HALALKHOR

THE HALALKHOR

The Halalkhors are a community of Muslim sweepers. They are also musicians. Their synonyms are mehtar, Bhangi and Halalbegi. They are found through tout the state of BIHAR. There are about 400 members of this community in the RANCHI district it is interesting to note that they are always located near the town. The speak in Urdu but they are also fluent is Sadri and Hindi. They are the Arabic script for communicating with the Muslims, but use Roman and Devanagari script for writing to non – Muslims.

            They are nonvegetarians and eat beef regularly their staple food is rice , wheat , and Rules  such as Arhar Moong , Masur and Kurthi . They use mustard oil as a cooking medium they also consume loeally available seasonal fruits and vegetables .They consume alcoholic drinks, procured from the market

            There one this regulates their material alliance. The Halalkhors are sunnis. They are an endogamous sact among the Muslim; they are ranked low because of their unclean occupation .The marriageable age for a girl varies between 12 and 16 years and for a boy, between 20 and 22 years. Cross - Cousin Marriage parallel Cousin Marriage (excepted among the children of the some mother who offers her breast milk) Nikah (widowmarriage) a love marriage (in rare cases), levirate, sororate (funior) golat (marriage by intrusion) are practiced by them shadi (marriage by negotiation) is comman. Dahej (dowry) is prevalent among them. Before a marriage ceremony there is an agreement between the bride and the bridegroom’s party regarding the amount of den mehar which would be given to the bride in her life time the den Mehar is not given to abride in case of talak (divorce) In case of a widow – remarriage, if the bride has any children, the Question of who would be the custodian of children is decided by the panch they have nuclear and extended families their interitance pattern is as per the Islamic law.

            Their women are engaged as sweeper in the ranch municipal corporation. Their earnings from a part of the family income Pollution (chhut) lasts for 7 days after children on the seventh day, the Nai comes and purifies the new born and the mother by paring off their nails, after the pochha the maulavi reads the milad Sharif, katha after 2 or 3 months the new born is named in consultation with the Maulavi. The Sunnat (circumcision) of a male child is done at an early age in the presence of a Hajam. The marriage (Nikahis Solemnized by the maulvi) . A panchayat is held before the marriage in the bride’s house to finalize the agreement it is followed by salami which involves a token visit and soone gifts from the bride’s house.

            The dead are buried as per Islamic rituals. The eldest son is the First person to put soil on the dead body they do not observed a post death pollution period.

            Their traditional occupations Include sweeping and scavenging. Working as wage laborers and beating the drum or playing some musical instrument in the band are their Subsidiary occupations some of them now are band masters and they charge between Rs. 700/- and Rs. 1500/- for a marriage or  for my other festive oceaion for four months in a year they can earn from this profession  they are also engaged  as rickshaw pullers or motor car mechanics those who are skilled are employed in H .E .C Ranchi as peons and sweepers in the Ranchi medical college in the municipal corporation or the A G’s office in Ranchi some of them sell fish . No child labourers or bonded labourers have been reported among them these days they are keen on giving up their traditional occupation and adopting other gainful occupations they have their own anjuman panchayat. The headman and other members of the panchayat are elected if one is not satisfied with the verdict of the panchayat he moves to the chourasi which consists of 3 to 4 districts. The verdict of such panch is final.

         Their sacred centers are located in Ajmer, Mecca and medina, some of them have visited the dargah at Ajmer sharif.There is a mosque in their locality where they real the namaj at least on Friday

In the economic sphere they have a close relationship with the Hindus and Muslims who hire them for playing the band during their socio – religious

Functions. The literacy rate among them is poor though they live in the towns which have educational apathy about female education . They do not prefer family planning measures. For driking water they are dependent on tap water supplied to them by the municipality. None of them gets any facility under the IRDP Scheme most of Thom are an ware of the various developmental Scheme almost all the families possess a radio a tape recorder a watch and a T.V They have electricity in their houses. They use get ration at controlled rates once a month. They take loan from the banks for the purchase of instruments and dresses for their band party.

SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLES

                                         निर्वहनीय जीवनशेली की  आवश्यकता              (THE NEED FOR SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLES)

               :पृथ्वी पर मानव जीवन की और पारितंत्रो गुणवत्ता संसाधनों के निर्वहनीय उपयोग के सूचक है! मानव की निर्वहनीय जीवनशेली के कुछ स्पष्ट सूचक इस प्रकार है ----

-   जीवनकाल मे वृद्धि

-   ज्ञान मे वृद्धि

-   आय मे वृद्धि

इन तीनों को मिलाकर ‘मानव विकास सूचकांक’ (HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDEX) कहा जाता है! पारितंत्र की गुणवत्ता के सूचको को मापना अधिक कठिन है ! ये है :

-   स्थिर जनसंख्या

-   जेव-विविधता की दीर्घकालिक सुरक्षा

-   प्राकृतिक संसाधनों का सावधानी के साथ दीर्घ काल तक उपयोग

-   पर्यावरण के ह्रास और प्रदूषण को रोकना !

THE NAT MUSLIM (SCHEDULED CASTE)

The nat (Muslim)

          The Nats are also of Islamic faith. Many of them are semi-nomadic and hence, move with their families from place to place. Some are settled in village and are engaged in cultivation. They are identified at the regional level. Ethnographic and historical accounts exist. Which are found true. The nats, who are nomadic, are mainly engaged in tatooing begging, killings birds, rope-dancing conducting shows of mokey and cattle business, etc. Hunter writes that "they are jugglers, fortune tellers, rope dancers, beggars, wanderers and bird killers." (Reprint 1974 vol. IX 46). They have migrated to the present habital. The distribution of the community is found in the districts of Madhubani, Darbhunga, Samastipur and Patna. They speak Urdu and Maithili and use Arabic script, within the family and Kin graps. They speak Maithili, Hindi and Urdu and use Devanagari and Arabic scripts with others. Most of the females have tatoo makes on the arms and around the necks. They are classified as OBC.

          Their vegetable consumption is moderate. They are regular non-vegetarians and take beef occasionally rice, wheat, maize and pulses, namely gram, tur moong, masur and khesari are also consumed. They eat roots and tubers namely aluah/kands and suthani.

          Social division found in the community is based on lineage. Differentiation is found at social level. Mangta is used as surname. Self-perception of the community as well as the perception of other communities is the same, they are placed at a low level.

          Generally endogamy is practised at the community level. Marriages with parallel consins are avoided. Mate is acquired by negotition. Marriage is solemnised at the bridegroom's place. Presently adult marriage is in vogue. The age at marriage for boys ranges between 18 and 20 and for girls between 15 and 18 years respectively. Generally, married women wear nose stud/pin and put vermilion mark on the forehead. Dowry is given in kind and cash. Mehar is promised but it may or may not be paid at the time of marriage. Residence after marriage is partrilocal. Divorce is permissible to both husbands and wives and maintenance is given to the wife up to the period of iddats as per Islamic custom. Either party can ask for divorce. Children are the liability of the father in the cases of divorce but infant children stay with the mother. Remarriage of window, windower male one female divorces is permitted. Nikah is conducted by the Kazi at the bride's place.

          Pre-delivery ritual and restrictions are observed. Generally delivery takes place at home and a dhai or chamain (midwife) is called to attend, after childbirth, chhatti is celebrated on the sixth day. Post delivery restriction and pollution are observed for 40 days by some women. Presently, mainly in Urban areas, the pregnant women are3 hospitalised for delivery when labour pain starts. Sometimes, a trained nurse is called in the house for the said purpose. Nuclear type of the family is very common. Rules of inheritance and succession are guided by the Islamic laws herein a daughter gets less than her brother from the property of the deceased father. In the event of father's death, the eldest son acts as the head of the family.

          Aquiqa is celebrated between the ages of two and four years. Khanta/sunnat (circumcision) on the male child is performed by a Muslim barber.

          The dead body is washed wrapped in a new cloth and carried to the burial ground. Where it is buried. No pollution period after death-related Islamic ceremonies namely chaharram on the fourth day and chalisa on the fortieth day are performed.

          The group under study are engaged in cattle business and bird killing, while their females do tattooing and sometimes beg. Women from lower income group families are engaged in economically gainful activities and contributed to family income. Some persons are cultivators and possess a small area of land most of them are landless child labourers exists. Some have found employment in private services and some are self employed sometimes, they get gifts in cash and kind from the mosque. They have direct link with markets and cash is the medium of exchange. Traditional caste councils exists for social control along with the statutory village panchayat. They follow Islam and have affiliation to pirs and offer prayers in mosques and at mazars. Fakir is summoned for curing of ailment and removal of evil spirits.

