Bhatra: Difference between revisions

The Bhatra or Bhattra community, also known as the Sangat Bhatra or the Bhat Sikh community, are a group of Sikhs whose origins lie in the Punjab. Today in the United Kingdom there are significant numbers of Sikhs with Bhatra ancestry, as there are in India. In the Punjab most Bhatra Sikhs are now in Patiala, Amritsar, Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur or Bhathinda districts, or in Jullunder or Chandigarh; elsewhere in India they tend to live in cities, particularly Delhi and Calcutta.^[1]

Heritage of Bhatra Sikhs in the UK

Bhatra Sikhs started to arrive in the United Kingdom in the 1920s, but most immigrated in the late 1940s or 1950s.

Bhatra tradition and traditional Sikh literature say their ancestors came from Sri Lanka and were the original 16th century followers of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism. In the 17th century some religious Bhatra went to fight as "warrior-saints" against Mughal persecution in the Khalsa campaign inspired by Guru Gobind Singh Ji. Since many Bhatra lived as travelling missionaries, their mobility led them to depend on occupations which did not require a settled life.^[2]

By the 19th century Bhatra was the name of a caste or jati within the Indian tradition of social classes, each with its own occupation. Even though Sikhism itself does not support separation by caste, the social system meant that the Bhatra followed a hereditary profession of itinerant salesman, while some also foretold the future,^[3] if they were considered to have clairvoyant ability. They have been praised for business acumen, described as people with “a spirit of enterprise”.^[4] They were a small group: so small that even in the Punjab many people did not know of them.^[5] Though some lived in Lahore, many Bhatra can trace their roots to villages around Sialkot and Gurdaspur Districts.^[6]

In the 1920s some men travelled to Britain to work as door-to-door salesmen, most leaving their families in the Punjab to begin with. By the time of the Second World War there were a few hundred Sikhs clustered in British seaports like Cardiff, Bristol, and Southampton. Some returned to India when war broke out, but others stayed on and used contacts with Punjabi merchant seamen to import scarce goods.

Partition

The Partition of India in 1947 led many Sikhs to emigrate, and the Bhatra population in the UK was greatly enlarged. Later arrivals tended to join relatives, friends and neighbours from the Punjab, so that some British Bhatra communities have links to one or two particular villages.^[7] Difficult journeys following Partition are not forgotten. The Edinburgh Sikh women's group (Sikh Sanjog) has exhibited artwork telling the story of leaving the Punjab and arriving in a strange land. A 2001 obituary of a senior figure in the Cardiff Bhatra community described the trials of leaving northern India in turbulent times.^[8]

Jobs

The traditional Bhatra profession of itinerant salesman was useful to those arriving in the UK, and was "a skill with considerable potential".^[9] At first most Bhatra, like some other Sikhs, worked either as doorstep or market traders (working with the Khatri community), but some settled in big cities like Leeds or Birmingham, gave up self-employment and took waged jobs in industry. (At this time many educated immigrants to Britain had difficulty finding employment suited to their qualifications and experience, because of racial and/or cultural prejudice.)

Bhatra traders gradually moved into other roles as self-employed businessmen, often specialising in retailing. By the end of the 1950s selling door-to-door was less common and many British Bhatra Sikhs moved towards commercial enterprises like market stalls, shops, supermarkets and wholesale warehouses.^[10] Nowadays the younger Bhatra genaration are represented in many varied professions from doctors to accountants, from engineers to musicians.

Gurdwaras

When possible the Bhatra community has established its own Gurdwaras (temples), the first of which was opened in Manchester in 1953.^[11] As of 2006 there are more than 30 Bhatra or Bhat Sikh temples in the UK, the newest being the one opened in Peterborough in 2004. In some British towns Bhatras are a small proportion of the overall Sikh population (in Glasgow 5%); elsewhere, as in Edinburgh, they are in the majority. .^[12]

The London Bhatra Comunity

The Bhatra Gurdwaras in the UK are someimes linked with ongoing community projects. The site of the first Sangat Bhatra Gurdwara in London, in Mile End Bow in Campbell Road, is still in service and of interest to social historians. The Community also moved to a retired Synagogue in a Grade Two listed building in Harley Grove, East London, recognised as a fine example of Jewish Architecture. This fits with Sikh beliefs in tolerance and respect for other cultures. The Harley Grove Gurdwara has large Vasakhi celebrations at the Sikh New Year, and is a focal point for Bhatra Sikhs in London. This Community is led by Trustee Gurupashad Bance, a respected community figure currently sitting on the UK National Governing Sikh Council, who has pioneered active Sikh and civic engagement.

