In Jharkhand, an Adivasi poet's fight to document tribal values: ‘Owe this to future generations'
What Parvati Tirkey, an Adivasi poet who's the recipient of this year's Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar, remembers most about her childhood is story-telling sessions with her grandfather. Every year during the tribal festival of Sarhul festival, she would sit at her grandfather's feet as he sang songs of old.
The songs taught her everything she needed to hear about her Kurukh culture, their traditional way of life and even legends and myths – all things she could never learn in textbooks. It's through these that she learnt the significance of her surname, Tirkey.
'Tirkey, which means a wild bird found in forests. In the same way, the tiger (Lakra) is a totem animal for those with the Lakra surname. Totem for us Adivasis, simply means a deep sense of guardianship and kinship with a particular species,' she says.
For years, Tirkey has been trying to encapsulate her learnings through the tradition of 'oral libraries' in her poetry. Earlier this week, her commitment to this vital cultural reclamation was officially recognised: she was named the recipient of the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar 2025 (Hindi) for her poignant poetry collection 'Phir Ugna'. Translated as 'To Spring Again' it is a collection of Kurukh poetry.
'These poems are rooted in the Kurukh lifestyle and their ancestral knowledge systems like the Parha system of self-governance, the totem culture, and more,' she says.
From a remote village in Jharkhand's Gumla district, Tirkey completed her schooling in Gumla and went on to earn her graduation, post graduation, and PhD in Hindi Literature from the Banaras Hindu University (BHU). Despite her literary achievements, Tirkey admits she never liked studying as a child. 'I still remember my grandmother's admonition: 'If we go to school, who will go to jatra (processions)?',' she says.
During her research at BHU, Parvati made the conscious decision to bring these 'oral libraries' into Hindi literature. 'Our elders had libraries too, hidden ones, oral ones. Why weren't they adopted? Why weren't they given space?' Tirkey, who teaches Hindi literature at Ram Lakhan College in Ranchi, asks.
Her choice of language – Hindi – was a carefully thought out one, selected to bridge the gap between indigenous and non-indigenous languages. Through this, she also wanted to explain better the systemic neglect of the Kurukh language and knowledge within academic and cultural institutions.
'Hindi literature has long been dominated by non-indigenous writers. Since our voices have been missing for generations, it's time we document and share our cultural values, those that were passed down orally and never written. We owe this to future generations. Let it be part of the current syllabus,' she says.
Among the poems in her collection is 'Lakra Kavita' – or tiger poetry. She describes it as a conversation between a tiger and a Kurukh tribal with the surname 'Lakra'.
'The tiger stops this man on his path and the man reminds the tiger they are family, that they share the same origins and emotions. The poem portrays the emotional bond between the two, and eventually, the tiger allows the man to pass,' she says.
For Tirkey, writing poetry and entering the world of literature is her response to cultural displacement — an issue she feels remains under-discussed. She believes that any effort to preserve Adivasi culture and language is a small but significant step toward revival and inclusion in mainstream consciousness. 'These cultural systems now need to be preserved. That's what the title Phir Ugna means – to spring again,' says Parvati.
Shubham Tigga hails from Chhattisgarh and studied journalism at the Asian College of Journalism. He previously reported in Chhattisgarh on Indigenous issues and is deeply interested in covering socio-political, human rights, and environmental issues in mainland and NE India.
Presently based in Pune, he reports on civil aviation, other transport sectors, urban mobility, the gig economy, commercial matters, and workers' unions.
You can reach out to him on LinkedIn ... Read More
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I have made multiple rounds to the office,' he says while scrolling through the documents on his phone. At the site, the jhuggis are all gone. There are just four earthmovers working to clear the drain. After the slum cluster was demolished, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, in a letter dated June 10 to Delhi CM Rekha Gupta, urged the government to provide basic amenities to those displaced. According to officials at the Tamil Nadu House, the state government announced relief packages of Rs 4,000 to the families. 'Out of the 370 displaced families, 90 are yet to claim the amount. They have been displaced to various places, and efforts are on to trace them,' an official says. Ten days later, and 9 km from Jangpura, Bhoomiheen camp was demolished with over 344 houses razed. The demolished houses are now reduced to a large patch of uneven land with bricks. Some children fly kites, while others sit on abandoned sofa sets, taking care of their younger siblings while their parents are busy collecting bricks to sell. Muhammad Anees (25), a former resident, says, 'I come here with my family at 4 am and stay until noon before returning to our rented room nearby.' He is sitting with his wife and son inside a makeshift bamboo tent. The floor is made from old wooden doors salvaged from homes, and an AAP flag is used to secure the structure. 'We supported the AAP this election, but the BJP won. We were happy with the previous government,' he says. On June 6, while deciding pleas by as many as 417 residents of the Bhoomiheen Camp in Kalkaji, the HC had denied relief to over 350 slum dwellers, stating that 'encroachers cannot claim the right to continue occupying public land, pending the resolution of their rehabilitation claims under the applicable policy, as this would unduly impede public projects'. 