THARUS OF WEST CHAMPARAN : WONDERFUL COMMUNITY BUT NEGLECTED ONES

THARUS OF WEST CHAMPARAN: WONDERFUL COMMUNITY BUT NEGLECTED ONES


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Without doubt , it is now  an undeniable  fact that the Tharus are the original inhabitants of the terai  and have been living there since time immemorial. The terai is a vast alluvial land lying at the foot of the Himalayas bordering densely populated Gangetic plain of the south.The Tharus live in different areas of  West Champaran district of Bihar (India) and all these areas are contiguous to Nepal terai. It is worth mentioning that there is a considerable population of the Tharus in Nepal and in the some of the  adjoining districts  of  Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Photo by Ajay Kumar(Ojha)

 In West Champaran, the Tharus live in areas extending over 800 sqare miles on the Northern border bounded on the Northeast  and West by  Nepal and on the South by the Tribeni or Done canal. This area is widely known as Tharuhat. Irony is that the Tharus of Nainital and other districts of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh are Schedule Tribe availing themselves of all the facilities and concessions including reservation but the brethren of the same community living in West Champaran districts of Bihar remained deprived of the these benefits for over almost more than five decades. They were not scheduled in the list of Indian Constitution and subsequently became vulnerable to outsiders' encroachment. Most of them have now become landless after alienated from their own land. Their story is the story of the highest form of exploitation,oppression and suppression. After long drawn -out peaceful but persistent struggle they have now been included in the list of Scheduled  Tribes since 2003.But the big question is - whatever damage has been done, can it be done?

Photo by Ajay Kumar (Ojha)

The Tharus are generally very simple,very innocent and very straightforward people. They are a peace-loving community and remain away from all kinds of disputes or fights. They are very honest people who possess the quality of tolerance. Enviousness and jealousy are not part of their personality. Being impressed with the simplicity and innocence of the  Tharus Prof. R.N.ojha , a well known scholar has written a heart-touching , soul-stirring personal eassay on one of his Tharu students , Ramnarayan in his book " Shivam Sundaram".  The Tharus do not hesitate giving alms to the beggars even though, they may not be in a position to give. This exhibits the   humanitarian aspect of their personality which is hardly  to be found in the so called  highly educated civilized people of the big cities. It is quite astonishing that despite backwardness , there is hardly any beggar found in the whole of Tharuhat. A Tharu shudders at the sight of a Tharu beggar.







Both  infant and adult marriages are in force among the Tharus of West Champaran. Marriage took place even though the child was in the breast feeding stage. Sexual intercourse before marriage is said to have been tolerated by the Chitwania  Tharus. It is however remarkable that marriage negotiation among the Tharus normally starts from the side of the bridegroom. The marriage ceremony is modeled on the ritual in vogue among the lower Hindu Castes. In most of the marriages Brahmins  officiate as priest but there were some sub-castes among the Tharus who did not invite Brahmins at the time of marriage. The brother -in-law (Ganjua) of the bride usually takes a prominent part in the marriage proceedings. 


Polygamy is permitted but there appears to be no definite rule limiting the number of wives a man may marry. We do not meet across even a single case of polyandry among the Tharus of West Champaran.Widow marriage is quite common and there is no special restriction in the  selection of second husband but marrying a brother's wife is a taboo.


There is no recognized system of divorce but usually this is brought about by the girl's refusal to live with her husband and she is married to another man of the same sub-caste. The husband has to pay a fine for being misfit or mismatch for the girl.


Joint family is a rule. Every joint family has a master(Malik) and mistress(Malkin) of the house. Usually son succeeds the father and takes responsibility. It is remarkable that servants of well-to-do Tharu family like ploughmen or herdsmen live as members of the family. They are called Swang(own part). They eat along with the members of the family in the same dining room and share the common food.

Photo by Ajay Kumar (Ojha)

Kinship ties among the Tharus are very strong . It is not only because of common habitation and bonds of ancestral and religious relationships but also due to endogamous marriages within the same settlement. These unions give stability and solidarity to the section within which they are performed. This has created a multiplicity of kinship ties. These kinship ties and local affiliations are responsible for promoting and developing reciprocity and exchange obligations in the socio-economic life of the Tharus.


Besides relationship by blood and marriage the Tharus have devised an other strong form of relationship by which two persons may enter into a sacred bond of friendship. Such ties of friendship are more enduring than those of marriage and blood.As described by Sri Shanker Mahto of Bakhari Bazaar , himself a Tharu and well-known social activist of the Tharuhat" We the Tharus believe that a relationship of a friend is the most sacred and binding of all earthly ties. Therefore a friend in our community enjoys a higher and more esteemed position than our kith and kin." A popular saying confirms this fact:
"MIT NA CHHODAI CHAHE CHHODAI SAGA BHAI." Meaning thereby that one may leave one's brother but not one's friend.


The Tharu women enjoy  a dominant position in the society . It may seem to be a paradox to us that in a patriarchal society ,which the Tharus of West Champaran have, women enjoy a very dominant position in their community. As pointed out by  Dr. Balram Mishra(Retired Professor and Head ,Department of Hindi, M.J.K College ,Bettiah) , a permanent resident of West Champaran and a great scholar," The Tharu women have full control over the place of worship and kitchen in the house. The custom of the Tharus women seems to be very interesting for it gives a lot of elbowroom for the  lady-in-charge of the house to maintain her dominance over domestic affairs. Women play a significant role even outside the home. No ritual is possible and complete without their participation and cooperation."


The simplicity, honesty and innocence have now become the weakest, the most vulnerable point of their personality. In the eyes of outsiders the Tharus are big fools, uncultured  and junglee. Meat and daru (liquor) have  been another weakness of the Tharus and provided another vulnerable point for the outsiders or Bajis to exploit and fleece them to the maximum. Almost all the big farms of the Tharuhat have cropped up after occupying the land of the Tharus through various unfair means by the non-Tharus.


The naked game of exploitation of this simple and peace-loving tribe (now Schedule Tribe since 2003 ) continues  unabated . For how many more years they will continue to be suppressed,  oppressed, downgraded and humiliated?