ORAL HISTORIES : EXPLORING THE

STORIES UNTOLD

DURGAPUR: THE 18TH CENTURY VILLAGE

Angela Rajeev

Register No. 2330912

3HPe

Department of International Studies, Political Science and History

School of Humanities and Social Science

(July 2024)
 1. Introduction

The study of oral history involves obtaining, preserving, and analyzing the testimonies and

recollections of individuals, groups, and participants in historical events. Historically speaking only a

small minority of people in every civilization could read and write, and it was usually these very

individuals who ruled, left records, and documented history, therefore the better part of written history has

been about elites. This gave rise to the need to study the undocumented history of the common man. This

non-elite method has often been referred to as "bottom-up history."

Hence this paper explores and documents the socio-economic and cultural plight of the Mahadalit

community in Durgapur, district Bodh Gaya, through the lens of oral narratives, providing a

comprehensive understanding of their lived experiences and challenges. This study aims to improve our

comprehension of the dynamics of social development among Dalits at the village level by providing

insight into the past and providing a window into the present. It therefore seeks to give a biography of

these places. We may explore how different people within the same community of Durgapur perceive the

past and speak about it in different ways thanks to testimonies and the memories they evoke.

1.1 Aims and Objectives

❖ To document oral histories from members of the Mahadalit community in Durgapur to capture

their personal and collective experiences.

❖ Analyze the current socio-economic status of the Mahadalit community, focusing on aspects such

as occupation, education, living conditions and caste-division.

❖ Investigate the activity of government policies and social programs on the community's

development.

❖ Identify and document the primary challenges faced by the Mahadalit community, including

discrimination, social exclusion, and economic hardships.

1.2 Significance of the Study

The purpose here is to draw satisfactory attention to narratives of the Mahadalit community of

Durgapur. There is at the moment a dearth of data available on this niche community as no previous work

has been done on this subject. This study is structured to target the gaps and shed light to the ignored

voices and lived experiences of this marginalized community.

By documenting the oral histories of the Mahadalit community, this research will preserve the

unique experiences and narratives of a marginalized group that has historically been excluded from

mainstream historical accounts. By understanding their lived experiences, the study highlights systemic

inequities and the impact of caste-based discrimination on their lives.

The absence of existing literature on the Mahadalit community of Durgapur indicates a significant

gap in academic knowledge. This paper aims to contribute to the broader field of Dalit studies, social

anthropology, and Indian history by providing new insights into the everyday lives of villagers of

Durgapur.

1.3 Scope and Limitation of the Study

The proposed research is limited to the oral narratives of the Mahadalit community of Durgapur.

The scope of present purpose research study is to investigate marginalized voices and experiences of the

“non elites”. These narratives expressed the condition of their individual life along with the situation of

their own communities. They presented their sufferings, caste discrimination, humiliation, subjugation,

exploitation at various levels etc.

The limitation of this proposed research is that there is not enough information available on this

niche community.

2. Review of Literature
 Review of literature encompassed an exploration on relevant subject matter in the field of Dalit

historical accounts. Multiple scholars have conducted research in this general field such as J.H. Hutton’s

and his work Caste in India (1969) which critically examines the origins of the caste system in Indian

society and offers a detailed analysis of caste stratification and status determination. Alexandra De

Heering’s Speak, memory: Oral Histories of Kodaikanal Dalits, revolves around Dalitorial Narratives

which aim to make Dalits vocalize and interpret their lived experiences. The aforementioned books were

used to gain insight into approaching oral history documentation.

