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Abhay Xaxa

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Abhay Flavian Xaxa
Bornc. 1983
Chitkawine, Jashpur, Chhattisgarh, India
Died14 March 2020(2020-03-14) (aged 36–37)
Jalpaigudi, West Bengal, India
Education
Occupations
  • Activist
  • poet
  • anthropologist
  • author
Known forAdivasi and Dalit rights activism
Notable workI Am Not Your Data

Abhay Flavian Xaxa (c. 1983 – 14 March 2020) was an Indian Adivasi rights activist, poet, and social anthropologist.[1] He was known for his efforts to advocate for indigenous identity, land rights, and social justice. He was a research scholar at Jawaharlal Nehru University. After graduating in social anthropology from the University of Sussex, he focused on empowering Adivasi youth through education and activism. His poem I Am Not Your Data become known for his Adivasi resistance against marginalization. He passed away at the age of 37 due to a heart attack.[2]

Early life and Education

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Abhay Xaxa was born in Chitkawine village, located in the Jashpur district of northern Chhattisgarh. He belonged to the Kurukh or Oraon tribe.[3] Abhay completed a Commerce degree in Kunkuri, studied law at a college in Jabalpur. He earned a master's in Social Anthropology from the University of Sussex through a Ford Foundation fellowship in 2007,[4] and later obtained an MPhil and a PhD in Sociology from Jawaharlal Nehru University, with his doctoral research focusing on Adivasi land rights in Jharkhand.[3]

Career

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His early professional career included work in Hindi journalism, but he soon shifted focus to research and activism due to the marginalization of Adivasi issues in mainstream media.[5] He was a national convener of the National Campaign on Adivasi Rights (NCAR) and also served as a program coordinator with National Campaign for Dalit Human Rights (NCDGR) from 2012 to 2019 and coconvener of the Tribal Intellectual Collective.[6]

In 2015, Abhay Xaxa lead a protest against the Land Acquisition Bill, where a group of Adivasi men publicly discarding the copies of the bill through a bold public act.[7] This non-violent protest aim to highlight land rights violations and corporate land grabs affecting Adivasi communities in Jharkhand.[8][9]

He died on 14 March 2020 due to heart attack.[10]

Literary work

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As a writer, he wrote a poem I Am Not Your Data.[11] Apart from this he co-authored some books.

  • Being Adivasi: Existence, Entitlements, Exclusion[12][13]
  • Brandvantage: A 12-Week Master Plan for Brand Leadership and Beyond[14]
  • Rethinking India : The Politics of the Marginalized

References

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  1. ^ Alam, Mahtab (10 April 2020). "Remembering Abhay Xaxa, a Fiercely Unapologetic Adivasi Scholar-Activist". The Wire. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  2. ^ Mounika, Alithea Stephanie (15 March 2020). "Adivasi rights activist and poet Dr Abhay Xaxa passes away at 37". The News Minute. Retrieved 5 May 2025.
  3. ^ a b Sushmita (27 June 2020). "Remembering scholar and activist Abhay Xaxa, whose death is an irreparable loss to Adivasi movements". caravanmagazine. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  4. ^ Staff, Maktoob (14 March 2020). "Young Adivasi scholar Abhay Xaxa dies". Maktoob media. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  5. ^ CHOUDHURY, CHITRANGADA; AGA, ANIKET (2 April 2020). "In Memoriam: Sociologist and Activist Abhay Xaxa". The India Forum. Retrieved 13 May 2025. After graduating in sociology and law, Abhay briefly worked in Hindi news media, but found editors hostile to his concerns.
  6. ^ Rao, Anupama; Silverman, Charlotte A.; Liu, Lydia H. (21 November 2023). Global Language Justice (ebook). Columbia University Press. ISBN 9780231558396.
  7. ^ Edmond, Deepu Sebastian (18 March 2015). "Adivasis defecate on copies of Land Acquisition Bill in show of protest". The Indian Express. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  8. ^ "India's unusual protests: Pink underwear, poop and snakes". BBC News. 3 September 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  9. ^ "Tribals in Jharkhand defecate on copies of proposed Land Bill | Tribals in Jharkhand defecate on copies of proposed Land Bill". Deccan Chronicle. 19 March 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  10. ^ "आदिवासी हितों के रहनुमा डॉ. अभय खाखा की महज 37 वर्ष की आयु में हार्ट अटैक से मौत - Aadivasis activist Dr. Abhay xaxa passed away at the age of 37 due to heart attack - Jharkhand Ranchi General News". Jagran (in Hindi). 15 March 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  11. ^ "I am not your data". The Shared Mirror. Retrieved 14 May 2025.
  12. ^ Dongare, Avadhoot (3 December 2023). "'Being Adivasi': Questions about Adivasi life are answered in this book, but not always convincingly". Scroll.in. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  13. ^ Sarkar, Urvashi (15 April 2022). "Strangers in their own land". Telegraph India. Archived from the original on 12 December 2024. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  14. ^ Xaxa, Abhay; Bhandari, Arvind (29 November 2021). Brandvantage: A 12-Week Master Plan for Brand Leadership and Beyond. Penguin Random House India Private Limited. ISBN 978-93-5492-148-3.

Sources

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