Problems of Tharu Tribe in Contemporary India: A Social-Scientific Study with Special Reference to Uttar Pradesh

This research paper is based on the Tharu tribe of Uttar Pradesh, in which the problems related to their lives and the factors responsible for them have been investigated and suggestions for solutions have also been given. Tharu tribe is an important tribe of Uttar Pradesh which is moving on the ladder of postmodernity along with its cultural heritage. Processes like acceptance of modern values, increasing population pressure, lack of employment opportunities, forest acquisition have affected their lives. Among these, some communities have prospered at various levels, while some people have moved below the poverty line. But both are facing problems. It is certain that their forms are different in which the present era of globalization and communication has enabled some Tharu tribe people to move beyond locality and connect with the larger mainstream society but in this journey many aspects of their life, culture have been left behind. At the same time the Tharu community outside the mainstream is still marginalized. Along with various problems with some differences, the identity of these people remains in crisis. Therefore, in the presented research paper an attempt has been made to look at the problems occurring among them from a sociological perspective.