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The authorities showed us the flat options, and our opinion was taken into consideration before finalising these. When my number came in the draw, I got the flat,' Rawat says, adding that they get 24×7 running water. Earlier, on May 6, on the HC's directions, the DDA demolished over 100 structures on the banks of the Taimoor Nagar drain. When The Indian Express visited the site on June 24, a heavy police force was deployed while the earthmovers continued to raze homes. Owners of the homes could not be contacted. According to a policeman at the site, the demolition will be completed by July 7. The DDA refused to respond to multiple queries sent by The Indian Express about future projects and demolitions. The most prominent site over which the threat of eviction now looms is Batla House, Jamia Nagar, where both the UP Irrigation Department and DDA claim structures have been built on their land. According to a list compiled by Basti Suraksha Manch, an organisation advocating for housing rights of slum dwellers in Delhi, many more demolitions have been taking place at an accelerated pace in recent months. 'Since coming to power, the BJP government demolished around 30-40 slums. Currently, there are 5-10 settlements under threat of demolition. The government had given a slogan of 'Jahaan Jhuggi Wahin Makaan', but, instead, the poor are being removed from their homes,' says Neelesh Kumar, a social activist and member of the group. For long, slum demolitions in Delhi have been sites of political contestation. Once bastions of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), a relationship fortified by years of free water, electricity, and basic healthcare, the Capital's 675 jhuggi-jhopri clusters saw a significant percentage of voters shift loyalties in the 2025 Assembly elections. In the run-up to the polls, permanent housing for economically weaker sections had emerged as a flashpoint. The AAP repeatedly warned that if elected, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would roll back subsidies and initiate slum clearances. The BJP, however, had launched an aggressive counter-campaign: a 'Jhuggi Ratri Pravas Samvad Abhiyaan'. As early as November 2024, more than four months before the elections, the party's seven MPs, eight MLAs, and many other known faces had spent nights in slum clusters across the city. At the heart of this outreach was Prime Minister Narendra Modi's slogan: 'Jahan jhuggi, wahan makaan' — a commitment to ensuring housing without displacement. The messaging struck a chord, particularly as AAP's credibility took a hit following allegations of corruption, and the BJP came to power. In two months, the bulldozers rolled in — and the political sparring resumed. Earlier this month, during the Bhoomiheen Camp demolition, former CM and current Leader of Opposition Atishi alleged she was detained from her own constituency while visiting the jhuggi dwellers. 'This is not just about demolitions,' she had told reporters as police bundled her into a van. 'This is about silencing the poor. BJP, Rekha Gupta ji, the very people whose homes you are destroying will be your undoing.' CM Rekha Gupta had hit back, accusing AAP of theatrics. 'No one is touching the slums. They are a party of liars — jumping from one drama to the next. We are following court orders. We want equal development for all.' When asked about the demolition of slums in Delhi at the Express Adda on Thursday, where she was a guest, Gupta said, 'If people are not willing to leave slums after being given a Rs 35 lakh flat in a good area, then it's wrong. Delhi has 675 slum clusters. The previous governments, neither the Congress nor the AAP, provided houses to slum dwellers. The court has ordered people not to live on railway lines or near drains, which may lead to flooding.' Furthermore, she said that if the BJP government is demolishing slums, it is also providing new houses to people. 'This is something that previous governments did not do,' she said. Even as the BJP insists the demolitions are in line with court orders and long-term redevelopment plans, murmurs of discomfort are beginning to surface within the party's ranks — that the demolitions could alienate the very voter base the party recently secured. 'They could have asked the court for an extension, made attempts to arrange accommodation, and then carried out demolitions,' says a former AAP councillor, who had joined the BJP before the election, on the condition of anonymity. 'Now people come to us with complaints. We say it's the court's order — but we have no answers on why there's no rehabilitation in place.' Another BJP councillor takes a different view: 'Yes, some councillors are worried about managing anger in their areas. But party leaders have told us these demolitions are necessary. If we don't execute developmental projects now, we'll be questioned later. It's part and parcel of being in government.' For the AAP, it has reopened a door to a political strategy it once perfected — boots on the ground and slogan-heavy mobilisations. While senior leaders have been visiting demolition sites with media crews, party workers have been quietly visiting not just areas where demolitions have happened, but also bastis where eviction notices have been served. On Tuesday evening, this messaging is put into action at the latest demolition site — Wazirpur jhuggi cluster. Hours after the bulldozers turned back, the slum echoes with a chorus of quieter sounds: a child's cries, the scraping of tin sheets being pulled from rubble, murmured conversations about rents, police, court orders and political promises. Suddenly, former Delhi minister and current Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Delhi state in-charge Saurabh Bharadwaj arrives, accompanied by a few aides, local party workers, and camera crews. He approaches 11-year-old Atul, who stands atop the ruins of his home. 'Where are your parents?' he asks. 'They've gone to find a house on rent,' the boy replies. Bharadwaj turns to the cameras. 'These are school-going children. Their entire world existed in these small rooms. Now their parents are looking for shelter,' he says, gesturing to Atul. He then points to the towering government housing project of Jailerwala Bagh in the distance. 'Those flats were a dream shown to these people. Only 10 residents from here have reportedly been allotted homes. The BJP says they've rehabilitated residents, but everyone here knows that's a lie.' On June 29, the party will hold a mass mobilisation rally at Jantar Mantar, positioning it as both a protest and a platform to unify slum residents from across the city. 'This is a ground-up campaign,' says a senior AAP leader, 'Leaflets are being distributed, local nukkad meetings have started. We're telling people that their home could be next and that their voice belongs at Jantar Mantar.'
