CENSUS OF INDIA 1961
VOLUME XIII PART VI NO. 42
VILLAGE SURVEY "MONOGRAPHS OF PUNJAB
MONOGRAPH No. 42
MA'HSA TIBBA A VILLAGE IN AMBALA DISTRICT
Field ltivestigation and First Draft, PUNNU LAL SHARMA, M.A., B.A. (Hons.)
Supervision, Guidance and Final Draft B. S. OJHA, I.A.S. Deputy Superintendent of Census Operations, Punjab
Editing R:. L. ANAND
Superintendent of Census Opera~ons and Enumeration Commissioner,' Punjab I CENSUS PUBLICATIONS
The 1961 Census Reports on Punj ab will bear uniformally Volume No. XIII, and will be printed in the following parts:-"-
Part I-A GE!Ueral Report. Part 1-,B Report on Vital Statistics. Part I-C .' Subsidiary Table!» Part II-A General Population Tables. Part II-B Economic Tables (in two books). Part II-C Cultural and Migration Tables. Part III litmsehold E~onomi<;. Tables . Part IV-A .. Report on Housing and Establishments. Part IV-B .. Tables on Housing and Establishments.• Part V-A Special Tables on Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Part V-E '.. E~hnographlc note&, on Schedul¢ Castes and Sch~- doled: Tribes.' .. ,j,'. ., Part VI Village Survey Monographs: 44 in number, each relat i,ng. to an, ind\vidual village., Part VII-A Report on Selected Handicrafts. Part VII-B Reports and Tables on Fairs and Festivals. Part VIII-A Administration Report: Enumeration (Not for sale), Part VIII--B Adminlstratidn ReISort: Tabulation (Not for sale). Part IX Socio:'Eoonomic Atla-s.
Besides, there will be 19 District 'Census Handbooks, one for each District.
PUNJAB LOCATION OF VILLAGES SELECTED
33 -- FOR SOCIO-ECONOMIC SURVEY
. 32
32.
lAHAUL.' SPfT{ OIS TRier t. 'rANDI 2,. LARA KANGRA OISTRICT 3. DALASH 4. I Apart from laying the foundations accordingly decided to select a few vil of demography in this subcontinent, lages in every State for special study, a hundred years of the Indian Census where personal observation would be has also produced 'elaborate and scholar brought to bear on the interpretation of ly accounts of the variegClted phenomena statistics to find out how much of a vil of Indian life-sometimes with no statis lage was static and yet changing and how tics attached, but usually with just enough fast the winds of change were blowing statistics to give empiri~al underpinning and from where. . " ' to their conclusions'. In a country, Randomness of selection was, there largely illiterate, where stfltistical or fore, eschewed. Th~re was no intention numerical comprehension of even such to build up a picture for the whole State a simple thing as age was liable to be in quantitative terms on the basis of inaccurate an understanding of the social villages selected statistically at random. structure was essential. It was more The selection was· avowedly purposive: necessary to attain a broad' understand the object being as much to find out!what ing of what was happening around one was happening and how fast to those self than to wrap oneself up in 'statistical villages which'liad fewer reasons to ingenuity' or 'mathematical manipula choose chang'e and m6re to remain lodg tion'. This explains why the Indian Cen ed in the past as to discover how the sus came to be interested in 'many by more 'normal" types of villages were paths' and"nearly every branch of scholar. changing. They were to be primarily ship, from anthropology and sociology to type "studies which, by virtue of th:eir geography and religion'. number and distribution would also give the reader a 'feel' of what was r;(oing In the last few decades the Census on and some kind of a map of the has increasingly turned its efforts to the country. presentation of! village statistics.' This suits to the temper of the times as well A brief account of the tests of selec as our political and economic structure. tion will help to explain. A minimum For even as we have a great geal of cen of thirty-five' villages was to be chosen tralization on the one hand and decentra with great care to represent adequately lisation on the other, my' colleagues geographical, occupational and even thought it would be a welcome continua ethnic diversity. Of this minimum of tion of the Census tradition to try to in thirty-five, the distribution was to be as vest the dry'bones of village statistics follows: with flesh-and-blood accounts of social (a) At least l!ight villages were structure and social 'change. It waJS to be so selected that each ot ii them would contain one be a regional distribution dominanlt community with throughout the State of one predominating occupa this category of villages. tion, e.g., fisherman, forest If, however, a particular workers, jhum cultivators, dis,trict contlai\ned signifi potters, weavers, salt cant ecological variations makers, quarry workers, within its area. more than etc. A village should have one village in . the district a minimum population of might be se~ected to study 400, the optimum being the special adjustments to between 500 and 700. them. (b) At least seven villages were to be of numerical It is a unique feature of these ly prominent Scheduled village surveys that they rapidly out Tribes of the State. Each grew their original terms of refer village. could represent a ence, as my colleagues warmed up to particular tribe. The mini their work. This proved for them an mum population should be absorbing voyage of discovery and 400, the optimum ~eing their infectious enthusia¥D compel between 500 and 700. led me to enlarge the inquiry's scope again and again. It was just as well (c) The third group of villages cautiously to feel one's way about at should each be of fair size, first and then venture further afield, of an old and selected and although it accounts to some ex character 'and contain va tent for a certai.n unevenness in the riegated occupations and quality and coverage of the mono be, if possible, multi-ethnic graphs, it served to compensate the in composition. By fair purely honorary and extra-mural size was meant a popula rigours of the task. For, ~he ?urv.ey, tion of 500-700 persons: or along with its many ancIllanes lIke more. The village should the survey of fairs and festivals, of mainly depend on agricul small and rural industry and others, ture and be sufficiently was an extra, over and above the away from the major crushing load of the 1961-census. sources of modern commu nieation such as the district administrative headquar-: It might be of interest to recount ters and business centres. briefly the stages by which the Sur It should be roughly a day's vey enlarged its scope. At the first journey from the above Census Conference in September, plac~s. The villages were 1959, the Survey set itself the task of 'to be selected with an eye what might be called a record in situ to variation in terms of of material traits, like settlement size, proximity to city and patterns of the vil1age;' house types; other means of modern diet; dress; ornaments and footwear; communication, nearness furniture and storing vessels;. corp. to hills, jungles and major mon means of tranSjport of goods and rivers. Thus there was to passengers; domestication of animals 111 and birds; m?rkets attended; worship hand with too many general state of deities, tfestivals and fairs. There ments and a growing desire on the were, to be recordings, of course, other to draw conclusions from statig... of cultural and soci,al traits and tics, to regard social and economic data occupational mobility. This was followed as interrelated processes, and finally to up in M,arch, 1900, by two specimen examine the social and economic pro schedules, one for each housellold, the cesses set in motion through land re other for the village as a whole, which, forms apd other laws, legislative and rapart from spelling out the mode of administrative measures, technological inquiry suggested in the September, and cultural change. In the later half 1959 Conference, introduced groups of of 1961, again was organised within the questions aimed at sensing changes in Census 'commission a section on Social attitude and behaviour in such fields Studies which assumed the task of giv as marriage, inheritance, movable and ing shape to the general frame of study immovable property, industry, in and providing technical help to Super debtedness, education, community life intendents of Census Operations in the and collective activity, social disabili matter of conducting surveys, their ties, forums of appeal over disputes, analysis and presentation. This section village lead~rship and organisation of headed by Dr. B. K. Roy Burman, has cultural life. It was now plainly the been responsible for going through each intention to provide adequate statis monograph and offering useful sugges~ tical support to empirical 'feel'; to tions which were much welcomed by approacr qUalitative change through my colleagues. Finally, a study camp statistiqal quantities. It had been was organised in the last week of Decem difficult to give thought to the import ber, 1961, when the whole field was ance of 'just enough statistics to give carefully gone through 9ver again and empirical underpinning to conclu a programme worked out closely knit sions', at a time when my colleagues ting the various aims of the Survey were straining themselves t<;> the ut together. most for the success of the main Census operations, but once the Census This gradual unfolding of the aims count itself was left behind in M~rch, of the Survey prevented my colleagues 1961, a series of three regional seminars from adopting as many vill'ages as they in Trivandrum (May, 1961), Darjeeling had originally intended to. But I be- and Srinagar (June, 1961), restored their \ lieve that what may have been lost in attention to this field and the importance quantity has been more than made up of tracing social change througlt a for in quality. This is. pe:t:haps. for the number of well-devised statistical tables first time that such a Survey has been was once again recognised. This itself conducted in any countrv and that pure presupposed a fresh survey of villages ly as a labour of love. It has succeeded already done; but it was worth the trou in attainin~' what it set out to achieve: ble in view of the possibilities that a to co'nstruct a map of village India's close analysis of statistics offered, and social structure. One hQpes that the also because the 'consanguinity' sche volwnes of this Survey will help to dule remained to be canvassed. By retain for the Indian Census its'title November, 1961, however, more was ex to 'the most fruitful single ~ource of pected of these surveys than ever before. information about the country'. Apart There was dissatisfaction on the one from other features, it will perhaps be IV conceded that the Survey has set up a adopted for this monograph have been new Census standard in pictorial and printed in Appendices I and II to the graphic documentation. The Schedules monograph on, village Tandi. New Delhi, A. MITRA 24th May, 1962. Registrar-General, India. INTRODUCTION Census is essentially a statistical households: The Chamars were treat survey, and as such it partakes of the ~d as outcastes as, they were not limitations of these surveys because assigned any place in the caste of its dealing with such aspects of hierarchy laid! down by Manu. Accord human life as are capable of being ing to "The S'cneduled Castes and expressed numerically or quanti' Scheduled Tribes List (Modificationj tatively. A Ce~sus 'report ~eals with Order of 1956" the Chamars have been the fotal population, ra'te of its accorded the status of a 'scheduled gro'wth, its distrl}mtion over land and caste. The Constitution of India has according to age, sex, marital status, guaranteed speci~l status, and privi literacy, language, religion, occupa leges to the school,J.led castes. There.;;. tion and other allied topics. But the fore, any socio-economic ~tudy which Census r.eport does not satisfy com depicts a scheduled caste responding pletely the reader desirous of know and reacting to factors of change con ing the people as, they live : it sciously S(ponsored by the State and furnishes little infQrma tion on social the society, is bound to be full of structure and material culture of the interest. population;-the type of houses they live in, the clothes they wear, the food 4. The study of Mahsa Tibba has they eat, their household equipment, revealed that whereas the traditional their livestock, their hours of work occupation of the Chamars was lifting and recreation, their beliefs and cus dead cattle, flaying, tanning and shoe toms, and their traditions and as(pira making, they are now kee.n to substi tions. tute the traditional occupation with 2. With a view to presenting a farming. Land is a symbol of status more complete picture of the people which every Chamar is eager to than was done at the previous cen possess. The level of awareness is suses it has been decided to prepare improving and the horizon of so~io along with the- main 1961 Census political consciousness is broadening Report complementary monographs-on day· by day. The Chamars are begin socio-economic study of some selected p.ing to participate in the social, eco villages. These studies have been nomic and political activities of the limited to rural areas. The mode of society as its full members, on an selection of villages for socio-eco'nomic equal basis. survey has been explained in the Foreword. The list of 44 villages 5. The preliminary survey of selected for survey is given in the this village was conducted in about location map which appears as ) three weeks during March, 1962 by frontispiece to this report. Shri P. L. Sharma, M.A., Economic Investigator. The data collected dur 3. Mahsa Tibba is a small ing the first inquiry was scrutinised village, inhabited exclusively by the by me and Shri Ojha, and the Investi Chamar community, lying in the sub gator was asked to conduct a more montane tract of the Ambala District. detailed inquiry. His work was all At the 1961 Census its population was along supervised and guided by Shri 132 souls, living as members of 22 vi B. S. Ojha, I.A.S., Deputy Superi"nte.n offering valuable suggestions to im dent of Census Operations, Punjab, prove the draft; to Miss Swaranjit who visited the village a number of Chopra, ex-Investigator, and Misses times and wrote the final draft. Satwinder H. Singh and Ranbir Having produced a report on tanning Sokhi, Investigators in the Atlas Sec industry in Punjab, during my early tion for preparing the location map career, I can claim some personal and' other charts and sketches; to knowledge of the traditional occupa Shri Kewal Krishan, Arti~t, for pre tion and institution of this community. paring the title and some sketches. I It has therefore been a matter of must also acknow1edge the hard work pleasu're for me 'to direct this Inquiry done· by Shri Satya Dev Sharma, and to have edited the report. Stenographer, in typing the :€!port over again and S.hri R. L. Khosla, As 6. I am grateful to Dr. B. K. Roy sistant Section Officer, who has seen Burman Officer on Special Duty (So the report through the press and spar cial Studies) of the Registrar ~neral's ed no pains to im\prove its get-up. Office, for visiting this village and . Chandigarh : R. L. ANAND Superintendent of Census The 7th July, 1964. Operations, Punjab. CONTENTS PAGE FOREWORD 'INTRODUCTION CHAPTER I-THE VILLAGE Introduction; Ground for,selection; Location; Physical Aspects; Flora and Fauna; Size and Settlement Pattern; Means of Communication; Sources of Water; History of Settlement 1 CHAPTER II-THE PEOPLE" AND THEIR MATERIAL EQUIPMENT Ethnic Composition; Language; Social Status and the Change; Housetype; Dress; Ornaments; Household Goods; Food and Drinks; Customs; Beliefs and Practices connected with Birth; Marriage and Death 7 CHAPTER III-ECONOMY Livestock; Factors influencing Economic Life of. the Village; Livelihood Classes; Practices co'nnected with Agricul'ture; Village Handicrafts; Animal Husbandry; Collection and Sale of Grass; Indebtedness; Co-operative Service 33 CHAPTER IV-SOCIAL AND CULTURAL LIFE Age and Sex Composition; Vital S,tatistics; Marriage Statistics; Educa tional Statistics; Types of Families; Inheritance of Property; Leisure and Recreation; Fairs and Festivals; Religion and Religious Institutions; Village Organisation; Statutory Panchayat; Community Panchayat; Family Planninig; Developmental Activities 53 CHAPTER V-CONCLUSION 75 APPENDICES A-Temperature recorded at Chandigarh Observatory,: 1960 n B-Rainfall recorded, at Nalagarh from 1951 to 1961 77 C-Accommodation per Household' 78 D-Various Items of Dress in vogue in ·Mahsa Tibba 79 E-Ornaments 79 F -Household Goods-Furniture and Ut~nsils 80 G-Land Utilisation Statement 81 H-Jinswar Statement-Rabi Crops 82 I-Jinswar Statement-Kharif Crops 83 J-Income 1and 63Expenditure of the Statutory Panchayat for the .84 year, 9S 2- viii TABLES 1~ Population by age-groups 85 2. Education by age-groups 8S 3. Population by broad age-groups (Workers and Non- workers) . 86 4 (A). Workers classified by sex, broad age-groups and occupations .. 86 4 (B). Non-·~orkers by broad age...groups 86 $). Age at Marriage 87 6. Marital Status by age-groups 87 7. Outstanding Debt 88 8. Indebtedne~ by causes 83 GLOSSARY 89 MAPS Facing' Page 1. :rvfap of Punjab showing location of ·village Mahsa Tibba 2. Sketch Map of villagt!'Mahs~ Tibba PHOTOGRAPHS Between Pages 1. A distant yiew of a part of the v~llage habitation 2. pung-pits outside the habitation 3. Dia Ram, the community priest 4. Bhambu Ohowkidar enjoying a smoke 6-7 5. Atypical" thhan 6. A cluster of chhani- I 7. A wall of mud-clods 8.' A -Goyerhment aided house under construct ion' 9. Bullock-cart laden with grass 10. The market-place for grass 11. Grass-selling operation in. progress 12.' The Common Facility Centre _13. 'Rirku Ram, Cham«r, making shoes 14. Bhajan Dass-a charnar fanpeF at work ~ 15. A village belle I 52 - 53 16. . The village urchins. rI , J SKETCHES Housetype, 12-13 Orhament's' 18-19' .Ngt-icultural implements 1 -, Tools of a Chama'}" ;44-45 J • . . ... ,0 . \ . . '"';~''' ~, .'0...~" ·i ! .... ~\ I.: ...... • .I'.~{.. ,'if,...h ." ...• ,.., :, ;""-,. { . ... ~ . I ' ;. t ... • ...... '-;t.. ",-o" • l """ ·l \...... ~ ... -~ ...... \ .. • ..J 0 • • • , • SOURCES OF WATER there was great devastation in the hills and many families left the hilly-tract There is no water-pump in the and settled in the area of Plassi in the village but there are two wells of dr.i;:lk plain-tract. It was sometime during ing water: one sitJlated near the old thiS perio~ that three persons named hillock and the other in the main abadi. Kalu, Maru and Salahi came fro;m differ Depth of the water is about 20 feet from ent villages of the State and with the per the surface level ahd the water is sweet missioI1l of the Raja and after the pay and health~giving. There is another ment of tribute to His Majesty, founded well near \ the bank of the Kanahan a village in the place' which was pre- naqi but its water is rarely used for viously a jungle. Later on, to provide d,rinkihg. There is one Persian-wheel menial services and labour the original also below the hillock which is used by inhabitants brought Najra, Karim, Hus Bhajan Dass to irrigate his thirty-bigha. saIn) Dehra, Jamal, Tehla and Baggu plot of land. This Persian-wheel is said from different places and got them to have been sunk during 1945 by a settled in the village. During the reign Muslj,m Gujjar at a cost of about of Raja Bakhshi Singh, Mamun, Ruldtf Rs.1,600. There are two ponds situated and Faqiroo set~led with their relatives, about a furlong away from the village in this village while Himmat Khan, Kali habitation. These are generally dry Shah, Ahmad Hussain, Faridlu and except in the rainy season when wat~r Mohnu came from different places and collects there. Cattle drink water at settled in the village after making pre these ponds. sem.ts to the king during the reign of Raja Isri Singh, who ruled from 1876 Crops depend mainly on rainfall. to 1911. There are no means of irrigation except the one Persian-wheel. Kuhls, tempo The Chamm' menials brought to rary water channels made by raising settle in the village, belonged to Guru bunds to divert the water of the Sirsa and Bhatti gots of Ramdasias. The Guru stream to the fields are quite popular in Ramdasias still survive but the Bhatti the area Qut as the Rupar-Nalagarh road Ramdasia died issueless. Chamar fami intervenes between the Sirsa stream and lies b~longing to other gots settled in the the village, kuhls cannot be a means of village comparatively recently. The irrigation in Mahsa Tibba. Muslim Gujjars of Mahsa Tibba were HISTORY -OF THE VILLAGE either ldIled or- migrated to Pakistan at the time of Partition so that now the vil According to MisL-e-f!afciat, 1888-89, lage is inhabited exclusively by Ramdasia thi$ village was founded during the reign Chamars. of Raja Ramsaran Singh, who ruled over the er:stwhile N alagarh State from 178,8 The area now under settlement was to 1848. In' 180:t the Gurkhas routed at the beginning a 'wild tract of land. the Raja who -fled to Basali iln the Due to the undulating char,acter of the Hoshiarpur District. Later on, how land, presence of tibbas or sman hillocks ever, with the help of Sir Ochterlony, and availability of grass, buffaloes be who brought an anny against "the Gur longing to the neighbouring villages khas and defeated them, Raja Ramsaran were grazed here. The original settlers, Singh was able to recover his territory. therefore, - gave this village Hie But during the regime of the Gurkhas name 4BhcHnsa Tibba' i.e., the hillock 5 where buffaloes graze. With the pass claim to be the descendants of Natha, age of time 'Bhainsa' has changed into who came from the village of Olkan ac 'Mahsa' and the village is now known as ross the Sutlej in the hope of better 'Mahsa Tibba'. ,This village has never prospects in the newly developing been deserted since the time of first village where the demand for menial settlement. services was high. Dandrata Chamars Counting backwards from the head numbering 16 persons believe them selves to be descendants of Titrn, who of the household, 3 households have been residing in the village for the last four came from Du:ngoli near Ghanauli and took up residence vvith his father-in-law, generations, 9 for three generations, 6' Darsnia of the Guru got. 15 persons for two generations and 4 households b€longing to the Bal got, declare that settled here only in the present genera tion. All the three families 'living in they are descendants of Chetan Das, a Sadh, who immigrated from the village the village for. four generations have come from outside the Tahsil. Of the 9 of ""allaura of the Dehra Dun District of U.P., due to some family dispute. Of households living here for the last three generations, 5 have come from outside the remaining 4 families belonging to the BhundpaU, Dahia, Samplay the Tahsil, 3 from outside the District and one from outside the State. Of the 6 and Bhasri gots, Sadha has come from the village of Rampur Bhasot, two households residing here for the last two miles away from Mahsa Tibba and now generations only 3 have immigrated from he proposes to shift to the village of outside the Tahsil while out of the 4 Makauri where he has purchased about households settled in the present six acres of land; Surjan Singh came generation, one has come from outside the Tahsil and 3 from outside the from his ancestral village of Do-burji village. about two miles away from Mahsa Tibba with his mother at her parent's house; Guru Chamars numbering 49 souls Bhajan Dass has immigrated from have reported that their Iforeflather, Gaggarwal in the Rupar Tahsil and has Tehla settled in this village after immi settled on 30 bighas of evacuee land pur grating from the village of Baidwah. in chased by him; and the family of Ram the Kharar Tahsil of the Ambala District. Kishan has come from West Pakistan Garang Chamars numbering 29 persons after the Partition. A di tant vi w of a par 0 the village habitation • Dung-pits outside he habitation Dia Ram, the community priest Bhambu• Chowkidar enjoying a smoke A typical chhan A cluster of chhans A wall of mud-clods :. J A Government-aided house under const)'U<.:tjon CHAPTER II THE PEOPLE AND THEm MATERIAL EQUIPMENT ETHNIC COMPOSITION group and those belonging to the Garang and the Dandrata gats come Mahsa Tibba is inhabited solely by next in numerical importance. The the Chamars of the Ramdasia sect. The following Table shows the strength word 'Chamar' derives its origin from of each got in the village:- the Sanskrit word 'Charamkar' which means a worker in hides and skins. Due to his association with Guru Got House- Per- Males Female~ Ramdas and hatred for the word holds son~ 'Chamar' which directly points to his inferior occupation regardless of the Bal Sadh .. 3 15 10 5 change that is occurring, a Chamar Bhundpal/ .. 7 4 3 prefers to be called merely a (Sadh) Bhasri 3 2 Ramdasia. DaMa 7 3 4 The population of Mahsa Tibba is Dandrata .. 3 16 9 7 composed of two broad groups--the Guru 8 49 24 25 Chamars and the Chamar priests known as Sadhs.\ The latter command Garang 4 29 17 12 supe_riority over the former because Samplay .. 7 3 4 they are the traditional priests and do not work in leather. For the pur ------pose of marriage the Sadh families Total 2i 133 71 62 constitute an endogamous unit. Sadhs are fair but the Chamars are of dark complexion. Moreover, the for The Guru Chamars were the ear mer are not so much addicted to liest to settle in this village. Numeri wine and non-vegetarian fo09. as the cally too, their strength is larger than latter. The Chamars eat a dead goat that of any other got. They dominate whereas the Sadhs do not even touch all affairs of the village. Hari Ram carcasses. It is possible that they are and Rirku Ram of Guru got are the ctegraded Brahmans who having fallen recognised elders of the Community from their exalted position have started Panchayat of Ramdasias. Hari Ram performing priestly duties for the is Lambardar of the village and also Chamars. member of Gra.m Panchayat, Manjholi, under whose jurisdiction the viilage The entire population of the Mahsa Tibba falls. village is divided into gats which are re~arded as exogamous units for Bhambu, the s'pokesman of the arranging marriages. The Chama'rs Garang families, is a Chowkidar. He 'of the Guru got constitute the main wields considerable influence in the 8 village as he has connections with to organise the labour force for Government officials. Parsinni, the re'ndering menial services. The most respected woman among Dand Chamars would do arduous jobs and rata families, is a widow and acts suffer harsh language without murmer as a dai. She is a member of the or protest. The elderly persons of the statutory panchayat. village have stated that most of them were threatened, abused and sometimes LANGUAGE even slapped by the officials and, yet The residents of Mahsa Tibha they were doomed to lact like dumb speak the local language of the plain driven cattle as they were economically tract of the Nalagarh Tahsil. It is a helpless and subsisted on their cus mixture of Pahari and Punjahi. They tomary share in the village produce. find it easier to read and write in the But with the abolition of the begar Gurmukhi script because of their in the wake of liquidation of the frequent contact with the Sikh Nalagarh State as a separate entity, saints and priests. They understand Government officials treat a Chamar Punjabi without any effort. like any other citizen .. They are not conscripted to render the begar SOCIAL STATUS AND THE CHANGE though they may still voluntarily The low position accorded to the attend to menial jobs. Chamars in the socl~religlous struc Entry to the religious institu-. ture of the orthodox Hindu society tions.-There is no temple in the has been the concern of many social village or even in the n~ighbouring reformers and saints during the past villages but the Ramdasias have free few centuries. The present genera access to the Gurdwara in Manjholi tion of the Chamars feels indebted to constructed by Sikh Jat refugees. Guru Nanak, Swami Daya Nand and Mahatma Gandhi for paving the way Use of wells and other common for their social uplift and creating a places.-·In the p~st the Ramdasias socio-political bias against the evil could not draw water from the wells institution of untouchability. Major used by other castes. The Muslim indi~ators reflecting a change in the Gujjars who constituted the majority social status of the Chamars are dis caste had a separate well. As a rule, cussed in the following paragraphs:- even now Chamars have separate Institution of begar.