A Forgotten Hero Named Jassa

Pankaj: There was some kind of consensus building mechanism among Jat tribes whereas Rajput was strictly based on heirarchy of elites. The term, Jat Sarv(all) Khap(Clan Brotherhood) Mahapanchayat(Great Assembly) suggest this Jat tradition clearly. It was their form of democracy, which compressed the caste system among them and intermarrying was possible among different castes. It did not go well with strong Brahmanical traditions of the Ganges valley. That is probably one of the main reason for most Jat clans supporting the Kaurava, the loser, in the battle of Kurkshetra (Mahabharata).

Why did Jats put up such a resistance to Timur?

The terrible carnage inflicted by Mahmud Ghaznavi on the Jat populace (women and children) after his defeat of the Jats in the Battle of the Indus River where he had equipped his boats with long spears under the waterline to puncture the attacking Jat boats. This must have left an indelible mark on the Jat memory and many of these Jat clans must have been those who had survived the Ghazni onslaught and migrated deeper into the sub-continent. The Ghaznavi raids deeper inside sub-continent were impossible due to Rajput strength and nearness to other Hindu fortified capital cities like Bhatnair along with nearness to the Imperial capital of Dehli which had emerged as the Center of power by 10th Century AD (by the way, the treatment meted out to the people of Bhatnair by Timur after their brave stand is one of the cruelest and gruesome in the history of sub-continent).

The Jat power continued declining since the time of Mahabharata and Rajputs became stronger and stronger. It was after Ghaznavi attacks that Jats started to reemerge because of their concentration in the important areas along the path of foreign invaders. The Rajput Power in North India had been completely eclipsed in the process due to two new entrants in the region-Delhi sultanate and the migrating Jat Clans from lower Sindh settling along the Northern plains and Rivers.

The reemergence of Rajput Power by 1526 AD under Rana Sanga of Mewar or Chittor was from Rajasthan. It again declined under Mughal rule and Jats reemerged as the most powerful in the late 17th and early 18th centuries under Ranjit Singh in Punjab.

Sameer

The thing I found most interesting in your description of Jat-Timur struggle was that the Jats had some kind of crude republican-democratic set up to make decisions for their clans. I was reminded of the Lichchavis who in 6th century AD, attempted to evolve a democratic set up similar to the ones Romans adopted later. Lichchavis resided in what is now Northern Bihar in sixth century BC. The Lichchavi ruled area was called a Mahajanpada or ``the great republic``. Its chief representative who was elected by its constituent units was called the `Ganaraja`. It had also a king but he was only a constitutional head. The king depended on the advice and the consent of the ganarajas in ruling the country. There was unanimity among the Lichchavis of Vaishali.They took decisions on all big questions after consultations. It was different from a Maha Panchayat of Jats in the sense that it was also a politically and mitarily well knit unit. The Lichchavi was rated among the best nobilities of India at that time.

Ajatshatru, the great king of Magadha made several attempts to defeat this coalition but he remained unsuccessful. Finally it is said that he did succeed in subduing Lichchavis by creating dissensions between its various ganarajas after a bloody 16 years of war. This marked an end of the first experiment of a ``democratic set up`` in ancient India. Lichchavis though temporaily subdued still remained influential in Northern India. Around 250 BC, a large number of them migrated to what is now Nepal and found a glorious empire over there. It should be noted that Mahavira Jain, the founder of Jainism was related to this tribe.

Sincerely

Sameer:

Are the jats you are writing about the same ones which have entered into the Panjabi lexicon as Juts,Juttas,Ujjads & Gunvaars?

I have met sikhs & hindus from Indian Punjab & Pakistanis who have nothing but scorn & vilification for this bunch.The `Papay` sikhs especially `enlightened` me a lot about them.

Most cultured people in India avoid them because of their profuse use of filthy language,vulgar behaviour,excessive drunkardness & hegemonious boisterousness.Almost invariably,one tries to deny them rental accomodation in urban/posh areas because of their loutishness.(Some early Indian movies had this as `jokes` too---watch `Parosan` for e.g)

Wasn`t Ranjeet Singh,a jat,a dacoit & marauder before becoming a Raja?Didn`t he kill his mothers` paramour when he caught them `in the act`?

