The Uttar Pradesh (UP) government is making headway on a scheme to interconnect Tharu villages in the districts of Balrampur, Bahraich, Lakhimpur and Pilibhit, all of which share a border with Nepal. The initiative entails integrating these villages with the home-stay concept propagated by the UP Forest Department. Tourists can witness firsthand the natural habitat of the Tharu community, staying in traditional grass huts harvested majorly from local forests. This measure is anticipated to provide job opportunities and foster economic self-reliance among the tribal populace.
Understanding the Tharu Community
The term ‘Tharu’ is believed to originate from ‘sthavir’, aligning with the followers of Theravada Buddhism. The Tharu community has its roots in the Terai lowlands, nestled between the Shivaliks or lower Himalayas. This region spans across northern India and southern Nepal parallel to the lower Himalayan ranges. Most Tharu people in India reside primarily in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar.
The Tharu community is recognized as a scheduled tribe in the states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Mostly forest dwellers, some Tharus also engage in agriculture. They communicate using various dialects of Tharu, an Indo-Aryan subgroup language, and versions of Hindi, Urdu, and Awadhi.
The Cultural Richness of the Tharu Tribe
Tharu worship is centered around Lord Shiva as Mahadev, and they refer to their supreme entity as “Narayan”. This deity is crucial to their belief system as the provider of sunshine, rain, and harvests. Notably, Tharu women enjoy stronger property rights than those permitted to women in mainstream North Indian Hindu culture.
Tharu cuisine includes ‘bagiya’ or ‘dhikri’, a steamed dish made from rice flour, usually eaten with chutney or curry, and ‘ghonghi’, an edible snail cooked in a spicy coriander, chili, garlic, and onion curry.
About Theravada Buddhism
Largely practiced in countries like Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar, Theravada Buddhism is sometimes identified as ‘Southern Buddhism’. This form of Buddhism lays focus on self-liberation through individual efforts. It avoids emphasizing the teachings in a fundamentalist way, viewing them as tools to understand the truth. Meditation forms a significant part of Theravada Buddhist practices.
Scheduled Tribes: Definition and Legal Framework
As per Article 366 (25) of the Constitution, Scheduled Tribes are communities scheduled under Article 342. Only those communities declared as such by the President via an initial public notification or a subsequent amending Act of Parliament are considered Scheduled Tribes.
The list of Scheduled Tribes is specific to each State/UT, and a community declared as a Scheduled Tribe in one State may not be so in another. A distinct set of characteristics separates Scheduled Tribes from other communities, which include primitiveness, geographical isolation, shyness, social, educational & economic backwardness.
Government Initiatives for Socio-Economic Empowerment of STs
Several government initiatives, such as The Scheduled Tribes and other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (FRA); The Provision of the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996; Minor Forest Produce Act 2005; SC and ST (Prevention Of Atrocities) Act; and the Tribal Sub-Plan Strategy, aim specifically at the socio-economic empowerment of Scheduled Tribes.
