I find it difficult to write a preface, or rather a prelude for this book, for it embodies nearly five decades of my close and sustained interaction with the Tharu tribe of West Champaran. This association has been both intensive and extensive. It is also deeply personal, shaped by the painful reality that this community has long been neglected, ignored, and often misrepresented, even decades after Independence.I refer to this span of five decades beginning with my school days at K. R. High School, Bettiah, in West Champaran, Bihar, where I studied alongside my Tharu friend, Dharmraj Khatait. We completed our matriculation together in 1975. That early association gradually grew into a lifelong engagement.Being born in Bettiah, I have always felt a deep urge to contribute to the land of my birth. Writing a book on the Tharu tribe of West Champaran seemed the most meaningful way to do so. Through this work, I have attempted to document the many facets of this remarkable community before they are diluted by the rapid forces of globalization. I have also sought to demystify their origins, bring attention to their challenges, and make them more aware of their rights, including their longstanding demand for Scheduled Tribe status.