We here shall confine ourselves only on the lifestyle and health aspect of tribal people of Sundargah district of Odisha. After the Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) came up in the district, it was the first integrated steel plant in the public sector in India. It was set up with West German collaboration with an installed capacity of 1 million tonnes in the 1960s. German metallurgical firms Mannesmann, Krupp, Damage and Siemens and Austrian company Voestalpine, among others, provided machinery and consultancy to the plant. The Rourkela Steel Plant was the first steel plant in Asia to use the LD (Linz-Donawitz) process of steelmaking.
The Rourkela Steel Plant has an associated fertiliser plant that produces nitrogenous fertilisers using ammonia feedstock from its coke oven plant. On February 3, 1959, the then President Rajendra Prasad inaugurated the RSP's first blast furnace named 'Parvati' when the company was known as the Hindustan Steel Limited (HSL). Subsequently, the RSP became a unit of the Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL).
The tribal population in and around Rourkela were absorbed as skilled and unskilled workers in the mining area and the steel plant.
Their economical condition improved dramatically; but due to their drinking and eating habits, they were exploited by the business people from other States.
Habits of gambling and drinking ruined their life instead of improving their family and society. Instead of their earlier habit of coming by bicycles, they started going to plant by motorbikes and became sedentary in life which resulted in diabetes and high blood pressure among them towards the 1970s.
When the writer joined the steel plant, the tribal diabetic patients’ number was very few (2%); but when he left in 2008, it had touched 30%.
Their children went to Christian schools and their education level also improved. The literacy level amongst the tribal population improved too.
During that period, the missionary people were very active and many tribal people were converted to Christianity in many peripheral villages of Sundargarh district and western Odisha as a whole.
No doubt, their economical and financial condition improved, but they became victim of modern lifestyle and non-communicable diseases. Like other Indian societies, they too started leading a life of cola culture and habits.
The hidden talents amongst the tribal boys and girls surface due to a government’s encouragement in sports and games, as a result of which many of them were picked up to play international sports. In Rourkela, the Sports Department built hostels for a hockey academy and gave free food and coaching to young tribal boys and girls along with free education.
The modern machine-induced lifestyle among officers has increased the incidence of hypertension, diabetes, glaucoma, trigger finger, migraine, cervical spondelysis, low back pain, gallstone, cystitis, stress, insomnia, peptic ulcer, carpal tunnel syndrome, impotency, suicidal tendency and depressive psychosis.
But with digitalisation and fastness, the life of the newer generation of tribal youths became very exciting and romantic. Easy availability of two- and four-wheelers resulted in the rise of road traffic accidents and deaths in these industrial belts of Odisha.
To earn fast bucks and become rich over night, many youths joined the anti-development group called Maoists and became enemy of their own people.
With availability of easy money, the youths started eating junk food and became victims of early onset of diabetes, high blood pressure, acidity, indigestion, high cholesterol and coronary artery diseases. Some of them also became victims of drugs use.
An overall improvement was seen in the majority of the tribal population and they have been able to compete with the other competent people of the society.
No doubt, the reservation policy has improved their life in the society, but they have to contribute in development of their areas and schools.
Once they migrate to towns and cities after getting good State and Central Government jobs, they seldom look back and visit their own villages and town but love to enjoy the fast city life.
They no longer suffer from communicable diseases but fall victims to modern Western type of diseases. In my view, it’s the tribal population and business people who have reaped a rich harvest from the rapid industrialisation in India.
(Dr Satpathy is a former Joint Director, Health Services, SAIL)