-During the wells of drinking water but in times reign of the Raja of the erstwhile of need can draw water from the wells N alagarh State, the Chamars had to used by other castes. For example, render begar to all Government offi the Chamars of Mahsa Tibba drew cials including the Lambardar, the water from the wells in the village of Berson inhahi ted by Sainis and Patwari, police officials and the Tahsildar. Whenever the Raja or Sikh J ats when their own well was any other high dignitary of the State under repairs. Nevertheless, the Chamars visHed a locality in connection with state that they do not want to offend hunting, or on official tour, a message the f FRONT ELEVATION SIDE ELEVATION ROOM , ,. .. • 1().61. 19·3 X 12-6 ~~~~l l::=:::::f SECTION 'ON A 8 PLAN HOU$.E ~OF AMIN CHAND FRONT ELEVATION SIDE ELEVATION r A . . FIRE Wtk PLACE 2 2 ( ROOM ~ .. X 1~9·)( 13-3 DtS¥2 13~" 1==1 l===t CATTLE SECTION ON AS PLAN SHED " 13~3"~ 8' - o HOUSE OF SURJAN SINGH FRONT ELEVATION 1 4 ~ SIDE ELEVATION Itt BED ROOM ;u/x 13~9/ 1 HOUSE OF HARI RAM [I t: [0] [j] I FRONT ELEVATION , -:; .~ '" -:~ S- :u CATTL.E SHED RO OM 20'X 8~6" 26' ~ s!,( 0 CD c( Z I} ..' ...... ;] BED ROOM COURTVARD o I , 21Xl3 - z Q'.... U I ;J 1&.1 ~ I#) c:: ;, ...=:g_ CATTLE ;J SHE-D UB'Xf{ ~IO_ • , ,1. 14XI3 ~ KITCHE.N ~ , -- ~ SU lATH \Il :a 27 X 9' ROOM I SiX 13' SACK ROOM 27' X IJ' A - PL AN 13 design. Six houses, each facing The ~pproximate cost of cons the north, are situated in pairs close tructing this house including labour, to one another in a row. While the bricks, materials' used for doors, remaining four houses are located windows, beams, rafters, etc., has in the opposite row in two pairs bee'n estimated at one thousand each separated by a very small rupees. The Welfare Department has stretch of open space. Each house given a grant of Rs. 750 for each consists of a room 14 ft. x 10 ft. in house. All the beneficiaries were size haViing two window's, each of the selected from the village. Selection size of 3 ft. x 4i ft. in the back wall of the beneficiaries was made by the and two ventilators in the same wall Tahshl Welfare Officer on the recom above the two ROOM summer. 1-'i'1CIO' Mnterial used in the construc tion of a chhan.-Roofing is done with khar grass, about 300 poolas of which are consumed in laying ci roof mea suring 18 ft. x 12 ft. One hundred poolas jof khar grass, which is locally available in abundance, cost 6 or 7 V6PANDAI-I "lLl!6~ rupees. It is cut, collected and trans- " ported by the members of the family on heads or on a bullock-cart. A male adult can generally cut and transport 50 pooZas of grass duting one day. 14 Ceiling of the chhan consists of a working together for ten days to big beam, known as bala of tahU erect walls and five days to put up kikar or cheeht 'Wood, and rafter~ the rdof. known as katan of kikar or chhal Exchange of mutual help at the wood. The grass is spread on a net time of construction of the roof is work of beams, rafters and bamboo very common. , Proper setting of the sticks secured with thick strings of grass is an art which only a few munj. It is propped in the middle persons know. Therefore, all fami by a wooden pillar. The wood for lies make use of their services at the the beams and rafters is locally time of construction of a chhan. available and the ser.vices of the Mutual help is generally exchanged carpenters are hired for hewing and on reciprocal basis only among those shaping it. The doors are made of families which are on good terms kikar or tahli wood and fashioned by with one another. No unskilled the local carpenter. labour is employed in the. construc The walls are generally made of tion of a chhan. The only skilled mud-clods, stones and stone-slabs all l~bour employed is a carpenter be ,of which are locally available. The longing to Manjholi who is paid at foundation of a chhan is about the rate of Rs. 2.50 per day. The 1i feet deep and consists of stone material used in the construction of slabs. Kachcha walls are made by the a chhan, the place from where it is villagers themselves and no masons purchased and the ~pproximate cost are employed. It takes five persons of each item are given below. Name of the Mat erial Cost Source from where obtained (Rs.) Khar graSS 20 LocalIy available RaTa (beam) 5 Purchase:d from Nalagarh or loeally availa bIe - Katan (rafters) 20 -do- Munj grass Procured locally Ban 5 Rupar, Nalagarh or locally Thurn (wooden j::illar) 3 -do~ Timber wood for the doors 25 -do- Wages for tile carpenter 22 Available from Manjholi Family workers and villallefS Labour cost (other th~n hired) 200 Other costs 20 Total 321 Thus, on the a-verage an ordinary during the rainy season although in house costs about 350 rupees. A chhan convenience is felt when the roof is is preferred to a kotha having a flat blown away by the wind. mud-roof because it does not leak Is Different parts of a house.-The There is another two-room house residential room is called basu. occupied by 4 persons. Three two A pucca brick-built room is c:alled room houses are under the occupation baithak. Ordinarily, family me;m of 3 persons each, 2 two-room houses bers $leep in the baithak and if some are under the occupation of 7 persons guest arrives he stays in it. Hari each and 2 two-room houses are oc Ram, Panch has recently built a cupied by 6 persons each. There is pucca baithak measuring 26 ft. x only one five-r.oom house and one 8t ft., at an approximate cost of four-room house lived in by 15 and Rs. 650. The open space in front of 13 "persons, respectively. There are the h01J.se is designated as \ behra, 2 three-room houses occupied by 9 while that at its back generally en and 5 persons, respectively. Thus, closed with thorny bushes is called on the average 3 to 4 persons share bara in which Women take bath, a common room. oleanse utensils and wash clothes. Sometimes there is a small room. Privacy from guests cannot be known as obri, behind a big room. It maintained at all. The guest is made is generally quite dark an<;l is mainly to stay in the same room in which used for stacking household goods. the other members of the family stay. With the construction of the Common Facility Centre and the It is difficult strictly to maintain houses of the new colony :this diffi privacy in small houses which. ~he culty has been overcome.to some ex Ramdasias have. The prevaIlIng tent. The guests and a few other standard of privacy in the village de members, especially young boys, can mands that every couple should have be made to sleep there at nigh!t 'iif a separate room. The people do not there is any shortage of accommoda mind if a couple has to share the tion. The houses are generally dark same sleeping room with twa or three as windows and ventilators are not children below the age of ten' years. provided. The interior of the house In big families at least one room is is not visible from outside. There are reserved for one couple and if there no baths and latrines in the houses. is no additional room available some The males take bath in the open at members of the family may sleep in the village well while females take the cattle-shed or in the verandah bath in the early morning' when it is outside the room. But in no case can still dark under the cover of a cot or one room be occupied at night by behind the wall of a house. Though more than one couple. there are no latrines in the houses the thick growth of high khar grass in the Details of size of various fal]lilies, vicinity of the village provides ~uffi the number of married couples and cient privacy. The people, especIally rooms occupied by them have been women answer the call of nature furnished in Appendix 'C'. One single under the cover of these grass room house is lived in by 7 persons, an bushes. other by 5 persons while 3 single-room houses are 'occupied by 6 persons Decorations and embellishments. each 2 sinele-room houses bv 4 per The residents are not fond of decorat sons' each and another 2 sinp'le-room in2" their houses. At the time of houses by 3 persons «;:_ach. There a.re m~rriages the houses are white 8 persons living in a two-room house. washed with golu earth and on the 16 outer walls floral patterns represent the printed reproductions of photo ing the branches of trees are made graphs of Guru Ravi Das, Guru with different colours. On the inner Nanak, Shiva and Lord Krishna are walls a sketch of Kali Mail is found hanging from the walls. SpecJ drawn with different colours and is mens of floral decorations and of:a worshipped on the occasion of sketch of Kali Mai as painted on walls Jhakkra festival. In certain houses are given helow:- DRESS this \s the most comfortable and 'con venient dress for field workers. The dress of Ramdasias is very simple. A kamiz or shirt worn over a 'Jumper, a full-Sleeved shirt ,ex sleeveless vest constitutes the upper tending down to the knees and having a garment of males. The lower button near the neck" worn 'Over garments consist of a pyjama, loose bandi, a sleeveless 'and buttonless trousers, with a' kachha or short short shirt, is the upper garl'Il,ent of drawers worn underneath. Turban is Ramdasia women. Salwar is the the common head-gear. Males at work lower garment and chunni or dopatta put on only a vest and an underwear as is the common head-wear. 17 Elderly males and females ly kept for wearing on festive occa generally wear clothes of hand-spun sions. cotton yarn wh~le the young persons The well-to";do and respectable wear poplin. silk and pata, a, cloth elderly persons wear a white turban, having a coloured lining. Ordinarily, a white kurta and a white chadra. the residents wear dirty clothes and Married girls are free to wear any are carelessly dressed. Females wash type of clothes they like, ('but the un their clothes more frequently than married ones are not allowed to wear males. The clothes worn by elderly glossy silken dresses which are the persons are generally worn out and exclusive privilege of the former. It dotted with patches. Newly married is customary for women to put on brides 'wear comparatively clean white dresses while attending mourn silken dresses. On festivals and ings. Details of various items of marriages women dress up gaudily; dresses in vogue in Mahsa Tibba are red being their favourite colour. Men given in Appendix 'D'. attending a marriage wear a starched muslin turban, a ,'new, shirt and a ORNAMENTS white or coloured chadra. I Ramdasia males and females can During the winter season, a not afford costly ornaments. Even the woollen sweater is generally worn women have to toil hard in the fields over the shirt to prevent the chill and forests to earn their livelihood though some persons also possess and they fihd little time and security warm coats made of patti cloth. for bodily decorations. Ornaments are Males often wrap themselves in a purchased at the time of marriages only chadar or khesi. The cloth is mostly ahd generally the same set of ornaments purchased from the village of is successively used at marriages of Ghanauli which is about five miles a number of sons. In ma'ny cases from Mahsa Tibba. Some cloth mer ornaments have to be disposed of to chants from Ghanauli, also visit the pay old debts or to purchase some village on bicycles. Cloth is pur articles of hecessity. Males wear chased mostly on credit. The few ornaments except a gold chhap, Chamars generally go in for cheap i.e., a finger-ring, kara, i.e., an iron varieties of cloth, the average price bangle, and a tavit, i.e., a gold or ranging between one and H rupee per silver amulet worn round the biceps yard. or the neck. Some old persons wear Clothes are qtitched either by' mundran, Le., gold ear-rings, not be women themselves or by Muni Chana. 'cause of their decorative value but who owns a sewing machine and because they can prove' helpful in an knows the art of tailoring clothes. emergency. In daily life women Some women in Manjholi also work wear balian, kantas'J teeli an(l; koka. as tailors. Their tailoring charges are Teeli and koka are generally made of lower than those obtaining in towns. gold' while balian and kantas may be of gold or silver. Women also wear ';I'he poor f~milies generally round their necks tavits known as possess two suits of clothes for each miran-bibian made of sHver. An member, while the comparativ:ely other amulet made of silver and well-to-do families possess three to iron beads and worn by women is four. One suit of clothes is special- called sing tavit. These amulets 18 are given by faith-curers to women feature of village life than of town to be worn at the time of marriages life. So far as the articles of furni as a protection against the evil in ture are concerned most of the fluences of ghosts and spirits. Simi material is locally available at nomi lar necklaces of coins and beads nal cost, and Garpenters are paid in stringed together are put round the kind at every harvest who have been neck of children to guard them against rendering help and fashioning these the witches. At the time of marriage articles. Villagers purchase goods of a bride gets some gold and silver cheap variety from the market be ornaments from her .parents as well cause they can afford neither to pur as from her father-in-law. Gussal chase .costly articles nor to maintain patti is a silver ornament worn round them carefully in the midst of rough the ankl~s and presented to the bride and rugged daily life they lead. Some by the father of the bridegroom. details of the important articles of fur This ornament is not used in daily niture and utensils commonly possessed life. Ghari-choori is the name given by a household in the village are given to silver bangles ,presented to her at in Appendix 'F'. the time of marriage. The bride must wear a pair of phuls, conical gold or silver ornaments worn on Binna is a circular or a rect either side of the head, sent to her angular low stool made of bagasse Or by her father-in-law at the time 'Of munj or parali. It is about one betrothal. Dhaga, a betel-leaf shaped inch thick and has a one-foot broad gold ornament suspended at the breast base. It is locally made by the with the help of a black thread; har, a villagers themselves. It is very com silver necklace, glass bangles and fortable'to sit cross-legged on a binna. chhap are th.e other orr..gments worn: by A blinna lasts about a year and costs women. about four annas if purchased from the market. Patra is a substitute prnaments are generally purchas for binna. It is made of wood. It is ed from the goldsmiths at Rupar and about Ii feet long and i foot wide Nalagarh. Cheap ornaments like block of wood resting on the wooden finger-rings, ear-rings, and bangles supports each 3 inches high. It is are purchased at different fairs. ,made by the carpenter at' Manjholi. Amule~s and finger-rings are also Peerhi consists of a wood'en frame suppljl€d by Bazigar women who visit knitted across with strings of baggat the village oGcasionally. Young boysl are or san grass resting on four legs. Its particularly fond of buying finger seat measures Ii feet square and is rings whenever they attend a fair. about 9 inches high. A peerhi costs D,etails of different ornaments ·are ,about one rUpee. Binna,. patra and givtm in Appenddx 'E'. peerhi are the traditional articles of furniture owned by ,every bousehold. HOtTSEHOLD GOODS It is considered a social obligation to The meagre resources of Ramdasias offer one of these to' a guest or a permit them to acq'L\ire only· the most visitor to sit on. A household which essential articles of utility for daily use; does not bother to offer a seat to a comforts and luxuries are beyond their guest or even a casual visi tor is reacb. Most of the articles are the socially condemned. Three house products of their personal labour and holds in the village posses;s chairs and skill which is a more common as many of them have tables. Four ORNAMENTS CHHAP DHAGA KANTA BALI GHAR! CHOORI KOI(A TAVIT TEEl.* ORNAMENTS MIRAN BI81AN FINGER RING FINGER RING TEEL! SING TAVIT BALI BALI 19 households own benches, and stools the flour kneaded in a wooden prat are also owned by four households. makes more tasty chapatis. Pateela, a All these articles have a rough look deep brass pot, is used for cooking and have been prepared by the local vegetables and pulses, while tauri, an carpenter. Chairs and tables are earthen pot, is specially kept for cook owned only, by the comparatively ing sag and mash pulse. Tauri is well-to-do families though the owned by every household. It is' younger generation as a whole deems believed that sag and mash prose it a matter of prestige to possess these cooked in a tauri give better artiCles of wooden furniture. Every taste. Similarly, dudhooni is an houSehold possesses a number of earthen pot used for boiling milk. cots knowh as manjas. A manja con It is covered with a jharni, a perfo sists of a wooden rectangular frame rated earthen cover so that the milk I supported on four legs, knitted across does. not boil out. . Dudhooni is placed with thtck strings' known as ban, of in the hara, an earthen circular oven munj or baggar grass. A khidoloo is in which dung' cflkes are burnt. an important item of bedding. It Karchhi, a large wooden or brass ladle, serves as a thick bed-sheet and is a sort is used for stirririg vegetables and o~ 'indigenous cushion used by the poor pulses. Wooden karchhi is specially people. Khidoloo is a distortion of worn used. for stirring sag. Tawa; an iron out pieces of cloth snitched together. girdle, 1s, owned ~Y every ~oU'sehold. Khes is a cotton plaid used both as la It is used for bakmg chapatts. Chakla bed-she~t and a cover during the (pastry-board) and belna (pqstry summer season. Razai, a quilt stuffed toller) is made Of 'Wood and is used with lint, is used during winter. Women for 'shaI1ing babbrus, 'pooris, mathis, cqnsider ,it a matter ' of prestige to etc., prep'ared on festive occasion.s. possess .durries and cotton sh€l:'ts em Chakla-belna is not possessed· by broiqered with floral patterns to be every household. It. is gene~ally used by guests. shared with others. Chtmta, a paIr of tongs~ and bhookna, a blo"'Y-pipe, Utensils in an ordinary kitchen constitute other articles of kItchen. include kauri, a deep brass dish, used Chimta is made of iron while bhookna for puttirtg pulses and vegetables; is made of 'wood or iron. Buckets thhli, a shallow brass plate used for and pitchers ~re important ve~sels keeping chapatis; gLass, a brass tumbler; used for stohng water, An Iron an.a garv'i, 'a deep water container. A bucket with a laji (long rope) tied to grass can contain half a seer of- water the handle is an essent~al possession but a garvi can hold ~ twice as jmuch of every household in the village. quantity. Dabba, a brass bowl, covered The bucket is llsed for drawing water ~tih a lid is owned by the well-to-do from the well. Earthen pitchers are families and is used :for carrying tea, supplied by the potter who vis~ts the milk, lassi, etc., to the fields. Prat is a village at every harvest. PItchers large, comparativelY deep brass plate in are also used for storing ~rains; qur, which, flour is kneaded. 'Most of the etc. in the household. To Dossess households pwn wooden prats, b:r;a~s buckets. and pitchers is .the pri sp~~ficany used for kneading maize vilege. only of a few in the village. ( , flour. Maize-flour requires hard pressing which a brass prat cannot Olher important articles of hOllse stand. Moreover it is 'believed 'that hold use include ghotna (wooden 20 pestle) and koondi (earthen mortar) and placed in a bahia, a small basket used for pounding spices, etc ..M oo~Ia made of bamboo sticks, or the and okhli are used for threshmg rice chhikka. grains. M oohla is a long heavy wooden pestle thin in the middle so Chati and madhani are the other that it can be easily handled at this important possessions of the villagers. point while okhli is a deep narrow These are used for churning curds. mortar made of stone-slabs. Moohla The curds are put dnto ,the chati-a and okhli are ,possessed only by a few circular earthen pot, with a broad families and can be shared by all in mouth. The chati rests on a gharonji the village., Chakki is the traditional a holloW' square wooden frame. The hand-driven grinding mill owned by churning is done with the madhani-a the villagers. It consists of two wooden stirrer. Itl is worked by pull heavy round stone-slabs with a ing alternately both the ends of a wooden handle. It is used for grind string passing round the madhani. ing grains. The grains are introduced between the two slabs through a hole A looking glass, surmedani (anti in the centre of the upper stone. The mony container) and a comb are lower stone' has a pivot to permit cir articles of make-up owned by Women. cular motion to the upper slab. They do notJ possess any other arti Chakkis were popular with the pre cles of cosmetics. vious generations and the chakkis possessed by the present generation have FOOD AND DRINKS been inherited from the parents. Now:. a-days these are not much in use as The staple food of the residents the villagers depend on water-driven of Mahsa Tibba during summer is grinding mills (gharats) which are wheat and gram, While in winter it is quite common in the region. maize, jowar and bajra. In addition, they consume different varieties of In addition to the iron pipas, pulses like masri: moongi) mash, ar rough iron and wooden boxes and har and moth throughout -the year pitchers, kothi is an important de though occasionally pulses are substi vice used for storing- clothes and other tuted by vegetables including potatoes, precious articles. I t is an earthen brinjwls, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, rectangular receptacle, about four feet turnips, tomatoes, and pumpkins pur high and three feet wide divided chased from vendors visiting the !into two or :three portions with village on bicycles. Mash and potalo wooden plates. A small wooden door prepar.ations are the cheapest and' the is provided in the front wall of the most favourite dishes. The Ram kothi. Bharow; an oval-shaped dasias as a community take non earthen receptacle with a small out vegetarian food. All families except let at the bottom. is used for stori'ng that of a priest take meat, general foodgrains. Chhikka is another im ly, once a month. Meat is purchased portant device used for protecting from Rupar and Nalagarh. Most1 of eatables from rats and cats. It is them also eat dean goats. Milk and made of iron wires and generally g hee are consumed rather sparingIy; hangs from the ceiling of the house. the yield of milk being very low. Chapatis left 'l;I.nconsumed are wrap Cooking is mostly done by women ped in a pond, a piece of cotton cloth, but men can prepare food with equal 21 skill when the housewives are in are sweet thin pancakes prepared disposed. Dried logs of wood, branches from a-loose paste of wheat-flour fried and leaves of bushes and trees, grass on a tawa in a small quantity of ghee and cow-dung cakes are used as fuel or oil. These are offered to the which is burnt in the fire place local goddess worshipped by villagers. ly known as chulha. Different types Pooris, specially prepared on festivals, of food and methods of preparing are small chapatis fried in 9 hee or them are described in the following oil. Babbrus resemble pooris but paragraphs. they are thicker and smaller in size Chapatis of wheat, berara or and are fried out of kneaded flour' maize are consumed throughout the which has been fermented. Mathis year and constitute the staple food. are prepared on the occasion of a Chapati of wheat is called phulka, marriage for distribution among re that of berara a mixture of wheat latives. These are a harder variety of and gram-flour, missi, and that of pooris. These can be sweet as well as maize, manni or makki-di-roti. For saltish. Gul'gulas, small and some preparing phulkas some wheat-flour What hard fried balls of kneaded flour, is knead_ed into a thick doug-h in a are prepared on religious and festive prat and a small quantity of it is occasions. Gulgulas, mathis and rolled in some dry flour and given a babbrus can be preserved and circular shape either With hands or villagers continue to enjoy these for with chakla-belna. It is then trans a week or a fortnight. And thus ~he ferred to a hot iron girdle placed over material - left unconsumed dUrIng the chulha \ and is finally baked on marriage ceremonies is utilised in glowing charcoal. A chapati is about the house for a long time. 9 inches in diametre and weighs about! chhatak. The maize-chapatis Pulses substituted to some extent are also cooked in the same fashion by vegetables are taken with chapatis. the only difference being that chakla Dal is prepared by adding to water belna lis not at all used and the flour boiling in a pate,eli placed on the is kneaded in instalments for each c,huLhaJ grains of pulse, a li~tle bread. Maize-flour changes into a amount of turmeric and salt accordmg thi~k mass after hard pressing and to taste. The mixture is allowed to mixing. The job of shapin~ maize boU till it forms a homogeneous liquid chapatis is difficult and requires mass. Women taste a little of dar to training. Wheal-chapatis can be pre check if the salt is to taste. In case pared even by young girls, but only it happens to be more than required, an experienced housewife can pre some kneaded wheat-flour is put in pare maize-chapatis. Manni is of the dar to neu tralise the effects tlf !he .same diametre as the phulka but extra quantity of salt. Some green It IS thicker and weighs about leaves of coriander and chillies are 2 chhataks. Some more preparations also added. Dal is rarely fried in from kneaded wheat-flour e.g., rote ghee and treated with spices. Vege and pooras are prepared on religious tables especially tomatoes, cabbage, and festive occasions. Rote is a . big brinjals, lady-fingers and peas! are sweet chapati weighi.ng 11 'to 5! seers prepared very carefully as they cons p~epared as an' offering to the Gugga titute dainty dishes. Potatoes are, P'I,r or Bawa Haripurwala. Pooras however, as commOn as pulses and the potato-dish is prepared in the same kheer. Dalia consists of pounded manne~ as dal. To cook_ a vegetable, wheat-grains fried in ghee, boiled in turka or masala consisting of onion, water and sweetened with gur. It is garlic, of which they are very fond, offered to Khawaja and is also given dhania, and spices containing chillies, to the patients as a ~ight diet. Karah methas, etc., is prepared and added to is often prepared on festive occasions oil or ghee heated to reddish-brown aqd it is also offered as karah-parshad appearance in a frying pan. The in the name of Sikh- Gurus. To pre masala is roasted for a while before pare karah, about 1- seer of wheat being mixed with the veg~able-pieces flour is fried in about i seer of ghee and stirred with a karchhi for some and when the flour becomes reddish.. time. A small quantity of water, brown in appearance a solution, turmeric and salt are then added and known as amrit of one .seer of gur the mixture is thoroughly cooked. The dissolved in 1! seers of hot water is vegetables are generally made added. The whole stuff is then taridar, Le., soupy, so that a big vege thoroughly stirred so as to change it table-dish is prepared from a small into a homogeneous thick mass. quantity of raw vegetables. Sag and Kheer is prepared either by boiling karhi are two very common dishes. rice in milk ~nd adding sugar to the Sag is the most favourite dish of the mass or by boiling rice in cane-juice villagers consumed during winter with during the cane· crushing season. lassi and maize-chapatis. Sag con sists of green leaves of sarson; 'sooh; bathu and gram plucked by women Rice dishes are also consumed off from the fields; washed and cut into and on for a change. Rice· grains are small bits with a sickle and boil-. boiled in sufficient amount of water ed in a tauri which is an earthen pot which lS later poured off. The boiled specially kept for this purpose. Salt rice is taken with dal, karhi or shakkar. is added in the form of crystals,. Dishes of bhunwan chawal and Vithen the leaves have been thoroughly khichri, a hotch-potch of rice and cooked some maize-flour is added and dal are usually eiven to patients put "the mixture is thorou,ghly stirred with on light diet. . Eggs are taken either a: wooden karchhi and is again bailed half boiled or fried in ghee. To pre for a whife. It is a C"Qmmon practice pare jhatka, pieces of meat are fried among the villagers to share the sag in ghee and treated with ~pices and dish with other families because it then allowed to boil in water. takes long to cook sag and therefore, it is always prepared in large quan The utility of fruits is not fully tities. Karhi is a very cheap dish known to the residents. Fruits are cooked from a mixture of gram-flour believed to be meant for the rich and lassi treated with some ql1antity who cannot digest! hard food. How of ghee and spices. Pakauras are ever, there are some fruits locally added to make the dish attractive. available which do not cost anything; Chholia vegetabl~ prepared by cook important among these being, aam. ing green grains of gram is largely toot, jamv.n, ber, mallahs and amrood. consumed when raM harvesting is on. During the mango season, mangoes are used in different forms. Raw Sweet dishes popular with the mangoes are used to make chatni, a villagers include ,dalia, karah, and sort of sauce, and achar, pickles. 