Jharkhand is one of the newly formed states of India carved out of South Bihar in the year 2000. Behind the formation of this state lies more than a century of resistance. The social movement for Jharkhand had a charismatic leader in Birsa Munda, an adivasi who led a major uprising against the British. After his death Birsa became an important icon of the movement literate adivasis began to research and write about him. They disseminated information about tribal customs and cultural practices. This helped create a unified ethnic consciousness and a shared identity as Jharkhandis.
Read the passage given above and answer the question:
Adivasis shared a common hatred towards ____
A. Dikus
B. Migrant traders
C. Moneylenders
D. Christian missionaries
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → A, B and C Only
A. Dikus Correct. Within south Bihar, adivasis shared a common hatred of dikus, the outsiders who had settled in the area and grabbed its wealth, impoverishing the original residents.
B. Migrant traders Correct. The dikus were migrant traders and moneylenders; most of the benefits of mining and industry in the region had gone to them.
C. Moneylenders Correct. Moneylenders were the other group of dikus, and their hold over adivasi debtors was part of the injustice the movement fought.
D. Christian missionaries Incorrect. Christian missionaries spread literacy in south Bihar. Literate adivasis then wrote about their history and myths, which helped the movement, so the missionaries were not objects of this hatred.
NCERT (2025-26): “Jharkhand … The memory of Birsa’s struggle was also kept alive by writing. Christian missionaries working in south Bihar were responsible for spreading literacy in the area. Literate adivasis began to research and write about their history and myths. They documented and disseminated information about tribal customs and cultural practices. This helped create a unified ethnic consciousness and a shared identity as Jharkhandis. Literate adivasis were also in a position to get government jobs so that, over time, a middle-class adivasi intellectual leadership emerged that formulated the demand for a separate state and lobbied for it in India and abroad. Within south Bihar, adivasis shared a common hatred of dikus – migrant traders and moneylenders who had settled in the area and grabbed its wealth, impoverishing the original residents. Most of the benefits from the mining and industrial projects in this mineral-rich region had gone to dikus even as adivasi lands had been alienated. Adivasi experiences of marginalisation and their sense of injustice were mobilised to create a shared Jharkhandi identity and inspire collective action that eventually led to the formation of a separate state.…” |