The Terai region of Nepal is a fertile lowland plain located along the border of Nepal and India . The yearly monsoon rains during the summer months provide a climate that is ideal for the cultivation of a variety of crops such as rice, wheat, mustard, millet, maize, and vegetables. Due to its vast amount of arable land, this area has attracted people from several different language groups throughout history.
Origin and linguistic classification
The historical name for the Rajbanshi people was thought to be some of the original inhabitants of the eastern Terai (Adhikari and Ukyab 2000:51). The Koche are mentioned in the Kichak, apparently sided with the Kauravas and was then killed by Bhimsen. The place at which Kichak was reportedly killed is still a place of pilgrimage in Jhapa (Gautam 1994:177). In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Koche lived within a vast kingdom that was founded by their very powerful leader, Hajo. This kingdom eventually stretched from the eastern half of the Morang district to include the western half of Assam, in India. Hajo’s grandson, Bisu, established his capital and named it Koch Behar, which can still be found in northeastern India today. It was during Bisu’s reign that the title of Brahmins of the area. This title later became the name of the people and their language (Gautum 1994:176-177). Over a period of time, the British gained control over the Koche Kingdom and, in 1774, annexed to Nepal the areas of Jhapa and Morang (Bista 2000:146). In time, the original Koche people divided into different groups based upon religion. As a result, there are now three main social divisions among the Rajbanshi. These are the Hindu Rajbanshi, the Muslim Rajbanshi, and the Koch. The Rajbanshi of Nepal are primarily of the Hindu Rajbanshi group (Gautam 1994:177). Description of the people and their way of life.The Rajbanshi are, for the most part, agriculturalists and pastoralists. Other occupations that they may be involved in include running small businesses, making and selling puffed rice and sweets, weaving, driving rickshaws, and teaching in the local schools. More recently, a number of Rajbanshi are becoming involved in a variety of technical and computer-related occupations. The Rajbanshi society is patriarchal, as are many of the people groups around them. It has been stated, “…the head of the household (the father) is the sole authority and everyone is supposed to work and act according to his (father’s) directions” (Gautam 1994:178). This is also supported by the patrilineal descent patterns of the Rajbanshi in which, once the head of the household has died, the authority and property of the family is passed down to the eldest son. The Rajbanshi generally prefer to marry within their own caste, however inter-caste marriages are allowed. In many areas, the practice of paying a bride price is still common. If a man is unable to pay this price, he may work for the bride-to-be’s parents for one to three years (Bista 2000:148). After marriage, the couple returns to the groom’s home where they will live until the appropriate time for them to establish their own household, generally still in the husband’s home village. As stated the primary religion of the Rajbanshi of Nepal is Hinduism. It has been said that, “They worship various devis and devtas, but the puja to the goddess Kali (female shakti-energy) is carried out with great fanfare and enthusiasm” (Gautam 1994:187). There are also aspects of the traditional shamanism mixed in with the Rajbanshis’ Hindu beliefs (Adhikari and Ukyab 2000:51).
The Rajbanshi spoken today is a form of the original Koch language. Occasionally the Rajbanshi people are still referred to as “Koch” by other people groups. Alternate spellings for this language are Rajbansi and Rajbangsi. The Rajbanshi language is classified as Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan, Eastern Zone, Bengali-Assamese 2000:582). Varieties of Rajbanshi in Nepal Despite the fact that there has been a fair amount of linguistic and sociological research conducted among the Rajbanshi of India, very little linguistic research has been done among the Rajbanshi people in Nepal. As a result of this, the initial background research regarding what is known so far concerning the different varieties of Rajbanshi spoken in Nepal was primarily conducted through informal interviews with Rajbanshi people who are working in Kathmandu. From these initial interviews, there appeared to be three varieties of Rajbanshi spoken in the Jhapa and Morang districts. The Rajbanshi people and their language are officially recognised by His Majesty’s Government of Nepal Ministry of Local Development.The Rajbanshi language is rather closely related to both Bengali and Assamese (Sanyal 1965:250). There are also reported to be two speech varieties closely related to Rajbanshi in the Jhapa and Morang areas. These are the Tajpuria and Gangai. It has been said by various Rajbanshi mother tongue speakers that the Tajpuria variety is more closely related to Rajbanshi than the Gangai variety. The large number of language groups that live in the eastern Terai has created a multilingual situation that has affected the form of Rajbanshi that is spoken in the area. In Morang district, the Rajbanshi people live among Tharu, Maithili, Dhimal, Hindi, and Nepali speakers. In Jhapa district, they live among Bengalis, Nepalis, and several language groups from the northern hills. This highly multilingual situation has led to frequent occurrences of Rajbanshi mixing with these other languages.Koch or Koche. The Koche are Mahabharata when the king of the Koche,Rajbanshi was given to him by the The Rajbanshi people of Nepal.
Overview Of Language Development & Committe.
There have been several works of literature produced in the Rajbanshi language. The Rajbanshi literature that is produced in India is written in the Bengali script, whereas the Rajbanshi literature that is produced in Nepal is written in the Devanagari script. These include booklets on the history of the Rajbanshi people, a general description of grammar (from Grierson’s work in India), a Nepali to Rajbanshi dictionary, poetry, and a description of the life and culture of the Rajbanshi. There is also a magazine that is put out by the Rajbanshi Development Committee. This magazine is written in both Rajbanshi and Nepali.
There are some committees of rajbanshi in Nepal which intention is to improve the lives of the Rajbanshi people as well as to preserve their culture and language.It is to be believe that Mr PhulSingh Rajbanshi was pioneer to establish a rajbanshi committee Rajbanshi Development Committee was established in the Year 1993.They have conducted several workshops in which Rajbanshi women have learned to read and write as well as to engage in trades such as printing and weaving. The committee is also taking steps to promote further literature development in Rajbanshi. Future goals of the committee include further social work for Rajbanshi women and children, research into the history of the Rajbanshi people, and the development of a Rajbanshi language institute.
The Rajbanshi language of Nepal
One can hear a wide variety of languages being spoken in the market towns across the Terai. One of these languages is Rajbanshi. The Rajbanshi people of Nepal can be found predominantly within the Jhapa,Morang and Sunsari districts in the southeastern corner of the country. The 1991 Census of Nepal gives the total number of Rajbanshi in the country as 85,558. In the district of Jhapa, there was reported to be a total of 66,224 Rajbanshi, whereas in Morang district, the census records the Rajbanshi population as 18,243. This leaves only 1,091 Rajbanshi spread throughout other districts of Nepal, not restricted to Jhapa and Morang’s neighbouring districts. Across the border, in India, there are a large number of Rajbanshi people as well. According to the 1991 Census of India, the Rajbanshi population was 2,839,481 in the state of West Bengal. There is also a small number of Rajbanshi who live in the country of Bangladesh (Grimes 2000:394).
Sources: Internet