3. Methodology

In order to conduct this research, we have employed interview methodology of oral history to

delve deep into the lives of the people of Durgapur in Bihar. This qualitative approach paved the way for

a distinct understanding of villagers' lived experiences, and views. By engaging in face-to-face

conversations, we were able to ask open-ended questions, fostering rich and detailed responses. This

method proved invaluable in uncovering underlying motivations, exploring intricate phenomena, and

capturing the richness of human experience. Through careful probing and active listening, we created a

space for the villagers to articulate their thoughts freely, contributing to the generation of in-depth and

contextualized data. For this research we have taken a already done interview as our primary source

Interview: https://youtu.be/j6wDNhobSIU?si=uPDp95WIaJetpkaZ

4. Introduction to Durgapur Village

Durgapur is situated in the Khagaria subdivision of Bihar, India. The village is located 6km away

from Khagaria, which serves as both the district and sub-district headquarters. In 2009, Rahimpur Madhya

was registered as the gram panchayat of Durgapur village.

 “The total geographical area of the village is 351 hectares. Durgapur has a total population of

6,034 peoples, out of which male population is 3,248 while female population is 2,786. Literacy rate of

Durgapur village is 47.08% out of which 52.52% males and 40.74% females are literate. There are about

1,243 houses in Durgapur village. The Pin code of Durgapur village locality is 851204” (Durgapur

Village in Khagaria, Bihar | Villageinfo.in, 2011).

(Picture:1.1 Durgapur Village)

(https://youtu.be/j6wDNhobSIU?si=P0JesPjUF6USKGqq)

4.1 Housing facilities

Time Stamp: 9:03-9:32

Transcript: 00:09:02.160 So when it rains, it gets fully filled?

00:09:05.052 Yes, it gets fully filled.

00:09:06.160 If the drains were repaired, there would be no problem.

00:09:10.540 Filled drains are a huge problem.

00:09:14.900 And there are no toilets here?

00:09:17.400 Toilets are provided.

00:09:19.400 There are toilets.

00:09:21.400 I have a toilet.

00:09:23.400 We use it.

00:09:25.018 We get electricity bills from the government.

00:09:28.400 We get a card.

00:09:30.400 We get electricity bills every month.

00:09:32.400 Sometimes it's 5,000, sometimes it's 6,000.

We see the village still lacks proper infrastructural planning with poor levels of basic facilities

like water, electricity and infrastructure. Most families with about 4-5 members live in a single room

which acts like a bedroom, hall as well as the kitchen. All the houses here are “Kutcha Makaans” which

are constructed with grass, mud, bamboo and stones. People have aspirations of having proper houses and

they critique the government for not implementing schemes like Indra Awas yojana for their village. Lack

of proper planning has resulted in poor drainage systems that lead to the people facing floods in time of

monsoon. Through people’s accounts we also saw fraudulent activity in the village with the electricity

bills. Despite not having the most basic electrical appliances these people face electricity reaching up to

5-6k a month. In the summer, we see people sleeping outside their houses on the ground. The family first

wets the area where they have to sleep in order to cool down the temperature and then lay the carpet on

which they sleep. The dearth of water is something people in Durgapur have to deal with on a daily basis.

With only empty taps the people are not able to meet their requirements. Further, even basic subsistence is

also a luxury for some people. With monthly wages of 9k to 12k it gets difficult for people to arrange

basic subsistence thus resorting to begging to get food. Despite all this, public toilets are something which

is available to people with the proper awareness about the same.

(Picture:1.2 Housings in Durgapur)

(https://youtu.be/j6wDNhobSIU?si=P0JesPjUF6USKGqq)

4.2 Occupation

Time Stamp: 17:52-18:30

Transcript:

00:17:56.480 How much do you make in a day?

00:17:58.480 300 rupees.

00:18:00.480 300 rupees. How much more?

00:18:02.480 400 rupees.

00:18:04.480 400 is not enough.

00:18:06.480 But you get 400.

00:18:08.480 But what will we do with 400?

00:18:10.480 Where do you go? Do you work in the fields?

00:18:12.480 Yes.

00:18:14.480 There is work to cut wheat and rice.

00:18:16.480 We work...

00:18:18.480 Since we are women, we get 5 kilos of rice.

00:18:20.480 We get 5 kg rice.

00:18:22.480 We go to work.

