49.183.148.81 at 10:59, 29 December 2021

2021-12-29T10:59:49Z

49.183.53.171: /* Difference between Ramdasia Chamar and Ramdasia Julaha */

2021-09-01T00:42:33Z

Difference between Ramdasia Chamar and Ramdasia Julaha

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{{Infobox caste
| caste_name=Ramdasia
| populated_states=[[Punjab]] • [[Haryana]] • [[Jammu]] • [[Himachal Pradesh]]
| languages=[[Punjabi language|Punjabi]] • [[Hindi]] • [[Dogri]]
| religions=[[Sikhism]] • [[Hinduism]]}}

The '''Ramdasia''' were historically a [[Sikh]] [[Hindu]] sub-group that originated from the Hindu [[Caste system in India|caste]] of leather tanners and shoemakers known as [[Chamar]].<ref name="Rajesh K. Chander">{{cite book |title=Combating Social Exclusion: Intersectionalities of Caste, Class, Gender and Regions |first=Rajesh K I. |last=Chander |publisher=Studera Press |year=2019 |isbn=978-93-85883-58-3|page=64 |url=https://books.google.com.au/books?id=8TvnDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA64&lpg=PA64&dq=ramdasia+caste+in+jammu&source=bl&ots=87urbCEdjS&sig=ACfU3U3BtDw36zHXtYP0AUmyQbLgCvoR0g&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiGlOS23qfxAhVugtgFHfFcDccQ6AEwEnoECCAQAw#v=onepage&q=ramdasia%20caste%20in%20jammu&f=false}}</ref> Nowadays people of this community do [[Farming]], large number of them are Governnent officials, [[Granthi]] in gurudwara and prominent [[Politicians]]. In book called British Untouchables: A Study of Dalit Identity and Education by author named Paul Avtar Singh Ghuman, its clearly mentioned on page number IX under the heading 'Glossary of Terms' that Ramdasias are chamars who converted to Sikhism.<ref>{{cite book|last=Ghuman|first=Paul|title=British Untouchables A Study of Dalit Identity and Education|year=May 2011|publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Limited|isbn=075464877X|page=iX|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eQZcI3FCxlEC&pg=PR9}}</ref>

==Terminology==
"Ramdasia is a term used in general for Sikhs whose ancestors belonged ex untouchables [[Chamar]] caste. Originally they are followers of [[Guru Ravidass]] ji who belongs to [[Chamar]] community ".<ref name="Rajesh K. Chander">{{cite book |title=Combating Social Exclusion: Intersectionalities of Caste, Class, Gender and Regions |first=Rajesh K I. |last=Chander |publisher=Studera Press |year=2019 |isbn=978-93-85883-58-3|page=64 |url=https://books.google.com.au/books?id=8TvnDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA64&lpg=PA64&dq=ramdasia+caste+in+jammu&source=bl&ots=87urbCEdjS&sig=ACfU3U3BtDw36zHXtYP0AUmyQbLgCvoR0g&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiGlOS23qfxAhVugtgFHfFcDccQ6AEwEnoECCAQAw#v=onepage&q=ramdasia%20caste%20in%20jammu&f=false}}</ref>

Ramdasia sikhs are enlisted as scheduled caste by Department of Social justice, Empowerment and Minorities- Government of Punjab. On Department's list of Scheduled Caste, this caste is listed on serial number 9 alongside with other [[Chamar]] caste synonymous such as [[Ravidasia]], [[Jatav]] and so on.<ref>http://socialjustice.nic.in/writereaddata/UploadFile/Scan-0015.jpg</ref>

==Military service==

===British Raj===

[[File:Sikh Light Infantry.jpg|thumb|The [[Sikh Light Infantry]] march past during the Republic day parade in New Delhi, India]]

