Nepal: The Dehri (Bhakari) made of mud to keep food crops is no longer seen in the Tharu community. As the latest generation started to embrace modernity, the use of Dehri started disappearing. 70-year-old Janaki Chaudhary, who lives at Bardghat 11 Gaidaha, Nawalparasi West, says, “Because the new generation does not want to learn, the work of making Bhakari, which has been used since tradition, has become obsolete now. Dehri was being made 5 years ago, but now it is no longer used. She says, “Earlier, earthen dehris were made every year, as they depended on agriculture, they used to store the grown crops in dehris to supply them throughout the year, but after the new generation and technology came, they stopped keeping earthen dehris in their homes. Earlier, 10 to 15 dehris were kept at home.
In the past, the Tharu community used to have houses made of raw mud. Everything was made of mud and mud was used to keep the house clean. Because it used to be used, it was easy to keep dehris, now it is modern times. Houses are also made of concrete, so it is sad to know that traditional and original things made of clay are disappearing.
Dehri is connected not only with the culture of the Tharu community but also with religious sentiments. Pawanrekha Chaudhary of Ward No. 17 of Ramgram Municipality says that Dehri has its own importance and it is necessary to explain this to the new generation. Dehri is made especially by women. Agricultural food items such as wheat, rice, corn, mustard, banana, rice and lentils are kept in the earthen beggars.
Most of the houses in the rural areas were formerly made by women, and the earthen bhakari (dehri) was widely seen in the Tharu community. Now it looks like a Bakhari made of Zinc plate. Chaudhary says that it is an old belief of the Tharu community that by keeping food and agricultural products in earthen dehri, they can be safely stored for a long time.
Dehri, especially Lamcho Charkuni, is made in different sizes and heights, and grains and seeds are kept in it along with pulses and rice which are required daily. The Bhakari of Thulamato is called ‘Dehri‘ and the small one is known as ‘Dhunki‘.
It is customary to keep Dehri especially in the kitchen and living room. It has been a traditional belief of the Tharu community that Dehri should never be kept empty. Dairy is considered as the main commodity of the Tharu community for food storage. There is a practice of using pinched soil from ponds, and making dehri from paddy and banana husks. According to a local Chaudhary, the person who knows how to make dehri is disappearing in the Tharu community, so deheri can only be found in the houses of few people.
In the recent times, after no enough village ponds, it was not allowed to bring soil from there, so it was not possible to make Dehri. Leaders of the Tharu community say that the practice of making dehri is decreasing because plastic and Zinc plate Bhakari are now easily available in the market.
Dolma Chaudhary
Be First to Comment