It’s likely you have not heard of Totos, the most primitive Indo-Bhutanese tribal community in India. Soon you may not get to hear about them at all.
It’s likely you have not heard of Totos, the most primitive Indo-Bhutanese tribal community in India. Soon you may not get to hear about them at all. The tribe, scattered in the Totopara region of Jalpaiguri in West Bengal, is fast showing signs of complete extinction.
Most unmarried Totos have thalassaemia, which is pushing the endangered tribe towards total extinction.
The Kolkata-based Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Cancer Research Institute (NSCBCRI) recently conducted blood tests among unmarried Totos and found over 15% of them were carriers of the thalassaemia virus.
There could actually be many more thalassaemics among Totos given that the blood sample test was conducted only among unmarried Totos. There are about 385 unmarried males and females — about 28% — from a total Toto population of 1,366.
Confirming presence of the deadly virus in such a large percentage of Toto youths, NSCBCRI director M Mukhopadhyay said carriers of the virus have been advised not to get married, since the possibility of their offspring carrying the same disease is very high.
Renowned anthropologist BC Roy Chowdhury blamed the Totos’ social practice for the high percentage of thalassaemia. “Traditionally, Totos marry members of the same family. This inbreeding increases chances of thalassaemia in offsprings,” Chowdhury said.
Another alarming factor noticed by the Indian Anthropological Society is that the average life span of Totos has sharply come down to 35 in recent times, somewhat equal to the life span of thalassaemia patients.
However, NSCBCRI, in association with the district administration, has decided to conduct regular camps in the region to create awareness about thalassaemia and how to prevent it.
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