Now people of Bagasara settlement will get their basic rights...

Bagasara Settlement made of cloth covering

'Ben, please do something about the construction of our houses. Our generations have passed wandering but now we are tired. We can’t earn by decorating the carts and selling bullocks anymore. So, there is no meaning in roaming around. Now we go to collect the scrap. But if we get the house, it will be better.’

This is what Navghanbhai Saraniya from Bagasara of Amreli district feels. 

We have houses so we don’t understand the problems faced by the people who don’t have houses. 

But we have to think of the people who have to stay in such a condition every day. 

This settlement made by the covering of cloth looks nice in the photograph at the first glance. But how can one save themselves when there is rain in the monsoon?

Moreover, there are polls of electricity in the settlement but their entire settlement is in the dark. But we had a word with Maharshibhai. He gave solar light and thus, there is thin light but there is light. 

Mittal Patel addressing the people at Bagasara Settlement

But the wish is to have the permanent space and house. 

We met the Collector of Amreli. He is a very kind andgenerous person. He has told us to prepare all the details. He gave 250 forms for ration card immediately and told us to draw his attention if there is any difficulty in the process of getting the ration card. Our worker Ramesh and Devchandbhai from Bagasara will help us in this work. We hope that this work finishes soon.   

The photos are of the meeting we conducted at Gadliya, Saraniya, Bawaji, Devipoojak, Fakir communities living in Bagasara. 

'બેન હવે ઘર થાય એમ કરો. રખડી રખડીને અમારી પેઢીઓ વઈ ગઈ પણ હવે થાક્યા. આ ચાકા હજાવવાનું ને ઢાંઢા વેચવાનું હવ નથ થાતું. એટલે હવે ફરવાનો અરથ નથી. હવે કાગરિયા ને ભંગાર વીણવા જાઈએ સીએ. પણ ઘર થાય તો થોડું હરખુ રે.'

People at the meeting

અમરેલીના બગસરામાં રહેતા નવઘણભાઈ સરાણિયાની આ લાગણી.

ઘરવાળા આપણને ઘર ના હોવાની તકલીફ ના સમજાય. પણ જેને રોજ આમાં જ રહેવાનું હોય એની દશા તો વિચારવી રહી....

એક નજરે તો કપડાંની આડોશ કરેલી આ વસાહત ફોટોમાં જોવી ગમે. પણ ચોમાસામાં વરસતા વરસાદમાં આવી આડાશોમાં પોતાને સાચવવાનું કેમ થાય? 

વળી લાઈટના થાઁભલા વસાહતમાંથી પસાર થાય છતાં એમની વસાહતમાં તો અંધારા જ. જોકે મહર્ષીભાઈ સાથે વાત થઈને એમણે સોલાર લાઈટ આપી તે ઘરમાં હવે ઝીણું તો ઝીણું પણ આજવાળું થાય છે. 

પણ ઈચ્છા રહેવા કાયમી જગ્યા ને ઘરની છે. 

VSSM worker Ramesh Makwana addressing people at Bagasara

અમરેલી કલેક્ટર શ્રીને મળ્યા. ખુબ ભલા ને પરગજુ માણસ છે. એમણે બધી વિગતો તૈયાર કરી આપવા કહી છે. રાશનકાર્ડ માટે અઢીસો ફોર્મ તો અેમણે તત્કાલ આપ્યાને કાર્ડ મળવામાં તકલીફ થાય તો ધ્યાન દોરવા કહ્યું. અમારો કાર્યકર રમેશ ને બગસરાના દેવચંદભાઈ આ કામમાં મદદ કરશે. બસ ઝટ આમની આશાઓ પુર્ણ થાય એમ ઈચ્છીએ..

બગસરામાં રહેતા ગાડલિયા, સરાણિયા, બાવાજી, દેવીપૂજક, ફકીર વગેરે સમુદાય સાથે બેઠક કરી તે વેળાની તસવીરો... 

