This is the second part of the three-part series on ‘the plight of the Siddis of Gujarat’ as a part of the Justicemakers’ Writer’s Training Program, run in partnership with Agami and Ashoka’s Law For All Initiative. Find the first and third parts here and here.
Trigger warning: racial and ethnic discrimination
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Whatever little we know about the Siddis through the Internet is due to those foreigners who have showed an interest in their upliftment. Let’s compare the Siddis with some other tribal communities of Gujarat and India. India does not have a significant Muslim and tribal population.
The Siddis are one of those few Muslim communities which have gotten the tribal status (other communities are Gujjars and Bakarwals in Jammu & Kashmir, the Muslims of Ladakh, those living in Andaman & Nicobar islands, and the sub-castes of the Tadvi Bhils of Maharashtra).
When I was studying in Delhi, I saw many students from the Muslim Gujjar community studying in universities like the AIIMS, IIT, JNU and DU. I saw them qualifying for the UPSC and becoming civil servants. When I would see them, I would remember the faces of the handful of Siddis I know.
The Siddis I am referring to didn’t even know basic arithmetic, reading and writing. Comparing them with the Muslim scheduled tribes (STs) from Kashmir, I think the Siddis of Gujarat should also come under the category of the extremely marginalised.
The Need To Categorise All Gujarati Siddis As Tribal
If I compare them with the STs of Gujarat who have prospered due to the various incentives provided by the Gujarat government, the Siddis are at the deepest level of poverty, living in extremely pathetic socio-economic conditions.
The Siddis were recognised as a primitive group in 1982. But, I was shocked to read that only those Siddis who live in Saurashtra were given the ST status. Those who live in other parts such as central Gujarat (Vadodara), south (Bharuch, Surat), and Ahmedabad, don’t come under the ST category.
A primitive tribe is a primitive tribe. How does the location of their residence matter? Why are they being denied rights based on their residence?
Article 14 of the Indian constitution guarantees protection from discrimination, whereas Article 21 gives everyone the right live with dignity. The Siddis are being deprived of these fundamental rights despite the fact that they are struggling in every segment of life.
When I was in college, there was a sizable tribal population in my class. They were the residents of metropolitan cities such as Surat and Vadodara. If they could enjoy their right to reservation (rightfully so), then why not the Siddis? They are being denied of the same by the central and state governments.
Do We Know Enough About The Siddis?
I went through the official website of the Gujarat government and opened a document on “Tribal Population Planning Framework” for the rural roads scheme (Mukhya Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojana) of 2017.
I was traumatised to read the document, as their name was missing on the page which discusses the demographic profiles of the STs in Gujarat. In the list of particularly vulnerable tribal groups of Gujarat (PVTGs), the document mentioned the names of four PVTGs but left out the Siddis.
There is no systematic data on them, either by the government or by civil rights groups. According to the census of 2011, their population is around 9,000, spreading in and around 11 districts.
When I looked for government statistics about their literacy rate and standard of living, I found a seven-decade-old document published by the Statistical Survey of India in 1961.
The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has implemented a scheme in the name of the development of the PVTGs. This is a centrally-sponsored scheme, providing 100% assistance to 18 states and the union territory of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, where 75 communities identified as PVTGs reside.
But, the sad reality is that those incentives and financial assistance seldom reach the deserving beneficiaries. On going through Gujarat government’s tribal ministry’s website, I didn’t find any concrete documents that boast about its efforts for the empowerment of PVTGs.
There was no special document or report on their demography, education, livelihood etc.
Unhi Ki Zuban Se: What Do The Siddis Have To Say?
Disappointed by the website, I visited several Siddi families in my hometown. I met people like Salim Makwa (45), Sajid Siddi (35) and Hamid bhai (45).
They shed some light on the plight of the Siddis of Bhavnagar, Rajkot, Ahmedabad and Jambur (the biggest Siddi village in Gujarat; it has around 400 houses).
Some of them were a tad bit privileged in the sense that they could read and speak English, they have performed the Siddi goma dance (dhamal) in European countries. So, I spoke to them of their failed but vital efforts towards the upliftment of fellow community members.
Sani Makwa bhai said to me: “Zyaadatar Siddi bacche college tak nahin pahonch paate kyun ki paisa hi nahi hai, income ka koi source nahi hai, na hi kisi se kuch madad milti hai (most Siddi youths don’t make it to college due to a paucity of funds and aid).”
