Gaddi
Also called: Gaddis · Topic: Regional Planning and Sustainable Development in India · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 4 "Primary Activities"; Class 12, Ch 6 "Planning and Sustainable Development in Indian Context"
Meaning
The Gaddis are the tribal people of the Bharmaur region in Himachal Pradesh. They speak Gaddiali. They traditionally practised transhumance, which means moving with their sheep and goats every season. They spent summer in high mountain pastures and winter in low valleys. They were long isolated and poor, and were listed as a scheduled tribe in the 1970s. Today only about one-tenth of Gaddi households still practise transhumance. Many go down to the Kangra valley in winter to work for wages.
Example
In Bharmaur, in Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh, Gaddi herders take their flocks up to high pastures below the Pir Panjal in summer. They come down towards Kangra before the snow arrives.
Don't confuse with
- Nomadic herding: nomads keep moving with no fixed home. In transhumance, the Gaddis follow a regular seasonal route between summer and winter pastures, and they keep permanent villages.
Related concepts
- Bharmaur tribal region
- Tribal sub-plan
- Integrated Tribal Development Project
- Impact of ITDP in Bharmaur
- PM JANMAN