We are Vadis, We don’t Kidnap Children

Mob lynching of Vadi women

When a beloved child is missing, for the parents that is the moment of great shock, till the child is found. In such situation when the news is heard about a child lifting gange being active, it is but natural that the public gets angry.  But it should also be ensured that such news should not victimise innocent people.  Recently in Vadaj area of Ahmedabad city there was an incident of mob attack on three innocent women of Vadi Community on the suspicion that they are child lifters. One of those women succumbed to the injuries. The children of that woman became orphans due to thoughtless action of the public. 

There were similar incidents in many places other than Ahmedabad also, which should not be tolerated at any cost.  Now a days, Nomadic community people which includes Vadi, Madari are afraid of coming out of their settlements. They are engaged in begging or doing miscellaneous labour work for their day to day livelihood.  They don’t have any stock of food items like us to use in such a situation.  Presently they fill their stomach merely on water.  Though they are innocent, the mob don’t give them chance to prove their innocence.  

Mittal Patel addressing the People

We become nostalgic on seeing Madari who used to entertain us in our childhood with and plays like magic shows and snake charming etc. and children follow them up to some distance to see their plays and at that time no body doubting them to be child lifters.  In the year 1990, the Govt. banned snack charming without thinking about their rehabilitation or alternative means of livelihood.  This put them in miserable condition and they were left with no other alternative of begging.  That is why, now a days, we see them begging across the streets.  “When cannot imagine about lifting others’ children when we have our own children” say Vadis.  They say ‘our community rules are very strict.  We are wandering from village to village and are solely dependent upon them, how can we afford to do criminal activities not liked by the society, which will deprive us from their support.  We can only beg from you but cannot do any wrong deeds.’  We have to raise the issue of rehabilitation of Vadis again.

Irula Co-Operative Venom Bank at Chennai

In Chennai, there is a community called Irula similar to Vadi, they have formed Irula Co-operative Society.  The community enrolled with this society is given licence for catching snakes.  They catch and handover the snakes to the society.  The management of the society is run by Irula community jointly with Forest Department.  They get Rs.5000 to 7000 per poisonous snack and society extracts venom twice from each snack and thereafter they are freed.  Venom collected is handed over to Venom Bank who pays Rs.70000 per tola.  The income earned from venom business is distributed among the members of Vadi community.  Presently, due to shortage of anti-venom approximately 50000 deaths are reported.  Now like this, in Gujarat also rehabilitation of Vadi, Madari community people is necessary so that they can stop the practise of begging.  

People from Vadi community holding a message of not 

In short the Government needs to rethink about the condition of Vadi, Madari community.  It is humble appeal to the society that we should avoid manhandling anybody on the basis of rumours.  If feel necessary, police be informed but not take law in our hands.  Vadi, Madari community have to come out to earn livelihood but they are afraid of the society.  They are also part of the Society.  We should remove the fear of Vadi community and ignore the false rumours. 

In this connection a peaceful human chain, in the form of a human chain was organised on 2nd July, 2018 (1-00 pm to 3-00 pm) from VSSM office to Shivranjni Cross road, Ahmedabad. Approximately 2500 people from the Nomadic community and civil society members participated which was covered by Media and purpose of the rally to convey the pathetic conditions of Nomadic Tribe served.  

We got an exceptional response from the mass media too. Some of the clippings published in the newspaper are attached here:

Divya Bhaskar report about the event

Delegation at Home Minister's office

On 3rd July 2018 a delegation of community members led by Ms. Mittal Patel met honourable Home Minister of Gujarat Shri Pradeepsinh Jadeja gave instructions to the DGP Shri Shivanand Jha to ensure that such incident is not recurred. 

We all hope that there are no more incidents of atrocities on Nomadic and De-Notified communities. We hope that people will be aware and will not forward the false messages and rumours which can kill somebody. 

Wonderful Marriage of Nat Community...

We got a chance to attend a marriage of Nat Community and the experience was very wonderful and thought provoking.

Rituals of Nat Community

No rounds of fire (agni), poojas and chanting of mantras by brahmins god and altar as witness, neither a priest to chant!

God is witnessing everything!

Put for pots in square tied with cotton thread; the sacred altar/Mandap (chori) is ready! Bride groom and bride enter this thread careful of not touching it and take four circles (fera) and exit.

Marriages in Nat Community

 If they touch the thread then the panch will punish them with small fine. It will be a small fine but everyone present will enjoy the act.

