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Sonajhuri Haat

The document summarizes the Sonajhuri Haat, a weekly market located in Shantiniketan, West Bengal. Some key points: 1) The market was founded by Rabindranath Tagore and takes place every Saturday, featuring local handicrafts, folk music, and foods made with organic ingredients. 2) The market has a rustic atmosphere under the shade of Sal and Sonajhuri trees along the Kopai River. Local artisans sell wooden goods, bamboo baskets, and other handicrafts. 3) The village of Sonajhuri located near the market consists of simple earthen huts with thatched ro
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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
1K views12 pages

Sonajhuri Haat

The document summarizes the Sonajhuri Haat, a weekly market located in Shantiniketan, West Bengal. Some key points: 1) The market was founded by Rabindranath Tagore and takes place every Saturday, featuring local handicrafts, folk music, and foods made with organic ingredients. 2) The market has a rustic atmosphere under the shade of Sal and Sonajhuri trees along the Kopai River. Local artisans sell wooden goods, bamboo baskets, and other handicrafts. 3) The village of Sonajhuri located near the market consists of simple earthen huts with thatched ro
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© © All Rights Reserved
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CIA III

Integrated Approaches to Sustainable Development

Project executed by

Aratrika Dasgupta

Reg. No. 1839302

Person Interviewed :

Date & Time of Visit: 7th of March, 2020 (2 p.m. - 6 p.m.)

INSERT PIC
Introduction

In the outskirts of the Birbhum district of West Bengal you will find “Sonajhuri/Shonibarer
Haat”. This is Bengal being served in its most luscious platter. The narration that will
follow is quite away from the frills and fancies of the a modern day metropolitan city,
through the eyes of a commoner whose sole purpose of visiting this place is in search of
tranquility and peace or “shanti”, at Shantiniketan. We can dwell and elaborate a better
picture of my story later on, but first let us explore the wonders of this place, rather a
market place. It would be more than fair to call this Bengal’s best handicraft destination.
The literal meaning of the word “Sonajhuri” is “droplets of gold”
Shonibarer Haat, means or translates into the Saturday Weekly Market. It has been
officially also been hailed as the “Khoai Boner Annya Haat” where Khoia Bon are the
wonderful forests of Khoia. These forests are marvelously decorated by the eucalyptus
trees. This place is the focal destination for many tourists who flock in great numbers to
shop, look around or simply to soak in the myriad colours of this market place. To gain
further insights we need to have a comprehensive look at it’s history and for that we
need to take a step back. We will study about Shantiniketan, which had been
Rabindranath Tagore’s abode and from where Viswa-Bharati University hails.

About Shantiniketan and the Sonajhuri Haat

A tiny town situated in the Bolpur city of Birbhum district (West Bengal), Shantiniketan is
approximately 200 kms away from the capital of the state, Kolkata. In it’s earlier days
Shantiniketan had extensive forest land covering it’s land but then geographical factors
gave way and resulted in a barren look engulfing the land. This phenomenon is locally
known as khoai. But then generous and soulful efforts by botanists, resulted in plants
and trees from all over India, being cultivated in these lands. One might argue that the
nature of the surrounding areas have changed with the tide of time, but the flavor
distinctly remains the same.

The legendary poet Rabindranath Tagore is hailed as the founder and creator of the
Sonajhuri Haat, thus having a soft corner in those who hail from East India. Tagore and
his love for music go hand in hand. In a lot of his literary creations as well, you will find
colours of nature and their soothing effect on human lives. In fact, it was his attraction
with mother nature that got him in love with the Sonajhuri Forest. In this marker you
could buy handicrafts, soak deep into the folk music or lore, and indulge in local food,
made with organic ingredients. This festival as you may call it takes place over the
weekends in the khoai region. The peculiarity of this place as mentioned earlier is the
formation of canyons, due to erosion by wind and water. This place is characterised by
You will find patches of dry forest of Sonajhuri (Acacia Auriculiformis) trees on an
eroded bed of soil and the Shyambati canal on the other.

