Basanti: Difference between revisions

Basanti - a jatt sikh caste

Basanti is a jatt caste in east Punjab. They are residing in village Khuni Majra, Guno Majra, Taprian, Sil, Kambala of Dist. Mohali, village Ror Majra, Asman Pur, Makrona Khurd, Makrona Kallan of dist. Ropar, village Basant Pura, Chandu Majra of Dist. Patiala and many more villages of Ludhiana and Fatehgarh Sahib Districts.

Basantis are also called Bajwas. There are many Bajwa families in East Punjab that use Basanti surname.

Bajwa

Bajwa is a common last name amongst Punjabis. According to one theory, the word "Bajwa" is derived from the term Baaj Wala, which can be loosely translated to "Clan of the Falcon". "Baaz" (pronounced as Baaj in colloquial Punjabi) is the Arabic word for hawk or falcon, while "wala" is an Indian suffix indicating a person involved in some kind of activity. Bajwa in Persian also means "those who levied tax". Bajwas living in the Bajwat area (the Sialkot and Narowal districts in Punjab (Pakistan)) were known to harass the invading armies of Timur, Ahmed Shah Abdali and others, who invaded India from the northwest.

ORIGIN

Bajwa is a prominent Jat clan of the Punjab. They claim Suryavanshi descent. The place of Bajwas' origin is Bajwat in the Sialkot and Narowal districts of Pakistan. This place is located in the Shiwalik foothills and is quite near the Indian border as well as the city of Jammu. At one time, Bajwa Jats had eighty-four villages in the Sialkot area. The founder of the Bajwa clan, Bajwat (or Wajab) used to live in Jaisalmer in Rajasthan. From there, he migrated to Sialkot and Gujranwala. One of his descendants became the ruler of Multan. The Bajwa ruler Raja Shalip, who owned a large estate in Multan, was ousted from Multan at the time of Sikandar Lodhi by the local Governor with whom he had quarreled. Shalip had a number of sons who were killed fighting with him, but two sons named Kals and Yas managed to escape. Both used to rear hawks (baaz) and are reputed to have left their father's fort disguised as falconers, thereby providing the clan name. Another legend is that one of their ancestors, Rai Jaison, was forced to leave Delhi by Rai Pithora (Prithvi Raj Chauhan). The Bajwa clan have given their name to the Bajwat area on the Sialkot/Kashmir border but are thought to have migrated from Multan and Uch in central Pakistan. As with all Jat clans, however, they are thought to have Scythian origins. The area of Bajwat is located in the Shiwalik foothills and is close to the Indian border and to the city of Jammu. Bajwa Jats have founded many villages and towns in the Sialkot area and the names of villages and towns of the area still reflect this. A Bajwa by the name of Kholu settled in Panwana and had six sons; each of which founded a town. The eldest, Naru established the town of Narowal . The other towns founded are Bhagowal, Rurki, Khanowali, Chawinda (famous for the tank battle in the 1965 war with India), and Pasrur. Pasrur was founded by Mankah. According to one legend, the ancestor of the Bajwas is Baba Manga. Baba Manga had seven sons. The eldest, Naro established a village, which was named as Narowal after him. Another son, Deepa founded Kotli Bajwa and a third one, Chandu founded Chanduwal. There are reputed to be three main divisions of the Bajwa clan in Sialkot; with the descendants of Mankah settled around Pasrur, the descendants of Mangah clustering around Chawinda and Narowal is the headquarters for the children of Naru.

BAJWA JATTS AND BAJJU RAJPUTS

Bajwa Jatts are closely linked to the Bajju Rajputs. Yas migrated to Jammu. There he married a Rajput girl. His descendants became known as 'Bajju' and are considered Rajputs. Kals, on the other hand, married a Jat girl and his descendants are considered Jats; but both clans acknowledge a common ancestry. Bajwas are also called Basantis. There are many Bajwa families in East Punjab that use Basanti surname.

CUSTOMS

Both Bajwa Jatts and Bajju Rajputs are settled in the Bajwat region of Jammu-Sialkot-Narowal. Their customs were very similar as they would take their newly wed brides to the Samadhi of their ancestor, Baba Manga to pay obeisance. Like other Jat clans, Bajwas give a cut to the tree of Jand.

RELIGION

Indian Bajwas are mostly Sikhs, while in Pakistan, they are overwhelmingly Muslims.

   Muslim 46%, Ahmadi 10%, Sikh 40%, & Hindu 4%

NOTABLE BAJWAS

★ Kanwar Idrees Bajwa,was provincial Minister and Chief Secretary Sind, Pakistan.

