http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Punjab-polls-Dalit-self-pride-holds-key-in-fertile-Doaba/articleshow/11635098.cms
Punjab polls: Dalit self-pride holds key in fertile Doaba
Sachin Parashar, TNN | Jan 26, 2012, 04.37AM IST
Punjab polls: Dalit self-pride holds key in fertile Doaba
Doaba, where Punjab's 29% Dalit community swells to 35%, is witnessing
a social churning like never before, with the dalits asserting
themselves socially, culturally and even politically.
JALANDHAR: Hummer wich aounde putt chamaran de (chamar kids arrive in
Hummer), panga na le chamara de nal (don't get into a fight with
chamars), Ravidassan di chandi (Ravidasis are doing great) and fighter
chamar are some of the songs which the fertile Doaba region in Punjab
is grooving to as it goes to polls next week. Until not so long ago,
it was yaari jattan di, tu jatt di pasand and jatt di daang, songs
which became popular even outside the state.
It's not that the mighty Jatts (Jat Sikhs) have stopped singing and
dancing. Just that Doaba, where Punjab's 29% Dalit community swells to
35%, is witnessing a social churning like never before, with the
dalits asserting themselves socially, culturally and even politically.
Punjab has one the highest dalit population in the country.
It's perhaps appropriate that in a state which loves to sing and
dance, the assertion is manifesting in music, says dalit folk singer
Kulwant Kajla. ''You will be surprised to know that the demand for
such songs is not just restricted to Doaba and Punjab but also
abroad,'' he says, adding that he will soon come out with his own
chamar album.
Kajla, whose song param sant Ravidasa was a chartbuster, should know.
Kajla was one of the few singers who helped introduced dalit machismo
in Punjabi songs in 2008-09 to counter Jat Sikhs. "Some people had
reservations initially but soon they joined us when they realized that
there was nothing to be ashamed of in being a dalit,'' he adds. It's
not uncommon now to spot vehicles, especially two-wheelers, with
stickers saying putt chamaran da.
Kajla is a follower of Jalandhar-based Dera Sachkhand which claims to
have millions of followers spread all across the globe. In the UK
alone, it is said to have 26 Ravidasa temples. Its guru is none other
than Sant Niranjan Dass who was attacked by a group of extremist
Sikhs, allegedly Jat, in Vienna in 2009. Another guru, Sant Ramanand,
was killed in the attack, though. It was this attack in the Austrian
capital which laid the foundation for dalits seeking a more assertive
cultural and political identity. In just a few months music became the
most powerful tool to galvanize the youths who responded by abandoning
the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh holy book. The movement gained further
momentum in 2010 when Sant Niranjan Dass announced a new holy book for
Ravidasis called Amrit Bani.
Doaba also accounts for the maximum number of NRIs from Punjab who
helped their family members in the region by sending them money
regularly. It is also not uncommon to see dalits living in mansions
and driving luxury cars.
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