The Ramdasia Sikhs, together with the Majhabi Sikhs, were recruited to the [[Sikh Light Infantry]] regiment (SLI) after its formation in 1941.<ref name="wilkinson">{{cite book |title=Army and Nation: The Military and Indian Democracy Since Independence |first=Steven I. |last=Wilkinson |publisher=Harvard University Press |year=2015 |isbn=978-0-67472-880-6 |page=11 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B-qaBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA11}}</ref> The Sikh Light Infantry has always been a "single class" regiment in the parlance adopted from the British Raj era. This means that it recruits only from one demographic, which in this instance means the Ramdasia Sikhs and Mazhabi Sikhs.<ref>{{cite book |title=Army and Nation: The Military and Indian Democracy Since Independence |first=Steven I. |last=Wilkinson |publisher=Harvard University Press |year=2015 |isbn=978-0-67472-880-6 |pages=39–41 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B-qaBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA39}}</ref> Indeed, the SLI was initially called the Mazhabi & Ramdasia Sikh Regiment.<ref>{{cite book |first=Stephen |last=Cohen |chapter=The Untouchable Soldier |title=Recruiting, Drafting, and Enlisting: Two Sides of the Raising of Military Forces |editor-first=Peter |editor-last=Karsten |publisher=Routledge |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-13566-150-2 |page=170 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fh_fAQAAQBAJ&pg=RA1-PA170}}</ref> Despite unwillingness among some policy makers, the British had to abandon their traditional distinction between martial and non-martial races during the Second World War. This was necessitated by the need for more recruits than could be supplied by those communities upon which they usually relied, such as the Jat Sikhs, [[Dogra]]s and [[Punjabi Muslims|Punjabi Musalman]]s. In addition, indiscipline among Jat Sikhs caused by their concerns regarding a post-war division of India was another reason to prefer recruitment of new classes. While recruitment from the pre-war martial classes was still pre-eminent, that from newly recognised classes such as the Ramdasias snd Mazhabis became significant.<ref>{{cite book |title=Phoenix from the Ashes: The Indian Army in the Burma Campaign |first=Daniel |last=Marston |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-27598-003-0 |pages=218–220, 236 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E-CPkbHvcZEC&pg=PA218}}</ref>

===After independence of India===
When India became independent in 1947, the British Indian Army became the Indian Army. This, like its predecessor, relies on the martial race theory for much of its recruitment and thus there is a grossly disproportionate number of Sikhs within its ranks.<ref>{{cite book |first=Kaushik |last=Roy |chapter=Indian Society and the Soldier |pages=66–67 |title=Handbook of Indian Defence Policy: Themes, Structures and Doctrines |editor-first=Harsh V. |editor-last=Pant |publisher=Routledge |year=2015 |isbn=978-1-31738-009-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9xG4CwAAQBAJ}}</ref> The Ramdasias Sikhs amd Mazhabi Sikhs continued their service with the SLI in the new army.<ref name="wilkinson" /> The SLI has served in almost all of the post-1947 conflicts involving India, including the wars with Pakistan in [[Indo-Pakistan War of 1947|1947]], [[Indo-Pakistan War of 1965|1965]] and [[Indo-Pakistan War of 1971|1971]], the [[Hyderabad Police Action]] of 1948 and the [[Sino-Indian War|Chinese aggression in 1962]]. It has also served in [[Sri Lanka]], where the 1st, 7th, 13th and 14th Battalions have contributed towards peace-keeping.<ref>{{cite web |title=Story of The Sikh Light Infantry |publisher=The Sikh Review |url=http://www.sikhreview.org/november1995/chivalry.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020531202833/http://www.sikhreview.org/november1995/chivalry.htm |archive-date=2002-05-31}}</ref>

==Difference between Ramdasia [[Chamar]] and Ramdasia [[Julaha]]==

Nowadays people gets confused between Ramdasia Chamar sikhs and Ramdasia Julaha , Origin of both sects is same . Ramdasia Chamars are more dominated in Malwa region of Punjab and active in Politics and on the other hand Ramdasia Julaha is minority in Doaba region and population wise they are in few thousands. Julaha sect is politically inactive and till date there is not even single prominent politician in punjab belong to this sect.

==Hindu Ramdasia==
This sect of Ramdasia having faith in [[Hinduism]] and they mostly residing in [[Pathankot]], [[Jammu]], [[Himachal Pradesh]] and [[Jalandhar]]. Hindu [[Ramdasia]] migrated from Pakistan and back in [[Sialkot]], these [[Ramdasia]] were involved in Leather/Sports Goods Business. After migrating in [[Jalandhar]] they established their own Tanneries and Sports Goods manufacturing Units. For This purpose [[Government of Punjab, India]] helped them by providing liberal loans and allotting sites for their Factories<ref name="Krishan L. Sharma">{{cite book |title=Entrepreneurial Growth and Development Programmes in Northern India |first=Krishan L. |last=Sharma |publisher=Abhinav Publications |year=1980 |isbn=9780836406498|page=67 |url=https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/Entrepreneurial_Growth_and_Development_P/fwI7fLC9qQMC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=ramdasia+meerut&pg=PA67&printsec=frontcover}}</ref> Hindu Ramdasia's are staunch follower of [[Guru Ravidass]] and they follow Dera Swami Gurdeep Giri ji, Pathankot. According to Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India Ramdasias are listed as [[Chamar]] Caste on serial number 4 and 14 for [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]] and [[ Himachal Pradesh]] respectively.<ref>http://socialjustice.nic.in/writereaddata/UploadFile/Scan-0006.jpg</ref><ref>http://socialjustice.nic.in/writereaddata/UploadFile/Scan-0030.jpg</ref>

