Van Gujjars: The Ecosystem People
As I walk down the meadow and pass through the oak forest along a trail, a little girl child appears from behind the trees and greets “ namastey ” and runs away towards a pair of huts yelling “ biskoot wale uncle aaye! Biskoot wale uncle aaye!! ” indicating the uncle who brings biscuits has arrived. This little girl is Amna. She is announcing my arrival to her siblings who would gather around me to receive their share of goodies I would be distributing. I am at Deoban in Chakrata Forest Division of Uttarakhand – a gift of nature situated above 2800m adorned by kharsu oak forests and patches of high-altitude meadows. I am here to study the forest dependence patterns of the transhumant Van Gujjars – the people who believe themselves to be the part of forest ecosystem. Mystique forest of Deoban The Van Gujjars are a transhumant community probably having their roots in Afghanistan later descending across Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and parts of Uttar Pradesh adjoi