THARUS OF WEST CHAMPARAN: A RARE COMMUNITY WITH RARE POTENTIAL

THARUS OF WEST CHAMPARAN: 

A RARE COMMUNITY WITH RARE POTENTIAL

(All the images are subject to IPR)

Every  community or society has its own culture which has bright sides as well as dark sides. No society on earth can boast of being perfect or ideal. Hence society of Tharus of West Champaran can not be taken as an exception or an island in itself and  should not be looked down upon. It may be backward in terms of material achievement  or worldly progress but it is much much ahead in terms of values, in terms of some rare qualities which they possess. 

So let us not be judgmental and not brand them as "fools" or "bagads" as the Bajians(Non-Tharus) call or even treat them. They are simple, they are innocent, they are more sensitive and humane than those educated bureaucrat or high profile politician who opine that no one could die of cold or hunger because people are surviving in Siberia and stomach-full meal can be had in just 12 rupees in metro cities.

The great Tharus of West Champaran has great rare  untapped potential. A rare quality of them is excellent work done with the help of wood like plough, spade, chair, even bed etc.  The Tharus are very skilled in various kinds of wood work. Not only that. They are very efficient in making rope(rassi), dagara, dauri, mawni, dalia, dhakia (all different kinds of beautiful baskets for different purposes) on a large scale  with a special type of grass called 'Puja' &  'Sawai or sabai' found in abundance in Tharuhat.

Photo (c) Dr Ajay Kumar Ojha

Have the bureaucrats/ politicians who are in power ever  thought of  exploring the possibilities of providing all sorts or required support for the development and growth of  such small scale industries. Small countries  like Japan  or South Korea thrive  on fast  growing small scale industries being run in almost every homes.

The items made by Tharus of West Champaran are very environment friendly and can even replace the use of polythene which has become threat to environment and is without doubt,  great health hazard.



For in-depth field-based 
(around three decades) details 
on Tharus of West Champaran:
"Pattern of Social Change among the Tharus of West Champaran in Bihar"  Thesis submitted to JNU for Award of PhD by Dr AJAY KUMAR(OJHA) in 2009.