00:18:24.480 The Indian government says that they will give ration.

00:18:28.480 Do they get ration?

00:18:30.480 Yes, they give ration.

Through the set of interviews, we get to know that the village of Durgapur lacks suitable job

opportunities with only low and semi-skilled jobs available. As most of the people have access to only a

secondary level of education at best, most of the people end up doing wage labor with a daily wage of

rupees 300-400. Apart from monetary wages, wages are also given in the form of rice and wheat

especially to the female workers. In the village itself the job opportunities include working as laborers in

agricultural fields. In order to sustain their families most of the male members of the family migrate to

nearby towns and cities to perform low skilled jobs. Most of the time these people migrate for about half a

year leaving their wife to look after the house and children. None of the government schemes for

providing jobs seems to have been active in the village with people engaging themselves in unorganized

sectors. As these people belong to the lower strata of the caste hierarchy these people have no access to

agricultural land or any other resources for those matters. Thus, with limited education these people

depend on odd jobs in the cities and agricultural duties in the village to sustain themselves and their

families.

(Picture 1.3 Jobs in Durgapur)

 (https://youtu.be/j6wDNhobSIU?si=P0JesPjUF6USKGqq)

4.3 Education

Time stamps: 3:45- 3:49; 22:37- 22:42

Transcript: 00:03:45.600 How far will you educate them?

00:03:46.960 Till 10th class:

00:03:48.440 It is a big thing if a Harijan's child studies even that much.

00:22:37.382 What do you want for your children's future?

00:22:38.840 I want to educate them.

00:22:41.840 I want to make them IAS.

People in the village have limited scope for education. Having access to higher forms of

education seems impossible with the lack of appropriate opportunities and infrastructure in the village.

The only access to education we see is through the Sujata academy, a school opened by the Junto Society

that provides elementary and secondary education to the villagers free of cost. Apart from that we see no
available opportunities for people to educate themselves. We also we a role of caste in the mindset of

most of the people with the general notion being “ एक हरिजन के लिए माध्यमिक शिक्षा तक पहुँचना भी बहुत

बड़ी बात है ” meaning it is quite big for a harijan (caste) to reach even secondary education. However, we

also see that some people have different notions of education with hopes of higher education for their

children, wanting them to break the barriers of caste hierarchy and get a well settled job like civil services

etc. It is quite fascinating to know that despite such limited forms of education people are quite vocal and

critical about their condition critiquing the failure of modern society and the government in keeping such

villages downtrodden.

(Picture:1.4 Education possibilities in Durgapur)

(https://youtu.be/j6wDNhobSIU?si=P0JesPjUF6USKGqq)

4.4 Caste system

(Picture: 1.5 Caste system in Durgapur)

 (https://youtu.be/j6wDNhobSIU?si=uPDp95WIaJetpkaZ)

Time stamps: 1:40 – 1:55

Transcript: 00:01:39.088 What are the businesses people do here?

00:01:41.885 Harijans are there.

00:01:42.833 Okay.

00:01:43.801 All Bhuiya people.

00:01:44.917 Which caste?

00:01:46.032 Bhuiya.

00:01:49.147 Alright, SC?

00:01:50.000 Yes, SC.

00:01:52.000 So, is everyone from the same caste?

00:01:54.510 Yes, everyone from the same caste lives here.

 Durgapur is a homogenous village with all its inhabitants belonging to the category of “Maha

Dalit – During his tenure in 2007 Nitish Kumar introduced the Maha Dalit category after the Bihar State

Maha Dalit Commission advocated for the inclusion of 18 SCs in the list.

Within the umbrella of Maha Dalits there are multiple castes that live in the village. The most prominently

castes living there are namely

Bhuiya Caste

Paswan Caste

As this is a lower caste village, we see no signs of upper caste like brahmins or thakurs and only

see dominant castes like Yadavs that tend to control certain resources in the society, thus we see a

fascinating phenomenon of minimal discrimination and subtle solidarity among the people uniting in

common discrimination.

