~II

The Village-Sikhera

1 I

LOCATION MAP OF VILLAGE SIKHERA

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lJT'TAR PRADESH

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t ,.,.., , ..... ,' ...... I c .... ...

DISTRICT MEERUT

-----------------------~--=-==-.=-=--==--·- ·----·~- ·· ·-----~

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A Sketch Map of Settlement Pattern.

in Village Sikhera ·

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A

LEGENDS

Meiatled Road ~-'-"'"-.,.....-; l(haranja Road 1

Foot path(Pagdandi) ~r--tNala

Pond ' ~::---~Graveyard ( Shamshan)

Temple , I--'!''--1Statue (Dr.Ambedkar)

PACC3mps ~--t Factory

Tempo/ Taxi Stand ~------'.,...........School

Shops ~ .. -==.-tupper Caste Settlement

" C:l Middle Caste Settlement Muslim Settlement

1,----r--4~ Lower Caste Settlement

1 Ghera ~,----. Gossip centers

1 Agricultural lands

Sikhera lies towards north west of Meerut city (Reference: Location Map of

Village Sihhera). It is about seven kilometers away from the Meerut district,

Headquarter.The village comes under teshil Meerut for revenue purposes and

under the jurisdiction of Nyaya Panchayat of Bahcholla which includes six other

villages, besides Sikhera.

The village is situated on a plain land which. is surrounded by fields. A

metalled narrow road cuts across the fields, connecting the village with outer

civilization. The whole village is connected by kuccha roads and brick laid

pathways which often disappear during rainy season. There is no proper sewage

arrangement which aggravates sanitation.

Since 1995, after inter caste conflict in the village, Provincial Armed

Constabulary has been camping just one Kilometer away from the village. At least

ten to fifteen jawans are posted to avoid any untoward incident and to avoid

desecration of Ambedkar statue by a particular faction in the village.

History of the Village ·

Sikhera village as narrated by the elders of the village, was estabilished, Q/

aboutAthousand years back by the desendants of Prithvi Raj Chauhan. There is no

written documentation or record available regarding this. The village, is primarily

a Chauhan Rajput village with other endogamous clans (gotras) castes and

muslims living here.

The village was estabilished on a Tuesday according to an elder village

man. The story of the origin is, that after of Prithvi Raj Chauhan was defeated in

the battle fought with Mohammad Ghori, the descendants of Prithvi Raj Chauhan

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could not capture Delhi, hence they settled at different places in Western region

ncar Delhi.

One of the descendants of Prithvi Raj Chauhan, Maharaja Jasraj ruled over

the Riyasat of Gadh Harswaroop ncar Gurgaon in Haryana. Maharaj Jasraj was

continuously threatened by the attack of Turks, hence he and his family left Garh

Harswaroop to eliminate the chances of whole family being wiped away. All eight

brothers settled in eight different places, viz. Aligarh, Etah. Khurja, Mainpuri,

Saharanpur, Meerut, Bulandshahar, and Bijnore. Near Meerut, Maharaj Jasraj

established village Inchauli in north-west direction on Meerut-Bijnor road. Near

this village, many other villages were established, one of them was Sikh era.

One of the most important events in the history of the village was that

seven times the village has been razed to ground by Muslim rulers. Marathas also

plundered the village since it was known for its prosperity and beauty of its girls.

Around three hundred years back, due to rivalry Thakur Gulab Singh of nearby

village came and killed everybody in Sikhera. One pregnant Rajput lady who had

gone to stay with her parents was the lone survivor. She stayed back at her

father's house and gave birth to twins. Ball Singh and Bhopal Singh. Both sons

grew up and went to school. One day during a fight. other students teased them

about their father's identity. They both returned home and asked their mother

regarding their father. When their mother told the story, they took an oath

(sankalp) to kill the murderers of their family and get their village back. Ball Singh

and Bhopal Singh soon mastered sword fight, dual fights and Gorrilla fighting to

fulfil their oath.

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One night. they both went and killed the whole family of Thakur Gulab

Singh and came back to their mother. Contemporary Mughal ruler was informed

about the incident. The Mughal ruler called them to his court to know the reason.

When Ball and Bhopal told Badshah about the reason, he gave them their village

back. Since then, this village has been peaceful without any fight.

