The following is the status of Ramarajya of Shriman. Modi Maharaj.
Mithapur village (Bavla/Ahmedabad), April 30 As government officials in Ahmedabad put the finishing touches for tomorrow’s celebration of Gujarat Day, at the district’s Mithapur village, Jeevanbhai Meria sat down for dinner with his family: strips of dried meat from a buffalo meant for tanneries. Jeevanbhai is one of the thousands of Dalits — Vankars, Rohits and Valmikis — across Sabarkantha, Mehsana, Patan and Saurashtra, who are poor enough live the life of scavengers. They collect dead animals to provide the hide to tanneries. And they depend on the flesh of the animal for food.
“We eat all dead animals, cow, bulls, buffalo and goats; only the ones which die out of a dog or snake bites are not eaten,” says Jeevanbhai. Carcasses of dogs and cats are not eaten either, but then disposal of those are not done by Vankars and Rohits. “That is done by Valmikis, who also work as sanitary workers,” he says.
“We cut the flesh of the dead animals in thin strips and dry them to preserve them for a long time,” says Chaturbhai Meria, a fellow Vankar of Jeevanbhai.
“Nobody in the village pays us a dime for the disposal of dead animals,” says Jeevanbhai. “But we have to do this. Hum neech log hain na, yeh to karna hi padta hain,” he says without rancour.
“For the skin, the agents from the nearby tanneries visit us and buy the leather,” he says. While the hide of a bull or a buffalo get them about Rs 25
