Korba: Ironically, superstitious practices are still prevalent among the Pahadi Korwa tribals in Chhattisgarh in this hi-tech age. Many generations of these tribals have been living in the forest and surprisingly unique traditions are being followed by these tribals.
Korba district got its name from Korwa, but even today they have not been able to join the mainstream. Experts say that their traditions and lifestyle also become hindrances in their development.
There is a unique tradition among Korwas, which can also be called superstitious, due to this, they lead a nomadic life. They build their houses in the forest with very limited resources. But, when any member of their family dies in their house. Then they abandon that house and migrate from there to some other place and build home again.
After all, what are the thoughts and misconceptions behind this? To know this, ETV Bharat reached the colony of Korwas and tried to find out why Korwas are still following this superstitious tradition.
To get out of the sad atmosphere, they demolish their houses: Chandrakumar, a youth of the Pahari Korwa tribe living in Baghmara of Ajgarbahar, has left his house. Chandrakumar lived in Bokalibhata. His parents died a month ago. After that Chandrakumar left that house. With the help of some people, he built a small house with grass and wood. Now, Chandrakumar has started living in his new house with his wife and children.
"I was very saddened by the death of my parents. The atmosphere at home had become very sad. Because of this, I dismantled our house and I was in a lot of trouble after the death of my parents as their spirits have been haunting our house. After leaving the house, I built another house," said Chandrakumar, a Korwa youth, who left home after the death of his parents.
Not getting the benefits of PM Awas Yojana, Mahtari Vandan Yojana: Chandrakumar said that he had also applied for PM Awas Yojana, but he has not allocated the house till date. He said his wife is not receiving Rs 1,000 under the Mahtari Vandana Yojana scheme. Chandra Kumar, angry at not getting the benefits of any scheme, says that all the schemes are for the city and they do not reach the poor.
It was learnt from the villagers that this practice has been going on for many centuries. Among Korwas, when a family member dies, the house is considered inauspicious and haunted by ghosts. To get out of all this, the house is demolished a new house is built and the whole family goes to live in it. Many times, people have even abandoned the houses constructed under the PM's Awas Yojana after the death of a family member. Although very few people have been allocated the PM Awas Yojana houses, some people's houses were also incomplete. Even now, the Pahari Korwas follow this tradition.
"Our house also has only one room. If the house was very big, we would have moved to another room, but due to living in a one-room house, we repeatedly feel the memories of family members and something like a ghostly obstacle. That's why we leave home. I, too, had my house demolished 12 years ago. Now I have come to another village and I have been here for almost 12 years," said Anjor Sai, elderly Pahari Korwa, Bokalibhata.
"Many times we see that efforts are being made to bring backward tribes into the mainstream. However, even those measures are not done with full willpower. But, whatever efforts are made, the traditions and such superstitious practices of the tribals become hindrances in their development," opined Prakash Sahu, a senior journalist.
The old customs of the Korwas hindered their development: Pahari Korwas are the original inhabitants of this land. Korba district also got its name from the tribe. But, the irony is that even today they are extremely backward. This tradition has been going on for centuries among the Pahari Korwas that if a family member dies, they abandon the house. Due to their nomadic lifestyle, they are still living in the rugged forests. However, the governments have brought many Korwas living in the mountains. Basic facilities have been provided for them. But, they have not been fully developed. First of all, the plans reach them half-finished and the plans die before reaching the ground. On the other hand, due to such superstitious practices, they are still living in backwardness.
Read more: Pahadi Korwa Tribal Couple And Two Children Die By Suicide In Chhattisgarh
