Interview Schedule:

A- Personal Information
Name: Ram Chauhan Age:35
Sex: M Occupation: Cattle rearing
Educational Qualification: Area of Residence: Mohand
B- Subject related information:
1. How many years have you been living here?
I have been living here all my life. My ancestors came here many years back.

2. Tell us something about your religious practices?
We are Muslim, we follow Islam. But we also have some features of the Hindu religion. Like
Gotra as our ancestors were were hindus which later got converted to Islam.

3. What do you do to earn a living?
We have jhotas we sell their milk in exchange of other things.

4. What are the problems the Van Gujjar community is facing?
The community faces regular threats by forest officers to leave the rajaji national park. They
threaten us to leave the park and sometimes detain us and ill treat us.
5. What is the status of women in the Van Gujjar Community?
Women enjoy an equal status in the community. There is no gender superiority which is
practiced.
6. Do you think resettlement or rehabilitation will affect you much?
Yes, it will destroy us because we are cattle rearers. We dont know anything else. If we are
moved from the park where will our cattle graze?? What will we sell ?? what will we eat??

7. Where do you migrate to in summers?
We migrate to Himanchal Pradesh during summers travelling via Uttarkashi.

8. Do you face any problems while migrating?
Yes some problems of land slides come in between but the bufflows are so used to
migrating that they come to know if there is some problem and stop there if there is some
problem
9. Is there concept of property in the Van Gujjar community?
No there is no concept of property or land holding in the Van Gujjar Community. As we are
nomadic and dont stay too long at any place.

10. What about the education of the people of the community?
There are schools in the areas outside the park for van gujjars by the government but they
are just empty buildings and are understaffed. But the schools run by RLEK Dehradun are
much better and the staff is also co-operative. We send our children to that school.
Religious education is imparted by the maulvi sahib.














Interview Schedule:
A- Personal Information
Name: Dil Mohammed Age:46
Sex:M Occupation:
Educational Qualification: Area of Residence:Mohand
B- Subject related information:
1. How many years have you been living here?
I have been living here all my life.

2. Tell us something about your religious practices?
We are Muslim, we follow Islam. But we also have some features of the Hindu religion. Like
Gotra as our ancestors were were hindus which later got converted to Islam.

3. What do you do to earn a living?
We have buffalos milk to the organization named SOPHIA which further sells the milk to the
people in Dheradun and Saharanpur.

4. What are the problems the Van Gujjar community is facing?
The community faces regular threats by forest officers to leave the rajaji national park. They
threaten us to bring our houses down if we dont listen to them.
5. What is the status of women in the Van Gujjar Community?
Women enjoy an equal status in the community. There is no gender superiority which is
practiced.
6. Do you think resettlement or rehabilitation will affect you much?
Yes, it will destroy us because we are cattle rearers. We dont know anything else. If we are
moved from the park our cattle will die because it is used to good grass and fodder of the
forests and in urban areas the grass is polluted with chemicals. And if cattle die we will
suffer a lot because like normal farmers we dont have crops to fall back on if cattle die.

7. Where do you migrate to in summers?
We migrate to Himanchal Pradesh during summers travelling via Uttarkashi.

8. Do you face any problems while migrating?
Yes some problems of land slides come in between but the bufflows are so used to
migrating that they come to know if there is some problem and stop there if there is some
problem
9. Is there concept of property in the Van Gujjar community?
No there is no concept of property or land holding in the Van Gujjar Community. As we are
nomadic and dont stay too long at any place. we believe in having only as much things with
us as much we can carry on our backs.

10. What about the education of the people of the community?
There are schools in the areas outside the park for van gujjars by the government but they
are just empty buildings and are understaffed. But the schools run by RLEK Dehradun are
much better and the staff is also co-operative. We send our children to that school.
Religious education is imparted by the maulvi sahib.












Interview Schedule:
A- Personal Information
Name: Feroz Akhtar Age: 28
Sex: M Occupation:
Educational Qualification: Area of Residence:Mohand
1. How many years have you been living here?
I have been living here all my life.

2. Tell us something about your religious practices?
We are Muslim, we follow Islam. But we also have some features of the Hindu religion. Like
Gotra as our ancestors were were hindus which later got converted to Islam.

3. What do you do to earn a living?
We have buffalos milk to the organization named SOPHIA which further sells the milk to the
people in Dheradun and Saharanpur. I work as a security guard in a near by factory at night.

4. What are the problems the Van Gujjar community is facing?
The community faces regular threats by forest officers to leave the rajaji national park. They
threaten us to bring our houses down if we dont listen to them. I have myself been
detained once on false charges of poaching.
5. What is the status of women in the Van Gujjar Community?
Women enjoy an equal status in the community. There is no gender superiority which is
practiced.
6. Do you think resettlement or rehabilitation will affect you much?
Yes, it will destroy us because we are cattle rearers. We dont know anything else. If we are
moved from the park our cattle will die because it is used to good grass and fodder of the
forests and in urban areas the grass is polluted with chemicals. And if cattle die we will
suffer a lot because like normal farmers we dont have crops to fall back on if cattle die.