The village is also known in surrounding areas for its contribution to

freedom movement. Thakur Maharaj Singh1 is known as great freedom fighter and

fought against the British. He taught a lesson to many British officers who came to

the village. This he did either by defeating them in a fight, or by troubling them so

that they could not stay in the village. Another famous incident of Khushia Khatik

is that a regional collector (named Maurice) came to village on a horse carriage

Baggi of four wheels. When he got down. from the carriage, Khushia Khatik

removed one wheel and threw it in a swamp near village. When the collector came

to know about it. he asked who did the mischief. The whole village refused to

comment and insisted that Baggi came on three wheels. despite continuous bait to

villagers to punish or reward. on the condition they expose the persons who had

done it. He however had to leave without the carriage at the end.

The Raj puts and Khatiks of the village have been active participants in the

Indian Freedom Movement. The village had not only contributed through its

leaders but was also trusted refuge for sought after revolutionaries. During the

launch of Non-Coperation movement, the village often refused to pay lagan or land

revenue to the government officials. There are also instances of burning the ledgers

and government orders during the freedom movement.

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Raj puts have been providing the leadership to the village~: since they

established Sikhera. The Rajputs since the establishment of the village, had been

mukhiya or Sarpanch of Sikhera. The persons who held the position of panch of

the village included such Rajputs, Brahmins and Khatiks who were influential and

were known for their welfare services to the village.

Gokul Singh was Pradhan of the village for twenty five years. He was

known for his gentle, fair and compassionate nature and people still come to him

for settlement of disputes. Thakur Ram Singh succeeded Golul Singh and was

Pradhan till 1995. ln 1995, Ompal Balmiki was elected to the post of Pradhan of Ra.:

this village under new Panchayat l Act, 1994. The election of lower caste as

Pradhan was resented by the upper castes, specially the Rajputs as till now

Rajputs had been the Pradhans of this village. Rajputs treated village Sikhera as

their estate. their ancestors had established and nurtured.

Recent Inter-caste conDict

After Ompal Balmiki became Pradhan, he applied to the Government to

grant land for the purpose of building a school, Jai Jawan Junior High School

Number two. The School number One is managed by Rajputs. The reason given to

the government for building of school was to provide inexpensive education in the

village, specifically for children of Harijans. Hence the concerned government

authority gave the land (lying next to the School Number One) for the building of

new school. After the foundation was laid, the work was stopped by Dharmpal

Jatav with the help of local S.D.M. He claimed that land belongs to Jatavs and an

Ambedkar statue should be installed on that disputed land. The Jatavas succeeded

in getting the statue installed there. A few houses of Balmikis were also put to fire

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by some miscreants. The blame came on the upper castes who opposed lower

castes' attempt to take over village land. Pradhan Ompal Balmiki. Jaipal Khatik.

Subhash Sharma with 60 Rajputs were beaten and locked in Jail. This happened

in October. 1995. With the help of local administration. later on this land was

acqu¢red by Jatavs and the statue of Ambedkar was inaugurated by local S.D.M ..

This caused bitterness among the upper castes. backward castes and Balmikis in

Sikhera. The upper castes felt betrayed as they were always helpful and kind to the

lower castes.

Area of Village

The total area of the village is 2435.2 acres approximately, according to the

land records of the district headquarters. The cultivated land is 1496.3 acres.

Approximately 622.4 acres of land has been given on p~tta by the government to

the lower caste harijans. The residential area covered is approximately 95 acres

and the rest comes under miscellaneous use like land covered by drains. ponds.

unmettfdled roads ( Chakroad). tubewells and graveyard etc. (Table 2.1 ).

S.no Cultivable land(Bighas) Size class Total percentage

Area 1 <1 247 26.41 2 1-5 ll1 11.87 3 5-10 197 21.06 4 10-15 207 22.13 5 15-20 101 10.80 6 >20 72 7.70

Total 935 100 Note. Scale of eight bighas lS equal to five acres

Table 2.1 Cultivable land distribution of Slkhera

The village has four ponds covering 33.6 acres of village land. These are

. used by Jthobis to wash clothes. Dhimars, and Khatiks, and other cattle owners

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use these ponds clean their cattle and also as source of drinking water for cattle.

