Bangladesh’s
river gypsies, the Badhi or Badhja, make up about 50% of the river-boat people
of the country and are mainly low-caste Hindus. They move as a clan from one
river to another, selling herbal medicine and jewellery which include the pink
pearls they gather from river oysters. During the monsoon when the rivers swell
and streams extend to outlying villages, the Badhi scatter far and wide to
trade; but in winter they move back to their usual havens such as Mirpur, Savar
and Dhakeswari River.
" Bede" River Gypsies in Bangladesh
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Their houseboats are very tidy, neat and
clean with shelves for garments, bedding, pots and pans. Each houseboat holds a
family, generally with just two or three children. There seem to be few elderly
river gypsies. The gypsies live their whole lives afloat but development, even
in Bangladesh, is starting to number their days. Motorized vessels,
manufactured jewellery and modern medicine have made inroads and some gypsies
now send their shildren to school. Still, modernization is a slow process in
Bangladesh, and it’s likely to be a long, long time before the houseboats
disappear.
