued in the early 1970s in which many CPI(M) supporters were injured. Jhamela was known as a fierce fighter with an uncompromising attitude.

He was respected by all for his honesty and the guts to take on the mighty and the powerful, said Lal Somra Oraon, also a resident of Lal Jhamela Basti.

Jhamela and his family lived in poverty. His son Maniram, who went missing at the age of 17, returned home last year after 19 years. Local CPI(M) leaders attended his funeral.