Towards the north west is graveyard (9.6 acres) used by Muslims residing in the

village. About 10% of the land in the village is owned by outsiders.(Reference: Map

of village Sikhera)

Population

The population residing in Sikhera village is approximately 4,500. The

village has five hundred and ten households. The population consists of 55% males

and 45% females. The houses in the village range from pucca houses to mud huts

with thatched roofs. The Rajputs stay towards the north west and have built

pucca houses with spacious rooms. The Brahmins also have pucca houses.

Dhimars, Khatiks. Kumhars, usually· have brick walls with thatched roof.

Sometimes, they have roof made of iron sheets. Sunars, and Banias, also have

pucca houses. Thus the affiuent castes like Rajputs, Brahmins, Banias, have pucca

houses. Most of the upper castes like Rajputs have constructed their own gheras

which function as drawing rooms in the village. These are built away from the

residences. Here tractors, cattle and grains etc. are kept and most elderly men

usually stay here. The affiuent among middle castes like Dhimars, Khatiks,

Sunars, also have their own Gheras in the village. The lower castes do not have

Gheras except for the recent pradhan, Ompal Balmiki. In Sikhera having a Ghera

in the village is related to one's prestige.

Spatial Distribution

Among the houses of Rajputs almost 90% are pucca houses and face the . ')

north west direction. Muslims are residing towards extreme east. The Brahmin's

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houses are in-between, mostly in north and west direction. Dhimars, Khatiks. and

other service castes stay towards north east. Jogi, Nai and Dhobi stay on the

outskirts of the village mainly due to occupational reasons. The Dalits stay

towards the south of the village and can be identified by their house structure. The

area where (hamars and Bhangisstay is called Chamrauti by the villagers. The •

houses of lower castes, are smaller in size and have no proper drainage system

(Reference: A Sketch Map of Village Sikhera).

Castes in Sikhera

Hindus along with Muslims reside in the village. These castes are also

divided in exogamous Gotras. There are thirteen · ·- castes of Hindus. These

Gotras are practised during the times of marriage, and social interaction. As shown

in the tables below 2.2 and 2.3, Rajput households are largest in number (226

Households). The Rajputs have established the village and most of the land is

possessed by the Rajputs in the village. The Rajputs mostly have joint families.

The average size of family is of 6-7 members among the Rajputs and the largest

have up to fifteen members. The largest individual land holding is 61 'Bigha' and

belongs to a Rajput.

The Brahmins came originally with the Rajputs and settled here in the

village. Out of twenty nine households only eleven of the households have land

and their land holding is less than an acre each. The family structure is mostly

joint with average members up to fivej six. Banias who were settled in Sikh era

originally have migrated to Muzzaffar-nagar. They have retained their land in

Sikhera which has not been leased out for the last two years and is lying fallow

presently.

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Religion/Caste Sub-caste No of Household (Gotra)

Brahmin Bhardwaj 29 Raj put i. Chauhan 202

ii. Pundir 20 iii. Gehlot 1 iv. Som 2 v. Gaud 1

Bania Vishnoi 1 Sonar Thakran 4 Nai Pathveall 2 Dhimar i. Tanwar 18

ii. Chauhan 6 Kashyap iii. Kashyaran 5

Kumhar i. Sair-Suania 22 Khatik i. Bittoria 19

ii. Titoria 1 Gadariya Bade-Hinewar 2 Dhobi Kasar 2 Jogi Nau-Rasse-Gaud 12 Chamar i. Parpia 70

ii Makhniya/Sodiye 30 iii Chamaria 14

Bhangi i. Dhumkahe 7 ii. Chautele 8 iii. Bohat 4 iv. Gehlot 15

Muslims i. Sunni 10 ii. Shia 3

Table 2.2 List of SubCastes (Gotras) as per each caste/ Religion

Presently another Bania, Vipin Bishnoi has settled in the village and has

bought land from a Rajput. He has started Navjyoti Primary School (English

Medium) in the Village. His parents and wife Neelam Aggarwal and three children

are staying in the village. Dhimar, Khatik, are the prominent middle castes, which

own dairies, tailoring shops and other petty bussiness. Some Kumhars have

migrated to city due to lack of livelihood in the village. Dhimars have recently

bought land from Rajputs, which is less than· one acre on an average. They

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mostly use land for growing cattle fodder and seasonal fruits which they sell off in

nearby market.

These castes have meagre income and are mostly in debt of Rajputs. Joint

family is also common among middle castes. Dhobi, Nai, and Jogi2 generally have

small nuclear families of four members and Chamar and Bhangi also have small

families.

