Ranchi: Deep in the forest between Namkun and Tamar block of Ranchi district of eastern Indian state of Jharkhand live the Birhor tribe who are underprivileged, marginalised, neglected and struggling for survival. The people of the this tribe eke out a living by weaving ropes out of old plastic waste bags, barks of trees.
Birhor community is one of eight Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) identified in Jharkhand. Birhor is derived from the words ‘Bir’ meaning jungle and ‘hor’ meaning man thus it means a man living in the jungle or people of jungle.
To mitigate their suffering during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic situation, the Ranchi Archdiocese along with its priests, seminarians and Ranchi Catholic youth reached out and distributed 15-day ration packets to over 60 families of the Birhor Tribe in the village of Ranchi district. Fr. Roshan Tiru speaking in Mundari language told the people that the Catholic church has come with love and affection to help the people in this very difficult time of the pandemic, sickness and lockdown. He told them that the Catholic church cares for the poor and wants to help them in this difficult time. He also informed them that these food items do not come from the government but are given by good people who help the poor. He requested them to pray for the benefactors. Archbishop Felix Toppo, Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas, Fr. Sushil Toppo, Fr. Roshan Tiru, Bro. Roshan Toppo, Bro. Sumit Bara, Bro Amit Dungdung, Kuldeep Tirkey, Ambar, Jayant Toppo and others participated in the programme.
From The Birhor village of Amanburu the team moved onwards to four villages Neemtoli, Jugitoli, Mandotoli, Heso hidden in the jungles and distributed 15-day rations to another 150 families. Each packet distributed in different places contains rice, dal (pulses), soya beans, oil, grams (chana), and salt. The highlight of programme was the happiness expressed by an aged woman who felt that the help of the church had brought her and her family much needed relief.