Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 28: Maintaining that the Hindu Gujjars of 12 States played key role in grant of Schedule Tribe Status to J&K Gujjars in 1991 – the speakers at a programme organized by Tribal Research and Cultural Foundation (TRCF) today pleaded for a united platform to discuss the ethno cultural commonalties among Hindu -Muslim and Sikh Gujjars.
They said “though we are one racial identity the Gujjars of J&K and Himachal Paredsh are a classified as ‘Tribe’ but it is surprising in rest of India they are categorized as ‘caste’ like Jaat and Rajput in ethnic classification of caste and tribes”. The programme was organized to discuss commonalities among Hindu-Muslim and Sikh Gujjars.
In his presidential address Dr. Javaid Rahi , Secretary of Tribal Research and Cultural Foundation (TRCF) said that three Hindu Gujjars played a main role in revival of Gujjar identity in J&K . They include Prof. Ram Parshad Khatana- a writer from Haryana, Ram Chand Vikal a former Member Parliament and former Union Minister Late Rajesh Pilot from early seventies to late nineties, he said and added that Prof Khatana had done first studies on Gujjars which helped a lot in getting ST status for J&K Gujjars.
“We value their contribution for J&K Gujjars who are 100% Muslim but now for the last 25 years the link between Hindu and Muslim Gujjars got broken and we are working to rebuild the same on ethno cultural lines, he said.
He said in order to discuss this study and other common issues of Gujjars of India -the Tribal Foundation will hold a common conference of Hindu -Muslim-Sikh Gujjars in Jammu shortly.
The prgoramme was attended by a Hindu Gujjar group from Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi.
They impressed upon all the organisation and institutions dedicated to the cause for Gujjars to work jointly for making the community socially, culturally and educationally vibrant and power full.
The speakers included , Ch. Jamsheed Jazab, Mushtaq Banya, Aziz Hassan, Abdul Rashid Jangal, Arif Dhedadh, Dr. Shabir Kassana, Dilnawaz Hussain Chowdhary Sajany Kasna , Suresh Dhankar , Om Gujjar, R K Verma, Raman Dev Singh Gurjar, Krishan Singh Banya and others.
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