CM Sukhu pays tribute to Birsa Munda on Jayanti
Synopsis
On Birsa Munda Jayanti, November 15, Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu paid tribute to the tribal freedom fighter, honouring his jal-jungle-zameen legacy and closing with the traditional Munda greeting 'Johar'.
Key Takeaways
CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu posted a tribute to Birsa Munda on his birth anniversary, November 15, 2026 .
Sukhu honoured Munda as Dharti Aaba — Father of the Earth — and cited his fight for jal, jungle, zameen (water, forest, land).
Birsa Munda (1875–1900) led the Ulgulan movement against British land and forest policies in the Chota Nagpur plateau .
The Forest Rights Act 2006 gave legislative form to the tribal land and forest rights Munda fought for.
November 15 is observed nationally as Janjatiya Gaurav Divas (Tribal Pride Day).
Sukhu closed his post with 'Johar' , the traditional Munda greeting of solidarity.
A freedom fighter who took on the British Empire with nothing but conviction and a demand for land, forest, and water — Birsa Munda is remembered across India on November 15, and Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu joined that chorus on Sunday with a heartfelt salute to the tribal icon.
In his post, CM Sukhu wrote: 'जल, जंगल और जमीन के हक की आवाज बुलंद करने वाले महान स्वतंत्रता सेनानी धरती आबा बिरसा मुंडा जी की जयंती पर सादर नमन' — 'Respectful tribute to the great freedom fighter Dharti Aaba Birsa Munda, who raised his voice for the rights of water, forest, and land.' He added that Munda dedicated his life to protecting tribal rights and folk culture, and closed with 'Johar' — the traditional Munda greeting of solidarity and respect.
Who was Dharti Aaba — 'Father of the Earth'
Birsa Munda, born in 1875 in the Chota Nagpur plateau region of present-day Jharkhand, earned the reverent title Dharti Aaba — Father of the Earth — from his own people. He led the Ulgulan ('Great Tumult') movement in the late 1890s, mobilising Munda tribal communities against British land dispossession and exploitative forest policies that stripped them of ancestral rights. He died in 1900, aged just 25, yet the tremors of his uprising echoed for more than a century.
His central demand — control over jal, jungle, zameen (water, forest, land) — was not merely a slogan. It was a blueprint for tribal survival. That blueprint eventually found legislative expression in the Forest Rights Act of 2006, which recognised individual and community rights of Scheduled Tribes over forest land, a landmark moment directly rooted in the kind of historical struggle Birsa Munda embodied.
November 15 and the national weight of Birsa Jayanti
November 15 — Birsa Munda's birth anniversary — has grown into a significant date on India's political calendar. The Central Government declared it Janjatiya Gaurav Divas (Tribal Pride Day), institutionalising national recognition of tribal contributions to India's freedom struggle and cultural heritage. Across states with significant Scheduled Tribe populations, political leaders from every party mark the day publicly, underscoring the broad, cross-partisan reverence Birsa Munda commands.
Himachal Pradesh, while not a state with the same scale of tribal population as Jharkhand or Chhattisgarh, has its own Scheduled Tribe communities — including the Gaddis, Kinnauris, and Pangwals — for whom questions of forest access and land rights remain live concerns. CM Sukhu's tribute, closing with 'Johar', signals a deliberate solidarity with that tradition.
Point of View
Reflecting a broader national push to mainstream tribal history within the freedom-struggle narrative. For a Congress chief minister like Sukhu, invoking Munda's jal-jungle-zameen framework also carries implicit policy resonance — it links the party to a rights-based tradition that predates and underpins progressive forest and land legislation. The use of 'Johar' is particularly deliberate, telegraphing cultural fluency and solidarity with tribal communities beyond Himachal Pradesh's borders. As debates over forest land rights and tribal autonomy continue in multiple states, such gestures serve as soft positioning as much as solemn remembrance.
NationPress
15 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is November 15 celebrated as Birsa Munda Jayanti?
November 15 is the birth anniversary of Birsa Munda , the tribal freedom fighter born in 1875 in the Chota Nagpur plateau. The Central Government also declared this date Janjatiya Gaurav Divas (Tribal Pride Day) to honour tribal contributions to India's independence struggle.
Who was Birsa Munda and what was the Ulgulan movement?
Birsa Munda (1875–1900) was a Munda tribal leader from the Chota Nagpur plateau who led the Ulgulan ('Great Tumult') movement, mobilising tribal communities against British land dispossession and exploitative forest policies. He became known as Dharti Aaba — Father of the Earth.
What does 'jal jungle zameen' mean in the context of tribal rights?
Jal, jungle, zameen means 'water, forest, land' in Hindi. It became the defining slogan of Birsa Munda's movement, asserting tribal communities' ancestral rights over natural resources. The Forest Rights Act 2006 partially gave legal shape to these demands.
What does 'Johar' mean?
' Johar ' is a traditional greeting of respect and solidarity used by the Munda tribal community of Jharkhand and surrounding regions. Political leaders often use it on Birsa Munda Jayanti to express cultural solidarity with tribal communities.
What did CM Sukhu say about Birsa Munda?
Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said Birsa Munda raised his voice for the rights of water, forest, and land, dedicated his life to protecting tribal rights and folk culture, and that his struggle-filled life is an inspiration for all. He closed with ' Johar '.