23 M ahani or malanji is prepared by cow-dung. The first substantial meal dissolving roasted mangoes in water is taken at about 11 a.m., in summer and adding onion, chillies, salt and and at noon in winter. It consists of spices to 'the solution. This dish is chapatis of wheat or berara, dal or particularly relished in summer. When c09keQ. vegetable and lassi dur~ng the mango season is aJt its peak, r~pe summer and chapq;l;is of maize with mangoes are eaten in large quan IassiJ daL, cooked vegetable or sag in tities.~ Phuttan, kharboozas , amroods winter. Tea is again taken in the and hadwanas are locally available at afternoon. As a matter of fact, tea cheap prices and are popular with the is a common beverage with them and people. is regularly taken twice a day. D~nner consisting of similar items of Food haMtsr-Chapatis are con diet is taken between 6 and 7 p.m. On sumed with dal and vegetable dishes. the whole the people are under The person sits on a patra or binna nourished and do not have much while taking meals and places before variety. The approximate quantity him chapatis in a thali and dal or of various items of food consumed by cooked vegetables in a kauli. A small an average family of five members morsel of chapati is dipped into the during one year are given below. dal; chewed and swallowed rather hurriedly. Normally, a grown-up man Item o/food Quantity consumed consumes 5 chapatis of wheat or 3 of mairze and 4 chhataks ef cooked vege Wbeat and grams 10 rnaunds Maize 10 maunds tables or 2 chhataks of dal at one Rice' 10 maunds meal. Hands are washed and mouth Pulses 1 mauOd and 30 seers ' Vegetables 2 maunds and 20 seers is rinsed before commencing a meal Sag 30 seers and also after finishing it. Ghee and oil 30 seers Spices including chillies :5 seers Women do not take much interest Milk 4 maunds in the preparation of food as they are Meat 12 Seers busy the whole day long doing sundry household jobs from collecting fodder Wine, generally illicit country to grinding flour. Food articles are made liquor, is consumed in large prepared in lots but due to absence of quantities when people want to ma!te proper storing thes'e are generally ex merry on social occasions. N 0 fam~ly posed to dust and flies. Cleanliness in the village considers wine, a pro in the kitchen is almost conspicuous hibited drink. Only one person in the by its absence. There are no fixed village is addicted to snuff. All timings for meals. All the members families except that of a Sadh take of the· family do not take their meals meat. Even women, except those i~i together. Women serve food to their ti~ted into Radhaswami sect, take It. men-folk and take their meals when Two households rep,osing thei_r faith ever they are free. Breakfast con in Panj Pir and Lalanwala Ptr. are sisting of one or two chapatis and a forbidden to take bacon, but the twnbler full of tea is generally taken young people belonging to these t~o between 5 and 6 a.m., during summer, households no longer share th~ bellef and 6 and 7 a.m., during winter. After of their ·parents. A few households taking breakfast males go to the fields have openly reported that they take or forest for collecting grass and fe meat of a· dead goat or sheep though males attend to cattle and dispose of gradually· most of the people have 24 started condemning consumption of ground near the bed of the mo'ther. carrion. Cow is regarded as a very The new born baby is bathed and a sacred creature and consumption of drop of honey or sweet water is put beef is totally forbidden. into dts mouth. For a day or two ~ollowing birth, the infant is given CUSTOMS, BELffiFS AND PRA(''TICES CON NECTED WITH BffiTH, MARRIAGE 1anam-ghut:f;i, a solution of ajwain AND DEATH and saunf. On the second or the third day a virgin puts some khabbal grass Beliefs and practices connected in the water contained dn a garvi and with birth.-According to the resi washes the mother's breasts with it. dents of Mahsa Tibba, the days imme She gets one rupee for doing this. diately following the, stoppage of the Niter this ceI1emony the infant is menstrual flow are the most fertile made to suck milk from its mother's during which conception takes place. breast. For some days following Conception, they believe, is controlled delivery the woman in confinement not by man but by God and takes takes hot milk treated with ghee. place when the husband and the wife achieve orgasm simultaneously. When She is forbidden to take drinks like a woman starts missing her regular lassi and wind-producing eatables like menstrual cycles and develops nausea rice and pulse of mash. She is also she is believed to have become given dabra to help recoup her pregnant. Pregnancy is confirmed in health. Dabra consists of about two the third month when the face of the seers of indigenous substances hav1ng expe9tant woman becomes pallid. medicinal value, two seers of ghee, During the first two months of preg one seer of wheat-flour and three seers nancy she avoids walking over uneven of jaggery. The substances used for surfaces anq. carrying heavy loads to their medicinal value are : kamarkas, prevent abortion. A pregnant woman nagoori goond, palah goond, sundh, soas, saunj, patha1i)i, mithi saranj; is not allowed ~o expose her person to the eclipsed sun, eat food from a maror phati, ,maju, seed-grains of house affected by ceremonial pollu kharbooza; kheera; kaddv. and tion and visit haunted places lest the hqdwana, supan, chhawara, khopa, foetus should be deformed. Expectant badam; dakhan; bhonkhra thorns, mothers generally chew different metha, dhabi flowers' and sarnah types of earth such as gachni and leaves. chalk-pencils. On the 5th or the 7th day follow . Delivery is expected to take place ing delivery the mother takes her durmg or at the end of the ninth bath and prepares karah-parshad month of pregnancy. As the woman which is distributed in the name of becomes big with a child she Gurus and ancestors. After this she attends only to lign~ work to reduce resumes her normal work. Cere strain. Parsinni, an old widow acts mornal pollution among the Chamars as the midwife and manipulat~s de lasts 40 days during which period the livery. Should the delivery be diffi mother is considered to be very much cult, she ~ently massages the belly of susceptible to the snell of toonas. the expectant mother and also gives She stays away both from mourning her gruel of dry grapes, aniseed and and religious functions. At the end dry ginger. The umbilical cord is cut of the pollution period Khawaja is wirth a sickle and is buried under worshipped by offering him dalia 25 oblations which are also offered to maternal uncle who is, therefore, fire burnt near a well. Dalia is dis called to perform some magic ri tes. tributed among'children. The mother with her child goes and sits at the boundary of the village. For about a year, the infant is The maternal uncle-of the child ap fed mainly on its mother's breast. proaches them but does not talk with During the second year: the breast-. his sister. He touches the teeth of feedi.ng continues but it starts taking the child seven times with. seven pice a little bit of food also. During the coins which are put in a kauti one third year, the child .is put on light after the other. The kauli cantaining diet and there is rarely a case of the coins is then buried under ground. breast-feeding. In case the mother The mother and the child come back be ill or suffering from some infec home and the maternal uncle returns tious disease, the infant is spoon-fed to his village. Yet another precaution on a cow's, buffalo's or goat's taken to immunise the child to the milk from the very beginning. influence of evil spirits, is to make Th~ mothers feed mi.lk to the children him wear an amulet and an iron whenever they cry. In order to wean bangle. away a child his mother applies rasont, a liquid having a bitter taste Ramdasias do nat observe any to her breast. The body of a weak elaborate name-giving ceremony. child is massaged with ghee. When Elderly female relations give a name he is about a year old he is taught to to, the new-born child. Some of them stand on his legs and pronounce some do so after consulting the Sadh, the common words. Whenever a child village priest, who apens the holy suffers from jhank, Le., he gets up all book of Granth Sahib at random and of a sudden as if frightened by some reads out the first two letters of the one, his mother moves five or seven first word on the first page before chillies over his head and throws him and prescribes that the name to them into the fire. If the pungent be given to the child must begin with smell of burning chiLlies does not tem these two letters. porarily induce cough, the child is The villagers have heard . of the believed to be possessed by a ghost existence of contraceptives but they and in that case a faith-curer is called do not approve of artificial preven to free him from the evil influence. If tian of conception. The use of contra a child goes on crying and appears to ceptives ris regarded as immoral and be in pain, 5 or 7 sman chapatis of againsit religion. Women do' not feel wheat-flour known as tikkis are the need of family planning. Ac baked on an iron girdle only on one cording to. villagers a pation capable side. These are then made to be of inducing abortion includes, kernal touched by the child and fe~ to a of caconut dry'da"te palms, currants, black dog. This ritual, it is belIeved. empty cov'ers of cotton cobs, which relieves the pain of the child and are boiled twice or thrice in the water makes him stop crying. It is con and taken. Thi's prescription is sidered a good omen if the child cuts known to most of the people thOl.~gh teeth in the lower jaw first. If, how none has s,tated having ever used it. ever he cuts teeth in th~ upper jaw Barren women generally oer first, it is considered a bad omen a~ versely affecting the interests of hIS form to onas to become fertile. It is 26 believed that if a barren woman re ed. It has been reported that the moves a lock of hair from the head average age for betrothal for males of a child whose tonsure ceremony was 10 years and for females 7. At has not yet been performed and takes present boys and girls are betrothed bath over it, the child dies and his at the age of 14 and 10 years, res soul migrates to her womb and she pectively. Both Hari Ram, Panch, is later on blessed with a son, Barren and Dia Ram, Priest, having a son women frequently consult the faith each 16 years old and studying in lhe curers who advise them to go to the 7th class are being pressed to cremation ground without looking solemnise the engagement of their backwards and take bath there with sons but they are not quite willing out being observed by anybody. They as they want that their sons should be must carry back some ru?hes from the properly educated. Betrothals are cr~mation ground and mix them with negotiated through relatives and some k1teer which is to be fed to a friends. .There has been no change bachelor. It is believed that the boy in the age for the effective marriage; who takes this kheer dies and the it is about 18 years for boys and 14 woman whQ performed the toona to 16 years for girls. The marriage gives birth to a son. Barren women ceremony is solemnised earlier but are always looked down upon with the muklawa ceremony after which hatred and suspicion and children an~ the bride actually starts living with never allowed to visit their homes th~ bridegroom takes place after the especially on the Diwali day on which attainment of puberty. Ramdasias they are particularly suscpotible to constitute an endogamous caste the ~vil effects of {oonas. Similarly, though their four gats, namely that a new-born baby is prdtected from of the father, mother, grandmother the gaze of a barren woman lesl he and maternal grandmother, are exo should die. gamous for every person. Rules of exogamy are strictly observed and Still-births and infant-deaths the man breaking these is castlga.ted are attributed to toonas performed by the Community Panchayat. Among by issueless women. It is believed Ramdasias, marriage with father's that it a pregnant woman happens to step over the charmed articles of sister's daughter, mother's sister's taona the child in her womb dies. daughter, mother's brother's daughter Similarly! an infant may die if he and father's brotherls daughter is pro happens to pass over the toona. hibited but both "levirate and soro Again, if a pregnant woman happens rate marriages are allowed. Legi to pass close to a haunted place she timate sexual relations are recognised is believed to be struck by a witch only between the husband and the and her pregnancy ends in a still wife. No woman, married or un birth. married. can under any circumstances mate with any person of her free Marriage customs.-The practice choice. A woman is expected to be of early betrothal was a common faithful to her husband" and vice feature of the Ramdasia community versa. irrespective of the fact whether in the past. Elderly persons inc1 ud marriage does or does noJ; result in ing Rirku> Bhambu,· Rulia and Harl giving them an issue. Monogamy Ram were so young that they do not is the only form of marriag-e pre even remember haVing been betroth- valent among Ramdasias. Polyandry 27 is not at all allowed though married afford to divorce their wives, firstly, women may have extra-marital te be,cause the latter greatly augment lations with the brothers of their family income by contributing labolJr husbands. There is no social ban on and secondly, because the former does polyga~y but none can afford it. not generally have enough money There IS no man in the village having to contract a second marriage. Mis more than one wife. understandings and dissensions bet ween the husband and the wife are P!actice of levirate prevails in generally resolved through the good the VIllage. Widow remarriage is offices of the Community Panchayat. alwals approved by the village com If, however, both the husband and the mumty. Both senior levirate and wife are willing to separaJte, the wife junior levirate are allowed in the goes to stay with her parents and village. Of the two, junior levirate is later on takes another husband while pref.~rrep. A Chamar family is al the husband -is free to take a new ways anxious to retain the widow in wife. It would seem that the wishes their own house. A widow has to of the wife have greater importance live with the younger brother of her than those of her husband because deceased husband even though he there is no remedy against her re may be much below the marriageable fusal to live with him. One case of age. If .there is no younger brdtiher long separation has occurred in the the wjdow may start living with th~ village. The separated woman is elder brother. Asa Devi was first staying with her son while her married to Kirpu on whose death she husband is staying ~t another place married his cousin Sarwan Singh. apd is reported to have negotiated a Generally, a widow is free to seltle karewa with a widow. with any ~ers(~m of the community not belongmg to any of tne four Gots Adultery is not socially approv regarded as exog'amous. The widow ed; in fact, it is severely condemned. Seeta of the Dand'rata got has settled In actual practice, however, adultery with Gian Singh, Sarpanch. a refugee is detected, known and put up with. Ramdasia .of villag'e Bairampur It has been gathered that extra tnouQ'h thev were not related pre- marital relations exist between many 'viously. WirJow remarriag'e takes men and women in the village. There place according to the ceremony are a few fairly widely known in known as karewa. The bradari is stances of continuing adultery in the assembled and in 'their presence a villa~e. The general attitude to scraf or a chadra is put on the widow wards adultery demands that where and her new husband who are seated as the d::I1lf!hter of a person belonQ'ing together. The new- husband serves to the village must not be molested, the' dham, a community meal, to the it is nolb a grave offence if a person brada-ri. Sometimes even these rituals h'as Iillicitt relations with his brother's are not performed though the com wife. Young persons confide in one ml.,lnity frowns upon a widow re another the erlent and nature of marriage wilbhout karewa. adultery committed by them. Divorce is not at all prevalent Early marriages are still pre flmong the Ramdasia community. In valent to some extenf in the Ram Mahsa Tibba there has been no legal dasia community. The orthodox case-of divorce so far. Men cannot par,ents regard it as a punya or a 28 sacred act to get their daughters celebration of the marriage two or married at an early age. Some of the three years after betrothal is fixed in residents regard the act of not getting consultation with a Brahman or the their daughters married between the Sadh. Ramdasias prefer to celebrate age of 10 and 16 years as positively marriages during the month of sinful. On the other hand, if the Baisakh when the harvesting is over parents of a boy refuse to accept a and they have acquired some money. bride for him they are decreed as arrogant and vain. The virgin The ceremony following mangna offered as a bride is looked upon as is known as the sending of sahe-di Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, who chithi. Sahe-di-chithi is an invita must not be rejected for fear that a tion-letter written in the Gurmukhi second offer may not come up. More script by the Sadh on behalf of the over, living on a subsistence econo girl's parents. The letter is sent along my male and female meIT\bers of the with five seers of shakkar through family have frequently to move out the intermediary to the boy's father doors in pursuit of economic activity on an appointed day. Relatives and and the chances of rape or molesta the bradari are collected on that day tion of the young unmarried girls are and the letter is opened by the Panch great. To eliminate these, the parents of the village community and read are anxious to get their daughters out by the Sadh. The shakkar is married as early as possible. distributed among all present. The Marriage ceremonies.-Usually a N ai is sent out as a messenger to bachola, i.e., a go-between, who is different persons who are invited to related to either of the parties nego accompany the marriage party. If tiates the matrimonial alliance. the person approached by the Nai Either party having given its consent, accepts a piece_ of mauli given by him, the betrothal ceremony, known as he is supposed to have consented to mangna, is performed on a mutually attend the marriage. acceptable Wednesday without con On the same day as the date for sulting any Brahman or priest. The marriage is setMed, a piece of mauli parents of the girl visit the house of and some coins and shells are tied to the boy, apply a tilak to his forehead the right wrist of the bridegroom and and give him some money. Shakkar the ceremony is known as the tying is distributed among the relatives of kangna. After kangna has been and the bradari preserlt on the oc tied: the boy generally stays all home. casion. The parents of the boy send He is also expected not to sleep on to 'the w<;>uld-be bride some pres'ents the floor and undertake hard jobs but corisisting of -five see-rs of laddoos, a this custom is now dying out as the suit of clothes cqnsisting of a chmini, younger generation does not find any jumper and salwar; a pair of sandals meaning in observing this practice. and a suhag-patari containing mehndi, parancH, nail-polish, lux toilet' soap, For a couple of days preceding looking glass, kanghi, datan, surma, the marriage day the body of the brIde surkhi, nala and a pair of silver as well as that of the bridegroom is phuls. After his engagement the boy rubbed five and seven times, respec cannot visit the hous;€! of his fiancee, tively with a paste, called batna, pre though his oarents and other rela pared by hixing and heating' tQ{~'ether tives can. An auspicious date for the turmeric, sarson oil and gram-flour. 29 The bridegroom is seated on a chaunki to continue the practice of mutual ex placed over a square piece of ground change of neondas and salamis. The plastered with cow-dung and having community is served a meal known as on it the following pattern traced with brahmbhoj. Before the marriage wheat-flour: _. . party proceeds to the bride's village; the bridegroom is conducted by women to the well. They put -daria and dhoop over burning charcoal placed at the well. The boy invokes ~ -in the blessings of Khawaja by making 0 0 0 this .offering, bowing and some times by pledging 11 rupee in the name of the Guru to be offered at 0 £3- 0 the gurdwara. The parents of the bridegroom carry w,ith them suits of clothes known as vari and suhag 0 0 0 patari to be presented to the bride. h ~ -:J They also carry some ornaments in cluding a pair of phuls, gussal-patti, a pair of kantas, a pair of balis, a tavit, a pair of ghari-chooris and a Two girls hold above his head a har. In the past, the bride's parents chadra. Batna, the paste, is then used to specify their demand for applied by his mother, sisters and ornaments for their daughter but noW sisters-in-law ,to the accompaniment this practice is fading out. The bride of ceremonial songs. At the' end he groom dressed in gaudy clothes, is served powdered-sugar, boora crowned with a sehra and holding a t:t~eated with ghee. A similar batna sword in his hand, takes his seat in a ceremony is performed for the bride. bullock-cart and the marriage party consisting of about 40 persons leaves On the marriage day, the boy is for the village of 'the bride. On seated in the panchayat and dressed arrival the marriage party is ac in clothes specially brought by his commodated in a dera and is served maternal! uncle. The dress includes refreshmen~s. Another round of a turban, a vest, a pyjama, a kachha ceremonies begins art .the bride's and a sehra. Bridegroom is also house. Firs~ of all lhe bachola offers given a chhap by his maternal uncle one rupee and some shakkar to the who also defrays the expenditure in bridegroom on behalf of the bride's curred on arranging a band of parents. This ceremony is known as musjcians. In the presence of the piala ceremony. The bridegroom's assembled bradari, relatives and father performs the quar-vari cere friends give to the bridegroom neonda mony by sending a suIt of clothes, a or salami which consists of a present pair of phuls and suhag-patari throU1!h of one or two rupees and a piece of the bachola who puts these articles in cloth two yards long. If 'A' got a the lap of the bride. Another cere salami of rupees two at the time mony preceding the actual marrjage of his son's marriage from 'B' the ceremony is known as un'_jani-jorna. former would give a salami of rupees It consists in eying ~he chandoa. the three to the latter if it is intended red cloth wrapped round the bride, 30 to the parna of the bridegroom. the two kurams, i.e., bride's father Pheras, Ithe actual marriage cere and the bridegroom's father embrace mony, generally take place at about each other and exchange cloves and 4 a.m. The girl takes a bath before cardamom. the pheras but the boy need not do so. A vedi, an improvised canopy of When the marriage' party returns beri-wood is set up and a chaunk is home the. mother of the bridegroom traced on the ground. Mango-wood accompamed by other women receives is burnt. Samagri consisting of the couple. She lights a chaumukha shqkkar, ghee, sesamum and barley d~ewa, .an earthen lamp having four is -collected. A chaunki, a low wJ._cks, In a thali and carries some wooden stool, and khara, a basket' sugar. The lamp is passed over the are plac~d beside each other: Th~ heads of th~ c<;mple thrice. Similarly bridegroom sits on the chaunki and a rupee com IS passed over their the bride on the khara. The father h.ea~s and given to a virgin. The and the maternal uncle of the bride SIsters do not allow the bridegroom to enter the house unless he pays groom as well as .the bride throw 11 rupee to each one of them. The samagri into the fire and the Sadh; next morning the couple is taken out the priest is paid H rupee ,by each for a ceremony known as chhatian party. The falther of the bride per khelna. The husband and the wife forms kanya-dan by saying that g~nHy beat each ot.her with mulberry he is giving away his daughter in charity. The relatives of the bride stIcks. Pipal or simbal tree, a well put a pice or two into the garvi which and the ground are then worshipped. is passed round. The amount thus Probably this custom survives from collected is known as kanya-dan and the old practice of nature worship. is later on made over to the Sadh. Seven threads are tied round the pipal Then the bride's mother offers salami tree ~nd seven babbrus are placed near It and the couple DOWS before it. to her son~in-law by giving him a Returning ~om~ after this ceremony two~yard long piece of cloth, one the couple IS gIVen a test in clever rupee and a bheli of gur. ness by putting a -one-rupee _coin and Ornaments, clollies, dry-fruits a four-anna coin in a prat containing and coconut are presented to the bride turmeri.c solution and silver bangles. on behalf of the parents of the bride The brIde and the bridegroom com groom and this ceremony is known as pete wi t~ each other in picking up the bari-bihar. At the following meal rupee com and the four-anna coin. the bride's father presents to the There ~s a lot of amusement. At the bridee-room's father one rupee and end the rupee and the four-anna coins a chadra as milni. At the farewell are made over 'to some virgin. After ceremony at the house of the . bride a stay of two days at the house of her parents-in-law the bride returns khat consisting of suits of clothes: to her parents. The muklawa cere utensils of household use, ornaments mony arter which the couple settles and cash varying between 21 and down to a regular married life takes 101 rupees to be given to the bri.de are place generally When the boy is 18 exhi'Qited before the bradarl. Tlie and the girl is 16 years old. mother-in-law offers salami to the bridegroom. Her maternal uncle In all marriage ~eremonies the put's the bride in the bullock-cart and villagers are .observing the established 31 Sanatanist Hindu custom of pheras. Ramdasias cremate their dead ex Only one marriage, that of Bhajan cept children below the age of 8 years Dass belonging to the priest family, who are buried. The corpse is put has been solemnised according to the on a plank of wood placed over a Sikh custom of Anand-Karaj. small ditch and given the last bath So that the water collects in the ditch. Wine is taken in large quantities It is then wrapped in new clothes and at marriages and is a major item placed over a bier made of bamboo of unproductive expenditure. On poles. A silver coin is put into the the average, expenditure on the mouth of the dead person. Ramdasias marriage of a son and a daughter do not cremate their dead after sun amounts to 1,200 and 1,000 rupees, set; a person dying la te in the respectively. evening is cremated the next morning. A small round ball of wheat-flour Beliefs and practices connected known as pind is placed on the -ground with death.