A comment from the other side would perhaps be more credible & `authentic`.

Sameer #86

Man! You appear to be a walking Encyclopedia. Although I know this ``google`` thing is very effective but even then it demands considerable time and patience going through a number of articles and select the proper one. You are doing a terrific job of educating a lot of people including me. I never knew all these details about Jats and Rajputs although I am myself one:-). Keep posting interesting stuff.

Sincerely

Here is another example of people resistance against tyranny in India. I copied it from another site which I frequently visit. The interacts at this site display a great deal of Jat pride and therefore you will see that people referred in the following attachment are specifically Jats but Chowk readers can take it as an example of the people of sub-continent.

Another Page From History of People’s Struggle Against Tyranny

Do you know about Timur`s campaign in India and why he singled out Jats as one of the targets of his offensive? It had to do with the intense organized opposition that he faced from Jats closer to Delhi. As he entered sub-continent from the Bolan Pass he came via Multan bypassing North Punjab towards Delhi. Lahore at this time was such a poor city that he did not even bother to loot it. He was looking at the prize of Delhi.

But towards Delhi, across from Multan and North of Hissar, 50km north west of Hansi near Tohana in present day Haryana across from River Ghaggar, the Jats were waiting. A Sarv Khap Maha-panchayat of Jats was held, which decreed on all Jat Khaps to provide warriors -20,000 select troops thus waited in ambush for Timur`s army as it crossed Ghaggar. On one side was the dense Jungle and on other the River.

The 100,000 men of Timur’s army outnumbered the 20,000 Jats. But why did the Khap Mahapanchayat decide on this suicidal battle. The records are scanty but the Maha panchayat went on among clan elders and representatives for a whole day deliberating on a plan of action. Maybe it was to provide a cover for all the Jat villages lying between Hansi and Delhi to escape towards the deserts of Rajasthan or up north into the Jungle Desh of Malwa presently Patiala region. Many Jat migrations towards North Punjab took place at such cataclysmic times .

The battle was so bloody that Timur lost more man than ever before in his campaigns and the Jats too fought to the last. In fact according to historical sources Timur lost more men than the Jat army and it was a proper battle. Its here that Timur refers to Jats as devils incarnate. So angry was Timur that he razed the fort and town of Hissar to the ground and destroyed each and every Jat village that he found on his way to Delhi.

Fearing another Jat ambush Timur did not go back the Same way that is through Rohtuk and Hansi but crossed the Yammuna into Muzzfarnagar - the ancestral land of so many Punjab Jat Clans like Dhillons and else.

Here again a Jat Sarv Khap Maha Panchayat was held. I do not recollect the name of the Place mentioned by Historian Irfan Habib, may be it was Shamlee. But again the Jats organized an army of select troops of 20 000 strong. Timur had a running battle with them. He crossed Yammuna again in the North and then traveled along the foot hills to Lahore and then to Kyber Pass. Timur was no Nadir Shah, he was a world conqueror who had crushed the Ottoman Turks at Ankara and the Mongol Golden Horde in Russia. To challenge his might and bloody his nose in a face to face battle was surely a great deed of Jats.

The Delhi Sultnate had little control over this dense network of Jat Khaps from the fear of revolts. The Sultans did not try any conversions here. But also the weakness of the Jats was that they were not organized in a state but under Republican institutions like the Sarv Khap Panchayats, which responded only under times of great crisis. Hence the Jats were bereft of any long-term leadership. This also explains why Delhi Sultans seldom took on the Jats and why Jats seldom took on the Dehli Sultans as both sides were strong enough only to deter each other not threaten each other`s existence.

Organized leadership came first under Bharatpur Jats like Raja Ram Jat, Badan Singh or Suraj Mal-Jaswant Singh or Jawahar Singh (died 1776) and then in Punjab under Ranjit Singh who finished the anarchy of the Misls to forge a state. The state power made the fragmented republican Jat Power into concentrated organized power that took Jats from being simply peasant warriors to a ruling class. But Jats remained egalitarian or a believer in equality due to that Republican spirit and brotherhood of the past.

