chapter 2 area and people

Chapter 2 Area and People

Contents

2.1. State: Gujarat 45 2.1.1. History 46 2.1.2. Climate and Seasonal Variations 47 2.1.3. Flora and Fauna 47 2.1.4. Sub-divisions 48 2.1.5. Demographics 49 2.1.6. Linguistic Divisions 50 2.1.7. Health Infra Structure 51 2.2. District: Valsad 51 2.2.1. History 52 2.2.2. Climate and Seasonal Variations 53 2.2.3. Flora and Fauna 53 2.2.4. Sub-divisions 53 2.2.5. Demographics 53 2.2.6. Amenities 54 2.2.6.1. Education Facilities 54 2.2.6.2. Healthcare Facilities 54 2.2.7. Industry and Tourism 55 2.3. People 55 2.3.1. Origin 55 2.3.2. Language 56 2.3.3. Clan System 56 2.3.4. Occupation 60 2.3.5. Dietary Habits 61 2.3.6. Family 61 2.3.7. Religion 62 2.3.8. Festivals 63 2.3.9. Life Cycle Rituals 63

Area and People

Genetic Variation in the Populations of Western India 45

Area and People

Figure 2.1: Map of India showing location of Gujarat

2.1. State: Gujarat Gujarat, one of the 28 states of Republic of India, is situated between 20o1' and 24o7' north latitudes and 68o4' and 74o4' east longitudes in the western side of the country along its west coast. It is bounded by Pakistan and Rajasthan in the north east, Madhya Pradesh in the east, Maharashtra and the Union territories of Diu, Daman, Dadra and Nagar Haveli in the south and Arabian Sea in the west and the south west. It is the gateway to the land-locked northern and central parts of India.

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It is spread across an area of 1, 96, 024 sq km and has a population of over 6 million (Census of India, 2001). Gandhinagar is the capital city and Gujarati is the official language.

The state was named after the Gujjars who were the first settlers of the region and ruled the area during 700-800 AD. 2.1.1. History Traces of Indus Valley Civilization are evident in archaeological findings of relics from the Stone Age settlements around Sabarmati and Mahi rivers. Remnants from the Harappa have also been found at Lothal, Rampur, Amri and other places.

The state has been ruled by different dynasties at different points in time- Mauryan, Scythian, Solanki and Mughal. Gujarat reached its greatest extent under the Solanki Dynasty. Ancient Gujarat’s last Hindu rulers were from the Solanki clan of Rajputs who ruled from 960 AD to 1243 AD. Karandev was the last Hindu ruler of Gujarat and he was overthrown by the superior forces of Allauddin Khilji from Delhi in 1297. Ahmedabad was founded by Ahmed I, the first independent Muslim ruler of Gujarat, in 1411. Gujarat was then conquered by Akbar in 1570s.

In 1600s, the Dutch, French, English and Portuguese all established bases along the coast of the region acquiring several enclaves, including Daman and Diu as well as Dadra and Nagar Haveli. The British East India Company established a factory in Surat in 1614, which formed their first base in India, but it was eclipsed by Bombay after the British acquired it from Portugal in 1668. Gujarat was placed under the political authority of the Bombay Presidency, with the exception of Baroda state, which had a direct relationship with the Governor-General of India.

A new era began with the Independence movement started by leaders like Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Morarji Desai, K.M. Munshi and several others all of whom hailed from Gujarat. Gujarat became a place for some of the most popular revolts, including the satyagrahas in Kheda, Bardoli, Borsad and the Salt Satyagraha.

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Post independence, all of the princely states except Saurashtra and Kutch, became part of Bombay State but on 1st May 1960, Bombay state was split into the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat, as a result of Mahagujarat conference to integrate the entire Gujarati speaking population under one administrative body. Government Houses of the new state were based in Ahmedabad till 1970 when they were shifted to Gandhinagar. 2.1.2. Climate and Seasonal Variations Climate of Gujarat is moist in the southern districts and dry in the northern region. Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Cambay reduce the temperature and render the climate more pleasant. The year can be divided into the winter season from November to February, the hot season from March to May, the monsoon season from June to September and the intervening month of October.

Winters are mild, pleasant and dry while summers are extremely hot and dry. In the weeks leading up to the arrival of the monsoon rains, there is high humidity which makes the air feel hotter. Most of the rainfall occurs in the monsoon season and sometimes causes severe floods.

The average rainfall in Gujarat varies from 33 to152 cms. Southern region receives an average rainfall ranging from 76 to 152 cms and northern districts get a rainfall varying from 51 to 102 cms. Rainfall in the southern highlands of Saurashtra and the Gulf of Cambay is approximately 63 cms while in other parts of Saurashtra it is even lesser. The semi-desert area of Kutch has a very low average rainfall. Certain areas in Ahmedabad, Mehsana, Banaskantha, Panchmahals, Surendranagar, Jamnagar and Kutch districts face chronic scarcity conditions for want of adequate rains.

