Bania (caste)

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Bania (also spelled Baniya, Banija, Banya, Vaniya, Vani, Vania and Vanya) [1] is a mercantile caste mainly from the Indian states of Gujarat and Rajasthan, with strong diasporic communities in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra (mainly Mumbai) and other northern states. [2] [3] [4] Traditionally, the main occupations of the community are merchants, bankers, money-lenders, and (in modern times) owners of commercial enterprises. [5] [6]

Contents

Etymology

The Hindi term baniyā is derived from Sanskrit vaṇija ("trader"), whereas the Marwari bā̃ṇyõ and Gujarati vāṇiyo are derived from Sanskrit vāṇija ("trader"). [7] The community is also known by the term "vanik". [8]

In Bengal the term Bania is a functional catch-all for moneylenders, indigenously developed bankers, readers of grocery items and spices, irrespective of caste. [2]

Society

16th century Portuguese painting of a Baneane merchant man and woman from Cambay. Codice Casanatense Gujarati Merchant.jpg
16th century Portuguese painting of a Baneane merchant man and woman from Cambay.

The community is composed of several sub-castes including the Agarwal, Khandelwal, Maheshwari, Oswal, Porwad and Shrimali Baniyas, among others. [3] [9] [10] [11] Traditionally (dating to at least the 15th century), the Gujarati Baniyas had 84 divisions (as did Gujarati Brahmins), although many were simply formulaic. Subcastes are also divided into Visa and Dasa divisions, which are also centuries old, and prohibit intermarriage. [12]

Most Banias are followers of either Hinduism or Jainism, but a few have converted to Sikhism, Islam, Christianity and Buddhism. [13] [14] [15] In Gujarat, Hindu Banias are largely Vaishnavas and are followers of Vallabhacharya. [16] [17] It is hypothesized by historians that the Vaishnav Vaniyas of Gujarat are the descendants of the now-extinct Buddhist merchants who were formerly present in the region. [17]

Banias are composed of caste in the mercantile and business fields, which have delineated the Baniya identity. [18] The term baniya has historically been applied to various mercantile communities who belong to diverse castes. [17]

Bania men of Surat, Gogo, and Ahmedabad, Gujarat, British India. Banians of Surat, Gogo, and Ahmedabad.jpg
Bania men of Surat, Gogo, and Ahmedabad, Gujarat, British India.
Bania women in British India. Image taken before 1860. KITLV 87170 - William Johnson - Bania women in British India - Before 1860.jpeg
Bania women in British India. Image taken before 1860.

Baniyas are vegetarians, and some groups have greater restrictions on the foods that can be consumed. They also take care not to kill insects when preparing and eating food. [19]

Baniyas were known to be hard working and frugal. Only minimum expenses would be made on clothing, food, and furniture. [19]

During the day, Baniya boys were sent to schools called patshalas where they would learn business skills and habits. They learned how to read and write, as well as in secret merchant scripts that were hidden from non-Baniyas. They also learned ciphers, accounting, and arithmetic. The correctness of mathematical calculations was extremely important to Baniyas, and they learnt various methods and tricks so they could perform advanced mental arithmetic. A mercantile ethos was also instilled in the boys, as they learned the chief aim of life was to acquire wealth and only profitable transactions were worthwhile. After school hours, boys would spend time in the family shop and learn the business. After education was complete boys would try to start their own businesses and if successful, would be allowed to manage the family business. [19]

When Baniyas made transactions, they often had dubious qualities that allowed the accumulation of many small profits. These include short-weighing, adulteration of products, and regular undervaluation of a debt repayments. They were also known for being well spoken when speaking to others, but were not confrontatious. They were very secretive about their business accounts, and would use secret scripts or illegible handwriting. Often two sets of account books were kept, one for showing officials if needed, and one only for family. Business dealings were kept within the family, and in cases of dispute other Baniyas would arbitrate in order to keep business deals secret from non-Baniyas. Their preference for compromises instead of confrontations often led non-Baniyas to think of them as cowardly. [19]

