188
Chakraborthy, published in a reputed daily newspaper The Statesman, dated 12
September, 2011, where he wrote – They (Kharia Sabars) cannot afford to buy any
vegetables, fruits, meat or fish to feed themselves. During December–March, they
cultivate potato that grows under 3 feet in the ground and each weight anything
between 250 gm. to 750 gm. They collect these potatoes and the entire family could
be fed with just one potato. The entire community depends on this during the
period. It is evident from field observation that the Kharia Sabars are presently
engaged as artisans and developed their skills more rapidly in this sector with the
help of some non-government organizations like West Bengal Kharia Sabar Kalyan
Samity, etc. They are producing handicrafts like broomsticks, fish traps, made of
bamboo and different types of pots made of leafs of date palm, etc. The Samity
generally purchases those items directly from their huts and sells the handcrafts in
the markets. Kharia Sabars are still compelled to participate in criminal activities at
few pockets in Purulia district. It is evident that the immediate reasons of such participation are the economic displacement from the forest and consequent destruction of predatory habitat as hunters and food gatherers. As a result of this, no
apparent sources of earning are left to them. Thus they became the most poverty
stricken tribal community in Purulia district.
So economic displacement and consequent poverty “took to the more primitive
ways of subsistence, of processing by force, or burglary. As the majority ware
thus deprived, in the interest of their own survival they organised gangs and established an ingenuous modus operandi, to escape detection” (Bhowmik 1961).
Further, another major reason of participation in crime is the frequent contact
with the peasants of some of the adjacent villages and of the same village who use
them in criminal activities. In this context, Sinha (2010, p.14) wrote – “… awfully
low level of economic base put them in such a situation that they have no other
alternatives but to interact with the peasants from that plane … would like to
underplay their stigmatized status of being criminals, in a situation where peasants or a fraction of them is sorely pressed to utilize this role, they find that to
realize some of their life’s cherished desires (a few days uninterrupted food supply) they have no other alternatives but to accept this stigmatized role and act
accordingly”.
10.4.7 Hunting
Kharia Sabars are born hunters. Absence of traditional habitat restricts their age-old
practice of hunting to a great extent. Unlike Santal, a Kharia Sabar usually participates alone or along with his wife in hunting. In day-to-day life, their wives also do
hunting lonely. They are mainly hunting wild-rats, birds, hares, jackal, snakes
(mainly Dhaman snake, locally known as Dhamna in particular, rat snake or Ptyas
mucosus) and monkeys.
S. Mukherjee and U. S. Malik
Chakraborthy, published in a reputed daily newspaper The Statesman, dated 12
September, 2011, where he wrote – They (Kharia Sabars) cannot afford to buy any
vegetables, fruits, meat or fish to feed themselves. During December–March, they
cultivate potato that grows under 3 feet in the ground and each weight anything
between 250 gm. to 750 gm. They collect these potatoes and the entire family could
be fed with just one potato. The entire community depends on this during the
period. It is evident from field observation that the Kharia Sabars are presently
engaged as artisans and developed their skills more rapidly in this sector with the
help of some non-government organizations like West Bengal Kharia Sabar Kalyan
Samity, etc. They are producing handicrafts like broomsticks, fish traps, made of
bamboo and different types of pots made of leafs of date palm, etc. The Samity
generally purchases those items directly from their huts and sells the handcrafts in
the markets. Kharia Sabars are still compelled to participate in criminal activities at
few pockets in Purulia district. It is evident that the immediate reasons of such participation are the economic displacement from the forest and consequent destruction of predatory habitat as hunters and food gatherers. As a result of this, no
apparent sources of earning are left to them. Thus they became the most poverty
stricken tribal community in Purulia district.
So economic displacement and consequent poverty “took to the more primitive
ways of subsistence, of processing by force, or burglary. As the majority ware
thus deprived, in the interest of their own survival they organised gangs and established an ingenuous modus operandi, to escape detection” (Bhowmik 1961).
Further, another major reason of participation in crime is the frequent contact
with the peasants of some of the adjacent villages and of the same village who use
them in criminal activities. In this context, Sinha (2010, p.14) wrote – “… awfully
low level of economic base put them in such a situation that they have no other
alternatives but to interact with the peasants from that plane … would like to
underplay their stigmatized status of being criminals, in a situation where peasants or a fraction of them is sorely pressed to utilize this role, they find that to
realize some of their life’s cherished desires (a few days uninterrupted food supply) they have no other alternatives but to accept this stigmatized role and act
accordingly”.
10.4.7 Hunting
Kharia Sabars are born hunters. Absence of traditional habitat restricts their age-old
practice of hunting to a great extent. Unlike Santal, a Kharia Sabar usually participates alone or along with his wife in hunting. In day-to-day life, their wives also do
hunting lonely. They are mainly hunting wild-rats, birds, hares, jackal, snakes
(mainly Dhaman snake, locally known as Dhamna in particular, rat snake or Ptyas
mucosus) and monkeys.
S. Mukherjee and U. S. Malik