As the Tropic of Cancer passes through the northern border of Gujarat, the area has an intensely hot or cold climate. But the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Cambay in the west and the forest covered hills in the east soften the rigors of climatic extremes. 2.1.3. Flora and Fauna Gujarat state comprises of three geographical regions namely Peninsula, traditionally known as Saurashtra. It is a hilly region dotted with low mountains; Kutch on the

Area and People


north-east is barren and rocky and contains the famous Rann (desert) of Kutch, the big Rann in the north and the little Rann in the east; and Mainland extending from the Rann of Kutch and the Aravalli Hills to the river Damanganga is on the whole a level plain of alluvial soil.

The state has a variety of ecosystems ranging from deserts, scrublands, grasslands, deciduous forests, and wetlands to mangroves, coral reefs, estuaries and gulfs. These habitats are home to rare wild life species. It has one of the major forests of India, Gir forest, which has the highest number of Asian lions that are a major tourist attraction. Gujarat has declared many of its rich and varied habitats as National Parks and Sanctuaries as a step towards the conservation of the endangered species.

Flora in Gujarat includes a wide variety of vegetation made feasible by an extensive range of climatic conditions. More than 400 species of flora are found in the area. It includes one of the largest dry deciduous forests in the western region of India, housing trees like teak, Boswellia serrata, Anogeissus latifolia, Diospyros etc. Owing to the arid climate, the flora of Gujarat also possesses a wide range of xerophytic vegetation such as Acacia Arabica, Acacia leucophloea, Capparis ophylla, Zizyphus mauratiana etc.

As many as 500 varieties of mammals, more than 2000 species of birds, a wide range of insects, fishes, amphibians, reptiles etc. are found in the state. Some of the important mammals are black buck, nilgai, chital, wild boar, four horned antelope, hyena, rusty spotted cat etc. A large number of other animals like snakes, lizards, crocodiles, scorpions, bees, silkworm, lac insect etc. also inhabit the forest of Gujarat. Several kinds of birds such as peacocks, parrots, pheasants, geese ducks, cranes, etc. are known to exist in the area. 2.1.4. Sub-divisions There are 26 districts in the state of Gujarat namely Ahmedabad, Amreli, Anand, Banaskantha, Bharuch, Bhavnagar, Dahod, Dangs, Gandhinagar, Jamnagar, Junagarh, Kutch, Kheda, Mehsana, Narmada, Navsari, Patan, Panchmahal, Porbandar, Rajkot, Sabarkantha, Surendranagar, Surat, Tapi, Vadodara and Valsad. There are in total 226 talukas, 18,618 villages and 242 towns (Census of India, 2001).

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In each district, two systems of jurisdictional set up are in place viz. revenue system in rural areas and local system in urban areas. Under the revenue system, the district is divided into taluks / Mandals / Community Development Blocks and revenue villages. Under local system, urban areas are classified into statutory towns, cantonment areas, notified areas, etc. 2.1.5. Demographics Population Census Data (Census of India, 2011) shows that Gujarat has a total population of 6.03 crore which is approximately 4.99% of the total Indian population. Urban population of the state is 42.60%, which was 37.40% in 2001 (Census of India, 2001). Keeping with this, rural population in the state in 2011 fell to 57.4% from 62.60% in 2001. Population of Gujarat according to Census of India (2001), was 50,671,017. Of this, 7,481,160 persons belonged to the Scheduled Tribes (STs), constituting 14.8% of its total population. The state registered 21.40% decadal growth of the scheduled tribal populations in 1991-2001. The state is home to 29 notified scheduled tribes.

Bhils with 3.4 lakh population represents majority of the total ST population of the state (46%). Dubla (8%), Dhodia (7.90%), Rathawa (7.20%) and Naikda (5.30%) are other major STs each having a considerable population size. Along with Bhil these groups constitute about 74.30% of the state’s total ST population. Gamit, Kokna, Chaudhri, Varli, and Dhanka each account for another 3-4% of the state’s ST population. ST population in Gujarat is predominantly rural with 91.8% residing in rural and 8.20% in urban areas (Census of India, 2001).

As per Census of India (2011), sex ratio of Gujarat is 918. As per 2001 Census, sex ratio of the ST population was 974, which is close to the national average for all the STs (978).

Literacy rate in Gujarat has seen a rise and is 79.31% as per 2011 population census. Of that, male literacy rate stands at 87.23% while female literacy rate is at 70.73%. The ST population of Gujarat has recorded 47.70% literacy rate, which is at par with the national average for STs (47.10%). The male and female literacy rates at 59.2%

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and 36% respectively indicate that women are lagging far behind. Merely 2.5% of total literates in the ST population have educational level graduation and above (Census of India, 2001).