The Sonajhuri Haat reveals itseld as you keep walking across the banks of the Kopai
river with amalgamation of Sal, Sonajuri and Piyal trees. The sweet summer breeze
flowing across enthralls your mind and soul, literally hypnotizing you to walk through the
market. The local display of handicrafts by the artisans will leave you spell bound for
sure.
You could find the Haat being setup on weekdays too, but its major attraction is on the
weekends though running from late mornings to wee hours of the dusk. The cultural
diversity of the Indian Subcontinent is perhaps portrayed in its best form over here. The
music scene of the Baul(s) is supported by the platter of goods for sale. You could
argue that both of them work in tandem over here.

The Ambience & Attractions (Activities/Programmes)

The local jive and vibe of Baul’s will enthrall and captivate you. The Baul is a person
playing a stringed musical organ and also signing at the same time. The tonality is more
towards tribal or folk music. They are the leading star performers of this music scene.
Live performances on the by-lanes with the rhythmic beats of the traditional folk musical
instruments will enchant a spell over you. If you are lucky you might also find the local
tribal dancers, tip tapping their feet in harmony. The vocal sound displayed by them will
send chills down your spine. Variety of wooden items are dime a dozen with options in
musical instruments as well. These instruments are also hand carved with no factory
being involved but them being limited to traditional stores only. Wooden chairs and
household items can also be found here with are quite unique and cater to a niche
crowd. Artistically woven baskets with bamboo is another attraction over here. Cutlery
made from wood and terracotta are found in plenty too. The handicrafts and artifacts
found over here ranging from being utilitarian to being mere pieces on your mantel from
are iconic to the region of Bolpur, the artisan’s being from there itself.The unique selling
point of this market being selling off their daily produce of vegetables, unlike any other
shops or markets here they bring in their weekly produces and sell them directly to the
customers. traditional food items are also fantastic over here. Kantha embroidered
sarees and various jewelries made from terracotta, dokra and seeds.are also a rage
over here.

It is worth while to note that the draw of this market is solely due to the use of local raw
materials and indigenous craftsmanship. Locally grown Kashi ghas baskets, trinket
boxes, are good examples of such. The cultural harmony and revival of traditional art
which are otherwise ploughed by profit seeking commercial houses are seen blooming
in their full form. The back to basics in the land of milk and honey in a nation that
contributed to about 27 % of the global GDP before colonization by the English has
indeed been a game changer. The nation’s glory will always lie in the villages with
indigenous craftsmanship and agriculture. An attempt to overpower or rather un settle
this idea will of course give you short term thills but a sad devasting end.
Structure and Way of Functioning (Collaborations/network with government or other
organizations)

With being mentioned quite a few times , the hut sets its doors open early noon or late
morning as you call lit , but however an increment in footfall is noticed as dusk
approaches. during the noon. This market is run by local artisans and artisits who have
an entire array of products on display. The governing body is however the Tourism
Department of Government of West Bengal. Well trying to locate it is an easy affair, as it
is hardly 2-3 km from Shantiniketan and 5 kms approximately from the Bolpur station. In
addition to the galore of items and the music blending in, there are also Tribal women or
adivasis dancing to folk songs. In the recent times though, sellers who aren’t locals of
Shantiniketan are also flocking over here in hopes of making a sale. Adding to the raw
uncensored flavor, there is no electricity over here in this market and therefore they
close shops at dusk.

Working & Living Conditions

The village or settlement of Sonajhuri is a classic example of a small clustered


settlement, being completely rural in nature. Earthen huts arranged in clusters with an
inner courtyard, having thatched roof is a common sight over here. They look decently
maintained and tidy as well with hygiene given utmost importance. The heritage of
decorating their walls or other interior area’s with earthen artifacts or paintings have
been culturally imbibed in them. Drawing light to the caste system, the majority of the
population here belong to the Schedules tribes (STs) , with a very few belonging to
general and scheduled castes people.

