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C
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GYPSY
LORES |
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A row of tattered tents rigged against
the boundary wall of the park. In front of one, an old man with a hukkah is stoking a
dying fire. A gaggle of scantily-clad toddlers are running around. "Huh!," you
say to yourself, "the gypsies have come. What a nuisance." It's an annual
ritual-the arrival of the bedraggled nomads and your disgust. They litter the park, get
into noisy brawls, and generally disrupt your peace...
But hey, look a little longer...See the beautiful patchwork blankets piled inside the
tents and the shiny new tools?
Oh yes, the dirt-encrusted façade hides some skilled craftsmen. From blacksmiths to
fortune tellers to traditional doctors-nomads were once professionals with a hugely
diverse range.
Hooked, huh? Want to know a little more? |
Trailing the caravan
On the move…why?
Nomadism has been a way of life for people who have learned to live in regions that have
the harshest of climates and terrains. Nomadic groups can be found across the world - from
the Far North with its hunting groups like the Eskimos to the parched deserts of Africa.
(see Centrespread)
About seven per cent of the Indian population is nomadic. While over 200 castes are
pastoral nomads (they breed and herd cattle, pigs, camels and a mindboggling variety of
animals!) more than 300 groups are non-pastorals.
Why didn't they, like others, select and cultivate a piece of land and settle down? |
…in search for greener pastures
The nomadic lifestyle evolved in response to a definite need. Pastorals, for example, were
a part of a rural landscape in the arid or mountainous regions-where cultivated land did
not assure steady and sufficient food supply. Nomads roamed in places where there was
little cultivable land to begin with, or where crop yields are very low. Like in hilly
terrains and deserts. So more than half of India's gypsies can be found in Rajasthan,
Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, parts of Maharashtra or the cold desert tracts of Ladakh.
The people, here, kept livestock and adopted a nomadic way of life because the supply of
fodder was never plentiful in any one place. So they moved around in search of pastures.
The non-pastoral nomads responded to a socio-economic necessity - they visited villages
from time to time to offer essential services-selling household tools and utensils,
medicines, herbs, spices and of course, providing entertainment--for which they were paid.
Both these groups had a finely balanced equation with the settled population.
But first, lets undersatnd the links between land and people.
The village…
There are different types of lands in the village differentiated by the way it is
used-cultivated fields, wastelands and forests.
 Commons-of uncommon
value
Wastelands or commons are uncultivated land that separate the agricultural fields from the
forests. By right these belong to the rulers of the land-the monarch in the days of yore
and now to the revenue department. But all members of the village community have access to
the commons. They can pasture their animals, cut grass and leaves for fodder and collect
dry wood for fuel from it. The commons support the poorest residents of the village-The
landless.
Livestock - linking lands
You already know that in the semi arid zones of states like Rajasthan and Gujarat
agriculture is not a stable source of income. So the villagers depend heavily on cattle
and livestock to keep the home fire burning. The animals provide draught power for
ploughing, seeding and threshing, winnowing and lifting water. And, of course, the dairy
(milk and milk products) industry maintains a parallel economy, providing livelihood to
thousands-especially during drought-hit years. Now,
the livestock thrives on wastelands. The sheep,
buffaloes, goats forage on the shrubs and bushes, resources that are otherwise useless to
the villagers. And they convert it into milk, manure and fuel.
Pastorals: reviving lands
In the past, farmers forged natural ties with the pastoral nomads like Rebaris, Gujjars,
Gaddis and Nandiwallas. With time the relationship grew into an interdependent one. Even
though the resources of the village were stretched at the best of times the nomads were
always welcomed.
Why?
They contributed significantly to the crop yield. The droppings of sheep, goats and cattle
was manure for fields. Earlier farmers vied with one another to pen livestock in their
fields overnight. As an incentive they would even pay nomads to rest the sheep on their
field. While the animals foraged they fertilised the fields too.
The nomads synchronised their spring and autumn movements
with the agricultural cycle so that the flocks passed through the fields after one crop
was harvested and before another one had been sown.
Many of the sedentary peasants used to entrust their livestock to the pastoralists to be
fed and watered at the best grazing pastures. The pastoralists were paid in kind by the
farmerrs. They were allowerd to graze their cattle. And sell dairy products like milk,
butter, ghi and wool.
So the pastoral nomads played a key role in the larger economy.
Land transfer systems under the British regime
The zamindari or 'permanent settlement' system (1793): Feudal lords
(zamindars, jagirdars) were declared proprietors in return of fixed revenue paid to the
British.The ryotwari system (1792 -1817):
Individual cultivators (ryots or raiyats) were recognized as proprietors with rights to
sub-let, mortgage, and transfer by gift or sale. Their tenure was secure so long as they
paid revenues to the Collectors, that is, officials who 'collected' on behalf of the
Colonial rulers.
The mahalwari system (1820-1840): Revenue settlement was made with entire
villages (mahals) as collective units. The state initially got as much as 83 per cent of
gross produce which was later cut down to 66 per cent. |
Non-pastorals: masters of all trades
While the pastorals contributed directly to the village economy, the non-pastoral people
were providers of essential services. They also made and sold all sorts of useful little
items like mats and baskets, brooms and brushes or earthenware utensils. They carried
their wares on the backs of their cattle - spices, honey, medicinal herbs. They bartered
their goods in the villages through which they passed.
Banjaras and Lambadis moved in larger groups with pack animals loaded with salt. The women
in this group would also barter exquisitely crafted silver trinkets.
Gadolya Lohars or the blacksmiths arrived at the beginning of the agricultural season to
repair and sell agricultural tools and implements.
Vaidus or traditional healers who made medicines from forest plants (see box in page 65).
The Ghatiya Jogis made grinding stones for household use. |
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