Migrating Sheep Herders Return from Bhabar to Bugyala with Onset of Summer 2024

Bageshwar (Uttarakhand): With the onset of the summer, sheep herders or 'Anwals' who migrate to the Bhabar region during the harsh winter have started returning to Bugyala with their herd. Anwals take their sheep to graze in the areas adjacent to the Himalayan region for six months.

A group of Anwals, which left Bhabar region Haldwani 26 days ago with about 800 sheep, has reached Bageshwar after passing through various stops. The team will make three halts in Bageshwar after which it will enter the Munsiyari border of Pithoragarh district. 

It will take about 12 more days to reach Munsiyari where they will stay for a month. Then, the team will go to Bugyals of Johar. After getting down from Bugyala at the end of September, the team will proceed to Bhabar in November.

The Anwals live in the Bugyal of Munsiyari in summer and the forests of Gaulapar in winter. In November, a group of Anwals sets out on a journey from Munsiyari to Gaulapar with a herd of sheep. 

Malak Singh of Ratirketi village Kapkot has been working as a shepherd for about 50 years. His team consists of sheep, dogs from different species, and horses to carry goods and employees. After reaching Gaulapar in December, this group spends three months in the forests there. There is a departure for Munsiyari again in the second fortnight of March.

Dham Singh, who has been working as Anwal for years, says that a lot has changed now. "Earlier there were thousands of sheep in the group. Now the number has reduced to hundreds. Not everyone wants to do this work as it has become extremely difficult," he added.  

He also said that along with the unruly elements on the way, some forest workers also increase their problems by creating chaos at locations where they have been making their camps for decades. 

To travel from mountain to plain and from plain to mountain, the team passes through paths which are hundred years old. After coming to Munsiyari from Bugyal, the first stop of the team is Kalamuni. From there, they enter the Bageshwar border via Rattapani, Kakarsingh Band, Bakhar Dhar and stop at Anwal Jhopra. 

When the group of Anwals reached Bageshwar, the assistant nodal officer of the SVEEP (Systematic Voters' Education and Electoral Participation) team asked them to return home and cast their vote on April 19.