Impact of Traditional & Modern Mass Media on Development Communication among Gujjar Tribe of Chamba District in the Western Himalayas of Himachal Pradesh

Abstract

The Himachal Pradesh State Government, along with the Central Government of India, has initiated various development programs aimed at the Gujjar tribes, similar to those for other tribal communities in India. However, the actual benefits of these programs are often delayed, and in many instances, the intended beneficiaries are unable to access them. This situation is primarily attributed to a lack of education and effective development communication within the Gujjar community. Despite some modest improvements in their social conditions, the overall circumstances of the Gujjars have largely remained unchanged. Traditionally, the Gujjars lead a nomadic lifestyle as herders, which limits their access to educational institutions and modern mass media, thus impeding their ability to improve their socioeconomic and political standing. Historically, only a small number of individuals within the community received informal education. Presently, a considerable portion of the Gujjar population continues to inhabit traditional dwellings, which do not conform to contemporary human rights standards for living conditions. Although the Gujjars were designated as a scheduled tribe in 1950, alongside other scheduled tribes in the Chamba District of Himachal Pradesh, the benefits of reservation and other constitutional provisions have not yet been fully realized by them because of illiteracy and not aware about developmental communication on various developmental schemes being run by the governments for their human development. It would be beneficial to explore the underlying causes of their ongoing marginalization. Various factors contributed to Gujjar tribe's predicament including administrative inefficiencies, a lack of awareness and media engagement within the community, their nomadic lifestyle, and the absence of effective non-governmental organizations or political representation. This minority Gujjar tribe of Churah SubDivision of Chamba District in the Western Himalayas in Himachal Pradesh has experienced significant changes over time; however, in the current era of information and communication technologies, modern mass media platforms are beginning to draw the attention of Gujjar tribe towards development communication and education, access to modern mass media for aware on developmental schemes and highlight the importance of education for enhancing their growth and empowerment across all aspects of life, which is essential for human development as time progresses. Nonetheless, challenges remain. It is yet to be determined if their recent move towards modernization will allow them to achieve acknowledgment in mainstream society. Although modernization signifies a beneficial progression, it is essential for the Gujjar tribe to understand the significance of safeguarding their historical and cultural legacy along with their education and development communication. A sample of sixty male and female respondents was selected from different remote rural areas and urban areas in the Churah SubDivision of Chamba District of Himachal Pradesh for this research study. The findings suggested that the age and educational background of respondents significantly affect their mass media usage frequency and development communication awareness, which was categorized as high and medium. The study found that Gujjar tribe of Chamba do not want to change their original abode but at original abode they face difficulties as there is shortage of roads, schools, hospitals, electricity, and water and have no forest rights to graze their cattle and some of their traditional pastures are now part of wildlife sanctuaries in Chamba District. In this context, now Gujjar tribe of Chamba is awakening and tried to draw the attention of the government, administration through mass media channels.