(I), Vol-XIII, Punjab
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~TVDY CENSUS OF INDIA 1961 VOLUME XIII PUNJAB PART V (B) ( i ) [CHAMARS. KHATtKS, NATS, PERNAs. i ,. KOLIS OR KORIS, SIRKlBANDS, SIKLIGARS AND SAPELAS] ~ 1 Officer n Offi.:er VLA. "!!'- estig':ltor ., ) .. , LL.B. ldent of ryana fi1cer. ncr:l1• India phil .. OFFICE OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF ne-r<tl. CENSUS OPERATIONS, HARYANA, Studies) CHANDIGARH , I ." -.; "'ft...,,_ I'~ t·" I I-"'~'" " .._..._ , ./ ,I 'J",: I ..' ..,. , '.1 I. : FOR W' 0 R D ..... _ . , 4'~ I j ',' ,; ,~.. ' i.~ ~~e"'c:n:ti tU't~ori' lays down th'lt 'IJth:~' ;~:~e~'~ . shall promote' wi th special c are the ,educational and economic in teT'es t of the we,aker sec t;i.ons of the people and in' par ticu18r' o( the "3c peduled CaS te:s. and Jcheduled Tribes and Shall proteet t~em from social injustice and all forms of exploi tEition. Il To assist states in fulfilling their responsi bility in this regard, the 1961 census provided a series of special' tabulations of the social and economic data on Scheduled C:1stes and Scheduled Tribes. The lists of 3cheduled C~$tes and Scheduled Tribes are notified bv the President under 'the Consi tut ion and the Parliament is empowered to include in or exclude from the lists, any caste or tribe. During the Census operations, the enumerators frequently face the problem of identifying the Scheduled C'stes and Scheduled Tribes. 1'1. the President! s notific atiori, though in~ S·Qn9' cases, the names of the sub-castes and sub-tribes and synonyms are given, there are many cases where such names have not been provided in the list. The Census enumera tors, therefore, require guidance about the acceptance or rejection of daims that they come across during the operp tions of Some communities to be treated as sub-castes or sub-tribes of the notified Sched1lled castes or Scheduled tribes. For this purpose, the Census Organisation has thought it wise to unde~take detailed ethnogr ahic studies in respect of Scheduled C "stes and Scheduled Tribes of I nc3.i a. This is also in conformi ty with the pas t Census tradition of presentj_ng authentic ethnographic account of Indian communities. For conducting the ethnographic' studies, a number of pncill:hry operations, are undertaken by the Social Studies Unit of the office of the Registrar General, India, as well as the staff of the Superintendents of Census Operations in the various Stgtes. These ancillary operations include: (i) compilation of available informa tion on each Scheduled Caster and Scheduled 'I'ribe and prep ar ation of bi bliogr aphy in respect of them; (ii) prep ar a tion and interpretqtion of mai)S showing d.istribution of Scheduled Cp,stes and Scheduled Tribes over time and space; and (iil) special studies on c-u:.tural, technologi,c al and economic chang es taking pI qce arno ng th e various tribq1 communi ties. Dr . .a.K.Roy Burman, Deputy Registrar General, India, Handicrafts and Social Studies Un! t assisted by She A.L.Kur.up and She N.G.Nag, Research Officers 1s co-ordi nat~dg all the studies a,t the Central level. At the State J_e7e:~ . Superintendent of Census Operatio'ns and his staff are collabo .. rating in conducting the field inv~stigation and preparing the reports. She J.L.A1~ora, H.C.S., Deputy Superintendent of Census Operations Haryana, supervised the studies at ,,:",P'" St,qte level. She J.R.VRshisthR, Tabul~~ion Officl=>r prepar( ( CONTD .•••... 2. ) / the dr afts X~RX for Chamars, Khatiks, N ats and P ernas, She G.D.S~ngla, TabulatLon Officer for Kalis or Koris, and She Kulbhushan Lakhanpal, Economic Investigator for Sirkiband: '3ikligars: andSpelas. I· .. avail of this opportunity to extend my w'arm thanks to all of my colleague$ Who have undertaken various' studies with differe,nt aSpects of the Scheduled Caste : and Scheduled Tri bes for .;India.' ' A. CHANDRA SEKHAR . REGIS'IRAR GENERAL,INDIA , , . ULACHHMAN~ • ,,_ p , / ' ;. '. I ' j . • ; .! I ... ,', ... _ j _, f • , . 'j , , _p _R_E_F ...:.A_C_E_ ,.' . "As an aqjunct o'f 1961 CenSu~,., preparation of e:.thno- gr ap,hi.c··monogr cp hs on a numbe'r 0 f se~ected S~heduled Cas tes , Scheduled Tribes ,and ethnic groups W1 th s pecl al status and ethnogrcphic glossarie's on all Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tr ibe:> have be.en taken up by the Census Organisation. • i ,. r ;~. • ' , .. ". In India. the census C?rganisation haS a long tradi t~on ef undertaking· ethnographic studies. .Besides, tbere are certaih'·reas'ons why, for its own op JrationaL.purposes, it is 'necesspry t:or t.he Census Organis3tion to ,t~e :up such studies. ',During census ,operation, the Census. organisati(?