The word ‘Birhor’ has an Austric origin. In various other languages like Santali or Mundari, ‘Bir’ means the forest and ‘hor’ means people. The Birhor tribe has always stayed in a close proximity of the forest. They have been in a harmonious relationship with the forest and have been dependent on the forest in terms of life and livelihood. They have often travelled from one forest to the other in search of food and this has been part of their tradition. They were known by the name of ‘Uthlu’ and was known for staying in houses named ‘Kumha’ made up of leaves.
Birhor is one of the endangered communities living in India currently. They are found in the area of Purulia district in West Bengal. They have always been residing in the forest lands surrounding the Ajodhya mountain range of Purulia. As we come to know, some one hundred fifty years ago, they migrated from Ranchi  and Hazaribagh and settled down in the regions surrounding the Ajodhya mountain range of Purulia in search of food. At first, they started living in the areas like Baeria, Chikonbagan, Sonkupi, Patri etc. Later they settled in Shilongda, Bhudai, Ataramchera, Busadi etc.
After independence, the government built some pucca houses around Bhupatipally under the rehabilitation project which was done to accommodate the Birhors of the Ajodhya mountain range. Bhupatipally, under the Bagmundi police station, remains one of the large settlements of Birhors in the Purulia district. There are at least 76 houses of Birhors in that area at present. The place is located on the Balarampur-Bagmundi road and one can reach the place by getting down at Nimtal bus stop and walking half kilometre from the stop. The address is Mouza-Matiala, Postoffice - Madla, Block and Police Station- Bagmundi. On this road, before Bhupatipally, one comes across Chikonbagan- Kundlung, Madla in west, Baeria in the north and Tonton in the south. The river Tuanggara with weak current flows by the place.
Janaki Shikari is the first girl to pass the Higher Secondary examination from Bhupatipally among the Birhor community in 2020. Being enthusiastic about her achievement, I went there to congratulate her. It was 23 rd August 2020. The interview took place under the trees in the yard. The captivating interview brought many factors of the lives of Birhor community and also reflects on the unknown life struggles of Janaki herself -
Shibshankar: Your name?
Janaki: Janaki Shikari
Shibshankar: Your date of birth?
Janaki: 1 st March, 2001.
Shibshankar: Father’s name?
Janaki: Bholanath Shikari.
Shibshankar: Mother’s name?
Janaki: Tuli Shikari. 
Shibshankar: Grandfather’s name?
Janaki:  Hiralal Shikari.
Shibshankar: Where is your maternal uncle’s house?
Janaki: Chalkari in the district of Dhanbad, Jharkhand.
Shibshankar: Where were you born?
Janaki: In my maternal uncle’s house.
Shibshankar: How many siblings do you have?
Janaki: I have four sisters, and one brother. I am the third child.
Shibshankar: How many members do you have in your family?
Janaki: I have both my parents. My elder sister is married so currently my family consists of three sisters and my elder brother.
Shibshankar: How long have you been staying in this place Bhupatipally?
Janaki: I heard from my father that my grandfather used to live in these forests. He died in the forest when my father was young. My grandmother struggled a lot to bring up my father. It is by her name that our house is recognized here in Bhupatipally. From that period, my family started living here.
Shibshankar: Now, that you are staying here leaving the forest lands, what kind of relation do you share with the forest?
Janaki: We have not been able to discard our dependency on the forest till now. In order to procure food, we are still dependent on the forest.
Shibshankar: What kind of livelihood does your father have now?
Janaki: None of us has a stable livelihood. My father goes to the forest in a group with others in search of food. They procure wood, mushrooms, greens, and various fruits from the forest. They collect 'chihor lata' and make ropes to sell in the market. They also collect honey in summers to sell and earn some extra money from that. He also cultivates his own land and works as a labourer in other farms as daily wage earner.
Shibshankar: Do you have your own land?
Janaki: Yes.
Shibshankar: How much land do you have?
Janaki: We got around three bighas of land from the government.
Shibshankar: What do you cultivate in that land?
Janaki: Rice during the monsoons ; and during the winters, we have potatoes, radish, greens, jonhar, okra, cucumber, ridge gourd etc. The cultivation is done by the entire family.
Shibshankar: Do you sell the vegetables in the market?
Janaki: We don’t get much crops from the harvest. The cultivation feeds my entire family for a few months or so.
Shibshankar: What is the role of your mother in the family?
Janaki: My mother takes care of the family and then works on rearing goats and cows. She also works on our field and at times works as a labourer in other’s field.
Shibshankar: Who has a greater role in your education- your father or your mother?
Janaki: Both the parents equally encourage me about studies. But as my mother stays at home mainly, she always looks after my studies.
Shibshankar: How far did your father continue his studies?
Janaki: My father studied till class vi.
Shibshankar: And you mother’s education?
Janaki: My mother studied till class iv.
Shibshankar: Where did you get your primary education?
Janaki: Here in Bhupatipally itself. I started my schooling at Bhupatipally Hugli Primary School and studied there till class iv.
Shibshankar: Then, where did you continue your study?
Janaki: I studied in Bhupatipally Junior High School till class viii.
Shibshankar: From where did you pass Madhyamik?
Janaki: I got admitted in Dhaska Pandit Raghunath Murmu Adarsha Abasik school in class ix. I passed my Madhyamik exam in second division from this Institution in 2018.
