Demographic statistics and geographical introduction:

Bharuli Panchayat is situated in Jiradei block of Siwan district. It is 8 kilometers away from the block headquarters. The district headquarters are located at a distance of 12 kilometers from the south-west corner. The total population of panchayat is 6000. Out of this, the number of men is approximately 3800 and the number of women is approximately 2200. There are 6 villages in this Panchayat.

What is the historical significance of the Panchayat? What are the special characteristics of the Panchayat ? What are the occasions when people of the village come together?

Historically, the Bharauli Panchayat has been famous as a ‘Village of Muslims’. It is said that two brothers settled in Bharauli village. There is a tradition of following a deity, ‘Thakur Ji’ who is revered and celebrated by the people of this Panchayat every year during Vasant Panchami. A yajna is initiated every year that lasts for 9 days. In this yajna, people from nearby villages also gather and meet each other. Promoting social harmony and cohesion, people in this Panchayat come together to celebrate this yajna together. Connecting Andar and Jiradei, the busy main road is very close to Bharauli Jiradei railway station which is 8 kilometers away from the panchayat. All fast trains and passenger trains make a stop at this station.

Here, people come together for in ward-meetings, Gram Sabha and Gram Kachahari. In Bharauli, everyone participates in each other’s festivals, rituals and customs, living together in peace and harmony.

Who resides in the Panchayat? What kind of sociological diversity exists in the area? What are the professional practices of the people in this area?

There are nearly 1200 houses in Bharauli Panchayat, comprising people from Rajput, Bhumihar, Brahmin, Yadav, Gond, Teli, Kurmi, Kamkar, Harijan, Muslim, Nonia, Hazam, Kumhar, Lohar, Dhobi, Bhagat, Manjhi, Ram, Baniya, Kalwar, Mali, Bin, Turaha and Jaicastes . Majority of the people in village Bharauli are Harijans while the number of Rajputs in Bhikhpur is high. While majority of people in Dharampur are from Yadav caste, there are more number of Muslims in Pakwalia. Similarly, Nonia caste members are in majority in Hanspurwa, on the other hand, there are more people of Gond caste in Balaipur village. About 70% of the Panchayat’s people are engaged in self-employment, daily jobs and farming while 20% of the people are employed abroad in private jobs. Remaining 10% are employed in government jobs. Self-employed people are dependent on animal husbandry, fisheries, growing and selling vegetables and running shops.

Which institutions work in this area? How are people associated with them?

There is a total of 10 Anganwadi centers in Bharauli Panchayat. Sadhana Devi is a Sevika of Dharmarpur Kendra where 40 children of this Panchayat regularly visit this center. There is a total of 6 government schools in the Panchayat, out of which 4 are primary schools and 2 are middle schools. Also, there are 2 private schools, one in Bharauli and one in Pakwalia village. There is a rural bank in this Panchayat, which is facilitated by Mr. Chunnu Dubey. Apart from this, 7 other NGOs are also working in different ways in this Panchayat. For example, there are 13 wards in Jeevika, Caspar, Bandhan, Utkars. Meeting halls like Panchayat Bhawan, Lohia Bhawan, and Vikas Bhawan have been constructed in this village. These have been constructed with the aim to provide an enabling space for people to discuss and share views on development.

What are the major issues of the Panchayat? How has Parivartan tried to address them?

One of the major problems in this Panchayat is lack of a health center. There are no high schools, post-offices and experienced doctors. People in this village do not get their ration on time. To address this problem, Parivartan is constantly trying to support women, adolescents and children. For the development of Panchayat, women are working in different ways with adolescent girls and children, such as creating awareness about the importance of education, health, violence, Panchayati Raj and domestic violence. We aim to make women aware about the different rights and duties. Information about the right schemes and opportunities is also communicated to the people of this village.

