Question 42 from UPSC CSE 2014 - Culture

Question

Every year, a month-long ecologically important campaign/festival is held during which certain communities/tribes plant saplings of fruit-bearing trees. Which of the following are such communities/tribes?

A

Bhutia and Lepcha

B

Gond and Korku

C

Irula and Toda

D

Sahariya and Agariya

IASCODEX · Accepted Answer

Correct Option: B. Gond and Korku

Strategy: Focus on Central Indian tribes, particularly the Gond and Korku, as they are known for festivals dedicated to mass tree-planting, such as 'Hariyali Amavasya'. Other tribal groups like those in Sikkim, southern, or western India lack widely recorded analogous customs.

Key Info: The Gond and Korku are prominent tribal groups in Central India, particularly in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Chhattisgarh. Both have ancient traditions of environmental conservation, including cyclical festivals focused on ecological renewal. The Gond tribe celebrates Hariyali Amavasya, during which they plant saplings of fruit-bearing and local trees, aiming to maintain ecological balance, preserve species diversity, and secure future food. The Korku, with significant populations in the Satpura ranges, also hold tree-planting campaigns with communal participation, cementing the role of forests in community welfare and culture.

**By contrast:**
- Bhutia and Lepcha are indigenous to Sikkim and focus more on preserving sacred groves and water sources, with rituals and festivals related to crops but not widely documented for mass sapling campaigns.
- Irula and Toda, tribes of Tamil Nadu, are known for their pastoral (Toda) and forest-based (Irula) traditions, but there are no large-scale, month-long tree-planting festivals akin to those practiced by Gond and Korku.
- Sahariya and Agariya are tribal groups primarily in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, with traditions centered on minor forest produce and salt making, lacking prominent ecological festivals dedicated to collective sapling plantation.

India's tribal communities often practice local conservation rituals. However, the Gond and Korku are noted in ethnographic records and government-supported environmental campaigns for mass participation in tree-planting festivals, reinforcing their ecological stewardship.

IASCODEX · Answer

Option A: Bhutia and Lepcha

IASCODEX · Answer

Option C: Irula and Toda

IASCODEX · Answer

Option D: Sahariya and Agariya