JHARKHAND MIRROR

A Voice Of The Indigenous People

Gladson Dungdung is a Human Rights Activist, Writer and Motivator. He is the author of a book “Ulgulan Ka Sauda” (the book is all about how the Corporate Houses trick the Adivasis for acquiring their land in Jharkhand). He comes from the Indigenous community of Jharkhand. His family was displaced without rehabilitation during the construction of Kelaghagh Dam situated at Simdega district. His parents were brutally murdered in a land dispute in 1990 when he was merely 12 years old. Consequently, he had to undergo through a long struggle.

He studied under the tree in a Government school and completed matriculation but unable to get admission in college due to lack of admission fee as Rs.250 and lost two valuable years of study. Finally, he got a part time social service job at the salary of Rs.500 per month in November 2005, where he resumed his studies and completed the graduation. He also successfully completed the Post Graduate Programme in Human Rights from IIHR, New Delhi and 18 months Internship Programme in Public Advocacy from the National Centre for Advocacy Studies, Pune.

He worked as a State Programme Officer on the European Union supported programme “National Project on Preventing Torture in India” implemented by the “People’s Watch” a pioneer Human Rights Organization of India, for two years. He has undertaken the Fact Findings of 450 cases of Police Atrocities and Human Rights violation. He has trained 2000 professionals on Human Rights including Police Officers, Lawyers, Journalists, Teachers, Doctors, Psychiatrists, Elected Representatives and Social Activists.

He has done a research on the impact of forest policies on the Adivasis of Orissa and also written more than 200 articles (in Hindi and English) on the issues of Indigenous rights, displacement, Human Rights, land alienation and social change published by various leading dailies, weeklies and web portals. His areas of interest include Indigenous’ rights, advocacy, human rights, policy formation & implementation and strategic planning & campaign. He is the founder Secretary of the ‘Navjeevan Foundation’, an organization works with Children, Adivasi, Dalits, Women and Rickshaw-pullers in Jharkhand.

He writes regularly for the Daily Newspapers, Weeklies and Journals on the issues of indigenous people’s rights, human rights and social change. He is a regular contributor to the Verdict, the Tehelka, Countercurrents.org, Intercontinenatalcry.org, Newswing.com, Orissalive.com, mynews.in, (English) and Hindustand, Jharkhand Express and Tarang Bharti (Hindi). His articles are also carried out by the leading News papers of Jhakhand including Prabhat Khabar, Dainik Jagran and Ranchi Express.

Presently, he is the convener of the Jharkhand Indigenous Peoples Forum. He is also associated with the various organizations, campaigns and movements in India including the people’s movement against displacement in Jharkhand led by the Visthapan Virodhi Ekta Manch, CREJ Jan Mukti Andolan, Save the Forest Movement, Land Rights Campaign of Ekta Parishad, and Campaign against Torture of People’s Watch. He can be reached at gladsonhractivist@gmail.com or gladsonhractivist@yahoo.com