7. Where do you migrate to in summers?
We migrate to Himanchal Pradesh during summers travelling via Uttarkashi.

8. Do you face any problems while migrating?
Yes some problems of land slides come in between but the bufflows are so used to
migrating that they come to know if there is some problem and stop there if there is some
problem
9. Is there concept of property in the Van Gujjar community?
No there is no concept of property or land holding in the Van Gujjar Community
10. What about the education of the people of the community?
There are schools in the areas outside the park for van gujjars by the government but they
are just empty buildings and are understaffed. But the schools run by RLEK Dehradun are
much better and the staff is also co-operative. We send our children to that school.
Religious education is imparted by the maulvi sahib.


















Interview Schedule:
A- Personal Information
Name: Noori Age:30
Sex: F Occupation:
Educational Qualification: Area of Residence:Mohand

1. How many years have you been living here?
I have been living here all my life.

2. Tell us something about your religious practices?
We are Muslim, we follow Islam. But we also have some features of the Hindu religion. Like
Gotra as our ancestors were were hindus which later got converted to Islam.

3. What do you do to earn a living?
We have jhotas we sell their milk in exchange of other things.

4. What are the problems the Van Gujjar community is facing?
The community faces regular threats by forest officers to leave the rajaji national park. They
threaten us to leave the park and sometimes detain us and ill treat us. My fathers funeral
was not allowed by these forest officers .
5. What is the status of women in the Van Gujjar Community?
Women enjoy an equal status in the community. There is no gender superiority which is
practiced. The women look after the finances of the house and are given due respect in our
community.
6. Do you think resettlement or rehabilitation will affect you much?
Yes, it will because we would not be able to rear our cattle in closed spaces of the cities.
7. Where do you migrate to in summers?
We migrate to Himanchal Pradesh during summers travelling via Uttarkashi.

8. Do you face any problems while migrating?
Yes some problems have started to crop up now because the route now has roads after
creation of Uttarakhand so the cattle sometimes eats the grass beside the road and then
gets poisoned due to the grass as they are not immune to the outside environment as the
environment inside the park is very safe and secure.
9. Is there concept of property in the Van Gujjar community?
No there is no concept of property or land holding in the Van Gujjar Community. As we are
nomadic and dont stay too long at any place.

10. What about the education of the people of the community?
There are schools in the areas outside the park for van gujjars by the government but they
are just empty buildings and are understaffed. But the schools run by RLEK Dehradun are
much better and the staff is also co-operative. We send our children to that school.
Religious education is imparted by the maulvi sahib.










Interview Schedule:
A- Personal Information
Name: Avdhash Kaushal Age:86
Sex:M Occupation: Chairperson RLEK
Educational Qualification: Area of Residence: Dehradun

1. How much time have you been working for the rights of the Van Gujjars?
Nearly 10 years.

2. How did you get involved in this strive for rights of the Van Gujjars?
One day I was coming from Delhi to Dehradun and then the buses were in a jam and the
forest guards were misbehaving with the gujjar women and beating the gujjar men in
Mohand area. So i went and heard their grievances and was moved by their problems and
so RLEK added an objective of protecting the rights of van gujjars as one of its objectives.

3. Do you think that the existence of van gujjars is not hampering the conservation
policy in the Rajaji National Park?
No, in fact i think that the existence of them is more beneficial for the conservation policy as
they know the jungles as the back of their hands and if there is some hunter or poacher in
the forest then only they could find him with ease. As they are so familiar with the forests.

4. Why do you think that resettlement and rehabilitation will prove harmful to the
people of the community?
Because these people are too simple and they have never been exposed to environment
outside the park. A sudden change in social as well as economic condition will affect them
gravely. They also have just learned the concept of money else they were used to barter
system so they are very vulnerable. And the cattle too wont be able to adapt themselves at
some other place.

5. What all have you done for the Van Gujjar community?
The RLEK has always provided a support system to the van gujjars of Rajaji National Park.
We have organised many protests against the forest officers brutalities against the gujjars.
Its sister NGO SOPHIA is helping them to sell their milk to buyers in dehradun and
saharahpur. Where they can get good price for milk. We also organise workshops for the
gujjars so that they know their legal rights and also organise seminars for people who can
help in the matter.

6. Do you think that now as the gujjars have got Scheduled Tribe status it will change
something?
Yes of course, it will change a lot of things as these people will now get enough
opportunities to get into the mainstream and then slowly slowly it would help them to
chose other professions and then they will leave the forests and also have their rights
protected.