Through sports, we aim to bring social and positive changes in the community. Giving children various opportunities by connecting them to Parivartan’s educational initiatives, learning different methods of art, scientific experiments, computer knowledge and important life skills is another important intervention.

Demographic statistics and geographical introduction:

Gram Panchayat “Bhavrajpur”is located in block Andar of Siwan district headquarters. It is 20 km away from the district headquarters and 5 km away from the block headquarters. The total population of the panchayat is about 10550 out of which, there are about 4800 females and 5750 males. There are about 125 new voters in the entire Panchayat. There is a total of 5 villages in this Panchayat.

What is the historical significance of the Panchayat? What are the special characteristics of the Panchayat ? What are the occasions when people of the village come together?

Historically, the demography of this Panchayat comprises Muslim population. In the British era, Sora (red salt) was collected here and used as gunpowder. All the castes reside here except Bhumihar and Kayastha. The elders of this Panchayat say that there used to be a citadel, the ruins of which have now turned in to a flat land. It was in the south and west corners of the village. Earlier there used to be rural bank in this Panchayat but due to traffic congestion, the bank had to be shifted to Aandar market.

People of both Hindu and Muslim communities reside in this village in peace and harmony. They participate in each other’s festivals with immense zeal and fervor. The youth of this village including the ones who have migrated, come back during festivals like Holi, Diwali, Chhath, Eid, Bakrid etc. and they celebrate festivals with their friends and family. There is also a small market in this panchayat, which caters to the general needs, as well as a sweet shop which is famous for its taste and flavour. From here, Jiradei railway station is 12km away.

There is a total of 5 villages in this Panchayat- Bhavarajpur, Mashudha, Lachhirampadri and Khem and Raj Padri respectively. These villages are inhabited by people from castes like Yadav, Brahmin, Rajput, Sharma, Ram, Bhagat, Gupta, Kamkar, Bhant, Kalwar, Varnwal, Dom, Paswan, Muslim, Kurmi and Gond. Bhavrajpur Panchayat has about 750 houses with maximum Yadavas. Apart from this, there are 100 Muslim households, 250 Banias households, 100 Rajputs, 20 Brahmins and 200 Harijans. At the same time, there are more Yadavs in Mashudha and Lachhiram Padri villages. Most of the people in this Panchayat depend on agriculture for livelihood, cultivating paddy, wheat, peas, mustard and gram. At one of point of time, people used Government funded tube wells for irrigation but currently they do not have this facility in their Panchayat. Many people are self-employed. Most people from Muslim families have migrated to foreign countries. Other than this, many people also sell vegetables to earn daily wages.

Who resides in the Panchayat? What kind of sociological diversity exists in the area? What are the professional practices of the people in this area?

There is a total of 11 Anganwadi centers and 6 government schools in Bhavrajpur Panchayat comprising 1 high school, 4 middle schools and a Madrasa. There are no schools in Lachhirampadri. Apart from this, two NGOs named ‘Mata Ram Pyari’ and ‘Vidha Niketan’ are also working in this panchayat.

There is also 1 Customer Service Center of State Bank of India and 1 Customer Service Center of Grameen Bank which helps the members of the village in taking care of their banking needs

Which institutions work in this area? How are people associated with them?

Parivartan works with farmers of Bhavrajpur Panchayat where they are provided support for the cultivation of crops according to different seasons and weather conditions. Children of this Panchayat are also connected to the initiatives of the education vertical like Jharokha, Gharounda and Vigyanshala that enhances their ability to think and develops their imagination. Apart from this, Parivartan is also working towards apprising women in this Panchayat towards their rights and duties.

Demographic statistics and geographical introduction:

Chandauli Gangauli Panchayat falls under Jiradei block of Siwan district. Its distance from the Block headquarters is 8 kms and 21 km from district headquarters. The total population in Chandauli Gangauli is about 9300, of which there are about 5100 males and 4200 females. There are 9 villages in this Panchayat.