Lacs of rupees are spent after destination weddings but the amount is adequate for marrying many daughters of our Nat Community. Now a days mass marriages have become a trend, but our Nat community has been following this practice since ages.  There is less expense in Nat mass marriages than in other mass marriages.

Nuptials in Nat Community of Gujarat

Alcohol was a part of the event but now it is stopped.  

“Though people call us backward; we know this doesn’t look good so we quit it. “

On the other hand, now it is a trend to consume alcohol by so called cultured people of Dry State of Gandhi’s Gujarat. 

Now the question is who should learn from whom- small and so called “backward” Nat community from the ‘cultured’ lot or vice versa? 

ગુજરાતી અનુવાદ

અમારા નટ સમાજના અદભુત લગ્ન.

ના અગ્નિની સાક્ષી ના બ્રાહ્મણ ના કોઈ મંત્ર તંત્ર.

બધું જ ઈશ્વરની સાક્ષીયે.

ચારે બાજુ ચાર ઘડા મુકાય ને એને સુતરથી બાંધો એટલે લગ્નની પવિત્ર ચોરી તૈયાર. વર વધુ આ ચોરીમાં સુતરના દોરા ને અડકાય નહિ એમ સાવધાનીથી પ્રવેશે ને જાતે ચાર ફેરા ફરી લઈને પાછા એજ રીતે બહાર નીકળે. 

સુતરને અડી જવાય તો નાતપંચ દંડ કરે. દંડ નાનોજ હોય સાવધાની પૂરતો બાકી બધાને હરખ જ હોય.

ડેસ્ટિનેશન વેડિંગ પાછળ ખર્ચાતા લાખો રૂપિયામાં અમારા નટની ઘણી દીકરીઓ પરણી જાય. વળી સમુહલગ્નો આપણે હમણાં કરતા થયા અહીંયા તો સમૂહમાં જ દીકરીઓ પરણે છે ને આ પ્રસંગે અન્ય સમાજમાં થતા સમુહલગ્નો જેવા ખર્ચ પણ નથી થતા. 

હા પહેલા થોડો દારૂ પીવાતો પણ એ એમણે બંધ કરાવ્યો.

'લોકો પછાત કહે છે ને એટલે આ ના શોભે બેન એટલે બંધ.'

ત્યારે અન્ય કહેવાતા ભદ્ર સમાજોમાં પહેલા નહોતું એ દારૂનું ચલણ શરુ થયું દારૂબંધી વાળા ગાંધીના ગુજરાતમાં.

નાનો અને અન્યોની નજરમાં પછાત નટ સમાજ પાસેથી ખરેખર કોણે શીખવાનું એ અંગે આપણે વિચારવું રહ્યું...

Atlast…. sharing the delightful news we all were awaiting

The delight of receiving a call from BJP, to meet the Chief Minister on 6th November at 4.30 and discuss the issues of Nomadic and De-notified communities. Along with it is an invite to submit the list of the concerns at 3.30 to the BJP office on 3rd November, i.e. today.

Today, it’s just me taking the list to the BJP office but, on the 6th all of us will going together to meet the Chief Minister.

Finally, our ‘mother’ did care to look at us. And we are happy about it!!!

And as we begin to prepare for it, let us hope the meeting remains a fruitful one…

એ............... હરખ.......

ભાજપમાંથી તેડુ આવ્યાનો.. સોમવાર તા.6 નવેમ્બરના રોજ 4.30 વાગે વિચરતી વિમુક્ત જાતિઓના પ્રશ્નો બાબતે મુખ્યમંત્રી શ્રીને મળવાનો સમય મળ્યો....

ને આજે એટલે કે તા.3 નવેમ્બરના રોજ બપોરે 3.30 વાગે ભાજપ કાર્યાલય પર પ્રશ્નોને લઈને પહોંચવાનું તેડુ મળ્યું છે... અત્યારે તો જવું છું એકલી ને સોમવારે બધા...

ચાલો ‘મા’ એ હામે જોયું નો હરખ...

નક્કર થાય તેની રાહ ને સોમવાર માટેની તૈયારીમાં લાગીએ....

દાંડી પીટીને આ કહ્યું તમને બધાને...

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