Young people from the Tharu community, who used to travel from Uttarakhand to Himachal Pradesh, India, and some as far away as Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore in search of work, have recently been earning a regular income by doing construction work near their villages.
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After the festivals and farming work are over, most young people from the Tharu community start entering India in search of work.
They have reached from Uttarakhand to Himachal Pradesh and some as far as Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. But recently some young people are earning a regular income by working near their villages.
Suvarna Chaudhary of Hasulia, Kailari 3, Kailali, has been living in Mahendranagar with his family for two decades. He is also a mason (carpenter) involved in house construction. He has been working on private and large commercial construction contracts.
He was originally from a freed Kamaiya family and used to work as a labourer. While working as a labourer, he started working as a mason. Gradually, he also started doing contract work. Nowadays, he takes contracts for three or four houses at a time. ‘Sometimes I do it myself, sometimes I hire workers,’ said Chaudhary, ‘I do it myself all year round by taking contracts.’ Along with Subarna, his wife Riti Devi also works as a helper. Both of them are often together. Subarna works as a mason, while Riti works as a helper.
Lately, most of the house construction work here is done by young Tharu community men. Some women from the Tharu community are also working as masons. Moreover, Tharu masons are seen ahead of others in building earthquake-resistant houses. After the liberation of Kamaiya, many young Tharu community men received training as masons. They are the ones who are currently seen in house construction. ‘We started doing this work after getting training,’ said Hari Chaudhary, another mason from Hasulia, ‘most of the masons with us are still working.’ Chadhairi also belongs to the Muktakamayya family. He has been working as a mason for more than a decade. The other workers who work with him are also from Hasulia.
They have rented a room in the same place. In the morning, they have breakfast in their room and go to work. They carry lunch with them. In the evening, they return to their room and eat. Some of them also live on the construction site. They bring not only masons but also laborers to work with them. They also come after completing their agricultural work.
It is not easy to find workers in urban areas now. Those who come from rural areas have taken up construction work in the city market. Most of the young men and women from the Tharu settlements of Kanchanpur and Kailali are now engaged in similar construction work. Those with skills work as masons, while the unskilled work as helpers.
Currently, masons earn a daily wage of 1,000 to 1,200 rupees. Helpers earn 6 to 700 rupees. ‘We all make a living by working as laborers, this is how our families run,’ said Raju Chaudhary of Kailari Rural Municipality in Kailali, ‘Some are working here and there.’
