JACINTA KERKETTA - JOURNALIST, POET, ACTIVIST

In her journalism and poetry, Jacinta Kerketta blends the dispossession of her community, the Oraon adivasi tribe of Jharkhand, with the destruction of nature.

- Preetha Banerjee

Her work, known for its passionate advocacy of tribal rights, has been widely translated and taught in universities around the world. In an interview with Preetha Banerjee, Kerketta reveals that, for her, the greatest achievement has been avoiding ‘insanity’ by forging a deep connection with nature:

Many of your poems touch upon the impact of capitalism on adivasi communities and their natural surroundings. What personal experiences inspired you to lend your voice to this cause?

I was in the eighth grade when I lived in Chakradharpur, a town in Jharkhand's West Singhbhum district. My school was an hour-long train ride from my village in the district's Manoharpur block. In this region, I often heard stories about the history of Kolhan State of the Ho adivasi people [Austroasiatic Munda ethnic group, known for their deep connection with land and nature, rich culture and unique traditional governance system]. Manoharpur falls within the Saranda forest, Asia's largest sal forest, and the adivasi people worshipped the tree. Eventually, India's largest iron ore mine was established here, at Chiria village, and the Howrah-Nagpur railway line was opened. Many people from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan and Gujarat settled here. Railway tracks were laid by cutting timber from the Saranda forest. During this period, people from Gujarat established sawmills in Manoharpur. As an adivasi-majority area, many adivasi people worked in these sawmills. Earlier, traders from Marwar region had also arrived to conduct business. Over time, Manoharpur transformed into a town. However, power remained in the hands of those who came from Rajasthan; they became rajas and zamindars in this adivasi region.