Junto Society

(Picture 1.6 Junto Society)

https://www.jungtosociety.org/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india/
Time stamp: 2:54- 2:59; 15:35-15:47

Transcript: 00:02:54.000 Did the Indian government do anything?

00:02:55.255 No, sir. JTS has given us a lot of work.

00:02:57.000 JTS?

00:02:59.000 Is it the same in the other villages?

00:15:35.480 Our organization is called Sujata Academy; our children are studying here.

00:15:40.480 Our hand pump and other water facilities are provided by Sujata.

00:15:46.480 The government has not done anything here.

When it comes to providing essential facilities like education and healthcare, the Junto Society, an

international Buddhist community founded by Venerable Pomnyun Sunim is at the very forefront. It has

started mainly two programs to facilitate the people of the village. Namely

The Sujata Academy

Joint together society

(Picture: 1.7 Sujata Academy )

https://www.jungtosociety.org/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india/
 “Sujata Academy is a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established

by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Gaya district, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has

transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic

exclusion as a result of India’s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy” (The Sujata Academy Project: The

Power of Hope and Compassion in India, 2024).

Sujata was the name of Budha’s foster mother who fed him a bowl of rice and milk thus ending

his six years of asceticism. The academy provides free education to everyone with an aim of teaching

everyone basic literacy and numeracy. It ranges from kindergarten to secondary level education with

providing adult literacy and skill training. To give back to the community the students who pass the

elementary education are required to teach kindergartens or work in the Jeevika hospital in the morning

and attend classes in the afternoon. The school campus has facilities like a playing field, sports

equipment, warehouse and a dormitory.

Joint Together Society

(Picture: 1.8 Joint together Society)

(https://www.jungtosociety.org/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india/)
 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join

Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that

helping others is the best way to enrich one’s own life. It was in the early 90s that JTS India began its

work in Durgapur aiming to fulfill their purpose: “The hungry should eat; the sick should be treated;

children should be educated in time” (The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion

in India, 2024).

People of Durgapur have faced systematic discrimination because of the caste they belong to, thus

by working with these people the Junto Society provides them with grounds to utilize their own

capabilities and resources.

Conclusion

Through the accounts of people, we got an insight into the life of the people of Durgapur village.

In the 21st century with India celebrating azadi ka Amrit kaal we still have villages that don't provide its

people with basic facilities. Dependent on NGOS and philanthropy, the people have very limited ground

for development.

With people’s accounts we get an on-ground reality of how the so-called lower strata of the caste

system are treated. Filled with aspiration these people have been led down by the societal norms and

values and fake promises of the governments.

 References

Durgapur Village in Khagaria, Bihar | villageinfo.in. (2011). Indian Village Directory. Retrieved July 21,

2024, from https://villageinfo.in/bihar/khagaria/khagaria/durgapur.html

Heering, A. D. (2020). Speak, memory: Oral Histories of Kodaikanal Dalits.

Hutton, J. H. (1969). Caste in India.

I Time Traveled To This 18th Century Village in Bihar | Bharat Ek Khoj Ep18 | Unfiltered by Samdish.

(2024). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6wDNhobSIU

The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India. (2024, March 10). Jungto

Society. Retrieved July 21, 2024, from

https://www.jungtosociety.org/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-

india/
 Work Division

To streamline the research process and adapt to respective strengths, we as a team adopted a

collaborative approach with a clear division of labor. Sakshay took the lead on formulating the

entire design of the search, analyzing the data, transcriptions and implications, while Angela

focused on the overview, review of literature, aim and and helping in analysis of the data. This

specialized division of tasks ensured efficient utilization of resources and expertise. The

collaborative approach not only facilitated the efficient completion of the paper but also enriched

its overall quality by incorporating diverse perspectives and skills. Regular consultations and

knowledge sharing between us was essential to maintain coherence and synergy throughout the

project, fostering a collaborative environment that enriched the overall research output.