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The Orh (also known as Oad, Odh, Orh Rajput or Orad Rajput) (pronounced [oᶑ]: Sindhi: اوڏ, Urdu: اوڈ)[1][2] is a drifting tribe of labourers in Sindh, Gujarat, Kathiawar, and some parts of Rajasthan. They drift and shift lock, stock, and barrel with their families wherever work is to be done.[3] They are said to hold a variety of occupations. As artisans, they are carpenters, masons and stoneworkers and were considered to be Dalits.[4][5][6] As traders, they deal in grain, spices, perfumes, and cloth.[7] They are spread across 40 villages in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. In reality, Odh is a word for people who built mud huts rather than a caste; yet, but it is used as a caste in Pakistan. They claim their original name was Sagarbansi or Sagarvanshi (sub-caste of Agnivanshi) [8] they bear surnames like Gadahi, Bhagat, Galgat, Kharwar, Kahlia, Kudavali, Maangal, Majoka, Mundai, Sarvana, and Virpali.[2]
The Hindu Oads are Shivites and worship Shiva. While those from Sindh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Haryana are Shivite and also worship a variety of regional deities. Oads celebrate diya (ceremonial, prayerful lamp lighting) every Thursday and mostly venerate their ancestors.
Odh clans
[edit]The Odh community consist of a number of exogamous clans which are known as gotras, and marriages are forbidden with in the same clan. The following is a list of their main clans or gotras:[9][10][11]
List
[edit]- Bambali
- Bawru
- Beldar
- Bhati
- Bika
- Baroka
- Birpali
- Borda
- Botia
- Bourda
- Chachiya
- Chauhan
- Chitra
- Chunthal
- Dahag
- Dalere
- Dau
- Derewal
- Dewat
- Dudani
- Dundia
- Gadai (Bhatia)
- Galgat (Rathore)
- Gangwani
- Gundli
- Hada
- Hadgal/Hada
- Hansu
- Jadod
- Japlot (Chauhan)
- Jiyani
- Jodha
- Kaliya
- Kantiwal
- Kesru
- Kharwar
- Khati
- Kudawala (Bhati)
- Kungar
- Lola (Panwar)
- Madauna
- Madha
- Madhwani
- Majoka (Rathod)
- Mangal (Chauhan)
- Mehla
- Mighani
- Mudai
- Mugri
- Nagiya
- Nahar
- Napa
- Naruka
- Neeliwal
- Nothey
- Ranera
- Sangawat
- Sargani
- Sarvana
- Shandilya
- Sisodiya
- Shrawan
- Sulkhani
- Sura
- Thahiya
- Tihal
- Tumrail
- Udesi
- Vavru
- Virpali
- Waweja
- Tanwar
- Nongoni
- Yodha
Current situation
[edit]The Odh are now essentially split into two different communities as a result of Pakistan and India's independence. With the exception of a small number of Hindu Odhs in Sindh, some others are converted to Muslims in Pakistan.
In Pakistan
[edit]The Odh or Oad Biradari, once primarily associated with the construction industry, has now diversified into various professional sectors. While they were historically nomadic, moving and setting up makeshift villages wherever there was construction work, today, members of the Oad community have made significant strides in different fields.[12] For instance,In Sindh's Odh history, Narain Das Oad has had a significant influence. He was born in the upper Sindhi village of Phulpoto, which is close to Ratodero in the Larkana District. He was the first member of the Oad tribe in Sindh to graduate, and he later practiced law and became a judicial magistrate.[13][14]
In India
[edit]In Delhi
The odh community that claims to be Suryavanshi Rajputs who left Marwar. Their primary locations are in the areas of Bhatti Mines, Sanjay Colony, and Mehrauli. The Dewat, Panwar, Bhatti, Sisodia, Majoka, Shrawan, (Rathod) Rathore, Chauhan, Kudawala (Bhatti), Kharwar and Galgat are their principal clans in Delhi. The people in the community continue to work in mines or dig canals as their traditional jobs. They live in a very marginalised community where child labour is a common practice.
