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JALANDHAR: Candidates picked by the three major parties in Jalandhar West constituency tell the story of caste and regional identities and how they are tied to their professional backgrounds among scheduled castes in the constituency. Two different castes share regional identity and traditional vocation, but there is a fault line of caste.
One caste here has two regional identities which define diversity in their vocational backgrounds and also a subtle fault line at social level.
BJP candidate Mohinder Bhagat comes from Megh community, who are now better known as Bhagat community and are followers of Bhagat Kabir. The entire Bhagat community has origins in Sialkot, Pakistan, and they migrated after Partition. Though they are settled in other parts of Jalandhar city, their main concentration is in Jalandhar West and they have the capacity to tilt the electoral result. AAP expects the consolidation of Bhagat community behind him.
Originally, the Bhagat community was into weaving and then they took up sports goods manufacturing in a major way at Sialkot itself, especially after textile factories took up their work. After they migrated to Jalandhar, many started as workers in this sports industry, mainly a cottage industry, and some among them turned out to be entrepreneurs and set up business houses.
Mohinder’s father Chunni Lal Bhagat, who remained a BJP MLA thrice and later became a minister and leader of the BJP legislature party in 2012, himself started as a worker in sports industry and then became an entrepreneur starting his own small business in 1961. He later also became an exporter, and the family then expanded business in a major way. Now they run two firms, Ceela Sports and Ceela International.
BJP candidate Sheetal Angural comes from Sialkotia-Ravidasia community, which migrated from Sialkot and follow Guru Ravidas. Though originally working with leather, community members had gotten into sports goods manufacturing at Sialkot. “Our community worked in making leather products. They largely dealt with split leather or dried leather products, and did not deal or work with raw hide, unlike local Ravidasia/Ad-dharmis of Jalandhar. Several from our community worked in sports goods, especially football stitching. Then they got into other products also as workers or taking contracts for working at their home. Quite a few of them grew into setting up their own small units and some managed to build big units,” said former MP Sushil Rinku, who also comes from the same community and whose family also started on these lines and then had its own thriving business.
Angural has been narrating his family’s story about how his elders started as workers in the sports industry and worked hard to progress.
Congress candidate Surinder Kaur comes from the local Ravidasia/Ad-dharmi community and her husband, late Ram Asra Chaudhary, was running his own tannery. “Ours was a good unit, but our mother had to shut it down after the death of our father as we were small kids,” said Surinder’s son Karan Suman, adding, “Now we are in the property business.”
“Local Ravidsaia-Ad-dharmi community members have been into raw hide work and trade, and several of them established their own successful businesses – both as manufacturers and traders,” said Seth Satpal Mal, a community veteran and president of Punjab Hide and Skin Association.
Though the caste of the local and Sialkota Ravidasia is same, they usually don’t inter-marry. Exceptions, however, are there. Of late, these exceptions are increasing. “Local and Sialkotia Ravidasia have different gotras (sub-caste names) and from that one can easily make out the regional identity,” said Amar Nath (80), who is also a Sialkotia Ravidasia.
One caste here has two regional identities which define diversity in their vocational backgrounds and also a subtle fault line at social level.
BJP candidate Mohinder Bhagat comes from Megh community, who are now better known as Bhagat community and are followers of Bhagat Kabir. The entire Bhagat community has origins in Sialkot, Pakistan, and they migrated after Partition. Though they are settled in other parts of Jalandhar city, their main concentration is in Jalandhar West and they have the capacity to tilt the electoral result. AAP expects the consolidation of Bhagat community behind him.
Originally, the Bhagat community was into weaving and then they took up sports goods manufacturing in a major way at Sialkot itself, especially after textile factories took up their work. After they migrated to Jalandhar, many started as workers in this sports industry, mainly a cottage industry, and some among them turned out to be entrepreneurs and set up business houses.
Mohinder’s father Chunni Lal Bhagat, who remained a BJP MLA thrice and later became a minister and leader of the BJP legislature party in 2012, himself started as a worker in sports industry and then became an entrepreneur starting his own small business in 1961. He later also became an exporter, and the family then expanded business in a major way. Now they run two firms, Ceela Sports and Ceela International.
BJP candidate Sheetal Angural comes from Sialkotia-Ravidasia community, which migrated from Sialkot and follow Guru Ravidas. Though originally working with leather, community members had gotten into sports goods manufacturing at Sialkot. “Our community worked in making leather products. They largely dealt with split leather or dried leather products, and did not deal or work with raw hide, unlike local Ravidasia/Ad-dharmis of Jalandhar. Several from our community worked in sports goods, especially football stitching. Then they got into other products also as workers or taking contracts for working at their home. Quite a few of them grew into setting up their own small units and some managed to build big units,” said former MP Sushil Rinku, who also comes from the same community and whose family also started on these lines and then had its own thriving business.
Angural has been narrating his family’s story about how his elders started as workers in the sports industry and worked hard to progress.
Congress candidate Surinder Kaur comes from the local Ravidasia/Ad-dharmi community and her husband, late Ram Asra Chaudhary, was running his own tannery. “Ours was a good unit, but our mother had to shut it down after the death of our father as we were small kids,” said Surinder’s son Karan Suman, adding, “Now we are in the property business.”
“Local Ravidsaia-Ad-dharmi community members have been into raw hide work and trade, and several of them established their own successful businesses – both as manufacturers and traders,” said Seth Satpal Mal, a community veteran and president of Punjab Hide and Skin Association.
Though the caste of the local and Sialkota Ravidasia is same, they usually don’t inter-marry. Exceptions, however, are there. Of late, these exceptions are increasing. “Local and Sialkotia Ravidasia have different gotras (sub-caste names) and from that one can easily make out the regional identity,” said Amar Nath (80), who is also a Sialkotia Ravidasia.
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