Halpati

Brief Details of Halpati

Halpati

Dubla is Hindi means 'thin' or 'weak', even though physically they are stout. They claim to be the descendants of the Rajputs. Actually they remained economically very weak due to their dependency on the ladlords whom they served as hali for a considerably long time. The Dubla are also known as 'Halpati'. Holi means a permanent agricultural labourer who ploughs the field and his family also serves the landlords by working in the house and in the fields. Enthoven (1920) says that "the Dublas or weaklings, as their names is said to mean, are a feeble people, soon aged by their hard life and their fondness for liquor". Sinha (1988) considers that the term. 'Dhubla' has relevance to their poor economy and hardships in life. Shah (1958) writes that when Parashuram was killing all the Kshatriyas (warrors), the Rathors to save their lives told him that they were the Talavias (living on the bank of the tank) thereby saving their lives. Since then, they are known as Talavia Rathors. The Talavia is one of the subdivisions of the Dubla community which is numerically the largest section and an endogamous group. The Dubla are chiefly distributed in Surat, Valsad, Bharuch and Vadodara districts. They speak in Gujarati language and use Gujarati script. They have been listed under the category of scheduled tribes.

Shah (1958) writes that the Dublas are an isolated and foreign element in the population of Gujarat. The isolation is more prominent in case of minimum frontal breadth, auricular height, sitting length and lastly upper facial length. As regards other characteristics, Dublas have lower, if not lowest mean value for stature.

The Dubla are non-vegetarian consuming mutton, fish, chicken and eggs. Rice is staple food for them. Now, they have started taking wheat and jowar also. Pulses of tur, urad and wal are consumed by them. They are almost all vegetables and seasonal fruits which are locally available. They use Pamoline, soybean and groundnut oil for cooking. They consume alcohol preparing it from the mahuah flowers. They take tea daily. They smoke bidi.

They are divided into twenty subdivisions. Talavia, Rathore, Vohariya, Damaria, Valsadia, Olpadia, Mandavia, Umberia, Ghanghodia, Khodia, Choria, Ukharia, Baramia, Baria, Narda, Haevia, Thakura, Karcha, Watal, Parsi Dubla and Laldatwala Dubla (who colour their teeth red during marriage). The Talavia Rathore considers themselves to be superior, claiming Rajput descent. Enthoven (1920) says that the Barias are named after their practice of performing funeral rites on the twelfth day after death, Madavis after performing funeral rites under a shade (mandra-bough) and the Talavias after their practice of performing the funeral rites on the bank of a pond or, tank etc.

The Dubla are monogamous. Age at marriage for the girls is from 16 to 20 years and for boys, it is 20 to 25 years. Marriages are negotiated. They symbols of marriage for a woman are kaliganthi (black necklace), kanku (red powder) in the hair parting and chandio (tikki) on the forehead. Bride price is prevalent. Rules of residence after marriage is patrilocal but in the Gharajamai system. The man lives in this wife’s house permanently. Divorce and remarriages are permitted in the community. In the case of divorce children become the liability of the mother. If the woman leaves her husband, compensation has to be paid, Cases of divorce occur due to adultery, infertility of the wife etc. Widow re-marriage is also permitted. Junior levirate and junior surrogate are allowed.

Nuclear and vertically extended families co-exist. Avoidance is observed between wife and her husband's elder brother and other male relatives of the same order Son-in-Law also observes avoidance relation to same extent with his mother-in-Law and other relatives of this wife's family. Joking relationship exists between a woman and the younger brother of her husband and between a man and his wife's younger sister. Rules of property inheritance follow male equigeniture. The house goes to the youngest son. The eldest son succeeds the authority. Women do not inherit parental property. If there is no male issue, then the youngest daughter inherits the house. Other part of property is equally divided among the daughters.

Women work in the fields and outside too as day-labourers. They collect fuel and fodder from the nearby forest areas and help in performing certain rituals and religious activities. They manage family affairs well. Their role is very important in maintaining the house-hold, nursing of the children, cooking of food etc. she enjoy a status equal to their men.

In the seventh month of pregnancy khora bharana is celebrated. Her brother arrives with a set of clothes and gifts for her. She remains at her parent’s house for the first delivery. During child birth, help of a dayan (midwife) is taken. Purificatory bath is performed on the fifth day and chhati is done on the sixth day. The child is put in a swing on this day. Child's father's sister gives the name to the child. Pollution is observed for forty days. kuwa-poojan (well worship) is performed on the eleventh day. After performing a ritual worship, the mother fetches water from the well preferably on a Tuesday. On the day of Annaprasan, sira is fed to the child and prasad is distributed among the children. Mundan ceremony is performed within a year or two for the first son.