In Rajasthan
The Oad of Rajasthan claim ancestry from Sagar, a Rajput ruler. They are mostly located in the districts of Alwar and Sri Ganganagar, and they are separated into several exogamous clans, including the Kudawla, Gundali, Beeka, Soora, Kalhiya (Tanwar), Udesi, Galgat, Mudai, Gadai, Majoka, Yodha, Mangal, Nahar, Gagwani, Lola, and Japlots. Their main activities include farming, masonry labour, mining, and building roads. The Vishnavi Hindu Oad rajputs speak Oadki among themselves and Hindi with outsiders.[15][16]
In Haryana
Panchkula, Hisar, Balawas village, Tohana, Ratia, Fathehabad, Sirsa, Panipat, Sonipat, Hansi, Karnal, Kaithal, Faridabad, Gurgaon, and other areas of Haryana are the primary Oad locations. The sole elected MLA from the "Ratia" Constituency in Haryana's political history is Sh. Gyan Chand Galgat, who was chosen twice, first in 2004 and then again in 2009. Around 80% of the Oad Community lives in Tohana and several other villages in District Hisar, specifically in "Hazampur" hamlet. The level of education and living standards in Haryana have improved excessively, yet there is always room for growth.[17]
In United Kingdom
[edit]Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister of the UK, is also of Oad heritage, showcasing the community's expansion beyond construction into politics and other professions.[18]
References
[edit]- ^ Library of Congress Subject Headings. Library of Congress. 2013.
- ^ a b Sabha, India Parliament Lok (2006). Lok Sabha Debates. Lok Sabha Secretariat. pp. 393, 395.
- ^ Pal, Sushilaben; Narula, S. C. (1998). "Some Ballads and Legends : Gujarati Folklore". Indian Literature. 42 (5 (187)): 172–184. ISSN 0019-5804. JSTOR 23338788.
- ^ Upreti, Harish Chandra (1981). Social Organization of a Migrant Group: A Sociological Study of Hill Migrants from Kumaon Region in the City of Jaipur. Himalaya Publishing House. p. 68.
The untouchables or Doms included various artisan castes, such as Tamta, Lohar, Orh, Koi, Ajari, Das Dholi, Mirasi, etc
- ^ Upadhyay, H. C. (2007). Harijans of Himalaya: With Special Reference to the Harijans of Kumaun Hills. Gyanodaya Prakashan. pp. 13, 44. ISBN 9788185097206.
- ^ Vir, Dharam; Manral, Manju (1990). Tribal Women: Changing Spectrum in India. Classical Publishing Company. p. 113. ISBN 9788170541035.
ritually impure and so untouchables (Achhut) . They are village artisans who are more frequently described by their occupational subdivisions, e . g . Lobar (Blacksmith), Tamta (Coppersmith), Orh (Stoneworker and Mason) and so on .
- ^ Pillai, V. Kannu (2007). Caste: Observation of I.C.S. Officers and Others Since 1881. Siddharth Books. p. 224. ISBN 9788190558365.
- ^ ní Fhlathúin, Máire (19 March 2020), "From The Cadet: A Poem, in Six Parts: Containing Remarks on British India. To which is added, Egbert and Amelia; in Four Parts: with Other Poems, by a late resident in the East, vol. 1 (London: Robert Jennings, 1814)", The Poetry of British India, 1780–1905, Routledge, pp. 111–117, doi:10.4324/9780429348525-30, ISBN 978-0-429-34852-5, retrieved 20 August 2024
- ^ India. Census Commissioner (1912). Census of India, 1911 ... Printed at the Government central Press.
- ^ "Anhang", Der Pretakalpa des Garuda Purana, Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, pp. 229–249, 31 December 1956, doi:10.1515/9783110842746-006, ISBN 978-3-11-084274-6, retrieved 20 August 2024
- ^ Kennedy, J. (July 1897). "The Tribes and Castes of the North-Western Provinces and Oudh. By W. Crooke, B.A., 4 vols. (Calcutta, 1896.)". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society. 29 (3): 661–668. doi:10.1017/s0035869x00024862. ISSN 1356-1863.
- ^ "KARACHI: Call to make caste bias a criminal offence". DAWN.COM. 4 June 2007. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
- ^ Khan, Sahib (18 August 2013). "Oadki houses: A dying art". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
- ^ Arisar, A. B. (30 December 2023). "Ex-CM adviser accuses parties of ignoring 'majority schedule caste'". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
- ^ Sharma, Nupoor (June 2010). "Dwivedi, Manan, South Asia Security (New Delhi Kalpaz Publications, 2009). Pp. 352. Price Rs 750". India Quarterly: A Journal of International Affairs. 66 (2): 233–236. doi:10.1177/097492841006600210. ISSN 0974-9284.
- ^ "Two castes dispute over burning Holi". The Times of India. 15 March 2017. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
- ^ "Sh. GYAN CHAND JAIN". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
- ^ Haque, Inam Ul (3 November 2022). "Rishi Sunak — the English Brahman". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 20 August 2024.