He began to understand the Rapti Doon Project, a major aid that the United States provided to Nepal in its early days. As he learned about it, he became closer to the Tharu community.
What you should know
Tom Robertson from America is very interested in the Tharu community of Nepal. Nepal is not new to him. He came to Nepal in 1988 and has visited Nepal many times since then. He has been a volunteer at Piskor and speaks and understands Nepali.
He has a special interest in the social studies of the indigenous Tharu community. Now that he has come to Nepal, he is visiting the Tharu settlements of Chitwan and is busy interacting with the leaders and elders of the Tharu community.
This time, his interest is also in how the Tharu helped the Rana and kings when they came to hunt in Chitwan.
The British kings and princes who were in India also used to come to Nepal to hunt. Tom, who has been searching for what is written about the Tharu who helped them at that time, is also gathering information about this from the elders of the community. He feels that the knowledge, hard work and contribution of the Tharu used for hunting is not being fully appreciated.
Since the Rapti Doon Development Project started in Chitwan in 2013, the settlement has expanded rapidly. This project was started with the support of the US government. Tom, who has a PhD in American history, also began to examine the historical aspects of America and Nepal.
During this time, he began to understand about the Rapti Doon Project, a major aid provided by the United States to Nepal in the early days. As he learned about it, he became closer to the Tharu community.
Before the Rapti Doon Project started and the migration of people from the hills increased, the indigenous Tharus lived in the villages in the plains of Chitwan.
How did this project change Chitwan? Did it give space to the concerns of the Tharus? He is trying to understand this. The story of one Sikharam Mahato made him wonder whether the Rapti Doon Project was not able to distribute land by understanding the social environment and mentality of that time?
‘I also met such characters who refused to take the land because they thought it would cause suffering to animals. On the other hand, they were afraid that they would have to pay taxes after taking the land,’ said Tom. At that time, the Rapti Doon Project distributed land to those who migrated from the hills. Similarly, Tom said that the workers of the Tharu community, namely the Haruwa Charuwa, who live here, were also called to come and take the land.
‘But it was found that they did not go,’ says Tom. He is not in favor of blaming those who did not go. ‘The project people should have understood their mentality, why did they not take the land even when they were called. A new era has come, there is no need to worry about taxes, why didn’t the project people say that keeping the land would be beneficial,’ said Tom. At that time, Tom feels that many people did not get the land because the project people could not understand their thoughts about the society, culture, customs and land here. Tharu leaders also seemed to agree with Tom’s argument.
Tharu Kalyankarini Sabha Chitwan, Area No. 8 President Rameshwar Chaudhary added, ‘Yes, they did not take it because of taxes. At that time, the zamindars used to collect the land revenue. The government’s representative was the zamindars. His job was to collect the land revenue as it was. If he could not pay, he would even take the money from his nose. The landowners also used to seize the land.’
He said that he refused to take the land for fear that taxes would be collected based on the size of the land, not on how many ploughs or oxen there were. Even before the Rapti Doon settlement, the kings and queens used to come and go in Chitwan. Not only the kings and Ranas of Nepal, but also the British kings and princes living in India used to come to Nepal. At that time, there were many large animals in the forests of Chitwan, such as elephants, rhinoceroses, and tigers.
The Ranas and kings also came to Chitwan to hunt. At their invitation, the kings and princes of Britain also came to Chitwan for hunting. What was the Tharu society like at that time? Tom has taken an interest in this.
Some old photos of Chitwan can be found. But those are photos taken by the kings and Ranas while hunting. Tom says that Tharus, Tharu community and settlements are not visible in it. He said that Tharus were also seen with the Ranas who came to hunt. Tharus were inextricably linked with hunting. They had to hunt tigers and rhinos by riding elephants. At that time, only Tharus were mahouts. That is why mahouts sitting on elephants are visible in the photo. But what was the job of Tharus when the king and Ranas were hunting?
Tom started looking for old papers to answer this question. When British princes came to visit India, they used to enter Nepal and reach Chitwan, Bardiya and Shuklaphanta. Tom said that journalists also came with the princes and they used to write about such trips in newspapers. ‘I have read what was written in newspapers. But in those too, it is written about kings and Ranas. They write about how good, how strong and brave the kings and Ranas were. There is no mention of Tharus,’ he said.
Tom believes that without the Tharus, such large royal hunting expeditions would not have been possible. He met and talked to the elders of the Tharu community about this. He learned that when the kings and ranas came, one person from each household had to go for hunting-related work. At that time, there was a system of forced labor. That is, such work had to be done for free. Building roads, setting up camps, pitching tents, and cooking food were the responsibilities of the Tharus. They had to work for months for free.
Tharu elders told Tom that government officials who came to the hunt would meet the Tharu landlords and advise them on where the tigers were, where the rhinos were, where they were in abundance, and where the best places to hunt were. Before hunting, they would also send people to chase them around the forest. This would unite the animals on one side and make the hunt easier. He has learned that it was a tradition to seek the help of a guru in hunting and to worship the Tharus if they did not find the animal.
That is why the Tharus do many other jobs, not just mahouts, says Tom. He has learned that only men are involved in such work, rather than women. The custom of surrounding a tiger with a white cloth is very old. It is said that after surrounding a tiger with a white cloth on all four sides and placing it in the middle, the tiger will not cross that circle. This was also done during hunting. Now this work is also being done in tiger rescue. Which is called surrounding with a bhita. A method that Tom has not seen in other countries except Nepal.
‘I think this is Nepalese knowledge and the knowledge of the Tharus,’ Tom told about the bhita. But since many such topics have not been revealed, Tom has started searching. And he also said that he will write down the findings in detail. ‘I am looking for many things. But it is not enough to just listen to what I have heard. I also had to find the paper. The paper is not from later, but from that time. "You have to check whether what one person says matches the other person's. You can't even write it down," Tom said.
