Context: Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP) won in Banswara, Rajasthan in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. The party has focused on the topics of formation of a ‘Bhil Pradesh’ and an increase in reservation for Scheduled Tribes. There has been a demand for the establishment of a separate state of Bhil Pradesh by combining the tribal-dominated parts of Gujarat and neighbouring states Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra.
About Bhil/Bheel tribe:
- The tribe live in the states of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Tripura, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
- Classified as a Scheduled Tribe in: Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Tripura.
- Language: The commonly spoken language by Bhils is Bhili. Bhili is a subgroup of the Western Zone of the Indo-Aryan languages. Many Bhils now speak the dominant language of the region they reside in, such as Marathi, Gujarati and Bengali.
- Bhil is the largest tribal group in India as per 2011 Census. They constitute approximately 38% of the total scheduled tribal population of India.
- Culture:
- Pithora Painting is a well-known art form.
- These ritualistic paintings were done by Badwas or specially appointed male members.
- Ghoomar is a traditional folk dance of the Bhil tribe. Ghoomar is the symbol of womanhood. Young girls take part in this dance.
- Another folk art is Swang, which consists of storytelling combined with dancing and music.
- Baneshwar fair is the main festival celebrated among the Bhils. The fair is dedicated to Baneshwar Mahadev also known as Lord Shiva.
- During the British Rule:
- The Bhils who lived in the Khandesh region of the present-day Dhule district of Maharashtra, revolted against Company rule in 1818, as they had to face famine, economic distress and misgovernment.
- The rebellion was led by Bhil leaders: Kazi Singh and Bhima Naik.
- It was against the deprivation of traditional rights over forest resources and land.
- The British used both force and conciliatory efforts to control the uprising.
- During the colonial rule, the Bhils were designated as a criminal tribe by the British colonial government under the Criminal Tribes Act 1871, which meant that a Bhil could be ‘randomly picked up, tortured, maimed or even killed’ by the colonial authorities.
- A reformer, Govind Guru led the Bhils of south Rajasthan (Banswara, South states) to organise themselves to fight for a Bhil Raj by 1913.
- The Bhils who lived in the Khandesh region of the present-day Dhule district of Maharashtra, revolted against Company rule in 1818, as they had to face famine, economic distress and misgovernment.