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CHAPTER 6

TRANSPORT, COMMUNICATION AND ALTERED MODES OF EVERYDAY LIFE

More than a century ago Champaran had not a single road worthy of name. There

was not much of trade and commerce within or outside the district and the

produce was taken to the nearest market in bullock carts or ponies or by head­

load.

There was another reason why this frontier district of Bihar did not have much of

communication and transport. The physical contiguity to Nepal was not much of a

boon. Robberies were common and it was easy to escape to Nepal after

committing a crime. Before the advent of British in this area Sarkar Champaran

Saran which included West Champaran as well, had a number of Rajas and

Zamindars and they were all anxious to make as much money as possible but very

few of them bothered to give proper roads within their area. They were like some

small Satraps in their jurisdiction. The rivers and streams were also a problem.

Floods were also an impediment. (Chaudhury: 1960: 332)

The Nepal wars were the first landmark in the history of development of

communication. Some good military roads had to be made during the Nepal wars

and lines of communication were established.

This district had flourishing opium and saltpetre industries in 18th and 19th

centuries. Saltpetre was not confined to any particular area. It was necessary to

have fairly good roads for the transport of both the finished and unfinished goods

in connection with these two industries. There was no question any power vehicle,

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and bullock carts handcarts, horse drawn vehicles were in use. These conveyances

did not require a modem road with a proper sole.

Another great landmark, which improved the means of communication, was the

sugar and indigo plantations, which commenced from towards the end of 18th

century. Although strictly licensed Europeans were encouraged to settle down and

acquire consolidated blocks of land for sugar and indigo plantations. In the first

few decades of the 19th century we find that planters had penetrated into the

interior of the district and were actively engaged in cultivation of sugar and

indigo. Now both these crops are such that the produce must be utilized quickly.

The English factory at Patna with various sub-stations in other districts

encouraged trade and commerce. Good lines of communications were a necessity

for indigo and sugar planters. The only modes of conveyance at that time were

carts, ponies or bullocks or human agency. There was development of

communication on these lines.

The traffic of the district was closely connected with river traffic and some of the

ghats had big annual receipts, which went into the pocket of the landlords who did

not care for the improvement of the ghats or roads. The increasing quantities of

products -opium, indigo, sugar and rice called for further improvement of road

and river communications in the interest of the men who grew them.

The next landmark in the history of the development of the communication was

the movement of 1857. This movement showed that proper communications were

a necessity for proper administration.

The roads in 1906 may be described as fairly sufficient for all parts of the district

except the north of Bettiah now headquarter of West Champaran district. There

were indeed three main roads from railway to different points in that tract with

one road running high across the centre of it, but at that time there was no

network of subsidiary roads as in the rest of the district and wheeled traffic was

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possible only in the dry season. The rude tracks along with carts managed to find

their way were interrupted by the numerous water-courses from the hills and for

the most part produce had to be conveyed by pack bullocks.

Another significant factor affecting the problem of communication in this area is

that Public Works Department came into existence for roads only as late as 1946-

47. With the advent of PWD taking up some of the roads, there was a distinct

improvement and a rapid expansion of road communication.

Before passing on to the modem phase it has to be mentioned that the area has

had the advantage of a fair sprinkling of forest roads and canal roads. Roads

within the forests were a necessity for the proper exploitation of the forests.

Although cart traffic was prohibited on the forest and canal roads they helped to

connect villages and to encourage a certain amount of produce being carried on

head-load, pack-bullocks and pack-ponies. It may be mentioned here that in the

early days the most common and probably the only means of conveyance was

bullock carts. The bulk of goods traffic was carried on bullock carts. Elephants

have also been a means of conveyance but limited only to the very rich.

RAMNAAR-SOMESWAR ROAD

This road was provincialized in 1956. Important places on this road are

Ramnagar, Gobardhana and Someswar hills. The famous shiva temple of

Soumeswar is connected by the road with Ramnagar .For around 7 miles the road

passes through forests and hills. There is a Forest Rest shed at Gobardhana in the

14th mile of the road. River Belore and Synahi cut across the road in the 5th and

16th miles respectively. The village of field work Bakhari Bazar is situated

midway on this road.

Bus and Rail link are available till Ramnagar only. From Ramnagar there

is no proper pucca road linking to Someswar hills and hence there is no suitable

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Ramnagar - Someswar Road

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transport system. This kachcha road is also frequented by many big and small

holes making the movement very slow, tiring, difficult and uncomfortable.

Ramnagar block is the most undeveloped block in West Champaran district in

every respect. Movement on Ramnagar- Someswar road is very scanty and erratic

and unpredictable.

People of the area move on foot or if possible on bicycle or bullock carts if

available which takes nearly three to four hours from Rarnnagar to Bakhari Bazar.

Irony of the situation is that most of the time the MLA representing the area has

been the Minister in the Government of Bihar.

As reported by the villagers, around 1965 a Post Office was opened in the village

Bakhari Bazar. It covers almost the whole of panchayat or even beyond that.

