Bengal’s dwindling Dhimal community battles odds

Sukurchand Mallick works as a labourer in an illegal coal mine in Meghalaya.  The 32-year-old risks his life by going as deep as 700 feet below the ground to extract coal from the mine. There is no guarantee of any compensation in case of a mishap. 

Mallick suffers from a skin disease due to the constant exposure to coal. But he is ready to take any risk so that his 10-year-old daughter, Roshni, gets a good education that ensures her better future. 

“I work hard and face hazards every day because I want my daughter to have a better life,” he said.

A vanishing community

Mallick belongs to the Dhimal ethnic group living in Darjeeling district of West Bengal and in the eastern Terai region of neighbouring Nepal. 

“It is generally believed that our ancestors lived in China and migrated from there even before the birth of Christ,” Garjan Kumar Mallik, a retired government school teacher, said.

With a declining population, the community is now on the brink of extinction. 

Around 2,000 people of the community reside in 18 villages spread across six gram panchayats in Darjeeling district. The villages are located around 25 km from Siliguri city, the gateway to North Bengal and just 1 km from India-Nepal border. 

Nepal has a strong population of around 31,000 Dhimals in Jhapa and Morang districts.

The Dhimals have their own script which has a strong resemblance to Chinese and Japanese scripts. They worship hills, trees and rivers in general and precisely the danka pahar (mountain) in Arunachal Pradesh. 

Keeping traditions alive 

Despite being low in numbers in the state, the community stands as an example against social evils such as female foeticide that are still prevalent in society. 

“We are strictly against any exploitation of women. The social ills practised in other parts of the country are strictly banned among us. We teach our children to respect women,” said Ulki Mallick, 63, a weaver residing in Ketugaburjot village, around 500 metres from the India-Nepal border. 

The Dhimals prefer marriages among their own community. 

“We get our girls married only after their consent and the bride’s father gets dowry for giving his daughter’s hand in marriage,” she said, adding that Dhimals have always maintained small families with one or two children and the population has been less compared to the other ethnic groups. 

Several practices of the Dhimals have remained unchanged for the past many centuries. The household and other disputes are resolved by the majhi (clan head). He also settles cases of divorce. 

“We don’t go to courts with our disputes as the majhi handles most of them and his judgment is final. Divorce cases are rare among us but if it does happen, it’s settled by the majhi,” said Pratima Singha Mallik, a homemaker.

Looking for government support

Life is, however, tough for the Dhimals, and they say that the government has been ignoring their plight due to their small numbers. They have been demanding the formation of a development board to look into their problems but the government has not paid any attention, they said. 

“We don’t have any school for our children to learn our language and we’re losing our culture. We have been writing to the government to give us reservation in the Scheduled Tribe category from the present OBC category but they have done nothing,” said Pratima Mallik.

Lack of higher education is another issue that they want resolved. Only eight members of the community have pursued graduation so far. 

“We have a high dropout rate as parents prefer to get their children married as soon as they attain the minimum marriageable age,” said Pratima Mallik.  

The state government is constructing a building for the community in Ketugaburjote village. It will have a museum, a community hall and accommodation for scholars who come from outside for research on the dwindling Dhimal community. 

“The building would help us showcase our culture and tradition to those who hardly know about us. It would also offer us livelihood as the outsiders will stay here. The work is likely to be completed in the next 3-4 months,” said Garjan Mallik, who has been fighting for the rights of the Dhimals for several years. 

When contacted, a senior leader of the ruling Trinamool Congress party said on condition of anonymity that the government is working for them. 

“We don’t consider the vote bank aspect while working for the development of our people. We are constructing a new building for them and will soon take more efforts to connect them to the mainstream,” he said.

The lead image at the top shows Garjan Kumar Mallik Playing the drum (Photo by Gurvinder Singh)

Gurvinder Singh is a journalist based in Kolkata.