Lonia

Last updated

The Lonia (or Lunia) or Nonia are Hindu other backward caste, found in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar adjoining areas, who were traditionally involved in salt-digging [1] and salt-making activities. [2] The Lonia or Nonia are listed as extremely backward caste along with Mallah, Bind and Beldar communities, by state governments. [3] [4] The community leaders have been seeking Scheduled Tribe status for the socially deprived community. [5] [6]

Contents

Origins and status

Their population is concentrated in the eastern part of Uttar Pradesh such as Ghazipur, Azamgarh, Mau districts and some neighbouring areas. Lonia or Nonia like other communities, had been victim of colonial oppression, which resulted in rebellion and they contributed to the fight for independence.
In recent times, they have started writing Chauhan as their surname and calling themselves Rajput, which has no historical basis [7] [8] or evidence, as scholars have given examples of entire communities of Shudra [9] [10] origin "becoming" Rajput, termed as Rajputisation, even as late as the 20th century, under British Raj, for instance, William Rowe, in his "The new Chauhans : A caste mobility movement in North India", discusses an example of a large section of a Shudra caste - the Noniyas or Lonias- from Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar that had tried to "become" Rajputs over three generations in the Raj era to seek upper mobility in the social hierarchy by emulating their customs and traditions. [11]

Present circumstances

The Lonia or Nonia are one of the most socially, educationally and economically deprived communities, though recognised as OBCs by state governments, they have been seeking Scheduled Tribe status, for their upliftment. [12] [13]

Notable people

Related Research Articles

The Other Backward Class (OBC) is a collective term used by the Government of India to classify castes that are educationally or socially backward. It is one of several official classifications of the population of India, along with general castes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SCs and STs). The OBCs were found to comprise 52% of the country's population by the Mandal Commission report of 1980 and were determined to be 41% in 2006 when the National Sample Survey Organisation took place. There is substantial debate over the exact number of OBCs in India; it is generally estimated to be sizable, but many believe that it is higher than the figures quoted by either the Mandal Commission or the National Sample Survey.

The Dhangars are a herding caste of people found in the Indian states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. They are referred as Gavli in southern Maharashtra, Goa and northern Karnataka, Golla in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka and Ahir in northern Maharashtra. Some Gavlis live in forested hill tracts of India's Western Ghats. Gavli, also known as Dange or Mhaske, and Ahir are a sub-caste of Dhangar. However, there are many distinct Gavli castes in Maharashtra and Dhangar Gavli is one of them.

Reservation is a system of affirmative action in India created during the British rule. It provides historically disadvantaged groups representation in education, employment, government schemes, scholarships and politics. Based on provisions in the Indian Constitution, it allows the Union Government and the States and Territories of India to set reserved quotas or seats, at particular percentage in Education Admissions, Employments, Political Bodies, Promotions, etc., for "socially and educationally backward citizens."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teli</span> Caste in India, Nepal and Pakistan

Teli is a caste traditionally occupied in the oil pressing and trade in India, Nepal and Pakistan. Members may be either Hindu or Muslim; Muslim Teli are called Roshandaar or Teli Malik.

The Mallaah are the traditional boatmen and fishermen tribes or communities found in North India, East India, Northeastern India and Pakistan. A significant number of Mallah are also found in Nepal and Bangladesh. In the Indian state of Bihar, the term Nishad includes the Mallah and refers to communities whose traditional occupation centred on rivers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nishad</span> Hindu caste

The Nishad are a Hindu caste, found in the Indian states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agrahari</span>

Agrahari, Agraharee or Agarhari is an Indian Vaishya community, They are the descendants of legendary king Agrasena. Predominantly, they are found in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Terai region of Nepal.

Kushwaha is a community of the Indo-Gangetic Plain that has traditionally been involved in agriculture, including beekeeping. The term has been used to represent different sub-castes of the Kachhis, Kachhvahas, Koeris and Muraos. Under the Indian governments system of positive discrimination, the Kushwahas are classified as a "Backward" or Other backward class. The Kushwaha had worshipped Shiva and Shakta, but beginning in the 20th century, they claim descent from the Suryavansh (Solar) dynasty via Kusha, one of the twin sons of Rama and Sita. At present, it is a broad community formed by coming together of several caste groups with similar occupational backgrounds and socio-economic status, who, over the time, started inter-marrying among themselves and created all India caste network for caste solidarity. The communities which merged into this caste cluster includes Kachhi, Kachhwaha, Kushwaha, Mali, Marrar, Saini, Sonkar, Murai, Shakya, Maurya, Koeri and Panara.

Bhumihar, also locally called Bhuinhar and Babhan, is a Hindu caste mainly found in Bihar, the Purvanchal region of Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, the Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh, and Nepal.

The demographics of Uttar Pradesh is a complex topic, which is undergoing dynamic change. Uttar Pradesh is India's most populous state, and the largest subdivision in the world. It has a population of about 199,812,341 as per the 2011 census. If it were a separate country, Uttar Pradesh would be the world's fifth most populous nation, next only to China, India, the United States of America and Indonesia. Uttar Pradesh has a population more than that of Pakistan. There is an average population density of 828 persons per km2 i.e. 2,146 per sq mi. The capital of Uttar Pradesh is Lucknow, and Prayagraj serves as the state’s judicial capital. Hindus and Muslims both consider the state as a holy place.

Yadav, Jadam, or Jadav refers to a grouping of traditionally non-elite, peasant-pastoral communities or castes in India that since the 19th and 20th centuries have claimed descent from the mythological king Yadu as a part of a movement of social and political resurgence. The term Yadav now covers many traditional peasant-pastoral castes such as Ahirs of the Hindi belt and the Gavli of Maharashtra.

