Which of the following statement (s) is/are correct about the Britishers' perception of Paharias and Santhals?

Statement A- The British found it difficult to transform Paharias into settled agriculturists as the Paharias refused to cut forests and resisted touching the plough.

Statement B- The Santhals appeared to be ideal settlers. They cleared forests and ploughed the land with vigour.

Choose the correct answer from the given options:

Both Statements are correct.

The correct answer is Option 3 - Both Statements are correct.

Statement A- The British found it difficult to transform Paharias into settled agriculturists as the Paharias refused to cut forests and resisted touching the plough. (Correct)

Statement B- The Santhals appeared to be ideal settlers. They cleared forests and ploughed the land with vigour. (Correct)

Explanation:

Having failed to subdue the Paharias and transform them into settled agriculturists, the British turned to the Santhals. The Paharias refused to cut forests, resisted touching the plough, and continued to be turbulent.The Santhals appeared to be ideal settlers, clearing forests and ploughing the land with vigour . The Santhals were given land and persuaded to settle in the foothills of Rajmahal. By 1832 a large area of land was demarcated as Damin-i-Koh. This was declared to be the land of the Santhals. They were to live within it, practise plough agriculture, and become settled peasants. The land grant to the Santhals stipulated that at least one-tenth of the area was to be cleared and cultivated within the first ten years. The territory was surveyed and mapped. Enclosed with boundary pillars, it was separated from both the world of the settled agriculturists of the plains and the Paharias of the hills. After the demarcation of Damin-i Koh, Santhal settlements expanded rapidly. From 40 Santhal villages in the area in 1838, as many as 1,473 villages had come up by 1851. Over the same period, the Santhal population increased from a mere 3,000 to over 82,000. As cultivation expanded, an increased volume of revenue flowed into the Company’s coffers. Santhal myths and songs of the nineteenth century refer very frequently to a long history of travel: they represent the Santhal past as one of continuous mobility, a tireless search for a place to settle. Here in the Damin-i-Koh their journey seemed to have come to an end.