A brief note on Dr Nirmal Minz

Garv se kaho hum adivasi hain (Say with pride, I am an Adivasi)[1]

Dr Nirmal Minz - theologian, priest, anthropologist, educationist and political activist – was one of the most prominent public intellectuals of Jharkhand in postcolonial times. Born in a Lutheran Oraon family in Anwaratoli, a remote village in Jharkhand, and educated in Ranchi College and Serampore College and thereafter in the Universities of Minnesota and Chicago, Dr Minz was the Principal of the Gossner Theological College, founder of the Gossner College, and Bishop Emeritus of the North Western Gossner Evangelical Lutheran Church. He was recognized as an ‘Adivasi Ratna [jewel]’ by the Indian Confederation of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples (ICITP) of which he was a member.

Through his writings in Kurukh, Hindi, English and German, Dr Minz puts forward his thoughts on Adivasi identity, while focusing particularly on the Oraon/Kurukh people of Jharkhand. Drawing upon Adivasi experiences and their modes of negotiation with everyday challenges, he provides narratives of Adivasi history and resistance, the symbiotic relationship of Adivasis with nature, their displacement from land and the destruction of their ecosystems, the loss of Adivasi language and culture as a consequence of their contact with other cultures, the importance of Christianity in promoting a new form of humanism, the critical role of education for social integration, and the relationship of Adivasis with the Indian state and its people. The Adivasis had not been given recognition by the Government of India as Moolvasis or as Indigenous People; he endorsed therefore a dialogue with international organizations to address the issues of Adivasis. Adivasis deserved justice and recognition as they offered a different way of living and being on this earth. The nation must also learn from adivasis, and not just the other way around. With passion and commitment, Dr Minz argued that both Adivasis and non-Adivasis should come together in service to the nation.

Dr Nirmal Minz’s voice helps challenge the silences of the colonial archive and enables us to rethink the production of knowledge about Adivasis in colonial and postcolonial times. His voice from the margins of mainstream India reveals a different history of struggle for justice, dignity, and human rights.

[1] Joseph Mariyanus Kujur and Sonajharia Minz, ‘Introduction’, in Joseph Mariyanus Kujur and Sonajhariya Minz (eds), Indigenous People of India, Problems and Prospects, APH Publishing, New Delhi, 2007, p. 9.