-The phenomenon of before lifting the bier which is death is an insoluble riddle for Ram carried by four persons. The bradari dasias. The fate of man, they be and relatives join the funeral pro lieve, is pre-ordained and the Bidhi cession. After covering half the dis Mata, the goddess of fate, will direct tance to the cremation ground the human affairs as she likes. The god adhmanak ceremony is performed by of death is known as Yam raj who placing the bier on the ground, off~r 'sends out messengers to release the ing a pind to the accompaniment of soul from the body of a man when his recitation of holy sermons by the existence in this world must come to Sadh. The pall-bearers ,known as an end. Some old women narrate kandhis inter-change positions and horrifying stories of how they were the feet of the deceased person are frtghten~d by the messengers of made to point towards the cremation Yamraj at night and were given to ground. A pitcher full of water is understand that their days in the broken near the head of the corpse by world were numbered. A. story is the son or some close relative of the told of an old woman who is supposed dead person. The funeral march is to have regaIned her senses half-an then resumed and the corpse ca~ried hour arter she stopped breathing and to the bed of the Sirsa stream, half who, on being presented before a mile away from the village. Yam raj , was declared to be the 'wrong A pyre of wood is prepared. Every person and ordered to be returned to person including even a passer-by the earthly vvorld. considers it his religious duty to add The villagers firmly believe that at least one log of wood to the pyre. a woman dying in her confinement The dead body is placed on the Ipyre gets transformed into a ghost. It is with the head pointing to the north stated that a KoLi woman of village and the feet to the south. Some Bir Plassi who died during her mango-wood and cotton sticks are confinement has been wandering especially thrown into the fire by all about as an un-redeemed churel, the persons. After the corpse has been . ghost, and haunted Chotu Ram. who largely consumed by the fire, the son happened to pass by the Plassi Fort. or the brother of the deceased per Barren women are also beli eved to be forms kapal-kriya by striking: the wandering as evil spirits after death. skull of the corpse thrice wi th a 32 bamboo-pole. People believe that the Mourning at the death of a man and a soul or the breath of the dead person woman continues in the house for 16 remains locked up in the skull and and 13 days, respectively. Relatives must be freed by breaking the skull. visit each other and offer condolence. The moment a person dies in a house Women perform siapa by weeping, all the earthen vessels are emptied and beating their breasts rythmically of water and are re-filled only after wnen one of them announces loudly his cremation. The persons carrying some words complimentary to the the bier sleep on the ground for two dead person. Visits to mourn the days. On the third day they are fed dead are paid only on Mondays, on rice and they throw the water into Wednesdays and Fridays. The terah the ditch over which the corpse was ceremony of a dead woman takes bathed and cover it with ear'th. On place on the 13th day following her the thi.rd day following death, the death. The Sadh is invited to place bones and ashes of the dead person are thirteen pitchers and perform some collected by his near relatives and puja. The water is then offered at a placed in a red-coloured small bag tree and the pitchers are distributed. away from the house. These are later The chargi is served meals and offered on consigned along with some coins sehJa consisting of articles used by to the waters of the Sirsa nadi at :the deceased, clothes worn by her Patalpuri (Kiratpur) or the Sutlej at and a few utensils. A solah cere Rupar. The Sadh attending this mony in the case of the death of a ceremoI)Y makes a lamp of flour float male performed on .the 16th day into the water and chants some holy marking the end of ceremonial pollu verses for which service he is given tion resembles in all essentials to Lt rupee. An earthen lamp is kept terah ceremony. The chabarkha cere burning near the ditch during mony, i.e., making offerings to the the following nine nights. On dead person on his fourth death anni the tenth day dasnahi ceremony versary is rarely performed. How is performed by men and women ever, the Ramdasias consider it their taking bg'th and washing Itheir duty to make mortuary offerings to clothes at the Sirsa nadi and feeding their ancestors at Pehowa. Almost virgins and the Sadh. The per every year some persons from the formance of this ceremony is be village visit Pehowa, a town in the lieved to prevent relatives from Kaithal Tahsil of the Karnal District being haunted by the dead person. on the day of Chet-Chaudash. Bullock-cart laden with grass The market-place for grass Grass-selling operation in progress The Common Facility Centre CHAPTER III ECONOMY According to the Land Utilisa tions. Shifting courses of hill tion Statement (1940-41 to 1960-61), torrents and the uncertainty of rain as copied from the village Lal-Kitab fall aggravated by the lack of irriga and given in Appendix 'G', the total tional facilities are responsible for area of the village has remained this phenomenon to a great extent. constant at 1,238 big has or 231 acres, For 1947-48, this figure is very high out of which 97 acres, i.e., 42 per cent and it is attributed to the displace of the total area, is classified as un- ment of Muslim Gujjars who were the cultivable waste-land under abadi) cultivator-owners at that time. About village paths, ponds, streams, grave 300 big has oJi land in the village were yard, etc., 35 acres of land or 15 per allotted to refugee immigrants from cent of the total area is categorised West Pakistan who took up residence as cultivable waste and 99 acres or in the neighbouring village, Berson. 43 per cent of the total area is under Some of the refugees have started cultivation. The area reserved for business in cities .and the land. is paths, ponds, graveyard and abadi is generally leased out to Ramd'asias of 3~ acres, 1 kanal, 3~ big has and village Mahsa Tibba on cash-rent. 6i acres, respectively. About 90 acres Thus, the element of absentee land" of the village land are rendered un lordism in the village economy is also cultivable by the Kanahan nadi which partly responsible for wastage of flows close to the abadi. The course lqnd. of the sandy bed or' the stream has widened to a great extent during the According to fertility and quality last 50 years-half a century ago it of land, the cultivable land in the was a mere five feet wide streamlet village is divided into six parts-' qut now its sandy bed near the village Lehri, Talla I, Talla II. Changar I, is as wide as 30 feet. An old well has Changar 'II, ~nd Banjar-and the a~so been submerged in the bed of the land revenue assessment per bigha stream. on these types of land is -62, 56,27, 23. 15 and 9 Naye Paise, respectively. There has occurred a minor de crease in the area of uncultivable LIVESTOCK waste-land-one acre or land -was reclaimed in 1945-46 and another one . Bullocks, cows, buffaloes and goats acre during 1954-55. This area was are owned by moSt of the residents. rendered fit 'for cultivation through The cattle are of a very poor qualify. the effort's of the inhabitants and not The bullocks are of 'pahari breed, due to any scheme of 'land reclama short-statured and lean. Milk yield tion carried out by GoVernment. . of a cow varies between 4 and 6 seers, .' - ~·hat of a buffalo between 6 and 8, and The figures under the column that of a goat between 1 and 2 seers. 'current fallows' show big fiuctua- In March, 1962, thirty-seven bullocks 34 were owned by 18 households, 13 cows Actually, however, no material gain were possessed by 8 households, 12 has accrued to the residents. Aboli buffaloes were owned by 10 house tion of zamindari or fixation of holds, 19 goats were owned by 10 ceilipgs on land holdings has resulted households, while one household in no gains to the landless Ramdasias. owned one cock and one hen. In spite of the fact that a batai tenant is entitled to get a two-thirds share Ramdasias generally purchase of the total produce, it has never been young cattle at a small cost and after possible for him to ge,ti it. The land feeding anti tending for sometime owner refuses to lease out his land to selL them at a profit. SometiIl1:es, the a man who js bent upon the enforce people are forced to sell cattle to ment of ~his law. Faced with the meet their domestic needs. Some choice between penury and small re households share bullocks with others. muneration, the tenant in,evitably Sometimes two families may keep one succumbs to the terms of ithe lessor. bullock each and use the two as a pair The legislation qesigned to pro turn by turn. tect the eviction of the tenants has in practice operated to their dis There is only one Persian-wheel advantage. It entitles a tenant, who in the village located in the plot of has acquired permanent tenancy land .below the hillock. It is ex rights on the basis of his continuously clusively o~ned and used by Bhajan cultivating a piece of land for five Dass to irrigate his 30 big has holding. years, to purchase land under his Six persons in the village possess cultivatiqn by paying an amount bullock.. carts which are used for equal to two-thirds of its price. But transporting grass from the forest in the land-owners keep on changing the vicinity of the village. These their tenants So that no person in the bullock-carts are small-sized and can village has acquired permanent be easily pulled by bullocks over the tenancy rights in this manner. On rough and sandy terrain. A bullock the other hand, frequent change of cart generally transports a load tenants militates against the improve weighing .about 15 maunds. ment of land as the tenant being un certain of retaining the same plot of FACTORS INFLUENCING ECONOMIC LIFE land for the next year hesitates to OF THF! VILLAGE " make any investmel1t on ~t. The Land reforms.-·The land reforms village eco'nomy suffers due to in including the abolition of zamindari, security and discontentment among guarantee of the share of share tenants. croppers, imposition of ceilings on A number of Ramdasias in -Mahsa land-holdings, special concessions to Tibba have improved their economic scheduled casfes and scheduled tribes, status in the wake of Government the consohldation of land holdings, policy to allot surplus land to the etc. sponsored by the Government landless Harijan famiLies. o lit of in the post-Independence period have 202 big has and 5 biswas of evacuee been welcomed by the people. Ram- land vesting in the Custodian; 104 'dasias are mainly landless agri biqhas are being cultivated by Bhajan culturists and all agrarian measur.es Dass. Bhunda and Hari Ram on a in favour of the tenant~, and against total cash-rent of Rs. 270: the share the landlords find favour with them. of each being tRs. 100, 8Q and 90, MAHSA TIBBA LAND USE: 1961 £~ I. ,. : : F "-,. u, " CIRCLE REPRESs/MTS TOTAL AREA UN'CULTIVABLE \ 0 , § CULTURABLE WASTE - ,. , NET SOWN Em3 , 1 ' ,0. . . CURRENT FALLOW , .' 'i.-. MEAN MONTHLY RAINFALL NALAGARH TAHSIL 15 en ILl :s: u 10 .Z- z 35 re$pectively. Again, 42 bighas of eva grass. Trading in grass is preferred cuee land at a place, Barotiwala, out to casual labour outside th€ village side the village h~ve been sold to 16 because in the former case the worker residents of Mahsa Tibba for a sum feels a sense of comparative freedom of Rs. 900. During the Second Five and females can also render assistance Year Plan the Welfare Department in increasing the output of grass. of the Punjab Government launched Moreover, agriculture, shoe-making, the. "Land for Harijans" scheme .ac and grass-cutting can be easily com cording. to which a scheduled caste bined as the place of work is the household was to be .supplied land village itself. The income from the worth Rs. 5,000 on the con~ition that sale of grass has not only compensated it invested an amount of Rs. 2,500 in the people for the decline in their land. A scheduled caste household customary income as menials but has could raise a loan of Rs. 2,500 by also enabled them to achieve a some purchasing a share worth Rs. 205 in what higher Standard of living. the Land Mortgage Bank, Jullundur. Sadha Singh of Mahsa Tibba pur Marketing.-No new market has chased the shares in 1959 and was developed in this area during the last allotted six acres of land in the decade. However, development of village Makauri near Ghanauli in the means of transport and communi April) 1963. Two more scheduled cation has made the already existing caste· households belonging ,to the markets at Rupar and Nalagarh N alagarh Tahsil have also been bene easily approachable and the number fited under this scheme. of transacltions in these markets has ' gone up. Four persons have opened Means of Transport and com shops at Nalagarh. Previously, hides munication.-Improvement of com were sold or purchased in the munications has greatly influenced neighbouring villages but now they the economic life in this village. The can be disposed of or bought at Nala metalling of the Rupar-Nalagarh road garh or Rupar. Similarly, surplus has been a very significant event. produce. can be disposed of or defi Before 1948, this road was kachcha ciency made uP. by purchases due to and extremely slushy in the rainy the easy accessability of .the market. season when it paralysed vehicular traffic. Now the villagers make fre The Rajpura Co-operative Agri quent visits to .RUtpar and Nalagarh cultural Service Society Limited is all the year round. Mahsa Tibba has the most important source of altri ~en connected with the metalled cultural finance for this area. This road by a jeepable kachcha road, and society was registered as the RajPura cycles, bullock-carts and heavy vehi Co-operative Credit Saciety Limited, cles can easily reach thE:' village. This Rajpura' in 1924. In March, 1956 t?e factor has greatly facilitated· the membership of this society was 32 transport of grass in bullock-carts and Mahsa Tibba did not have even and in trucks to Ghanauli and a single member. On June 16, 1956 it Rupar, and cutting and selling was converted into a Rural Co of grass has become an im operative Bank with the amal~an:a portant subsidiary occl.l;nation of tion of 18 Co-operative Credit SOCIe the residents of Mahsa Tibba which ties. In March, 1961 its total number has become a market for the sale of of members was 656, twelve of 36 whom were from Mahsa Tibba. Had middle-aged persons while con~inuing Ram, Panch was the first person from in the existing occupations try to the village to acquire the member aequire additional land to become ship of this Bank on the 18th Janu agriculturists. But the young persons ary, 1957. This institution has so in the village are always in search of far extended loans amounting to an opportunity to get employed as 1,800 rupees' to the residents of Mahsa peons, watchmen, and forest-guards. Tibba. The loans are advanced only They are also keen to join the police for agricultural purposes. Normal and the army. The apprentice shoe rate of interest is 8 per cent and the makers belonging to the younger penal rate of interest is 91 per cent. generation would always prefer to The latter is charged if the borrower learn the art of making boots and fails to return at least the interest gurgabis, i.e., pump-shoes, and open and some part of principal after one shops in the towns, partly because the year. After two years the borrower towns provide a regular market for can be forced to return the entire loan their products and partly because through !the cou~t. But in actual they want to escape the hard and practice, legal' action is rarely resorted boring life in the village. Three to. The Community Development young boys, Arjun Singh, Baldev Block is an important Government Singh and Ujagar Singh belonging agency which, besides other functions, to this village have received training advances loans and grants to the in the art of making shoes, boots and people. During the Second Five -gurgabis. Two of them have already Year Plan a grant of rupees 500 has established shops at Nalagarh and the b~en advanced to five families for third person also . proposes to shift the construction of cemented tanning there. Two young men are already pits outside the village and another in the army and two more have sum of Rs. 2,500 has been given to joined durinp; the present emergency. five persons for starting shoe-making Increasing' contact with the towns and leather industry on a commercial due to the opening up of channels of scale. The rate of interest is 5! per communication is resulting in the ceI).t and the loan is repayable in betterment of standard of living of five yearly instalments. Cloth the people. The new generation pre merchants of Ghanauli who have fers a dress of machine-made cloth to settled there after the Partition pro hand-spun khaddar; boots and vide yet another source of finance. gurgabis to the old desi-shoes; and They provide short-term credit vegetables to pulses. Every family generally for a period ranging bet considers it a matter of pre~tige to ween 3 and 6 months. The villagers own at least a few China-cups and purchase cloth from Ghanauli on dishes, a table and a chair, a cycle credit terms. and a watch, and a brick-built pucca Urban influences.-The compara baithak. The villagers feel hesitant tively easy Hfe in {he towns and to offer tea in a brass-tumbler to a cities has a great lure for the villa visitor from the tQwn and they suffer gers. The elderly persons of the humiliation for offering nothing better village are content with, their tradi~ than a khidoloo as bedding. In tional occupations because they know short, the distant charm of town-life that a change at such an advanced is attracting the imagination of age is not possible. Similarly, the Ramdasias. 37 LIVELIHOOD CLASSES ~way from home and can read and' write Punjabi; Mast Ram who cis also TABLE 3 gives classification of the in the army but ,is illiterate; and village popul~tion into workers and Amar Chand, a Wireless Operator non-workers by broad age-groups. who is a Matriculate. The Sadhs live on customary dues and charities Out of a population of 133 persons: received from their jajmans on socio 71 males and 62 females, 66 persons religious occasions. Their jajmans including 42 males and 24 females ate distributed over a wide area. It have been recorded, as workers.' All is not necessary that a village should female workers, except one dai who be the exclusive domain of one priest falls in the age-group 35-59, are in but some households remain in the the age-group 15-34. In addition jajmani of a particular priest family to household duties they are engaged generation after generation. On the in casual agricultural labour. Children average, a priest visits 120 households in the age-group 10-14 mainly tend during a year. Details of livelihood cattle. There are only three male classes in Mahsa Tibba at the time of non-workers in the age-group 15-34, 1951-census are not available. But ,two of whom are studying in the all the four 1?ersons have opened seventh class in a school at Nalagarh shops at Nalagarh after 1951 and all while the third one is mentally de the persons in service except Bhanibu, ranged. The soldtary male non Chowkidar, joined Government ser worker in the age-group 35-59 is vice only recently. It has been ob reported to be physically handicapped served during the recent survey that and, therefore, unfit :to do any work. two more boys who were .previously Only one female in the age-group 35- running shops at Nalagarh have 59.has been classified, as a worker; she joi'ned service. Arjun Singh, son of is the village dai. All the Chamar Hari Ram Who had received educa women aged more than 15 years can, tion up to middle stan~ard has in fact be called workers as they help joined army, while Baldev Smgh, sop their men-folk in fields and forests in of Rirku who was an under-MatrI addi Fourteen households have less viously and Bhunda's holding has than one acre of land each. Land increased by 6 bighas. The remain holdings of two households ranged ing households have not purchased between' 1 and 5 acres. One house any land in the village though 16 hold has more than 6 but less than families have jointly purchased 42 10 acres of land and five households bighas of evacuee land at Barotiwala did not own any land._ for a sum of Rs. ,900. The names Before Partition, Muslim Gujja7's of persons heading these families were the chief land-owning com are Hari Ram Panch, Rirku, munity in the village and Ramdasia Bhunda, Sadha Ram, Chhotu, Amin Charrtars owned only a' few bighas of Chand, Faqiroo, Ram Kishan, ·land. After the Partiti9n, the owner Bhambu, Dialu, Dia Ram, Puran, ship of land not held by Chamars was Punnu, Ganga Ram, Rulia and trans_ferred to the Custodian, the Surjan. These families are not re Gram Panchaya~ and the refugees lated to each other, They were who Were allotsted land in the village. allotted land keeping in view the A small fraction of the village land interest of all sections of the )village was purchased by a few Ramdasia population. Ther~ is mily one irri families also. Before 1948, Bhajan Dass gation well owned by Bhajan Dass. did not own any land, but now (30th Bullock-carts are owned by seven March, 1962) he holds 30 big has of households and fodder-cutting mach land. Rirku owned 2! big has of land ires by four families. The followi~g previously but owns 16 bighas of land Table gives tl)e nature of the mam now. Hari Ram holds 10 bighas of and subsidiary occupations followed land as against 2! big has owned pre- by different households:- Heads of Occupation households in the occupation Agriculture 12 Shoe-making 4 2 2 Priesthood 3 1 1 Military service 1 Casuall!lbour 2 1 1 The main occupation of 12 house 22 follow grass-cutting as a subsidiary holds is agriculture, of 4 shoe-making, occupation. The following Table of 3 priesthood, of 1 military service depicts the change of occupation and of 2 calmal labour. It may be from the father's generation to the noted that nine households ou't of present generation. Heads of Heads of househol as whose fatller' s occupation was Occupation households in the occupation - The ;;~-;their;;--Shoe-makin;----S;'Vi~;' Agriculture 2 t Casual labour 2 2 Shoe-making 4 4 Priesthood 3 3 Batai-tenancy 10 2 8 Military service .. 39 The fathers of nine heads of ditary occupation. And another households out of 12 working as example of this phenomenon is pro owner-cultivators and tenants were v.ided by three Ha:r1ijan priests whose shoe-makers. But as shoe-making is parents were also priests. Two considered inferior to farming, the households have shifted in the present Ramdasias want. to shift from the generation from shoe-making to former to the latter. The fathers of casual labour.. The trend of aspira the 'four cobblers were also shoe tion in the field of occupation amorig ~akers and it shows the tendency of the present generation' is obvio\\5 least resistence in adopting the here- from the following .Table:- Number of headJ of hO'llseholds who wanl their sons to be in occupation Heads of households ------ in the occupation The same occu- Agricult ufe Service pation as their's Agriculture 2 2 Casual labour .. 2 Shoe-making 4 3 Priesthood • 3 2 BarGi- tenancy 10 3 7 Military service .. ------'------Total 22 4 9 9 . It is evident that all parents want about 30 bighas of land, there is no their sons to adopt either agriculture means of artificial irrigation. Output as an occupation or join Government depends on rainfall. In times of ex service because by doing so alone can cessive, untimely or inadequate they achieve better economic status rainfall, the yield is too small to ade and security. The traditional jobs ~uately reward the farmers for their like repairing shoes, lifting' the d~ad labour. The period of ploughing and ca tHe and tanning hides are being sowing of crops is also determined by steadily given up in favour of GQvern the whims of weather. The operational ment service and agriculture sup holdings of cultivator families are small. ported by cutting and sellin~ of grass Out of 12 families, which: are mafu.ly on a commercial scale as- a subsidiary dependenlt on agriculture, 3 cultivate oc~upation. from 15 to 20 acres of land, while the PRACTICES CONNECTED WITH AGRICULTURE rest of them cultivate .onJy between 5 and 8 acres. Farm economy in the village is entirely dependent on the vagaries of The Ramdasias cultivate land nalture. Much of the village land is both according to the cash-rent and the spoiled by sand and stones. Except batai'system. How..ever, the incidence one Persian-wheel which irrigates of cash-rent farming is large because 40 m.ost of the landlords live away fr~ the Ues engage themselyes in other sub village and find if convenient to collect sidiary occupations like s4oe-making, mdney rather than grains. The nego flaying, grass-cutting and casual labour tiations for lease begin in the month during the agriculturally slack period. of Baisakh, but the actual possession of Techniques of farming are backward. land is transf~rred after the rabi Wheat, gra~ berara (gram and wheat harvest, that is, after the month of mixed), masri and taramira are Jeth. Generally land:owners demand the main rabi crops; maize, chari, in advance half the amount of the cash jowarj groundnut, moth, cotton and rent mutually agreed upon. But the sugarcane are the important kharif· lessees make the payment in two crops. The approximate seed-rate instalments, first after the khari! and and output per bigha for each crop the second after the rabi harvest. are given below. Most of the land-owners complain of delinquency on the part of the Ram Crop Seed per Yield per dasias in the matter of payment of bigha bigha cash-rent. Under the batai system the prevailing rate of rent is one-half Wheat .. S to 7 seers 3 to 4 maunds of the total produce. The tenants are Gram .- 3 to 5 seers 2maunds_ aware of the statutory provisions res Sugarcane .- 12 to 15 Mds. of 10 m 86, 75, 67, 58 and 55 per cent of the total From 1941 to 1948, acreage under so'Wn area was devoted to these crops groundnut was nil, but in 1949, about during the years 1941, 1946, 1951, 1956 6 acres were' devoted to this crop, and and 1961, respectively. thereafter more or less, it has become a Area that did not mature, (kharaba) regular feature as the villagers found either because of draught or excessive the sandy land of the village very rains has been shown in brackets. suitable for this crop. Among the This .area is .almost equal in both the rabi crops acreage under masri was rani .and·1char,if crops. nil, but from 1948 onwards this crop is being sown regularly as the Total area sown under rabi craps is villagers con,sider it as an important slightly more than the area under the item of household consumption now. kharif crops. Under the kharif crops, . , cultivation of kangni and cheena, was On 'the whole, it can be concluded almost regular during the period from th'at emphasis is laid O'n the cultivation 1941 to 1947: the acreage under these df food ~ops. Cropping pattern lacks crops 'for each year bei.ng 5, 4, 8, 6, 5,6, sufficient variety partly for want of ir and 5, respectively. After 1947, the rigation facilities and partly because cultivation of kangni and cheena was of the lparticular food crops which are stopped altogether. It was popular with considered to be essential for household the Gujjars as it suited their food hab~tg. consu;m ption. CALENDAR OF AGRICULTURAL ACTIVfrms The farmers are generally engaged in the following agricultural operations in different mO'nths of the year:- Month Activ~ties and Operations Chet Ploughing and preparing fallow land for sowing maize or bajra; weeding sugarcane crop; harvesting gram crop by the end of the month. Baisakh Preparing fallow land for sowing maize. Harvesting wheat; threshing and winnowing wheat by the end Of the month. Jeth Fields ploughed for sowing maize, if it rains; weeding of cotton. onions,, and tobacco, if sown. Asadh Sowing of maize and groundnuts. Sawan Sowing of chari, moth, bajra, gawara; weeding of maize and groundnuts. Bhadon Preparing land for sowing wheat; weeding of maize and groundnut crops. A,uj Preparing land for s6)wing wheat or b'erara; harvesting maize crop. rKartik Sowing of wheat; harvesting of chari, moth, 'bajra and gawara. Maghar Weeding of wheat crop. 42 Pas Weeding of wheat crop; harvesting sugarcane crop and pre paring land for planting sugarcane. Magh Land prep'ared for planting sugarcane. Phalgun Planting of sugarcane. Agricultural implements.~Plough two parallel and four vertical rods. is the most important agricultural im The f~r vertical rods are fixed over plement used to till land. A plough the necks of the bullocks to keep the consists of the following parts:..._ yoke in position. (l) Hal, a straight' wooden bar Narka, a leather thong of the abou~ eight feet long with yoke, and jot, the leather strap inter one end' fitted into the vening between the yoke and the munna and the other end bullock's neck are two important tied to the panjaZi at the items of a plough. Panjali is made time of ploughing. by the carpenter at Manjholi. (ii) Munna, a wooden bar about H fe~t long, the Other important agricultural im upper end of which is used plements are .described below. as a handle at the time of ploughing while patha is Suhagi.