From reel to real: Birbaha sets on a new journey to empower people
KOLKATA: On the silver screen, Birbaha Hansda essayed the character of a rebel tribal girl, who waged war against oppression and humiliation of the upper caste, from 2006 to 2019.
Born in Aankro village in Jhargram, little did the well-known Santhali film actor know that she would become a minister in real life. A graduate from Calcutta University, Hansda made her debut in films in 2008 with 'Ado Alom Asa Aa.'
Some of her popular films are 'Amge Sari Dulariya', 'Malang', 'Orah Bongay Chapal Kiding', 'Fulmoni', 'Achchha Thik Geya', 'Aas
Tanhe Ena Amre', and 'Tode Sutam.'
In 2021, she embarked on a new journey after winning the Jhargram seat on a Trinamool Congress ticket with 37,240 votes by defeating BJP's Subhas Sathpathi.
The 37-year-old actor-turned-politician was given the charge of Minister of State for Forests Affairs. Birbaha will assist appointed Minister of Forest Jyotipriyo Mallick.
"I always fight against the humiliation faced by the tribal population because of their lack of education and inability to mix with the upper caste. I have been serving the downtrodden tribal families after joining politics in 2006. I will continue to serve the downtrodden," said Hansda.
Before joining TMC, she had a brief stint in politics as a member of the Jharkhand (Naren) party that was led by her father, late Naren Hansda. She remained in Jharkhand (Naren) party from 2006 to 2019. During this period, she also acted in films. Politics runs in her blood. Her mother, late Chunibala Hansda, was an MLA.
"I joined TMC as I found that most of the party members have shifted their allegiance to either BJP or TMC. I am not in favour of BJP's communal politics and so joined TMC just before the Assembly election 2021. My passion for working for the downtrodden matched with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's ideology and so I joined the TMC," added Hansda.
According to Hansda, during 2019 Lok Sabha polls she found how BJP tried to present a false narrative in front of the tribal population, who trusted the saffron party and voted for them.
But in 2021, the tribals realised that BJP had betrayed them.
"Tribals realised that they have received immense help from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's schemes like Swasthya Sathi and Duare Sarkar. As a result, this time the majority of the tribal population voted for TMC," she said.
Hansda opined that BJP's attempt to force a particular religion on the tribal population led to their defeat in the Jangalmahal.
"We respect all religions but nobody can force any religion on anyone. Our tribal population follows a particular sect, but they respect all religions," she said.
According to Hansda, her main aim is to work for the upliftment of people in her constituency. She would go on a door-to-door campaign, asking people if they need any help from her.
"I will stay in my constituency and in the next five years I want to see that I can help the majority of people. I want to see smiles on the faces of all people from my constituency," added Hansda.
