Reaching out

However,Palwe,who himself belongs to the Vanjari community,has an interesting story behind the conception of the website. “Whenever people used to ask me about my caste,I would obviously answer- ‘Vanjari’. But in case I was questioned further,for instance,history of the Vanjaris or their occupation in the old age,I used to be at the loss of words,” says Palwe,who later thought that there must be more people like him who must have gone through the same situation. “Since Internet was on boom 10 years back,I thought there can’t be a better tool to empower my fellow community members with all the relevant knowledge about the Vanjaris,” he adds.

Besides giving facts about the community,what makes the website,www.vanjarivishwa.com more interesting is the interesting links it offers. If the link – Succes Stories – provides details about the community members who are successful and have earned a respectable position,another link – Events,helps the members to announce and invite other Vanjaris about any major event or happenings in their community. The Guestbook link reveals how regularly the website is visited by the vanjaris.

Palwe has taken utmost effort to make the website interesting for people of all age groups. Links like Channel V,where ‘V’ stands for Vanjari,has jokes,poems,quotes,quiz and other attention grabbing data. “Other links like – Marriage Corner and Search Vanjaris – are a big hit amongst the members,who have registered with us,” says Palwe,president,Taurus Infotek.

History of Vanjaris
Spread across the country,the Vanjari communities have a significant population in the Maharashtra. However,they presence is also seen in parts of Andhra Pradesh,mainly in the districts of Warangal and Adilabad. Before modes of transport came into existence,in the past,Vanjaris were a tribe engaged in carrying grains,which was supplied to armies. But after British rule,due to modernisation,the traditional oaccupation of the Vanjaris was lost. As a result,many of them settled down as marginal farmers near mountains and hilly regions. As of today,population of Vanjaris is estimated around seven million.