Dhandi

The history of the Dhandi is poorly documented. Historically, communities of this people lived in both India and Nepal, keeping up marriages, festivals and family ties that cross today's border.

Today the people we speak of here are in Nepal, mostly in the west of the Terai plain. There are almost no published studies of their journey, and much of what is known comes from the memory of the families themselves. Listening patiently to the voice of the people and carefully recording their memory is still a task to be done, and each generation that passes takes part of this history with it.

Most Dhandi families live from the land. Many work in farming, others in manual labor or small trade, and it is common to combine more than one activity through the year. Life unfolds in villages and semi-urban settlements, where home, neighbor and relative are always close.

The community is organized by caste and extended family. It is within this circle that marriages are chosen, festivals are celebrated and support is sought in hard times. Access to school, health care and income opportunities is still unequal, and many families depend on mutual help to get by. Patiently learning what matters to them is the first step toward loving them well.

Almost all Dhandi follow Hinduism. Faith is lived in family and community: there is devotion to many deities, visits to temples, offerings at home, and participation in the great festivals of the Hindu calendar, which mark the rhythm of the year and gather relatives and neighbors.

Religion and identity go together. Being Dhandi includes following the customs of the ancestors, and so changing faith is usually understood as breaking with family and caste. This does not mean an absence of sincere searching for God, but it shows that any conversation about Jesus must be held with respect, within relationships of trust and without haste.

In the Bhojpuri language there are already portions of Scripture and the New Testament, also available in digital format. The complete Bible has not yet been translated. For those with little schooling, audio resources, such as narrated Bible stories and recorded Bible teaching, are especially valuable, as are films about the life of Jesus in the same language. There are also Bible apps, including one for children, that bring the Word to the phone.

Among the Dhandi, Hindu faith is bound up with the identity of caste and family, so that following Christ can be seen as abandoning one’s own people. In addition, there has so far been no church planting work among them, and there is almost no Christian witness in their own language and culture. In a country where changing religion can bring social and legal pressure, those who are interested in the gospel face the fear of losing their place in the community.

The Dhandi need better access to education, opportunities for work and income, such as vocational training and support for small businesses, and health services that reach the most remote communities. These are concrete needs, and caring for them is a way of honoring the dignity of the people.

They also need someone to bring the gospel in a way that makes sense in their culture: in the language of their hearts, through lasting friendship and discipleship that allows each believer to remain a member of their family. Today there is no community of faith to walk alongside them.