Ex- Guest Faculty

Anthropology

Tata Institute of Social Science

Guwahati  Assam, India  

Biswanath Chariali is a town and a municipal board in Sonitpur distict in the state of Assam. It extends from 26.43’40”N and 93.09’06”E. Biswanath Chariali was declared as district headquarter on 15 August 2015. It derives its name from Biswanath Ghat.

Demography

Biswanath have total population of 16830 of which 8868 are males and 7962 are females as per as 2011 census. The literacy rate of the town is higher in compare to Assam which constitute 86.29% and that of Assam is 72.19%, male literacy is 92.23 while female literacy is 80.20%

In the south of Biswanath Chariali there is Biswanath Ghat which is known as Gupta Kashi, derives its name after the ancient Biswanath temple. The temple is compared with Kashi which have 330 million Gods. There is a Shiva temple located at the convergence of Bridhaganga River with Brahmaputra. There is a Shiva dol which was built by king of Tezpur of Hari Harar Yudha. There is a another temple known as Nagsankar which was built in 4^th century AD and situated at Nagsankar village 15km from Biswanath Chariali on National Highway 52. There is another place which is Gang MouThan which was believed that it was visited by scholar Srimanta Sankardeva.

Economy

There are number of tea garden like Sakomata, Dhullie, Monabari, Pratabgahr etc. In recent time number of people has opened up small tea plantation. The other sections are agriculturist and some are employed in different occupation in different sector. Biswanath Chariali is known for its tea garden. 30% of total population is agriculturist.

Educational Institution

There are number of education institutes in Biswanath Chariali. There is a Biswanath College of Agriculture under Assam Agricultural University. There is Biswanath College, Biswanath B.Ed College, Shankar Shishu Niketan, Little Star School, Jawahar Novodaya Vidalaya, Chariali H.S and M.P school, Charial AdarshaVidyapeeth, Saint Xavier’s School. There is Gyanam Education Society institution which provides technological skill in Embedded Systems and Robotics.

Healthcare Centre

There is a civil hospital in Biswanath Chaiali. There are number of private hospitals and some of them are Catholic Hospital, Bora’s Nursing Home, K.P Memorial Hospital, Sanjivani Hospital and Research Institute.

Transport and Communication

Biswanath Chariali has a road connection of NH 51 and Pavoi Road which is 75 km west from Tezpur. There is entrance gate on NH 52 on the western side and is connected by rail. It is located on branch line from Rangiya Junction to Murkongselek. Now it has converted to B.G New trains which connect New Delhi and Itanagar which runs through Biswanath Chariali railway station. There are intercity express which connects Guwahati. There is a passenger train that runs between Dekargaon to Naharlagun. There is an airport in Tezpur. There are number of buses which connect Biswanath Chariali to Guwahati.

Major Communities

Assamese:  The major inhabitant of the region is Assamese who one of the original inhabitants of the state. They speak Assamese language. Majority of them follow Hindu religion and an important section of the community are Muslims. Few of them are supporter of Sikkism, Christianity and Buddhism.  The major castes among Assamese are Brahmins, Kalitas, Baishya, Koch, Ahom, Yogis and Scheduled Caste.

Table 1.1: Percentage of Caste Group

Brahmins	Kalitas	Baishya	Koch	Ahom	Yogis	Scheduled caste
23.54%	21.42%	17.69%	15.87%	12.54%	5.7%	3.1%

Bengali: This group came to Assam from Bengal as officials and clerks under British administration and did not return back to their native place and settled back in the region. They speak Bengali language and use Assamese language as lingua-franca. They follow Hindu Religion.

Nepali: Nepali community is one of the dominant groups in Biswanath Chariali. They speak Nepali and use Assamese as lingua franca. They follow Hindu religion and some section is Buddhist.

Adivasi (Tea Tribes): The Adivasi migrated to Assam from Chotanagpur and Odisha to work as labor in tea garden. They became part of Assamese society and assimilated themselves with Assamese culture.

There are eight Gaon Panchayats (village panchayat) under Biswanath Chariali and they are: MukharGor, Borpothar, ChelaiKheti, Balisang, Dhalli, Pavoi, Kuwar and Bamonipothar was selected as Nirmal village panchayat in 2014-2015 as in that village all facilities were available.

There are 349 villages under Biswanath Administration. There are 15 Tea Estate under Biswanath Sub-division and they are as follows: Mahalakmi Tea Estate, Majuligorh Tea Estate Pabhoi Tea Estate, Dhullie Tea Estate, Pratapgarh Tea Estate, Sakomata Tea Estate, Nilpur Tea Estate, Chagra Tea Estate, Baghmari Tea Estate, Gingia Tea Estate, Mijicajan Tea Estate, Monabari Tea Estate, Borgang Tea Estate, Kettela Tea Estate and Behali Tea Estate .

