Mittal Patel
Nominated For : Founded A front for nomads.
Initiative - Helping nomadic tribes get identity
Nominated For : Founded A front for nomads.
Initiative - Helping nomadic tribes get identity
For the 28 nomadic and 12 denotified tribes in the state, 32-year-old Mittal Patel has become a messiah. With their existence hardly acknowledged by the state or the central government, these tribes were struggling to make a livelihood sans the benefits of various government welfare schemes.Mittal, a former journalist, has been working since 2006 to create an ‘identity’ for the members of these tribes. “Being nomads meant they had no identity, at least legally. They had no documents like a ration card or voters’ ID, birth certificates, land deeds in their names.
Their existence was mostly unacknowledged by the government. Though they lived in India, they had nothing to substantiate their Indian citizenship. As they didn’t have identity proof, they couldn’t avail any of the government welfare schemes. They were ‘outsiders’ in their own country,” says Mittal, whose NGO Vicharata Samuday Samarthan Manch (VSSM) works for the uplift of the nomadic tribes in the state.
Mittal first came into contact with the nomadic tribes during her journalism internship in 2005. She wrote to the Gujarat government requesting for locations of the nomadic tribes. “Surprisingly, they didn’t know anything about the locations of these tribes,” she says.
When she finally managed to locate the tribes, she was so moved by their deplorable conditions that she decided to dedicate her life for the betterment of these tribes. VSSM works with the government machinery for the benefits of the nomadic (Vicharta) and denotified (Vimukt) tribes.
Mittal says, “sDafers (who guard crops), Saraniya (knife sharpeners), Kangsia (bangle sellers and traders), Nat and Nataniyas (performers), Vansfoda (make and sell bamboo products), Madaris (work with monkeys) and Vadis (snake charmers) are a few of the tribes that account for Gujarat’s nomadic population of 40 lakh. People think that they are one single community. But that is not true. Each of tribe has a different heritage.”
People of these tribes acknowledge that ‘Mittalben’s’ efforts have helped them get a better life. However, bringing about this positive change was not a cakewalk for Mittal. She says, “These people had been declared ‘habitual criminals’ by the British. Even after independence, the stigma of being labelled criminals remained. No one wanted to associate with the ‘criminal’ and tried to discourage me. But I was determined to track down these tribes and help them out. Of course, I had a list of these tribes that I had procured from one of the government agencies.”
Armed with the list and her determination, Mittal set out to help the nomadic tribes in the state. However, rehabilitation was not an easy job. She says, “These people are nomads and settling down didn’t suit them. Modernisation and industrialisation had robbed them of their livelihoods. Even the government couldn’t keep track of them so as to provide them basic facilities like education and health care.”
But this did not deter Patel who within a year of receiving the list, got voters’ ID for over 20,000 members of nomadic and de-notified tribes. Since then, about 50,000 nomads have been issued voters’ ID, thanks to efforts made by Mittal. She even lobbied and got the state government to pass a resolution to give land rights to the nomadic and denotified people. More than 500 plots were allotted to those who had no home to call their own. Mittal has also helped get schooling facilities, arranged group marriages and rescued girls of these tribes from prostitution.
Their existence was mostly unacknowledged by the government. Though they lived in India, they had nothing to substantiate their Indian citizenship. As they didn’t have identity proof, they couldn’t avail any of the government welfare schemes. They were ‘outsiders’ in their own country,” says Mittal, whose NGO Vicharata Samuday Samarthan Manch (VSSM) works for the uplift of the nomadic tribes in the state.
Mittal first came into contact with the nomadic tribes during her journalism internship in 2005. She wrote to the Gujarat government requesting for locations of the nomadic tribes. “Surprisingly, they didn’t know anything about the locations of these tribes,” she says.
When she finally managed to locate the tribes, she was so moved by their deplorable conditions that she decided to dedicate her life for the betterment of these tribes. VSSM works with the government machinery for the benefits of the nomadic (Vicharta) and denotified (Vimukt) tribes.
Mittal says, “sDafers (who guard crops), Saraniya (knife sharpeners), Kangsia (bangle sellers and traders), Nat and Nataniyas (performers), Vansfoda (make and sell bamboo products), Madaris (work with monkeys) and Vadis (snake charmers) are a few of the tribes that account for Gujarat’s nomadic population of 40 lakh. People think that they are one single community. But that is not true. Each of tribe has a different heritage.”
People of these tribes acknowledge that ‘Mittalben’s’ efforts have helped them get a better life. However, bringing about this positive change was not a cakewalk for Mittal. She says, “These people had been declared ‘habitual criminals’ by the British. Even after independence, the stigma of being labelled criminals remained. No one wanted to associate with the ‘criminal’ and tried to discourage me. But I was determined to track down these tribes and help them out. Of course, I had a list of these tribes that I had procured from one of the government agencies.”
Armed with the list and her determination, Mittal set out to help the nomadic tribes in the state. However, rehabilitation was not an easy job. She says, “These people are nomads and settling down didn’t suit them. Modernisation and industrialisation had robbed them of their livelihoods. Even the government couldn’t keep track of them so as to provide them basic facilities like education and health care.”
But this did not deter Patel who within a year of receiving the list, got voters’ ID for over 20,000 members of nomadic and de-notified tribes. Since then, about 50,000 nomads have been issued voters’ ID, thanks to efforts made by Mittal. She even lobbied and got the state government to pass a resolution to give land rights to the nomadic and denotified people. More than 500 plots were allotted to those who had no home to call their own. Mittal has also helped get schooling facilities, arranged group marriages and rescued girls of these tribes from prostitution.
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