Berwa

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The Berwa, also called Bairwa, is an OBC caste in Delhi and a Schedule Caste found in Rajasthan.

Today, Bairwa community has strong presence in politics (in Rajasthan), government jobs and agriculture.

Historically, the Bairwas are believed to have originated from the Meena community, over time, a section of Meenas gradually formed a distinct group, adopting new social and occupational roles. Many became farmers and agricultural laborers, establishing themselves as a hardworking and self-reliant community.

In 1946, a movement of the Bairwa cultivators was launched by the All India State People Bairwa Mahasabha in Uniara against its policy of not allowing them to carry on the agriculturist profession. The movement ran till 1949 when the rule got abolished. [1]

Traditions

The Bairwa and Meena tribe have similar customs and traditions because Bairwas are mostly found in eastern Rajasthan where there is a high concentration of Meena tribe's population. [2] Their population in the 1981 census was 429, 627, [2] which has increased to 1,260,685 in the 2011 census in the State of Rajasthan and also have fair amount of population in the state of Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi. They are mainly concentrated in the Tonk, Kota, Bundi, and Jaipur districts of Rajasthan and also have a significant population in Indore and Ujjain district of Madhya Pradesh.[ citation needed ]

They follow Hindu marriage practices. However, widows are allowed to marry, there is no child betrothal and polygyny is allowed. Vermilion, bangles and toe rings are some symbols of marriage for women. Most of their workers were cultivators. [3] They speak Dingal and use Devanagari characters. They adhere to Hinduism including all of its gods and goddesses and are non-vegetarians. [2] They are endogamous and cremate their dead also women and men can seek divorce. [2] They were recognized as Scheduled Caste ( Bairwa is an OBC Caste in Delhi) by the Constitution (Scheduled Caste) Order in 1950. [4] They have socio-political body of their own called Chorasi Panchayat. It deals with the breach of caste norms and other issues. [5]

References

  1. ↑ Sharma, Brij Kishore (1987). Agrarian Movement in India. Prateeksha Publication.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Singh, K. S. (1 January 1998). Rajasthan. Popular Prakashan. ISBN   9788171547661 – via Google Books.
  3. ↑ Census datacensusindia.gov.in Archived 13 November 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ↑ "THE CONSTITUTION (SCHEDULED CASTES) ORDER, 1950]1". Archived from the original on 19 June 2009. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  5. ↑ Pathak, Bindeshwar (1 January 1998). Continuity and Change in Indian Society: Essays in Memory of Late Prof. Narmadeshwar Prasad. Concept Publishing Company. ISBN   9788170227267 – via Google Books.
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