As regards category of workers, 41.9% of the total main workers among the STs have been recorded as ‘cultivators’ and 36.1% as ‘agricultural laborers’. Thus, a total of 78% of the total scheduled tribe main workers are involved in agricultural sector (Census of India, 2001).

There are three principal religious groups among the Gujarati people: Hindus, Muslims and Jains. A small minority is of Zoroastrians or Parsis. According to Census of India (2001), of the total ST population, 97.80% are Hindus, 1.70% are Christians and 0.20% are Muslims. Besides, 11,678 numbers have been reported as followers of “Other Religion and Persuasions”; 11,520 people have been classified as “Religion not stated”. A small number of STs have reported their religion as Jains (2,166), Sikhs (390), and Buddhists (231). 2.1.6. Linguistic Divisions The official languages of Gujarat are Gujarati (91.50% speakers) and Hindi (2.90% speakers) while some Gujarati people also speak Urdu and Sindhi (1.70% speakers). There are eleven linguistic sub variants of the Gujarati dialect. The linguistic variation is based on geographical factors.

Gujarati language is classified as a member of the Indo-Aryan group of Indo-Iranian languages, part of the Indo-European family of languages. It is believed to be derived from the ancient Indic language of Sanskrit via Prakrit and Apabhramsha forms. Development of the Gujarati language can be dated back to approximately 12th century AD. It is written using a cursive-style script derived from the Devanagari script. The Gujarati language script differs from Devanagari in that it lacks the horizontal line which runs above the script’s letters, a central characteristic of Devanagari. Gujarati can also be written using a Persian or Arabic script, although this method is less common and generally confined to specific regions such as the Kutch district.

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2.1.7. Health Infra Structure There are 7274 sub-centres, 1072 Primary Health Centres, 272 Community Health Centres spread across the state manned by 907 doctors, 6508 ANMs and 2773 Male Health workers. In addition, physicians, paediatricians, laboratory technicians, nurses etc. also work in these health centres (RHS Bulletin, 2006). There are several medical colleges, district hospitals, dispensaries, referral hospitals and other such institutions functional in different parts of the state. 2.2. District: Valsad Valsad district is situated at the southernmost tip of Gujarat, near Gulf of Khambhat in the Arabian Sea. It is situated between 20.07º to 21.05º North Latitudes and 72.73º to 73º East Longitudes. It is bound by Navsari district to the north, Dang district to the east and the state of Maharashtra to the south. The Arabian Sea lies west of the district. The district's administrative capital is Valsad and largest city is Vapi. It is spread over an area of 2,939 sq km, of which 87648 Ha is covered by forest. Rivers that flow in the district are Damanganga, Paar, Auranga, Kolak, Taan and Maan.

Figure 2.2: Map of Gujarat showing location of Valsad District; Inset: Talukas of Valsad District

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2.2.1. History As regards its name, Valsad town does not find any reference before 1300 AD. According to some original name of the place was Nyagrodhpur. In Sanskrit, nyagrodh means Vad (Fig tree). It is believed that there might have been a cluster of fig trees and so the name Valvad or by corrupt form Valsad may have been accepted (Valsad District Handbook, 2001).

Reference in the stone inscription at Junagarh proves that this region was under the rule of Mauryas from the time of Chandragupta Maurya (322-298 BC). There is no historical evidence regarding the continuation of the reign after the period of King Ashoka (233-237 BC). Thereafter the region was ruled by Terutakas, Katachuris, Saindrakas, Chaulukyas and Rashtrakuta (Rathods). After 1299 AD, the present district came under the administrative influence of the emperors of Delhi.

Jarethostries from Paras (Iran) came and settled in Sanjan due to harassment by Arab victors. They were known as Parsis, who played a very important role in developing the economic condition of the district by setting up shipbuilding and distillery industries.

In the beginning of 17th century, British tried to enter from the west coast of Gujarat. Surat agreement was executed in 1755 as a result of which the company took possession of the region of Surat Atthavasi Paraganas, including Valsad. But thereafter they had to implement Salbai Treaty in 1782 and the power of Peshva over Gaikwad had to be accepted and also all the paraganas including Valsad district had to be returned.

Like other districts of Gujarat, Valsad has also given considerable contribution in the freedom movement. As a part of the former Surat district, the people of this district actively participated in the movement against addition of tax on salt in 1844 and initiated the first ever movement against the foreign government.

When the Gujarat state was formed on 1st may 1960, the present Valsad district was a part of Surat district. Gujarat government bifurcated Surat district into two districts namely Surat and Valsad on 1st June 1964.

