Bauri (caste)

Bauri

Bauri bearer and grass cutter, from a 1799 collection of etchings
Total population
c. 1.9 million (2011, census)
Regions with significant populations
India
West Bengal	1,228,635 [1]
Odisha	523,127 [2]
Jharkhand	186,356 [3]
Bihar	2,233 [4]
Languages
Regional languages (Bengali, Odia)
Religion
Hinduism

Bauri is a caste primarily residing in the state of West Bengal, India where it is considered as one of the Scheduled Castes. ^{[5] [6]} There are significant populations in the states of Odisha, Jharkhand and Bihar. They are usually involved in activities like farming, mainly as agricultural labourers. ^[7]

Bauris numbered 1,091,022 in the 2001 census in the state of West Bengal. 37.5 per cent of the Bauris were literate - 51.8 per cent males and 22.7 per cent females were literate. Only 4.7 per cent of the Bauris were matriculates or completed schooling. ^[8]

Distribution

They are primarily residing in Bengal found in large numbers in Bankura, Birbhum, Purulia and other districts in Indian state of West Bengal, Assam, Tripura and Orissa. ^[9] The village of Purbo Tila in Chatlapur Tea Garden, Kulaura and Dakchara Tea Garden, Srimangal, Moulvibazar District are also home to Bauri communities in Bangladesh.^{[ citation needed ]} They are also found in many villages like Chhatna and Beliatore.

Practices

Traces of totemism still survive in their reverence for the red-backed heron. The heron is looked upon as the emblem of the community. ^[10]

Classification

The Bauri caste is categorised as a Scheduled Caste in West Bengal, ^[6] Odisha, Jharkhand, and Bihar, while in Assam, they are recognised as an Ex Tea garden community and the Bauri of Assam and Tripura placed within the Other Backward Classes. ^{[11] [12] [13]}

Notable people

• Sandhya Bauri, MP from Bishnupur (Lok Sabha constituency)
• Susmita Bauri, MP from Bishnupur (Lok Sabha constituency)
• Amar Kumar Bauri, MLA in Jharkhand Legislative Assembly

References

1. "A-10 Appendix: District wise scheduled caste population (Appendix), West Bengal - 2011".
2. "A-10 Appendix: District wise scheduled caste population (Appendix), Odisha - 2011".
3. "A-10 Appendix: District wise scheduled caste population (Appendix), Jharkhand - 2011".
4. "A-10 Appendix: District wise scheduled caste population (Appendix), Bihar - 2011".
5. Kundu, Santosh Kumar (2008). Bengali Hindu Jati Parichay (in Bengali). Kolkata: Presidency Library. ISBN   978-81-89466-13-8.
6. "বাউরী সম্প্রদায়ের উৎপত্তির ইতিহাস ও ঐতিহাসিক পর্যালোচনা". নবজাগরণ. 25 March 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
7. Chandra, Uday; Heierstad, Geir; Nielsen, Kenneth Bo (25 September 2015). The Politics of Caste in West Bengal. Routledge. pp. 125–144. ISBN   978-1-317-41477-3.
8. "West Bengal, Census of India 2001" (PDF). Office of the Registrar General, India. Retrieved 28 June 2009.
9. "Bauri". www.scstrti.in. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
10. Bauri. Dr Suresh Kumar Sahu. 6 March 2019.
11. "Tea Tribe Community" (Press release). 31 August 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
12. "Central OBC list for Assam" (PDF). ncbc nic.in.
13. "LIST OF OBCs IN TRIPURA AS APPROVED BY THE GOVT. OF INDIA" (PDF). www.tripurascobcrm.nic.in.

Bibliography

• Singh, K. S. (1993). The Scheduled Castes. Anthropological Survey of India. pp. 175–181. ISBN   978-0-19-563254-5.
• Mohapatra, Manmohan (1978). Bauri of Bhubaneswar (PDF). Bhubaneswar: Tribal and Harijan Research-cum-Training Institute. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 August 2022.
• Das, Debajyoti (1962). The Bauris Of West Bengal. Kolkata: Academic publisher. Archived from the original on 24 January 2017.
• Shasmal, Kartick Chandra (1972). The Bauris of West Bengal: A Socio-economic Study. Indian Publications.
• Sengupta, Nirmal (1979). Destitutes and Development: A Study of the Bauri Community in the Bokaro Region. Concept Publishing Company.