-It is a heavy rectangular fitted at its lower end. wooden plank weighing about one (iii) Kant, a thick iron-plate maund used for crushing dallas, the weighing about l~ seers clods. One end of each rqpe is ti\ed fitted over the patha with to the kannas, small wooden pegs chichri, a small iron -nail or iron rings fitted into the suhagi, to make it durable. and. the other to' the yoke. The man (iv) Phal~i is a plough snare who drives the bullocks stands on the weighing 2 to 3 seers ac suhagi. The wood for the suhagi 'is cording' to the strength of obtained locally,· and it is made by the the bullocks, fitted over carpenter at Manjholi. the .kant and kept int~ct with the patha by kunda, Suhaga.-·It' there are hard and an iron ring. The phaLli big clods to be broken, the suhaga is is used for making furrows used. It is exactly similar to suha9.i in land; . but somewhat heavier and bigger. A suhaga weighs about 2! maunas and Phalli, kant and iron rings are is plflled by four bullocks with two purchased from Rupar, but the wood, persons sitting on it. Only 'Bh'ajan required in making the plough is Dass owns a suhaga from whom it is mostly locally obtained. The plough borrowed by other cultivators also. is made and fitted by the carpenter at Manjholi. Salangha.-It is a double-pronged wooden impl~ment with a straight Panjali or the yoke is the com wooden handle used mainly for plement of a plough. It is a rect carrying thorny· bushes of garna and angular wood-en frame consisti nR of ber used for fencing the fields. It. is 43 used also for spreading sheaves on fields. Janda is a thin flat iron plate the ground for threshing. Salangha fixed to a wooden plank provided is made by: the carpenter and the with. a wooden handle and two iron wood is locally available. Char-sutta rings to Which the ropes are tied. One is a four-pronged wooden implement man pushes the janda through the used for sprea<;iing out the chaff in field with the help of the hand and the the 'pirh at the time of threshing. other drags' it by means of ropes. Similarly, tangli, a multi-ipronged Janda is used to make kiaras} i.e., wooden implement, is also used for small bunds to divide a field into sub spreading chaff. In the initial plots to preserve its fertility. Bari stages'salangha is used for spreading is an iron implement four feet long the corn-sheaves. Char-sutta is used and one inch in diameter used for at the intermediary stage and the digging holes in the earth. tangli is used at the final stage when Gandhala consisting of a wooden the chaff becomes very fine. Sabbar handle fixed to a sharp iron blade is katta is a wooden spade with a also used for the same purpose. wooden handle used for collecting Chhaji is a Winnowing basket made ana scattering chaff in the pir-h. Kassi of sarkanda-reeds purchased from consists of an iron blade -fixed to a Chuhras who sell these during the wooden handle and is' used for digging hqrvesting season. Khurpa consist earth. Karah is used for levelling ing of a wooden handle a~tached to a undulating ground. It consists of a shaq? flat iron blaq.e is used for re sharP jron blade weighing about seven moving weeds and "grass from tpe . seers .. fixed below a number of wooden nelds. Kohali is a wooden hoe used . planks joined together. Ropes tied while standing. Datti 01" sickle is to the two iron rings attached to thE used. for cutting grass and harvesting w.Qoden planks are further tied to the crops. Sickles -'are of 'two' types : yoke. The karah is kept in position pat'hi and dandal. The iron blade or 'by means of a wooden handle. the pathi sickle is plain-edged while Dandrali consists of a number of iron that of the dandal is teeth-edg-ed. teeth fixed below a wooden frame The approximate cost and durability driven by bullocks and is used for of different im{Olements are given' be sweeping and collectin,g straws in the low. Cost (including I~plement -the cost Qfthe wood) Durability (Rupees). (Years) Plough 15.50 3 to 5 PanJali 6.59 3 Sufragi 4.00 4 Salangha 1.50 Tangli f·5,9 Char-sutfa 1 '75 Sabbarkatta 1.~5 2 Datti-Dandal 1.50 l' Datti-Path; 1.00 44 Implement Cost (including the Durability cost af the. wood) (Rupee~) (Years) Karah 13.50 5 DandtDli 2.50 2 Suhaga 11.50 5 Khurpa 1.50 2 Koha/i 1.00 ) , Km,si 6.00 5 Janda 2.50 3 Chltajj 1.25- Bar.j ~.OO 7 Gandhala' f. sa 2 Except for sickles and khurpas lo-ha.r$ at Manjholi wh'O are paid at used by all h9useholds because they the rate of tw.o shea:ves of corn at are always required for cutting grass, each. harvest. all the implements are not owned by anyone ho.usehold. These are always vaLAq~~ND~ shared with oth.ers. The practice of Shoe~making is the only handi sharing tools and equipment is very craft practised in this. village. It is common amongst the Ramdasias. the traditi0l?-al· occu1_?ation of the Each family cannot own all the im Ramdasia Chamars. 'At the time of plements. Their reSOUl:ces are limited the fiJ;st settlement~_ the Chamars and in many- cases a family is forced 'were entitled by. customary :r:ights to to sell a few im.plements -out of the get' 16 seers of grains against every inadequate stock already ayailable ,:fille rpaunds :of ~ains produced in .yiith it. Tvlos,t. of the families do hot the village during. a year and were in stick to. agriculture. regularly. If return required to rendet' begaT, re during a particular year Ll family pair shoes of the otner communities cannot get sufficient land on lease, and remove their .dead' animals. The it concentrates on some other occupa Chamars had a.n exclusive right to the tion and disposes of a part of its hides of the animals which were agricultur.al equipment. Onfy three tanned in the mIlage itselt. The families, those of Hari Ram, Rirku jootas prepared by them were sold and Bhajan Dass own almost all 'the both in the village and outside. equipment. Other families borrow from these families or share the- im Out of -22 households, 4 house plements among themselves'. No fixed holds follow shoe~making as their terms and conditions regulate the main occupation and 6' as thefr sub sharing of implements, though the sidiary occupation. Six persons are borrower is obliged to contribute' engaged in shoe-making, in the village manual labour. The wood used in a:nd 2 have opened shop~ at Nalagarh. all the implements is mostly avail The fathers of 15 head's of households able in the village lands. Iron parts out of the presen~ 2Z'Were also shoe are purchased from Rupar. The im makers. Apparently.. there is a ten plements are made by carpenters an'd dency to change this occ,llpation. The AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENtS 'I) \ PANJALI GANDHALA SABSARKATTA KHURPA SUHAGA DATTI - PATH. TOOLS & IMPLEMENTS OF A CHAMAR JAMOOR KUNDI RAMSI AAR TAKNA SPECIMEN OF A JOOTA ICHURPI MOGRA KOONOA 45 present ,generation prefers to start facilities of transport and d~ve~op:' shoe-making business in 'the towns ment of means of commumcatIOn, rather than in the village. Young villagers can easily visit towns and mtr.GVnts to the shoe-making occupa buy different varieties of shoes at tion prefer Nalagarh as the pIace of competitive rates. Moreover, as work. The town of Nalagarh is only ready-made shoes are available, tl}~re :§.v,e'miles from Mahsa Tibba and 'a is no need to waste' time in gettmg worker from ,Mahsa Tibba can con these made to order. Socially, there veniently go 'there- in the morning is a strong tendency among Ram and -re.turn in the evening on a bicycle. dasias to give up shoe-making and Shop JJents are not very high there. lif~ing and flaying of cattle in pre Repair work and: the demand for new ference to cleaner jobs in the field of shoes in the village can be met easily agriculture and Government ·service. by the olt! handS who do not want to Previously, hides. used to be tanned leave their homes. For the young in the village itself but now these are J1)ersons, cities are more ~ attractive mostly purchased from Rupar and 1Jhan the viHages. There they' can Nalagarh as the Ramdasias cannot also avoid, the chidings and constant stand the foul smell involved in the vigilance of their parents and' heed process. For Ramdasias: a ris~ in the not disclose their earnings entirely social status is possible only If they to them. Morea.ver, a boy working in give up their traditional occupation. a town has a better social status and 'has better prospect of marriage. He Shoe-making is generally prac haS a r~gular income: in cash which tised by' individual households. The the household greatly requires. Two verandah in front of the house seFVes young' boys; Baldev Singh and Arjun as the workshop. Different tools Singh, who have received training; in and implements used by shoe-makers shoe, boot and gurgabi-making. have are described below, started shopS at, N alagarh. ()f the six shoe-maRers in the viilage, none Rambi consisting of a woode? wants that his son shOuld follow the handle fixed to a long iron blade IS hereditary occupations; AU of them used for cutting leather. Aar also have a f)reference for Governm'ent consists of a wooden handle and a sendce and agriculture. Reasons long iron blade but is shal?ed for, the aspiration to change occupa differently and is used. for ma~mg tion are economic as well as social. holes in leather at the tIme of stItch About' 'two decades ago when the tng. Krundi consisting of a wooden 'means of communication had not d'e handle attached to an iron blade veIop~d, ,the village provided t~e jmIlched in the side is used to draw princip'al m~rket for ;the loc~I1y ih the string whiTe stitchin~ shoes. made shoes ano. the Chamars were Taknn is' used for smoothemng: the able to live' by shoe-making. Muslim rough surface of leather. Khainch @'u.1iars wer~ very fond of country cpnslsting of a rectangular wooden ]l'lade shoes and there w~s' a good pifece with a round wooden handle at market for these in the adjoinfng th~ upp~r end is rubb2d. over the yill,ages of Manjholi, Berson and 'piece of leather. both to straIghten out ,(!;handpur, because' ve,ry few people folds an.d to str.etch le,ather. Mogra 'w:ould gQ 'to R'tmar or 'NaJ'agarh to i~ a woodlerr or iron pestle with a sn:all purchase shoes, but now with the handle and a flat head for beatmg 46 leather. Pathri is a heavy rect are rubbed in wax So- that they anoular stone-slab used as a base for may not break easily. M agzi or cutting leather on. PhaH is a long lining of goat skin is general rectangular wood~n mould fitted into ly provided at the open end of the the shoe to loosen it and to make the panna. leather soft. Farmas and sanchas are the designs of the various parts With the change in style of the' shoes according to which they: jootas- he.ve yielded place to wester~ are fashioned; and koonda is an type shoes and gurgabis. The elder earthen water receptacle placed be ly Chamars are, of cO)lrse, sticking side the shoe-maker for wetting the to their old designs. But' the Com leather in it. Sketches of these tools munity Development Block Agency, have been given separately. The realising the necessi.ty of training -approximate cost of each tool and the young Ramdasia boys in the art of SO\lrce from which it is purchased are making gurgabis and western style shown below. shoes, opened a leather training centre at Mahsa Tibba on the 22nd January, 1961. Every trainee was Tool Cost Source of (Rupees) purchase given a stipend of one rupee per day and he was to work with the material Rambi 1 25 Repar or Nalagarh supplied by the Government. Fifteen Aar 1 25 -do- persons were trained in a period of Kundi 1 00 -do- Takna 1 25 -do- nine months. Three boys of the Khainch o 75 Local car.penter village have started earning their Mogra 200 -do- Pathri 3 00 Nalagarh livelihood, two of them have opened ,Phali 2.00 Local carPenter their shops at N alagarh while the Farmas and Rupar third one sells shoes in the village. Sanchas " 2.00 Kooll'da 1.00 Local potter Raw material 'required for mak Technique of shoe-making.-To ing a shoe is purchased at Rupar or make a shoe to order the shoe-maker Nalagarh. The hides are either first of all draws an outline of the foot tanned in the village or purchased on a paper and then selects a sancha, ready-made from the market. The i.e., a foot-measure made of card material for a pair of shoes, costs board, out of his stock. The sancha Rs. 4.25 nP. It includes expenditure is then placed on the piece of leather on leather, which is about Rs. 2.50 nP., which is cut with a rambi to form chrome leather for th~ upper' ,which the tala, the sale of the shoe, The is about rupee one; wax, nails, rings, tala is dipped in water for some time laces. and cotton-thread which is about to make the leather soft. One or two Rs. a.75 nP. This is exclusive 0'£ pieces of leather are fixed with nails labour charges. A pair of shoes is a t the back of the tala to form the' generally sold for Rs. 5.75 nP. On an addi or the heel. Tala and addi are average, 1,200 pairs of shoes are generally made 'of Manjha, the purchased from this village in a year. buffalo-leather. Panna or the upper The total net earnings from this part of the shoe is then cut according handicraft during one year amount to the size of the footwear and is to Rs. 1,800'. Shoes are made in indi fitted over the sale. Stitching is vidual households on demand. Sikh: done with cotton threads which Jats and Sainis of neighbouring 47 villages, who are mostly agri in the village likes to be entirely de culturists, constitute the clientele but pendent on the tanning industry. the demand for shoes in the village Only a few families who lift the market is gradually declining due to dead cattle specialise in this in change in fashions and readily avail dustry. able shoes from the market in towns. Skill of shoe-making is transmitted The process of tanning consists· of from one generation to the other. a number of stages. The pelt has to Sometimes, a. young man may have to be in a pliable form before it is taken act as an apprentice to an expert not up for tanning and as such the dry belonging to his own family. The hides are soaked in water for two children are first of all trained· in or three nights and allowed to cutting card-board pieces according soften. They are next washed and to the size· of various parts of shoes. cleaned in ordinary water. In case The child beginning his training at the dry hide be contaminated with the age of 12 becomes a skilled shoe dirt, a small quantity of caustic soda maker by the time he has attained the is added for cleaning. The first age of 17 years. As already men regular ,process is of liming when tioned, the village of Mahsa Tibba is the pelts are soaked for a few days also one of the beneficiaries under in a large pit containing a solution the Government scheme to help of lime in water. As a result, the boost up rural crafts. pelt becomes plump and the upper skin containing hair and fleshinR' por Production of shoes on a small tions are loosened. The hair and the scale does not require large finances. fleshings are removed by scrapping The tools and equipment are general with a khurpi. The pelts are then ly handed down from one generation de-Hmed by washing in fresh water to the other and in most cases nepd and thrown. in vats contai.ning a mild not be purchased. But where 'these solution of tanning liquor transferred have to be purchased, the cost does from the tanning pits. After some not exceed twenty rupees. The invest interval the pelts are made into bags ment in hides and skins is made in which are hung on a stand. Dry instalments, the sale-proceeds off powck~lred kikar bark is filled in these setting the value of the instalments. bags and water is also poured in them. The country shoe-maker has no Water liberates tanning liquor from fixed hours of work. When the're is a the bark and percolates through the great demand for his productc; he may pelts and in this process makes them work from dawn to dusk but when impermeable and imputrifiable. The the agricultural season is in full water oozing out of the bags is swing he may suspend his work al collected in a pit below from which together. Normally, he works at it is transferred again and again into noon when he is free from other en the bags. After two or three days gagements. the pelts get completelv tanned, a rough and ready indication for which Tanning of hides.-Now-a-days is that if a small piece is cut off from hides are rarely tanned in the village it the cross-section shows a regular because it is a lengthy and a dirty light brown colour and there is no process and is economical only jf streak of white in the middle. The carried on a large scale. No family bags are then removed and allowed 48 to remain in the soaking pit contain and domestic uses only. Children in ing the tanning liquor for some time the age-group 8-15 and old males so as to receive the ,maximum and females in their sixties graze the amount of tanning. These are then cattle. The gnaziers take out the washed in water. The stitches of cattle at about 8 a.m. after taking munj are cut off and the sheets are their breakfast and return at noon spread on ropes to dry. When semi When the cattle either drink water at moist they are spread on a platform the well or sit in the village-pond. and a mixture of common salt and The second shift of cattle-grazing rice husk powder is rubbed on their beginning at about 3 p.m. ends at sun fleshy side. Sometimes a little tallow set. Besides being grazed on stubble is also applied on the hairy side of 'and wild growing grass, the cattle are the leather to impart lustre and extra fed on banwah grass consisting 0'£ strength. When dry, the leather is dhalla, jhewry and salara straws ready for any type of manufacture. mainly from October to April. The The Community Development other fodders on which the cattle are Block Agency has distributed grants fed are sonkha, a weed infesting and advanced loans in the village for maize-crop, khabbal growing in encouraging tanning and shoe-making abundance during the rainy season, industry on a commercia+ scale. tandas, maize-sticks available after Five hundred rupees were distributed kharif-harvesting, dilla, a weed in among five families as grants for festing maize-crop, which is a kharif constructing cemented tanning-pits fodder crop, toori, i.e., wheat-chaff and outside the village and Rs. 2:500 were chari. Milch cattle, especially buf advanced as 10ans to another five faloes, are also given dozes of masaIa families for the same purwose. These consisting of half a seer of cotton grants and loans were given in 1961 seeds, 2 chhataks of soas, 4 chhataks but so far only two tanning-pits have of sooh taramira and 1 chhatak of be~n put up near the dung-pits by the salt. The mas ala does not constitute stream. The villagers have not a regular diet but is given occasional shown any enthusiasm for putting up ly to' increase the yield of milk. When the tanning industry on a commer the bullocks are over-worked thev are cial scale. fed on dair consisting of sooh, - aIsi, ajwairl:, gram, gur, and salt, the daily ANIMAL HUSBANDRY dose being H seers. Goats are fed mainly on the leaves of garna, basuti, Animal husbandry used to be a beri and mulberry plants. favourite occupation of the Muslim Gujjars who were fond of maintain The methods of tacklin.g ~attl'€ ing quali'ty breed buffaloes as is diseases are indigenous. A cattle signified even py the name of this strfi);Iring from a simple 'pain in the village-Mahsa (Bhainsa) Tibba. But abdomen is given sarson oil, caster with the departure of Gujjars, Ram oil. and soas. A disease. knbwn as dasias eould not pick up their occupa malma, is common among buffaloes tiOn h~cause it requires large funds and it, renders a buffalo weak and and the risk of loss is great. Ram dries out its milk. The animal stops dasias, however, keetp bullocks, C()'WS, perspiring. To treat this disease, the buffaloes and goats for agricultural body of the buffalo is thoroughly 49 rubbed with powder:ed ginger mixed COLLECTION AND SALE OF GRASS with mustered oil and it ·is pricked at different points so that some blood Actually J there is no forest in the may ooz out. ChapIa makes the village lands but the forest area cattle foam·at the mouth. Their noses begins across the Kanahan nadi at bleed and they stop eating grass. a distance of ,about one mile from the To treat this malady, kikar-bark is village. Banwah grass is an im boiled in water' and some salt portant produce of this forest. After is added Ito the solution which Partition an important change in the is then applied to the body. The occupational pattern of Ramdasias disease is supposed to spread has been an increasing dependence on among an ca tHe in the village due to earnings from this grass. In the pre the curs~ of some deity. A chela, or Partition days- the Muslim Gujjars a faith-curer is approached to per used to purchase and feed it to their form some toona to cure the cattle. livestock. The Ramdasias used to He fixes a day on which none is allow cut grass for them on wages. But ed to cook food in the kitchen or go now with the improvement in the out of the village or enter it. A 'string means of communication, transport Of is tied at some place and guggaI: grass to Rupar or Ghanauli has be dhoop, an incense, is burnt near it, come easy. The Ramdasias have set All the cattle are then made to pass up sale-depots for grass in the village. under this string. A rote is then The season for grass-cutting extends offered by the residents in the· name from October to April. After that of the family deiUes. They fervently the forest is mostly denuded of grass. believe that the performance of this Although during the rainy months of toona checks the spread of dise-ase and June and July there is an abupdant cures the animals already suffering growth of grass yet during :these from it. Another di~ease, known as months there is a slump in the fodder gal-ghotu, causes sw,elling of the market since wheat straw (toori) is throat and renders br~athing difficult then available. with every farmer. To among cattle. It is treated by ad cut grass is a very hard job and only ministring ghee and oil by the mouth. the young males and females uI\der take it. In early stages, grass is The cattle owned by Ramdasias available in places comparatively are mostly of the inferior pahari easy to approach: but later they have breed. The price of an ordinary to go far to steep slopes and deep buffalo. a cow. a nair of bullocks a'nd ravines. In the initial stages: there a goat 'is Rs. 300: 90, 400 and 50. res fore, women and children can assist pectively. Money for such purchases but in the later stages only the is generally borrowed from friends stronger men ?re left to pursue the and relatives; sometimes the sale job. The only implement required nroceeds of one animal are used to in the operation is a sickle. Grass is finance the purchase of a new one. tied into small poolas weighing ~bout The yield of milk is low, hardly five seers and then into a bhari, a big enough to meet domestic needs. bundle consisting of 8 to.12 pooIas. Milk 'is never sold out of the village The grass-bharis are transported Fart though it may occasionally be sold in lyon human heads and partly in the very 'small quantities to some other bullock-carts. A man, generally, househ'olds in the village. carries 1 to 1! rna unds and a woman 50 only 20 to 30 seers of grass. A larly. payment of money per bullock bullock-cart pulled by two bullocks cart entitles him to transport in his transports about 15 to 20 maunds of bullock-cart as much grass as he can grass. For the, most part it has to be during one year. Apparently, there pulled through the sandy bed of the appears to be no limit to the quantity Kanahan nadi. Six persons in the tlf grass that G_an be cut from the village namely Rulia, Amin Chand, forest but in reality it is not so. A Faquir Chand, Hari Ram, Rirku and single person cannot cut and carry Punnu own bullock-carts. Sometimes more than 3 maunds of grass daily; the cart and the bullocks are shared similarly, not more than 20 maunds by two or more families. The grass of grass which is gathered by three is stored at the depot in the village persons can be transported in a from where it is carried away by bullock-cart in one day. Then again, grass-merchants who are mostly the work of grass-gathering cannot go Sainis of Ghanauli. Sometimes they on every day because of the need for give advance money ranging bet rest and other demands of household ween 5 and 10 rupees to the Harijans duties. for the purchase of grass which is sold on the average rp.te of 1!- rupee per Harijans can also directly pur maund. Grass-merchants bring their chase the plots of grass but generally own bullock-carts to carry away they do not do so due to lack of grass. An efficient grass-c.utter can finances. In 1961, a plot of grass cut and transport 2 to 3 maunds of measuring about 100 acres was pur grass a day if working alone but the chased jointly by four Ramdasias of output increases if he gets the assist Mahsa Tibba for 100 rupees and the ance 'of females and children and also approximate return amounted to facility of a bullock-cart. A male Rs.1,500. On an average, grass worth adult working with his wife and a Rs 500 is e~ported out of the village young daughter can earn about every year and ten families in the 8 rupees if he devotes the entire day village mainly concentrate on this to cutting grass. But if he were to business. render casual labour for the sam'e periOd he would not be able to earn INDEBTEDNESS more than two rupees because in this venture the female members of his Economically the residents of family would not be able to assist Mahsa Tibba are not very poor him. but still at the time of the survey, 13 households out of 22 were under debt. The plots of grass auctioned As a matter of fact some enterprising every year are purchased mostly by families had been borrOWing money Gujjar and Saini residents of 'the for the purchase of bullock-carts, neighbouring villages and are further cattle, land, etc. Out of 9 families sub-let to Harijans at the rate of which are not in debt 3 belong to 5 rupees per sickle for a y'2ar and for Sadhs and the head of the fourth 15 to 20 rupees per bullock-cart. The family is in the army. Two families rate of 5 rupees per sickle entitles having set up shops at Na:lagarh have a single person to cut with his sickle regular income and the remaining and transport on his head during one three families have not acquired any year as much grass as he can; simi- capital assets and do not n~ed to incur 51 any debt. Out of the total outstand level still continues to incur about 20 ing debt of Rs. 8,301, a debt amounting per cent of the total deht for defrav to Rs. 2,900 was repayable to the ing unproquctive expenses on marri mopey-lenders, at Manjholi, Nalagarh age and other social ceremonies. and Berson, Rs. 1,136 to the co operative society, Rs. 1,885 to the The rate of interest charged by Government agency, Rs. 1,110 to the money-lenders varies between 18 the zam indars and Rs. 1,270 to re and 24 per cent while the Co-operative latives and friends. Thus, the Bank at Rajpura charges interest percentage share of the money at the rate of 8 per cent. Re lenders in the total debt was 34.9, of latives and friends, do not charge the co-operative society 13.7, of the any interest and the local zamin Government agency 22.7, of the dars also advance money wi thou't zamindm's 13.4, and of the relatives charging any interest in cash. and friends 15.3. (TABLE 7). Evident The rate of interest charged by the ly, the money-lenders are the biggest Community Development Block financiers. The money-lenders at Agency varies from 5 to 5i per cent. Manjholi and Nalagarh charge an The cloth-merchants and shop exorbitant interest at the rate of 19 keepers sell articles on credit', per per cent on money borrowed to de haps on a higher price, but ,do not fray marriage expenditure but the charge any interest. All loans well-to-do landowners of Berson except those taken for buying cloth, and ,Manjholi lendfng monev to and cattle are taken in cash. Pay finance agricultural operations gene ments for cloth purchased on credit rally, neither charge any interest nor are made after six months at the time bind the borrower to render free of every harves't. Similarly, a labour. Ac:tually however, Ramdasias bullock may he. purchased from a do render free labour to their agri local zamindar on credit. Loans are culturist creditors out of a sense of. advanced on the general credit obligation. Details of various pur worthiness of the borrowers. They poses for which debts were incurred, are not vequired to offer any t~ngible the amount of debt for each purpose, security. No loan-documents are and the number of indebted house prepared except by the Government holds are given in TABLE 8. agency and money-Lenders. If the borrower does not repay his debt within three months, the money , It is encouraging to note that lender executes a fresh document. 