Ranchi
Bathudi or Bathuri is a Scheduled Tribe found mainly in the north western part of Odisha. Some Bathudis, however, migrated to neighbouring States of Jharkhand and West Bengal. The 2011 Census report states their total population to be around 2. 21 lakh.
“In Jharkhand, they number just around 5,000,” Anuj Kumar, who teaches Mass Communication at Gossner College in Ranchi and who has now captured the tribe on reel, tells The Indian Tribal.
Bathudis claim themselves to be descendants of Balram and Subhadra (siblings of Lord Krishna), Anuj points out.
As per the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Research and Training Institute (SCSTRTI) of Odisha, which is the oldest Tribal Research Institute in India, the Bathudis are one of the highly Hinduised tribes. They observe local Hindu festivals and worship Hindu deities along with other tribal deities including the deities of Sarna — the sacred grove. They practise both cremation and burial for the dead.
“Marriages are monogamous though there are few cases of polygyny in their society. Marriage through negotiation is commonly practised and bride price both in cash and kind is given to the brides’ parents before marriage. Other modes of acquiring mates such as by service and by capture have become rare. Marriage of widows, widowers, divorcees, junior levirate and sororate are permissible, but cross cousin marriage is tabooed,” it states.
The half an hour documentary or ethnographic film on Bathudi, by the same name, has been “logistically supported” by the Ranchi-based Dr Ram Dayal Munda Tribal Research Institute.
Anuj has depicted the rich cultural heritage of Bathudis despite their “socio-economic constraints” in the rapidly changing scenario. The documentation includes the various social rituals of the Bathudis ranging from birth to death; and their struggle to make a living and meet the ‘essentials’ of various social, religious and spiritual ‘essentials’ among others.
The Bathudis like many other tribes viz., Sounti, Bhumija, Lodha, Sudha and Saora, stress on their Savara identity and the Savars associate themselves with Lord Jagannath. They celebrate festivals like Dussehra, Makar Sankranti, and Kali Puja among others.
Anuj, who has already bagged several felicitations in the film arena on domestic and cross-border forums, points out that in Jharkhand, the Bathudi tribe is mainly based in the Baharagora block of East Singhbhum district with agriculture and manual labour being their main source of livelihood.
Anuj claims this is the first film on Bathudis based on authentic documentations – mainly based on the versions of living locals. “These have been elaborated through folklores and local musical instruments,” he emphasizes adding, “Be it the worship of Badam (or Baram) Devta or the presentation of Chhagu dance form, we have tried to give our best”.
Dr Ram Dayal Munda Tribal Research Institute Director Ranendra Kumar informs The Indian Tribal that efforts are on to produce more such ethnographic films. Steps have been initiated to make “Bathudi” readily available on OTT and YouTube forums, he points.
