Kanshi Ram, also known as Bahujan Nayak or Manyavar, Sahab Kanshiram was an Indian politician and social reformer who worked for the upliftment and political mobilisation of the Bahujans, the backward or lower caste people including untouchable groups at the bottom of the caste system in India. Towards this end, Kanshi Ram founded Dalit Shoshit Samaj Sangharsh Samiti (DS-4), the All India Backwards (SC/ST/OBC) and Minorities Communities Employees' Federation (BAMCEF) in 1971 and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in 1984. He ceded leadership of the BSP to his protégé Mayawati who has served four terms as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.
Chamar is a community classified as a Scheduled Caste under modern India's system of affirmative action that originated from the group of trade persons who were involved in leather tanning and shoemaking. They are found throughout the Indian subcontinent, mainly in the northern states of India and in Pakistan and Nepal.
Chuhra, also known as Bhanghi and Balmiki, is a Dalit caste in India and Pakistan. Populated regions include the Punjab region of India and Pakistan, as well as Uttar Pradesh in India, among other parts of the Indian subcontinent such as southern India. Their traditional occupation is sweeping, a "polluting" occupation that caused them to be considered untouchables in the caste system.
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 Mallaah are also found in Nepal and Bangladesh. In the Indian state of Bihar, the term Nishad includes the Mallaah and refers to communities whose traditional occupation centred on rivers. It is also spelled Mallah.
Jatav, also known as Jatava/Jatan/ Jatua/Jhusia /Jatia/Jatiya, is an Indian Dalit community that are considered to be a subcaste of the Chamar caste, who are classified as a Scheduled Caste under modern India's system of positive discrimination.
The Nishad are a Hindu caste, found in the Indian states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
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. 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.
The Dhanuk is an ethnic group found in India. In Bihar where they are significantly present, they have been categorised as the "lower backwards", along with several other castes constituting 32% of the state's population. In recent times they have been identifying themselves with the Kurmi caste along with the Mahto of Chhotanagpur. In Bihar, they are considered as a sub-caste of the Mandal caste and are often found using Mandal surname. In recent times, there has been attempt to forge a socio-political alliance between them and the twin castes of Koeri and the Kurmi, as a part of Luv-Kush equation.
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.
The Paswan, also known as Dusadh, are a Dalit community from eastern India. They are found mainly in the states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand. The Urdu word Paswan means bodyguard or "one who defends". The origin of the word, per the belief of the community, lies in their participation in the battle against Siraj-ud-daulah, the Nawab of Bengal at the behest of British East India Company, after which they were rewarded with the post of Chowkidars and lathi wielding tax collector for the Zamindars. They follow certain rituals such as walking on fire to assert their valour.
Chetram Jatav was an Indian revolutionary who participated in Indian Rebellion of 1857.
Rajbhar is a caste or community present in the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Bihar and others as well as Nepal.
The Kisan Sabha was a protest movement in the present-day Indian state of Uttar Pradesh that took place between 1919 and 1922. It involved numerous agricultural caste groups. The Uttar Pradesh Kisan Sabha was formed in year 1918 in Lucknow by Gauri Shankar Mishra, Indra Narayan Dwivedi and Madan Mohan Malviya.
Uda Devi Pasi (1830-1857) was an Indian woman freedom fighter who participated in the war on behalf of Indian soldiers against the British East India Company, during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. She was a member of the women's squad of Wajid Ali Shah, the sixth Nawab of Awadh.
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).
Maharaja Bijli Pasi was a king from the Pasi community, According to popular belief, he ruled part of what is now Uttar Pradesh.
"Chauharmal" or "Chuharmal" or "Veer Chauharmal" was a folk hero who was later apotheosized by the members of Dusadh caste. The story of Chauharmal within Dusadh folklore is an empowering message which gives the Dalit community a sense of victory over upper caste Bhumihars.
Ramnarayan Yadavendu (1909–1951) was a Hindi writer, storyteller, essayist and social reformer.
Sahlesh was a folk hero of the Dusadh caste in Nepal and India. He is believed to have been the ruler of the Mahisautha in what became Nepal. In some parts of North India. Sahlesh is respected by communities apart from the Dusadhs. In local culture, he is portrayed as a symbol of prowess, valour and benevolence. Dauna Malin is believed to be a beloved of Sahlesh, while his four assistants namely Chauharmal, Moti Ram and Karikant are also worshipped. Chauharmal is worshipped by Dusadhs of Bihar and is considered to be the military commander of King Sahlesh. Moti Ram and Karikant are considered as his brother and nephew, respectively. Biratnagar, which is considered to be the land of Sahlesh, houses one of the finest temple of King Sahlesh. Sahlesh is also known as Rajaji. They worship mainly Salhesh Maharaj or Rajaji and his associates. Within the Danuwar community, Salhesh is regarded as the royal wrestler of Danuwar King Kuleshwar Singh kingdom of Pakariya gadh, located in present day Siraha district of Nepal.
Badri Narayan, is an Indian social historian and professor based in Allahabad, India. He is associated with the G.B. Pant Social Science Institute. He has been recognized as a Fellow of the Maison des Sciences de L'Homme, Paris, and has received the Fulbright Senior Fellowship (2004-05) and the Smuts Fellowship, University of Cambridge (2007). He was awarded Sahitya Academy Award 2022 for Hindi for his poetry collection ‘Tumdi Ke Shabd’.