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2.2.2. Climate and Seasonal Variations Valsad, the southernmost district of Gujarat is generally moist due to heavy rainfall. It has a year round temperate climate which is neither too hot nor too cool with an average rainfall of 1500 to 2200 mms. But the days in summer season, which extends from March till middle of June, can be very hot and dry. Winters occur from middle of October to February. Mid June to mid October is the monsoon season. 2.2.3. Flora and Fauna Valsad district is home to a tropical moist deciduous forest. Major trees occurring in these forests are Tectona, Terminalia, Madhuca, bamboo etc. Some of the important rare species, viz., Petaurista phillipenesis (flying squirrel), Pantlrera pardrzsfpanther, Lygosoma lineata (lined, supple skink), Tetracerus quadricornis (four-horned antelope), and others are also found here. 2.2.4. Sub-divisions Valsad district originally comprised of Valsad and Navsari prants constituting a total of 8 districts. On 2nd October 1997 Gujarat Government divided the Valsad district in two districts – Valsad and Navsari.

Presently, Valsad district consists of five talukas namely Valsad, Pardi, Umargam, Dharampur and Kaprada. The district headquarters are located in Valsad taluk. The district has a total of 4 towns and 468 villages (2 uninhabited villages) with 385 village panchayats. 2.2.5. Demographics As per 2011 Census, Valsad district has a total population of 1,703,068, with 27.02% of its residents living in urban areas and the population density of 561 persons per sq km. Valsad Population constitutes 2.82% of the total population of Gujarat. Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 20.74%. More than half of the total population of the district is Scheduled Tribe (54.80%) and a small proportion (2.64%) is Scheduled Castes.

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According to 2001 Census, Dharampur is the least populated taluka with a population size of 1, 80,386 and Umargam is the most populated one with a population size of 4, 05,902. Kaprada and Dharampur are predominantly ‘tribal talukas’ with 93.63% and 91.84% of their respective populations belonging to scheduled tribe category. Valsad taluk has least proportion of scheduled tribes (37.03%). The three largest tribes found in the district are Dhodia, Varli and Konkana.

Only 53.10% of occupied households are permanent in the district while 44.30% are semi-permanent and 2.60% are temporary. The district has a literacy rate of 69.15% and sex ratio of 926 females per 1000 males. Child Sex Ratio as per census 2011 was 926 compared to 933 of census 2001. Sex ratio of the ST population of the district is 999. Male and female literacy rates are 86.48% and 74.96% respectively. 2.2.6. Amenities 2.2.6.1. Education Facilities There are 990 primary and 161 secondary and higher secondary schools in the district. 6 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) offer several industrial training programs which include fitting, armature and motor rewinding, electrician, information technology and electronic system maintenance, etc.

Quite a few centres of higher education are present in the district. 1 Government polytechnic College is present in the district offering courses in civil, chemical, electrical, mechanical and plastic engineering; there is one Degree Engineering College offering engineering courses in mechanical and chemical branches. Located in Vapi, is G.M. Bilakhia Pharmacy College. Rofel Institute of Management studies in Valsad offers full time MBA course. 2.2.6.2. Healthcare Facilities There are 43 primary healthcare centres, 10 community healthcare centres, 10 Government and 1 Municipal hospital present in the district. Valsad has several private specialised hospitals to provide a comprehensive range of tertiary and secondary care services backed by state-of-the-art technology and trained medical practitioners.

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2.2.7. Industry and Tourism

Focus industry sectors include chemicals, textiles, horticulture and paper industry. Vapi located in Pardi taluka, is an important hub for chemical based industries and Valsad is well known for its production of mangoes. Some of the major tourist destinations in the Valsad district are Fire Temple, Daman and Lady Wilson Museum. 2.3. People Study groups, Dhodia and Dubla, are two of the 29 notified Scheduled Tribes (STs) of Gujarat. According to Census of India (2001), population sizes of the two populations are 5, 89,108 and 5, 96,865; respectively constituting 7.90% and 8.00% of the total ST population of the state. Dhodia are mainly distributed in Surat and Valsad districts of Gujarat and are also found in Bharuch, Vadodra, Ahmedabad and Dang districts. Surat, Valsad, Bharuch and Vadodra districts also show high concentration of the Dubla population. They are also found in the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka and union territories of Daman and Diu and Dadar and Nagar Haveli. In Valsad, villages such as Veervar, Balchondi, Sukhala, Rajpuritalat especially have high concentration of Dhodia and villages such as Atgam, Kalwada, Muli, Kewada, Pitha have high population density of Dubla people.

According to Census of India (2001), of the 12 major STs of Gujarat, Dubla has the highest proportion of urban population (15.70%) and Dubla also has a significant urban population (12.40%). Sex ratio of Dhodia is 989 and Dubla is 983.