What is the historical significance of the Panchayat? What are the special characteristics of the Panchayat ? What are the occasions when people of the village come together?

A very famous folk tale of this Panchayat propagated that once all the villagers of this Panchayat had collected money for buying a piece of land for community use. But a landlord in this village tried to seize this landholding. Retorting to this, the villagers decided to seek the help of the local government to get their land back. The government then sanctioned the building of a temple and a Panchayat Bhavan. Today this place is known as Muda ke Pokhra Here, people of all religions, especially Hindus and Muslims live together in peace and harmony. Together, they celebrate their important festivals with immense pomp and show. Be it Hindu or Muslim festival, people in this Panchayat celebrate every festival with a lot of zeal and happiness. Festivals like Chhath, Muharram, Saraswati Puja, Eid are celebrated with active participation of youth, promoting social cohesion and unity. People who had migrated to other states and countries also come back for these celebration to be with their friends and families.

Who resides in the Panchayat? What kind of sociological diversity exists in the area? What are the professional practices of the people in this area?

Chandauli Gangauli Panchayat has a total of nine villages- Harpur Madanpur, Mahmudpur, Chandauli, Gangauli, Gajiapur, Bedwaliya, Muda, Santhu and Banthu Shriram. In these eight villages, people of Muslim, Yadav, Pasi, Nai, Baniya, Manjhi, Gond, Dhunia, Bhagat, Sharma, Thakur, Teli, Dhobi, Ram, Brahmins, Kumhars, and Rajputs live together. In Chandauli, Bedwaliya and Gajiapur village, majority people belong to the Muslim community, whereas Bhagats are in majority in Santhu and Banthu Shri Ram village. There are 1197 houses in the Panchayat. Most of the people of this panchayat are dependent on agriculture. Farmers mostly cultivate paddy, wheat, pigeon pea, corn, pea gram and mustard. For irrigation, they use tube wells and puddles. Many people run their own shops in Jamapur Maniya Khargirampur and Aandar. Many of them also work as masons. People from some Muslim and other communities have migrated to foreign countries in search of jobs. Very few people in this village are in government jobs.

There is a total of 12 Anganwadi centers in Chandauli Gangauli Panchayat. It has 5 primary schools, 3 middle schools and 1 madrasa. Apart from these , 4 private schools and 1 Gramin Bank is also there in this Panchyat. There is also 1 post office in village Gajiyapur of this Panchayat. Some other NGOs are also working in this Panchayat.

Demographic statistics and geographical introduction:

Panchayat Garar is situated in Jiradei block of the Siwan district headquarters. Garar is 13 km away from its district headquarters. The total population of this Panchayat is 6776, out of which there are 3507 males and the rest are females . Spread over 1600 bighas, there are 5 villages in this Panchayat- Garar, Belwasa, Baikuthpur, Singahi and Hardopati, which is further divided in to Hardopati Singhi in the south direction and Belvasa Garar and Baikuthpur in the west direction.

What is the historical significance of the Panchayat? What are the special characteristics of the Panchayat ? What are the occasions when people of the village come together?

Being an island, Garar is surrounded by the Sona river and Daha river on all sides. Suitable for cultivation of any crops, the land here is very fertile. Crops such as wheat, paddy, maize, millet, mustard, rahar, lentils, peas, and all kinds of green vegetables are produced on this land. The nearest market in this Panchayat is located in Hussainganj. People here usually commute to the market through the connecting bridge.

According to Hindu mythological tales and stories, when Lord Rama was on his way to Janakpur with a group of people, they had created this river that flows from Sasamusa to quench their thirst. Every community celebrates its festivals together with great pomp and show. The festival of Mahavir Jayanti is celebrated with a lot of grandeur by the youth. The Sigahi village has a Mazaar where a big fair is organized. The fair witnesses the participation of people from all the religious communities. A road that connects both Siwan and Andar places is just 2 km away from Garar. From here, Siwan Railway Station is at a distance of 13 km.