_n is required to make a complete enumerati'Qt'l of Sll'th~'Sqhedllled Castes and Scheduied Tr'ibes in the c·01.1htry. ' !he ethnogr aphic studies are required .to establish ~he identity of·.:thG various communi ties' including th'eir .SJegne nts.. 'The 50:ci.9.1· poundaries of v~riops cO.lJlmunities are hot· 'always rigid:, theyare in a state of. flux. E.thnographic studies' are, :requ.ir~d to k89p tr 3. ck o·f' thes.~ 'changes as well, c'bher\ll1se c~mp arIson of consecutive census figures would give altogether waJong picture 'in respect of them. There is another aspect of study in respect ,of Schedule.a Gaste~ and dcheduled Tribes in which t,h;~ ?ensus org~~s:atlon, as wal;t "as ,the welfare Rnd planning agencies are in~eres·ted.:.±± is! ethno-demography. In 1961 Census, sep 3I' ate' ·"tables 'were' prep ared in re spe ct of the Scheduled Caste.s: .,and SCheduled. Tribes on the following items:- -; (1) industrial claS·sifi·cation of persons at work and. non-'workers. by s ex~ .' . , . (ii) age. and mari tcil statu~ ,.... , ; (iii) educ ation:'_ (1 v} ~reli~ion', (v) ,persons not at ',work c·lassified by s ex and type 'of Rctivity for S'c~eduled Castes, . - ~ --, " :" ". l perso'n,s not .. Clt ,work class'tfied by sex and type of act':ivi ty for Scheduled' "TrIbes, (vi1) mot~er . '8:>ngue . ~nd· biling\lalism' for Scheduled Tribes. , . - . t ; .! The data. available in: these tabl eS are to be analy sed in respect '6f' each. '~cheduled Gaste and SCheduled Tribe. so 'that the historical and.. cultural f actors responsible for the demogr'aphic pattern can q;e :L,deritifled 'and the impact of the emergent demog'i'a'phic pa-tt,?Tn ,ani _the:so'cial structure can be determined. ,. .' , .The ·insight gained by the .Census organisRtion, through ethnograpplc' studied of the SChequled~C8stes and Sct.J.eduled Tribes will be. use,ful for 'interpretation e f the demo graphic pa~tern for the C"ountry as a whole. Racent studies' , , ..... II • (CONTD ............ 2. ) . ,,' .. - - 2 ... to some accounts a contemporary of Kabir and like him a disciple of Ramanand and according· ··to "others. he lived in the time of Akbar. He is said ,.,w h~ve born at Henaras and complied certain books which "fl.re' held in reverence·; -'and he is quat ed in the lai G~,anth.' " .- ... Ramdasi and 'Ravidasi terms are loosely used 'lTith _" ... several different 'me'aning~. According to "Ibbetson, Ramdasi is most probably the corrupt~on of the word Ravidasi, and Ramdds is identified Hith Ravidas. Most of the S~kh Chamars style thems elves Ramdasis. ',It is generally explained that the fifth guru, Ramdas, first admitted chamars into Sikh community but this theory is untenable, and the marne was probably adopted because it dlosely resembled Raidas or Ravidas. Various legends are given about Ramdas or Ravidas. s~me of these are given below. Ramdas was a des~endent of Chanu. His mother, Kalsia, ,,,as childless, "but one r'iay a faqir (mendicant) came to her and she gave him flour, In =eturn of Which he promised h.er a son. Oll his return, hj_s _~~Ell_ cross -questioned him, as he was unable to prono"'J.!1ce -I:;~le nama Parmeshwar and learning of his promis~ dBclared t~at as-nD son had been besto wed on Kalsia in her destiny. the .faqir must be born to her. So o.e was born as Ramdas? !~s 11is rlother was a Chamari (chamar female) he refused her breas~s, u~til his ~ru--bade him suck. One day when placed by his mother e.t e. spot where Ramanand used to pass, he was touched by that teacherts sandals, and when he cried out was told by him to be silent and repeat Ram, Ram~ Thus was s~pernatural power bestowed on him. 'Contrary'to the (hamar IS cus.lcoms Ramdas wore a i.§:g~ sounded ," a conch, and worshipped :.c.ols. :'l16 .Brahmans appealecf to the magist~ate, whereupon Ra~das cast the idols into a tank"but they returned to him, WD8reas thg Brahmans failed in a similar test. Again ~R:l'1£!r±x:k~:;;'E1Ra::;-\ cu·;~-t~ing his neck open Ramdas exhibited four janoo~(sac~oG ~~rG~d) or. gold~ 3ilver, copper and thread, typical of the fo~r .'!ugg. '::'hene8fo·.'th he vias I known as a famout bh~g!!~.!... ' Most of the Ramdasi ChC',mars have -abandoned leather work, for the loom and arc ri:nor.VD. Q:J Bona Buna or Bunia, a0d' , they are ~argely founu in IJudhiana, and Patiala Distri,cts. e' Chamars are also variously styled as Dhed or Dherh, Golia, Rahtia,. 'etc., the terms appli8d to' any low fellow. The term Chura-Chamar is often used to deno.te the group formed by ,two castes, just as Mochi-Julaha is used, ~ut it does not ' imply that the two are identical ..