FROM PASTURIZATION TO PAUPERIZATION OF THE THARUS (The Tharu Tribe of West Champaran)

This book is based on some of the articles written on Tharuhat and the Tharu tribe of West Champaran, Bihar, on different occasions. As I read through these articles, it struck me that compiling them into a book would create a valuable and compelling document. Such a book would not only shed light on the overlooked and undiscovered beauty of Tharuhat – the homeland of the Tharus, but also document the culture and social structure of the Tharu tribe. It would highlight their challenges, plight, and the sorrowful state of affairs they endure. Tharuhat the land of the Tharu tribe in West Champaran, has become a pasture (चारागाह) for the past many decades even after India gained independence. In fact, the process of pasturization (चारागाहीकरण) intensified after 1947. People coming from outside Tharuhat, either as government servants or for trade and business or for adventure, were enamored with the region. The picturesque and beautiful land of Tharuhat has been very fertile, even more fertile than that of Punjab, and whoever visited this place became interested in acquiring the land in this region, by hook or by crook, by fair means or foul in fact, by any means whatsoever.