Polo to be developed at Jodeghat

An Adivasi horse rider performing a show  

The plateau on the hills around the historical Jodeghat in Asifabad district will be developed as a ground for Polo game which was a popular game playing with a ball and stick while riding a horse in ordered to develop the area as best tourist place to attract the tourists from across the world.

Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation Chairman Pervaram Ramulu said the series of beautiful hills with huge plateau area is much suitable for Polo game and Adivasis used to ride horses in the past as a warrior and horse are symbolic to the war and that of Polo game. He observed the hilly area is more suitable for the adventure sports.

Pervaram Ramulu said the hill area look like Kullu Manali in Himachal Pradesh but here in Jodeghat there will not snow falling like Kullu Manali.

He said Jodeghat is a battlefield and Adivasi legendary Kumram Bheem laid his life fighting with Nizam forces for the Jal, Jangal, and Jameen and described the Kumram Bheem as a real hero.

He said he examined the Jodeghat area when he was a top police officer and even traveled by road and knew the weather conditions of the area.

Pervaram Ramulu promised to give jobs to the local Adivasi unemployed youth to be created in the process of developing the Jodeghat area as best tourist place under Telangana Tourism Corporation and added that nearly 1,000 jobs could be created in the project.

He observed that four months from April to July are not suitable for the tourism at Jodeghat while August to February months suitable to conduct adventure sports to attract the tourists from across the world.

Asifabad to be named after Kumram Bheem

Kumram Bheem 

In the changed political scenario, Asifabad district will be named after Adivasi legendary Kumram Bheem instead of Mancherial as Asifabad will have more tribal mandals.

Adivasi culture was concentrated in and around the Asifabad. Adivasis ruled the Asifabad and Sirpur (T) area before the 18^th Century and there was Adivasi dynasty in that area.

Kumram Bheem fought against Nizam forces for self-rule on 12 villages and for Jal ,Jangal and Jameen.

Historical Jodeghat is close to the Asifabad and Kumram Bheem was died fighting with the Nizam’s forces at Jodeghat in Kerameri mandal on September1,1940 and postmortem was conducted to Komuram Bheem’s body at Government hospital in Asifabad.                       

People of Asifabad and its surrounding areas are jubilant in mood and celebrated the news that Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has decided to create new district with Asifabad its headquarters.

Adivasis were not happy naming the Mancherial district after Kumram Bheem as there was less number of Adivasis population and Adivasis’ culture and traditions are not prevalent in Mancherial like in Asifabad and Utnoor areas.

Asifabad MLA Kova Laxmi thanked the Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao for considering the proposal for creation of Asifabad as new district and added that the interior tribal areas in the Constituency will be developed and Adivasi’s culture and traditions will be protected and will be carry forward to new generations.   

Freedom fighter and Telangana protagonist late Konda Laxman Bapuji first contested on Congress party ticket as MLA from the Asifabad Assembly Constituency of Adilabad district in 1952. He was native of Wankidi mandal headquarters and just 20 km from Asifabad in Adilabad district.

Adivasis' tools in museum

Tools and instruments that the Adivasis use in day- to-day life have an antique value that needs to be preserved for the posterity. 

Some of these items  that the Adivasis had collected and put on view at the recently concluded ‘Giri Ustav’ at Utnoor will be kept in the tribal museum being constructed at Jodeghat in Kerameri where Kumram Bheem died to fight with Nizam forces in the 1940s.

The state government has sanctioned Rs 25 crores to develop the Jodeghat as a tourist spot with the memorial, tribal museum, and open auditorium.     

The just concluded Giri Ustav helped the officials in collecting the tools, instruments of Adivasis, which reflect their tradition, and culture displayed at Giri Ustav by the Adivasis came from across the district.

The Giri Ustav, organized by the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA), Utnoor , in collaboration with the Telangana Tourism, enabled officials to collect the tools, instruments, and ornaments of the Adivasis.

Some trends, such as the wearing of modern clothes by the tribals were of more recent vintage and out of their own interest, cultural experts said and did not reflect their real traditions or practices of yore.

They felt that there was a need for screening the present Adivasi culture, based on the original traditions and customs, before documenting them.          

The Gonds, Thoti, Pardhan, Erukala, Naikpod, Koya, Kolam, Mannewar, Lambada and other tribal groups exhibited their culture and tradition and performed their dances and displayed many instruments and tools that they had been using on the special occasions since their forefathers’ time.