In terms of physical appearance, Dubla differ from Dhodia in having shorter height with a round to narrow head, medium to broad nose and predominantly broad face. They are darker in complexion and are said to be probably similar to Kukna and other tribal groups (Enthoven, 1920). 2.3.1. Origin There are several theories regarding origin of the two tribes. It is believed that the term Dhodia has been derived from Dhulia, a place in Maharashtra from where two Rajput princes, Dhana and Rupa Khatri, came to Gujarat and married tribal girls and their progeny came to be known as Dhodias. According to another account, these two

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men came from north Gujarat. Another legend traces their origin to Dholuka-Dhandhuka, a place near the south bank of Narmada. Another interpretation is that the term ‘Dhodia’ is derived from the word Daudia which means ‘running away’, referring to the event of their ancestors running away from battlefield. Some believe that the word has been derived from Dhur meaning soil, referring to their primary occupation i.e agriculture. Similarly, term Dubla has been variably interpreted to mean ‘Durbala’ or weak referring to their poor economic conditions. Some have interpreted the term as ‘unbendable’ i.e. strong willed. Dubla are sometimes also referred to as Halpati, hal meaning plough and pati meaning lord i.e. lords of the plough referring to their occupation. Another interpretation is that hali means permanent agricultural labourer who ploughs the field of his landlords and his family also serves them. Dubla have been classed among the Kaliparaj i.e. dark race, a common term used for the aboriginal tribes of Gujarat. Both the tribes claim descent from Rajputs. 2.3.2. Language Both the population groups speak Gujarati language which belongs to the Bhili group of Indo-European family. Dhodia are bilingual. They also speak Dhodi dialect which is also grouped under Indo-European linguistic family but there is no script for the dialect. Dubla on the other hand do not have their own dialect. 2.3.3. Clan System Dhodia society is divided into a number of exogamous kuls/ kuds/ juts/ attaks. One cannot marry in one’s father’s kul (Pagdi kul) but can marry in one’s mother’s kul (Kachli kul). Usually people are aware of their kul name. These kul names have been derived from a variety of sources such as caste names of higher communities, occupations followed, geographic regions inhabited etc. In the present study, 90 kuls were recorded from the Valsad district (table 2.1).

It was also attempted to record the mating pattern by asking subjects about their kul, their spouse’s kul, their maternal uncle’s kul and their spouse’s maternal uncle’s kul and no within kul marriage was found to have taken place (table 2.2). Kul names used in analysis mentioned in Table 2.2 are given in Table 2.3.

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Table 2.1: Kul names in the Dhodia population collected during the field work and their frequency distribution

Kul Name Frequency Kul Name Frequency Arjun Sarnayak 1 Mota Desai 1 Arkania 1 Mota Garasiya 2 Atara 1 Mota Nayaka 8 Babur Garasiya 1 Mota Vanzariya 2 Bahadur Garasiya 1 Mul Garasiya 1 Bavasa 1 Nagar Bhraman 1 Bavesia 2 Nagara Garasiya 3 Bavisa 7 Nagda 1 Bhatada 6 Nagla 2 Bhatt 1 Nagolia 1 Bhoya 2 Nana Garasiya 2 Bhraman 2 Nana Nayaka 2 Bhramaniya Kach 1 Nana Vanzariya 2 Brahman Kachh Mota Dhalia 1 Nana-Tadiya 1 Brahman Kasia 1 Nayaka 2 Bhuruliya 1 Nita Taliya 2 Chalmi Garasiya 1 Panchbadiya 2 Dadia 1 Palkhi Bhoi 1 Delkar 1 Palkhi Shikari Bhoi 1 Desai 3 Palkibhai tabaliya 1 Dhanu Dharmi 1 Panpadiya 2 Dhariya 2 Parneria 1 Dhorabagla 1 Parsi Mehta 1 Garasiya 7 Phalki baya 1 Gayakwad 1 Pradhan 3 Gora Desai 2 Rajput Garasiya 1 Hathi 1 Ravta 3 Hola 1 Rupa Chaudhury 1 Joshi Brahman 1 Rupa Chorasi Chaudhury 1 Kala Desai 1 Sadhu Bamania 1 Kalam Kohiya 1 Sadhu Garasiya 1 Kalam Kohiya Mahita 1 Salv Baman 1 Kalmi Mehta 3 Sasdora 1 Kamboya 1 Sinduriya 2 Kankania 1 Sohangiya Khandel 1 Kata-Garasiya 3 Thakkar 1 Kedariya 2 Thakur Garasiya 3 Khunt Garasiya 2 Vadva 1 Kodhariya 1 Vagh Garasiya 1 Kumbhariya 4 Vasfoda Dharia 1 Lasania 1 Wadwi Garasiya 1 Lim Garasiya 2 Vaghiya 3 Madan Garasiya 3 Wakadiya 1 Mehta 1 Vaniya 2 Min Garasiya 1 Vanzariya 1

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71123456789101112131415161718192021 1 2 1 122232425 126 1 12728293031323334 1 135 1363738 1 139 1 1 140 1 141 1 14243 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 1 151 1 152 153 154 1 155 156 157 1 1 15859 160 161 162 163 1 164 1 16566 167 168 1 1 169 170 171 1