The boys and the girls of the community know each other as they work together s labourers and in many cases, they get involved in pre-marital sex resulting in pregnancy. The relation is regularized by marriage. Once the negotiation is finalized chandla (engagement) is performed in which the groom's family presents a set of cloth. Kaliganthi (black necklace), coconut and the bride-price. Marriage season starts after the Holi festival and continues upto Nagpanchmi. Peethi (oil turmeric paste) is anointed on the boy and the girl for there to five days before marriage. Marriage takes place at the girl's house. The girl is brought to the mandap (marraige both). She is given kaliganthi and red glass bangles to wear. Vermilon is applied on parting of her hair. Reet (rituals) is performed for the boy and it is known as mandap ki reet. It is done by the womenfolk of the house. The shlokas (saptapdi verses) are recited by the Brahman priest. This is followed by hast-milap. A feast is arranged. Next day she goes to her husband's house. Consummation of marriage takes place at groom's house. In between betrothal or nani tadi and marriage of moti tadi the girl goes to her husband's house and remains there for a month or two to observe whether she can live three amicably. During this stay, she is not allowed to sleep with her husband.

They bury their dead and observe the pollution for twelve days. Cremation is also now practiced. The corpse is washed and covered with a new cloth and taken to the bank of a tank or river for cremation or burial. In the evening patra forwanu is held. An earthen lamp is lighted. Four persons make four rounds of the lamp with mango leaves. After this is throw at the place of bishama (half-way stop). Tonsure is performed on the third or fifth day. Brama is performed on the twelfth day. They go to Nasik (Godavari River) or Valsad (Teethal-Dariya) for consignment of the bones of the water.

Land is the main economic resource of the Dubla. They are marginal cultivators and landless agricultural labourers. They possess buffaloes, cows and goats and are associated with the doodh Mandli (milk societies). The Dubla do fishing in the rainy season. They also do the tailoring work and shop keeping. They are in government services too. The Dubla have learnt the work of diamond- cutting and polishing. They are doing this work at Bardoli, Surat and Navsari.

The Dubla have a traditional community panchayat (nate panch) which is headed by the faliya Patel (Mukhi or Agewan). The regional panchayat is known as Samast Halpati Samaj (south Gujarat). It is headed by a Pramukh. Other officials are Mantri (Secretary), Mukhis (village heads) and committee sabyas (members). The Nate Panch not only settles the disputes of intra-community nature but has initiated reforms as well to try protect the community’s interests. Statutory village panchayat looks after development programmes in the village. Bar gam chaura is another organisation which takes care of the inter-and intra-tribal disputes. Halpati Sangathan. Khet Mazdoor Sahakari Maneli, Halpati Shikshan Prachar Samitti, etc are also working for teh welfare of the Dubla.

The Dubla are Hindu by religion, Bamaniya Bhoot is the biggest among the malevolent spirits and it is believed to live in the cremation ground. Marki Mata is also offered with animal sacrifice. They pay much regards to Kanseri Devi (Anna-Mat). Hirwa Dev and Bhangwen Bapji. Kanseri Devi is worshipped on the day of Holi and Diwali. Aspher Dev is the village deity whose abode is in the Peeple tree. The Bhagat or Bhuva is responsible for all the magico-religious practices. Ancestor worship is done on the day after marriage. The Dubla celebrate festivals like Diwasa, Holi, Diwali, Dashahara, Shivratri, Rakshabandhan, Navratri, Ganesh Chaturthi, Matavi-atam (Ashwin or October) and Makar Sankranti. If there is no rain or if delayed, then Dubla unmarried adolescent girls carry earthen pitchers full of water and move around the village. They sing some folk songs to appease Varun Deo, the god of rain. They visit Ambika Mata Temple, Mahadeoji, Unai Mata, and Mahadeoji on different occassions.

They have oral tradition supported by dance and music. Harshai dholak and nagada are the musical instruments use by them in marriage and festivals.

They interact with a number of non-tribal groups on various occasions. The Barber, Prajapati (Potter) Mahar serve them. They accept food and water from various groups except the scheduled castes. With the introduction of inviting Brahman priests in marriage of the recitation of the saptapadi verse they now have developed linkages with them. They participate in the local politics and have their representatives in the state Assembly. Landlord tenant and cultivator-labourt relationship exist. A socio-religious movement among the Dubla in the form of Sanatan Dharma was initiated by Soma Bhai C. Patel in 1962. His followers have given up drinking of liquor, eating of meat and have abandoned animal sacrifice to the deities.

The Dubla are now sending their children to schools and providing them education to get into government services. Girls discontinue after primary education and are involved in domestic work. For health and medical care, they go to the hospitals. Family welfare programme is very much effective among them. They have wells, hand pumps and taps for drinking water. They have received loans of the purchase of cows and buffaloes. Buses ply up to their village. They used wood, cola, cow-dung cakes and kerosene as fuel. Mid-day meals are provided to the children. They avail of the facility of the public distribution system.