The Gadaria or Gadariya is a herding caste that was traditionally involved professionally in livestock breeding, especially sheep. They are primarily found in Uttar Pradesh and in some parts of Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar. In Gujarat, they are called Bharwad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chero</span> Hindu caste in India

The Chero is a caste found in the states of Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lodhi (caste)</span> Agricultural caste in India

The Lodhi is a community of agriculturalists, found in India. There are many in Madhya Pradesh, to where they had emigrated from Uttar Pradesh. The Lodhi are categorised as an Other Backward Class, but claim Rajput ties and prefer to be known as "Lodhi-Rajput", although they have no account of their Rajput origin or prevailing Rajput traditions.

Rajputs in Bihar are members of the Rajput community living in the eastern Indian state of Bihar. They traditionally formed part of the feudal elite in Bihari society. Rajputs were pressed with the Zamindari abolition and Bhoodan movement in post-independence India; along with other Forward Castes, they lost their significant position in Bihar's agrarian society, leading to the rise of Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vikassheel Insaan Party</span> Political party in India

Vikassheel Insaan Party is an Indian political party, formally launched on November 4, 2018, by a Bollywood set designer Mukesh Sahani, who campaigned for the Bharatiya Janata Party during the 2015 Bihar Legislative Assembly election. They contested in three Lok Sabha constituencies in 2019 from Madhubani, Muzaffarpur and Khagaria but failed to win any seats. The support base for the party consists mainly of the Nishad, Nonia, Bind, Beldar community, which comprises 20 sub-castes of fisherman and boatmen.

The Backward Caste movement in Bihar can be traced back to the formation of Triveni Sangh, a caste coalition and political party, in the 1930s, which was revived after the introduction of land reforms in the 1950s aimed at removing intermediaries from agrarian society. But, this drive could not succeed in bringing long-lasting changes in the condition of lower strata of society, as they lacked political representation and economic power. The period since land reform included caste conflicts and the class struggle which eventually led to a transfer of absolute political power in the hands of Backward Castes, who had been kept away from it earlier. The class struggle succeeded the struggle of some of the Upper Backward Castes against the sacerdotal authorities for improvement in their ritual status. By the 1990s, the conflict between upper-castes and the lower-castes continued, with nearly 17 massacres taking place during this time period. But with the advent of politics of social justice and the Janata Dal in the 1990s, the lower caste became more active politically.

The Upper Backward Caste is a term used to describe the middle castes in Bihar, whose social and ritual status was not very low and which has traditionally been involved in the agricultural and animal husbandry related activities in the past. They have also been involved in low scale trade to some extent. The Koeri, Kurmi, Yadav and Bania are categorised as the upper-backwards amongst the Other Backward Class group; while the various other caste groups which constitutes the OBC, a group comprising 51% of the population of state of Bihar, has been classified as lower backwards. The upper-backwards also called upper OBC represents approximately 20.3% of the population of Bihar. These agricultural caste were the biggest beneficiaries of the land reform drive which was undertaken in the 1950s in the state and they strengthened their economic position by gaining a significant portion of excess land under the ceiling laws, which prohibited the ownership of land above a certain ceiling.

Maurya is a surname used by Kushwaha caste in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The community called Kushwaha are also known as Koeri, Kachhi, Shakya, and Murao in various parts of the state of Uttar Pradesh. They are second largest OBC group in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh after Yadavs and are one of the most politically organised peasant community in India after Jats, Yadavs and Kurmis. In Rajasthan, due to lack of numerical preponderance in assembly constituencies like Jats, they are underrepresented in politics; however, in Bihar, they are a dominant caste, comprising approximately 9 percent of the population of state. They wield influence over 63 assembly constituencies and half a dozen Lok Sabha seats in Bihar.

References

  1. ↑ Russell, Robert Vane (28 September 2020). The Tribes and Castes of India By Robert Vane Russell. Library of Alexandria. ISBN   9781465582942 . Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  2. ↑ "A Lunia, salt-digger". Science Photo Library. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  3. ↑ "List of OBCs". National Commission for Backward Classes. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  4. ↑ "Extremely backward castes seek ST tag". The Economic Times. 14 June 2018. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  5. ↑ "Bihar seeks ST status for Noniya caste". The Times of India. 20 June 2020. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  6. ↑ Abhay Singh (18 March 2021). "Demand for ST status for Nonia, Mallah communities". News18. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  7. ↑ Russell, Robert Vane (28 September 2020). The Tribes and Castes of India By Robert Vane Russell. Library of Alexandria. ISBN   9781465582942 . Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  8. ↑ "The tribes and castes of central provinces of India". The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Tribes and Castes by R.V. Russell. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  9. ↑ Russell, Robert Vane (28 September 2020). The Tribes and Castes of India By Robert Vane Russell. Library of Alexandria. ISBN   9781465582942 . Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  10. ↑ "The tribes and castes of central provinces of India". The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Tribes and Castes by R.V. Russell. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  11. ↑ Lloyd Rudolph 1967, p. 127.
  12. ↑ Sanjay Singh (14 June 2018). "Nitish Kumar reiterates ST demand for Mallah, Nishad and Nonia". The Economic Times. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  13. ↑ Ashok Mishra (18 March 2021). "As Nitish Tries to Nullify Hindutva through Caste-based Census, Modi Govt Walks a Tightrope". News18. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  14. ↑ "I'm proud to be a Bihari, says Mauritius president | India News - Times of India". The Times of India . 7 January 2013. Archived from the original on 26 March 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
  15. ↑ "Bihar governor attends BJP-backed 'caste meeting', Sushil Modi says it's for social harmony". The Print. 30 August 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  16. ↑ "Jagdeo visits ancestral village, embraces grandfather's sister launches web site dedicated to tracing family roots" . Retrieved 31 August 2023.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.