मोरवड़ा मे सांसण की मर्यादा रक्षार्थ गैरां माऊ का जमर व 9 चारणों का बलिदान (ई. स.1921)

“इतिहास में काफी कुछ नहीं मिलता और काफी कुछ गलत तथ्यों पर आधारित मिलता है। इसका यह आशय नहीं है कि हम उसको लिखना या दुरस्त करना छोड़दें। वैसे यह घटना ब्रिटिश कालीन अखबारों में छपी है। सिरोही महारावल केशरीसिंह के शासनकाल की घटना है। उस गांव में इन वीरों की नौ पाषाण प्रतिमाएं व गैरां माऊ की प्रतिमा उस काले अध्याय की साक्षीधर है। इन्हीं केशरीसिंह के शासनकाल में वलदरा की हीरां माऊ ने जमर किया। सिरोही के इतिहास में तो इसका भी उल्लेख नहीं है।अनेक क्रूर शासकों, सामंतों व अन्य अत्याचारों के खिलाफ ऐसे तागे व जमर पश्चिमी राजस्थान में चारण देवियों ने कई स्थानों पर किए, लेकिन शासक अपने ऐसे कृत्यों को इतिहास के पन्नों पर कब दर्ज करवातें? क्योंकि यह उनके सुयश का पृष्ठ नहीं था। इतिहास में केवल सुयश अंकित करवाया जाता है क्योंकि उसे पुनः पढ़ने पर आनंद की अनुभूति होती और कुयश से अगर जमीर हों तो आत्मग्लानि।

हां डिंगल और लोककाव्य में यह सभी घटनाएं सुरक्षित हैं। वीर किसी भी जाति के हों वे वीर होतें हैं उन पर कलम चलाना प्रतिभा का सही व सटीक उपयोग ही है। ऐसा मेरा मानना है। आदरणीय आईजी ने आज अपनी वॉल पर मेरी एक पोस्ट दी है-सोम भाई!सोम!! उस महान वीर सोमसी भाटी का कहीं विवरण उपलब्ध नहीं है केवल एक मात्र डिंगल छंद के अलावा। आपका ध्यान मैं एक घटना की तरफ आकृष्ट कर रहा हूं। आजके चिपको आंदोलन की जननी इमरतादेवी व उनके साथ हुए बलिदानियों का उल्लेख शायद किसी भी ऐतिहासिक ग्रंथ में नहीं हुआ है। केवल जांभाणी साहित्य के अलावा परंतु उनका बलिदान लोक आस्था में अद्वितीय है और आज किसी ऐतिहासिक संदर्भ का मोहताज नहीं है।

वि. सं. 1879 मिगसर बदि 4 के दिन पोकरण ठाकुर सालमसिंह के खिलाफ माड़वा में मा चंदू ने जमर किया। उसका उल्लेख चांपावतों या जोधपुर के इतिहास में नहीं है। इसी प्रकार बीकानेर महाराजा रतनसिंहजी के अत्याचार के खिलाफ वि. सं. 1893 बैसाग सुदि 9 को सींथल में दो जमर व एक तेलिया हुआ लेकिन बीकानेर के इतिहास में कहीं उल्लेख नहीं है इसका मतलब यह लें की ये जमर नहीं हुए हैं!माड़वा के मेहरदानजी ने जैसलमेर शासक रणजीतसिंह पर 1921 में तेलिया किया लेकिन जैसलमेर के इतिहास में इसका कहीं उल्लेख नहीं है परंतु तत्कालीन डिंगल काव्य में और जनमानस में ये सभी बातें विश्रुत हैं।

मैं आपको यह भी निवेदन करदूं कि इतिहास में तो कई बातों को छिपाया गया है तो कई बातें जानबूझकर गलत लिखवाई गई लेकिन जनमानस ने न तो छिपी बातों को छिपा रखा और न ही गलत बातों में सहभागिता निभाई।

इन सभी जमरों व तेलियों का उल्लेख हमारे रावजी की बहियों में तत्कालीन डिंगल काव्य में व श्रुति परंपरा में हुआ है। इसका संकलन भी किया जा रहा है और संरक्षण भी ताकि अत्याचार के खिलाफ रचे इस अध्याय से आजकी पीढ़ी रूबरू हो सके।

इतिहास को हम ने संदर्भों के आधार पर कसौटी पर अभी तक कसा भी नहीं है अगर हमने कसना शुरू किया तो काफी कुछ नवीन रूप से हमारे सामने होगा। ”

अंग्रेजी अनुवाद

DENIS VIDAL

Violence and truths

A kingdom of Rajasthan facing colonial power

EDITIONS OF THE SCHOOL OF HIGH STUDIES IN SOCIAL SCIENCES. PARIS

अंग्रेजी अनुवाद

Paradoxically, the study of the nationalist movement in India has suffered from the excessive attention paid to Gandhi himself, then to the elites engaged in the struggle for independence. Today, conversely, a new historiography insists on the importance of the “subordinate” populations in this decisive phase of the history of India. But these analyses take the risk of locking themselves up in an often-Manichean vision of Indian society, by analyzing the events of that time as the only expression of the latent conflict between elites and popular classes.