Obviously there is inordinate and undue delay in the delivery of letters or money

orders. Before opening of this Post Office letter used to take many weeks to reach

its destination because the nearest Post Office was in Rarnnagar.Even though

Bakhari Bazar was on the Rarnnagar - Someswar road there was undue delay in

the delivery of the letters. The Tharus living in much interior area had to face

more acute problem. It was just like living in an island cut off from the rest of the

world.

Around 1988-89 there was no single TV in the village. There was no telephone

facility even. Radio can be seen in only few houses. It was learnt that TV can be

found in the Parsauni village or in Bakwa village, which is around three Kms

away from the Bakhari Bazar Village. So most of the people of Bakhari Bazar

were deprived from watching TV.

The Tharus specially the young boys and girls are very fond of visiting melas that

is fair and also cinema. For this they even cover long distance on foot. The

cinema has an immense impact on them, which can be seen the way they dress

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themselves. They are very fashionable in a way. They are fond of filmi dialogues

and filmi songs. They usually go to Ramnagar covering 12Km + 12Km =24Km

for watching Hindi films.

In 2003 when I visited Bakhari Bazar I come to know that there are

now TV sets in twelve households. This means that this village has come directly

in touch with outside world through terrestrial telecast of National Channel of

Doordarshan. There is no possibility of cable network because there is no supply

of electricity and also cable network is not economically viable. It is not possible

for the Tharus to bear the expenses of cable for they can hardly manage their both

ends meet. Even now there is neither any telephone nor any PCO booth in the

village in the village.

Thus we see that in this age of globalization and technological revolution &

communication boom here is village, nay , a region which still dose not have the

basic infrastructure even after around six decades of independence. There is no

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proper road, no regular and proper transport system, no electricity and only

rudimentary communication network. This region is an island in itself almost

completely cut off from the rest of the world. Consequently there is lack of

education, lack of awareness, lack of development but extreme exploitation by the

outsiders and extreme poverty. Unless you resort to agitation or violence you are

not heard or your problems remain unaddressed or unresolved. You do not hit the

headlines of newspapers or breaking news of electronic media.

Even today this Tharuhat region of the land of Champaran cries for attention, as

the Tharus are still vulnerable to all sorts of exploitation, suppression and

oppression, as the process of apartheid is still prevalent in its cruelest form. But

till today this area has not hit the headlines or no reporter of any channel has

visited the place and reported the pathetic and inhuman conditions of the people

for its Breaking News.

Harinagar, which is the nearest Railway station, is almost 12 Km away from

Bakhari Bazar and now has been linked to different parts of the country after

conversion of narrow gauge into broad gauge. Chhitouni River Bridge has been

constructed and rail link has been established between Bagaha and Gorakhpur and

thus connecting West Champaran district from all the comers of the country.

Satyagraha Express and Saptkranti Express run on daily basis from Raxaul and

Muzaffarpur respectively to Delhi via Harinagar. Apart from that there are trains

for Amritsar, Dehradun, Hawarah(Kolkata) ,Mumbai also.

Narkatiyaganj Railway station is the nearest junction touching the Tharuhat

region. Table below gives the details of the trains either originating or going

through this junction and thus now connecting almost every nook and comer of

the country through rail.

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Narkatiyaganj Raillway Junction

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NARKATIYAGANJ RAILWAY STATION

TRAIN TRAIN NAME FROM TO RUNS NO.

515 Passenger Train Sonepur Narkatiyaganj Daily 411 Passenger Train Muzaffarpur Gorakhpur Daily 5215 Narkatiyaganj Muzaffarpur Narkatiyaganj Daily

Express 407 Passenger Train Sonepur Gorakhpur Daily 529 Passenger Train Muzaffarpur Gorakhpur Daily 5273 Satyagraha Raxaul Delhi Daily

Express 5211 Jannayak Darbhanga Amritsar Daily 9040 Bandra Express Muzaffarpur Bandra Tue.,Thurs.,

Sun 5653 Jammutawi Guwahati Jammutawi Thursday

Express 5051 Purbanchal Howrah Gorakhpur Saturday

Express 2557 Saptkranti Super Muzaffarpur Delhi Daily

Fast ..... ,

5001 Dehradun Muzaffarpur Dehradun Monday Express

9270 Bapudham Motihari Porbandar Monday Express

5201 A I ntercity Express Hajipur Narkatiyaganj Daily Except Sunday

221 Passenger Train Darbhanga Narkatiyaganj Daily 5523 Gandak Express Jainagar Narkatiyaganj Daily 205 Passenger Train Darbhanga Narkatiyaganj Daily 5531 Sitanchal Express Jainagar Narkatiyaganj Daily 207 Passenger Train Darbhanga Narkatiyaganj Daily 215 Passenger Train Darbhanga Narkatiyaganj Daily 217 Passenger Train Darbhanga Narkatiyaganj Daily 219 Passenger Train Darbhanga Narkatiyaganj Daily 201 Passenger Train Bhikhna Narkatiyaganj Daily

Thori 203 Passenger Train Bhikhna Narkatiyaganj Daily

Thori 283 Passenger Train Bhikhna Narkatiyaganj Daily

Thori

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This has really created a revolution in the region and opened the floodgates of

opportunities for the people of the region. This will definitely have far reaching

consequences on the development of the region. Movement of the people will

become faster and easier. Now they need not go to Muzaffarpur or Patna for

visiting various places of the country either for education or for trade and

commerce or for any other purpose.