Table 2.2: Mating pattern observed in the study group Dhodia

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Table 2.3: List of Kul names used for mating pattern analysis S.No. Kul Name S.No. Kul Name 1 Arjun Sarnayak 37 Mota Desai 2 Arkania 38 Mota Garasiya 3 Atara 39 Mota Nayaka 4 Bahadur Garasiya 40 Mota Vanzariya 5 Bavasa 41 Nagara Garasiya 6 Bavesia 42 Nagda 7 Bavisa 43 Nagla 8 Bhatada 44 Nagolia 9 Bhatt 45 Nana Nayaka 10 Bhoya 46 Nana Vanzariya 11 Bhramaniya Kach 47 Nana-Tadiya 12 Brahman Kasia 48 Nayaka 13 Bhuruliya 49 Nita Taliya 14 Chalmi Garasiya 50 Panchbadiya 15 Dadia 51 Palkhi Bhoi 16 Delkar 52 Palkhi Sikari Bhoi 17 Desai 53 Palkibhai Tabaliya 18 Dhanu Dharmi 54 Panpadiya 19 Dhariya 55 Parneria 20 Dhorabagla 56 Parsi Mehta 21 Garasiya 57 Pradhan 22 Gora Desai 58 Rajput Garasiya 23 Hathi 59 Ravta 24 Hola 60 Rupa Chaudhury 25 Kala Desai 61 Rupa Chorasi Chaudhury 26 Kalmi Mehta 62 Sadhu Garasiya 27 Kamboya 63 Sasdora 28 Kata-Garasiya 64 Sinduriya 29 Kedariya 65 Thakur Garasiya 30 Khunt Garasiya 66 Vadva 31 Kodhariya 67 Vasfoda Dharia 32 Kumbhariya 68 Vaghiya 33 Lasania 69 Wakadiya 34 Lim Garasiya 70 Vaniya 35 Madan Garasiya 71 Vanzariya 36 Min Garasiya

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There is a lot of ambiguity when it comes to the sub-divisions of the Dubla tribe. Literature claims that there are 20 endogamous subdivisions of the tribe, of which Talavias have the highest social rank. These subdivisions are named according to the funerary rites followed by them or the geographical area inhabited by them. But no clear account of sub-divisions was found in the present study. When people from different areas were interviewed, it was found that they are aware of at most three ‘sub-divisions’; namely Talavia, Rathod and Halpati. Some people claim that all of these come under Dubla group and are just attaks having no bearings on marital pattern i.e. people from these attaks intermarry. On the other hand some people were of the opinion that Dubla and Halpati are the same and they do not intermarry with people of Talavia or Rathod attaks which form a separate group. Whereas some people, especially in the Kaprada taluka, informed that Bamaniya, Mandavi, Talavia and Rathod are kuds in Dubla and do not intermarry. It seems that there may be a characteristic geographical distribution pattern of these subdivisions. In the present study, mainly two attaks were came across-Rathod and Halpati and they were found to be intermarrying. 2.3.4. Occupation Dhodia enjoy good social status in the local social hierarchy and are placed above Dubla. Dhodia are primarily agriculturists and land is the major economic resource which they cultivate on their own. Besides, they cultivate food crops for domestic consumption. After monsoon they leave their native place and seek employment outside as wage labourers. Landless Dhodias work for landowners. Some seek casual labour in towns while some leave their homes for sugarcane cutting. They are also engaged in fishing and travel long distances on Arabian Sea high ways for fishing purposes. These days many Dhodia are employed in white collar jobs as well and can be found in almost all occupational sectors.

Enthoven (1920) described Dubla as hereditary servants to some land owning communities. They were in bondage to the landowners till 1923 when agricultural slavery was abolished. Presently, they are marginal cultivators and mostly landless agricultural labourers. 73.6% of the main workers among Dubla have been recorded

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as agricultural labourers (Census of India, 2001). They also do fishing, tailoring work, shop keeping, diamond cutting and are also employed in government services. Since most of the Dubla still do not possess their own land, they remain the poorest of the farmers. A few Dublas who own land, do agriculture at subsistence level. 2.3.5. Dietary Habits Dhodia are both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. Under the influence of various Hindu saints, there has been a shift towards vegetarianism. They also consume pulses of tur (red gram), mug (green gram) and locally available vegetables. Fruits are consumed occasionally. Mango and cheekoo are in abundance in this region. They also take tea, milk and buttermilk. Lapsi (broken wheat grains fried with ghee and sugar), siro (wheat flour fried with ghee), Dudh Pak (rice boiled in milk with dry fruits) and Farsan (commonly known as mixture) are consumed on various occasions. Though alcohol distribution and selling is prohibited in the state, alcohol consumption is still prevalent. Tadi and Khajuri are used as country liquor.

