Meet the changemakers

Excerpt: This is the story of Tilka Manjhi, whose resistance against the cunning oppressors created a template that would inspire tribal rebellions like the Halbas in 1774, the Bhils in 1818, the Kols in 1831 and the Santhals in 1855-56.

Tilka was born on 11 February 1750 into a Santhal family and was named Jabra. His father, Sundar Murmu, was the chief of the clan, and Jabra was his heir.

The tribe lived in the Rajmahal Hills, a densely forested area in the Chhota Nagpur Plateau (a region that spreads over Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha and Chhattisgarh).