Dr. Banarsi Lal,
Dr. Pawan Sharma
The term ‘nomad’ has been derived from Greek root word ‘nemo’ meaning pasture. The Dictionary meaning of nomad refers to that category of people who own herds of cattle such as sheep, goats, buffaloes etc. and do not have a permanent home rather moving in search of pasture to feed their cattle. Nomadism is one of oldest ways of life in the history of mankind. In present era, the highest numbers of pastoral nomads live in the South Asia. India alone is the home of five hundred nomadic groups i.e. 7 percent of total Indian population. Gujjar community of J&K mostly inhabit the hilly regions of the state. Their major occupations are herding of buffaloes in the hilly pastures and cultivation of maize on the terraced hilly slopes. There is need to pave the path for their empowerment and integrate this nomadic community in the national mainstream which ultimately can be supportive in the development of the state. The Gujjars and Bakarwals of the western Himalaya of Jammu and Kashmir and its adjoining areas are such significant cultural groups, whose major section is still in nomadic stage. In Jammu and Kashmir, there are twelve scheduled tribes Iiving in different parts of the State. These two tribal groups (Gujjars and Bakarwals) of Jammu and Kashmir constitute more than ten 10 per cent of the State’s total population. The significant features of these tribal groups are not only their nomadic life style but also cultural syncretism and a long history in the Indian society. Unfortunately, this significant section of our society has been deprived in the development process. These tribes of Jammu and Kashmir have not been given special representation for the development. Even the Scheduled Tribe status has been given to this nomadic group, only just two decades back. There is need to study the socio-cultural heritage of the Gujjar community and to explore constraints affecting their development and empowerment. Gujjar and other smaller tribal communities’ of Jammu and Kashmir have very less per centage in the political and economic power structure. They have been given less emphasis in various developmental programmes and schemes. There is scarcity of existing studies on these communities. Lack of information restricts their further scope of development and empowerment. There is an immense scope for an in-depth study of this significant community of the Jammu and Kashmir.
Traditionally, a pastoral nomadic or semi-nomadic group today leads to sedentary lives in the North and North Western part of the country. The people of this community are widely distributed in the states of Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharastra with disproportionate population size and density. The regional variation is not only in terms of their population but also in cultural pattern, customs, family marriage kinship, social hierarchy and occupation. Generally, the Gujjars in the plains areas are agriculturalist while in mountainous region having live stocks and pastures. Like many other Indian communities, Gujjar community has gone through the process of acculturation in different regions. During this long process of cultural-contact, this group has accommodated and adapted with regional cultures during the course of migration and preserved its own cultural heritage.
In the last fifty years, the lack of tribal policy was a major drawback that many communities possessed above mentioned features but neglected by the state, their protection and safeguards. As per 2011 Census, 11.9 per cent population of J&K state constitute as the tribal community which is about 0.14 per cent of the population of the country. Literacy rate among the tribals is also low. Guijars of Jammu and Kashmir are indigenously and culturally rich community which was listed in the category of Scheduled Tribe in 1991. Even after a long time of their inclusion, they are deprived of many safeguards.
It is also a significant hurdle in the overall regional development of the state. Gujjars and Bakarwals are the third largest group in the state after Kashmiri Muslims and Dogra community. Gujjars are widely distributed and maintain their ethnic hegemony. Gojri language should be given due recognition, which has its long indigenous root and inalienable part of their culture. They are the dominant ethnic group of the region and should be fully involved in the development of the state. Some specific programmes can be supportive to empower the tribal community of the State.
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