Abstract:
The central Indian tribal societies are mobilising themselves to protect their rights over land ownership.
The recent phenomena of land acquisition brought upheaval in the society, as the whole social, cultural
and economic system of tribal society is connected with the ownership of land system. To protect their
land, tribal revived and utilised their traditional form of public sphere to communicate with the
government. They evolved their own public sphere (pathalgarhi) to deliver their message of resistance.
For protesting the land acquisition pathalgarhi become the strongest medium of resistance. Tribal
carved out their constitutional rights over Pathal (stones) and establishes it to the entry of each villages
communicating that no one can acquire land without the permission of Gram Sabha (the village
council). The issues started covering a big space in the dominant media when tribals started to resist the
land acquisition and mobilise people through ‘pathalgarhi’. It provided a challenge to the government
authority which is controlling the community by imposing policies of development. The tribal area in
India has been protected and regulated under special provision of the constitution but there is loops
between the practice and the constitutional rights. Therefore, the major research problem focussed
around that the state’s constitutional right given to tribal, when they are utilising under their own
traditional form of public sphere as Pathalgarhi movement, how the state responding to their
expression? whether, state is reacting, or giving space to the expression? Demonising their expression
or dealing and accepting their expression? To cover the loops the recent phenomena of Pathalgarhi
movement has been observed. The expression of dominant media over this movement and the
participation of tribal people in their public sphere have been mapped. For understanding the expression
of dominant media local newspapers content and national newspapers coverage has been analysed
(Content analysis) and for understanding the participation of tribal people in their public sphere, a
survey has been conducted and semi structured interviews have been conducted. The study finds its
relevance in understanding the conflicted relationship between public sphere and state. In other words,
the study aims in understanding the state’s relationship with its people focussing their communication
with each other.
