Veronaidw at 12:20, 31 December 2025

2025-12-31T12:20:22Z

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{{Short description|Indian activist and scholar (1983–2020)}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Abhay Flavian Xaxa
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_date = c. 1983
| birth_place = Chitkawine, [[Jashpur district|Jashpur]], [[Madhya Pradesh]] (now in [[Chhattisgarh]]), India
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2020|03|14|1983|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Jalpaiguri]], [[West Bengal]], India
| occupation = {{hlist|Activist|poet|anthropologist|author}}
| known_for = Adivasi and Dalit rights activism
| education = {{Unbulleted list|
* [[University of Sussex]] {{small|([[Master of Arts|M.A]] in sociology)}}
* [[Jawaharlal Nehru University]] {{small|([[M.Phil]] & [[PhD]] in sociology)}}
}}
| organization =
| notable_works = ''I Am Not Your Data''
}}

'''Abhay Flavian Xaxa''' ({{Circa|1983}} – 14 March 2020) was an Indian [[Adivasi]] rights activist, poet, and [[social anthropologist]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Alam |first=Mahtab |date=10 April 2020 |title=Remembering Abhay Xaxa, a Fiercely Unapologetic Adivasi Scholar-Activist |url=https://thewire.in/rights/remembering-abhay-xaxa-a-fiercely-unapologetic-adivasi-scholar-activist |access-date=13 May 2025 |website=[[The Wire (India)|The Wire]] |language=en}}</ref> 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 marginalisation. He died at the age of 37 due to a heart attack.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mounika |first=Alithea Stephanie |date=15 March 2020 |title=Adivasi rights activist and poet Dr Abhay Xaxa passes away at 37 |url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/news/adivasi-rights-activist-and-poet-dr-abhay-xaxa-passes-away-37-120263 |access-date=5 May 2025 |website= [[The News Minute]] |language=en}}</ref>

== Early life and education ==
Abhay Xaxa was born in Chitkawine village, located in the [[Jashpur district]] of [[Madhya Pradesh]] (now in northern [[Chhattisgarh]]). He belonged to the [[Kurukh people|Kurukh tribe]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Sushmita |date=27 June 2020 |title=Remembering scholar and activist Abhay Xaxa, whose death is an irreparable loss to Adivasi movements |url=https://caravanmagazine.in/communities/remembering-abhay-xaxa-whose-death-is-a-loss-to-adivasi-movements |access-date=13 May 2025 |website=[[The Caravan|caravanmagazine]] |language=en}}</ref> 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,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=Maktoob |date=14 March 2020 |title=Young Adivasi scholar Abhay Xaxa dies |url=https://maktoobmedia.com/india/young-adivasi-scholar-abhay-xaxa-dies/ |access-date=13 May 2025 |website=Maktoob media |language=en}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":0" />

== Career ==
His early professional career included work in Hindi journalism, but he soon shifted focus to research and activism due to the marginalisation of Adivasi issues in mainstream media.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=CHOUDHURY |first1=CHITRANGADA |last2=AGA |first2=ANIKET |date=2 April 2020 |title=In Memoriam: Sociologist and Activist Abhay Xaxa |url=https://www.theindiaforum.in/article/memoriam-sociologist-activist-abhay-xaxa |access-date=13 May 2025 |website=The India Forum |language=en |quote=After graduating in sociology and law, Abhay briefly worked in Hindi news media, but found editors hostile to his concerns.}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rao |first1=Anupama |last2=Silverman |first2=Charlotte A. |last3=Liu |first3=Lydia H. |date=21 November 2023 |title=Global Language Justice |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GzHKEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT442 |url-access= |format=ebook |language=English |publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=9780231558396}}</ref>

In 2015, Abhay Xaxa led 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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Edmond |first=Deepu Sebastian |date=18 March 2015 |title=Adivasis defecate on copies of Land Acquisition Bill in show of protest |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/adivasis-defecate-on-copies-of-land-acquisition-bill-in-show-of-protest/ |access-date=13 May 2025 |website=[[The Indian Express]] |language=en}}</ref> This non-violent protest aim to highlight land rights violations and corporate land grabs affecting Adivasi communities in Jharkhand.<ref>{{Cite news |date=3 September 2015 |title=India's unusual protests: Pink underwear, poop and snakes |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-34125840 |access-date=13 May 2025 |work= [[BBC News]] |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=19 March 2015 |title=Tribals in Jharkhand defecate on copies of proposed Land Bill {{!}} Tribals in Jharkhand defecate on copies of proposed Land Bill |url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/150319/nation-current-affairs/article/jharkhands-adivasis-defecate-copies-proposed-land-bill-protest |access-date=13 May 2025 |website= [[Deccan Chronicle]] |language=en}}</ref>

He died on 14 March 2020 due to heart attack.<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 March 2020 |title=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 |url=https://www.jagran.com/jharkhand/ranchi-aadivasis-activist-dr-abhay-xaxa-passed-away-at-the-age-of-37-due-to-heart-attack-20113533.html |access-date=13 May 2025 |website=Jagran |language=hi}}</ref>

== Literary work ==
As a writer, he wrote a poem ''I Am Not Your Data.''<ref>{{Cite web |title=I am not your data |url=https://roundtableindia.co.in/lit-blogs/?p=1943 |access-date=14 May 2025 |website=The Shared Mirror |language=en-US}}</ref> Apart from this he co-authored some books.
* ''Being Adivasi: Existence, Entitlements, Exclusion''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dongare |first=Avadhoot |date=3 December 2023 |title='Being Adivasi': Questions about Adivasi life are answered in this book, but not always convincingly |url=https://scroll.in/article/1059915/being-adivasi-questions-about-adivasi-life-are-answered-in-this-book-but-not-always-convincingly |access-date=13 May 2025 |website=[[Scroll.in]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Sarkar |first=Urvashi |date=15 April 2022 |title=Strangers in their own land |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/culture/books/being-adivasi-the-book-provides-extensive-data-insights-and-analysis-of-the-condition-of-adivasis-in-india/cid/1860674 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241212105358/https://www.telegraphindia.com/culture/books/being-adivasi-the-book-provides-extensive-data-insights-and-analysis-of-the-condition-of-adivasis-in-india/cid/1860674 |archive-date=12 December 2024 |access-date=13 May 2025 |work=[[The Telegraph (India)|Telegraph India]] |language=en |url-status=live }}</ref>
* ''Rethinking India : The Politics of the Marginalized''

== References ==
{{reflist}}

===Sources===
* {{cite book |last1=Rao |first1=Anupama |last2=Silverman |first2=Charlotte A. |last3=Liu |first3=Lydia H. |date=2023 |title=Global Language Justice |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GzHKEAAAQBAJ|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=9780231558396}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Xaxa, Abhay}}
[[Category:1983 births]]
[[Category:2020 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian activists]]
[[Category:Indian sociologists]]
[[Category:Adivasi writers]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Sussex]]
[[Category:Jawaharlal Nehru University alumni]]
[[Category:Poets from Chhattisgarh]]
[[Category:Indian anthropologists]]
[[Category:People from Chhattisgarh]]
[[Category:People from Jashpur district]]
[[Category:Journalists from Chhattisgarh]]
[[Category:Indian human rights activists]]
[[Category:Anti-caste activists]]
[[Category:Writers from Chhattisgarh]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian male writers]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian non-fiction writers]]

Abhay Xaxa - Revision history

Veronaidw at 12:20, 31 December 2025