Tharu Tribe and their art

Well, this sets the beginning of my journey of blog writing. Hope that I keep the pen moving in the best possible spirit.

A brief overview of the THARU COMMUNITY:- They are mostly or predominantly residing in the terai region of the Indo-Nepal border. They follow hinduism and constitutes the oldest ethnic group of the terai region. They are considered to be devotees of a tribal Goddess named "BHUMSEN"...Their population is close to a lakh people who are residing in India.

Tharu community is predominantly agriculture based. Over the years Tharu people have used their skills to make one or the other things, but we have zeroed in on their quite acclaimed skill of making Bamboo products.

Travelling to Sitarganj, a small town in Uttarakhand , some 46 Km away from Rudrapur is a journey across the paddy fields, flowing with the breeze. The journey to the village "Vhitora" is another 10km from Sitarganj and into the deep trenches of village life. The scenic beauty completely take your breath away as across the lush green paddy fields you find the giant Shivalik mountains waiting as a barrier just a few yards away. The hired tempo suddenly comes to a standstill and the driver points me to the office cum small development cluster funded by Uttarakhand Bamboo Board(UBFDB) for the people of Tharu tribe.

The bamboo products made by this ethnic community ranges from chairs, dining tables, sofa sets to lamp shades, trays and some other products made from sun-hemp fibres. The quality of the products is quite appreciable and their dedication to work is well commendable. This skill is no doubt their in-born trait that forms a core of their life.

In and around Sitarganj , which falls in the Terai region of Uttarakhand and quite close to the Nepal border, are scattered various villages belonging to the Tharu Community where one can easily find such arts. We happen to visit another such Cluster at a village named Dusri and another named Nagla which were is close proximity to Nanakmatta, a famous shrine for the Sikhs.

Due to rapid industrialisation of the region, especially after a few industrial zones have come up in the region, Tharu people are moving for such avenues and why not. The bamboo products doesn'ty fetch them big bucks and also takes days to give it a shape. The situation is grim but not upto a level that we have to press the panic button.

The government of Uttarakhand has taken due diligence of this situation and is acting quite smartly. What can really turn the situation is the entry of private players putting their money to train these people more in their art and buying them too.

Their is a gold lying here, only if the people see it.