JMM chief Shibu Soren tends his garden in Ranchi. Picture by Prasant Mitra.

He still plays the dugdugi and nagada every morning and prefers sattu to exotic food. For Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief Shibu Soren, life has not changed after becoming the Union coal minister. Soren leads a spartan life, quite opposite to the luxurious lifestyle associated with most politicians. He makes it a point to wake up by 4 am every morning, irrespective of the fact that he may have retired only two hours ago. After a quick bath, he spends an hour playing nagada and, at times, dugdugi.

The JMM chief says he feels uneasy throughout the day if he does not play a musical instrument in the morning. Even during election campaigns or official tours, Soren makes it a point to carry his percussive instruments. ?I am a son of Nature. I belong to the forests, where these musical instruments are the only mode of communication. Even today, mobile phones do not work in the dense forests and hundreds of people still come running to greet me when they hear the sound of my dugdugi. No doubt, telecommunication has improved in the villages, but I firmly believe that desi instruments are far more effective. This is another reason why I usually play the nagada before any important party function,? says the man lovingly called Guruji.

Soren?s aides and family members are, however, not quite pleased about his fetish for a simple life. Anyone found sleeping after 6 am at the Soren household, is woken up by the JMM chief with a bucket of cold water. He, himself, is ready to meet his visitors by 7 am. ?I even tell my sons that the JMM is not their property. I have nurtured this organisation with my sweat and blood and they should make honest efforts to win the hearts of the people. If they have really decided to join politics, they should be available to the common people by 6 am. They should stand outside the house and inquire about the well-being of every passer-by, instead of sitting in the cool confines of the drawing room and calling in visitors one by one.?

But youngest son Hemant Soren does not agree. ?I think he is too strict. Whenever he is at home, I move over to a guest house or a relative?s place. He does not allow anyone to sleep till late or enjoy good food. Even smoking and drinking are strictly prohibited,? scowled Hemant.

Like his lifestyle, Soren?s food habits are also simple. A strict vegetarian, the JMM chief prefers to cook his own food, which usually comprises green vegetables prepared with minimum oil and plain chapati. His breakfast consists of seasonal fruits and vegetables, like papaya, cucumber and carrots, which he grows in his kitchen garden.

On officials tours, when no food is available, Soren prefers a glass of sattu. In fact, he carries a packet of sattu on his tours. Says Soren?s closest aide Vivekanand Raut: ?Recently, when we were in Calcutta, all through the day Guruji was busy with meetings. We had not eaten anything since morning. In the afternoon, the organisers took us to the guesthouse for lunch. My mouth watered at the sight of the delicious spread, but he refused to eat anything. He asked me to prepare a glass of sattu. Naturally, I too could not eat anything.?

Soren inherited his food habits from the Maithilis of Bihar. ?I adore their rich culture. In fact, I was the first Santhal allowed by the brahmins to eat with them. Even today, several Brahmins touch my feet. But, I always ask them to give due honour to those who work as labourers in their household,? says Soren.

Even when he was in jail in connection with the Chirudih massacre, Soren cooked his own meals. ?Everyday thousands of people used to visit him with fruits, sweets and home-made food. But Guruji always distributed the food among the guests. He cooked his own meals and I assisted him,? says Raut.

Soren also prays everyday. A voracious reader, he can fluently speak Hindi, Bengali, Oriya, Maithili and Santhali.

Sudhir Kumar Mishra