Dubla are mainly non-vegetarian and their food includes rice, bajra, wheat, sag (curry of vegetable, fish and meat) and pulses of tur (red gram) and mug (green gram). They take tea and buttermilk. Fruits are taken occasionally. Alcoholic drinks and toddy which are considered as digestives are taken in accordance with climate and the weather. The special food viz. puri, lapsi, sira, potaya and biryani are prepared on the festive occasions. 2.3.6. Family Kutumb is the local term used for family in both the tribes. Their families are of extended and nuclear type. Two common trends were observed with respect to the family type in both the groups. One was married children living separately from their parents but in the same vicinity. The other was married daughter and her husband living with her parents in the same house, also known as Khandadia practice. This was found to be more common in the Dubla population.

Avoidance relationship is maintained between a woman and her Jeth (husband’s elder brother), vevai (father-in-law) and vevan or Aja (mother-in-law). A woman is

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expected to keep the head covered while meeting her avoidance relatives. Joking relationship is maintained between devar (husband’s younger brother) and bhabhi (elder brother’s wife), with Dai (husband’s sister) and with Chali (wife’s younger sister) and Chala (wife’s younger brother).

Women play an important role in all aspects of tribal life-in agricultural operations, collection of fuel, bringing portable water, rearing of children and participation in social and religious rituals. Rules of property inheritance follow male equigeniture in both the tribes. 2.3.7. Religion Literature reports that majority of the Dhodia population is constituted by Hindus while some are Christians and a few Jains and Muslims. But in the present study only Hindu Dhodias and a few converted Christians were came across. They believe in supernatural as well as spiritual powers. They worship groups of deities made of shapeless pieces of stone or wood and have no temples or places to hold their religious ceremonies. Brahma Dev is the family deity and supreme among all the community deities. They worship their dead ancestors and prepare images of wood called Bhutdas. Their other deities are Samara Dev (deity of Cholera), Sitala Mata (deity of pox), Petforio Mata (deity of evil eye), Kansari Mata (deity of corn). Their main Hindu god and goddesses are Krishna, Vishnu, Shiva, Ganesh, Hanumaan, Brahma, Durgamata, Kalimata, Ambamata, Bhavanimata, Gyatrimata, Laxmi, Saraswati, etc. They keep a separate abode for Kansari Mata inside the house and worship her every day. Fasting on a particular day or occasion is also common. They also keep fast on Sakranti, Shivratri, Poornima, etc. Cow and Peepal tree are worshipped by Dhodia. Ox is also worshipped at time of Vagh Baras. Billardi (crows) are considered to be inauspicious. Influence of different sects of Hindu religion, such as Sanatan Dharma, Yogeshwara, Swami Narayana etc. was very much evident from the pictures of different saints/ sects’ leaders that were observed to adorn the walls of several houses in the present study.

The Dubla also profess both the tribal religion and Hindu religion. Their religious beliefs and practices recognize the existence of two different sources of supernatural powers viz. the spirits and the deities based on the Hindu mythology. Brahma Dev is

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their house deity, Holi Mata is their family deity and Ashper Dev is their village deity. The other deities are Malhwada Mata, Sitala Mata (goddess of smallpox), Mohavhu Mata (deity of pimple), Akashi Mata (deity of sky who protects children from evil eye), Bamania Bhoot (King of spirits residing near crematorium), Petforio Mata (protects from abortion), Kakawaliya (smallpox god), Marki Mata (deity of plague), Kansari Devi (deity of Corn) and Kholkholi Mata (deity of cough). Kansari Devi (deity of corn) is worshipped on every festive occasion and in the beginning of any auspicious work. They also worship the Hindu deity, Hanumaan. They also worship their dead ancestors and prepare images of wood called Khatra and place them outside their house.

In the beginning of any auspicious work, in both the communities, Bhagat or bhua is called. He is also responsible for all the magico-religious practices like protection from the malevolent spirits, mediating between the people and their deities and curing chronic diseases. Generally Bhagat executes his job either at his home or at a community temple of the village. A bhagat’s house was noticed to have Brahma Dev and Khatra placed outside the house. People who come to get cured from Bhagat offer earthen horses and ghummad to the god. Influence of bhagat has decreased overtime especially in case of sickness. The transition has been more prominent among the Dhodia. Bhagat is now-a-days approached in case of illness only when he does not get cured by a doctor. People still go to bhagat in case of low crop yield and when they believe they are being troubled by a bhoot. 2.3.8. Festivals Both population groups celebrate Hindu festivals such as Holi, Dhuleti, Sakranti, Mahashivratri, Navaratri, Krishna Janamashtmi, Ganesh Chaturthi, Rakhi, Diwali, etc. Their main festival is Divaso, which is associated with the dingla-dingli-lagan (mock-marriage) ceremony carried out by the unmarried girls. It signifies the sense that every girl is expected to marry and the observance of the festival provides acquaintance with the marriage rituals. It is celebrated between Jeth-Ashad months. 2.3.9. Life Cycle Rituals Both the study groups were observed to have lot of similarities in their way of living and also in their life cycle rituals.

