The Nishads at the Edge of the Ken River: A Qualitative Inquiry into Livelihood, Culture, and Everyday Life in Bundelkhand

Abstract

The Ken River is a major tributary of the Yamuna and an important ecological and livelihood resource in the Bundelkhand region of central India. This qualitative case study examines how river-dependent livelihoods, cultural practices, and everyday life are experienced by members of the Nishad community in Bhurendi Gram Panchayat, Banda district, Uttar Pradesh. The study analyses field records dated 2020 and 2023. The reported interview sample comprised 30 participants, including 10 women, 10 young adults aged 18-30 years, and 10 other adult community members; an additional focus group discussion brought together locally knowledgeable community and institutional actors. Open-ended interviews, field observations, documentary sources, and the focus group discussion were used to examine fishing, riverbank cultivation, animal husbandry, boat-based mobility, sand extraction, and sociocultural practices. Thematic organisation of the reported field material indicates a livelihood system closely linked to the river but undergoing substantial transition. Participants described reduced reliance on fishing and boating, expansion of sand-related wage and transport work, contraction of riverbank vegetable cultivation, and continuing dependence on the river for livestock, water-related activities, and religious and cultural practices. These perceptions are consistent with wider evidence that inland fisher livelihoods are vulnerable to changing access regimes, environmental degradation, and hydroclimatic variability. However, participants' observations concerning river flow decline and the effects of sand extraction should be interpreted as local perceptions rather than direct hydrological measurements. The findings demonstrate the value of integrating community knowledge with ecological monitoring and transparent resource governance when planning river conservation and livelihood support in drought-prone Bundelkhand.