          Folk songs are sung by men and women. They have folk tales and folklores also musical instruments used by them are dholak (percussion) basuri (flute) and harmonium (valve).

          Inter-community linkage is found with the local artisans and service communities, water and pucca food are accepted from all the Muslim communities. They exchange sidha from other castes. They share wells other water-resources, burial ground and religious shrines with other members of the community. They participate in traditional Islamic festivals like Id-ul-zuha, shabebarat, Id-ul-fitar, Muharram etc. many also enjoy festivals of Hindu, such as Holi, the festival of colours.

          They are not very keen to given education to boys and girls. Boys hardly study up to secondary level. They use indigenous and modern medicare systems and do not adopt family planning measures. They prefer up to four children. Drinking water is available in the locality throught tubewell and dug-wells. They listen to radia.

          Visit cinema, and receive information through extension agencies. They use fire wood, cowdung cakes, saw-dust and kerosene as fuel. Midday meal facility is not utilised by them as very few-children study. Ration is received through a fair-price shop.

References

          The Nat (Muslim) by S.N. Mahato in people of India, Bihar including Jharkhand, Vol-XVI, Part-2 K.S. Singh (General Editor), Surendra Gopal, HETUKAR JHA, (editors) anthropological survey of India, Seagull Books Calcutta 2008 Page No. (726-728).

                                      LIST OF TRIBAL IN BIHAR         



1.Asur, Agaria
2. Baiga
3. Banjara
4. Bathudi
5. Bedia
6. Omitted
7.Binjhia
8. Birhor
9. Birjia
10. Chero
11. Chik Baraik
12. Gond
13. Gorait
14. Ho
15. Karmali
16. Kharia,Dhelki Kharia, Dudh Kharia, Hill Kharia
17. Kharwar
18. Khond
19. Kisan, Nagesia
20. Kora, Mudi-Kora
21. Korwa
22. Lohara, Lohra
23. Mahli
24. Mal Paharia, Kumarbhag Paharia
25. Munda, Patar
26. Oraon, Dhangar(Oraon)
27. Parhaiya
28. Santal
29. Sauria Paharia
30. Savar
31. Kawar
32. Kol
33. Tharu.

              
                                    

RAJWAR (THE SCHEDULED CASTE)

                                              RAJWAR

The rajwar are distributed in bihar, Orissa and west Bengal. In west Bengal their concentration is in purulia, bankura, birbhum and midnapur districts. Hunters (1875) termed them as a semi hindunized aborigine. Some trace their origin to an episode in mahabharat. Their mother tongue is magahi, an indo Aryan language. But they also know Bengali which is used for inter group communication. They use the Bengali script. Their total population in west Bengal is 85,374 with a concentration in rural area. They are non-vegetarians but do not eat beef or pork. During festival occasion they drink rice bear.

The four territorial divisions among them are bhumihar, angar, jhuintinar and khorriar. each division comprises of number of clans. the important clans are nagbangsi, dhamara, singtoar, sangatkoira, mukhia or dumra, bura, manja, sagarchita, supad, gobasanti, madhurekha, sabdarekha, and sandilya. Inter marriage between four division is discouraged. Girls are married between eight to fifteen years of age. Marriage by negotiation is accepted practice. Traditionally a sum of Rs 2 is paid as bride price but nowadays custom of giving dowry is becoming common. Residence after marriage is patrilocal. In some cases the couple set up a new residence. Divorce and remarriage are allowed. Property is shared equally amongst all sons, but the eldest son, who succeeds the father, may get a slightly larger share. The type of family is usually nuclear, though a few extended families are also found. Women assist men in their traditional occupation of preparing and selling flattened rice, besides performing other household jobs. After delivery, mother is given special diet for five days. On the sixth day ceremony (naran)  is held to mark the end of the pollution period. The family members, the mother and the baby are given an oil bath. On the twenty first day, the mother is presented by her father, with four new clothes and rice. The service of barber and hari are requisitioned in connection with the ritual of marriage, which is solemnized in a separate hall. In the main rituals, vermilion is put on the forehead of the bride four time, and the fifth vermilion mark is placed on the floor of the sacred arena. When the bride comes to her husband's house to live, she wears an iron bangle on her left wrist. The dead body is anointed with mustard oil and the turmeric paste and then cremated. A pollution period of ten days is observed.