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Birth In both groups, ceremony of chathi is performed after child birth. It is performed after 5 days in case of male child and 4 days in case of female child. On this day a dayan ties mauli at the wrists and waist of the child and also around the neck in case of a female child. A feast is also given to the neighbours and the kutumb people. After seven days naming ceremony of the child is performed. Earlier fui (father’s sister) used to name the child and usually the children used to be named according to the day or month on which they are born. But these days, people go to Brahman to get janampatri made and he tells the rashi by which the name should start. New mother is neither allowed to work or go outside the house for 45 days and both the mother and the baby are kept separate. Among Dublas, fui still plays an important role during chhathi, nampari (naming) and mundan (tonsure) ceremonies. Marriage Marriage rituals in both the study groups are highly influenced by the practices of higher strata with some local differences. Earlier in Dhodia marriages there used to be no participation of Brahmans as told by some elderly people. There used to be no mangal-phere either. The day of marriage was not decided by mahurat instead both the parties used to decide on a date and fix it as the wedding date. Instead, presence of a turiwala (usually a Dhodia Patel) was used to be important. There used to be a ceremony of peethi performed by the bhabhi at both girl’s and boy’s place which is still followed. Female used to take ‘jaan’ or baraat to the boy’s place where they were made to sit on a charpai and ceremony of cheda was performed. The symbols of marriage for a woman are gaathi (a necklace of black beads), kanku (sindoor) etc. The girl used to wear a red saree and the boy used to wear a white dhoti and a knee-length kurta. There was a practice of carrying of sword by the boy. This practice is taken to be as a reminiscence of Rajput blood by some. Tur is no more an important aspect of a marriage and has been somewhat replaced by other modern musical instruments such as banjo etc. Dhodias are largely monogamous but sometimes polygyny is also practiced. Sagai/ chandla is held before the marriage where the family of the groom gives lapsi to the bride. There is also the custom of doing peethi ceremony and shantak before the marriage.

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Dubla practice adult marriage and Kari Ganthi (marriage pendant) is their marriage symbol for woman. Others are kanku, sakda (payal), booti etc. In Dubla marriages earlier there used to be no participation of Baman and no concept of phere either. Instead a Dholiwala used to come and perform the lagn vidhi. Joining of hands (hastmilap) was the important ritual. The ritual that girl used to go to boy’s house for marriage in earlier days was not prevalent among the Dubla. Dholi is no more an important aspect of Dubla marriage but is still essential in marriages of Ahirs and Maachi people where the Dholiwala can still conduct marriages. They practice monogamy and bride price is prevalent in the community. The practice of carrying sword by the boy is not prevalent among them. Patrilocal and neolocal are the rules of residence after marriage but Gharjamai system is also very much prevalent.

Divorce (chutta-cheda/fargati) is granted on the grounds of adultery, cruel treatment, neglect of household jobs, barrenness and witch craft in both the communities. Of all the tribes in Gujarat, Dubla has recorded the highest 1% of their total population as divorced/ separated. Remarriage (Natra) can take place through devar-batu (junior levirate) and chaali-lagna (junior sororate). Widow remarriages are also allowed.

Cross cousin marriage and parallel cousin marriages are prohibited in both the groups. The rule of exogamy is applied to the extent that no marriage can take place between four ascending generations from both father’s and mother’s side. Death Among Dhodias, in earlier days at the time of death, bhagat used to dance near the dead body. Whether the body was cremated or buried depended on the financial situation of the family. It was found after talking to the aged people that several generations ago, norm was to bury the dead and cremation is a relatively recent practice. In both communities, during rites of passage, women cover their head and men tie a cloth around their waist. Till the twelfth day after death, a lamp is lighted in the name of the dead person and on the twelfth day pitra poojan is done. In this tulsi-ropan is done for appeasing the atma (soul) and a feast is given. They do not go to

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any place to perform the yearly rites for the dead. Instead some of them make bhutdas of wood in name of the dead ancestors and place them in a separate area outside the house. These are not found in every house. People who have them worship them daily and also on all auspicious occasions and believe that if they don’t worship them something bad will happen. Same figures are known as khatra among Dubla. Among Dubla, shraadh is held every year but there is no involvement of Brahmins.

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Figure 2.3: A city dwelling father and daughter belonging to Dubla Tribe

Figure 2.4: A Dhodia Family

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Figure 2.5: Brahma Dev in his Abode

Figure 2.6: Ghummads and Horses offered to the God

chapter 2 area and people

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