Origins

Map of Guru Nanak's journeys with Sri Lanka (island south of India) coloured yellow

Many Bhatras consider themselves a sangat (fellowship) which originated with Guru Nanak's visit to Sri Lanka. The Sikh Encyclopedia says that "more than one story is current about their origin". One tradition says Bhatra people are descended from Changa Rai or Changa Bhatra, a disciple of Guru Nanak's mentioned in the Janamsakhis. A congregation led by a teacher called Baba Changa Rai is described in an old document called the Haqiqat Rah Muqam.^[13]

Sri Lanka

M.S. Ahluwalia, a Senior Fellow at the Indian Council of Historical Research, New Delhi, offers historical evidence for Guru Nanak's presence in Sri Lanka, probably in the year 1510.^[14] Many scholars, though not all, agree that the Guru visited Sri Lanka on his travels.

Baba Changa Rai

According to the Sikh Encyclopedia, Bhatra is related to the Sanskrit word bhatta, or bhat, a bard or poet. Although the encyclopedia points out that there is more than one explanation of Bhatra origins, they discuss a link between Bhatra Sikhs and Changa Bhatra, also known as Baba Changa Rai, or Changa Bhai, of Sri Lanka, who became a disciple of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. He added Bhatra to his name and spread the word of Guru Nanak to his followers, who also became known as Bhatra.^[15] The meeting of Guru Nanak and Changa Bhatra is said to have taken place about 12 miles south of his meeting with the Raja.^[16]

Challenge to tradition

A place called Singaldeep or Sangladeep is often mentioned in traditional histories of Bhatra origins and is usually understood to be in Sri Lanka. Bhatra history may also mention connections with the Raja Shiv Nabh ^{[citation needed]}, ruler of Batticaloa and an early disciple of Guru Nanak.^[17] However, it became clear after extensive study in the early 20th century that Bhatras did not originate from Sri Lanka, and the Bhatra Sangat was created in the Punjab originating from one of Guru Nanak Dev Ji 's disciples who was came from that area.^{[citation needed]}

Bhatra Sangat name groups

First of all there are two main groups: Darewal and the Landervaser. The Landervaser are from a village farming background.

There is a story that the Names of the Jart came from certain tribal groups with names representing animals like dragons, lions, tigers and elephants. The names are as follows:

• Laanda/Landa/Lakhanpal
• Potiwal
• Digpal/Digwa
• Chohan
• Raudh/Roudh*Ghola/Gola
• Rathore
• Khalsa
• Khalsi
• Gill
• Bance
• Bhaker/Bhakar/Prabhakar/Sharma
• Bhatti
• Derewal
• Ladh/Lad
• Bhai
• Sathi (a nickame which can come with any bhat surname)
• Swali
• Suwali
• Thariwal
• Chanana
• Taak
• Gaurrh
• Kasbia
• Taak
• Wahiwala (small group of descendants from Digwa/Digpal)

and many more........

These help to stop the families getting married to their own relatives. It is not acceptable to marry someone who has the same father's family name.

Culture

Commentators have found Bhatra Sikhs pride themselves on an orthodox approach to their religion, and many have more conservative attitudes than other Sikhs.^[18]Though Sikhism supports equality for women, a generation ago researchers found some Bhatra girls were withdrawn from English schools before the official leaving age of 16, and their fathers said they wanted to "prepare them for marriage, e.g. train them in cooking, housekeeping, embroidery and sewing".^[19] While this may no longer be the case, some still feel that girls should be preparing for marriage and motherhood.^[20]

Food

Sharing food or Langar is important in Sikhism, and each Gurdwara has a community centre with its own kitchen.

Drink

When boys are born in Bhatra communities it is customary to open a bottle of whisky or other fine drink, to celebrate the birth of the baby boy.