In order to prepare for further business success, Baniyas also had to have high levels of information access. They had messengers, intelligence networks, and postal services in order to make sure that they knew about any important knowledge as early as possible. Such information was often used in speculation in futures exchanges, which in turn sometimes turned into gambling. [19]

Baniyas of Delhi Baniyas of Delhi.jpg
Baniyas of Delhi

Honour was very important to Baniyas, which they called abru. Their honour was tied to their credit worthiness, which were valued higher than their lives. A bankrupt Baniya was stigmatised, and those who were caught to be dishonest with another Baniya were boycotted, bankrupted, and stigmatised. Honour was also tied to socioreligious conduct, as maintaining marital relations within the community, having a strong patriarch, and adherence to religious principles were all highly valued. [19]

Wealthy Baniyas only spent large sums of money for specific purposes: hosting feasts, buying jewellery (mainly for women), construction of havelis, and the most honourable being donating to religious causes such as temples or religious festivals. Such displays of wealth allowed Baniyas to show their status and high honour. [19]

Baniyas historically are very religious, with the Jain and Hindu Vaishnavs' beliefs, rituals, prayers, and ceremonies being often very similar. Pushtimarg Vaishnavs would perform emotional seva to Krishna, and Jains would be austere and follow the Jain vows. Lakshmi Puja was performed by Baniyas, as it Lakshmi would be considered to bestow wealth and welfare on the family. [19]

According to Basu, the culture of Gujarati Baniyas is viewed ambivalently by outsiders, stating "on the one hand, it is associated negatively with usury and commercial calculation, and on the other, it carries positive connotations of Jaina and Vaiṣṇava religious traditions that place special emphasis upon values of vegetarianism, nonviolence ( ahiṃsā ), and purity". [17]

They described as belonging to the Vaishya varna. [20]

Notable people

See also

Notes

  1. The Gandhis were expelled from their caste when Mahatma Gandhi crossed the seas. [27]
  2. Karsandas Mulji was expelled from his caste for travelling to England in 1862, and he never attempted to rejoin. [31]
  3. The Birlas were expelled from their caste in 1922 when Rameshwar Das Birla married a Kolvar woman. [34]

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References

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  2. 1 2 Schrader, Heiko (1997). Changing financial landscapes in India and Indonesia: sociological aspects of monetization and market integration. LIT Verlag Münster. p. 68. ISBN   978-3-8258-2641-3.
  3. 1 2 Hanks, Patrick (8 May 2003). Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press. pp. xcvi, 103. ISBN   978-0-19-977169-1. The Banias of northern India are really a cluster of several communities, of which the Agarwal Banias, Oswal Banias, and Porwal Banias are mentioned separately in connection with certain surnames
  4. Other citations for native and diaspora region
  5. Hardiman, David (1996b). "Usury, Dearth and Famine in Western India". Past & Present (152): 113–156. doi:10.1093/past/152.1.113. ISSN   0031-2746. JSTOR   651058.
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  12. Hardiman 1996, p. 63.
  13. Marenco, Ethne K. (1974). The Transformation of Sikh Society. HaPi Press. p. 151. The Banias were again predominantly Hindu, but there were many Jain Banias and also Sikh and Muslim Banias in lesser numbers, and very few Buddhist Banias. Such was the picture in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
  14. Tyler, Stephen A. (1986). India: An Anthropological Perspective. Waveland Press. p. 186. ISBN   978-0-88133-245-2. Some, like the Khojah caste, are Bania groups converted to Islam by Muslim pirs (saints).
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  16. Rajeev Bhargava; Amiya Kumar Bagchi; R. Sudarshan (1999). Multiculturalism, Liberalism, and Democracy. Oxford University Press. p. 228. ISBN   978-0-19-564824-9. Most of the Hindu banias of Gujarat in the nineteenth century were followers of Vallabhcharya of the Vaishnava sect; the rest were Jains or Shravaks.
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Further reading