Who resides in the Panchayat? What kind of sociological diversity exists in the area? What are the professional practices of the people in this area?

There are five villages in this panchayat. There are 1397 houses in this panchayat. Castes like Brahmins, Yadavs, Rajput Muslims, Gupta, Gonds, Banias, Dhobi, Sharma, Ram, Paswan, Manjhi comprise the demography of this Panchayat. The number of Muslims and Brahmins and Paswan is more in the village of Garar. In Singhi village, Turha and Ram Jati are more in number. Majority of the people in Hardopati village and Belavasa are from the Rajput caste. Most of the people of this place are self-employed. Along with professions like teaching, worshiping and recitation, people are also dependent on animal husbandry, poultry, chimney, and farming.

Most of the people in this Panchayat are either employed in government offices or migrate to foreign countries in search of jobs. There is also a pond for fish rearing in Singhi village. Temples of Hindu gods and goddesses are also found in this Panchayat. People of this Panchayat come together for different rituals and customs.

Which institutions work in this area? How are people associated with them?

There is a total of 10 Anganwadi centers in Garar Panchayat. The Panchayat comprises 4 primary schools and 2 secondary schools, which are government schools and there are 2 private schools as well. This panchayat also has a State Bank branch and a Gramin Bank branch. Also, this panchayat has Jeevika, Casparr Micro Credit Bank, Bandhan, Utkars, Satya Micro Capital and other non-government organizations that are working towards enabling people to generate their livelihood. This Panchayat has 13 ward members and also has a Panchayat Bhawan.

What are the major issues of the Panchayat? How has Parivartan tried to address them?

The major problems of this Panchayat are the absence of a health center a high school and a post office. The ration distribution in this Panchayat is not regularized. Parivartan is putting efforts for creating awareness among women. For example, women of this Panchayat are made aware about the importance of education, health, protesting against violence, Panchayati Raj and economic empowerment. Parivartan informs people about their right and duties. Informing people about the right government schemes and policies, Parivartan aims to enable the people of this Panchayat by connecting them to the different initiatives.

Demographic statistics and geographical introduction:

Panchayat Jamapur comes under Jiradei block of Siwan district headquarters. Its distance is 13 km from the district headquarters and about 3 km from the block headquarters. There are 7 villages in this Panchayat which is spread across 3550 bighas. Pathardei, Mahmudpur, Bangra, Ruia, Ghadar and Khargirampur are the 7 villages of this Panchayat. This Panchayat consists of 17 ponds. Situated on the banks of River Sone, Jamapur has a total population of 16000, out of which there are about 10000 males and about 6000 females.

What is the historical significance of the Panchayat? What are the special characteristics of the Panchayat ? What are the occasions when people of the village come together?

To the north of this Panchayat is the birthplace of Bharat Ratna Dr. Rajendra Prasad. A folklore of village Bangra about Mr. Natwar Lal, whose real name was Mithilesh Srivastava, is still renowned among the people. It is said that he used to imitate people’s signature and had sold Qutub Minar of Delhi. He was also planning to sell the Parliament House, but by then he was caught by the administration. He was also a classmate of Dr. Rajendra Prasad. Cultivation of indigo was practiced during the British rule in this Panchayat. A bridge made during the British era in this Panchayat exists even today. People of all religious communities including Hindus and Muslims stay here together. They celebrate and participate in each other’s festivals like Holi, Deepawali, Eid, Bakrid, Dussehra, Muharram and Mahabir Jayanti, with great enthusiasm. Jiradei railway station is 3 kilometers away from Jamapur, making travel feasible for everyone in this village

Who resides in the Panchayat? What kind of sociological diversity exists in the area? What are the professional practices of the people in this area?