The Muslims are mostly labourers and are cut off from the main village

because of less interaction. They do not participate in village activities and stay

aloof from the village. Ten households belong to Sunni sect and three households

belong to Shia sect. They claim to have settled in the village when Mughals came

to power in the region. Their children do not go to school but attend Madarsa in

nearby village Inchaulli (about lkm). The Muslims were also denied permission to

build a Mosque in the village by the Brahmins hence they visit the· Inch&lli "

Mosque, The relationship between the two communities is cordial, though strained

at times.

Family Structure in Sikbera

From the table showing family type according to caste,religion and house­

hold one can say that, the pattern of family structure. is primaril~~t family

system consists of two or more generations of family members who have joint

hearth, savings and expenditure. The members of family live beneath the same roof

and the landownership is also joint. Joint family is prevalent mostly among upper

castes. Mostly Chamars and Bhangis have nuclear family. At the most they have

widowed mother or unmarried sister staying with them. The criterion of separate

household is the separate hearth or chulha. In Rajputs, brothers usually fight over

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land leading to separate chulhas within the same house and division of

agricultural fields also.

SINo Caste Household Family type Number %of total Nuclear Joint

1 Brahmin 29 5.68 7 22 2 Raj put 226 44.23 7 219 3 Bania 1 0.20 - 1 4 Sonar 4 0.78 1 3 5 Dhimar 29 5.67 4 25 6 Kumhar 22 4.31 15 7 7 Khatik 20 3.91 15 5 8 Jogi. 12 2.35 10 2 9 Nai 2 0.39 - 2 10 Db obi 2 0.39 - 2 11 Garadiya 2 0.39 2 -12 Muslim 13 2.74 4 9 13 Chamar 114 22.31 98 16 14 Bhangi 34 6.65 1 33 15 Total 510 100 164 346

- Table 2.3 Household according to caste and family type

In the patriarchal family, as in Sikhera male members are the main decision

makers. Age and relationship with the male head also determines the woman's say

in decision making like if there is an old mother or father's sister (Bua) living with

the family, they have a say in deciding matters.

In the family, the friction between relations like mother-in-law and

daughter-in-law (Sas-Bahu), bride and sister -in-law (Nanad) or elder brother-in-

law's wife (Jetham) are common. The conflicts are on smallest of issue like on

sleeping on certain cot, or using clothes of bride by sister-in-law, or on beating of a

child, or going out of house etc.

Inter-caste marriages are not allowed among the villagers, neither sub-caste

(gotra) endogamy permitted. Any news of illicit relations is strongly condemned

and the family is excommunicated. In an incident fifteen years back a Rajput girl

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once eloped with a Sangi. (Sang performer), because of which her younger sisters

could not get married, as it brought bad name to family. Since then women in

Rajputs are not allowed to watch Sangs or cultural performances as they arc

supposed to have bad effect on women.

Muslim families are mostly joint and they are very conservative. Their

women do not interact with Hindu women. When they come out of houses.

women have to wear full black veil (Burka). Muslim women usually stay at home

and do not go out for buying vegetables, getting firewood etc. All outdoor activities

are looked after by men. Women only venture out in emergency or to visit

relatives, which is not often.

Status of Women in Sikhera

The status of women is much in consonence with traditional culture where

women excercise less freedom. Women have to listen quietly if scolded and they

can not answer back. Purdah system is practised religiously, thus curtailing the

freedom of women in Sikhera. Women in middle and lower castes are much

independent. These women mostly spend time in cleaning their houses, collecting

firewood, cooking meals, besides looking after their children and old people at

home. In a Rajput house, a Dhimar woman comes and cleans utensils, and

collects wood. Nain gets flowers and oils hair and looks after mother and the new

born child. She prepares her facial mask and does 'Loi' for new born child for

fourteen days. Jogi women act as midwife during child-birth along with Dhimar

and Chamarw o"Me n .

Women play a major role in communication pattern of the village, since

they are the main carriers of news and traditions from generation to generation.

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They are also the mainstay of family traditions and try to maintain unity in the

household. Often it is seen that till the mother is alive, the brothers try to avoid

separation and once the mother is dead, they separate their house and land.