It is a well-known fact that occupational engagements of the society depend to a certain


degree on the use of physical and economic use of land. A further little prod into the
subject would be beneficial in understanding the scenario at hand. Socio economic
development are best understood by occupational structure and dependency ratio. With
major surveys being carried out it has been concluded that daily labour is the major
occupation, followed by migrated and agricultural labour. (3.51%), Service providers
and businesses are not a major draw here, with amounting to only about 0.88%. This
might be attributed to their way of living which is unique and does not require
standardization and relies more on utilization of natural resources. The needs are met
by the forest and they collect it without disturbing the eco-system or harming it in any
way. Existential harmony with a model based on sustainable development is at use
here, in the very pure form. Machines are used of course but they are as simple as we
have learnt about them in high school physics. The folk over here, are only bothered
about its mechanical advantage rather than it being a portrayal of class, strata or
wealth, like the urban cultured people. But with the advent of modernization all of this
might change and the fast lane might just catch up with the remote villages, such as the
one in concern here. It is no secret that a high fraction of the society earn their bread as
daily labour, with child labour looming at large across both genders. This might hint at
social and economic under development by certain tools and markers.

One can argue that modernization is a stepping stone in every culture, settlement and
thus we find that true in this village also. Impacts of modernization are noticeable
among There has a sparked increment in the usage of modern-day amenities like
television, radio sets, transmitters, mobile devices and also cooking alliance. It wouldn’t
be wrong to say that modern amenities have crept in and are here to stay. However, on
the lee side of thigs, infrastructure in this village has been poor and subpar and water
availability and pumping resources have still not developed. Villagers still use deep bore
hand pumps, called tube wells, to pump out water for their needs. You will find a club or
a community in this village which again is in line with modern methods of functioning.
Roads are also poor over here and need attention, Schools and colleges are present
but the literacy rates do not justify them. The renowned Viswa-Bharti, founded by
Rabindranath Tagore does little good to fluttering scholars too.

Another feature in this village is migration, thus the lack of a steady population. These
people migrate to other area’s neighboring towns and cities and are easily employed.
The reason for the same being highly skilled, honest and simplicity in their approach.
Their calm nature earns them accolades where ever they set foot.

Changes on the basis of cultural environment:

There have been changes in their cultural environment due to the advent of modern
way of life, but however the affect has not been that deep rooted. Families still don their
traditional attire on festivals, decorate their cottages by hand made designs out of a
mixture of chalk powder and water, locally known as “alpona”. There are however
exceptions but they do not justify the findings of the study or several research attempts.

Changes of their daily life due to the growing intervention by the outsiders:

Frequent tourism has it’s flaws too, and one such major one is affecting the local
people’s socio-cultural behavior. An un balanced development tends to take place
which disturbs the harmony of the natural process.
Socio-economic status

Dearth of large scale industries in the district might be poised as a problem,with


principal industries being cotton and silk harvesting, weaving, rice and oilseed milling,
Lac harvesting, and metal ware/ pottery manufacturing. 8,883 small and medium scale
industries do flourish here with the only exception of Bakreshwar Thermal Power Station
a heavy industry in the district. It is no secret that a large number of the working people
earns their livelihood as daily labour with child labour looming at large too. This might be
looked upon as regions of strata’s of under development.

You will also find cottages industries, among which potteries, woodworks and dress
materials are remarkable. Some of their traditional crafts and artwork have slightly been
modified in the present day under the influence of modernization. A saddening piece of
information is that the newer generation do not want to hone their family skills, but are in
search of a new occupation. Upon further investigation, this can be explained. It was
found that mostly the people of old generation and middle-age are engaged in this work
of tribal art and culture; because of the fact that these matured people believe in their
inherited ethical value and have devotion to maintain their inherited education of art. On
the other hand a large contingent of the young generation have so much been
influenced by modern global culture that they do not have the patience to learn their
own artwork and continue with it. With modern production as competition, their produce
and art do suffer as cheaper alternatives are available. They have the upper hand as it
takes a closer look to appreciate the beauty and charm of their indigenous work, which
can never be compared to a mass produced item. Sadly though very few customers
have the patience or the eye to observe such intricate details.

