Thread by @SadaaShree

Komaram Bheem, one of the two freedom fighters on whom #RRRMovie was based. Thread on the Jayanti of the real life hero who led an intense uprising against the British and Nizam in North Telangana forests. #komarambheem

The Gonds are the largest tribal community spread out primarily over Central India and Odisha, their name is believed to have come from the Telugu word for hill, Konda, much like the Khonds of Odisha.

Their society is divided into patrilineal units called sagas, whose number depends on the region they are located in. The Gonds living in Telangana are divided into four sagas called Yerwen, Sarwen, Siwen and Nalwen whose name indicates the number of ancestors they had.

Komaram Bheem was born in a Gond family at Sankepalli, a small hamlet in the Mandamarri mandal of Adilabad district, on October 22, 1900. Though as per some vesions it was 1901. #KomaramBheem #KomaramBheemudo

Growing up in the forests of North Telangana, he received no formal education, and led a nomadic life. It was the period when restrictions were imposed on the subsistence farming practices of the Gonds. #KomaramBheem #KomaramBheemudo

The Zamindars who took over their lands imposed taxes on podu farming and tribal peasants who failed to comply had their arms cut off. The exploitation by the Zamindars, along with the jangalaat( forest police), and contractors forced most Gonds to move out.

Bheem’s father was killed during one such protest, following which he moved out along with his family to Sardarpur near Karimnagar.However they still had to face the exploitation by the local Zamindar Lakshman Rao, who forcibly extracted taxes from them. #KomaramBheem

During one such confrontation in October, 1920, he killed a senior officer of the Nizam,Siddique who was forcibly confiscating the crops during harvest. To escape arrest, he ran away by foot to Chandrapur, with his friend Kondal. #KomaramBheem

They were granted refuge by Vithoba, who ran a magazine that propagated revolt against the British and the Nizam, where Bheem learnt to read, write and speak in Hindi, Urdu, English. #KomaramBheem

Working in the plantations for four and a half years, he began to take an active part in the union activities for which he was arrested. He managed to break out from prison within four days,and returned to Balharshah, boarding a goods train. #KomaramBheem

Hearing of the Rampa revolt by Alluri Sitarama Raju in 1922, and the tales of another legendary freedom fighter Ramji Gond,he decided to initiate his own struggle for the Gonds of the region. #KomaramBheem #KomaramBheemudo

He moved to Kakanghat with his family and began to work for the head of the village Lacchu Patel, whom he helped in a land litigation case against the Asifabad estate, that bought attention to all the tribals living in the villages nearby. #KomaramBheem

He married Sombai, and moved to Bhabejhari in the interiors, settling down to cultivate the land there. When forest officials threatened him to leave the land during harvest time, saying it belonged to the Nizam, he decided to negotiate peacefully. #KomaramBheem

However when the peaceful negotiations failed to achieved any result, Bheem decided that armed revolution was the only way out.Associating himself with the banned Communist party, he began to mobilize the tribals at Jodeghat. #KomaramBheem #KomaramBheemudo

He called for a meeting of the council of leaders from the 12 traditional tribal lands of Ankusapur, Bhabejhari, Bhimangundi, Chalbaridi, Jodeghat, Kallegaon, Koshaguda, Linepatter, Narsapur, Patnapur, Shivaguda and Tokennavada.
#KomaramBheem #KomaramBheemudo

The council concluded that an armed guerilla revolt was the only way out against the Nizam rule, and also proposed a plan to create an independent state of Gondwana. #KomaramBheemudo #KomaramBheem

The uprising began in 1928, when the Gonds attacked the zamindars in Babejhari and Jodeghat. Though the Nizam offered assurance of land grants, Bheem categorically rejected the proposal, and demanded regional autonomy for the Gonds, eviction of all forest officials, zamindars.

With the state rejecting the demands,it led to a long guerilla campaign for close to a decade, where Bheem leading a force of arond 300 men, regularly attacked the Nizam’s army in ambush attacks harassing them. #KomaramBheemudo #KomaramBheem

However Bheem was eventually betrayed by one Kurdu Patel, and was shot dead in an encounter on October 1940. Another hero’s voice fell silent. #KomaramBheemudo #KomaramBheem

#KomaramBheem has become an icon among the Gonds, whose death anniversary is celebrated by them on Aswayuja Powrnami at Jodeghat, annually. And his story deserves to be known by all Indians. #KomaramBheemudo

The Komaram Bheem district was formed from the erstwhile Adilabad district with Asifabad as the HQ, in his honor after formation of Telangana state. There was a 1990 movie directed by Allani Sridhar on his life, that won two Nandi awards. #KomaramBheemudo #KomaramBheem

There is also a memorial to Komaram Bheem at Jodeghat, that has a museum with exhibits, photographs, paintings depicting the life of the various tribes in Adilabad. #KomaramBheemudo #KomaramBheem

#KomaramBheem revolt against the Nizam, would later inspire the much larger Telangana revolt. Much like #AlluriSitaramaRaju his story needs to be known by all Indians, a hero in the league of other tribal revolutionaries like Birsa Munda, Tilka Majhi, Telang Kharia.