Some had become extinct through sheer disuse, with modern equipment having replaced them, and the younger generations, having no idea how to use some of the ancient implements, had stored them away.

Adivasi leader Sidam Arju of Adilabad said that the display of these tools and other articles of daily use in this manner was a good way for the new generation of Adivasis to get acquainted with their own rich past.

Few cultural and traditions aspects of some Adivasi groups have influenced with people of plain areas and they have changed a lot and influenced with Hindu religion on Adivasis especially Andh group.

‘Their dressing style and some cultural aspects were new assimilated from Hindu non- tribals’, he observed and cultural experts should be very careful while identifying the real culture of Adivasis before they exhibit in the tribal museum.

He said Adivasi have their own 'Adi Dharma' such as ‘Pandi Parikupari Lingo’, ‘Raithad Jango’ and will not come under Hindu religion.    

Mancherial district prone to pollution by opencast mines

Srirampur opencast mine in Adilabad

The new district Mancherial is more prone to pollution due to opencast mines and industries of ceramic in the area.

The soil removed from opencast mines piled up at various places in the coal belt areas and causing health problems in Srirampur, Mancherial, Mandamarri , Kasipet, Thandur, Rebbena and Goleti areas under all the five opencast mines which are now part of Mancherial district to be named after Adivasi legendary Kumram Bheem.

The opencast mines Srirampur, Ramakrishnapur, Dorli I and II, Khairiguda are functional. New opencast mine Kalyanikhani at Erraguntapalle in Manadamarri was proposed.

Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) has conducted surveys for new opencast mines at various places in Asifabad and Sirpur (T) Assembly constituencies. Singareni is planning to establish opencast mines near Movvad and Jodeghat area.    

    

On the other hand, coal ash emerges as a by-product of the thermal power project established at Jaipur mandal in the Mancherial district being created.

A large number of people have already suffered from respiratory health problems including asthma and lung problems with the existing opencast mines. The Singareni is planning new opencast mines in the area which comes under the Mancherial district.

The temperatures are high in the coal belt area as the coal gets heat during the summer and people experience highest temperatures.

Comparatively, the temperatures are low in Adilabad and Nirmal with the huge forest cover and no opencast mines and industries emanate pollution. These two places are now being carved out as new districts.

Villagers of Erraguntapalle have been agitating for long time opposing the opencast mining coming up in their village in Mandamarri.

One can see the piled up soil looks like hills causing pollution in the area and opencast mines resulted in the drastic fall in the ground water, sinking tanks, hitting the agriculture, drinking water problem and losing fertile agriculture lands in addition to the health problems.

The opencast mines also cause displacement of Adivasis from their traditional habitat that is forest areas and creates unrest among them by making them laborers.

Jana Gana Mana in 25 crore voices

Union Minister for Human Resource Development (HRD) Prakash Javadekar said as many as 25 crore students of schools and colleges will sing national anthem simultaneously at 11 am across the country on August 23.

He was addressing at gathering at historical Jodeghat in the Adilabad district as part of ‘Azaadi 70 Saal’ marking the completion of 69 years of Indian independence. 

Mr. Javadekar said the Cental government led by the BJP would fulfill the aspirations of the Adivasi legendary Kumram Bheem who fought against  Nizam forces for Jal Jangal and Jameen and self- rule.

He said soon they are going to distribute Rs 42,000 crore special funds lying in the banks among the states under CAMPA for the afforestation programs like Haritha Haram. Haritha Haram is being implemented by the Telangana government as increasing forest cover is necessary for even tribals as they get livelihood through minor forest produce. 

Javadekar said soon will issue rights certificates to the lands being cultivated for a long time by the tribals in the country.   

He added that one should remember the sacrifices of the people who laid down their lives to make the country independent  and a Central government deeply respect Adivasi legendary Kumram Bheem and his sacrifices. He said there is also Bheem in Pancha Padavas in the Indian mythology like Bheem Rao Ambedkar and Kumram Bheem and country people should respect them.

Javadekar expressed happiness over all the public representatives and Adivasi leaders demanding to establish education institutions in the Adilabad and it indicates a change in people’s thinking and priority being given to the education. Javadekar paid rich tributes to the Kumram Bheem and felicitated the latter’s family members. 

BJP irked by praise for Nizam

Toilets near Bheem's Samadhi