Tharu Tribe | UPSC

THE THARU COMMUNITY

LOCATION :

• The Tharu community belongs to the Terai lowlands, amidst the Sivaliks or lower Himalayas.
• They are located in southern Nepal and in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India.

TYPOGRAPHY :

• This is a region of alluvial floodplains, marshy grasslands and dense forests with plenty of wildlife.

OCCUPATION  :

Most of them are forest dwellers and some practise agriculture .

• Tharu families survive on wheat, corn and other vegetables grown close to their homes.
• Some Tharu people were forced into bonded labour, while the majority lived off the forest.

LANGUAGE :

They speak various dialects of Tharu, a language of the Indo-Aryan subgroup of the Indo-Iranian group of the Indo-European family, and they are largely Indian in culture.

BACKGROUND :

• The region was ruled by queens and kings in the 19^th century.
• In 1864, the Britishers controlled much of northern and central India, established the forest department.
• The department reserved some forest land and considered itself the rightful owners of these lands.
• In 1927, the British made forest laws that gave supreme power to the department and its bureaucracy.
• This  creating a violent home ground for Tharu Adivasi community.

POST INDEPENDENCE :

• In 1978 : GOI drew out plans to create a protected area for tigers — the Dudhwa National Park.
• BATTLING RIGHTS :  Tharu Adivasi forest villages in this area led the battle for their land and rights.
• RELOCATION : The same year, at least 43 villages were relocated and granted revenue village status(officially recognised by the state and be eligible for government services.)