Jatav

Jatav, also known as Jatava/ Jatan/ Jatua/ Jatia,[1] is an Indian social group that are considered to be a part of the Chamar sub-caste, one of the untouchable communities (now often termed Dalit), who are classified as a Scheduled Caste under modern India's system of positive discrimination.[2]

According to the 2011 Census of India, the Jatav community of Uttar Pradesh comprised 54% of that state's total 22,496,047 Scheduled Caste population.[3]

History

Some Jatav authors have disputed being untouchable. In the 1920s, Jatavs claimed to be survivors of the ancient war between Parashuram, the legend of the Brahmins, and Kshatriyas, forced into hiding. Their proof of ancestry is a series of correspondences or status similarities between Jatav and other Kshatriya clans. According to Owen Lynch, "These included identical gotras, and such Kshatriya-like ceremonies as shooting a cannon at weddings and the use of the bow and arrow at the birth saṃskāra".[4][5]

According to M. P. S. Chandel

Jatavs pressed hard for their (Kshatriya) claim. But as is said many times earlier that in the caste federal system of India, changes seldom occur and in case of untouchables or scheduled castes as also established by M. N. Shrinivas there are no chances at all. So the caste of Jatavs went to a predestined end. It is unfortunate that such a powerful effort (Lynch 1969) could result nothing but the result in other fields were rewarding and exemplary. Jatav elites using cultural sentiments and striking the chord of psyche succeeded pursuing several strategies in getting political successes.[2]

In the early part of the 20th century, the Jatavs attempted the process of sanskritisation, claiming themselves to be historically of the kshatriya varna. They gained political expertise by forming associations and by developing a literate cadre of leaders, and they tried to change their position in the caste system through the emulation of upper-caste behavior. As a part of this process, they also claimed not to be Chamars and petitioned the government of the British Raj to be officially classified differently: disassociating themselves from the Chamar community would, they felt, enhance their acceptance as kshatriya. These claims were not accepted by other castes and, although the government was amenable, no official reclassification as a separate community occurred due to the onset of World War II.[4]

An organisation of young Jatavs, called the Jatav Vir, was formed in Agra in 1917, and a Jatav Pracharak Sangh was organised in 1924. They joined with local Banias to establish a front and thus one of them won the seat of the mayor in Agra, and another became a member of the Legislative Council.[2]

Earlier pressing for the Kshatriya status, the new issues emerged among Jatavs in 1944-45. The Jatavs formed the Scheduled Caste Federation of Agra having ties with the Ambedkar-led All India Scheduled Caste Federation. They started recognising themselves as Scheduled Caste and hence "untouchables".[6] This acceptance is attributed to the protections available to the scheduled castes.[2]

According to Owen Lynch:

The change is due to the fact that Sanskritisation is no longer as effective a means as is political participation for achieving a change in style of life and a rise in the Indian social system, now composed of both caste and class elements.[6]

Religion

Some Jatavs became Buddhists in 1956.[7] In 1990, many more converted to Buddhism,[8] but the majority of Jatavs continue to practise Hinduism.[9]

See also

References
  1. Singh, Kumar Suresh (1993). The scheduled castes. Anthropological Survey of India. pp. 326, 329, 331.
  2. Chandel, M. P. S. (1990). A Social Force in Politics: Study of Scheduled Castes of U.P. Mittal Publications. pp. 51–52. ISBN 9788170991939.
  3. "Jatavs on top of SC population in UP". The Times of India. 4 July 2015.
  4. Lynch, Owen M. (1970). "The Politics of Untouchability: A Case From Agra". In Singer, Milton B.; Cohn, Bernard S. (eds.). Structure and Change in Indian Society. Transaction Publishers. pp. 216–217. ISBN 978-0-20236-933-4.
  5. Rawat, Ramnarayan S. (2011). Reconsidering Untouchability: Chamars and Dalit history in North India. Indiana University Press. p. 127. ISBN 978-0-253-22262-6.
  6. Berger, Peter; Heidemann, Frank (2013). The Modern Anthropology of India: Ethnography, Themes and Theory. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-13406-118-1.
  7. Lorenzen, David N. (1995). Bhakti Religion in North India: Community Identity and Political Action. SUNY Press. p. 95.
  8. Singh, Kumar Suresh (1993). The scheduled castes. Anthropological Survey of India. p. 328. ISBN 978-0-19563-254-5.
  9. Singh, Kumar Suresh, ed. (2005). The People of India: Uttar Pradesh. 13. p. 367.
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