Question

Who was Gunda Dhur?

Answer 1

Hint: Gunda Dhur is associated with the Bastar Rebellion in 1910. The rebellion took place when the government proposed reserving two-thirds of the Kanger forest as "Reserved Forest". Eventually, the Rebellion was suppressed.

Complete Step by Step answer: Gunda Dhur belonged to village Netharan in the Bastar region, which in present-day falls in Chhattisgarh. He is said to be the leader of the rebellion which took place in the region in 1910. Since time immemorial, tribals called forests their home, using its products for food, clothing and shelter. Most tribal communities were either shifting cultivators of hunter-gatherers. The basis of their survival was unrestricted movement within the forests and freedom to use the forests products as per their requirements. However, following the British conquest of India, soon the officials started to penetrate the deep and resourceful forests of India. They started the process of mapping and classifying lands, as well as started using them for commercial purposes. This threatened the livelihood of the tribals. An increasing number of restrictions were being imposed on these communities, they were not only losing access to ancestral lands but also were struggling to survive when their access to the forest products was cut off. Forestlands were declared government properties and forest laws were enacted. Due to such factors resentments were brewing among these tribal communities as a result of which several trib revolts broke out across India throughout the British rule. One such rebellion was the Bastar Rebellion. The Bastar Rebellion took place in 1910. As in other cases, this was also a result of increasing encroachment on forest lands by the government. The government has proposed reserving two-thirds of the Kanger forest as "Reserved Forest''. Gunda Dhur is remembered as the leader of this rebellion. The rebellion was centred in the Kanger forest, home of the Dhruwas. Gunda Dhur along with his supporters looted government granaries and distributed food grains among the poor. They also fought against the exploitative local zamindars. Eventually, the Rebellion was suppressed but it can not be in any way considered a failure. The authorities were never able to capture Gunda Dhur and the forest area to be declared as reserved was reduced by almost half.

Note: Make a list of the important revolts and their respective leaders and the place where those events occurred. Gunda Dhur was the leader of the Bastar Rebellion of 1910. Bastar falls in present day Chattisgarh.