There is a total of 7 villages in this Panchayat. There are 2800 houses in this Panchayat, comprising people from Muslim, Harijan, Rajput, Brahmin, Baniya, God, Bhagat, Turha, Dom, Kurmi, Kumhar, Lohar, Dhobi, Yadav, Bhumihar, Nonia and Dusad communities. Majority of the people staying in Jamapur are from Muslim and Rajput communities whereas in Pathar Dei and Ruia, majority of the people are from the Yadava community in. Mahmudpur consists of 200 Muslim households whereas 55 marginalized castes stay in Bangra. People here are mainly self-employed and are dependent on farming. Along with this, there are about 5 Darogas and 5 DSPs in this Panchayat. Green vegetables as well as Rabi and Kharif crop are mostly cultivated in this Panchayat.

Which institutions work in this area? How are people associated with them?

The Panchayat has 10 Anganwadi centers, 5 primary and one middle school (Urdu) run by the government. Besides, 4 private schools are also there. This panchayat has a State Bank of India branch and a Gramin Bank branch. It has a government hospital in which people from nearby villages also come. Along with this, a Primary sub-health center is also there in village Bangra. There are 17 wards in the Panchayat. There are some other social organizations that support the generation of livelihoods among people.

What are the major issues of the Panchayat? How has Parivartan tried to address them?

One of the major challenges in this Panchayat is the lack of understanding the importance of Ward Sabha and Gram Sabha. Parivartan is attempting to create awareness regarding Government schemes and policies here. Along with this, Parivartan is also working towards connecting men and women from this community to its different verticals.

Demographic statistics and geographical introduction:

Located in Siwan district of Bihar, Miya ke Bhatkan Panchayat is situated in Jiradei Block in the south-west direction. Its distance is 7 kilometers from the block headquarters and 20 kilometers from district headquarters. The total population of this Panchayat is around 12000. Out of this, there are 6500 males and 5500 females. There are 8 villages in this Panchayat.

What is the historical significance of the Panchayat? What are the special characteristics of the Panchayat ? What are the occasions when people of the village come together?

Historically, Miya ke Bhatkan is popularly known as ‘Muslmano ki Basti’, a village of Muslim community. During the Mughal period, Muslims had a stronghold in this Panchayat. There was court in this Panchayat, and the Muslims were the zamindars of this place. Along with Muslims, the Zamindars also settled Yadav, Brahmin, Rajput, Lala, Pasi, Teli, Kumhar, Baniya, Gond, Ram etc as per their requirement. Therefore, there is a mixed population of both Hindus and Muslims, co-existing with both a temple and a mosque in this Panchayat. In festivals like Holi, Diwali, Eid, Bakrid, Chhath, Dussehra, Saraswati Puja, people of all castes and religions come together and celebrate with great zeal and enthusiasm. Cutting through the center of the Panchayat, a concrete road can be found in Miya ke Bhatkan where one can find essential goods. Many people commute regularly through this road on small vehicles like jeep, tempo etc.. Jiradei railway station is 8 km away from here.

Who resides in the Panchayat? What kind of sociological diversity exists in the area? What are the professional practices of the people in this area?

There are 8 villages in this Panchayat- Narayanpur, Sikian, Chiasi, Sanjalpur, Banthu Salona, Gonthi and Tiwari’s Berheya. These include people from castes like Rajput, Brahmin, Yadav, Bhar, Kumhar, Baitha, Kurmi, Gond, Lala, Bhagat, Harijan, Dusadh, Teli, Nai, Muslim Dome, Nonia, Paswan, Bhat, Netua.. Majority of the people in Banthu Salona village are Yadavs whereas Kurmis in Banthu and Muslims in Miya ke Bhatkan and Potters in Narayanpur. The same number of Harijans are more in Sanjalpur. Most of the people of this Panchayat have migrated to other states and abroad in search of job opportunities. People mostly cultivate paddy, wheat, maize, mustard, pigeon pea etc. Very few people are associated with government jobs here.

Which institutions work in this area? How are people associated with them?

