Bengaluru, 26 July 2025 – “Bastar 1862: A Colonial Report and an Adivasi Resistance” was released on 26 July 2024 at a symposium titled “Tribal Ecosystem and the Challenges of Development: The Curious Case of Bastar” held in Bengaluru.
Dr. Chiranjiv Singh, Former UNESCO Ambassador, releasing the book said, “This remarkable book presents history through both colonial and indigenous lenses, creating a vital dialogue between Captain Glasfurd’s report and Maharaja Pravir Chandra Bhanjdeo’s narrative. Dr. Uma Ram and K S Ram have made an important contribution to enable such diverse perspectives are preserved for future generations.”
Dr. S. K. Aruni, Regional Director of the Indian Council of Historical Research, while speaking at the symposium, emphasized, “The book is significant as an important historical source document.”
Pravir Krishna, former Managing Director of Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Limited (TRIFED), Government of India, and who had previously served as Collector of Bastar, elaborated on Van Dhan. He described it as “a micro-market intervention that helped the tribal gatherers in Bastar to double their income from tamarind and other forest products.” He further highlighted that this tribal empowerment initiative in Bastar was recognized by the UNO’s FAO as a global best practice in 2002 for non-wood forest products.
The book, edited by Dr. Uma Ram and K.S. Ram, includes the original, unabridged text of two source works (1) A Report on the Dependency of Bastar, an official tour report by Capt. C.L.R Glasfurd of the East India Company, who was the first white person to venture into the interior parts of Bastar, and, (2) I, Pravir, the Adivasi God, by Maharaja Pravir Chandra Bhanjdeo, the last of the Kakatiya kings to rule over Bastar,. Maharaja Pravir was killed in 1966.
Bastar 1862 is the 10th book under Prof. D S Achuta Rao History Series Published by Manipal Universal Press. Manipal Universal Press and DSA History Series continue to make significant historical and cultural texts available to researchers and the public, contributing to the preservation and dissemination of India’s diverse historical narratives.
Key Highlights of “Bastar 1862”:
“Bastar 1862” presents a unique dual perspective on the colonial encounter in Bastar – offering both the colonial administrator’s official report and the indigenous ruler’s personal account. Captain C.L.R Glasfurd was the first white person to venture into the interior parts of Bastar, while Maharaja Pravir Chandra Bhanjdeo, the last of the Kakatiya kings to rule over Bastar, was killed in 1966. This juxtaposition provides readers with a comprehensive understanding of this crucial period in tribal history.