The Tharus of West Champaran like other tribes are attached to their own land,

own culture and own community. They do not want to go outside of their 10ca:Ie.

They used to enjoy the company of their own people. They even do not want to

send their young sons outside, Ramnath Mahto says:

"Hamar laika je ghar mein"tahi ta sabhe chinhi,na rahi ta kehuna chinhi, chahe u

M.A. B.A. na ho jaye."(If my son stays at home everyone will recognize him. If

he does not stay no one will recognize whether he may obtain M.A. or B.A.

degree.)

But now the situation is changing. The Tharus of West Champaran have started

moving out of their village and Tharuhat area in the search of employment and

not for profit maximization. Now their survival itself is at stake. Landholdings has

decreased due to a:Iienation of land by the non-Tharus and thus making most of

them landless labour. There is lack of rural employment opportunities. Triba:I

youth are even being implicated by the police in false cases. Now terror of Lal

Salam is troubling them. Maoists put their flag on the land and grab it by force.

The Tharuhat area is vulnerable to Maoist because of its nearness to Indo-Nepal

border. Tribal youths are even being implicated by the police in false cases when

there is Maoist attack. Tharus are moving out of the area in the form of labour in

Delhi Shimla, Punjab, Kashmir, Gujarat.

Fortunately or unfortunately this area has now been directly connected through

Rail with a:Imost all parts ofthe country. There are now two daily direct trains for

Delhi running through this Tharuhat area namely Satyagraha Express and Sapt

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Kranti Express. Apart from that it has also been directly connected with

Dehradun, Punjab, Kolkata, Mumbai and other important places of the country.

This means that the area has been well connected with rail and it has now become

very easy for the Tharus to move out. Centripetal forces which has bound the

Tharus of West Champaran for the ages, is now weakening due to various obvious

reasons and centrifugal forces are compelling them to move out of the area for

rojgar and survival.

It would not be out of context to mention my personal experience when I was

coming back to Delhi by Sapt Kranti Express on 20th March 2003. When the

Train stopped at Narkatiyaganj Junction. One young boy in beautiful jeens and T­

shirt entered into my compartment i.e. Coach No. S 2 and sat on the Berth No. 37

just in front of me. I could not ie'sist my temptation of talking to the young boy

who looked like belonging to Tharu Community. My guess was right. His name

was Dinesh Kumar (Mukhia) a Tharu from Jamania Village falling under

Narkatyiaganj - Bhikhna Thori section. He was going to Delhi where he works

as a tailor in a tailoring shop, prepares salwar,sameej and chunni . He stays in

Malviya Nagar and along with his brother Umesh earns more than ten thousand •

per month. Around seventy five persons belonging to the Tharu community from

West Champaran are staying in Malviya Nagar and earning by doing the job of a

tailor in different tailoring shops. Migration like this for employment is not only

making their economic condition better but also bririging about an attitudinal

change in their outlook and behaviour. Dinesh Kumar told that not only his

economic condition has improved but also the condition his father who is landless

and works as a carpenter in the village. The house at the village has now become

Pucca and equipped with facilities like Tele Vision and Radio. He further says:

"Pahile Narkatiyaganj hi aawe mein ghabrahat hot rahe. Ab ta Delhi awat jaat

bani. Kauno perashani nayeekhe, kauno ghabrahat na ho la."

(Earlier we have inhibition in coming to Narkatiyaganj itself. But now you see we

are going to Delhi and coming back to the village. There is no problem, no

worry.)

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He was feeling very proud of being from the same place as that of Manoj Bajpaei

the famous film actor. When I told him that the Tharus of West Champaran have

been included in the list of Schedule Tribe in January 2003 he replied that I am

aware of but I have no knowledge of the facilities available to a Schedule Tribe.

Thus we see that migration and movement of the Tharus of West Champaran have

statted and with this the process of change in their outlook, behaviour, attitude

and also condition of living. But these changes are at slow pace. The Tharus of

Bakhari Bazar have not reached at this stage. Migration from their village still is

negligible.

Linking roads to the Tharuhat region are still not in good condition and hence

unmotorable.

Rarnnagar­

Someswar road is

crymg for

attention even

today. We have

entered into 21 st

century and

communication has become very fast and smooth but this part of the country is

still in a neglected state. The connecting road is in shambles and dotted by big

holes and cracks. There is no proper transpo11 system. When I visited Bakhari

Bazar in 2006 I had to face almost the same problem and trouble which I faced

when I first visited the village in the later years of nineteen eighties. Unable to

find any proper transport I had to reserve a Tanga owned by lshwar Thakur who

also became ready after much persuasion and on the promise that I would return

before the sunset. Due to bad road, it appeared that if Tanga did not run properly

and carefully, it might tum turtle.