Dear A. Gnostic: Tusi kithey ho badshaho. MaiN kal he soch reha saN ke yar baqi sari sociology dey professor aithey naiN per apna banda ghaib ho gaya hey. kadi kadi deedar kara ditta karo, ya thuadey godey gittey dabaney paun gay. Na tusi na zeemax, ``aik saal maiN kya ho gaya zamaney ko``. Nawaz Sharif Al-Nawaz Sharif Ibn Abbaji ban gaya te Musharraf sahb wee A`la-Hazrat ban gaye naiN. Thanks to interactions with you and Zeemax, I am addicted to interaction here. Please say something from your il`m, tajarba te andooni gallaN.

Khush raho te wasdey ho par kadi kadi jhalak dikha ditta karo........Sameer

dost-mitter: There is only one Malika Pukhraj, the same who sung Hafeez Jullundhari`s Abhi to maiN jawan hooN and many many ghazalas. More about the khatri-Jat-Rajput material this evening....hopefully.

Post # 81 & Post #78 :

Cease Fire? Wise move!!!


Sameer:
A Correction: S.M.Zafar is Tahira Sayyed`s brother.in.law and not her uncle. Roshanae` Zafar is Tahira Sayyed`s niece and S.M.Zafar`s daughter -- a family of lawyers: S.M Zafar, Tahira Sayyed and Naeem Bokahri(her charming, intelligent,sweet & witty ex-hubby). Unlike the aunt and grandmother, Roshaneh`s vocal chords are terrible. Ukhh.!!! We used to have a regular shamae` ghazal in our college. It was a pleasure to listen to Tahira Sayyed live gungunao-fying:

Urstruly #78: You are right. Pothowari is much to the northwest of Pahari. I got confused here with Pahari geets sung by Malika Pukhraj and Tahira Syed. Tahira Syed is niece of a former law minister, S. M. Zafar who is from Kahuta or Sehala in district Rawalpindi. Anyway, huzoor ghalti ke liye ma`zrat khwah.

dost-mitter: Also listen to late Pathaey Khan singing Bulleh Shah`s or Khawaja Ghulam Farid`s poetry. You will definitely enjoy listening to a different dialect of Punjabi.

Dulla Bhatti: Thanks for your last post. Jaspal Bhatti is really funny. Have you seen movie ``Mahaul Theek Hey``?

Sameer: Da`a`wt-e-fik`r, as usual.

YLH #3, Zahra #6, Hamidm #8, Dionysis #10: It was emotional to come to the Chowk-- on way onwards; to see your names/posts, much more so.

Khush r`ho aur zinda r`ho!

[Zahra: There was a very good movie titled ``Puran Bhagat`` in the early to middle `40s. Somewhere, in one of the multiverses, a print of it must be available. History you already know. See it for its {social} contextual significance].

A Gnostic

Dullah Bhatti #77

I haven`t followed this discussion for the last few days, but a few comments....

``I wonder why Bhatti sikhs are not considered equal to jatts sikhs in the caste ladder unlike Minhas and Tiwanas.``

I don`t know what the reasons for that are in East Punjab, but in West Punjab Bhatti is a big, important and prestigious tribe. Bhattis are at the top of the Rajput hierarchy in West Punjab in the same way that tribes such as Tiwana and Sial are at the top of the Jatt hierarchy. In the past, Bhattis often shared control of the Sandal/Neeli Bar with the Sials and other Jatt tribes of the area and so to maintain harmony Bhatti sardars and Jatt sardars used to intermarry.

``Among the tribes believed to be Rajput only 3 of them are prominent among Sikhs: Minhas, Tiwana and Bhatti. Rest of the Sikhs are either Jatts or Khatris. Jatt Sikhs usually marry within jatts but Minhas and Tiwanas are considered Jatts for all

practical purposes including marriages. Lot of Sikhs don`t even know that Minhas and Tiwana Sikhs were once Rajputs.``

Tiwanas are Jatts both in origin and in modern-day identity. We bought some land in Sargodha which is Tiwana territory and I`ve lived among the Tiwanas of Shahpur - a really impressive group of men. Most Minhas in Central Punjab call themselves Jatt for political and social reasons but they do retain memories of their Rajput origins. Minhas in Pindi-Potohar don`t claim to be Jatt at all.

