Palghar: As India approaches the centenary of its independence, just a few kilometres away from Mumbai — the nation’s financial capital — the ancient Katkari tribal community continues to battle exploitation, poverty, and invisibility. To draw attention to their dire living conditions, the Shramjeevi Organisation has announced a two-day protest titled ‘Aatmakalesh se Aatmanirdhar’ (From Anguish to Resolve), to be held on November 5 and 6 outside the Thane District Collector’s office.
The movement, led by Shramjeevi president Rambhau Varna and founder Vivek Pandit, will see senior leaders observing silent fasting as a symbolic act of protest — transforming years of suffering into a call for dignity and justice.
A Cry for Existence
The Katkari community, among Maharashtra’s most marginalised tribal groups, continues to suffer from bonded labour, child trafficking, extreme poverty, and the collapse of education due to seasonal migration. Many families remain deprived of land rights, rehabilitation, and the benefits promised under the Forest Rights Act and Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGA).
“Unpaid wages, unfulfilled promises, and unchecked liquor abuse have left hundreds of families on the brink of collapse,” said Varna. “This protest is not just an act of self-suffering — it is a pledge to live with dignity.”
Symbolic Resistance Across Villages
While the leadership observes a silent fast at Thane Collectorate, members of Shramjeevi in villages and hamlets across the district will join in solidarity. Adults will fast during the day, and as dusk falls, every home will light a symbolic ‘Diya of Determination’ — marking a collective resolve to rise from despair.
The organisation says this dual act — fasting and lighting lamps — represents both mourning and renewal: an assertion of the Katkaris’ right to exist as human beings, not invisible labourers.
A Call for Immediate Government Action
The protest demands that the Maharashtra government immediately implement pending forest and village land rights, ensure rehabilitation of freed bonded labourers, release unpaid employment guarantee wages, and provide meaningful protection for women and children of the Katkari tribe.
“Aatmakalesh se Aatmanirdhar is not just a protest,” said the statement issued by the organisation. “It is the determination of a disappearing community to reclaim its existence and dignity.”
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