Demographic aspect of Oraon in Bisawanath Chariali Tea Garden of Assam

Oraon migrated to Assam to work as labor in tea garden in 1850 and after they arrived in the tea garden and their life confined within tea garden vicinity. Oraon after that they settled in Assam  they lost their ST status and put under the category of OBC group. A large number of laborers from various caste and tribes came to Assam to work in tea garden and entitled as Tea Garden laborer and in this process they lost their own identity.

Settlement Pattern:

The tea plantation in Assam was developed by the British and the laborers were settled in the labor line so they could not have close proximity with other groups and their differences. The settlement pattern of the plantation labor falls under two categories – one which reside in the tea garden and other who resides in basti or village who work as temporary workers in the garden and took up agriculture as their primary occupation. Housing facilities are provided to the permanent workers in the tea garden. They were provided with specified sized quarter and most of the laborers build additional rooms in the quarter. In the labor colonies distinct line system is common where the line is named by tribe like Oraon line where number of Oraon is dominant. Among the ex-tea garden labor community mainly kutcha house have been observed. Those who belong middle class family they have concrete house. In ex tea garden community the basti is named as jungle basti, Sakomata Pakka line, Sakomata nijara line. In Pratapgarh there is an ex-tea garden labor basti which is connoted by name of Munda line as Mundas population is more in that area.

Family:  Among Oraon in tea garden mostly there are nuclear family, parents and their children but there are some joint families where married son and daughter with their spouses and children reside with their parents. In tea plantation housing facilities are provided to only permanent members. The tea garden workers get nominal wages so it is difficult for them to support a joint family and therefore nuclear family with four to five members are found in the tea garden

Table1.2 Type of Family among Oraon in tea garden

Sl.No	Nuclear Family	Joint Family	Total	Percentage
				Nuclear family	Joint family
1.	85	30	115	73.91%	26.08%

Position of Women in Oraon Community:

The women in tea garden enjoy a less restricted life in comparison to their counterparts. The women are economically independent and help financially to the family. However in cases of social decision the men are more decisive in that regard. In order to understand the social position the education standard should be included as it plays an important role in overall development of women.

Economy

The tea garden labor contributes to economic growth of the state yet the condition of Oraon along with other community is very poor. Oraon depends on the wages they earn from working in tea garden and such wages is not enough to meet the ends of the family members. The adult members of the family work in the tea garden to earn extra income for the family. Some section of Oraon have settled in the nearby villages and settled as agriculturist. At present time some section of Oraon have keenness to move outside the tea garden to earn extra money but due to illiteracy and unskilled nature they do not have the willingness to go outside the tea garden. The family maintains the family expenses with the money they earn by working in tea garden. The male section of the community spends money in consuming liquor. Few of the members have understand the value of saving and started to save their money in bank or in local saving organization like bandhan where mainly the women deposit money in the organization per week or monthly basis.

Kinship

Kinship is a network of social relationship that exists in human society. According to Robin Fox ‘ study of kinship is the study of what man does which basic facts of life- mating, gestation, parenthood, socialization, sibling ship etc. Kinship may be referred as study of relationship in a human culture. In kinship level relationship is more prominent with the males of the father’s lineage. In ceremonies the participation of kin members is considered to be very important in Oraon’s community. In certain occasion the importance of kin member from maternal side was found to be obligatory. In the name initiation ceremony the maternal uncle give a name to the new born child. The role and the function of the kin member in various socio-religious ceremony are observed.

Term of Address and Reference

This is primarily a consanguine relation. The term of address is similar to that of term of reference. In a family the younger sibling are addresses with their names. The head of the family can call its member by referring their name. In a primary relationship like husband and wife do not have an exact term of address. In a secondary affine relationship different terms are used to address the relatives.

Pattern of Inheritance

Oraon society is patrilineal society. The head of the family is a male. The descent is traced through male line. The property is equally distributed among the sons and sometimes a share of property is inherited by daughter also.

Dress and Ornaments

In normal days the men wear shirt and pant and in house they wear gamusha and vest. While women wear sari, young girls wear salwar kameej or modern attire. During festivals, men wear white dhoti and wear white vest. They wear white turban in their head. The women wear red border sari and red blouse. They decorate their hair bun with flowers. During occasion women adore themselves with different ornaments like sitapati, dingihasli, chandrahar, tatshialmala. Religious Life:

Traditionally Oraon believed in propitiation and to worship village god, deity and ancestors. Such traditional worship has lost its importance among the young people. They do not know about their own traditional rituals. Oraons have accumulated the culture of indigenous population along with traditional one. They celebrate Kali puja, Lakshmi puja, holi etc.

Food Habit

The food habit of Oraon along with other community is same. Food pattern consist of rice, vegetables, meat, fishes etc. the male members consume haria (rice beer) regularly. They used hearth for cooking food while some members have cylinder gas to cook food.

Political Life and Voting Behaviour of Oraon

In a tea garden the trade union plays an important role in political sphere. The members of trade union are not concern about the welfare of the society. The decisions of trade union are influenced by the tea garden authorities. The participation of women in trade union is very rare.  Women remain busy in their own work and did not get time to participate in other activities. The political consciousness among Oraon is very limited.