It is a different perspective that is offered here. Anthropologist, Denis Vidal distances himself from current conceptions of the sociological analysis of traditional society in India. But also, against simplifying temptations, he resolutely takes the complexity route: that of an approach that wants to be attentive to facts that are sometimes insignificant in appearance and, based on them, reconstructs a subtle and comprehensive interpretation of groups, of their relationships, of the issues that bring them together or confront them. He thus outlines an unprecedented conception of Indian society and contemporary nationalist movement.

Denis Vidal is an anthropologist at ORSTOM and member of the Center of Indian and South Asian Studies from the EHESS. He did research on local cults in the Indian Himalayas (Himachal Pradesh) before working on the local history of Rajasthan.

अंग्रेजी अनुवाद

CHAPTER IV
The crisis of truth

The Morvada incident

Knowing the practices of the bards (the Charan), no one was particularly surprised to learn what had happened in Morvada in this April 1921. The report drawn up by the responsible officer was confirmed a week later by the first judge of the kingdom. A detachment about fifty soldiers had been sent to this village to recover the share of income that the state claimed but the villagers refused to give. Seeing the soldiers arrive, the Charan resorted to a parade that was customary for them. They built a pyre, and they forced an old woman to immolate herself there, preventing her by their blows from fleeing the stake as the fire began to reach it. Aggravating circumstance, in the eyes of the judge who took the case in hand, it was his own sons who forced their old mother to sacrifice herself by fire. [[Both women who died, one, Chatra’s wife, was burnt alive by the Charan themselves; his own sons, Achla and Bhima, as well as his other parents who were most active in perpetuating this crime]1], it is specified in a report of the judge which dates from three months after the incident. Understanding what was going on, the tahsildar, in charge of the troop, ordered the soldiers to intervene to disperse the Charan and save the old woman.

[1]Chief Judge, Sirohi to A.D. Macpherson, Personal adviser to A.G.G., NAI, F.P., sr. 32, f 437.1, 1922-23

अंग्रेजी अनुवाद

The press release which was sent by the administration to various newspapers in the country, insisted on the barbarity of the behavior of Charan:

[[Learning the reason for the smoke, the tahsildar immediately ordered the troops to enter the village and go to save the woman. As they approached from the stake, they saw her making desperate efforts to save her life, but every time she struggled to free herself, her persecutors rejected her in the flames. The Charan seem to have been determined that the sacrifice be accomplished to the end and years of stakes, knives, daggers and of swords, they blocked access to the pyre to prevent the advance of the troops.]2]

The incident only got worse. Some Charan injured themselves with their own daggers. The courage of the soldiers, in the circumstances, was as much bigger than they only encountered physical violence but even more, perhaps, to the symbolic violence represented by the sprinkling on them of the blood of the Charan, thus condemning them to revenge of the Goddess: [[We then accelerated our advance while that a man and a woman stabbed themselves with a knife in the stomach and began to spray us with their blood. This did not stop us and, as we sought to pass between the Charan to reach the jhammar and save the life of the woman who was burned, the Charan attacked us.]3] In the ensuing melee, the soldiers used their weapons. Several Charan, men as well as women, were injured or killed. To these victims, we should add the Charan who had stabbed themselves and the old woman who had not survived her injuries. Merchants, notable from the neighboring village of Mandar were taken to the scene to note what had happened and examine the corpses before they were cremated by the troops. This version of the facts, after having been confirmed by the judge who conducted the investigation, was reported as is by the Sovereign and the Agent for the Governor General in Rajputana in his official report to the government [[4]], It was also published in newspapers as well Indian than British, thanks to the good care of the Reuter Agency [[5]]

2. Bombay Chronicle, 3.5.21, Bombay.
3. Statement of Subedar, app. IV, NAI, F.P., sr 26, f. 437.1,1922-23.
4. H.H. Sirohi to Mr R.E. Holland A.G.G., and communication from the latter to S.G.I., NAI., sr. 21 et 26, f. 437.1, 1922-23
5. “An amazing instance of the survival of the custom of human sacrifice is revealed in an Indian government report of the collision between officials and villagers in Sirohi State. Certain villages including Morvada are held by an ancient sect called Charans or hereditary musicians, says a Reuter message… The troops were compelled to fire in self-defence, killing seven and wounding ten. They dispersed the mob, but were too late to save the woman’s life”, Daily Mirror, 13.6.1921″