Bihar village pays lesser tax over misunderstood word

Due to the misinterpretation of the word Kuli by a British man, Bihar's Mahana Kuli village pays less tax. Till date, the system prevails.

Bettiah: People of Mahana Kuli pay less tax as compared to other villages due to a long-gone misunderstanding from the past. The story revolves around the word 'Kuli' which was given to this village by one of the English officers during the British era. People of the village said that labourers, who were engaged in Indigo cultivation, faced a lot of atrocities during the British era.

Upset by the treatment meted out to them, one of the labourers named Mohana, gathered the support of the workers and went to some other place to sustain their livelihood. Due to the migration of the workers, people started calling the village as Mohana.

The village started facing labour crisis prompting British officer to visit Mohana frequently and solve the problem. However, the British officer failed to find a solution.

When the officer asked about the labour crisis to an old woman, she replied in a local language, "Kulhi sabhi log kaam par gayil pa meaning everybody has gone for work."

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But the officer misheard Kulhi as Kuli (read Coolie) and misinterpreted that everyone in the village works as a coolie and they have to travel to distant places to make their ends meet.

The British man got emotional and decided to slash the tax rates in the village with the intention that people don't have to go out for their work.

And after this decision, the village was re-named as Mahana Kuli and people had to pay less tax.

Relative of Mohana Shrikanth Mishra said 'Kuli' word became a boon for us due to which we have to pay less tax.

Journalist Manoj Mishra said, "This is a matter of pride for our village that we don't have to face the brunt of taxes."

Till date, the system prevails and the village has to pay less tax.

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