Livelihood Shift among the Santhal Tribes of Purulia District A Geographical Study

Abstract

Livelihood defines a family or individual s means of securing the basic necessities of life, such newlineas food, water, shelter and clothing. In the words of Chambers and Conway (1992), a livelihood newlinecomprises people, their capabilities and means of living, including their income and assets. Livelihood newlineshift denotes the spatio-temporal changes in the nature of occupation and living of people. The Santhal newlineTribes are experiencing fundamental changes in the way they have been traditionally earning their newlinelivelihood. They are one of the largest tribal communities of India, and their main concentration is on the newlineChotanagpur Plateau. Purulia District of West Bengal is situated on the periphery of this plateau. It is the newlinewesternmost district of West Bengal and is considered one of the drought-prone and backward districts newlineof West Bengal as well as India. With the size of 6259 Sq. km., this district occupies the fifth position in newlineWest Bengal. newline