What is ‘Saharsh’ Initiative of Tripura?

 Tripura government has launched a special education programme called ‘Saharsh’ in an effort to encourage social and emotional learning. The initiative was launched on a pilot basis in August last year in 40 schools in the state, and from January 2023, it will be extended to all government and aided schools of the state. The programme is aimed at empowering children to learn with happiness and contribute to empathetic development.

What is Social and Emotional Learning?

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults learn the skills they need to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. SEL is critical for students to succeed in school and in life. The ‘Saharsh’ initiative is designed to help students develop these skills and become well-rounded, resilient individuals.

Effectiveness of the Program

The ‘Saharsh’ initiative is based on a similar programme that was found to be effective in social and economic development in research studies of Harvard and Columbia Universities. The programme is being contextualised with local realities of India before implementing it in Tripura. The state government has already trained 204 schools for the ‘Saharsh’ curriculum while 200 more will be trained soon. Thirty assistant headmasters from different districts of Tripura were also selected to work as Saharsh implementation ambassadors.

What is ‘Greater Tipraland’ and why are tribal outfits in Tripura pushing for it

 

The demand has grown louder to carve out a separate state of 'Greater Tipraland' for the indigenous communities in Tripura under Article 2 and 3 of the Constitution.

Several tribal outfits in Tripura have joined hands to push their demand for a separate state for indigenous communities in the region, arguing that their “survival and existence” was at stake. They staged a dharna at Jantar Mantar on November 30 and December 1 with the demand, which at least three political parties – the Congress, Shiv Sena and AAP – have promised to take up with the Union government.

Among the political parties that have come together for the cause are TIPRA Motha (Tipraha Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance) and IPFT (Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura), which had so far been rivals in the electoral fray.

What is their main demand?

The parties are demanding a separate state of ‘Greater Tipraland’ for the indigenous communities of the north-eastern state. They want the Centre to carve out the separate state under Article 2 and 3 of the Constitution. Among the 19 notified Scheduled Tribes in Tripura, Tripuris (aka Tipra and Tiprasas) are the largest. According to the 2011 census, there are at least 5.92 lakh Tripuris in the state, followed by Reangs (1.88 lakh) and Jamatias (83,000).

What does the Constitution say?

Article 2 of the Constitution deals with admission or establishment of new states. “Parliament may by law admit into the Union, or establish, new States on such terms and conditions, as it thinks fit,” it states. Article 3 comes into play in the case of “formation of new States and alteration of areas, boundaries or names of existing States” by the Parliament.

How did the demand originate?

Tripura was a kingdom ruled by the Manikya dynasty from the late 13th century until the signing of the Instrument of Accession with the Indian government on October 15, 1949.

The demand mainly stems from the anxiety of the indigenous communities in connection with the change in the demographics of the state, which has reduced them to a minority. It happened due to the displacement of Bengalis from the erstwhile East Pakistan between 1947 and 1971. From 63.77 per cent in 1881, the population of the tribals in Tripura was down to 31.80 per cent by 2011. In the intervening decades, ethnic conflict and insurgency gripped the state, which shares a nearly 860-km long boundary with Bangladesh. The joint forum has also pointed out that the indigenous people have not only been reduced to a minority, but have also been dislodged from land reserved for them by the penultimate king of the Manikya dynasty Bir Bikram Kishore Debbarman.

What has been done to address the grievances of indigenous communities?

The Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTADC) was formed under the sixth schedule of the Constitution in 1985 to ensure development and secure the rights and cultural heritage of the tribal communities. The TTADC, which has legislative and executive powers, covers nearly two-third of the state’s geographical area. The council comprises 30 members of which 28 are elected while two are nominated by the Governor. Also, out of the 60 Assembly seats in the state, 20 are reserved for Scheduled Tribes. ‘Greater Tipraland’ envisages a situation in which the entire TTADC area will be a separate state. It also proposes dedicated bodies to secure the rights of the Tripuris and other aboriginal commu

What was the immediate trigger for the dharna?

The churn in the state’s politics with the rise of TIPRA Motha and the Assembly polls due in early 2023 are the two major reasons behind the development. TIPRA Motha, led by Pradyot Debbarman who is the titular head of the royal family, won a majority in this year’s TTADC polls, leaving the IPFT, which is an ally of the ruling BJP, with a diminished influence.