64.47 per cent of the total debt was in ct:1rred for meeting productive e~ penditure-22.43 per cent for J;urrhas CO-OPERATIVE SERVICE ing land, 14.76 per cent for purchasing There is no co-operative society cat,tle, seed, bullock-carts, etc., and in Mahsa Tibba. The most important' , 27.28 per cent towards leather co-operative society in the area-The industry, Debt of 8.07 per cent in Raj~ura Co-operative Agricultural curred for construction and repair Service $ociety Limited. is at Raipura charges of houses is also ndt aT near Nalagarh in the Ambala District ~ogether a waste, but it is disturbing This society was originally ,regist'ered W note that a community struggling as the Rajpura Co-operative Credit to raise itself above the starvation Society Limited, Rajpura on the 1st 52 JulY', 1924, On"the 16th of June,. 1956 village. Loans (ire advanced for it was' 'converted' into a Rural Co agricultural uses only.'" ~he normal op~rative -Bank with the' ·amalgama rat'e of int~re~t is 8 per ceht and the tion of. 18 co-oa>erative credit screieties. j:'2nal rate of int'erest is 9! pet cent. Again, on the 27th June, 1961, it The total debt outstanding against its chang-ed its bye-laws 'and assumed its members amounts to Rs. 92,388.16. present na-me: In March~ 1956, -mem This includes a debt of Rs. 947.71 nP., bership of 'tire society was 32'whi1e on against the 10 members' belonging to 31st Match, 19&1 it stood' at 656. Out Mcr{lsa Tibba. Details of debt against of the total -numbet of 181 scherlttled each of thes~ 10, members are given caste members 10 -belb:tlgeCi to this below. NAme onne Da(e Of Loan Date on Debt member admission obtained which outstanding (Rs,) obtained (Rs.) " Hari ~m. 18-1-,1957 200 18·3·1957 104.67 Dia Ralb 19·1·1957 .'~. Rulia', 19·}·1957 125 6·5·1958 11.32 Bhambu 21·1·1957 ~ 200 18·3·1957 ]9O.S0 BhunCla 21·1-1957 8·3·1957 Faqiroo 24·1·1957 400 J 15· 7·19.58 100.00 l 29·3·1960 Pu~u 19·2·1957 150 18·3·1957 137,00 Puran 9·2·1957 150 18·3·1957 129.22 Sadh 14~5·19S7 I 150 17·8~19S7 IS0.00 AminCband 30.~·1959 I~S 18·2.1960 125.00 'rotaI" 1,500 947.71 'During. the- last five years the' aff,ord. Mest9n plough is useful iOlZ residents of Mahsa Tibba have pur removing· th,e grass from the land, ,chased 10!. tons. of. fertilizers and two whiJe 1he soil-stirrer is helpful in plo\1ghs fr,om the Rajp:ura .Bank. deep ploughing. Ho\yever,. it has b.een lobserved by .. Chemical fertilizers also find the,. viIIagers 'that th~se ploUghs are favol1r with the Ramdasias and every' usefuJ 'obly if the ,bullocks~are·'strQng. household which can afford to p1,lr The yillagerf;> lik~ the pfougns .very chase wouH:l prefer to use them. But mucp .buf all of. them C,annot pth:chase a.ccoroing to the, people the chemical these plouglis b~cause limit~a number fer.tilizers are .no substitute for the i's avaifab"Ie on sub;ddy oasis._ With· ~~digenous dung-lnanure. The former out sU1;>sidy tlle .price of.'8. .plough 'is are useful only'if used to suppl~menl Rs. 21.25' which the Ramdasias cannot the latter. Rirku Ram Chamar making shoes , Bhajan Dass- a Chamar farmer at work A village belle , The village urchins CHAPTER IV SOCIAL AND CULTURAL LIFE AGE AND SEX COMPOSITION dysentery 2, typhoid, and cramps and erodes one each. During the same TABLE 1 gives the age and sex period 31 persons, including 14 males composition of the population in the and 17 females Were added to the village. village population. Males -in the age-group 20-'25 and females in Out of the total population of the 'age-group 17-22 begot 7 133 persons, 53 persons including 26 children, males in the age-group boys and 27 girls are bleoW' 15 years 25-30 and females in the age of age. 19 boys and 22 girls are aged group 22-27 gave birth to 10 less than 10 years. 57 persons includ children, and 6 children were born ing 33 males and 24 females fall, in to males in the age-group 30-35 and the age-group 15-44. In all, there females in the age-group 27-32. are 18 persons including '10 males ;Males in the age-groups 35-40 and and 8 females aged more than 50 40-45 and females in the age-groups years out of whom only 11 persons in 32-37 and 37-42 bore two children cluding 6 males and 5 females are on each. Again males in the age-group the wrong side of sixty. Out of 71 45-50 and females in the age-group males, 26 are aged less than 15 years, 42-47 gave birth to 3 children but 33 fall in the age-group 15--44, six be only one child was born to a male long to the age-group 45-59 years above 50 and a female above 47 and 6 are aged more than 60 years. years of age. Thus it would seem Similarly, out of 62 females, 22 are that the period from 17 to 32 years aged less than 10 years; 5 are in the of q_g'e in the case of fema1es and 20 age-group, 1{}--14 years, 24 are in the to 35 years of age in the case of reproductive age-group of 15-44 years males is the most fertile. and the remaining 11, including 5 aged more than 60, have crossed the Indigenous system of medicine is age of 45 years. generally followed. Out of 22 house holds in the village 15 have faith in VITAL STATISTICS the Ayurvedic system of treatment, 6 go in for Allopathic trre·atment and During the period 1956-1961, ex only one believes exclusively in the cluding the year 1958, when there did faith-curers. It is a common practice not occur any death in the village, the . to consult elderly men and Women total number of deaths was 14 which wheneve'r anybody falls ill and adont were equaHy distributed between an indigenous pr,escription. THe Health males and females. Out of 7 children Department of the Government is who died during this period, 4 were running' a small disnensary in the infants, 2 dil2d at the age of four neighbouring village of ManjhoIi but years each 'and one died in: the seventh this facility is occasionally availed year of his life. Fever and cough of by the residents. In case of serious claimed 8 lives, while pneumonia 2, illness the patient is removed to the 54 Civil Hospital at Nalagarh. Last married nor have they any sisters year 2 persons suffered from swellings to exchange for brides. The and one each got an attack- of third one does not keep physi pneumonia and malaria. There has cally fit. Only 47 per cent of the occurred a perceptible improvement married persons are aged more than 15 in sanitation during the last decade. years but less than 30 years of age. Dung-pits have been constructed out There is only one male and one . fe side the abadi. Early in the morning male who got married before attain the dung is removed from the house lng the age of 15 years. (TABLES 5 and yards and stored in the pits, which 6). were so well kept as to have earned a prize for the village from the Block authorities. The mouth of t[le drink EDUCATIONAL STATISTICS ing water well has been ,provided a I covering of concrete to keep out The village population is qui te foreign matter. The statutory pan illiterate, the percentage of illiteracy chayat has forbidden leather-tanning among males and females being 80 and cattle-flaying neal;' the village and 95, respectively. There are 38 habitation. The D-?velopment Block persons in the village who are more has given grants' and loans to Ram than 30 years of age but none of them dasias for setting up cemented is literate with or without any educa tanning-pits away from the main tional standard. Only one person out settlement. Of course, there are no of 14 aged more than 25 but less than regular lanes in the village but due 30 years has read up to the Primary to the hard and slippery surface of standard. The only Matriculate in the land, water does not collect near the village falls in the age-group 20-24 dwellings. signifying that some emphasis on education has come to be placed only MARRIAGE STATISTICS since the last fifteen years. Three boys have attained the Middle standard, two of them being in the Out of 133 persons, 64 are married age-group 15-19 and the third in the and 64 unmarried; 4 are widowed and age-group 20-24. In addition to this one is separated. There are 3 number, 7 males and three females wddowers .and one widow. One have read up to the Primary standard. widower belongs to the age.:group Some parents start teaching their 25-29, one to the age~group 35-39 children at home : for example, there and the third widower is on the are two boys in th~ age-group 5--9 w.rong side of 60. The widow is stay who are literate without any educa ing wHh her son. Among the un tional standard. Increasing interest married persons are included 36 males in education is a result of awareness and 28 females. There is no un of special concessions granted, parti married female above the age of 19 cularly in the services, fo the mem· years while 'there are three such bers of the Scheduled Castes. A Pri males : one of them in the age-group marv School was started at Manjholi 25-29, the other in the age-group in 1952 and was UPeTaded to the 30-34, and the third one in the age~ Middle standard in 1962. A Govern group 35-39. The first two are ment High School at Nalagarh is financia 11y poor and cannot get also easily accessible. (TABLE 2). MAHSA TIBBA ; AGE RYRAMID AGE-_.- GROUPS MALES FEMALES 20 15 10 5 0 0 5 10 15 20 PERCENT PERCENT MAHSA TIBBA _M:AR~TAL STATUS 25 en 15 z o en a: III 0.. 10 5 4 3 2 I 0 0 Ut I\) IIoJ W W JII,. UI Ut 0- AGE- 0 UI- .... 0 .Ut 0 Ut 0 Ut 0 ·Ut 0 I I I _ I I .0 I I I I I .... N 8P GROUPS -JII,. .0- » w w JII,. UI UI II- TYPES OF FAl\ULIES INHERITANCE OF PROPERTY In March, 1962, out of 22 fa_milies According to the custom 1P1eva 11 were simple; 4 intermediate and 7 lent in the past, all sons used to get joint. In a simple family, a couple an equal share in ancestral property. lives with unmarried children, an in If a person died issueless, his brother's termediate family .is composed of· a son Inherited his pruperty. But now couple living with unmarried brothers, there has been some change in the sisters and one Of the parents and th€ attitude towards inheritance of pro joint family consists of a number of perty. In the absence of a son, a couples living together. The most daughter is considered competent to common feature of a Ramdasia family inherit property of her father. A is that sons stay with their parents as widow has been empow,e,red by cus long as they are unmarIied, but set tom to claim maintenance from her up a new household after marriage. brother and if he r€fuses it, she can Even in a joint family living in the get a portion of her father's property. same house and sharing household Out of 22 persons interviewed, only goods a separate kitchen must be pro 3 knew that recently there have b~en vided for each couple. Hari Ram some changes in the Hindu AdoptlO;ll Panch, is the head of a household Act and that an issueless person IS happily living as a jOint-fam1ly. His noW free to adopt any male or fema~e family consists of 3 married and 2 un person he likes even if the latter IS married sons. Agriculture is the not connected with bis lineage, but main occupation of the family and it 19 persons were aware of the ~mend can be better managed under a joint ments of the Hindu SucceSSlOn Act family system. Moreover, Han Ram which has entitled daughters along effectively manages household affairs with their brothers equal share in an and wields personal influence with cestral property. Most of the 'p~sons every member of his family. Another have learnt about the changes In the joint-family is headed by Bharnbu Hindu Succession Act from the plat Chowkidar. His 3 Sons living '\v1th form of political conferences held by him and his wife, are all widowers. the opposition parties in the Sta~e ~o The authority and position of the infl uenee the discussion of the BIll m head of the household is the main the Parliament. There has not bee? factor responsible for suc,cessful any case in the village of the ~Odl functioning of the jOint-family sys fled provision of either the Hn-:du tem. If he cannot reconcile diver Adoption Act or the Hindu SucceSSIOn gent interests in the household, the Act having been availed ~f. All members fall apart and the joint households except one, accordl-?-g !o which a daughter and a wife IS also family disintegrates j successively in entitled to a share in a person's pro to intermediate and simple families. perty, have reported that sons alone Paucity of accommodation and petty can share patrimony. No househol~, quarrels among women usually result except one, is,in favour of daue-hter S in the breakinR' up of ioint-families. share in parental property, equally Similarly, a father finding his son to wi tb the brothers. be an economic burden or vice versa sets up a separate home for him. LEISURE AND RECREATION Worldly belongings among the Ram Life in the village' is a routine of dasias being few, family partitions do exhausti ng hardwork followed by re not create any complicated problems. couperative sound sleep. The young 56 and the middle aged persons are busy with Ramdasias. Th.eir males dis throughout the day variously with play a conspicious lack of taste in agricultural operations, casual labour artistic activities while the expression and collection and transport of grass. of artistic aptitude of their females They sweat in the fields and the stops short with the delineation of forests but have no time to stand and flowery patterns a'nd mural pict1,lres ~tare. Always striving hard to earn of Kali Mai. their living, they cannot afford the FAIRS AND FESTIVALS ,urge for any systematic and regular relaxation. If on any day light IIl. ,daily routine Ramdasias pro labour spares them the time and the vide for and get little recreation but strength to seek any social diversion, they do get some diversion by attend they collect together, indulge in ing fairs and festivals held in the gossi p and the unmarried among them neighbouring towns. The villa geTs share thejr sexual urges, frustrations attend a fair to affirm their religio and experiences. Occasionally: the sity, indulge in fun and frolic and buy young boys form a group, allow articles of domestic needs. themselves the luxury of a bottle of A temple of Sitla M ai is located wine merrily consumed and wind at Nalagarh where a festival is held up their festivities by seeing a on all the four Tuesdays falling in cinema show at Rupar. The old folk the month of J eth. Women-folk may not be able to undertak,e offer thumb at the altar of Sitla Mai strenuous exertions but are never and invoke her blessings for the ful idle. In their spare time they narrate filment of their worldly desires and experiences and adventures to the protection of children against small young bdys or just fondle with their pox., A similar festival is held at grand-children. After everyone or Kurali on all the Thursdays falling two years, they go on pilgrimage in the month of Chet. In March, 1963, which simultaneously relieves their fifteen persons including 3 adul~ boredom and satisfies their religious males, 8 adult females and 4 children instinct. Females are rarely free attend~d this fair. Jagiro spent from their duties inside and outside Rs. 2:43 nP., on buying the following the home but they do punctuate the things:- rigours of their work with intervals of gossips, back-biting and grumbling. ArtiCle Price They sing songs and make merry at nP. the time of marriage, birth and other 25 sQcial functions. The only occupa Glass tumbler tion of children below the age of 10 Glass kauli 25 is to roam about bare-headed and Finger-ring 50 bare-footed in the village streets. The Cloth 62 only game they seem to know is hide-and-seek. In the cool evenings Laddoos 25 they usually play about on the sand Dori 25 and build houses. Bangles 31 Rs. 2.43 Folk songs and dances, which are characteristic features of rural folk, Parsinni, another visitor to' the do not seem to be very much popular fair spent Rs. 5.37 nP., on purchasing 57 an iron karahi for Rs. 2.75 nP., an double than that of females On th under-wear for Rs. 1.25 nP., an iron L~hrj day, in the month of January : bangle for Rs. 0.37 nP., and a cup and faIr IS he~d at a place called Pirthan, tumblers for Re. 1.00. t~e Gaddt ?f Lakh-Datta, the MUslim Pw, two mIles away from N alagarh Ramdasias attend the Baisakhi This fair lasts three days. In Janu~ fair held on the 1st of Baisakh every ary, 1963, sixteen persons belonging to year either at Kiratpur or Rupar. In this village whose ages ranged bet 1955-56. nine male adults, 3 boys and 2 ween 8 and 34 years went on foot to female' adults attended the fair at attend this fair. No woman went Kiratpur. The three males attending there. Ram Kishan, aged 20 years this. fair enjoyed wine. Almost all spent 12 nP., on a finger-ring, 37 nP., the households prepare karah on pakauras, 31 nP., on tea, 88 nP .. on parshad on the Baisakhi day. Hola underwear and 62 nP., on sweetmeats; fair held at the seats of Sikh Gurus his total expenditure being Rs. 2.31. at Kiratpur and Anandpur Sahib is Ujagar Singh. a youth aged 17 years alsp attended by the residents to pay purchased 3 finger-rings for 75 nP., obeisance to the Sikh Gurus and get brassiers (a gift) for 75 nP., toys recreation. Everybody visiting this worth 25 nP., and a: ribbon and a flute fair offers karah parshad in the for 25 and 30 nP., respectively. In all Gurdwara. No person except Sit~l he spent Rs. 2.37 nP. Mangal Singh, Singh Granthi who has attended thIS another young boy aged 15 years fair four times during the last five spent 12 nP., on a finger-ring) drank years goes to Anandpur Sahib tea worth 31 nP., and enjoyed sweet regul~rly. Eleven persons including meats worth 37 nP. All persons ex three persons in the age-group 15- 20, four in the age-group 20-'30 and cept old people, who go to make. offer ings to the Fir, a~tend the faIr for four in the age-group 45--50 attended recreation. The VIllage youth have a this fair in 1962-63. Two women who attended this fair were more than 20 liking for finger-rings and t.hey spend most of their money on takmg s~~et but less than 30 years of age. The meats and drinking tea. In addItIon number of pe·rsons who attend~d the fair at Anandpur SahIb or to these fairs, males, females and Hola children from this village also attend Kiratpur during the last seven years fair at Rajpura, Nalagarh i.s as follows:- Dussehra and Rupar. Visitors from Mahsa Tibba year persons Males Females Observance of two festivals of 1955·56 7 5 2 Jhakra Barat and Karva Barat by 1956·57 9 7 2 women provides them some dive~s~on. 1957·58 13 8 5 Jhakra Barat is observed to propItIate Kali Mai and it falls in the month of 1958' 59 15 10 5 Asuj or Kartik. The women have a 1959-60 5 3 2 hearty feast on dainty dishes at dawn 1960'61 7 5 2 and fast for the day. In the evening a number of small pitchers, known as 1961-62 10 8 2 Jhakras along with an equa~ number It is obvious that the number of of sugarcane sticks, correspon~ing to males attending this fair is almost the number of sons in the famIly are 58 placed before the portrait of Kali which community was the most dis Mai. Incense js burnt and members tressed. The latter advised the of the family bow ~efore Kali Mai. former that the lot of the Chamars Ihakras are distributed among was the most miserable. They were children. The women break their untouchables and were condemned fast at moon-rise. Karva fast is also to live away from the settlement of observed in a. similar manner. Th~ the clean-castes. It was against the villagers believe that this Barat is rel~gion of the clean-castes to enter observed by women to humour some the habitations of the Chamars and gllOst who haunted a girl going for whenever any cattle died they would her muklawa. The ghost' got hold of announce th;21 fact by beating drum·s. the bride and let her go only on the Physical tOl:.lCh with a Chamar caused condition that she would remember pollution which could be purged him at least once a year. On the day only after taking a bath in the river of Karva Barat women get up early Ganges. The Chamars were debarred in the morning, put on new clothes from attending: religious congrega and fe,ast on ~weetmeats and specially tions and if a Chamar read the holy prepared dishes. They observe fast scri ptures he was punished by persons for the day, assemble at a place, dance of higher castes. and make merry. They break their fast after moon-rise. When Brahma came to know all this he directed Shiva to take birth RELIGION AND RELIGIOUS in a Chamar family. And Shiva took INSTITUTIONS birth as Ramdas or Ravidas in the house of Bawa Santokh in Banaras. Legends about Ramdas or Ravi The baby refused to suck milk from das.-The Ramdasia Chamars are the his mother's breast until Brahma followers of Guru Ramdas or Ravidas. and Vishnu accepted water from the All elderly pZ1rsons in the village and hands of his parents. When Ravidas those living in ·the neighbouring was about 3 years old, he started villages- believe thjlt there is no w'orshipping God in the manner of difference between Ramdasias and Brahmans. He used to sound the Ravidasias. The word 'Ramdasia' is Shankh and apply tilak on hi'S fore the corruption of the word 'Ravidasia'. head. The Brahmans were enraged They regard Ramdas or Ravidas as with Ravidas who being a Chama?' the preceptor of the community. was not entitled to observe sl'ch The Chamars who have immi practices. But' Ravidas was not dis grated from Wf3.st Pakistan call couraged. Many a time he humiHated themselves Sikh Ramdasias. The the Brahmans by showing miracles. Sikh Ramdasias command 9- higher social status than the Chamar Once Ravidas insulted the Ramdasias of Mahsa Tibba because Brahmans by making his pathri, the the: latter still make shoes and lift stone-slab used by shoe-makers, float dead cattle while the former do not. in the river Ganges while the cotton The following legends about Ramdas balls of the Brahmans sank down. or Ravidas are prevalent among the Again, during a community worship residents.- golden cows were given in charity to ~ the Brahmans. Ravidas made the Once Brahma asked Narda to go cows disappear and argued with the round the world and neport as to Brahmans that the lifeless golden 59 cows Were the property of a Chamar clash.es between Ravidas and the and not that of the Br·ahmans. Later Brahmans. Ravidas shattered the on, he returned the cows after be age-old beliefs and convictions of the rating the Brahmans: Once'a Brahmans that the Chamars were in Bra~man Was going to the Ganges. ferior by origin and that they were R:avldas gave him a damri, a quarter ordained by God not to read the holy pICe) and <;lsked him to offer it to the scriptures and undertake the worship mother Ganges if she appeared in of gods. human form to accept it. The Brahman thought that Ravidas wa's a Phenomenon .oj Conversion to fool. . How could mother Ganges ap Sikhism.--From the physical appear pear m human form to accept a ance and manners of the Chamars of damri from a Chamar? But when village Mahsa Tibba it is quite evi he.. reached the G~nges he was sur dent that they are increasingly addpt l?flsed to find that she out-stretched ing Sikh ways of life. Except 9 male her hand and accepted the offering. adults-'Ram Asra aged 55, Chhotu She gave a golden bangle in return aged 30, Arjun aged 122, Mangal and asked the Brahman to' hand it aged 18, J oginde'r aged 18, Ram over to Ravidas. The Brahman how Kishan aged 20, Lachhu aged 35, ever, became dishonest and ga";'e the Bhambu aged 50 and Masta aged 22 ba:r;gle to his wife. The queen of years-all of1hem keep long hair and RaJa Nag~r Mall onCe saW the bangle beards as ordained by the Sikh reli and was so much fascinated by it that gion. This practice started among s?e. ordered. the .~rahman to bring a the last two generations. Sat-Sri sImIlar bangle fallmg which he would Akal, the Sikh way of greetings, is be punished. The Brahman was in a the common form of salutati()n fi~.. He could not get another bangle among men, women and children. The wIthout the help of Eavi_das. So he woru Satgur, an appellation used by came to him and narrated the whole Sikhs, is recited to invoke the bene story. Ravidas took pity on him. He diction of God in adversity. Again, removed his pathri. . The Brahma:n almost all men, women and children wear kara, an iron bangle which" is was surp!ised to see that the Ganges also a symbol of Sikh religion. Thus, was flowmg beneath it and heaps of the preference among the Chamars bangles were ly~ng there. He got for Sikhism is obvious. The reli one bangle and took it to the queen. gious places of Ramdasias are called When King Nagar Mall, came to Gurdwaras. There is one Gurdwara know of th!s happening, he of Ramdasias at Nalagarh. The onlJl summoned Ravidas to his court. Even holy book in the village is a copy of th~~ the Brahmans doubted his spintual powers. But the Brahmans Guru Granth Sahib. It has been recent and the "king were stunned with ly acquired by Sital Singh, son of wonder when Ravidas tore open his Di_lit Ram, Sadh. Sikh Gurus are held chestl and exhibited the sacred threads in great reverence by the residents of the four yugas. and they visit soine of the holy places of Sikhs : Anandpur Sahib, Kiratput" Many legends of this type are Sahib and Darbar Sahib at Amritsar. n~rrated by the elderly persons of the The present generation is passing VIllage. All of them are woven through a period of transition and round the same theme depicting conformity to Sikh wnets is not yet 60 comlPlete. There are many practices. pheras. But the new generation prevalent amongst them which dis favours the former. Generally, the tinguish the"Chamars from the Sikhs. Sikh Ramdasias like to celebrate their A Sikh Ramdasia is expected neither marriages according to Anand Karaj to smoke nor handle carcasses. He but if the parents of the bride are commands a higher social status than orthodox (e.g., the father-in-law of the Chamar Ramdasias but the Surjan Singh .who is in army and residents of Mahsa Tibba fail to fulfil does not approve of it), there is no these conditions. They smoke heavily, choice but to arrange pheras. remove the dead cattle and work in hides. Most of them even eat the The predilection for Sikh reli me'at of a dead goat. These practices, gion is the 118SUlt of many factors. make them s0cially inferior .to the The Chamars have been treated as Sikh Ramdasias who are agriculturists out-castes by the Hindus but the Sikh and have given up inferior callings. population comprising, S~kh Jats, However, the winds of change have Sainis, Lahars and others do not 'Star,ted blowing ev:en. in this direction. show such rigid contempt for them. Most of the famili~s have given up The age-old fear of entering the the job of removing the dead cattle. temples and thereby invoking the There are only five families which wrath of "the clean-castes still lurks in still do this job while the others have the minds of the Chamars. In con given it up partially or wholly. trast the Gurdwaras are accessible Smoking is also conde'mned on reli even to the lowHest of the low castes. gious and ecc;momic grounds and, Revulsion to the humiliating treat generally, respectable persons like ment meted. out by the caste Hindus Hari Ram and Rirku Ram, the down the ages coupled with the ap Panches and the Sadh do not smoke preciation of the liberal and accom and they are often heard ,exhorting modating attitude of the followers of young boys to give up smoking and the Si,kh religion results in a Chamar shaving off their heads and beards. .embracing Sikhism. Moreover, the Hari Ram and Rirku-Ram might have simplicity of the Sikh religion as con been.smoking inf their youth bilt bein,g trasted with the tangled complexity of the village elde'rs they cannot afford Hindu rituals does not elude the grasp to set a bad example particularly and strain the imagInation of the illi when they grow long hair. terate Chamars, Simple dogma evokes The residents solemnise .their a reagier resp~J;lse among simple folk marriages according to the traditional than the metaphysics of the vedanta. c.s'remony of pheras. Only one The faith in the gurus and. the offermg mardage-that of Bhajan Dass-has of karah 'parshad in their name is enough recently been solemnised according to satisfy their religiosity and give them 'to the Anand Karaj ceremony. spiritual ~ecurity. The Chamar com Bhajan Dass belongs to a priest m1.mity is caught up in the change affect family. His marriage arso took place ing its. fortunes and the aspiration of its in a priest. .family. He is mainly an members to be recognised as Sikh Ram agric;ulturist and does .not follow th~ dasias is part of the wider desire to raise traditional occupation of Chamars. their social and economic- status by The elderly persons regard Anand abandoning traditional occupations Karaj. the marriage rite among Sikhs, and adopting agriculture as the main as ,inferior to the Hindu ceremony of occupation. 