When I first started working in Adivasi areas, there was no satisfactory dialogue at the policy level of what development meant. When I asked my adivasi friends, their responses were "we need roads in such and such a place", or "this village needs a school". Once, an adivasi man said it would be nice to have more mahua trees. His response compelled me to think more carefully.

Subsequently, the Adivasi Academy was founded, and in the first year, the diploma program attracted fifteen students, mostly adivasis. Initially, I believed that they would learn to operate computers, start reading books and become aware of the modern world like students elsewhere. I tried hard to accomplish these goals. But instead of seeing a change in them, I noticed my own ideas begin to change. I realized that my own views on history, society, culture and politics had to be set aside and an attempt had to be made to see the world through the eyes of my students. So I did away with the coursework and started having dialogues with them.

During these discussions, I realized that these students possessed an intelligence of a different kind. They had clear views on every issue. They articulated their opinions very lucidly. Their vocabulary did not require support of jargon and cliches to prove their argument. They did not imitate anyone.

My student friends had to leave their homes early morning after eating a meal of maize bread, rotla. They would stay with me throughout the day without having lunch. After a while it occurred to me that it was not right for me to have lunch when all of the students remained hungry. The question of hunger started keeping my thoughts occupied during my daily commute.

The students' lack of interest in reading academic books, their disinterest in imitating urban lifestyles, and their clarity of thought were all rooted in their experience of hunger. I felt that people touched by hunger, irrespective of where they are, would have similar views. Perhaps they have firm convictions about what is appropriate for human beings and what is inappropriate. Their convictions and views deserve to be understood and articulated. The desire to do so took a firm hold of my mind. New facets of the word 'development' started occurring to me.

Today, an atmosphere of increasing greed has developed everywhere. Not to have such greed means that a society has not progressed. To satisfy our greed, more and more things have to be manufactured. To sell these extra products new markets have to be created. These products have to be marketed and advertised. In the advertisements, there is no need to decide what is truth is and what is fiction. If they get money for their products, then their purpose is fulfilled. Such viciousness is not development. Sensibility is development.

Development means thoughtfulness. Real development is that which comes from within. That which comes from outside is called help. The strength of a person dependent on outside help goes on diminishing. Self reliance is the only real road to development.

I hope these thoughts from my adivasi friends will be beneficial to the larger world.

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Dr. Ganesh Devy, Bhasha Tribal Academy, Tejgadh, Gujarat
[Translated from the Gujarati original by Sarah Boltwala-Messina, San Diego & Kavita Patel, Kansas City]

Editorial note: AID volunteers have had a long association with Bhasha and continue to benefit from their insights. Click here for the complete version of this article.