Other States - Orissa   

A celebration of sorts

Underprivileged people celebrating Independence Day at Master Canteen Square in Bhubaneswar.

BHUBANESWAR: A little distance away from the venue of the State-level Independence Day celebrations here on Wednesday, two divergent groups observed the day in a quite different styles but with an identical message that they were yet to get ‘freedom.’

While about 200 persons identifying themselves as bonded labourers and barbers, who had been fighting for equal footing in social hierarchy, assembled near Exhibition Ground to raise their issues, a group of beggars chose the occasion to hoist the National Flag by mobilising their companions at Master Canteen Square here.

Activists of Dalit Adhikar Sangathan and Orissa Gotimukti Andolan stood with strips of black cloths tied around their mouths and placards hung in their necks that read freedom was meaningless for them.

"Are barbers, who are forced to wash feet of others, clean leftover foods in village feast and shave heads of dead persons at some places, enjoying the freedom? While a few of them were doing these work out of livelihood compulsion, most of them are forced to carry out hateful duties in the name of tradition," Baghambar Patnaik, who is leading the movement of social justice, said.

He said the administration was seemingly approving the shameful act. "Had there been any enforcement of various laws, the demeaning tradition would not have continued even 60 years after the independence," Mr. Patnaik said.

A group of lower caste people, who refused to beat the drums without daily wages, were driven out from their village in Puri district and they had been sitting on a dharna in front of office of the district collector since June 2 last, he said.

"Can they claim that they are citizens of independent India?" Seshadeba Subudhi of Orissa Gotimukti Andolan said this was a silent revolution that just started.

On the other hand, the beggars seemed quite enthusiastic since morning. One of the eldest members of the community hoisted the National Flag while many sang the National anthem stumblingly. At a few feet away, rickshaw pullers, who gathered near the venue, were seen decorating their vehicle with national flags. The event for the beggars was organised by Bhoomika, a non-government organisation which was working to rehabilitation of beggars under its ‘Freedom from Begging’ programme.

Bhoomika coordinator K.C. Behuria said the beggars and rickshaw pullers were in unorganized sector and they urgently needed proper social security cover.

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