61 Worship of gods and goddesses. disease in which small pimples appear The worship of Devis in various forms all over the bodies of children is an important part of the religion of (measles). This goddess is worship the C~amars. These goddesses are ped on any Tuesday in the month held In great awe and most of the of Chet. 'Thumb of pooras is prepar mis-fortunes befalling them are attri ed and offered at the chauka of the buted to their wrath. Devi inside the house and later on tak.en by the family members only. Bhaira Devi is worshipped on any It IS believed that Phoolma Mata Tuesday in the month of Chet. On gets offended if her thumb is either !Vfonday night the housewives prepare distributed among outsiders or scat thumb consisting of gulgulas small tered on the ground. fried balls of sugar and whe~t-f1our or pooras, sweet chapatis of wheat flour, and on the morning of Tuesday Kali M ai is worshipped to ensure kallar, i.e., earth, is worshipped. A that no harm comes from one's ene square piece of ground is cleaned and mies. Moreover, a woman overcome plastered with cow-dung to prepare by hysteria is also supposed to be a chauka. Five or seven gulgulas haunted by Kali Mai. The Bhagats cooked rice and dhub grass are placed of the Mai are consulted and prescrib on the chauka and dhoop is also burnt ed offerings are made. The Mai is there. Women hold scarfs round stationed at Kalka Where she is wor their necks, bow before the chauka shipped during Navratras in the Chet and pray to the goddess to end their month, mainly by those who are pled ~orrie~ and usher in prosperity. This ged to make offerings in return for ful filment of some wish or cure of hys rItual IS .also known a~ the worship of Chhott-Mata. Chhot~-Mata is spe teria. The offerings consist of deg cially propitiated to ward off loon worth rupees 11, 2i, or 5, a red scarf dhras, a kind of skin-eruption accom and a lamb having completely black panied by pimples all over the body. ears. Bari-Mata, the thaans of which Sitla M ai and N aina Devi are are at Kurali, nearly twenty miles commonly worshipped by the people away from the village, is worshipped as by doing so, they believe, they can to cure a caSe of smallpox as the realise their worldly desires, lead a villagers believe that smallpox can happy married life and beget a son. not be cured by medicine, Bari-Mata The temple of Sitla Mai is at Nalagarh is worshipped on any Thursday of where a fair is held on every Tuesday the Chet month. Thumb consisting in the month of Jeth. Housewives pre of gulgulas is prepared on Wednes pare thumb of gulgulas on Monday day evening. On Thursday morning night. On the morning of Tuesday it is taken to Kurali and offered at males, females and children take the the altar of the Mata. Obeisance is thumb and offer it at the altar of paid and blessings are invoked. Some the Devi. They also carry with portion of the thumb is brought back them some grams for feeding don to, the village and distributed among keys brought there by the potters. It the community. is believed that the Devi is pleased Phoolma Mai or Dhassalwa1i if the donkeys are fed. N aina M ata is believed to cure the dhassal Devi is stationed in the Bilaspur 62 Dis'trict of the Himachal Pradesh. ashes were also partly to be eaten and She is· worshipped during N avratras partly applied to his body. in Chet every year. ". N aina Devi is worshipped in the same manner as Besides this, they were asked to Sitla Devi. . offer Teholi-ki-Karahi for the Devi. Gur, flour and ghee were mixed in The main motive which inspires equal proportions and kneaded to pre the people tlO worship these goddesses pare pooris, fried sweet chapatis. is the spread of certain human and They put the po oris in a chhabra cattle diseases which are beyond along w.ith 12 eggs, 14 black chooris th'elir comprehension and which can and one black dori or prandi used by not be cured by the indigenous the ladies. At about sun~set, aU these methods known to them. Prolonged articles were 'carried to the adjoining illn~ss makes people impatient and Kanahan nadi. Some guggal-dhoop they consult some Bhagctt or priest was burnt there and the members of who tells them that the illness is due the family bowed before it and pray to some khote of a particular god or ed to the Devi to forgive them for goddess whom the family used to Wo! th¢r faults and lapses. They returned ship and had now fergotten. Rela after placing the basket near the fire. tions of the patient pledge offe-i-ings It was an offering to please the Devi, to the goddess and undertake ·their but all their offerings failed to worship at" appropriate ~mes. The please her and the disease was not worship of Devis is also undertaken checked. The s~me persons again for the" fulfilment -of certain cherished went there on the eighth day. They desir~" e.g., the bIrth of a son or the toak offerings consisting of gulgulas marriage of a son. Offerings are and salted pakauras with them. This pledged and visits are paid to the time tJIe Bhagat removed some flesh temples of Uevis. from the ka13gi of a white cock and threw the blood at M ata. Each one of ~ast year" during the month of them offered rupees Ii and a red scarf Chet an infectious -disease spread in to the Mata at the Bhagat's house. The this village 'and it took a toll of eight Mata spoke through the Bhaqat who "' chUdren and one!' o.ld lady. The hum again ga,,-:e th~m dhoop, illaichie~, and Del: of persons who suff,er_ed froin the ashes and instructed them to attend disease was still higher.. Sudden the Chala of Naina Devi, falling in the spread of this disease cr~ated panic same month. At the altar of Naina in the ~illage and a series of deaths Devi each person offered a karahi following it in spite of medical care worth rupees H·, a red scarf and convinced the people that the' curse rupees 21 in cash. A he-him,!? was also of gods ·had befalle'p. them. Six per~or~~ jointly offered there by all the six persons. ~ from the village consulted a BJz,agat L'"i.' .. •.• ... of the goddess at village Togan near 7 v, ~ '1'- Ghandigarh. The Bhagat gave them The disease, however, continued enchanted guggal-dhoop, illaichies and tihe ·v.illagers were convinced that and some enchanted ashe~. Gwlgal the god \Ba1Ji, whom their ancestors dhoop was to be burnt in the house used to offer sacrifices and who is con beside the patient. 1llaichies were sidered the protector of the . village to be eaten by the patient and the might be angry with, them. (There 63 is a small stone-slab, about nine inches Pir who is believed to have been born high fixed in the ground in the middle in the TaTapur Village of the Nalagarh of the village. It repres~nts the god Tahsil. His domain extends over an Bali who is supposed to protect the area of nine hundred miles from village. Occasionally, sacrifices are Nalagarh to Multan in West Pakistan. made by the villagers to please the Lakhdata appears at different places deitJY and the lemains of the sacrifices through his chosen devotees and the cO'nsisting of head, feet and bowels of place of appearance is known as the animals are buried beneath the nigaha, i.e' l the temple of Lalanwala slab. No villager can dare dig these Pir. One such nigaha is situated at out). They atonce pledged a he-goat Pirthan a place two miles away from fo.r Bali called Bali-ka-Dahaja. It is Nalagarh on the Nalagarh-Kalka believed that the disease started sub road. Recently, Lalanwala Pir is re siding when they did so. They had ported to have spoken through the "Offered no dahaja dur:ing the last ten medium of a Hindu Gujjar of the years. Khole Beli Village, about two miles away from Mahsa Tibba, and the On Sunday the N achars danced resitlents of this area now visit the and sang in praise of gods and god nigaha there. The Lohri -festival is desses to tlbe accompaniment of celebrated every year at the nigaha masic. They were Ramdasia at Pirthan. Chamars ha,iling from village Palli. A he-goat with black ears was procur The devotees of Lalanwala are ed and a man from village Bhasot cut known as Panj-Pirias and they are its head. It is believed that if the he forbidden to eat baco.n. The Ramda goat shivers before being killed, the sia Chamars worship this Muslim Pir offering is acceptable to gOd. The not because of any inclinations to N achars carried some blood in a vessel wards Muslim faith but because round the village and made hand they believe that he can, fulfil their prints with this blood on every wall. desires. A barren woman can pledge The head and feet, etc., of the'he-goat offerings to Lalanwala Pir and bege't Wj:!re buried beneath the traditional a son. One of the residents who has stone-slab, known as Bawa Bali-ka recently got employment on a perma Gandha situated in the middle of the nent) basis has remitted thirty rupees v.illage. The Gandha was ,removed fo his parents in the village with the by the N achars after duly pleasing request that five rupees oun of these their gods, and again sef in the same may be offered at Lalanwala's nigaha positrion. The he-goat was then a;t Khole Beli. Panj-Pirias from cook~d and distributed as parshad Mahsa Tibba visit the nigaha at, Pir among the villagers. than at the birth of a son and that at Khole Beli at marriage. It is thus the Besides worshipping goddesses, worldly failures and, successes which the residents pay obeisance 'to many motivate the people tk:> pay reverence other deities and saints. The mode of to Lakhda,ta. They derive no spiri worship differs. with the subject of tual pleasure out of this worship. worship. Lakhdata or Lalanwa!a Lakhdata is propitiated on Thursday Sarvar Pir is worshipped by the by burning a chirag and distributing Chamars of the Garang and Dandrata choori, i.e., maize chapatis and gur sub-castes. Lalanwala is a Muslim pounded together. A somewhat more 64 elaborate proeedure of worship is fol Gugga, the snake-god and lowed ,when a major desire is fulfilled. Khawaj~. the wa.ter-god are worship Three years ago a widow got her de ped by all people including Chamars. sire fulfilled and offered sukhna, i.e., The snake-god is believed to protect pledged offerings at the nigaha. On the people against the poison of rep the day of worship she arranged a til~s and other crawling insects. If a drum-beater to beat the drum against person sees a snake or dreams about remuneration of 1.25 rupees. She it or is haunted by it, it is at once con also served fried rice to all the mem cluded that curse of the Gugga Pir is bers of her community. Thereafter upon him. Offerings consisting of the devotees set out oh the journey rote, coins, or salt are pledged to the to the nigaha. 'The drum-beater was deity and offered at the Gugga shrine in attendance. After crossing the at Nalagarh. The Khawaja Pir is village boundary the party of devotees. supposed to protect village habitation sat down to take rest. Taking rest againsf the on-slaught of floods and like this is konwn as chaunki-lagana. 'other calamities. The construction of At this stage the drum-beater was a well or a house is commenced after given rupees 1.25. The party then Khawaja Pir has been duly worship resumed the journey and after cross ped. Dalia, i.e., porridge pudding, is ing the Sirsa nadi made an offering prepared and some of it is added to of rupees 1.25 to Khawaja, the water the fire burnt near the well before god and gave this amount also to the which the devotee bows and prays. drum-beater. At the migaha the The remaining dalia is distributed as Manjoor, i.e., the Mu~lim priest was parshad. ~ given rup,ees 1.25 each in lieu of a he-goat and a sheep. One rupee was Bawa Jawahar Singh whose seat offered at the niqaha to the Bir. The is at Hadpur in the Nalagarh TahsiI offerings over, the party return'ed to is also believed 'to possess the super the village the same day. natural power of fulfiling the desires of his devotees. Recently, a Chamar Guru Ram Rai has a following youth -who had· appeared in the Matri among the Chamars of the Guru sub culation Examination had pledged caste who are the ,earliest. ~settlers in laddoos worth rupees 1.25 to 'Qe "offer tliis village. Guru Ram Rai's gaddi ed to Bawa Haripurwala. -He passed is stationed at Dehra Dun. He was the brother of Bhai Gur Ditta whose the examination and made the pledg gaddi is at Kiratpur ancJ migrated fo ed offering. Dehra Dun on account of certain famdly dispute. r_r:he pr~sent genera': In 'this village the families of tion of Guru Chamars is not at all Bhunda, Puru and Dia Ram: Sadh are clear about their association with the followers of Radhaswami sect. Guru Ram Rai, but they have reported They Were inifiated into ~his sect a't that they· repose considerable faitl]. in Beas "after they got the gur-mantra him because their ancestors did so. fr"om ihe present Guru of 'the ·Radha The seat of Guru Ram Rai at Dehra swam£ sect. Men and w.omen alike Dun is even today a- pI"ace' of recite shcibads in praise of the Guru pilitriplage for the Guru Chq,mars ana each one of them secretly recites and a visit there is considered by the gur-mantra. The residents be lieve that in the Radhaswami sect it is them to bring religious gratification. , r/ 65 forbidden to take, liquor and meat and the Ganges at Haridwar or in the holy that women~folk are forbidden to in pool at Amritsar, Kurukshetra and dulge in back-biting or to talk ill of Pehowa would purge them of all sins others. Despite these beliefs the and mechanical repetation of the gur Radhaswam(is in the village do not mantra would earn them salvation. strict(ly follow these teachings but are Their belief is simple and un-encum content to hope for salvation through bered with any philosophical issues. a mechanical recitation of the gur~ mantra. VILLAGE ORGANISATION The community worship is very All the 22 households except one of rarely performed in the village and Bhajan Dass who has put up his when it is performed as was done homestead on a deserted hillock are last year to please God Bali, the Com living in a compact locality mid-way munity Panchayat arranges the whole between the vtillages of Berson and ceremony. The expenditure is borne Manjholi on its west and east, respec jointly by all the households though tively. Before Partition, the village the contribution is not compulsory. consisted of two clearly demarcated In religious matters the illiterate hamlets one belonging to Muslim people follow the commands of the Gujjars residing on the hillock and elderly people with blind faith. Guru the other to Ramdasia Chamars. Granth Sahib is the only religious However. with the departure of the book in this village and is possessed Gujjars the Ramdasias have not only by Giani Sital Singh. soo of Dia Ram become independent but have also the Chamar priest. On the day of shaken off the mantle of menials. The every Sankrant he recites verses from solitary family of a Ramdasia~farmer the Granth Sahib and distribu'tes residi'ng on the hillock is independent karah pars had. He finances the in all respects of the main Ramdasia ceremony himself though he gets cus community, which is quite homo tomary charities from his jajmans on geneous. social and religious occasions. Indivi duals a'nd groups of individuals under In this area, Manjholi is a very in take pilgrimages to various religious fluential village. It is a comparative places. Four case-studies of p.ilgrims ly larger village and the presence of _a in different, age-groups from 20 to 60 number of pucca houses speaks of its years reveal that Pehowa. Kurukshe prosperity. Its population is compos tra, Haridwar, Darbar Sahib at Amrit ed, besides Harijans of Brahmans, sar, and Anandpur Sahib. Kiratpur Khatris, Sikh Jats, Lohars, 'Tarkhans Sahib, Naina Devi, Beas, Dehra Dun and Muslim Gujjars, all of Whom are and Kartarpur are the limportant more progressive and better off than places of pilgrimage for the residents the Ramdasias of Mahsa Tibba. The of Mahsa Tibba. Religious beliefs of Ramdasias have been dependent on the Chamars are based on certain these castes in the past and even now fears about gods and goddesses, and are socially and economically inferior faith in their supernatural powers. to them. The importance of Manjholi Pdlgrimages to holy places and the can be gauged from the fact that the seats of these gods and goddesses are headquarters of the statutory pancha looked upon as inalienable aspects of yat, a Government Middle School and their religious obligations. A bath in a dispensary are located there. The 66 Public Relations Department arran classes of neighbouring villages, he is ges free cinema shows in this village. reported to have got conferred upon Besides, there are a nUJflber of shops hiimself the Lambardari rights. In the in this village. The Ramdasias Qf ~lectio'ns to. the statutory panchayat Mahsa Tibba have frequent contacts also Ramdasias took a stand against with the' residents of Manjholi. the otber communities. Elections to tlJ.e present panchayat Were contested No village in this area is depen on communal basis and out of six dent on Mahsa Tibba·elth~r for im members three are Ramdasias two of plements or for s.upplementing income whom belong to this village. but on the other hand the~residents of this village are dependent on the Ramdasias of Mahsa Tibba ke~p neighb.ouring villages for obtaining social and cultural relation~ with only land for cu;ltivation. They supply Ramdasias of other villages. Deal casual labour and sell grass besides ings with other communities are for lifting dead catltle even in neighbour mal and almost en.tirely regulated by ing villages. For rendering these ser economic considerations. Ramdasias vi~es they receive a customary pay frequently visit other villages but the ment of two maunds Df grains at residents of other villages visit their every harvest. The Ramdasias get settlement either to purchase grass agricultural implements made by or to get sllOes repaired or contract Lahars and tarkhans at Manjholi- nnd casual 'labour. RecenHy the contacts they obtain their earthenware from of Ra'mdasias with the neighbouring Sha:di Lal potter in the village of villages have greatly improved. Ram Ghanauli whom they pay ten seers of dasias work together with other grains during a ... year. W,innowing castles in the Community Panchayat baskets' are purch9.sed from the and command. great influence and roaming c7;l,uhras and dheas against they also mix freely with other com payments in cash. Three Sadhs living munities at v;illage' shops and tea in the village function as priests a'nd stalls. Children of all communities Parsinni, an old Woman, acts as the receive educatdon together at school midwife. and. all persons irrespective of their caste enjoy entertainments like Factions between resiaents'of dif cinema shpws arranged by the com ferent villages are not at all common. munity. Thus it woulcl seem that Ramdasias of this village are humble social intercourse between different folk. In matters of money and land communities has·very much increased they are dependent on their heigh during the :last decade. bours with whom the'y cannot afford to quarrel. ·They are too busy eking STA'tUTORY PAN'CHAYAT out their subsistence to ·find time to form blocs -a'od indulge in faction Mahsa Tibba along with fifteen alism. Had-Ram the chief spokesman other'villages falls under tihe jurisdic of the village, alone carr spare some tion of: the Gram Panchayat, Man arne to participate in deliberations of jholi. It has six members and nne the statutory panchayat. He contested Panchayat Secretary, who maintains the Lambardari rights a-g-ainst Gian account.s of ~seven panchayats. The Singn Saini of· Berson and despi te panchava t ~'was first established in opposition from t1Te land-owning Hr56. The elections to the present 67 panchayat were held on 15th May, voters got together and voted on the 1961, when four panches were elected basis of caste and tihere being a majo unanimously and a lady member from rity of Ramdasia Chamars in his Malisa Tibba was nominated. The panchayat constituency, Gian Singh office of the Sarpanch was contested Ramdasia of village Bairampur was by three persons. Gian Singh, Ramda elected as a Sarpanch. The name, age, sia of village Bairampur, Amar Singh, caste, education, occupation and eco Tarkhan of village ManjhoEi I and nomic status in relation to land of each Lachchman Singh, Sikh Jat and a panchayat members are given Lambardar of village Guguwal. The below:- Standard Name Age Caste of OccuPation Economic Status literacy Gian Singh 40 Ramdasia Sikh Urdu (Primary) Agriculture Cultivating 6 bighas of owned and about 60 bighas of leased-in land Hari Ram 50 Ramdasia Nil -do- Cultivating 10 bighas of owned and about 60 bighas of leased-in land Nisa Ram 50 Jat Nil -do- Cultivating about 90 bighas of owned land Daulat Ram 40 Rajput Urdu -do- Cultivating 150 bighas of owned (Middle) land DaS1undhi 40 Saini Urdu and Hindi -"do- Cultivating 40 bighas of owned Ram (6th) land Parsinni 55 Ramdusia Nil Dai Indigent (female) It is to be noted that all pancha total income accrued from the sham yat members}, except the nominated lat including the sale of bajri, grass, m-ember who is a widow aged 55 wood and stray-cattle. The main years, are in their forties. Half of . item of expenditure is contribution them are illiterate and the others can to the National Defence Fund amount read and write Urdu. All of them, ing to Rs. 685. (Details are given in except the Dai, are agriculturists be Appendix J). The statutory pan ing either owner-cultivators or owner chayat has so far co'nstructed the cuI tiva tors-cum-tenants. Obviously, building of a Government school at economic s1tatus with respect to land Manjholi at a cost of Rs. 30,000, cul appears ~o be the governing conside verts in the villages Manjholi, Berson ra tion in becoming a member of the and Bela at a cost of Rs. 2,000, Janj statutory panchayat. ghar in village Bela at a cost of Rs. 767 During the' year 1962-63 the village and a chabootra at a cost of Rs. 769. panchayat had a total income of -The panchayat has 'not so far under Rs. 8,069 and incurred a:n expenditure taken any deVelopmental work in the of Rs. 1,754. Almost 37 per cent of the village Mahsa Tibba. 68 During 1962-63 the panchayat from the unanimous support Of the heard 11 cases including 4 civil 5 cri members who believe in settling their minal and 2 revenue cases. All the disputes with the help of elderly per 4 civil cases were compromised. sons instead of fighting them out in Three criminal cases Were likewise law courts. compromised in the panchayat but t'Yo had to be referred to the court of Theoretically, every person in the Sub-Divisional Magistlrate. Both the village is a member of the caste pan revenue cases instituted in the pan chayaU but actUally the number of chayat were also compromised. None active members is very small. In of these cases related to Mahsa Tibba. .1VIahsa Tibba Rirku Ram and Had The meetings of trhe panchayat are Ram 'are unanimously regarded as the held in the bui,!ding of the Govern heads of the Community Panchayat. ment school at Manjholi which was Rirku Ram aged about 60 years be constructed by it. longs to the Guru got which is the majority sub-caste in the village popu lation. He is considered to be honest, According to Parsinni, the woman wiSe and capable of admonishing the member of the panchayat from Mahsa quarrelling parties by quoting apt re Tibba, the most important function ligious anecdotes and episodes. He of .the village panchayat is to main commands the confidence of the vil tain the shamlat. Hari Ram, .another lagers. He is also comparatJively a Panch from this village believes that richer person owning 16 bighas of land the primary duty of the panchayat is which he has purchased himself. He to ensure justdce to a.ll. Gian Singh, has also educated his son up to the Sarpanch, who is also a Ramdasia Matriculation stanaard though the hailing; from the village of Bairampur, lat~r could not get through the exa has reported that the functions of the mination. Rirku Ram has reported statutory panchayat are to settle dis that so far he has attended about 40 putes, maintain shamlat land, under panchayat\ meetings held at different take works of village uplift, construct pl{lces in. the erstwhile Nalagarh' village landst open training centres in sewing, dispensaries and schools, State. Hari Ram also belongs to the Guru got. He is aged 50 years an.d is look afer common interests, take the head! of a joint family having five care of village sanitation and build sons, ,three of whom are married. He culverts. can easily spare some time to repre COMMUNITY PANCHA'YAT sent the community in different ma~ ters and at different plates. He ap Ramdasia Chamars hct'tTe their own pears to be n"either cle\Tet nor talka Comtnuni"t\Y Panchayat under the tive but is regarded as honest and aegts of which they settle their intra sincere ca in the activities of the Community has frowned upon this action and has Panchayat. Those who are in their decided to regard ~he issues from this thirties consider themselves to be too union as bastards. A marriage is so' immature yet to participate in the cially recognised only if it takes proceedings while the older members place with the approval of the com are indifferent and lack qualities of muni ty and the customary ri tuals, leadership. are performed in the presence of pro minent representatives of the brother Broadly speaking, the main func hood. tion of the Community Panchayat is to preserve social norms and safe Any deviation from the accepted guard the interests of the community. norms of married life is severely con The Community Panchayat ensures demned. Recently Mrs. X and Mr. that no endogamous marriage takes Y were tried by the Community place. It is reported that about three Panc'hayat fbr committing aduLtery. decades ago, a Ramdasia belonging Both of them were put to shame and to the village ,Dadhi contracted administered a severe admonishment. karewa with a widow belonging to Through the efforts of the Commu the same got as his maternal grand nity Panchayat a limit has been im mother Without the prior approval of posed on the amount of cash and orna the panchayat,. The bradari viewed ments to be demanded by the parents the matter vcry seriously and the of the bride at the time of marriage. Community Panchayat assembled in A meeting of the Community Pancha the vi;JJage Dadhi. Rirku Ram from yat attended by some 500 persons Mahsa Tibba also atuended this meet Was hE'ld at the village Chandpur ing. The panchayat unanimously Dakala of Rupar Tahsil about 40 years decided to ostracise that person by im ago when this decision was taken. posing punishment of hukka-pani Rirku Ram of Mahsa Tibba had band and nari-kuri-band. In other attended this meetdn{ Good offices words, none would smoke and dine of the Community Panchayat are also with him a'nd none would give him or used in settling cases of divorce or take his daughter in marriage. Six separation. months later the offender confessed his guilt and petitioned the Community The Community Panchayat also Panchayat for revoking the punish prescribes the pattern of behaviour of ment. He was severely admonished the brotherhood like inter-dining and by the panchayat. Some water was inter-smoking with the other com sprin kled over him and he Was offered munities. Some years ago a meeting a smoke signifying his admission into of the Community Panchayat which the brotherhood. was attended by Rirku Ram was held at the village Retar of Nalagarh Tah On all marriages, except karewa, sil in which it was considered whe the presence of important members ther the Ramdasia Chamars in the of the Community Panchavat is erstwhile State of Nalagarh should essential. Recently a widow belong act as menials to Chanals or Kabir ing to this .village settled with a bansis as the latter had an origin Ramdasia belonging to another vil lower than that of the former. After lage without informing 'the brother deliberations it was decided that the hood. The Community Panchayat Chamars would not lift the dead 70 - cattle or carry palanquins of, or dine village. S:imilarly, the Community or smoke with Chanals and Kabir Panchayat arranges rituals and sacri bansis. One Chamar who carried the fices to ward off diseases and other palanquin of a C[l,anal in disregard of evil events. Last year, the sacrifice this decision Was boycotted. He was of a he-goat was arranged in the name admitted back to the brotherhood of god- Bali to end the disease which only after- he had' tendered a proper had ~pread in the village. apology a'nd arranged dham, the com munity meal. Besides settling these Rirku Ram, who has been attend social disputes, the Community Pan hlg the meetings of the 'Community chayat also intervenes in