Jamshedpur: The harsh truth of migration was on full display in Ramchandrapur Sabar Basti, a village in Ghatsila, East Singhbhum district of Jharkhand. When the only remaining man in the village, 45-year-old Jua Sabar, passed away, there were no men left to perform his last rites. The women of the village took charge, carrying out every ritual from preparing the funeral pyre to digging the grave.
The Last Man Was Gone
This village of about 80 people has seen most of its men leave in search of work. Jua Sabar was the only man who had stayed behind, but his sudden illness and death left the village without a single male member. In his absence, the women stepped up to do what had to be done.
A 14-Year-Old Daughter Became the Son
Jua Sabar’s son, Shyamal Sabar, works in Tamil Nadu and could not return in time. His first wife had already passed away, and his second wife, Gulapi Sabar, was left alone in grief. But in this moment of loss, their 14-year-old daughter, Sonia Sabar, did something extraordinary—she took on the role of a son.
Sonia, who had to drop out of school after the eighth grade due to family struggles, carried her father’s body, dug the grave, and performed his last rites herself.
A Village of Women and Children
Ramchandrapur Sabar Basti has 28 families and 85 people. Over 20 young and middle-aged men have migrated to states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala for work. The only ones left behind are women, children, and the elderly.
Forced to Leave, Forced to Struggle
The Sabar tribe, already on the verge of extinction, faces a deepening crisis. With no jobs in their homeland, men are forced to migrate, leaving their families behind. Now, even in death, their loved ones must fend for themselves.
Jua Sabar’s death has exposed a painful truth—Jharkhand’s villages are being emptied of men, leaving women to bear every burden alone. How much longer will these villages suffer in silence?
