Tharu People

Why in news?

• The Uttar Pradesh government has recently embarked upon a scheme to take the unique culture of its ethnic Tharu tribe across the world.
• The intention is to put Tharu villages on the tourism map, and to create jobs and bring economic independence to the tribal population.

Who are Tharu people?

• The Tharus live in terai region of both India and Nepal. In the Indian terai, they live mostly in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar.
• Most of them are forest dwellers, and some practice agriculture.
• The word tharu is believed to be derived from sthavir, meaning followers of Theravada Buddhism.
• Members of the tribe survive on wheat, corn and vegetables grown close to their homes.
• The biggest chunk of this tribal population is made up of Tharus. Members of the tribe survive on wheat, corn and vegetables grown close to their homes. A majority still lives off the forest.
• They speak various dialects of Tharu, a language of the Indo-Aryan subgroup, and variants of Hindi, Urdu, and Awadhi. In central Nepal, they speak a variant of Bhojpuri, while in eastern Nepal, they speak a variant of Maithili.
• Tharus worship Lord Shiva as Mahadev, and call their supreme being “Narayan”, who they believe is the provider of sunshine, rain, and harvests.
• Tharu women have stronger property rights than is allowed to women in mainstream North Indian Hindu custom.
• Most Tharu tribals consume alcoholic beverages, and some eat beef.

What is this scheme about?

• The state government is working to connect Tharu villages in the districts bordering Nepal, with the home stay scheme of the UP-Forest Department.
• The idea is to offer tourists an experience of living in the natural Tharu habitat, in traditional huts made of grass collected mainly from the forests.
• The Uttar Pradesh Forest Corporation will train the Tharu people to communicate effectively with visitors and encourage villagers to acquaint them with aspects of safety and cleanliness, and with the rules of the forest.

PRELIMS QUESTION

Consider the following pairs of Tribals and the states where they reside:
1.Kattunaickan : Kerala
2.Dongria Khond: Odisha
3.Sehariyas: Uttarakhand
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a)1 and 3 only
(b)2 and 3 only
(c)1 and 2 only
(d)1,2 and 3

Answer to prelims question