cases of PanchCl;yat for the last 40 years has theft, breach of contract or dlspute reported that the working of this or over land and property. Chamars ganisatdon has undergone a great cannot afford litigation and therefore, 'change during tthe last two decades. try, to settle cases among themselves The institution of boycott as a punish with the help of Community Pan me'nt -bas almost been completely chayat: abandoned aha the influence and power of tIre Community Panchayat has declined. The people are fully The jurisdiction of the Commu aware of the func'tions of the police nity Panchayat does nqt extend to and the JaW courts which they think any definite area. It varies accord-, are better authorities for imposing ing to the nature of the dispute and punishments. The only utility of the the villages involved in it. General caste panchayat at present, according ly, the, cases of village Mahsa Tibba to Rirku Ram is to bring about com are settled in the village itself Qut prohlises and prevent the disputants if. a case is serious involving a num from engaging lin lit,(gation. ber of villages a larger panchayat is I convened. Practically the whole of FlP\IIL¥ PLANNING the area tincluded in the ersitwhile Nalagarh State falls under the juris Among .the recently introduced re diction of Community Panchayat of form measures the situa~ion in the Ramdasias. field of family - p,la-nning has been s:tudied. A family planning clinic is The caste panchayat in Mahsa flIDctioning at Rupar and some facili Tibba gives effect to the decisions or ties for fam~ly planning ~re also the- statutory Gram Panchayat in s,o available at the Health Centre, Nala far as'they relate to this village. If the garh. Nothing, however, has been done village is given any grant by the in this village to popul-arise family Gram Panchayat, Hari Ram ,and planning measures. The vilTagers Rilrku Ram 'furm 'a sub-commntee are not at aU aware of the need for with two or three members and de planned parenthood. The birth of a vise ways and- mearrs to obtain and child is believed to be an act of god utilise' th"e' amount. When the Wel and adoption of measures to pre~en,t fare' Department cfecided to construcf it is regarcfed as an offence agaInst a colony M fen houses in this village nature: The villagers fear that the the list (jf' persons to be benefitea USe of cont'raceptives would spoil their under tlhis 'Scheme was drawn up by health 'and undermine fertility among the Community Panchayat of the women. If tlle Government cannof 71 cause a son to be born to a barren more children. No male married per couple, the ignorant villagers argue, it son below the age of 30 years is wil has no business to stop babies from ling to restrict the size of his family. being born to those who beget them. Similarly, no woman except one aged The argument that restricted size of more than 40 years, wants to have a'ny the family would raise their standard more children whereas none below of living does not appeal to them be the age of 36 is willing to stop bearing cause they advance the counter- argu any more issues. ment that if they are allotted culti vable fallow lands or custodian lands DEVELOPMENTAL ACTIVITIES or provided with other alternative means of employment they would be The Communtity Development able to support not only their present Block and the Welfare Department but even bigger families. Thus they have undertaken a number of deve are against the use of contraceptives lopment activities in this village. and deliberate measures to check the The most important gift of the Wel size. of the family. But the desire to fare Department to this village is the have additional children differs with construotlion of a colony of ten model the duration of marriage. Out of 11 houses. The Department has sanc persons interviewed who married tioned a subsidy of Rs. 750 per house more than 20 years ago only three and each benefici.ary in return will want more children while the remain have to contribute labour worth ing eight do not want any more. The Rs. 200. Twelve households out of 22 other eight persons who married already possess sufficient accommoda less than 20 years ago want more tion. Six new houses under this children. Out of 17 persons having scheme were complete by March, 1-3 sons, ni'ne want more children 1962. With the completion of this pro while the remaining eight do not want ject the accommodation problem any more issues. Two persons having will be fully solved. In this respect no son each have a desire for more Mahsa Tibba is the most favoured children. Out of eight persons having village because no such scheme has no daughters two want to have more been launched in any other village children but six do not have any such of the N alagarh Tahsil. The same de desire. partment launched a 'Land for Hari jans' scheme during the Second Five Thus the couples who have no Year Plan under which the Govern male issues arc very much anxious to ment would make a matching contri beget more children. A son is a bution of Rs. 2,500 for purchase of symbol of strength. He earns his own land for a lIari1an worth Rs. 5:000. livelihood and is not a burden on his Up to March, 1962 only seven mem parents. Therefore, the more sons a bers had availed of thi.s schem~ in this person has the luckier he is. Tahsi.l. Sadha Ram has acquired Correlating the attitude towards six acres of land in village Makauri. famUy planning with the age of The Welfare Department has given the married males, it is to be interest-free loans amounting to found that none of the six persons Rs. 3,900 during the last five years for aged more than 50 years wants to deVelopment of handicrafts like have another chUd whereas three per shoe-making and weaving, but no sons out of fivE' in their forties want person in this village has received 72 any loan. The Community Deve1op head and a maximum credit limit of menti ~lock has constructed the Com Rs. 1,200. The society has not yet mon ~acility Centre for imparting in started func~ioning as the members dustrial training to th~ villagers at have not paid their shares. A com a cost of Rs. 2,500 and a platform post-pit competition was arranged by around a. tree was constructed at a the Block Agency during the Second cost of Rs" 250. A ban-training centre Five-Year Plan. In March. 1961 the was started'in this building in Decem village Mahsa Tibba was' awarded ber. 1960. The course lasted three the first prize of Rs. 100 for maint~in months and every trainee was given ing compost-pits in a proper man a stipend of tweJve annas per day. ner. The raw material was provided at the The .Block Agency, distributes expense of the Government. In all, seeds of the ,improved~ variety, ferti four women and Six men received lizers and agric~uJtural implements. training in ban-making, but none of Dem.onstrations are given to popula them has adopted the profeSsion of rise improved methods of, cultivation. bcm-mq_kd.ng aiter the completion of A fodder-cutting, m_achine was given training. A leath~t centre was start to this village four years ago ed in: the same building on 22nd Jan free of cost to demonstrate its uary, 1961 to impart ttaining in boot utility. Inse~tidid~s are distribut making. Fifteen perSons underwent ed every y.eat to help kill rats and the training for nine months. '.Phe other insects damaging the crops. Government provided the material About teIl;. bags of fertilizers each and a stipend of rup~e one per head weighing one Cwt., and five maunds per day. Three persons in the village of improved varleties of wheat ,have been able to augment their in seeds,.. namely, C-250 and C-286, are come from shoe"-making. as a result of sold in the vi.llage every year. During the training rec~ived by them. the Second F;ive-Year Plan one Mes The Block Development Agency ton plough and' bar harrow were has also given a grant of Rs. 500 to giv.en ior the purpose of demonstra tion. According to the Agricql tural five shoe-makers, 100 rupees each, for Extensipn Officer during the period r-epair and improVtmrent of leath~r tanni:ng pits but so far no tanning-pit 1954-61 the following improved imple has been commissioned because ments were distributed among the Charnars prefer-to bring tanned hides villagers in this Block~-' from Rupar or N alagarh. The village Meston Plough 83 has also received a~ grant of Rs. 175 for, ·Soil Stirrer 25 providing a cemente-d cover oyer the drinking wat~r well. A loan of Rs. 500 Hirrdustan 38 bearing ,interest of 3 per cent advanc Bar HarroW' 112 ed to five persons for investment in Tarphali 6 the shoe-making industry has not so Maize Dibbler 11' far been, utilised by anybody. The Industrial Extension Officer has re The following varieties of im cently organised a society named proved seeds were also distributed:- 'The Mahsa Tibba Shoe-Makers a,nd Wheat 1372 maunds Tanners Society" consisting of 12 members with a share of Rs. 25 per Gram 87 " 73 Jhona (349) 174 mds. Tibba. 562 tons of nitrogenous ferti lizers have been distributed and a Basmati (370) 65 " sum of Rs. 121:720 has been given as loan for wells and pumping-sets and Cotton 57 " a subsidy of Rs. 96,720 has been advanced for constructing kuhls Pora, Kera, Chhatta and drill methods during the period, 1954-61. The vil of sowing crops are frequently de lage of Mahsa Tibba has benefited a monstrated for the benefit of villa lot directly as well as indirectly from gers. An agricultural farm for seed the activities of both the Develop mUltiplication has been started at ment Block Agency and the Welfare Manjholi which is very close to Mahsa Department of the Government. CHAPTE:ij V 'CONCLUSION In the era of planned socio-econo no radio-set and no body ever buys mic .development a ,study of the a, newspaper. No literate person has Chamar community is a very useful peen found to read any pamphlet or exercise. The Chamars are fully cons other reading material. All news re cious of the treatment guaranteed by garding current happenings and the Constitution to the Scheduled events are gathered at tea-stalls or Castes in India. They are jealous of from persons of the neighbouring their rights and privileges which they . villages visi ting this V1i11age. No enjoy and exercise to full effect. doubt, with increasi'ng contact with towns, the sphere of consciousness The Chamars, particurlarly those is widening but as yet the Chamars of the younger generation who have oflMahsa Tibba harness the ear rather attained adolescence and maturity than the eye for gathering information after the cquntry became free, are and knowledge. gradually holding their heads high by shaking off the age-old complex of The Chamars are keen to educate survality and subordination to the their children to acquire land and to im clean-castes. For example, whereas prove thei_r diet and dress. In Mahsa in the !past the mea'nest Govern Tibba every household is looking for ment official he may be a Consta~ ward to acquire a chair, a table, a cycle ble, a Patwari or a Lambardar symbolised and a watch, articles which according to nothing less than terror for the poor the villagers are a necessity for a Chamar, noW he gets no more de literate person. Coincident to the urge ferrence than is actually his due. To~ to educate themselves is the desire to day a Chamar know's that practice of substitute agriculture or Government untouchability is a penal off~nce; th~t service for their traditional ocCupation of special status has bean accorded to his lifting dead cattle and making shoes. community by the fundamental law of As yet, due to their newness to the the Jand; that he can no more be / venture, agriculture is not a whole forced to perform begar; that he is an time occupation and is to be subsi equally precious citizen of the country, dized by shoe-making, grass-cutting and that the Government is implement and casual labour, but if the trend ing measures to raise his political, eco continues, as it appears it will, agri nomic and social status. All this fills culture may soon become a fully him with confidence and a senSe of remunerative wholetime dccupation. elation. He looks to the future with hope. Government and semi-Government agencies including the Community De I~proved as the awareness among velopment Block, the Welfare Depart the Chamars is, it can not be denied that ment and the Rajpura Co-operative it is not as good as that to the other Bank are playing a very useful role communities. In Mahsa Tibba, there is in the social and economic life of the 76 villagers. Through these institutions, Chamars of this village; that 10 resi 'the village has acquired a Common de'l1ts are members of the Rajpura Facility Centr.e and a colony of' [0 lao-operative Bank and that the houses ayd continues to obtain agri present Lambardar of this village is a cultural credit. Chamar for the first time in its history ':Che study of the Chamars in Mahsa leaves no doubt that the Chamars Tibba r:~v.ejUs lbha't the i.community is 'On fully -compIlehenel theiT rights and p'ri ~e ~,o?:e.- ~ iadt :that .t:WG1IIl'eIff~rs :v:jJeges, aHQ :are eaget ~Q Igt:asp Jthe -of ~ QDFeaent :sta~tory panchayat :are availabie oPPQrtunities. 77 APPENDIX-A Temperature recorded at Chandigarh Observatory: 1960 ------Month Mean Highest Mean Lowest maximum minimum (CO) (CO) (CO) (CO) January 20.4 25.1 6.4 2.2 February 23.3 29·8 10.3 5.5 Mareh 27.0 30.6 13.0 8.2 April 33.4 38.9 lS.8 13.4 May 39.7 42.8 23.S 17.S June 40.5 44.2 26.2 20.0 July 33.7 39.2 24.5 21.9 August 32.9 36.7 23.8 21.3 September 34 0 35 ·7 22.3 19:0 October 32.3 37.0 16.7 11.6 November 27.5 30.7 9.7 6.2 December 23.9 27.8 6.3 2.4 APPENDIX-B Rainfall recorded at Nalagatdt from 1951 to 1961 ------... 0) ...... >. 0) 0) >. .0 ... .0 .0 ... ~ .d ..... E u Year «I ::I U 0) .0 S S Total ::I .... .~ u '"::. 0 u .0... -... >. !>II ~ () c «I P. «I C ~ ... OJ «I <\l ::I ::I ::l ~ U -. ~ ~ - Note : -The figures are in inches. Source: -Tahsil HeadquarteIs Nalagarh. 78 APPENDIX-C-<. Accommodation per Househo19 N arne of the head of the Number of rOoms Size of the family Number of couples household used as residences Bhajan Dass, 2 7 2 Bhagtu 2 6 1 Dialu 3 Bhunda 2 6 2 6 saaha 2 ., 1 • Amin Chand .5 .. , 2 8 of! 1 PUran 6 1 Rulia • 2 3 ~. 1 Babu ,1 6 Chhotu . .. '1- 4 Surjan 2 3 1 Hari Ram 5 15 5 Punnu 4 1 Ri,kuRam 3 9 3 Bhaml5ti .. 4 13 t 1 Ram Kishan 3 '" 1 Ganga Ram 2 4 Ram Asra 2 3 \ Ram Kishan 7 / 1 Dia Ram 3 .5 i ~ ~With widow .mother .... With'widower father tWith 3 widow.cf sons 79 APPENDIX-D Various Items of Dress in vogue in Mahsa Tibba Quantity Tailoring Item of of cloth Type of cloth charges Total cost dross consumed (Rupees) (Rupees) (Yards) Kilmiz 3 Khaddar/poplin 0.75 PyjlJma 21 Khaddar/ptJIa (with O. SO coloured lining) Turban 5 Muslin $.50 Chadra 2, Khaddar!silk 3.00/5.00 Kachlt« It Khaddar/pala 0.25 1. 50 vest 1 KkuJdar 0.25 1.000 Jumper 21 Khaddar (printed)!sil'k 1.00 5.00/7.00 Sa/war 3i Khaddar/silk 0·75 4.50/6.00 Chunn; 21 Khaddar/poplinjsilk 2· 50/4·00 Bondi 1-£ KhtJddar 0.25 1. 50 Chadar 21- Cotton-spun yarn 3·00 Khesi 2* -do- 6.00 Kamba! 2, Cotton and wool (mixed) 10.00 "- Coat II Woollen patti 5.00 2().OO APPENDIX-E Ornaments ------ApproXimate Approximate Ornament Part of the body Metal uled weight cost decorated lTolas) (Rupees) GUSS4J·paJli Ankles Silver 25 60 Gharj-choori Wrist Gold 2 300 Pltu/ Temple'! Silver/Go Id 2 5/300 Dhaga Neck Gold ! 55 Har Neck: Silver 10 30 Koka Nose Gold 1/32 4 Teeli Noso Qold 1}48 2 Balian Ears Gold t 70 Kante Ears Silver 1! 7 Chhilp Finger Silver/Gold i 1175 8& APPENDIX-:& . ~ou~ehold Gpods-Furniture .and Utensils --"- Appro~im_ate APproximate -Name of article Material used How acquired cost useful life (Rupees) (Years) FURNITURE Bin"a M unjI para iii baBasse Made by women at home 0.25 Patra %odl Made By carpenter at Manjholi 0.50 5 Peerhi. Bagallsan ropes (ban) Frame-made:; liy carpenter and 1.0{) 3 and Wood knitting- done at home Cnair' Wood Made by carpenter 8.00 IS 'Stool Wood ..... do- 2·00 t.5 Table WOodl -do- 8.00 15 Bench; W,()'odi -do- 15.00 20 Cot: m>od and ban Frame made by carpen~ and 5.00 5 knitting done at home .UTBNSILS Kauli Brass -Purchased at Rupar or Nalagarh 1.00 10 Glass BraSil -do- 1.25 10 Garvi_ :Brass -do- 3·00 10 Thplt Brass -do- 4.00 10 Dabba Brass, -do- 7.50 10 . Prat prass -dO- 10.00 10 Potee/i Brass -do- 5.00 10 Karch"i Brass or wood -do- '1.50 10 Tawa Iron -do- l. 25 10 Chakla-belna Wood -do- 1.00 2 Chimta Iron. -do- 0.50 10 Taur; Earth Supplied by theptl.tu:r. 1.00 1 Balti Iron Purchased at Rupar or Nalagarh 4.00 10 Ghara Barth Supplied by the Kumhar 0.50 t ( Valtohi Bra'ss Purchased at Rupar/Nalagarh 15.00 15 Dudho,oni Barth Supplied by the potter 0.50 i Chati. Barth -do- 1.00 1 Jharni I Earth. -do- 0.12 t Hara El{rtw Made by women 0.50 S MadRan; WOod Purchased at·~upar Or Nalaaarh 2.00 5 Koonda. Earth -do- 1.00 1 Ghofnd Wood Made by carpenter 0.75 S 81 AP}\£NI)IX-G Land Utilisation Statement (in acres) Total Uncultivable Cultivable Cultivable Current b Area Total Year area of the wasteland waste land area fallows ultivated cropped village area 1940-41 231 99 36 96 2 94 103 1941·42 231 99 36 96 13 83 92 194243 231 99 36 96 5 91 97 194344 231 99 35 97 3 94 103 1944-45 231 99 35 97 1 96 109 194546 231 98 37 96 6 90 104 1946-47 231 98 37 96 5 91 99 1947·48 231 98 37 96 19 77 43 194849 231 98 37 96 2 94 9S 1949-50 231 98 37 96 3 93 118 1950-51 231 98 31 96 13 83 97 1951-52 231 98 31 96 5 91 114 1952-53 231 98 31 96 14 82 90 1953-54 231 98 37 96 -9 81 97 1954-55 23J 97 35 99 10 89 99 1955·56 231 97 35 99 14 85 98 1956-57 231 97 35 99 19 80 96 1957·58 231 97 35 99 19 80 102 1958-59 231 97 35 99 16 83 102 1959-60 231 97 35 99 36 63 88 1960-61 231 97 35 99 27 72 80 82 APPENDIX-~ Jinswar Statement...... Rabi CNps (in acres) ~ ] ~ ':;:1 Area Wheat ~ ... 0 j' which Total Total Year Wheat Gram and ';: ~I ts failed area 'ft:j -8 area gram 13 ... 1 "8 i ,~ ~ to sown ~ ~ ~ Po. ;> ;:!! < mature 1941 4 5 36 45 (6) 51 231 (1) (5) 1942 24 2 12 3 41 (8) 49 231 (4) (1) (2) (1) 1943 8 5 32 1 1 48 (5) 53 231 (1) (2) (2) 1944 9 10 38 57 (5) 62 (1) (3) (1) 231 ]945 4 7 39 1 4 .55 (7) 62 Ut (1) (5) (1) ]946 7 13 ,34 2 .56 (9) 6S 231 (4) (5) 1947 ...s 10 36 1 1 -'53 (4) 57 231- (2) (1) (1) 1948 36 3 1 41 (4) 4S 231 (4) 194~ 15 40 1 S6 (16) 72 231 (12) (3) (1) 1950 19 20 15 , 1 4 1 60 (39) 99 231 (17) (3) (13) (6) 1951 24 IS 18 1 1 59 5J 231 1952 3 27 34 5 4 • 73 73 231 1953 .. 34 9 4 I 2 56 56 231 1954 14 1I 23 2 S1 51 i'3l 1955 18 33 52 52 231 1956 19 37 1 57 57 231 1957 II 18 23 -,. 53 53 231 1958 27 33 3 -l 66 66 231 1959 6 12 12 2 32 (20)· 52 231 1960 20 38 59 (6)· 65 231 1961 3 12 26 41 (5)· 46 231 ~---. NOle.-Fiaures in brackets indicate Kharaba. i,e" the area that did not mature. Crop wise details of Kha",bll figures marked with aster!sk are not available. 'S3 'Al'PENDIX-J Jinswar Statement-Khar)f Crops (in acres) ] "0 "0 :; I:l J!; Total Total g J ~ Maize ._;! <::I.. Year -5 .~ ~ as t ... area area I:l CI v e"" sown Ii: :i!; :;:2 t~ -so H 3 ~ £a ,.:::~ 0 ~~ g{, .~ C,) ~3 0 ~CJ ~ ~ <3 l ~ ~ 1941 16 7 5 6 10 6 51 51 1.31 1942 9 7 2 5 7 18 2 50 '(11) 231 (6) (2) (3) '1 1943 13 S 5 3 6 12 2 46 (7) S3 131 (3)· (3) (1) 1944 14 1 4 1 27 54 (5) 59 1.31 (1) (2) (1) (1) 1945 13 6 4 2 7 13 1 46 (3) 49 231 (2) (1) 1946 13 S 2 5 7 13 46 (14) 60 131 (2) (2) (4) (2) (2) (2) 1?47 -19 20 5 1 1 2 48 (3) 51- 131 (2) (1) 1948 15 9 11 3 38 38 231 1949 9 1 . 6 3 1 16 3 39 (18)- 57 231 (13) (1) (4) 19S0 10 6 1 11 5 33 33 231 1951 14 4 7 1 9 4 39 39 231 1952 5 3 5 15 5 33 ., 33 231 1953 9 10 2 7 13 5 46 46 231 1954 5 3 11 1 20 6 47 47 231 1955 8 13 14 5 41 41 131 1956 9 13 1 2 16 2 43 43 1.31 1957 10 2 5 2 14 2 36 36 231 1958 9 6 2 19 2 38 (12) 50 231 (5) (4) (1) (1) (I) 1959 8 1 7 18 (5) 13 231 (2) (3) 1960 14 1 1 1 14 32 (2) 131 (1) (1) 3" 1961 11 1 1 13 2 28 (5) 33 231 (1) (1) (2) (1) Note.-Figures in brackets indicate Kharaba, i.e., the area that did not mature. 84 APPENDIX..:.-J Income and Expenditure of the Statutory Panchayat for the year, 1962-63 ------Rs nP. INCOME Court fees 17.00' Income from shamlat land including the sale of bajri, grass, wood and stray cattle 2,946.05 Government grants 1,184.84 Tax (Cycle tax) 54.00 Miscellaneous (interest, etc.) 21.67 PreviQus balance 3,84S.66 Total 8,069.22 EXPENDITURE National Defence Fund 685.00 Wages 270.00 Miscellaneous 799.27 Total 1.754.27 Balance of Income OVer Expendituro 6,314.95 85 TABLE 1 Population by age-groups Age-groups Persons Males Females 0-4 18 6 12 5-9 23 13 10 10-14 12 7 5 15-19 18 11 7 20-24 10 5 5 25-29 14 6 8 30-34 9 6 3 35-39 6 5 1 40--44 45-49 .5 2 3 50-54 5 3 2 55--59 2 1 60 and above 11 6 5 Total 133 71 TABLE 2 Education by age-groups Literate withq,ut Total population Illiterate educational Primary Middle Matrie standard Age-groups P M F M F M F M F M F M F 0-4 18 6 12 6 12 5-9 23 13 10 11 10 2 10-14 12 7 5 6 2 3 15-19 18 n 7 3 7 5 2 20-24 10 5 5 3 5 25-29 14 6 8 5 8 30--34 9 6 3 6 3 35-39 6 5 5 40--44 45-49 5 2 3 2 3 50-54 5 3 2 3 2 55-59 2 i 60 and above .. 11 6 5 6 5 -----Total .. 133 71 3 7 3 t '86 TABLE 3 Population by broad age·gJ,'OUps (Workersllpd Non·workers-) Population Workers Non-worke,.s Age-groups p M F P M F P M F 0-14 53 26 27 1 52 25 27 15-34 51 28 23 48 25 23 3 3 35-59 18 11 7 11 10 7 1 6 60 and above 11 6 5 6 6 5 5 Total ---:r33 71 62 66 42 24 67 29 38 TABLE 4(::A.) Workers classified by sex, .broad age-groups and occupations Ser- Total Agricultu- Batai Agricultural Casual vants Harijan Shoe- workers rists Tenants labourers labourers incll4Cli'f'lg priests makers Age·groups Dai ___, ...... -~~-~ ---.------~-- _ ------p. M: F M F M F M F M F M F M F M F 0·-14 ~ 1 .. ' .. .. 1 15-34 48 2S 23 3 7' .. 23 4 6 2 3 35-39 1-1 10 1 2· 2 2 3 60 and above 6 6 2 1 .. -----2 Total 66 42 24 7 10 23 6 7 1 4 8 ., TABLE 4(B) Non-workers by' broad age-groups Persons enKaKed DependolltJ, in- Persons Full-lime s,uth,,'s Non-workers in household fants. chi! ren seeking attendlnll work not attending employnunt Schools Schools Age-groups ------p M F M F M F M F M F .. 0-14 52 25 27 22 24 3 3 \ 1.5-34 3 3 1 2 3'-59 7 1 6 6 1 60 and above " 5 5 5 __._- Total 67 29 38 11 23 24 1 5 3 1,'-denotes Persons; M-denotes ~ales; and F-denotes Females. 87 TABLE'S Age at-Marriage 'Eotal Age.groups married Males Females persons 0-10 31 10 21 11'-13 13 11 5 14~16 14 8 6 17-19 6 5 1 20-22 5 4 1 23-25 26~29 30 and above Total "'69 3S 34 "'Includes 3 widowers, one widow and one separated woman. ~MLE6 Maritlll Status b~ age-groups Total population Never Married Widowed Divorced or married separattd AIJ.. groups p M F M F M F M F M F 0--4 18 6 12 6 12 5-9 23 13 10 13 10 ... 10-14 12 7 5 6 4 1 1 5 15-19 18 11 7 8 2 3 .,~' 20-24 10 5 5 5 5 25-'29 14 6 8 1 4 8 1 .. 30L-34 9 6 3 1 5 3 35-39 6 5 1 3 1 40-44 45-49 5 2 3 2 2 SO-54 5 3 \ 2 3 2 '" 55-'9 2 1 1 1 1 60 and above 11 Ii 5 ----- 5 4 _---1 1 Total 133 71 62 36 28 32 32 3 1 1 P-denotes Persons; M-dcnotes Males; and F-denotes Females. 88 TABLE 7 "Outstanding Debt Percentage Tolal to the total The source from which obtained debt debt for outstanding each source Rs M oney.lender 2,900 34.9 ·Co·operative Society 1.136 13.7 Government Agency 1.885 22.7 Zamfnda'r 1,110 13.4 Relatives and Friends 1.270 15.3 Total 8,301 100.0 TABLE 8 Indebtedness 'liy eauses Avergae Percentage of Amount of Number of debt per debt for each Purpose for which debt was taken debt for households indebted cause to the each cause indebted family total debt Rs Rs Marriage, 1.504 5 300.80 18.12 Construction and repair of bouse 670 6 111.67 8.07 Purchase of land 1,862 5 372.40 22.43 ,/ Purchase of cattle. seed, cart, etc. 1.225 4 306.25 14·76 Domestic use 305 2 152.50 3.67 FinanCing of leather 'Y(,ork 1.550 3 516.67 18.67 Setting up of tanning.pits 715 3 238[33 8.61 Re~aymerit of old debt 370 370.00 4.46 Medical treatment 100 1 100.00 1.21 Total 8,301 1()Q GLOSSARY Aam Mangifera tri.dic~. Abadi Villa~e habitation. Ajwain Thymol (Caram copticum)I Alsi Linseed. Amraod \.. Guava (Psidium guava). Anand Karaj Marriage rite among Si,khs. Arhar A pulse (Cajanus indicus). Asadh June-July. Amj September-October. Bachola A go-between. ~ . Bagh Panther. Baisakh April-May. Baithak Drawing room. Baisakhi An important ~easonal festival held on the first of Baisdkh. . Bajra. Spiked millet. Bala Rafter used in the ceiling of a Teotha. Bali Ear-r,ing. Name of local diety. Banjar Barren land. Banwah A type of grass. Bradari Brotherhood. Barat A religious fast. Basuti Adhatoda vasica. Batai System of share-cropping. Bathu Chenopdium album. Batna Unguent. Bazigar A Scheduled Caste. Begar Forced labour. Behra Court-yard. Berara Mixture of wheat anti gram. BerIBeri Zizyphus jujuba. Bhac:1on August-September. Bahar Banyan tree (Ficus bengalensis). Boora Refined sugar. Brahmhhoj A community meal served at the time of marriage.' Chadra A sheet of cloth wrapped round the waist by men. Chakota Cash rent. Chandoa Red cloth wrapp~d.round the bride at the time of marriage. Chari Large millet (Sorgham vulgare), as green fodder. 90 Chaudhry A community leader. Cheeh! Pine (Pinus longifolia). Chela A faith-curer. Chet March-April. Chhal Anogeissous latifolia. Chhan A thatched dwelling. Chauka A s~uare piece of grouna plastered with cow-dung. Chaunki A low wooden stool. Chowkidar Village watchman. Chunni Scarf. Dai Untrained midwife. Dal Rulse. Dalia A swee~-dish. offered to the water-god as an oblation. Damri An obsolete Indian coin. Datan Bark of walnut tree. Dera Rest-house for marriage parties. Dham A community meal. Dhania Cqriander (Coriandrum-sativum). Pilla A weed infesting maize crop. Diwali The festival of lights. DoTi Ribbon. Dun A s'4-b-montane tract. Gachni A type of earth. Gaddi Religious seat. Ga1'vi A roqnd brass tumbler. Garoa Cariss dift'usa. Gawfl,ra Clust~r-bean (Cyamopsis psol'alioides). Ghari-choori A bracelet. Ghee Clarified butter. Goh A big lizard. Golu White-clay. Got Sub-caste. Guggal-dhoop An incense burnt to please the gods. Gugga Pir The snake-god. Gur Jagg:ery. Gurgabi Pump-shoe. Guru .. Preceptor. Gussal-patti .. A sUver ahklet. Granth Sahib .. Scriptures of the Sikhs. Hadwana .. Water-melon (Cucumis vulgaris). Har .. Necklace. Jajman .. A client. Jamun .. Black-berry (Eugenia jambolana). Jowar .. Great m_illet .. Jeth .. May-June. 91 Jhakkra An earthen pitcher. Kali Mai The goddess Kali. Kanghi Comb. Kanta An ear ornament used by women. Kapab, Cotton. Kara An iron bangle. Karahi Brass or iron cauldron. Karewa Remarriage without usual marriage ceeemonies. Kartik October-November. Kat Rafter used in the ceiling of a chhan. KauH A deep brass dish. Khabbal Low green grass (Cynodon dactylon). Kha;ur Palm tree (Phoenix sylvestris). Kharboo2!a Musk melon (Cucumis melo). Kharif Autumn harvest. Khawaja The water-god. Kikar Acacia arabica. Kotha A room. Kuhl Temporary water channels made by raising bunds to divert the water of a stream. Kuram Son's or daughter's father-in-law. Laduoo A kind of sweetmeat. Lakshmi The goddess of wealth. Lal-kitab Village Note-book. Lambardar Village headman. Lahar Blacksmith. Loh1'i Seasonal festival falling on the 30th Poh. Magh January-February. Maghar N ovember-Decembel'. Mallahs Small-berry. MaHair Berry-bushes. M angna/Mangni Betrothal ceremony. Mash Black-gram (Phaseolus radiatus). MaS1'i Lentil (Ervum lens). Mauri Multi-coloured cotton thread. Mehndi Myrtle (Myrtus communis). Methi T'rigonella (Foenum-graecum). Misl-e·Hakiat Record of rights. Moth .. Phaseolus aconitifolius. Muklawa Gauna ceremony. Mungi Green-gram (Phaseolus mungo). Munj Saccharum munja. Nadi A small stream. 92 Nala Trouser-string. Necmda Customary-present made at,the time o~ marriage. Pahari A dialect. Porna A ~carf. Porandi Braid ribbon. Pathri A stone-slab used as anvil Patwari The village accotmtant. Phagun February-March. Pheras Perambulations of the sacred fire. Phul Head-ornament. Phulahi Acacia mod.esta. Phuttan A spicies of long musk-melon which bursts open when ripe'. PipaZ Ficus religiosa. Pir A Muslim Saint. Pdh December-J anuar~. PoDIa A sheaf of grass. Rabi Spring harvest. Rasont Bitumen-A medicinal substance extracted from 1J:le wood and root of _a hill tree called dar hald._ Sadh A priest. Salwar Female trousers. Samagri Incenses. , Sarpanch Head of the statutory panchayat. Sarson Mustard (Brassica campestris). Saunj, Ani-seed (Foeniculum vulgare). Saw an July-August. Seh Porcupine. Sehra Wedding crown. ShahtJoot Mulberry (Morus alba). Shakkar Cane-sugar. Sitla'Mai The goddess Sitla. Sooh A weed. Suhag-Patari A basket containing cosmetics for the bride. Surkhi Lip-stick. Surma Antimony. .Tavit Amulet. Tahli Dalbergia. sissoo.,". Taramira Rochet (Eru'ca sativa). TfLrkh Hyen~. Tarkhan Carpenter. Thumb Eatables offered at the altar of the goddess. Tibba A small hilloc~ TiZ Sesamum orientale. Toona Charm. 93 Toori Wheat chaff. Toot Mulberry fruit (Moms alba). Vari Garments presented to the bride. Vedi A canopy. Yuga Aeon.