Interaction
Year : 2017, Volume : 35, Issue : 3
First page : ( 56) Last page : ( 60)
Print ISSN : 0970-5554. Online ISSN : 2456-8961.

The tharu Tribe: In between tradition and modernity

Shukla Shalini

Junior Research Fellow Department of Sociology, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi

Online published on 11 July, 2018.

Abstract

The Modernity has various dimensions and its impact on the indigenous communities like Tharu is manifold, sometimes positive and sometimes negative. Tharus, an indigenous inhabitants of the Terai-A border region lying between the foothills of the Himalayas and the Indo-Gangetic Plain, there globalization emerged with the augmentation in material and moral density for smooth survival of human being. The process of globalization and modernity has influenced their society and culture significantly. Like education, primary health centre, roads, many changes has taken place in the lives of tribal people. Influence of modernization on them rapidly eroding the age-old customs and tradition and with that some of them continue to become poorer. The areas inhabited by tribal and ethnic groups have been subject to various protests due to involuntary displacement. With unemployment, underemployment, and poverty, modernity in India has also been responsible for social distrust, unrest, drugs, growth of culture of violence, trafficking of people. The mainstream model of development promotes the gross domestic product (GDP) neglecting the inclusive growth of economy. Tribal customs and tradition come under pressure, due to contact with the neighboring cultures. Though it is universal phenomenon but its effect is not homogenous at micro level. The present paper deals with cultural mooring of Tharus in a selected region and the shift in their tradition.

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