SameerJB # 76

Pahari is not a Potohari language. It is spoken in South East Kashmir; the areas on top of Gordaspur-which are far away from potohar. Potohar starts from the west bank of Jehlum.

Among the tribes believed to be Rajput only 3 of them are prominent among Sikhs: Minhas, Tiwana and Bhatti. Rest of the Sikhs are either Jatts or Khatris. Jatt Sikhs usually marry within jatts but Minhas and Tiwanas are considered Jatts for all practical purposes including marriages. Lot of Sikhs don`t even know that Minhas and Tiwana Sikhs were once Rajputs. Interestingly it is not the same about Bhattis. They are called Bhatti jatts in East Punjab and they don`t marry in jatts and vice versa except in rare cases. I wonder why Bhatti sikhs are not considered equal to jatts sikhs the caste ladder unlike Minhas and Tiwanas.

Former Speaker of Punjab assembly SS Minhas, prominent Punjabi story writer Dr. Dalip Kaur Tiwana and Jaspal Bhatti(commedian) are very prominent personalities in East Punjab.

dost-mitter #75: It does not take much these days to search a topic or personality on the web with so many search engines. It is my pleasure to be able to interact and entertain simultaneously as a host.

Solstice is certainly on 22nd December. I think lohri might have to with first full moon after winter solstice. Basant is similarly about arrival of spring or regeneration. Believe me, I am learning most from all the interaction from well-informed people like yourself. Growing up in cities like Rawalpindi-Islamabad, I missed all the folk festivities and remained ignorant of all aspects of Punjab-no Punjabi language, music, festivals, history except for few Punjabi movies.

Having lived in Pothowar-Gandhara, Pahari is not an alien language for me. You said it right, that most pahari songs are about men folks going to work in plains or in the military. Two of the well-known Pakistani singers (mother-daughter) have pahari roots in Rawalpindi district and you must listen to Mulika Pukhraj-Tahira Syed singing Pahari geets. One of their cassette titled Pahari geets is widely available and couple of years ago, I visited ``lok virsa`` in Islamabad. They had the best collection of folk music from around the country though their recording quality is not upto standard.

Regards,

Sameer

Dulla Bhatti and dost-mitter: It is really much less important if all the mythical and folkore characters are real. Just like religious figures, they achieve virtual reality, irrespective of exaggeration to otherwise a simple love story. In the case of Heer-Ranjha, there is enough literature to back up the love story. In time different authors add and subtract according to the needs of time and have their own literary contribution added to it. The Heer`s grave is well-known place outside Jhang Saddar and many people visit there. I do not know if that is also later addendum to the story or not.

There was a time during fifties when sials would not allow the showing of movie ``heer sial`` in theatres in Jhang. There was an accident of firing at the screen also but later on Pakistani movie ``heer ranjha`` was shown there without any incident. Similarly Ranjhas are real people still living across the river Chenab in district Sargodha, though not as powerful as sial.

There are lot less additions made in heer ranjha poetry than others, and it is pretty much fixed now. You can listen to Mirza Jat from Daler Mehndi or Surjit Bhindrakhia with their own versions of verses added. Same is the case with most other folklore such as ``jind mahi je chalyoN.....`` (this is one of my favorite)

Lohri is not as popular in Pakistan as India, though most villagers know about it and some celebrate. I have copied some material about it just now from couple of websites.

Lohri marks the culmination of winter, and is celebrated on the 13th day of January in the month of Paush or Magh, a day before Makar Sankranti. For Punjabis, this is more than just a festival, it is also an example of a way of life. Lohri celebrates fertility and the spark of life. People gather round the bonfires, throw sweets, puffed rice and popcorn into the flames, sing popular songs and exchange greetings.

An extremely auspicious day, Lohri marks the sun`s entry in to the `Makar Rashi` (Northern Hemisphere). The period, beginning from 14 January lasting till 14 July, is known as Uttarayan. It is also the last day of the month of Maargazhi, the ninth month of the lunar calendar. The Bhagawad Gita deems it an extremely sacred and auspicious time, when Lord Krishna manifests himself most tangibly. And so, across India, people celebrate the month and the prodigious harvest it brings - Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Bihu in Assam, Bhogi in Andhra Pradesh and the Sankranti in Karnataka, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

The focus of Lohri is on the bonfire. The traditional dinner with makki ki roti and sarson ka saag is quintessential. The prasad comprises of five main things: til, gazak, gur, moongphali, phuliya and popcorn. There is puja, involving parikrama around the fire and distribution of prasad. This symbolizes a prayer to Agni, the spark of life, for abundant crops and prosperity.