The traditional occupation of preparing and selling flattened rice has ceased to be a remunerative occupation. Presently agriculture and agricultural labour are the principle source of livelihood. According to 1981 census, 34.98% of rajwar are workers (53.91% male and 12.96% female). Of them 24.48% are cultivators; 45.16% are agricultural laborer, 4.99% are mining and quarrying; 14.13% are in other than household industry; and the remaining 11.24% are engaged in other services.

Previously, they were ruled by a territorial organization. The village head was called manjhi and a group of nine villages constituted a pargana headed by a parganait. But such a system no more exists. The rajwar take part in cho dance and sing songs like Tushu and bhadu. They are hindu by religion. The village chief (laya) who belongs to their own community performs certain ritual called barhula puja. They observe regional festivals like Bandhana, Bhadu, Tushu, Ganjan and jita. a rajwar sudhar samiti has been formed by educated members of the community to look after social, cultural and economic interest of the community.

Though the kurmi mahato and other dominant communities in the villages donot accept food or water from them, discrimination had lessened to a great extent.

The literacy rate among the rajwar, according to the 1981cencus, is 16.63%. The male literacy is 26.83% while the female literacy rate is 4.76%. Modern medical care is not freely available and they often resort to their own traditional experts for curing disease. In many villages the supply of drinking water is very poor, as are the communication facilities.

The rajwar of bihar are traditionally an agricultural community. Their total population in bihar, according to 1981 cencus is 237,370. They are returned largely from rural areas. They speak in the magahi language at the home and with the neighboring communities, but are also conversant with hindi. The script used for writing is Devnagari. They are non-vegetarian who relish pork, mutton, chicken, egg and fish. Their staple food comprises of rice, wheat and maize and pulses like arhar, masur and moong. Both men and women drink fermented date palm juice (tadi or nira).

There are six endogamous subgroup, namely Rajbanshi, Rajbhar, Bhogta, Lathaur, nagbansi and nakchedia. Of them the rajbanshi claim the highest status. the rajwar are not aware of any gotras among them.  They have adopted Rajbanshi as their surname. Child marriage followed by gaona is practiced.  Boy is married at around fourteen to sixteen years of age. Non-sororal polygyny is permissible. Junior sororate and levirate are allowed. The vermilion mark is the main symbol of married women. Women contribute to family income through wage labor and look after household chores. Besides, women participate in socio-religious and ritual spheres. Childbirth takes place normally at home and is attended to by a midwife categasin of the charmar community. A predelivery ritual (sadhor) is observed. The major ceremony connected with childbirth is chhatthi. Tonsure (mundan) is observed for the male child wherein the barber is summoned to render his ritual service. Marriage may perform at the bride's house or at the bridegroom's house (Kadhuwa or Kadhui). The post-marriage ritual are chauthari, ahorbahor and rosgadi. The dead are cremated. The important rituals connected with death are lohapani, doodhumuchi, thinratri, daswan and sradhi. On the sradh day, a feast (bhoi) is given to the community and kin members (latgotia).

The rajwar of bihar are traditionally cultivators. Some of them are engaged in wage labor, rickshaw-pulling, government and private services and in self-employment. Some of them practice agriculture on a ghewari basis, i.e. agricultural land given in lieu of labor on yearly basis. The Rajwar are considered expert bricks layers. It is observed from census returns that out of their total population, 39.25%are workers (53.91% males and 24.14% Females). Of them 71.78% are reported as agricultural laborers, 17.06% as cultivators, 4.52% work in mining and quarrying and the remaining 6.64% as engaged in other services. Along with cash transaction, barter is also practiced in their villages.

The rajwar have a traditional caste panchayat whose head is known is mahto. They also have regional organization with its headquarters in nawada district. The rajwar profess hinduism. The brahaman and nai are their sacred specialists. Devaisthan, pind of sultanpir, shiv mandir, mahabir mandir, and siraghar are important sacred centers for them. they worship a number of deities like Manas, Bageswari, Siyar Bhokwa, Phulmala, Loharadak, Birbaital and Gorraya Dihwal, Vighnu pad, Kahesari Devi, Mangala Gauri and Dukharnimia. Holi, Deepawali, Ramnavami, Chhath and Dussehra are among major festivals observed. Folk songs namely sohar, sohana and bhanri are sung by rajwar women to the accompaniment of drum. Songs like chaita, holi and bayasi are sung by men.

