Ethnographic study of Bahelia caste(with special reference to Vindhya region (Rewa, Satna, Sidhi and Shahdol districts)Report No. 633Year: 2019 _20

(1) Financial Year: 2019_2020

(2) Name of the activity 

Ethnographic study of Bahelia caste

(with special reference to Vindhya region (Rewa, Satna, Sidhi and Shahdol districts)

Report No. 633

Year: 2019 _20 

(3) TITLE OF THE PROJECT 

Ethnographic study of Bahelia caste

(with special reference to Vindhya region (Rewa, Satna, Sidhi and Shahdol districts) 

(4) Introduction: "Pardhi is said to be the tadbhav form of the Maratha word 'Pardh' which means hunting and along with the Pardhi tribe, their sub-branch 'Bahelia' has also been included. Whose main work has been hunting wild birds and small animals. In some princely states, men of Bahelia and Pardhi caste used to assist the king in hunting and used to ambush wild animals like tiger, sambhar, deer, wild buffalo etc. in the forest from all sides and bring the prey to the platform built by the king for hunting, so that the king can hunt easily.

(5) Duration * One Duration type  : Year 

(6)  Location: The Bahelia tribe resides as a scheduled tribe in Jabalpur, Katni, Hoshangabad, Seoni and other districts of the state. This caste has about 70 villages, big and small, in the surveyed districts of Vindhya region, namely Satna, Rewa, Sidhi and Shahdol. The geographical environment of the Bahelias residing in the Vindhya region and the Scheduled Tribes in other districts of the state is the same. In the Vindhya region, the residence of the Bahelias is at one end of the village, which is called Bahelia Mohalla. 

(7) Documentation: The documentation of this study has been done on the basis of implementation of government schemes for scheduled tribes, direct interaction with the beneficiaries, and documentation of research work based on the caste certificate issued to them. The difficulties faced by this community have also been assessed and documented on the basis of direct interviews.

(8) Expected Summary: This study includes geographical details of caste, concepts related to origin, historical details, material culture. The economic life of this tribe, property related concepts and inheritance, traditional occupation and their income expenditure debt status and market system have also been assessed. An attempt has been made to look at their social structure and rituals of life cycle critically. The religious life, spoken language and means of entertainment of this tribe have been compiled. An attempt has been made to know the main problems, social, economic, cultural and educational problems of this tribe through this study. The criminal conditions of this tribe and how is the attitude of the police towards them have also been observed. During this study, various reference books have also been studied and all the reference lists have been compiled in the appendix.

(9) Objective of the study: Along with Pardhi tribe, Bahelia tribe has also been given the status of Scheduled Tribe in Jabalpur, Katni, Hoshangabad, Seoni districts of the state in serial number 40 in the schedule issued for the state by the Government of India, and it has been restricted to some districts of the state. For a long time, the Bahelia caste of Vindhya region of the state has been demanding from the Madhya Pradesh government and the Government of India that the Bahelia caste of Vindhya region should also be given the benefit of Scheduled Tribe, because the Bahelia caste living in Vindhya region has a roti beti relationship with the Bahelias residing in other districts of the state who have the status of Scheduled Tribe. With this objective, as per the instructions of the Government of India and the State Government, ethnic research of Bahelia caste of Vindhya region was completed, so that the area restriction of Bahelia tribe residing in some districts of the state can be abolished and the Bahelia caste residing in the entire state can get the benefit.

(10) Methodology:Following Methodology is  used by Director Shri P.C .Meena IAS, Shri Nitiraj Singh Bhalvi Joint Director and field work is done by Shri Meharbaan Singh Bhalavi Research officer And Dr Satya Prasad Bhatta Research assistant.

There are numerous research methodologies, but here are some common ones:

1. *Quantitative Research*: Numerical data collection and analysis, often using surveys, experiments, or secondary data.

2. *Qualitative Research*: Non-numerical data collection and analysis, often using interviews, focus groups, or content analysis.

3. *Mixed Methods Research*: Combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches.

4. *Experimental Research*: Controlled experiments to test hypotheses.

5. *Survey Research*: Questionnaires or interviews to collect self-reported data.

6. *Content Analysis*: Analyzing texts, images, or videos to identify patterns or themes.

7. *Case Study Research*: In-depth examination of a single case or a small number of cases.

8. *Ethnographic Research*: Long-term observation and participation in a natural setting.

9. *Grounded Theory*: Data collection and analysis to develop a theoretical framework.

10. *Action Research*: Collaborative problem-solving with participants to address a practical issue.

11. *Phenomenological Research*: Exploring people's experiences and meanings.

12. *Discourse Analysis*: Analyzing language and communication to understand social constructs.

13. *Historical Research*: Analyzing past events, documents, or artifacts.

14. *Correlational Research*: Examining relationships between variables.

These research methodologies are not mutually exclusive, and many studies combine elements from multiple approaches.

(11)Beneficiaries: By counting the population of Bahelia, Baholia, Cheeta Pardhi, Phans, Pardhi Shikari Takankar and Takia together with the Pardhi caste, its separate population cannot be estimated as Bahelia tribe is along with the Parghi tribe. The population of Bahelia caste in the districts of Vindhya region is in the general category, hence its separate population cannot be known. But the social organization of Bahelia caste of Vindhya region has identified district wise villages and has stated their estimated population to be around fifty thousand. This population has been estimated in about ten thousand families in the districts of Vindhya region, who are the beneficiaries of this research.

(12) Other Details.......Nil 

(13) Sanctioned Date   .......Total Project Cost....