Members of Jharkhand Janadhikar Party take out a victory rally on Wednesday. Picture by Prashant Mitra

Ranchi, Nov. 5: If America today celebrated its historic triumph over racial prejudice with pride, this tribal heartland, too, erupted into bouts of ecstasy.

Barack Obama, set to become the first black President of the US, is a tribal of Kenyan origin and his ascension to power was viewed here as a victory for the entire tribal community.

A group of tribal permanent settlers in Ranchi took out a victory procession to mark the momentous event. Under the aegis of the Jharkhand Janadhikar Party (JJP) and Adivasi Moolvasi Janadhikar Manch (AMJM), they began their march from the Morabadi grounds shouting slogans. They pledged their moral support to the US President-elect for his promise to promote world peace. They congratulated US citizens for their grit to break racial barriers.

“Barack Obama has made us proud. He has shown to the world that you cannot judge a person by the colour of his skin or the place of his origin. He has fulfilled the dreams of millions of tribals across the world. That feeling of being neglected is gone,” beamed JJP president and co-ordinator of AMJM Ratan Tirkey.

Celebrations were galore at Albert Ekka Chowk, where members and supporters of the Jharkhand Chhatra Sangh (JCS) took out a rally to congratulate Obama. The sound of crackers and colours of solidarity filled the air. “By electing Obama as its 44th President, US citizens had cocked a snook at apartheid,” said a reveller.

JCS district president Mahendra Kacchap expressed hope that Obama would help improve diplomatic ties between the two countries. “We hope he will be successful in eradicating mean and caste-based politics in this world,” he said.

Noted tribal leader and scholar Ram Dayal Munda, who did his PhD in linguistics from the University of Chicago, said the election of a black as the President of a world power would be the beginning of a new era. “It will help America build a people-friendly image,” he said.

Adivasi Chhatra Sangh president Chamra Linda called Obama’s victory historic. “It is a turning point in Indo-American ties. Let’s hope US policies will now be pro-people and not pro-colour.”