Shibshankar: And where did you study during your higher secondary?
Janaki: I got admitted in Dhaska Raghunath Murmu Adarsha Abasik school in class 11. I passed my higher secondary exam from here in 2020.
Shibshankar: Did you study from hostel during your Madhyamik and Higher Secondary?
Janaki: Yes. I stayed in hostel from class ix to x and again during class xi - xii.
Shibshankar: How did you receive encouragement from teachers in your school?
Janaki: The school teachers always encouraged me. They also kept track of my studies in hostel too. Moreover, Sourav Sir and Sunil Sir always asked me about the progress of my studies and also helped me, if I faced any issue or problems and guided me to solve those problems too.
Shibshankar: What is your score in the Higher Secondary exam?
Janaki: I got 217 out of 500.
Shibshankar: What is your mother-tongue?
Janaki: Our mother-tongue is Birhor..
Shibshankar: Which is the language used at home?
Janaki: We speak in Birhor at home.
Shibshankar: What languages do you know except Birhor?
Janaki; We also know Santali, Bangla, and Hindi to some extent.
Shibshankar: What was the medium of instruction at school?
Janaki: Bengali was used as the medium of instruction at school.
Shibshankar: Do you think that it would have been better if education was imparted in mother tongue in your school?
Janaki: Yes, absolutely. I think we would have been more interested and could concentrate more on studies, if we were taught in our mother tongue.
Shibshankar: The way in which Birhor language is sparsely used that there is a chance that it might be extinct one day- What is your thought regarding this?
Janaki: The language, at this moment has already incorporated many words from Santali, Mundari and Panchporgania. The Santali and Birhor language have become almost similar today. Few elders from the community only speak in pure Birhor language. So, in order to save this language, we have to maximize the use of this language and also work on the preservation of the language as well.
Shibshankar: How much are you comfortable using the Bengali language?
Janaki: While there is no problem in writing but I still face problems in terms of speaking and understanding.
Shibshankar: Can you understand and write English?
Janaki: Though I don’t face any issue in writing English, but I do face problems in comprehending and reading.
Shibshankar: If you were given the opportunity in preserving Birhor vocabulary and folk songs, how much responsibility are you willing to take?
Janaki: I will try my best.
Shibshankar: Are you interested in dance and songs of your community?
Janaki: During our festivals and marriages, I participate along with others in various songs and dance performances. Apart from that, we have our own group who perform song and dance. The name of the group is “Adim Jonojati Birhor Jumit Gaota”.
Shibshankar: How many people are part of your group?
Janaki: We have around 15-16 boys and girls. Among them 5 are boys, and 10-12 are girls. During our performance, the men play Dhamsa, Madol and flute. And the girls sing in chorus and dance together.
Shibshankar: In which places did this group perform?
Janaki: We have performed in Kolkata’s Asiatic Society, Shantiniketan, Jhargram, Nituria, and in Nistarini College at Purulia.
Shibshankar: What festivals do you have?
Janaki: If you ask about our own festivals- they are Sanghi-Bonga, Baha Bonga, Korom, Sohrai etc.
Shibshankar: What gods and goddesses do you worship?
Janaki: Buru is our chief God. The day Buru is worshipped, we remember Burubonga like Lusu Buru, Kuku Buru, Marang Buru, Chahri Buru, Matha Buru, Ajodhyia Buru etc. We sacrifice a cock in the name of all the hills. We celebrate the day with performances of song and dance.
Shibshankar: Apart from studies, how do you utilize your spare time?
Janaki: If I’m at home, I visit the forest along with my companions. We gather woods for fuel, mushrooms, koril, various kinds of greens and potatoes from the forest. I help my family in sowing, reaping and harvesting of paddy in our farms and also work as labourer in other farms.
Shibshankar: What kind of help have you received from the government?
Janaki: The government has constructed pucca houses for us. They have provided lands for farming. They have also given goats and hens for livestock rearing sometimes. We have also fertilizers at times. They also gave small fishes for fish farming. As we are all BPL card holders, we receive rice and wheat every week from the government. Apart from that the government has also constructed a primary and an upper primary school in Bhupatipally.
Shibshankar: Which other programs or projects do you think can be taken up by the government in order to improve the socio-economic condition of the Birhor community?
Janaki: Firstly, it has not been possible to provide farming lands for all. It can be regarded as the first priority to provide lands. Secondly, there is a need to arrange proper irrigation for the farming lands and enough drinking water for the community. Thirdly, the old age allowance and pension must be increased among the old members of the community. Fourthly, though rooms for rearing cows had been built but the cows were never provided by the government. This should be taken into notice as soon as possible. And fifthly, there is a need for scholarships and vocational training in order to establish more self- employment projects. There is also a need to incorporate more women in the self-help groups.
Shibshankar: Has anybody from any NGO or government officials contacted you after your achievement in studies?
Janaki: The MLA from Bagmundi Nepal Mahato has taken the responsibility of my studies further and he is continuously encouraging me to continue my studies.
Shibshankar: What are your future plans?
Janaki: I want to do Nursing training course. I want to be self-reliant in future and also want to serve others through my profession.
Shibshankar: I wish you all the best for your future.
Janaki: Bless me so that I can establish myself in future. And do visit again.