Marriage

Marriages arranged by the couple's parents are common. Sikh Bhatra believe that by arranging their son's or daughter's marriage they will be able to ensure that their son/daughter will be matched up with the right partner, the right family and hopefully have a stable and happy future. Another reason for doing this, for Bhatra and many other communities, is to keep tradition, culture and religion alive. In most cases parents will accompany the son/daughter when finding their partner as the parents usually help in finding a suitable match.^[21] In 1999 arranged marriages were found to be almost the rule in some UK Bhatra communities (for instance, Edinburgh) while elsewhere about half of Bhatra Sikh marriages are arranged by the parents (for instance, Birmingham).^[22] This is similar to the frequency of arranged marriage in other UK Asian communities.^[23]

The typical age of marriage in the Bhatra community is younger than in the UK as a whole, although there are signs of change as more go into higher education or focus on careers.^{[citation needed]} Most Sikh marriages in the UK involve members of the same caste.^[24][25] Wedding ceremonies in their various stages may last up to two weeks or more. The BBC filmed a Bhatra wedding in 1997 which was a "blind marriage" involving a bride and groom who had not seen each other before the ceremony.^[26]These are becoming rare and involve only a small minority of Sikhs.

Some wedding ceremonies take 3 days and involve close relatives staying at the groom's family home.

Names for relationships within the family

• Bupu - Papa: Father, Grandfather
• Bebe - Bube: Mother, Grandmother
• Chacha - Chuche: Younger than Father
• Thi-ya - Theuy: Older than Father
• Pupore: Uncle To Sister
• Prajai: Brother's Wife

Early experiences of the UK

A poem written by the late Sardar Singh Sathi (Suwali), who was a well known member of the Bhatra Sikh sangat, describes their early days in the UK. This is an extract from the beginning of the poem.^{[citation needed]}

jamday nu gurti pairo dee

bebay te lala ladin deh

tak hoya satta sala da

lala hee karo parah-din deh

phir lakay course lafti da

te begah haath pira-din deh

kenday ne puttar katu hai

jadh pounda do kama-din deh

ki lenay evay par-likh kay

jadh parnay beghay akar nay

lala te mala donay hee

phir peenday johnny walker nay.

Further information

See also: List of Sikhism-related topics

Prince Charles has a long-term interest in Sikhism and has met Bhatra Sikhs in various parts of the UK, praising their community work in Manchester.

Other Sikhs in the UK

Although Sikhism does not support the old Indian caste system, in the UK there are some tensions between Jat Sikhs and Bhatra Sikhs which probably have an element of leftover caste prejudice.^[27] Jat Sikhs are the biggest group of the approximately 600,000 Sikhs in the UK, though in the first half of the 20th century they and the Bhatra Sikhs had equal numbers of people in the country. The Jats worked as "door-knock" salesmen then too, though it was not their traditional occupation (farming).^[28] Ramgharia Sikhs (traditionally wood workers and craftsmen)^[29] are another sizeable group.

Films and music

See also: Music of Punjab

Actors, films, music and musicians which may be of special interest to Sikhs in the UK include:

• Baleah Baleh - a traditional Punjabi folk-singer
• Gandhi - the film directed by Richard Attenborough which portrays the Amritsar massacre
• Films with Gurdas Maan
• Dholki drumming - a traditional art
• Jasbir Singh Bhogal, tabla player
• Rhythm Dohl Bass (RDB), a Bhangra group
• Mehsopuria, a Bhangra singer

Historical figures

See also: List of prominent Sikhs

People of historical importance for Sikhs in the UK include:

• Mata Sahib Kaur

Bibliography

• Desh Pradesh, Differentiation and Disjunction among the Sikhs in South Asian Experience in Britain (1994) ed. Roger Ballard
• Roger Ballard, The Growth and Changing Character of the Sikh Presence in Britain in The South Asian Religious Diaspora in Britain, Canada, and the United States (2000), ed. Harold Coward, Raymond Brady Williams, John R Hinnells
• Roger Ballard, Migration,Remittances, Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction: Reflections on the basis of South Asian Experience
• R and C Ballard, The Sikhs: the development of South Asian settlements in Britain in Between Two Cultures ed. JL Watson (1977)
• P Ghuman, Bhattra Sikhs in Cardiff: Family and Kinship Organization. New Community (1980) 8, 3.
• Marie Gillespie, Television, Ethnicity and Cultural Change (Routledge 1995)
• Malory Nye, A Place for Our Gods: The Construction of an Edinburgh Hindu Temple Community (1995)
• Eleanor Nesbitt, Sikhism: A Very Short Introduction (OUP 2005) ISBN 0-19-280601-7
• Difference within Sikh Communities
• Sikh settlers in Britain (includes material on caste and on "Bhattra")
• The Sikh Encyclopedia

References

External links

• Bhatra in the UK before Partition
• Sikh Sanjog
• Sikh Directory UK - includes Bhatra Gurdwaras
• Cardiff Bhatra Gurdwara
• Bhat Sikh Community in Peterborough