==[[Ravidasia]]/[[Ramdasia]] [[Chamar]] Diaspora==
{{Empty section|date=August 2021}}

==Demographics==

{{As of|2011}} Census, there were 3,095,324 [[Chamars]] in the Indian state of Punjab, of whom 1,017,192 declared themselves as [[Ad-Dharmi]] [[Chamar]] and 2,078,132 declared themselves as [[Ramdasia/Ravidasia]] [[Chamar]]. According to this Census, during the same year the population of [[Sikh Ramdasia/Ravidasia]] and [[Hindu Ramdasia/Ravidasia]] in Punjab was 1,443,079 and 629,157 respectively.<ref name="2011 census1">{{cite web |url=https://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/SCST-Series/SC14/SC-03-00-14-DDW-2011.XLS|format=XLS |publisher=The Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India |title=SC-14 Scheduled Caste Population By Religious Community (States/UTs) – Punjab |access-date=2021-06-27}}</ref>

Most of the Hindu [[Ramdasia]]s (Counted alongside with other Chamar Caste Synonyms such as Ravidasia and Jatav) living in the [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]], [[Himachal Pradesh]] and [[Haryana]]. {{As of|2011}}, there were 212,032 Ramdasia in Jammu and Kashmir, comprising 209,512 Hindus, 2,486 Sikhs and 34 Buddhists,<ref name="2011 census2">{{cite web |url=https://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/SCST-Series/SC14/SC-01-00-14-DDW-2011.XLS|format=XLS |publisher=The Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India |title=SC-14 Scheduled Caste Population By Religious Community (States/UTs) – Jammu and Kashmir |access-date=2021-06-27}}</ref> 2,429,137 lived in Haryana (2,390,403 Hindu, 37,191 Sikh and 1,543 Buddhists)<ref name="2011 census3">{{cite web |url=https://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/SCST-Series/SC14/SC-06-00-14-DDW-2011.XLS|format=XLS |publisher=The Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India |title=SC-14 Scheduled Caste Population By Religious Community (States/UTs) – Haryana |access-date=2021-06-27}}</ref> and 458,838 resided in Himachal Pradesh (453,871 Hindu, 4,887 Sikh and 80 Buddhists)<ref name="2011 census4">{{cite web |url=https://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/SCST-Series/SC14/SC-02-00-14-DDW-2011.XLS|format=XLS |publisher=The Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India |title=SC-14 Scheduled Caste Population By Religious Community (States/UTs) – Himachal Pradesh |access-date=2021-06-27}}</ref>

== Prominent Ramdasia [[Chamar]] ==
*[[Kanshi Ram]]
*[[Lal Singh Dil]]
*[[Amar Singh (Punjab politician)]]
*[[Shamsher Singh Dullo]]
*[[Harinder Singh Khalsa]]
*[[Bhan Singh Bhaura]]
*[[Sukhdev Singh Libra]]
*[[Sadhu Singh]]
*[[Charanjit Singh Channi]]
*[[Babu Parmanand]]
*[[Gopal Singh Khalsa]]
*[[Darbara Singh Guru]]
*[[Beant_Singh_(assassin)]]

==See also==

* [[Ravidasia]]
* [[Chamar]]
* [[Sikh Light Infantry]]
* [[Jatav]]
* [[Sikhism]]
* [[Ad-Dharmi]]
* [[Ahirwar]]
* [[Chambhar]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Ethnic groups, tribes and clans of the Punjab}}

[[Category:Sikh communities]]
[[Category:Social groups of Punjab, India]]

Ramdasia - Revision history

49.183.148.81 at 10:59, 29 December 2021

49.183.53.171: /* Difference between Ramdasia Chamar and Ramdasia Julaha */