• Teresa Tudu

The Santhal Revolt of 1855-56, also considered as the first peasant movement, was led by two young Santhals- Sidhu and Kanhu. This revolt which was believed to be guided by their God- ‘Thakur’ was aimed to get rid of the clutches of oppressive ‘Dikus’ and the Outsiders viz. Britishers. These two leaders, who have now acquired the status of gods and are worshipped by their tribesmen, have been extensively researched and written about. Even, they have been significantly mentioned in the stories, novels, poems, and songs. Although, they have been highly venerated by their tribesmen, some authors, and administrators of Colonial period differ in their opinion of these heroes. They have pointed out some drawbacks in their character and tried to showcase them merely as common men. This paper is aimed to critically analyze the personality of these two tribal leaders- Sidhu and Kanhu with the help of their portrayal in the available literature. This would lead us to draw a transparent and authentic image of these leaders.

Tribals, Revolt, Leaders, Hero-worship, Literature.

"The Literary (Re)Presentation of the Tribal Heroes: Sidhu and Kanhu ", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.6, Issue 5, page no.559-565, May-2019, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1905N84.pdf

"The Literary (Re)Presentation of the Tribal Heroes: Sidhu and Kanhu ", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.6, Issue 5, page no. pp559-565, May-2019, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1905N84.pdf