LOCATION
editDabakadihi is the name of a village in the District of Mayurbhanj, Odisha (India. It is sub-village of village Bharadadihi which belongs to Dhanghera Grampanchayat under Khunta Block. This village is 4 kilometer far from Dhanghera. It is situated in 8 k.m. east from B.C. Pur. B.C. Pur is 8 k.m. distance from Udala towads way to Baripada, the District Headquarters. The surrounding villages are Bharadadihi, Khudaputali, Dhanghera, Hatisahi, Jaida, Marsigan, Astia, Raidahi, Naranasahi and Padmapur.
VILLAGE STATUS BEFORE 20 YAERS
editBefore 20 years, status of village was unbelievable. At that time, total of 26 houses were there. Population was around 160. Male female ratio was in right proportion. There are 6 to 10 members in a family in average. All the houses were thatched having mud walls and floors. All the inhabitants were farmers. Their income entirely depends upon agriculture only. At that time, 10% people were literate. Only 2 boys of the village had passed matriculation. No girls passed fifth standard. Only one service holder was there. He was UP School teacher. For entire village only one dug well was there. It was many years old. It was never seen to clean and maintain the wall. This well was able to meet the requirement of villagers during rainy and winter season. But, during summer season, people used to dig mud well choosing down area within paddy fields nearly 2 KM distance from the village. Some times women had to wait long time in queue till their turn comes. Very often, water within the well gets exhausted and people had to wait hours and hours till water secreted.
There was no road to village. All the houses were in both the sides of the village road. This village road was not man made but naturally made. Around one foot thick of sands were through out the village road. During rainy day, it looks like a small river or canal. Water from all the houses were used to drained though this road. But, this road was very clean and uniformly plain. So water never gets deposited in any place. As soon as the rain stops, road was again in fine condition to walk. There was never a situation like muddy or blockage of water in the street. Electricity was not available to this village. People were mainly dependent upon Kerosene Chungi or lantern. There was no paddy machine in this village. People used to go 2 KM to nearby village Marsigan to mill their paddy. But, power cut chances was more in that village. So people prefer to go to another village Similabandh to mill paddy. That village was 4 KM far from Dabakadihi. Woman used to carry paddy on their heads. 95% family had cycles only. About bike or motor cycle, it was only day dream. Whenever, a motorcycle comes to village, people from young to old come to see and keep discussing for some times about bike. Some people fear to touch the motorcycle. As soon as the motor cycle leaves, young generation crawled down and started smelling the wheel mark.
People used to earn their livelihood from farming in their own fields. Their cultivation was dependent fully on mercy of God Indra because there was no irrigation facility in this village. During rainy season villages are fully engaged in farming. But, rest of the time i.e. from January to June they remain idle. Young generations were not interested to go to out side from native place to earn. They were interested to follow the ancestral traditional occupation, the cultivation. Young mass was faithful to their family as well as to their village. Earning of a man having less land but having a pair of healthy oxes was more than a man having many acres of land. Perhaps, all the family used to keep two or more cattle (ox or cows) their house for cow-dungs to be used as manure in their fields. They never used chemical manure at all. For bulk transportation, they were using bullock carts rather than tractors. People were doing the agriculture work of all the villagers with exchange of labor.
There was not a single television set in this village. People used to depend upon radio set for update news and entertainment. By 6:15 PM radio sounds were becoming loud as that was time for Santhali Akhala from Akashbani Kolkata. People never used telephone. Telephone facility may be in one village out of 15-20 villages. There was no concept of mobile phones.
POPULATION
editAll the villagers belong to Tribal community i.e. Santhal, Ho and Bathudi.