Dekiajan, Bokulani Chariali, 07 july, 2016: A
group of children of age group, 4-7 years old were seen collecting fern at roadside
(Bakulani to Makum), at 2 afternoon, this is how rural poor are surviving
healthier. The price hike of daily commodities has been affecting the budget of
poor middle class families of this area. But any kinds of changes has not been affecting
the poor's standard of living of rural tea tribe; they have been
collecting daily commodities from roadside, especially small fishes and fern like vegetables. The
daily wages of the daily labours increases from 40 rupees (three to four years
back) to 100 rupees for domestic work, with a time meal. Recently the
Sarbananda Sonowal lead Assam government decided to increase the rate of VAT
from 5% to 6%. , but are these people using gas cylinder, packaged foods or expensive
dal like food items? Will it affect their lifestyle?
The agriculturally poor depends on daily wages for rice only, otherwise they collect locally available vegetables like fern, deer’s foot, Skunk vine, bamboo shoot, Green Amaranath and taro; and fishes like Stinging catfish, Minnows, Flying Barb, Assamese Snakehead, climbing Perch and Gangetic Mudeel etcetera. In more recession time some of the rural Tea tribes depends more on hunting rat and birds. After spending decades on observation; their economic condition is seen same comparatively though they are getting more political and social participation. Behind it there must be many reason, among them one very important reason is lack of inspiration and guidance for development. By taking the advantage of which Christian missionaries are transforming them religiously, but how far they are successful is questionable in terms of social and economic development. Providing expensive English medium school and education is not enough in a state like Assam where primary to high-school, education is almost free. In state politics the representation from this tribe is adequate and they are having a good organizational grip, still the reasons of their poor economic condition is distinct, they are mostly landless and depend on tea garden, their usual habits of alcoholism and illiteracy is prominent. Only few members of the community could come out from such pathetic condition after Indian Independence. This means those who are working for the development of these people are not succeeded yet.
The agriculturally poor depends on daily wages for rice only, otherwise they collect locally available vegetables like fern, deer’s foot, Skunk vine, bamboo shoot, Green Amaranath and taro; and fishes like Stinging catfish, Minnows, Flying Barb, Assamese Snakehead, climbing Perch and Gangetic Mudeel etcetera. In more recession time some of the rural Tea tribes depends more on hunting rat and birds. After spending decades on observation; their economic condition is seen same comparatively though they are getting more political and social participation. Behind it there must be many reason, among them one very important reason is lack of inspiration and guidance for development. By taking the advantage of which Christian missionaries are transforming them religiously, but how far they are successful is questionable in terms of social and economic development. Providing expensive English medium school and education is not enough in a state like Assam where primary to high-school, education is almost free. In state politics the representation from this tribe is adequate and they are having a good organizational grip, still the reasons of their poor economic condition is distinct, they are mostly landless and depend on tea garden, their usual habits of alcoholism and illiteracy is prominent. Only few members of the community could come out from such pathetic condition after Indian Independence. This means those who are working for the development of these people are not succeeded yet.
Personal announcement: I will write more specific
stories by elaborating the status of tea tribes of Assam particularly of
Dibrugarh District and share with you soon.
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