It is also the one day when the womenfolk and children get attention. The first Lohri of a bride is extremely important. The first Lohri of a newborn baby, whether a girl or a boy, is also equally important. Children go from door to door singing and asking for the Lohri prasad.

Ringing out the cold

By Peeyush Agnihotri

Sunder mundriye..., bonfires, peanuts and gachak. Lohri, which usually falls on January 13 (Pausa) every year, is more than just a festival. It is about fun, celebration and the coming together of all, big and small.

The day begins with children collecting money from houses in the neighborhood. In the evening, winter savouries are served around a bonfire. Celebrated enthusiastically in Haryana, Punjab and parts of Himachal Pradesh, it also signifies the beginning of the end of winter.

Children go from door to door singing songs in praise of Dulha Bhatti, a Punjabi version of Robin Hood who robbed the rich and helped the poor. These ``visitors`` are given either money or gachak, bhuga, til, moongphali, gur and rewri.

A bonfire is lit and everyone gathers around it. Munchies, collected from each house, go around the party and are also thrown into the fire.

Song

of

Lohri

Sunder mundriya …ho

Tera kaun vichara..ho

Dulla Bhatti walla…ho

Dulle ne ti viahiyi…ho

Saer Shakar payi…ho

Kudi de boje payee…ho

Shallu kaun samete…ho

Chacha galee dese…ho

Chache choori kutee…ho

Zamindaran lutee…ho

Zamindara sidaye…ho

Gin-gin pole layee…ho

Ik pola reh gaya…ho

Sipahi farh ke lei gaya…ho

Aakho mundao…taana…

Mukai da dana…

Aana lei ke jana…

The festival assumes greater significance if there has been a happy event in the family during the elapsed year, like the birth of a male child or marriage.

The family then plays host to relations and friends wherein the eats take a back seat and merry-making takes over. Move on folks! It is then time for bhangra, dhol, gidda and light-hearted flirtation. Liquor flows freely and guests are served dinner. But then liquor is a modern introduction and is not customary and celebrations depend on how much does the pocket allow.

A popular belief in this region is that if someone seeks a radish roasted in the bonfire lit by a family that has reason to celebrate, then blessings are bestowed on the family of the seeker as well.

Geographically speaking, the earth leans towards the sun along the Tropic of Capricorn (Makara rekha) from the day following Lohri, also known as Winter Solstice. The earth, farthest from the sun at this point of time, starts its journey towards the sun along its elliptical orbit, thus heralding in the onset of spring. It is this transition which is celebrated as Lohri in northern India, Makara sankranti in the central part of the country and as Pongal-Sankranti in South India.

The festival is spread over three days in South India and also signifies the beginning of harvesting. A rath yatra is taken out from the Kandaswamy temple in Chennai on Pongal.

The day is celebrated as Ganga-Sagara in West Bengal and according a belief, Hindus purify their sins by taking bath in the Ganges. A big fair is also held on the Sagara Island, 64 km from the Diamond harbour where the Ganga meets the Bay of Bengal.

Call it Lohri, Pongal or Sankranti, the festival conveys the same message -- the bond of brotherhood and the spirit of oneness should prevail despite all odds.

Amit: Khokhar is pretty big tribe. There are Sunnis, Shias, Qadyanis, Christians and possible Sikhs and Hindus also. I thought Riaz Khokhar did pretty good job for Pakistan after the nuclear tests by India and Pakistan. He was quite articulate in making Pakistani case. Here are couple of more tidbits how people at influential places deal privately with their cultural kins.

Nawaz Sharif and I. K. Gujral had many private and friendly telephone conversations and talked in Punjabi. Gujral had a history of association with leftist Urdu intellectuals from his days in Lahore and would often liked to bring up the topic of Faiz or Sibt-e-Hassan who were his friends. Nawaz knew and cared little about them but he knew lot more about the affairs, songs and gossips about Indian movie industry to which Gujral had little knowledge.