The cultural communication is the main forte of women, since most of the

folksongs, family customs and rituals are carried on by women. Women are

involved in making the drawing for puja (chauk poorna). The various festivals, like

Rakhi, Karvachauth, Sanjhi Devi Ki Pooja3 (done by young girls for good marriage),

Tee), are celebrated by women. These cultrural occasions become ~n opportunity

for women to interact and communicate with each other. They exchange notes

about their families. and all the topics ranging from clothes, to food, children, and

relatives. These occasions are culturally important, since they are necessary for the

sustenance of communication in the village.

Mostly women are efficient in knowing about the happenings in the village

without avaikfuility of any formal means of communication. This is through the

hawkers, relatives visiting from town, children who stay mostly outside, and

neighbouring women. Women often gosssip through the holes made in the

boundary walls of the house. In the village, the news is spread through the snow­

ball effect. Above said are the informal channels of:- - -'-:~~~- communication. The

formal channels are usually used by Village Development Officer, or Pradhan, for

making certain announcements in the village. Mostly it is done through system of

anouncement (manadi) discussed in Chapter III. In this activity, Balmiki caste

men beat drum and shout out the news in the village.

The caste hierarchy is evident during ceremonies and village functions and

the manner of greeting between the castes (Mckim Mariott, D.N.Majumdar,) The

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position of one caste with the rest of the castes is seen in the light of the day-today

relations and interaction among these castes. which are symbolically represented

during interdining. acceptence of food. water and hookah.

Occupation Structure

Traditional occupations followed by different castes in Sikhera have been

given in Appendix-3 and non-traditional occupations followed by different castes

in Sikhera have been given in Table 2.4 from which one can observe the cha&ges

in the occupation structure. The land caste nexus is evident as upper castes still

own maximum land. Size of land holding of upper castes is bigger than that of

other castes. Recently the middle castes are becoming aflluent and buying land

from the upper castes who are selling under economic compulsion or due to

migration from the village. The land and cattle still remains a mark of prestige in

village. However. agriculture as profession is considered subsidiary (Sharma K.L

1997). The emphasis has shifted to salaried jobs or city jobs. Almost 65% of the

males are working in Meerut or posted outside. They visit their family on the

festivals and family functions. The upper castes have taken up service in Army,

Police and Homeguard etc. A few of them hold white collar jobs. in government

and semi-government offices and some of them are professionals like lawyers

.teachers and engineers etc. Brahmins are mostly employed in electronic business

and technicallines.Villagers working in the city, commute daily from the village.

Some even have own business like that of taxis and some have opened shops in the

village like that of cycle repairing, radio, TV repairing, ration or confectionary

shop.

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The middle castes have diversified occupation structure while retaining

their traditional occupation as subsidiary occupation or 'back-up' occupation .

Dhimars and Khatiks have converted their traditional cattle rearing business into

dairy business and are supplying milk to city dairies. Some of them are even

working as labourers in nearby brick-kilns.

SINo Non traditional occupation(in percentage) Caste Percentage Nature

1 Brahmins 93.00 Administrative services, Technician, Teacher, etc.

2 Raj puts 60.17 Armed forces, Administrative services, Taxi driving, Lawyer, Doctor, Teacher, etc.

3 Bania 100.00 School management, Teaching

4 Sunar 100.00 Post master, Accountant, Military service

5 Dhimar 80.25 Vendor, Tailoring, Home gaurds, dairy maintainence etc.

6 Kumhar 90.00 Tonga, Cycle servicing, Sweet shops, Local vet., etc.

7 Khatik 25.00 Tailoring, Brick kiln labourers, dairy maintainence, etc.

8 Jogi Nil Nil

9 Nai Nil Nil

10 Dhobi Nil Nil

11 Garadiya Nil Nil

12 Muslim 10.00 Carpenter, Cobbler, etc.

13 Chamar 68.75 Cracker shop, Confectionary shop, Class IV services, etc.

14 Bhangi 52.94 Class IV services, etc.

Table 2.4 Castes and Non-traditional occupation followed in Sikhera

The lower castes, are mostly engaged in menial work. A few Chamars who

have been given land on patta (lease) by goverment also engage in agriculture.

Mostly they work in the brick kilns nearby, some even pull rick-shaw in city on

rent and earn upto Rupees one hundred a day. 11% of Chamars are employed in

government service on the posts of peon, conductor, driver, guard etc. 5% of

Bhangis are employed as sweepeers (safai karmachan) and peons in government

offices.

