The Buxas of the Tarai (A Study of their Socio-Economic Disintegration)

Email

Whatsapp

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Copy link

This is the untold story of a tribe that is being treated as an anachronism in its own home. Only 30 years ago, the Buxas, a quiet, meek and law abiding people, who along with the Tharus were, original inhabitants of the Tarai tract of Uttar Pradesh and lived in blissful isolation in a world of their own. They were masters of all they surveyed. However, with. reclamation operations development of the and area immediately after Independence, everything changed for them. This book unfolds how the Buxas found themselves suddenly in the midst of rapid change and strange and unfamiliar people who drove them away from their home and hearth, creating serious problems of land alienation and law and order that still persist. Strange as it may seem, the Buxas are suffering from the throes of development, thanks to lack of foresight both at planning and implementing stages. This work is not merely an ethnographic study of a primitive community but it is a graphic description and a critical account of a tribe in turmoil whose very existence is at stake.

Amir Hasan, dedicated his life to the welfare of tribals. His interest was ignited when he was working as a research scholar of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research at the Central Fuel Institute, Jealgora, Dhanbad (Bihar) in 1953- 1954. This led to a long association with the tribals. Later, as a civil servant, he maintained a dedicated and productive association with the tribals and their welfare. His large collection of authored books is a result of his intensive live research.

Our earliest memories of our father, Dr. Amir Hasan (1929-92) are of an author at work. Every morning, we would find him diligently working on some article, paper or book chapter. An early riser, his writing work would be taken up after a walk and a spot of gardening He would be surrounded by reference books, loose sheets of paper and a tea tray precariously balanced in the midst of it all. One by one, we would wake up and troop to where our parents were having their morning tea. He welcomed us with a smile and read out parts of what he was working on. We were treated to beautifully worded narratives of Awadh, his experiences with the tribals of Tarai and on some rare occasions tribal folklore and also Awadhi shayari. All this was delivered in his deep mesmerizing voice which overrode the early morning chirping of birds and the whisper of breeze in the trees. The scents of the earth rose in the background from the plants he had watered when the rest were still asleep. We were given small proof-reading tasks in the summer vacations. We got to work after breakfast and competed with each other to complete our tasks. We were amateurs and perhaps our work yielded no real results but we learnt camaraderie, team work and we learnt to be proud of our ink-stained fingers. This was the nourishment we grew up on and this was the exposure that enriched our childhood and furnished us with a legacy for life. Our father did not teach us how to become authors. Through sharing his interests with us, he taught us a way of life. His writing was his hobby. He was a civil servant dedicated to the nation and his profession. By sharing his interests with us, he shared values, wisdom and notions of nobility.

Ninety-eight per cent of tribal folk of our country live in rural areas and ninety-three per cent of them depend on agriculture and allied sectors. In their natural habitats they have been subsisting with a reasonable standard of health and comfort. On account of various factors considerable change has been taking place in these areas and socio-economic relationships between different groups have been seriously affected. The most disturbing feature concerns the problem of alienation of the tribal land and their decreasing command over resources. An important factor leading to the tribal losing command over land is inadequate appreciation of man-land relationship in these areas which is the quintessence of tribal existence. The tribal draws authority from tradition, but out of formal legal system recognizes only the individual proprietorship. Unless well thought out measures are taken to protect the interests of the tribals mere provision of social services will not have any significant impact on the development of tribal sections.

This is the story of a tribal community, with a difference. Exploitation of Indian tribes by unscrupulous people is too well known to be recounted here. Since Independence, however, a number of steps have been taken by Central and State Governments towards elimination of exploitation of these people. No doubt, the economic condition of most of the primitive people of this country, has perceptibly improved during the last 30 years. The Buxas whose story is unfolded in this book, are, however, an exception. They remember pre-1947 period with nostalgia when they were 'masters of all they surveyed', living in blissful isolation in a world of their own. True, the land was marshy, malarial and a moneylenders' paradise. Kham and forest officials were ruthless. But then there were no refugees to be settled and no adventurers to grab their land. With Independence came development and colonization, soon followed by an influx of outsiders-refugees, adventurers, fortune seekers and unabashed land grabbers. They literally, came, saw and conquered Tarai. It is true that due to their efforts, Tarai has become the granary of Uttar Pradesh today. However, in this process of development, everyone forgot the original inhabitant, the small fellow called Buxa, who quietly retreated into the interior without putting up even a semblance of resistance. There, too, he was not allowed to live in peace. He was harassed and harmed in all possible ways. No wonder, he still feels insecure and perturbed. Not only his material possession but also his whole way of life is at stake.