Naxalbari, situated around 25 km from Siliguri in North Bengal, was once the epicentre of the Naxalite movement in the eastern state. Today, the face of this erstwhile Left bastion has changed, both politically and economically. But for decades, the situation has not changed for the Dhimals, a small but significant group of tribal people that traces its origin to the Himalayas.For the past four decades, the Dhimals have been fighting for scheduled tribe (ST), a demand that remains elusive even to this day.A smart highway leads to Naxalbari from Siliguri, with swathes of tea plantation on one side and concrete on the other. From Naxalbari bus stand, two Dhimal villages, Ketugabur and Siubarjote, are at a walking distance. But transportation has improved over the years and one can travel in an auto for a ride on a pebbly road. Dhimals also live in the neighbouring Hatighasa and other localities. Some are also found in Nepal.On the way to a Dhimal village. Photo: Nabamita MitraGarjan Mallik, the founder secretary of the Dhimal Culture Preservation Organisation, lives in Naxalbari town. Garjan, who works as a high school teacher, has been leading the fight demadning ST status for decades now. At the entrance of his newly constructed house, engraved in concrete in Dhimal language is ‘Suru Dalam Ko Fomtaka Sa’.“Our population is fast decreasing. There are only 1,015 Indian Dhimals left. Of them, only around 370 can speak the indigenous language. If this continues, our culture and tradition will be extinct in no time,” said Garjan.The struggle for ST status started in the early 1980s. Many scripts, old essays and historical documents mention the Dhimals as a Himalayan tribe inhabiting the Indo-Nepal borderland. Despite the written history, the group has been denied the status.Garjan said the Left government in West Bengal did not take up the tribe’s cause. In 2008, a group of researchers from the Cultural Research Institute (CRI) in Kankurgachi, Kolkata, submitted an extensive report on the Dhimals after spending months with in their villages.“There are certain criteria that a group has to fulfil to get ST status. Dhimals meet all the requirements. Their culture, tradition, rituals and social practices are unique and do not have similarities with other populations. That was why we recommended the ST status for them,” said Prahlad Bhakta, a retired CRI employee who was part of the research team.Piecemeal initiativesIn 2013, the Trinamool Congress-led West Bengal government formed a tribal affairs department for the betterment of the indigenous groups in the state. In 2014, the state assembly passed a Bill according ST status to the Dhimals. Garjan said that the report was sent to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs in the same year. But there has not been any development since.“Last year, we went to Delhi with our grievances. We met S.S. Ahluwalia (former MP of Darjeeling), Rajnath Singh and Jual Oram (Union tribal affairs minister). We were assured that in February this year, the Bill would be tabled in parliament, but that did not happen. Now, we have a new MP (from the BJP) and we are pinning our hopes on him,” he said.The denial of ST status has harmed to the vanishing tribe, and continues to do so. Garjan said many youngsters with marks lower than the cutoff do not get admission in the subject of their choice in colleges because they do not have an ST certificate. This restricts the Dhimals from pursuing higher studies, leaving them with fewer opportunities.Malbor Mallik, who is a resident of Surajbar village near Ketugabur and is a member of the local panchayat. He said literacy among Dhimals has improved over the years. “Earlier, only one or two girls would go to school. But now, more are completing school education and some are even going to colleges. But in absence of an ST status, education becomes a problem for poor villagers,” he added.The tribe neither gets state nor Central funding that could have been used to develop the language and preserve the indigenous culture. The language, which “has similarities with those of Tutu, Limbu and Kokborok”, has no script, but Garjan has written a grammar book for Dhimals. He has also translated several works of Rabindranath Tagore, including Gitanjali, but those are unpublished. Mallik pointed out that for publishing a book, one needs money and government aid is necessary.Garjan Mallik. Photo: Nabamita Mitra“Our children go to school with those from other communities and speak in a mixed language. At this juncture, it has become a difficult task to preserve our language,” he said, ruing the bleak future of the Dhimals. His voice had the urgency of action and a hint of despair too.Garjan’s organisation is trying to do its best to keep the indigenous culture alive. The tribe, with the help of the state government and banglanatak.com, has brought out a music CD of Dhimal songs and dances. There is also a Facebook page. The state, in association with UNESCO, had started a rural craft hubs and Dhimal artists were part of it.All these initiatives remain a piecemeal development mechanism in the absence of proper recognition to the tribe.According to Garjan, there have not been any efforts on the art and culture front either. “I had proposed a cultural hub and a museum in the village showcasing our tradition, but…” he trailed off, leaving the obvious unspoken.Before biding adieu, Garjan said, pointing at the engraving, “Suru is my father’s name and Dalam is my mother’s. Fomtaka means in memory and Sa in Dhimal is house. This house is dedicated to my parents. They have given me strength and determination.”The paved lane that leads to the Dhimal village turns into a narrow and broken pathway after some time. The Mechi river divides India and Nepal. Green fields, pineapple gardens and mountains at a distance define the landscape. The sight of famished villagers and unclothed children, surprised at the sudden intrusion by a stranger, does not match the fierce history of Naxalbari.The Dhimal villages also have other inhabitants like Rajbongshis and Nepali-speaking peoples. Hemkumari Mallik, a Dhimal, was born and brought up in the locality and later got married here. The 45-year-old woman said most villagers are farmers, but man-elephant conflict affects livelihood. “Jobs are scarce for our children. So my elder son has migrated to Kerala. The younger one is in college,” she said.Malbor Mallik is a farmer too. He has been associated with the protests from the beginning. “The other tribals living around us are getting all benefits and schemes from the government, but we are left in a lurch,” he said.Hemkumari Mallik with her son. Photo: Nabamita MitraHoping for the bestBritish ethnologist B.H. Hodgson, in an 1847 essay, wrote about Dhimals and Bodos that “they are very shy of strangers” and “their voices, looks and conduct all proclaim the absence of that grovelling fear and cunning which so shock one in one’s intercourse with the people of Bengal”.Dhimals are welcoming and frank. They are also vocal about their situation and all these years, have consistently fought for their rights.“The BJP pamphlets before the Lok Sabha election mentioned that Dhimal and ten other Himalayan tribes will be included in the ST list. Narendra Modi had also promised,” said Garjan.Raju Bista, the new BJP MP from Darjeeling, said he is confident that things will turn around for the tribe and promised that the ST status will be accorded to the Dhimals and other groups. “I have written a letter to the tribal affairs minister. Eleven tribes are awaiting the status. A committee was formed in 2018 and its report has already been submitted. The BJP is committed to it. I am confident that this time, the status will be granted,” he added.Only time will show whether the Dhimals win their fight for identity or they are lost in oblivion like the history of Naxalbari. They may also prove Hodgson wrong in his understanding of the tribe if promises are not fulfilled.“If nothing happens even this time, then we have to first collect fund and send a core group of around 50 members to Delhi that will protest at Jantar Mantar or sit in hunger strike,” said Malbor.Nabamita Mitra is a freelance journalist.