Meet Madhu Pujhar, 50, the oldest man alive at Jhajhapada village and perhaps also of 143 other Maujas, plucked to pave the Masanjore reservoir at Dumka some 60 years ago. A Paharia — listed as one of primitive tribes of Jharkhand — Pujhar is in the autumn years of his life. No one dies in Paharias as old, it is said!
The village is just on the banks of the mammoth dam built on the Mayurakshi river crossing over from Jharkhand to West Bengal. With its flow, the bund also stops any benefit of it to come to the displaced tribes, though they can fish, and instead takes majority of water to the neighbouring State, leaving devastation behind. “Masan was our village which our forefathers had to vacate along with others of 144 villages. All that submerged. We had 35 bighas of agricultural land over there. All that lost and I am given just a small piece of land to build home here,” says Madhu Pujhar, narrating his ordeal that is there due to no land to cultivate.
He like 30 other households of the village is entirely dependent on cutting fire wood and sell it to markets of Dumka or some others nearby. Despite a separate section for the primitive tribes in the Welfare Department and availability of fund for the displaced, most of them are into fierce encounter with abject poverty.“One mushroom production center was built in the village for give training. It closed down about 15 years ago. None of our children could get any benefit out of this,” says Binod Pujhar, indicating to a ruined structure which is now doubling as a shelter for their pigs.
One cannot find any trace of welfare schemes being run to provide shelter, to potable drinking water, to glow a light bulb, to not to go for open defecation, barring a primary school nearby and a primary health center. “Under lal card (given under antyodaya scheme) we get only rice. Is it possible to feed us and our children just riceIJ I often put water into cooked rice, sip the water with salt and leave the rice for night,” said Rupna Pujhar looking at ground with tears into his eyes and also dropping clear reason behind the height of malnutrition prevailing among children, youngsters and old looking matures.The only hand pump at Dawadangal — another displaced village — does not fetch water and all the villagers march over a kilometer to bring water form a flowing perennial spring.
“You could not drink the water! Many times we find insects, frogs and even snakes into the water. In rains, it turns muddy. We see so much of water but there is no use of it for us,” Sunil Pujhar pointed towards the accumulated water into the dam and said. Binod Pujhar has seen many elections like this in his lifetime and is clear in his mind that like the previous ones this would also not bring any good in their lives but empty promises. “People come and seek our votes. They know everything about us and conditions we are living in. We have stopped complaining because it is futile. But we will vote. Vote nahi denge to kya karenge. Vote to dena hai,” he said when electioneering was for Dumka parliamentary constituency ahead of April 24 polls.
The displaced of Jhajhapada, Tal Tangal, Dawadangal and all the others settled on the picturesque fringes of Masanjore Dam feel that once were the Britishers who uprooted them for the sake of settling Santhals in the Santhal Pargana area and now their “own” Government is treating them in an even worse manner. “We still go to old Masan village to conduct last rites of the dead,” said Rupna. Nonetheless the majestic reservoir looks seconding the Paharias’ views when it allows just a thin stream to flow insignificantly into few fields of Jharkhand and reserving its best for anyone but Paharias.