According to an eyewitness, Brig (retd) Baqir Siddiqui, both gen. Niazi and gen. Jagjit Singh Arora were trading dirty Punjabi jokes with each other and laughing like crazy in the officer`s mess, just after signing the surrender document. I am sure they must have also been sharing Sikh jokes.

I am not sure if Khizar Hayat Tiwana is considered a Jat or a Rajput by Punjabis. Here is another fella whose place in history is not yet fully decided. Right now it is all bad for him, more like Ghaffar Khan, G. M. Syed and Abdul Samad Achakzai (from NWFP, Sindh and Baluchistan). Some day history and people might treat them as neutral or even good. Khizar Tiwana and Unionists were mostly Jat and Rajput feudals from Punjab, although Chotu Ram was not a big landlord. They cared less for India or Pakistan and more for Britain and undivided Punjab.

He was no match with the political pundits of Congress and ML and Unionists faied miserably in the 1946 election on the basis of separate electorates on religion basis. Even after failing he was able to put together a coalition government but resigned unexpectedly at the wake of ML agitation in Punjab. Some believe that had he not resigned, the independence would have delayed and the outcome might have been different.

On top of that, being a feudal and feudalism getting all the bad wrap for all the ills in Pakistani society, his status is not going to improve anytime soon. The military, bureaucracy, mullahs, leftists and intellectuals have all washed their hands from sharing any blame by conveniently blaming it on feudalism and feudals. The problem with the feudal is that they know very well how to rule but do not know how to represent. This leads to a status quo in democracy and development. The politicians, on the other hand neither know how to rule or how to represent-only interested in loot and plunder as a mean for gratification. The military and mullahs demand total submission a necessity for rule and care little about representation. The leftists, labor leaders and populists are good at representing but do not know how to rule. In this kind of no win situation a frog trying to get out of the well is sure to fall in the gutter next to a well. This is how I see it.

Under such circumstances, I favor rule, rule of law and electoral democracy as the most appropriate starting point, hoping to see some feudal learning how to represent. We have seen enough of failures of national level party governments (PPP, PML, martial law) backed by powerful troika. That is why, a coalition of Jat-Rajput feudal in Punjab, a similar group in Sindh and tribal leaders from Baluchistan and NWFP with the addition of regionalists as a formidable and stabilizing force, to rule Pakistan. A coalition of such forces will not depend upon the dictates of ISI, MI, IB or bureaucracy who can make and break at will.

The ideal situation would be a democractic set-up with rulers knowing both ruling and representing. We should strive for that. However, until that happens, a group (feudal) who have perfected the art of ruling over centuries in the local conditions is better than a group who knows nothing and only interested in self-fulfilling.

Pankaj: thanks for another great post. We have previously discussed the effects of internal and external gratitude and the resulting status quo on progress scale in the history of sub-continenet. It is very important to have a balance between these two areas. Too much importance of internal (spiritual) gratitude makes external (material) gratitude less important-that is bad. I do not know about Hindus but among Muslims it is believed that current mortal life is temporary and one should work towards eternal life which will come after Qayamat. This has led to keep people humble despite poor conditions.

In Europe, the importance of hard work towards achieving a better life was realized by protestant revolution-the Lutherans, Calvinists, non-Conformists, Quakers, Methodists, Presbyterians. They saw a good external life better for good internal life. I think we should adopt similar philosophy toward life. If you do not try to change conditions in this life, you are not gonna get any better in afterlife(?) also.

Religion and spirituality to me is something you deeply love for a variety of reasons but it is also a kind of love that does not require keep investing in it. A person can be in love with antiques, kept safely in mind and in safe place at home. But then you go on living your normal life dictated by reason and logic. Hey, I deeply love my stamps collection from early childhood and all the collection is kept safely at my family home in Islamabad. I will probably never like to discard it, yet it is not determining rest of my life in any way.

Basically internal must be comletely detached from external. The external is what matters in the collective health of a nation. Hopefully, we will get more chances to interact about why sub-continent left behind and sitting on a ticking time bomb-the disproportionate large number of children and youth who will be entering the market in droves in the coming years. How are we going to cope with it?