Originally this village had a


remote nature-based unique identity. Hence under the growing
impact of urbanization andmodernization from the nearby area
of Bolpur its traditional identity with its nature-based remote
social life come under threat of extinction. ii. The new and
young generation of this village, has come under regular contact
with the civilized world with advance education and job
attachments, are gradually deviating from the practices and
heritage and ethical values of their tribal cultural. iii. The people
as a whole have a growing tendency to copy the so-called urban
life style ignoring their cultural festivals and rituals, which were
once very colorful and attractive. iv. The handicrafts and art
work of this village in the past were very attractive and
lucrative. Some villagers are still engaged in this profession but
since the do not get good value of their products they are losing
their interest in craftsmanship and energy of work day by day. v.
Money appears to have become more important than ethics and
social values earlier the villagers were proud of. This change
tends to create a detrimental effect upon the life and cultural of
this tribal society as a whole.
Originally this village had a
remote nature-based unique identity. Hence under the growing
impact of urbanization andmodernization from the nearby area
of Bolpur its traditional identity with its nature-based remote
social life come under threat of extinction. ii. The new and
young generation of this village, has come under regular contact
with the civilized world with advance education and job
attachments, are gradually deviating from the practices and
heritage and ethical values of their tribal cultural. iii. The people
as a whole have a growing tendency to copy the so-called urban
life style ignoring their cultural festivals and rituals, which were
once very colorful and attractive. iv. The handicrafts and art
work of this village in the past were very attractive and
lucrative. Some villagers are still engaged in this profession but
since the do not get good value of their products they are losing
their interest in craftsmanship and energy of work day by day. v.
Money appears to have become more important than ethics and
social values earlier the villagers were proud of. This change
tends to create a detrimental effect upon the life and cultural of
this tribal society as a whole.
Originally this village had a
remote nature-based unique identity. Hence under the growing
impact of urbanization andmodernization from the nearby area
of Bolpur its traditional identity with its nature-based remote
social life come under threat of extinction. ii. The new and
young generation of this village, has come under regular contact
with the civilized world with advance education and job
attachments, are gradually deviating from the practices and
heritage and ethical values of their tribal cultural. iii. The people
as a whole have a growing tendency to copy the so-called urban
life style ignoring their cultural festivals and rituals, which were
once very colorful and attractive. iv. The handicrafts and art
work of this village in the past were very attractive and
lucrative. Some villagers are still engaged in this profession but
since the do not get good value of their products they are losing
their interest in craftsmanship and energy of work day by day. v.
Money appears to have become more important than ethics and
social values earlier the villagers were proud of. This change
tends to create a detrimental effect upon the life and cultural of
this tribal society as a whole.
The Concluding Part (Your Learning and reflection

Your observation or suggestions)

If you are travelling to the eastern part of India and interested to experience specifically
the beauty of the Bengal folk and tribal culture, then you must not miss out visiting this
lively market at Sonajhuri. It showcases the immense talent of the local artists in carving
several handmade products, made of wood, terracotta, bamboo stripes and threads.
You can even enjoy the elaborate authentic Bengali Thali or meal near the Sonajhuri
forest. I bet you will not be disappointed.

It is a rustic rural event to find buried traditional treasures

Art lover’s paradise

amalgamation of different walks of life and People from far away places and Cities like
Kolkata visit

breath of fresh air

rural tourism at its bets in tagore’s homeland

pithe puli on one side, baul soulful songs on the other

carnival of colors is a treat to the eyes

FLEA MARKET Red soil

Positives

Reforestation programs taken up from the


Government level has given a better natural environmental for
the people living here compared to the past time when this
village environment became very harsh after mass deforestation.
ii. Under the social and cultural influence of the recently
developed areas around this village this tribal community has
obtained opportunities to exchange views with the people of
other communities which have helped them to improve their
own culture through emancipation from their previously
maintained orthodox views. iii. Social and economic
development in the surrounding areas has given them various
job opportunities and thus scope of improving their standard of
living. Under the Government
enterprise (10 day’s work opportunities) many people have now
absorbed in various jobs and their economic level has become
improve a lot. With the regular exchanges with visiting tourists
in this village the products of indigenous tribal arts and crafts
have got some market, thus encouraging them in further
development and production of their commodities of these
kinds.
Negative impact: i. Most important questionable part of this
village is related with changing pattern of traditional cultural
identity. Due to adaptation of modern culture and also mixing
culture affect the initial traditional socio-economical and
cultural scenario of this village. Originally this village had a
remote nature-based unique identity. Hence under the growing
impact of urbanization andmodernization from the nearby area
of Bolpur its traditional identity with its nature-based remote
social life come under threat of extinction. ii. The new and
young generation of this village, has come under regular contact
with the civilized world with advance education and job
attachments, are gradually deviating from the practices and
heritage and ethical values of their tribal cultural. iii. The people
as a whole have a growing tendency to copy the so-called urban
life style ignoring their cultural festivals and rituals, which were
once very colorful and attractive. iv. The handicrafts and art
work of this village in the past were very attractive and
lucrative. Some villagers are still engaged in this profession but
since the do not get good value of their products they are losing
their interest in craftsmanship and energy of work day by day. v.
Money appears to have become more important than ethics and
social values earlier the villagers were proud of. This change
tends to create a detrimental effect upon the life and cultural of
this tribal society as a whole.