The rajwara are interlinked with rest of the society in a number of ways. Patron-client (Pounia or jaimani) relationships exist with the Brahman, Nai, Lohar and Kumhar. Friendship across communities is common. Water resource is shared, but their cremation ground is separate.  Among them are businessmen, teachers, employees, members in defense services and political leaders at the regional level.

Poverty and apathy are main reason for their low level of literacy. It is observed from the census return that the literacy rate is 9.15%. The female literacy is almost negligible, i.e. 1.50%, whereas the male literacy rate is 16.58%. Modern Medicare is more popular but traditional Medicare is also in used. Their attitude towards family planning is not favorable. Drinking water and transport facilities are available to them. A few of them have benefitted from IRDP and occasionally they get labour work under the NREP. They mainly use organic manure, but in recent years, they have started to use chemical fertilizers and insecticides.

Reference:

Risley, H.H., the tribes and castes of Bengal (Calcutta: Bengal secretariat press, 1891; rpt. 1981, Calcutta: firma mukhopadhyat), vol. II.

K. S. Singh, the schedule castes, people of India, national series volume II, anthropological survey of India, oxford university press.  

                                                                                                                                                                                                             

BIHAR VIDYAPITH AND M.K.GANDHI

                    GOND 
                            of bihar
Numerically the most dominant tribe of india, their homeland extends from the Satpura range down to the Godavari, from uttar Pradesh (gonad district) and north Bihar to Andhra Pradesh, and from Maharashtra to Orissa. They have lent their name to Gondwana, a historical region which gained prominence during the medieval period. The Gonds established their political power, founded states and exercised influence far and wide. There were as many as four separate Gond kingdoms in the Gondwana region, mentioned in the medieval accounts, which was bounded in the north by panna districts, by Ratanpur in Bailashpur district in the east and by the Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh in the west, while southwards it spread towards the Deccan in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh . These Gond kingdoms were located in the northern, central and southern parts . The southern and northern had independent kingdoms each, with their capitals at Deogarh near Nagpur and at Kherla (Betul). According to The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Orders (Amendment) Act 1976 the gonds have more than fifty groups in Maharashtra, namely Arkh, Arrajgm Agaruam Asyrm Badi, Bada Maria, Bhatola, Bhimma, Bhuta, Koilab-huta, Koilab-huta, Koilabhuti, Bhar, Bisonhorn Maria, Chota Maria, Dandami Maria, Dhuru, Dhurwa, Dhoba, Dhulia, Dorla, Gaiki, Gatta, Gaita, Gond Gowari, Hill Maria, Kandra, Kalanga, Khatola, Koitar, Koya,
Khirwar, Khirwara, Kucha Maria, Kuchaki Maria, Madia, Maria, Manneewar, mOghya, mogia, Monghya, Mudia, Muria, Nagarchi, Naikpod, Nagwan-shi, Ojha, Raj, Sonjhari, Jhareka, Thatia, Thotya, Wade Maria and Vade Maria. An equal number of groups is recorded among the Gonds of Madhya Pradesh. Bihar, the eastern most habitat of the Gond, accounts for 96,574 individuals, most of whom (87.75 per cent) live in rural areas. In Bihar, the Gond are confined to the western part of the western part of the Chotanagpur plateau which encompasses the districts of Gumla and Singhbhum. Their mother tongue is Sadri, they are conversant with Hindi and they use the Devanagari script. There are three divisions, namely the Raj Gond (ruling section), the Dhur Gond (peasants) and the Kemia (labour class) among them. Cross-cousin marriage, known as dudh lautans, is prevalent. The system of bride price (demduni) exists. The marriage rituals include choutela, maroa, sadhi, chumayen, etc. They cremate the dead. The drinking of rice beer (haria) is common. Agriculture is their mainstay coupled with hunting and food gathering.
                                                                                                                                                                              - Sanjeev kumar(research scholar,Department of history) patna university.