Oraons migrated to Assam was exploited by the planters.  They are socially, economically and politically backward. They do not have the rights to cast their vote according to their own choice and choose the candidate on the advice of the trade union.

Language

In tea garden Oraon speak bongali language or Sadri dialect. Some section of Oraon speaks Kurukh language. A common language among different communities of tea garden helps to minimize the gap and maintain cohesion among the members. Oraon speak Assamese language to communicate with local people and speak Hindi language to larger section of the society. Among them Kurukh language is known as pharsi.

Problems of Oraon

1.  Land Alienation: After Oraon migrated to Assam they lost their own land in their native place. They got settled in Assam in the tea garden and lower parts of Assam. Some sections have settled in nearby village and took up agriculture. In 1996 there was ethnic clash between Bodos and Adivasis in Kokrajhar where thousands of people became homeless. The dominant group conquers the land of poor Oraons to set up private Tea Company’s and they cannot voice against it as they are regarded as lower caste group among the local population.

2. Poverty: Most of Oraon lives below poverty line. The tea garden labor earn low wages which is not enough to meet their ends and those who took up agriculture cannot produce surplus good and their per capita income is meager. They take debt from the money lenders during occasions and the interest of money increased as they cannot repay in due time.

3. Education: Oraon in tea garden and ex tea garden community are educationally backward. They are not conscious about the value of education. The parents of the children do not feel the need to provide education to the student. Most of the student studies till primary level. Tea gardens are located in interior places and the parent does not prefer to send their children to educational institutions which are far away from tea garden area.

4. Conversion to Caste Culture:  Oraons of tea garden practice various religions and speak different language. They have adopted Hindu tradition and absorbed in Hindu society through Sanskritization. After they migrated to Assam they lost their ST status and popularly known as Tea Tribes. They fall under the category of OBC. They are deprived of educational, political and economic privileges provided by the Consitution of India. In Assam term Adivasi refers to particular community like Oraon, Munda and Santal etc.

When Oraon migrated to Assam they faced lot of difficulties to adjust to the new environment. After they came to Assam their life was restricted within the tea garden. In their homeland they had close proximity with other groups. They had kinship based social organization in their native place. In 19^th century some section settled in rural area and took agriculture as their main source of livelihood. The socio-economic backwardness and unemployment contributed towards their being agitated for demanding ST status. They remain isolated from local population. They are not regarded as part of larger section of Assamese society and they are regarded as bongali or coolie by the Assamese population. They feel inferior in compare to local population and marginalized themselves from indigenous population. The social connection of migrated Oraon with their place of origin is rare and only few of them have connection with their relatives in the native place but they did not want to go back as they regard Assam as their homeland.

Oraon who have migrated to Assam have little connection with the Oraon in Jharkhand. The tea labors had no connection with the native for more than 150 years though Oraon of Assam follows the traditional customs and religion but they have also accumulated culture of Assamese society. Most of people have forgotten their own language and adopted the Bagania or Assamese language. Oraon in Jharkhand enjoy the ST status whereas the Oraon are under the category of Other Backward Class and do not enjoy the ST status. Oraon in Assam do not want to return back to their original land as they regard as their homeland.

Impact of Urbanization

Urbanization has great impact on economic and cultural changes. Urbanization is a process of social, economic and demographic changes. When a community undergoes a change in socio-economic life than significant changes occur in other groups and other section of the society. However urbanization has a little impact on the life of the tea garden community. Their life is restricted within the tea garden and did get little scope to interact with outside world. The impact of urbanization on social changes is very limited.

The growing unemployment among the Oraon has compelled the unskilled labor and illiterate to seek job in different sphere. The heterogeneous cultural element of Oraon which they carry back to their society has undergone social changes. The heterogeneity of the changes in Oraon community has been restricted by the traditional life and changes appeared to be uniform among all section of the society. In aspect of culture they still adopt the traditional means of cultivation.

In political sphere they have become more conscious otherwise earlier they were least bother about political party and the candidate. Oraons have now realized the importance of politics in the state and which is reflected in the voting pattern in the election from past few years. The ex-tea garden labor community is also joining with the tea labor community in changing the political scenario of the state. Education plays a very important role in overall development of the community.  A rapid change has been observed in the social behavior of the younger generation. The change in the social behavior is mainly due to impact of urbanization, employment mobility. The changes in structure of the society are mainly due to social interaction in larger context. There should be proper organized institution to guide the workers to meet their desired ends and changes among the Oraon is essential not only for socio- cultural upliftment and for maintain rich and composite cultural heritage of the state.

References

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2. Brown, L.W. (1956): The Indian Christians of St. Thomas. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

3. Caldwell, J.C. (1969): African Rural- Urban Migration: The Movement to Ghana’s Towns. London: Hurst

4. Census of India. Registrar General, Govt of India.

5. Connel,J., Dasgupta B., Laishey, R. and Lipton, M.,(1976): “Migration from Rural Areas: The Evidence from Village Studies”, Oxford University Press, Delhi.

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8. Eisenstadt, S.N. (1954): The Absorption of Immigrants. Routledge, London