The Jharkhand government had recommended giving Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to Kurmis last year. What?s the development on this front?

The Munda state cabinet had made a recommendation and had sent it to the Union ministry of social welfare. The proposal is still being considered there.

You are known as someone, who fights for the cause of Kurmis. What would you say is the status of Kurmis now?

Kurmis have been living in Jharkhand for ages and yet they have not received the respect they deserve. Kurmis constitute 30 per cent of the population, and are connected deeply with the state?s roots. Though we have a good number of politically active members, we enjoy a meagre representation in state-level services and in the bureaucracy. Even our mother tongue Kurmali has not been given the recognition that it deserves.

How popular is Kurmali, as a language?

It deserves the second-language status here. It is spoken by 30 per cent of the population and even in states like Orissa, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh, a large number of people talk in Kurmali, as do a considerably large number of Kurmis, present in Assam. It?s a rich language with a sound history and a good number of literary works have been written in it.

What are the similarities and dissimilarities between Kurmis and other tribes?

We all worship nature. We have the same cultural practices. We give the same status to women and treat them equally. Finally, we were all considered tribals by the British government, a status that we lost once Jharkhand was formed.

What would you say to those who suggest that Kurmis were not that active in Indian freedom struggle?

That they are misinformed. We were one of the first to revolt against the British in Chhotanagpur. Raghunath Mahto a peasant from Seraikela raised his voice way back in 1769.

S. Shekhar