A Siddi woman I met told me that:
“Aadmi log to phir bhi 10th tak padhte, hum to sirf seventh tak hi padhte hai kyun ki sarkari school mein sirf saatwi tak free hota hai (there is a huge gender parity in literacy, where boys study up to the 10th, girls study till the the 7th as the government offers free education only till that age).”
I believe that the lack of skilfull education keeps them away from getting dignified jobs. Hence, they are trapped in a vicious cycle where poverty and low earning leads to low consumption. This in turn affects their learning abilities, which eventually leads to poor performance in academics.
When I asked them if they know of a Siddi who is pursuing professional courses such as medicine or engineering, they looked at each other with hopelessness. Their faces seemed to say that a Siddi person completing school itself was a matter of a miracle.
Due to their low earnings and a having a big family to feed, they struggle a lot to make ends meet. Their destitution compels them to leave school and join labour work as soon as possible, to contribute to household expenses.
Some of the people I met had some international exposure. I asked them what is the difference between their economic condition and that of others who don’t get opportunities to step out from their own cities. They didn’t look happy when I asked them this question.
They told me another sad story:
“Humara international tour karna koi khaas badlaav nahi laata, paisa bohot kam milta hai (our international tours haven’t helped turn things around, they pay us a meagre amount).”
When they go for an international tour, the event organisers pocket most of the money. Their performances have great popularity in Europe and America, but they are paid very little. The amount they get from their performances couldn’t change their socio-economic conditions.
When I contacted a forest officer who worked in the Gir range, he said to me
“Forest department ma pan emni haajri nahivat che. Koi moti position par e loka nathi, khali beat guard ane lion tracker jevi job kare che jeno pagar khub j ocho hoy che (the Siddi’s representation in the forest department is abysmal. They mainly take up the jobs of beat guards and lion trackers, which pay the least).”
He also told me that it takes two to three decades to get promoted to a post in class three, and no Siddi person has been promoted so far.
Butm they have a huge contribution in the protection of lions. The Siddis live with the lions inside Gir, peacefully coexisting with each other.
Listen To Civil Rights Groups Talk About The Siddis
I got a golden opportunity to visit Jambur, a Siddi village, when an NGO (based in Mumbai) wanted to work there. I couldn’t go due to an interview for the Gujarat Forest Service I was appearing for, in January 2022.
But, some of my friends did go there. I talked to them. I met my friend Nayyar Hashmi of Vadodara, who was involved with the project.
He said that:
“They are too marginalised to understand the importance of education. They have been deprived of their basic rights for so long that they have no hope. Neither do they expect any help from the government nor any NGO. When the NGO asked them to arrange a room for smart classes to be conduced, they didn’t. They were reluctant because many groups and NGOs reached out to them, offering help, but nothing significant came out of it.”
Nayyar told me that he spoke to an old Siddi lady, whose dream it was to see her upcoming generations go abroad to pursue education, and not to perform the Siddi goma dance.
No Mention Of The Siddis In The Sachar Report
When the Sachar committee was constituted in 2006, it came up with some significant data related to Indian Muslims. Sadly, the Siddis of Gujarat was ignored in that too. Perhaps, the committee would have considered them to be too insignificant in number to mention.
The major reason for their marginalisation is their marginal or no land holding. The erstwhile Nawab of Junagadh had given them land for their sustenance, but that ended up being encroached by other powerful communities.
The cost of living in rural areas is low as compared to the citoes. Despite this, those who live in cities are denied all incentives. Moreover, even the incentives implemented in the Siddi-dominated, rural areas are implemented half-heartedly.
How can one expect progressive policies when there is no systematic research on their condition by governmental agencies and others? The government schools in Jambur have a huge teacher-student gap. Teachers and mentors don’t focus on the holistic development of the Siddi students. Hence, they remain intellectually impoverished.
Unlike other PVTGs who live in the heart of forests and enjoy rights under the Forest Rights Act (2006) and Van Bandhu Kalyan Yojana, the Siddis who don’t live inside forests can not avail of welfare schemes.
The Elephant In The Room
When any foreign dignitary visits Gujarat and the state has to display its magnificent culture, they remember the Siddis and their goma dance. But, when it comes to providing incentives for their betterment, the government is reluctant.
When you search for the Siddis on YouTube, you will come across many videos. Most of them have been uploaded by foreigners, international media (BBC) and organisations (United Nations). Sadly, no impactful video or short film about them has ever been made and uploaded by a Gujarati.
In India, we discriminate against people who look exactly like us based on their caste, region, religion etc. The Siddis happen to be of African descent, tribal and Muslim. Do their lives matter?