Chuni Kotal facts for kids
Chuni Kotal was a brave Dalit and Adivasi woman from the Lodha Shabar tribe. In 1985, she made history by becoming the first woman from her community to graduate from university.
Her life was sadly cut short on August 16, 1992, after facing years of unfair treatment from officials. Her death brought the Lodha Shabar community together. Her story was later shared by the famous writer and activist Mahasweta Devi in her book Byadhkhanda (1994), which means The Book of the Hunter. More recently, a Bengali novel called Har Na Mana Har (2021) was written by Subhabrata Basu about Chuni Kotal's life.
Early Life and Education
Chuni Kotal was born in 1965 in a village called Gohaldihi. This village is in the Paschim Medinipur district of West Bengal. She grew up in a poor Lodha family with three brothers and three sisters.
Despite a difficult childhood, Chuni Kotal worked hard. She became the first woman from her community to finish high school. In 1983, she got her first job as a social worker at the Jhargram ITDP office. Her job was to survey local villages.
She continued her studies and graduated from Vidyasagar University in 1985. She earned a degree in anthropology, which is the study of human societies and cultures.
Facing Challenges
Two years after graduating, Chuni Kotal became a hostel superintendent. She worked at the 'Rani Shiromoni SC and ST Girls' Hostel' in Medinipur. Even in this new role, she faced challenges. People treated her unfairly because of her tribal background.
Her biggest difficulties began when she started a Master's degree course at Vidyasagar University. She faced discrimination from university staff. They reportedly refused to give her passing grades. This happened even though she had met all the requirements for the course. Some people believed that someone from her community, which they wrongly called a "criminal tribe," should not study advanced subjects like social sciences.
In 1991, after two years of struggling, she complained about the unfair treatment. The state Education minister set up an investigation. However, the situation did not improve once her background became known.
Tragic End and Legacy
By August 1992, Chuni Kotal was deeply frustrated. She had faced years of unfair treatment and discrimination in Medinipur. On August 14, 1992, she left Medinipur to meet her husband, Manmatha Savar. He worked at a railway workshop in Kharagpur. They had known each other since 1981 and married in 1990. Manmatha was also a high school graduate.
Sadly, Chuni Kotal's life ended tragically on August 16, 1992, when she was only 27 years old.
Her death sparked a huge discussion in the media across West Bengal and eastern India. It raised important questions about human rights and social fairness. Bangla Dalit Sahitya Sanstha in Kolkata organized protests and seminars. They spoke out against the unfairness she faced. Since 1993, they have held an annual 'Chuni Kotal Memorial Lecture' in Kolkata to honor her memory. The Government of India's Department of Education has also produced a video about her life story.
