Telangana Adivasi women set up Constitution education centres

KUMARAMBHEEM ASIFABAD: A few educated Adivasi women have jointly set up Rajyanga Chaithanya Bodana Kendrams — Constitution education centres — in six interior villages to create awareness and knowledge among the community about their constitutional rights, how to preserve their culture, the importance of education, health and about their history and literature for children.

The centres are to function as knowledge sources, and not recreational spaces, and will go a long way in creating a knowledge-based society.   

Nearly 80 books on various subjects were kept for reading for youth and children and a TV for illiterate Adivasis to watch videos on various subjects at each centre.  The book shelf bears on it the photographs of Dr B.R. Ambedkar and Kumaram Bheem.

These centres have come up in Maoist-affected Tiryani mandal in Kumarambheem Asifabad district.

The women of Jai Jangubai Adivasi Mahila Sangham and youth of Gondwana Yuvajana Sangam took the initiative for setting up the constitutional education centres with the financial help of Yakshi, an NGO in Hyderabad.

Jai Jangubai Mahila Sangam president Marsakola Kamala and publicity secretary Karkataka Radha are active in community activities for some time now. Each centre has been set up with an investment of `80,000.

Kamala said they wanted to create awareness among Adivasis about their constitutional rights and how to protect them within the legal framework in a democratic set-up. She said they were trying to inculcate the reading habit among the youth and children since many of them are addicted to cellphones.

Educated youth and teenagers are showing interest in reading books related to Adivasi culture and health and education and the histories of Adivasi legends who fought for the rights of adivasis, like Rani Durgawati, Kumaram Bheem, Marsakola Ramjigond, and Sammakka Saralamma, Birsa Munda, and many others, said Kamala.

The centres have been set up in a room in the selected six villages in five gram panchayats: Pataguda in Mangi, Salpalaguda in Pangidi Madara, Saleguda in Ginnedhari, Korlonka in Gudipeta and Navghad in Khairiguda.

Jai Jangubai Adivasi Mahila Sangam members extended their support to the poorest among the poor Adivasis in the area. Sangam members distributed packs of essential commodities worth `1,600 each to 390 families in 24 Adivasi gudems in nine gram panchayats and also masks in the pandemic.

Sangam members mobilised voluntary donations and helped poorer adivasis during the pandemic. They also distributed 12 varieties of seeds to adivasi families to raise fruit plants and vegetables in the backyards of their houses for their own consumption to improve their health since many adivasis have been suffering from anaemia.

Atram Anand Rao of Gondwana Adivasi Yuvajana Sangam said they were creating awareness among adivasis about various issues, especially the importance of education for the empowerment of adivasi communities.