Diaspora Development and Caste: In the Doaba Region of Punjab
Author Name
Rajwant Kaur
Author Address
PhD 5 th semester, CSSS/SSS JNU, New Delhi
Keywords
Punjabi diaspora, NRI, Doaba Region
Abstract
Punjabi Diaspora spread all over the globe. Discussion is based on the contribution of the Punjabi Diaspora on his own state Punjab in the Doaba region of Punjab. The Punjabi NRI ‘s has a strong emotional attachment with their native land and has played a major role in changing the appearance of the rural Punjab particularly in the doaba .
Punjabi community is a heterogeneous community , divided by several castes and sub castes ,which is strongly influenced by the traditional Indian caste system. This research study seeks to explore the different ways in which the Jat Sikh Diaspora, Ravidasi Diaspora and Ramgarhia diaspora etc. Influences the Doaba which consists four districts of HoshiarPur, Nawansashar, Kapurthala and Jalandhar, is the hub of Punjabi migrants and majority of the Punjabi who migrated from this region are settled in the UK,US , Newzeland , Italy Australia, gulf countries largely in the English speaking world . It is noted that most of the literature available on this region of Punjab, highlights that development over here is due to the support of diasporic community with respect to agriculture, educational institutions religious , rural infrastructure and health facilities. The continuity of caste has however remained a moot issue and this aspect of caste has always been ignored. The Diaspora also reinforces division of the Punjabi community into various caste subgroups such as (Jat Sikh, Ramdasia Sikh, Valmiki Sikh, Ravidasia Sikh etc.) in India as well as in the other countries and it still continues to gain an increased consciousness among the Punjabis. This research will examine how the social and cultural resources of the Diaspora together with their investments through their remittances in the development of the Doaba actually increases caste consciousness and continues the caste hierarchy in Punjabi society.
Conference
International Conference on Migration, Diaspora and Development