It was night when I reached Sabarpada. Its eleven houses lie off the road, on the edge of Kunchia village in Banduan taluk a – a group of small mud dwellings that belong to the Savar (also called Sabar) community here in West Bengal.
Their homes, half-tucked in darkness, mark the beginning of the forest that grows more and more dense as it rolls on and merges with the Duarsini hills. This forest of sal, segun, piyal and palash trees is a source of food – fruits, flowers and vegetables – and livelihood.
The Savar community is listed as both De-Notified Tribe (DNT) and Scheduled Tribe in West Bengal. They were among the many tribes branded as 'criminal' by the colonial British government's Criminal Tribes Act (CTA). In 1952, the Indian government repealed the Act, and the tribes are now referred to as De-Notified Tribes (DNTs) or Nomadic Tribes (NTs).
Even today, families in Sabarpada (also known as Sabarpara) depend on the forest for a living. Nepali Sabar, 26, is one of them. She lives in her mud house in Purulia district with her husband Ghaltu, two daughters and a son. The oldest child, a nine-year-old daughter is still in Class 1. The second one is a toddler and the youngest daughter still on her mother's milk. The family's earnings depend on sal (Shorea robusta ) leaves.




