Ranchi, Feb. 11: At a time when publications in tribal languages are rare, a Kuruk author of Ranchi University (RU) has scripted the sad saga of tribals’ despair due to the miserable failure of the government’s welfare schemes in her book.

Christened Puna Dahar (new ways), the book in Kuruk language by Shanti Xalxo, a teacher of tribal and regional languages department of RU, claims that all the welfare schemes of the government for the poor have bombed.

The 114-page book is a collection of poetry and prose. While Xalxo’s poetry talks of tribal festivals, her prose collection is a critique of the government’s developmental schemes, including the recent National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.

Xalxo has blamed the bureaucracy for its failure besides the tribal community. She has stated that the community, due to illiteracy and lack of awareness, had not been able to claim its rightful share.

“Through my book, I have urged the community to wake up,” Xalxo told The Telegraph. Darkness still hovers over the community due to large-scale illiteracy, drunkenness and omens, she added.

Criticism apart, the book has sonorous poems. One of them is on Albert Ekka, who belonged to the Kuruk-speaking community. “The poem rests on my imagination about Ekka’s valour at the war front where he laid down his life for the country,” said Xalxo, describing her work.

The book of Xalxo was released at a function in Academic Staff College, Ranchi University. Several authors of Kuruk language, including Nirmal Minz, former principal of Gossner College, and Bahura Ekka, former vice-chancellor of Vinoba Bhave University, attended the function.

Narayan Bhagat, a writer in the language and a teacher in RU, said there were about 35 books in Kuruk in Jharkhand.

Though Puna Dahar is the first Kuruk book of Xalxo, she has penned several poems, which have been aired by Doordarshan.