In the lead up to the 2018 Assembly polls, the IPFT had captured the imagination of the tribal electorate as it aggressively campaigned with the demand for a separate state of “Twipraland”. After the elections, it joined the BJP-led Cabinet and lowered its pitch. In 2018, the Centre formed a 13-member committee to address tribal grievances. However, that committee has met only around three times in the last four years, according to an IPFT leader.

Pradyot has so far been successful in occupying the space vacated by the IPFT, leaving it with no choice but to join hands with him. During the two-day dharna, Congress MP Deepender Hooda, Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi and AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh addressed the gathering of supporters at Jantar Mantar. Incidentally, Pradyot had quit the Congress in 2019 after serving as the working president of its Tripura unit.nities living outside Tripura.

Written by Sourav Roy Barman

Source: Indian Express, 6/12/21

The arrival of a new force in Tripura

 The Congress’s political fortunes sank further when party chief and a member of the former royal family of the state, Pradyot Manika Deb Burman, quit and set up his own party, The Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance.

In India’s mainstream political imagination, Tripura is often on the periphery. This may stem from the tyranny of distance from the national Capital, and its location in the often-neglected Northeast, but the state’s diverse social landscape, strategic location, and history makes it politically crucial. For long, the state’s political history was marked by Left domination — and the presence of Manik Sarkar as a steady hand at the helm of governance. The Congress was the other pole in the state, but in 2018, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sprung a surprise by sweeping the state polls in a remarkable victory. The Congress’s political fortunes sank further when party chief and a member of the former royal family of the state, Pradyot Manikya Deb Burman, quit and set up his own party, The Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance. This force has now marked its political arrival by winning 18 of the 28 seats in autonomous district councils, ahead of all the other forces in the state.

Mr Burman’s victory is significant for two reasons. One, representing the indigenous tribal community, his party poses a challenge to what has been a polity dominated largely by the state’s majority Bengali-speakers, and has successfully overwhelmed other smaller tribal formations — one of which is in an alliance with the BJP. Two, Mr Burman was among the younger leaders who quit the Congress because of the incoherence at the top of the party, uncertainty over leadership, and its ideologically vacillating positions. But he chose to set up his own force, rather than join an existing outfit. Tripura’s unique social mosaic, and his own background as a royal, allowed him to do so. But it is a lesson to the Congress — if you let talent go, the talent will find a platform but the party will shrink further.

Source: HIndustan Times, 11/04/21

Risa in the Culture of Tripura

 The Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb recently wore “Risa” on Kokborok Day. The Chief Minister of late has made Risa, his style statement. The Government of Tripura is to promote Risa at national and international level.

What is Risa?

• Risa is the traditional dress of Tripura. Risa is worn by both men and women of Tripura.
• The dress for women in the upper half of the body has two parts namely Risa and Rikutu. Risa covers the chest part and rikutu covers the whole upper part. The dress of women that covers the lower half of the body is called Rigwani or Rignai.
• Each clan of Tripura has their own “Rignai” pattern and design. The clans of Tripura are identified based on the Rignai.
• Men of Tripura use Risa for head turban and also for tying the waist over Dhuti. When men wear Risa, it gives them strength and indicates the status of the person. It is also used as muffler in winter season.
• Risa is also used in Tripura culture to hold baby.
• “Risa Sormani” is an adolescent ceremony of a Tripuri girl child. On this day, the 12-14 year old girl is given risa to wear for the first time.

History of Risa

• The history of Tripuri attire originated before Manikya kings’ rule.
• In ancient period, the intelligence of a woman in the community was judged based on her woven Risa and Rignai designs.
• The Manikya king Maharaj Trilochana had invented 250 Rignai and Risa designs for his 250 wives. However, most of these designs were lost with passage of time. The Tripura Government is therefore trying to promote Risa and other traditional attire of Tripura.

Kokborok Day

Kokborok Day is celebrated in Tripura to celebrated the development of Kokborok language. Every year, the day is observed on January 19. The Kokborok is the official language of Tripura. January 19 was chosen to celebrate Kokborok Day as the language was recognized as an official language on this day in 1979.