Boalkhali to Raishyabari “A Culture on the Edge” – The Silent Disappearance of Tripuri Identity
The Pancham Tripuri community in Tripura is facing cultural erosion as poor tribal women in TTAADC areas increasingly form relationships and marry migrant laborers, some of whom are suspected illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. A recent case in Boalkhali to Raishyabari has highlighted the trend, with reports of similar incidents being widespread. Locals’ silence and weak response risk accelerating the loss of cultural identity, language, and traditions.
NETB24
Tripura’s Pancham Tripuri community stands at a crossroads — and the road ahead looks uncertain. Every day, across the TTAADC areas, a quiet change is taking place. What begins as casual interaction between poor tribal women/Girls and migrant daily laborers often ends in love affairs, live-in relationships, and marriages. Many of these laborers are homeless, and some are even suspected to be illegal migrants from Bangladesh.
One latest incident has drawn public attention: On the roadside from Boalkhali to Raishyabari, near the newly constructed Sub ZDO Office, a migrant laborer has been living for a long time with a poor Tripuri woman from Boalkhali Bazar. According to local sources, this same man had previously married a Chakma woman in Nowaram Para under Raishyabari police station.
Sadly, this is not an isolated case. Sources say countless such incidents are happening across the ADC region. Poor tribal women, while working alongside these migrant laborers from outside the state, are marrying them. Over time, this has begun to erode not just family structures but the cultural fabric of the Tripuri people.
Why is this happening? Many point to the weakness of the local community’s response. Silence has become acceptance. And acceptance, in this case, could mean the slow dissolution of an entire people.
If you believe it is wrong yet choose to remain silent, remember — silence will not save you. In the end, both you and your community may dissolve into history, not because you were defeated, but because you simply did nothing.
This is not just about marriages. It’s about survival — of a culture, a language, and a way of life that has existed for generations. Once gone, it will never return.
By Choba Tripura
