Undisclosed Facts of Tribal Life

Author Speaks I was deputed as a Judge in the Court of Civil Judge at Dadra and Nagar Haveli at Silvassa. The Dadra and Nagar Haveli is beautiful Union Territory nestled amidst beautiful lush green hills, the starting point of western Ghats. The territory is rich in forest, river, animals, birds and impoverished Adivasi people. The territory has many Scheduled Tribe and caste known as Dhodia, Kathodi, Koli, Naykada and Varli. They have their unique family structure, the institution of marriage, divorce remarriage and religion. The forms of marriages prevalent among these tribes may surprise the urbanized people of other parts of the country. I had an opportunity to decide the cases while hearing the argument from the members of the Bar Association, Silvassa. We both Judge and Advocates feel the need of document on longstanding customs. It enlightens me. I entered the central library, Silvassa. I have collected several reference books and made research. It concludes in, “Undisclosed Facts of Tribal Life” I have covered the tribal life. The ceremonies of child-birth, language taught to child, engagement and marriage custom. Pre-marital and extra marital sex relation, monogamy, polygamy, divorce culture and widow remarriage, status of GharJawai, ways of acquiring mates, food and drink, religion, God, Goddess, and vows to God, faith in medical profession etc. I would like to summarize the survey report that child birth ceremony is known as “CHATTI”. Their languages are Dhodia, Gujrati, Konkani, Marathi and Varli. The engagement and marriage custom performs by garlanding each other. Previously girl goes to the house of boy for marriage and stay there as known “UDHADI”. They perform marriage in the day. They use bullock-cart for Barati. Now days it is replaced by motor vehicles. After marriage bride and bride-groom are separated by erecting separate hut near to their house. On next day to marriage bride is taken back to parent’s home known as “AANU”. In Gavit community children and parent perform their marriages at a time it is known “Nawara-Nawari” The engagement they refer as “Lagan nakki karyo”, or “Chandala” or “Sakharpuda”. In rare cases girl became mother first and then marry, as Naniben Patel told but nowadays the custom is not seen. There is no custom of extra martial sex relation. There is general practice of monogamy but there are rare cases of keeping two wives but not permitted in the existing law. Widows are allowed for re-marriage. The percentage of widow marriage in middle aged women is rare. The custom of GharJamai is called “Khandhadiya”. It is called “service marriage”. The ceremony called during pregnancy is known “Shrimant”. Their food is bread. It is prepared by rice, jowar, makka, wheat, nagali. They eat shark, fish, and chicken. They drink Bear, mahuwa, tadi, desidaru. They used to dance toor-tarpa and thali. They believe in God Shankar, Swami Narayan, Brahdev, Ramdevgir, Konkani Maa and Pitrulok, Khwajagar, Nivaj, Mahalaxmi Mata. They wear Kanchado and Blouce, Saree. Now a day it is noted that villagers are attracting towards Christian religion and Swami Narayan. They are performing the marriage as per Swami Narayan Religion. They are attending Church to get cloth and Ghamchha. They have extreme faith towards, baba, zhadfuk, bhagat if they are suffering from diseases. Nowadays, they are availing medical facilities from VinobaBhave Civil Hospital and private Doctors. Sometimes they scrummed to non-professional medical persons (Bhagat-Bhuva) and lost their lives. - Paramjot Singh Chahel (Retd. Judge)