Chambhar

Chambhar is caste from Indian state of Maharashtra, and Northern Karnataka. Their traditional occupation was leather work.[1] Historically subject to untouchability, they were traditionally outside the Hindu ritual ranking system of castes known as varna. Castes with similar traditional occupation are found throughout the Indian subcontinent such as Chamar in Northern india, and Mochi in Gujarat.

Chambhar
Regions with significant populations
Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa, Punjab, jammu and kashmir, Himachal pradesh, West Bengal
Languages
Marathi, Konkani, Varhadi dialect, gurmukhi, Indo aryan
Religion
Hinduism, Ravidasia, Lingayatism, Sikhism, Buddhism

History

Chambhars have made many contributions in religious and reform movements by Santbai.[2]

Maratha era

Chambhars as the cobbler of the village formed one of the twelve hereditary village servants under the Bara Balutedar system of Maharashtra.[3][4] Historically, Chambhars are related to leather work and are landless but gradually their women engaged in midwifery and agricultural labour.[5]

Culture and society

Chambhars in Maharashtra follow Hinduism. They also revere Bhakti Sant Rohidas who is also a holy saint of Sikhs, and his 41 hymns are incorporated in Guru Granth Sahib.[6]

Social status

Chambhars enjoyed better position unlike their counterparts of other states, e.g – Chamars of North India, Madigas of Andhra Pradesh, etc. Even they were part of mainstream business of local markets and economically well-off.[7]

Currently, Chambhars are in different fields and after the introduction of the reservation policy in India it helped a lot of them to improve their lifestyle.

They fall under Scheduled Caste category in the states of Maharashtra and Karnataka.[8]

Notables


See also

References
  1. Sharma, C. L. (1996). Social Mobility Among Scheduled Castes: An Empirical Study in an Indian State. M.D. Publications Pvt. Ltd. ISBN 978-81-7533-015-3.
  2. Nadkarni, M. V. (18 June 2019). Socio-Economic Change and the Broad-Basing Process in India. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-000-08477-1.
  3. Deshpande, Arvind M. (1987). John Briggs in Maharashtra: A Study of District Administration Under Early British Rule. New Delhi, India: Mittal Publications. pp. 127: The Chambhar or cobbler was found only in the larger villages. They held almost no rent-free land. Their total holding of rent free land in Khandesh was only 14 bighas. They had grain perquisites at the rate of the claim of the Sutar.
  4. Patil, S., 2020. Hegemonic Past: Exclusion of Subaltern Histories in NCERT Textbooks. ANTYAJAA: Indian Journal of Women and Social Change, 5(1), pp.9-21.
  5. Sinha, Surajit (1993). Anthropology of Weaker Sections. Concept Publishing Company. p. 311. ISBN 978-81-7022-491-4. In the village the Beldar, Jain, Koli-Mahadeo, Lingayat, Chambhar, Muslim, and Panchal families are landless and among them the Jain, Koli-Mahadeo, Lingayat, and Panchal families and one Muslim are immigrants. Except these immigrants, one Brahman family, two Mali families, a few Maratha families, one Sonar, one Dhangar and one Teli are also immigrants. The head of the Jain, Koli-Mahadeo, Lingayat, Panchal, Brahman, one Mali and Maratha immigrant families are school teachers, another Mali is a village doctor, one Muslim is a forest rounder, one Maratha is a veterinary doctor and one Dhangar is an attendant in the veterinary hospital in the village. These employees are not considered as poor villagers because, they are having landed property at their native places. Formerly, the Beldar family was moving from one village to another wherever they used to get traditional jobs. In this village this family has settled for the last six years. And they get job from the villagers every month. But by this income they cannot maintain their family properly. The Muslim and the Chambhar are living in this village for generations together but they are not having cultivable land. The Muslim are traditionally butchers and get balut (annual payment) from the villagers for their job. They are also the agricultural labourers in this village. Through these two sources of income they cannot maintain their family properly and are passing days under hardships. These three Muslim families come under poorer section in the village. The Chambhar also are not having cultivable land in the village. They are still practicing their traditional occupation i.e., making new shoes or repairing the old ones. For performing traditional jobs in the village they get balut per year from the villagers. They also work as farm servants to the landowning cultivators in the village and perform their traditional jobs outside the village. Whatever they earn through traditional occupation and agricultural labour, is not sufficient for them to maintain their families. They are very poor in the village.
  6. Waghmare, B.S., 2009. Political Inequality Among Dalits: A Case of Maharashtra. Voice of Dalit, 2(2), pp.177-200.
  7. Sadangi, Himansu Charan (2008). Emancipation of Dalits and Freedom Struggle. Gyan Publishing House. ISBN 978-81-8205-481-3.
  8. DH News Service (13 January 2018). "The rising Dalit anger". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  9. Srinivasalu Reddy, B. S. (21 November 2011). "Dalit Inc gets leg up from Milind Kamble". India Today. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  10. Guha, Ramachandra (2012), Mills, James (ed.), "'The Moral that can be Safely Drawn from the Hindus' Magnificent Victory': Cricket, Caste and the Palwankar Brothers", Subaltern Sports: Politics and Sport in South Asia, Anthem Press, pp. 83–106, doi:10.7135/upo9781843317609.005, ISBN 978-1-84331-760-9
  11. "India's first Dalit cricketer Palwankar Baloo fought against caste barriers on the field and off it". Hindustan Times. 16 September 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  12. "The 'Untouchable' Cricketer Who Challenged the British & His Fellow Countrymen". The Better India. 18 September 2018. Archived from the original on 4 June 2020. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  13. Bytes, Corporate (4 May 2017). "Ashok Khade, Son of a Cobbler Now Owns a Firm with Rs 500 Cr Turnover". Corporate Bytes. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
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