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Unlike the women of Brahmin, and Rajput famiJies. women of the other

castes work and contribute to the family income. The Dhimar women make

baskets and other cane related goods which are called pal, soop (type of basket) in

the village. Khatik women rear the cattle, cut and prepare cattle fodder and Sani.

A few Khatik women have taken up tailoring uniforms and frocks of children and

Sa/war suits at home. Kumhar women help their husbands in making of earth ern

pots. Women of Sunars and Banias do not go out of the house. They only do house

work. Mostly young girls in the middle castes go out to collect wood and water

from taps in groups. Women of Harijan castes, Jogi, etc work on construction sites,

brick kilns, and on fields during harvests as wage labourers. However, the women

in middle castes and Harijans stop working once they are financially well ofT. This

was evident in middle castes such as in Dhimar. Khatik and Harijans. In Muslims

and upper caste Hindus, working outside is considered a taboo for women.

Literacy

The males are more literate than females. 54 ;% of males are literates

whereas only lJ;% of females are literate. In the lower castes only~·S% are semi

literate, who can read and write their names. Illiteracy is prevm/nt among above

fifty years age group in, males and females both.

Castes Literate Total Semi-literate Total Illiterate Total Male Female Male Female Male Female

Upper 31.0 12.0 43.0 14.0 5.0 19.0 20.0 1go 38.0 Middle 15.0 1.0 16.0 6.0 2.0 8.0 28.0 48.0 76.0 Muslims 4.0 Nil 4.0 3.0 Nil 3.0 40.0 53.0 93.0 .. . Lower 4.0 Nil 4.0 2.5 1.0 3.5 39.5 53.0 9~h5"

""

Table 2.5 Literacy Rate in Sikhera (in percentage)

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There is no emphasis on women's literacy. Efforts have been made by a few literate

villagers to start adult education school, but this has not been encouraged by the

villagers. The given table 2. 5 shows that the upper and middle castes have

maximum literates. Among elderly females, only upper caste females are literates,

since some of them come from urban and well ofT families and are married in this

village. c.h.~ 1.ol1e ?1....

Jn the village about 75% of/join primary school, out of whom only

about 45% join junior high schools, and 40% high schools and intermediate

colleges. Thus drop out rate is very high at primary school stage. Mostly upper

caste girls go out for higher studies. Only two Rajput girls have done graduation

and post graduation. Parents of these girls consider this as a handicap for their

marriage, since the parents find it difficult to get suitable grooms for such educated

girls.

Public Institutions and facilities

i)Schools

There are two Hindi medium Junior High Schools. which are owned by a

Raj put family. One school is for boys and one is for girls. There are five teachers

who come from town to teach in these schools. Both the schools have two shifts

one in the morning from 9.30 am to 1.30 pm and other 2.30 pm-5.00 pm for the

convenience of children coming from other villages to Sikhera.

There is one Hindi Medium primacy school. The school has narrow long

benches. One English Medium primary school has been started by Vishnoi. His

wife, and one other teacher comes from town ~o teach in this school. This school

has become quite popular in the village.

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The attendence in the village schools is poor and the drop out rate is also

high among boys as was evident from school record. The schools have big

compounds with swings and other playing facilities. These are used even after

school hours as play grounds in the evenings.

The teachers are also irregular in attending the school. The boys in Sikhera,

do graduation,post graduation or diploma and other courses of higher education

from Meerut city or other centers of higher education.

ii) Village Panchayat

The Village Panchayat had no official building till 1995.Formerly the

Panchayat office was established in the house of the Pradhan and other officials sat

in the outer rooms of the Pradhan house. The Panchayat has undertaken

developmental works such as installing water taps, constructing roads, digging

tube wells, and . making arrangement of medical facility. There is no primary

health centre in the village. Panchayat posses}s an old radio, and a black and

white TV. All these, however; are disfunctional and are lying unused.

According to the official records, radio was bought in 1969 and TV came

in village in 1987 under a Development Programme Scheme. This was the first TV

in the village. There are no telephone facilities in the village, though a proposal

has been sent for sanctioning the installation of a telephone.

iii) Post oDJce

The postal facilities are available to the villagers from the Meerut

Cantonment Post Office and letters are brought by the postman in Sikhera. The

present postman in the village has been distributing letters for the last fifteen years .