There are 13 Anganwadi centers in this Panchayat. There are 10 schools out of which 3 are private, 4 are primary, 2 are middle and 1 is a high school. There are 3 non-government hospitals, 2 post offices, 2 panchayat buildings, 14 Nal-Jal Yojana (water tank) and 1 North Bihar Grameen Bank in this Panchayat. All the meetings of the Panchayat are held in the Panchayat Bhawan.

Demographic statistics and geographical introduction:

Narendrapur Panchayat falls under the Jiradei block in Siwan District Headquarters. Its distance is 8 km from the Block Headquarters and 18 km from the District Headquarters. There are 4 villages in Narendrapur, Panchayat, with a total population of about 10,075, of which there are 5936 males and about 4139 females. The main road that connects Andar and Jiradei cuts through the middle of this Panchayat, making travel convenient.

What is the historical significance of the Panchayat? What are the special characteristics of the Panchayat ? What are the occasions when people of the village come together?

Historically, Narendrapur Panchayat has been known as a colony of Rajputs. In the 16th century, Saktihya Rai ji first came to Narendrapur Panchayat. After coming here, he built a citadel in this Panchayat, knownas “Saktiraya Garh”. The remains of the fort still exist in this Panchayat. To the west of the citadel is a Kul Devi temple where the people of the village gather together for all the festivals. Though there are Hindus in majority in this village, both Hindu and Muslim communities stay together in harmony, participating in each other’s festival with equal zeal and enthusiasm . Holi, Diwali, Eid, Bakrid, Saraswati Pooja, Chhath etc. are some of the major festivals of this Panchayat. The youth of the Panchayat who stay in different of parts of the country and abroad come back to their village to celebrate and participate in these festivals with their families.

Who resides in the Panchayat? What kind of sociological diversity exists in the area? What are the professional practices of the people in this area?

There are 1416 houses in this panchayat. It comprises different castes like Rajput, Yadav, Sonar, Brahmin, Hazam, Baita, Teli, Kurmi, Baniya, Dusad, Badhai, Gond, Muslim, Kanu, Ram, Kumhar, Bhumihar, Lala, Koyri, Goshai, Kamkar, Dom etc. In Narendrapur, Badhuliya and Babu Bhatkan, majority of the people belong to Rajput and Yadav caste, whereas people from Ram and Gond castes form a majority in Barhulia village. Most of the people in this Panchayat are dependent on farming. Around 32% people of the people are self-employed. Some family members are also in government jobs and some family members are also employed in private jobs and jobs in foreign countries. Generally, both Rabi and Kharif crops are cultivated here. People majorly produce crops like paddy, wheat, pigeonpea, maize, etc. Since the soil is sandy in this Panchayat, many people are also dependent on cultivation of Dalhan and Telhan.

Which institutions work in this area? How are people associated with them?

There are 11 Anganwadi centers in this Panchayat, out of which most of the children visit Ms. Umravati Devi’s Center. There are 1 primary school, 2 middle schools and 1 high school in this panchayat. Along with this, there are also 4 private schools, which comprises classes 1 to 5. There are schools in almost every village of this Panchayat except in Babu Bhatkan. Parivartan, has been continuously working here since 2012 for the upliftment and community development of a total of 47 villages. Apart from this, there are 5 non-government and 1 government hospital in the Panchayat. Besides this, the Panchayat has 2 Post Offices, 1 Gramin Bank and 1 State Bank Customer Service Center, in which all the bank related facilities are provided to the customers.

What are the major issues of the Panchayat? How has Parivartan tried to address them?

For the last 4-5 years, one of the major problems is that due to paddy exposure, the kharif crop dries. Instead of cultivating Paddy, farmers here have now started to adapt to crops that use less water and time like soybean, pigeon pea, millet, jowar mandua, sesame etc. In this direction, Hariyali Krishi Gyan Kendra is promoting the use of soybean cultivation.