Madia-Gonds or Madia or Maria as they are referred to, belong to one of the particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs) as classified by the Debhar Commission (1960-61). Such a classification was made based on their underdevelopment even within tribal population in India. This sub-category within Scheduled Tribes was created during the Fourth Five year plan taking their low level of development into consideration. The Debhar Commission Report and other studies have also referred to them as “Primitive Tribal Group”. A pre-agricultural system of existence, their practice of hunting or gathering, zero or negative population growth, extremely low level of literacy in comparison with other tribal groups are some of the characteristics that these tribal groups show in general.
Madia-Gonds are one of the endogamous Gond tribes living in Chandrapur District and Gadchiroli District of Maharashtra State, and Bastar division of Chhattisgad State of India.They particularly differentiate themselves by calling them Madias who originally do not show much of close cultural association with Raj-Gonds who used to be the rulers and maintained their own princely states once. They refer to the area where they reside as Madia-Desh and speak Madia dialect of Gondi. Till recently they practiced shifting agriculture which they called as jhoom. Certain studies have pointed out to the living megalithic practices amongst the MadiaGonds. One of the findings of The Bench Mark Survey done in 1997–1998 has shown that 91.08 percent of Madia Gond families lived Below Poverty Line.
Cultural Life of Madias
The Chandrapur district gazette description of the Madia describes the tribes as they inhabit the wilder tracts, and are in their unsophisticated state a very attractive people. The villages are usually built deep in the jungle near some wide shallow stream, which offers facilities for the gata (their staple food) cultivation, and the surrounding jungles supplement the fruits of their agricultural efforts. Few villages lack the customary grove of toddy – Palm wine trees, the juice of which, fermented or unfermented, is ever acceptable to them. The Marias are a lithe, active looking, well-built set of men, open, hearty manner, and the cheerful smile of good fellowship. Their dress is scanty, consisting of a compromise between a langoti (a loincloth) and a dhoti, a strip of cloth wound tightly round the waist in rope-like folds and passed between the legs with the spare end hanging down in front below the knees. Often this garment diminishes to the scantiest rag. They adorn their necks with handsome strings of beads and their arms occasionally with metal and glass bangles. Their ears are pulled out of shape by the weight of numerous brass rings with which they are usually garnished and occasionally they wear pagris. A curved knife with a brass mounted handle is stuck into the waist cloth and, from the shoulder dangles the ever handy axe without which a Madia seldom moves. Maria women wear a lugada of strong cloth usually white with a coloured strip in the border. They wear no choli (blouse), no Gond woman ever does, and their necks, like their husbands are garnished with beads. They frequently tattoo their faces and limbs in intricate patterns.”
The Chandrapur district gazette description of the Madia further maintains about their dance as Madias, are very fond of dancing. It is the great amusement of the people. Night after night in the eastern tracts in the cool, moon-lit nights of the hot weather, the rhythmic lilt of a Gondi chorus fills the air, as the villagers dance round a fire in some open space near the hamlet. The favorite dance is a peculiar rippling step forward with the foot dragged, not very graceful when done by a single individual, but looking quite different when done in unison by a great circle of dancers singing a 're-la', 're-la', chorus to which the step keeps time. In some villages, where the headman is an enthusiast for the pastime, a trained band performs weird and wonderful step dances to the sound of the drum. At a big dance, the trained band occupies the inner ring round the fire, while the common folk, men and maids, in separate rings move round in great circles in opposite ways. All are dressed for the occasion in their best, bearing in their hands weird ornaments of wicker work, with garlands of flowers on their necks and in their hair, feather ornaments humorously or coquettishly placed. Seen in the glow of a huge log fire, glinting on the shining beads and barbaric ornaments of the dancers, with the throb of the drums and the beat of many feet moving in unison to the wild music of the voices in chorus, a Madia dance is a spectacle not easily forgotten, but lingers as a characteristic scene when other details have faded out of the memory. Men and women ordinarily dance in separate circles but in the dances where the young men choose their brides, they dance in couples.
Ghotul, a place where social gathering takes place, occupies a significant place in the socio-cultural lives of Madias. It’s a centre where Madia people gather and decisions related to every aspect of their lives are made democratically. Madias worship stones by instituting them at their places of worship and regarding them as their Gods. Before embarking on any work of importance, they hold a celebration called Pandum e.g., BijaPandum before sowing seeds in the fields, PindiPandum before harvesting, Talin (Mother Godess) Pandum etc. Such celebrations generally take place in Ghotul in a village or a place of worship somewhere in jungle away from the village that they reside. It’s in Ghotul that the young men and women of Madia tribe gather and dance in the night particularly after dinner. It’s in here that they chose their partners for lifetime. Married women are not allowed to enter the Ghotul neither are they allowed to participate in worshiping their Gods and Goddesses whether in village or in jungle. However, Madia culture extends freedom to young women to choose their partners. As married women they have freedom to take divorce from their husbands if they are subjected to ill treatment by them or if they cannot beget a child from them. They have a right to spend their earnings. Husbands do not interfere in their affairs.
Life of Madias in the present context
In the recent times Madia tribe has shown significant potential for its development and readiness to match the steps of changing times. However the efforts made by the central and the state governments as well as those of the panchayti raj institutions of their development face some steep hurdles. The reasons being; the Madias have historically dwelt in isolated forest and hilly areas. Remoteness of their places of dwelling and governmental and administrative apathy to reach to them and bring improvements in their situation has further isolated them from the mainstream paradigm of development. The administrative mechanism seems to be awakened in the recent years and is trying hard to reach to them through the means such as Tribal Sub Plan (TSP), Special Central Assistance (SCA), State Tribal Commissionerates etc. However, their years of alienation has created space for skepticism towards the state led initiatives and the younger generation seem to be falling prey to propaganda of Maoists and some misleading individuals and groups.
The work done by non-governmental initiatives, individuals and organizations, to a larger extent, has proved a milestone in bringing the Madia people to the mainstream. The Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram has been making unceasing efforts in such areas of Chatisgarh, Maharashtra and across the country that provides for their education, healthcare services, livelihood etc. through the network of its committed karyakartas. NGOs such as Lok Biradari Prakalp, Hemalkasa, Bhamragad and Society for Education, Action and Research in Community Health (SEARCH), Chatgaon too are doing a commendable job for the cause of Madias in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra state. Work done by these organizations along with genuine governmental efforts have been ushering in much needed changes in the lives of these fellow countrymen. Most of them now can be seen doing wonderfully well as MPs, MLAs, ZP-Panchayat Samiti-Gram Panchyat Members etc. The students from Madia Community have taken courses in Engineering, Medical Research etc. and they are doing proud job as doctors, engineers, lawyers, professors and so on. This change certainly augurs well with society and the nation as a whole.
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