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and is a resident of the village. The work of distribution of letters is easy for him as

he knows every one in the village.

According to the village postman Jai Bhagwan Verma. the volume of letters

in the village has increased as the contact with town has become more and also

because many villagers have left village for study, business and work outside.

Government. circulars, and orders often come for Panchayat Pradhan and other

village officials.

Due to preva• .:lence of illiteracy. " among women the letters are mostly

written by children and literate members of family. Illiterate people dictate letters

to literate people in the village for sending messages. The letters going outside have

also increased as many villagers stay outside or have migrated from Sikhera

leaving parents and families at home.

iv) Temples

There are two temples in the village. One is a Shiva temple belonging to

the upper castes. This temple is in the upper caste locality and Harijans are not

allowed to enter in this temple. In 1994, Harijans constructed their own temple.

Formerly. they had two stones under a peepal tree which were worshipped by

them. The temple is in the north of chamrauti. The lower caste temple is painted

red and primarily belongs to incarnation of mother goddess Durga. They believe

in nine incarnations of Durga Shakti (power).

Besides these two temples the local deity Jaharvir Gugga (as known in

Rajasthan) is also worshipped by the villagers. The shrine of Jaharvir lies one

kilometer from village. The shrine is looked after by Jogis who worship and accept

~ offerings at the shrine given by vilagers. It is believed that benign spirit of Jahanrir

"

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protects the village from evil. All the villagers before leaving the village, worship

him .It is believed that, if a marriage procession [ barai]does not pay respect at the

shrine, before leaving the village, bad luck comes upon it. When the procession

comes back, again it halts to pray at Jaharvir's shrine for blessing of good luck

and fortune.

Besides Jaharvir, Mattar Baba is also worshipped in the village. Mattar Baba

was a freedom fighter who served and protected the village from the British . He

was known for his valour and chivalry and he died fighting Britishers. His shrine

lies 8 km from Sikhera, towards north west. All the Hindu castes and muslims

worship Jaharvir and Mattar Baba; much similar to Marriot's reference to ancestor

worship in the village . Temples are decorated during festivals and are crowded

with villagers. They are decorated with small electric bulbs. The temples are

decorated with shining strings and alpana designs are made on the floor ~-

They also have religious songs and prayers played on loudspeakers. There are also

whole night jagrans and Keertans during Ram Naumi, Janamashtami, Gugga

Naumi, Dashahara and Diwali.

In 1996, for the first time, effigies of Ravana and his brothePc)) Kumbhkarna

and son Meghnad were erected in the school compound. They were prepared by

Kumhar Ombir who worked in cracked factory, and a Muslim carpenter of the

village after a month of hard work. The effigies were burnt according to the

ausp~cious [Shubh] time taken out by village priest [purohii]. For villagers in

Sikhera, it was very elating and exciting moment. This event also showed that

both the communities (Hindus and Muslims] participate in each other's festivals

whole heartedly in Sikhera.

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v) Wells

There are eight wells in the village with three lying in Rajput compounds '

and other five lying scattered in different regions of village. Out of eight. six are

not in· use since the installation of taps. The wells of uppper castes are used only by

upper castes and lower castes are not allowed to draw water from these wells but

the middle castes can do so. Formerly Dhimars used to fill water for upper castes.

but now such tradition has become antiqutt,ted due to installation of taps and

handpumps. The lower castes obtain water from taps installed in their area and

are not allowed to touch the taps in other areas of the village. There are four

tu.bewells in the village. Two tubewells were installed by government and one each

is possessed by a Rajput and a Chamar.

vi) Weekly markets

The village hasaJocal market or 'Haat' organised on Tuesdays and

Thursdays. Although most people go to city to buy clothes. electronic goods etc.

the weekly market still has retained the importance which cannot be minimised.

The weekly markets are visited by the people of nearby villages. The goods sold in

the weekly markets include food grains, oil seeds, spices, oil, clothes. mirrors.

artificial ornaments. metalwares, footwear, agricultural alessories, pots and pans ,.,

etc. It is also an occasion for the young to have fun and is also a source of

recreation. There are also food stalls of 'Chat'- 'Pakori: Halwa-Puri etc which are

relished by children and elders equally. Weekly markets thus, while serving every

day needs of villagers. also provide them entertainment.

