'What she did so far and what she will do now is secondary; the most important thing is a person from the Adivasi community has reached the top-most position in the country.'
C K Janu came into prominence as a social and political activist when she led an Adivasi land agitation movement to redistribute land to landless Adivasis under the banner of the Adivasi Gothra Maha Sabha in 2001.
What made bigger news was when she along with thousands of Adivasis walked into the Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary in Wayanad, and started cultivating the land.
When the police forcibly tried to evict them, there were clashes which resulted in the deaths of Adivasis and a policeman.
Her foray into active politics was when she formed the Janadhipathya Rashtriya Party and joined the National Democratic Alliance. She contested the 2016 Kerala assembly elections as part of the NDA, but lost by a huge margin.
Her political career may not have taken off, but she is still considered a major Adivasi leader.
"It is the greatest news I have heard in a long, long, time," C K Janu tells Rediff.com's Shobha Warrier about Droupadi Murmu's elevation as India's first Adivasi president.
When Droupadi Murmu took the oath as the President of India, she said, her elevation as the first citizen would change the lives of tribal communities in India. Do you think so?
She is an Adivasi who has experienced and seen first-hand how adivasis are treated, exploited and abused by our society.
Nobody has to tell her about the suffering and distress Adivasis go through every day. She has also worked with tribals of that area.
It is not that she was holding an important job and from there, she was made President.
She worked among the tribals in the villages and fought for their upliftment.
So, she is aware of the ground realities in which Adivasis live.
And that makes her in a unique position to do more for the Adivasi community.
Do you feel she will be an inspiration for young women from tribal communities??
The moment she became the first Adivasi woman President of India, she has become an inspiration for all.
In fact, the very news of her nomination itself was inspirational for all of us.
As you know, Adivasis have always been kept away from the political scene in India. It is from such a space that she has come up to be the First Citizen of India.
It is not a small thing; nobody can brush it aside as just another news. It is the greatest news I have heard in a long, long, time.
It is said that after K R Narayanan became the first Dalit President of India, there was talk that the lives of Dalits would change, but nothing of that sort happened. The last President also was from the Dalit community.
The difference is that the current President was actively working and fighting for the Adivasis in the villages after experiencing all the hardships when she grew up.
She was not a diplomat or a person who held high positions.
She is one person who built a school in the place where she was to erect a memorial for her husband and two sons.
You have been working with Adivasis for many years. 75 years have passed after India became Independent.
What is the situation of Adivasis in India now? Do you think political parties have used them only for votes?
Adivasis have been treated by all political as people who can be used for rallies, and as vote banks.
They are never considered human beings with needs.
Politicians visit them, keep them close for photos.
And once the use is over, they are thrown away like curry leaves.
The image of Kerala is that of the most developed and literate state, but the condition of Adivasis is pathetic and the worst in India.
The Adivasis of Kerala do not even have a piece of land to cremate their loved ones.
Can you believe they are forced to break the kitchen floor or the toilet or the verandah to bury the dead?
When you have only 4 cents (1 cent=435.56 square feet) of land, where do you expect them to bury the dead? That's the kind of lives the Adivasis of Kerala lead.
What more can you expect when Adivasis are not even considered human beings?
The political class of India think Adivasis do not deserve a better life.
I have travelled to all the states in India and the situation in which tribals live is the same everywhere.
See, it is from a such background that a person like Droupadi Murmu came up to be the First Citizen of India.
That's why it is so significant for all the Adivasis of India.
What is the biggest problem Adivasis face in India?
The biggest problem today is Adivasis have become landless.
It is not that they didn't own any land before; they were made landless when their land was grabbed by corporates to make cars, multinationals and the mining mafia.
They were once part of nature, protecting it and cultivating it. From there, they were thrown out.
Today, the forests have disappeared, water sources have dried up and hills have become barren, the effects of which everybody is feeling.
In Kerala, most of the Adivasis are either landless or they own the 4 cents land given by the government in which at least 5 families live now.
Their condition is wretched and pitiful.
That's why I have been fighting for bhoomi for the landless for the last four decades.
What do they need more for a better life, land or education?
The first priority should be land. You can build a hut only if you have A foundation.
Today, all Adivasis who once owned land, are landless labourers in other people's land.
They have no land to cultivate, so they work elsewhere as workers.
So, you should first provide them land so that they can cultivate and make a living. Then, they will send their children to study.
The common sight you see in the mornings is, when children from Adivasi families go to work in dirty clothes, other children go to school wearing clean school uniforms.
All Adivasis including Droupadi Munnu and I are victims of such exploitation, untouchability and alienation.
We are alienated not just socially, but politically and economically too.
That's why all of us have hope in her. It is a very proud moment for all the Adivasis.
I cannot even express the kind of happiness and pride I feel right now. I have decided to go and meet her one day.
What she did so far and what she will do now is secondary; the most important thing is a person from the Adivasi community has reached the top-most position in the country.
But the criticism is that the BJP is trying to win the support of Adivasis by nominating her as the President of India...
Let me ask you. She is the 15th President of India. There were 14 Presidents before her.
What prevented the earlier governments and other political parties to consider someone from the Adivasi community till now, at least for the sake of winning our votes? Why didn't they do so? So, they have no right to criticise the BJP now.
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