Negatives

Originally this village had a


remote nature-based unique identity. Hence under the growing
impact of urbanization andmodernization from the nearby area
of Bolpur its traditional identity with its nature-based remote
social life come under threat of extinction. ii. The new and
young generation of this village, has come under regular contact
with the civilized world with advance education and job
attachments, are gradually deviating from the practices and
heritage and ethical values of their tribal cultural. iii. The people
as a whole have a growing tendency to copy the so-called urban
life style ignoring their cultural festivals and rituals, which were
once very colorful and attractive. iv. The handicrafts and art
work of this village in the past were very attractive and
lucrative. Some villagers are still engaged in this profession but
since the do not get good value of their products they are losing
their interest in craftsmanship and energy of work day by day. v.
Money appears to have become more important than ethics and
social values earlier the villagers were proud of. This change
tends to create a detrimental effect upon the life and cultural of
this tribal society as a whole.

In this globalized arena Sonajhuri, a purely tribal village of


Santhal community still exists with its own identity of
distinguished economy, culture and lifestyle. Natural beauty of
this village and its adjoining Khoai landscape attract people not
only from different parts of this geographical region but also
from foreign countries whoever come to visit Santiniketan.
Most of the people are engaged as agricultural Labourer and
more than 88.67 percent are landless agricultural labours. Some
of the inhabitants of this village are engaged in handicraft
industry, and also in pottery and other cottage industries. Before
impact of globalization, the village livelihood and way of life
style was fully depend on nature and almost all the people
were collect wood, leaves , varieties of fruits and various type
of wild animals for their livelihood. Now a day’s, most of the
people change their occupation due to restriction of forest rules
and regulation as well as scarcity of forest resources. Still
housing condition is very bad and most of the family lived in
huts which are made by bamboo, leaves and wood. They often
boast of their own language Al-Chiki, but it has been found that
even among the educated people a very handful can really read,
write and create literature in this language.
Recommendations: In all respect Sonajhuri can be considered a
model village with unique physical as well as cultural
environment of the people of Santhal tribe. On the basis of the
above observations on the village and findings through
interpretation of information and data as collected and generated
the following recommendations have been made for sustainable
development of Sonajhuri village as well the tribal community
living here. i. To preserve the unique tribal culture developed
amidst the nature this village should be declared a heritage
village and plans should be formulated accordingly. ii.
Aforestation programme should be initiated among tribal
population and government should be taken special programme
for sake of tribal culture under social forestry programme. So
that the real forest environment, as it existed in the past and has
been degraded in recent times, can be regained. Under this
programme people of this can be encouraged and taught to make
active role in the maintenance of the regained forest
environment. iii. Restriction of forest law should be minimizes
and launch alternative programme for the Sonajhuri tribal
inhabitants so that they can live happily and enjoy their desire
occupation. iv. Forest based industries should be set up in this
village which can help the protection their own culture and
occupation likely bidi making industry, Leaves plate making
industry because of availability of Sal leaves and kendu leaves.
It may lead to improve of standard of living as well as
development of socio-economic status. v. Self-help group are to
be formed among the tribal of Sonajhuri villagers and govt,
should be launch minimum support programme which can help
to change their attitude and adapt new occupations. NGOs can
play important role in this venture as is seen elsewhere. vi.
Government should be established various type of permanent
training and awareness programme with involve of village
educated people and given special attention to improve their
social status for protection of forest as well as nations progress.
vii. Due to presence of middle man, they do not get faire price
for their own products because various unique type of
production produced by tribal people which is specially made
by forest products. viii. Besides, minimum infrastructure should
be provided for leading of better life likely transport, medical
facilities and others.

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