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There is an animal market organised on the fourth ~ aturday of the month

in which milch cattle, bullocks, sheep, goats and even donkeys arc sold.

Agricultural cquipments, fertilizers and seeds arc also sold in this market.

Often companies like Escort, Shriram, Mahindra, Seed Corporation and

Credit Societies come and hold demonstrations in the weekly bazaars as they are

visited by local peasants largely. Despite the increased facility of transport and

better roads to city, weekly markets still hold charm for villagers.

vii) Shops

There are four small shops in the village. Two are owned by Dhimars, one by a

Kumhar and one by a Rajput. The shops sell things like local made biscuits,

breads. rusks, cream rolls, Toffees, bidi, tea, spices, soaps, shampoo pouches,

school note books, pencils, sharpeners, etc. One of the shops keeps cosmetics also.

Some shops sell cold drinks also. which are favourite among children and youth.

Cold drinks are generally served in summer, when guests arrive from city

otherwise mostly tea is served to guests.

There are no tailor shop~ in Sikhera, though women stitch at home and

one Dhimar stitches clothes as part time job at his home. There is one local tea

shop besides a barber shop at the entrance of the village. This is frequented by

most of the villagers to get new gossips and information about the village

happenings. These shops serve as the meeting ground for men who often exchange

news about the happenings in village and out side. They also serve as gossip

centres.

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viii) Chaupal

Presently there is no chaupal in the village though previsously there were

two chaupals in the village. Chaupals were on Rajput lands when Rajputs were

Sarpanchas. Somehow chaupals remained unused. In 1955 land of one Chaupal

was given to build a temple and in 1970 the land of second chaupal was utilised to

build one more school as it was considered more beneficial for village children.

The individual. households have seperate 'Gheras or sitting rooms where they

entertain guests and visitors.

Communication

Transport

With more villagers seeking work in urban areas, the number of

conveyences and vehicles is increasing in Sikhera. Till 1980. there was Kharanja.

or a pebbeled road which connected village to town. In 1981. a metalled road was

laid which was 1. 5 meter in breadth. It is now broken and has puddles. The

traffic on the road includes one city bus going upto the village in the morning and

in the evening besides rickshaws. tempos and tongas . Often tonga, bullock/buffalo

carts and tractors are used by villagers to brings goods, or agricultural equipments,

fertilizers (Khad), mud etc.to the village. Donkeys are used to bring bricks. mud

and other construction materials to the village. Four villagers drive their own

tempos and make atleast six to seven rounds per day from the city. There are seven

tonga drivers in the village.

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Villagers also keep bicycles, scooters and one Rajput has an Ambassador car

and one Bania has a Fiat car. The Rajput uses Ambassador car as a taxi during

marriage season in the village. The bicycles are used mostly by daily commuters.

Dhimars and Khatiks drive buffalo and bullock carts on contract basis with

town shops to transport cement. mud. sand etc. from one site to another. They

work for Sikhera villagers for less money. These car.t :s are also used as transport of

people and can carry upto 25-30 people at a time. In Sikhera villagers prefer to

travel on tempos and bus as they are fast conveyences, but due to less frequency

of these they have to compromise with tongas and buffallo carts and tractors. The

tonga carriages often carry advertisements of local products of soaps, shampoos,

biscuits, doctor's clinic at the sides and are often decorated with bright ribbons.

Besides the road link with the town, there are several foot tracks and cart tracks

connecting Sikhera with adjoining villages, which are used during festivals and

functions by all villagers for various purposes.

The electronic mass media and print media, have been discussed in the next

chapter in detail hence I am not including them here to avoid repetition.

Notes

1. Thakur Maharaj Singh is worshi$.ed in the village by all castes residing in "

Sikhera. He is called Mattar Babba.

2. Jogis serve as religious mendicants and are followers of Guru Gorakhnath

(of Gorakhpur). In Sikhera they serve as worshi~rs (pujan) at Jaharvir's· "

shrine (Referred to by Fuchs, 1966, Cohn, 1973, Vatuk, 1988 in their

study)

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e. 3. A festival prevalnt in north west part of India. Sanjhi is believed to be

" an incarnation of goddess Durga and is worshited by young girls to get

" good grooms. Girls keep fast in the month of Ashvina for fifteen days and

make motifs and drawings on walls depicting goddess Sanjhi.

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