★ Commodore Rehmat-Ullah Bajwa - Pakistan Navy and Ambassador to SEATO

★ Maj. General Anis A. Bajwa, Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Timor-Leste. and former head of the Pakistan Tourist Development Corporation.(6/30/2007)

★ Sardar Chet Singh Bajwa, a Deorhidar who served Ranjit Singh and Kharak Singh; killed by the Dogras in 1839 A.D.

★ Sardar Jodh Singh Bajwa, ally of Maharajah Ranjit Singh and whose daughter married Prince Kharak Singh, son of Ranjit Singh.

★ Kulbir Singh Bajwa, Indian Police Service officer who served in Delhi Police and CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force). He was in-charge of the 'Incarceration Lists' during the Emergency proclaimed by Indira Gandhi from 1975-1977

★ Wg. Cdr. Kuldeep Singh Bajwa, Indian Army commander; during the Indo-Pak he was credited with checking the advance of Pakistan's tanks into the Rajasthan sector. In the movie 'Border' this role was played by Jackie Shroff.

★ Dr. Saeed A. Bajwa, U.S. neurosurgeon of Pakistani origin; honored with the Hilal-e-Imtiaz medal, Pakistan's highest civilian honor, for his role as the first doctor in the US to successfully perform a spinal-column replacement surgery.

★ Dr. Saeed Bajwa from Chauney Sulariyan, Sialkot

★ Prof. Gulshan Bajwa, Advocate-on-Record (Supreme Court of India)

★ Rupa Bajwa, Amritsar-based author. Her book The Sari Shop (2004) won the 2004 Orange Prize for Fiction, the Best First Book award in the regional round (Eurasia) of the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and the Sahitya Akademi Award. (6/29/2007)

★ Waqar Ahmed Bajwa, Captain of the Pakistan Hockey Team in 1960 which won the Olympic Hockey Gold Medal for the first time, defeating India in the final.

★ Muhammad Asif Bajwa (born June 6, 1972)son of Chaudhry Asadullah Khan Bajwa, Advoacte. He was Pakistan's Hockey Team Manager and Chief coach field hockey. He was member of Pakistan's world cup winning Hockey team (1993).(6/29/2007)

★ Satinder Bajwa, squash player and coach who coached Jansher Khan(6/29/2007)

★ Dr. Wajeeh Bajwa, Professor at Duke University, Specializes in US Drug Regulations. He is son-in-law of Nobel Prize winner Prof. Sir Muhammad Abdus Salam.

★ Dr. Farooq Naseem Bajwa has published two books “Pakistan & the West; The First Decade 1947-1957” and “Pakistan (A historical and contemporary look).(6/29/2007)

★ Rafiq Ahmad Bajwa of Chawinda, played an important role in declaring Ahmadies as Non Muslims. He is regarded as a hero in Muslim world and his autobiography is in process.(6/29/2007)

★ Bushra Bajwa got fame when she challenged Ahmadies in Rabwa with his younger brother.(6/29/2007)

★ Rafiq Ahmad Bajwa, Advocate, served as a Vice President of Jamiat Ullama-a-Pakistan (JUP) and Secretary-General of the Pakistan National Alliance (PNA) movement against Zulfikar Bhutto. (6/29/2007)

★ Mrs Sajeela Ansar Bajwa served as Member District Council, Sialkot; and has been elected as Member Provincial Assembly of the Punjab in General Elections 2002 against one of the seats reserved for women. (6/29/2007)

★ Brigadier Asim Saleem Bajwa served as Musharraf’s Deputy Military Secretary and played an active role in the publication of the Urdu edition "Sub Sey Pehlay Pakistan".(6/29/2007)

★ Aslam Ahmed Bajwa served as President of Agricultural Development Bank of Pakistan and is the father of Atif Aslam Bajwa who is the President of Muslim Commercial Bank

★ Akhtar Ahmad Bajwa served PTCL (Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited) as a Chairman & CEO for three years (2001-04) plus 38 years service with the same company.(6/29/2007)

★ Hasrat, Sukhpal Vir Singh Bajwa is a famous poet and was awarded by the “Sahitya Akademi” in the year 1980 for his book, “Suraj Te Kahkashan”. Two of his books “Shakti Naad” and “Suraj Da Kafla” were awarded prizes by the Punjab Govt. also as best collections for the years 1967-68 and 1971-72 respectively.(6/29/2007)

★ Partap Singh Bajwa is a popular politician in East Punjab and Minister for PWD and B& R. (6/29/2007)

★ Fouad Riaz Bajwa is a renowned speaker, researcher and writer on technology for human development issues, one of the very few amongst young Pakistani technologists and thinkers.

★ Haseeb Ali Bajwa is a Surrey County Cricket Professional Player who can bowl the doosra.

★ Sardar Chanchal Singh Bajwa, PhD - SP, Punjab Police