A Study of Equity and Inclusion in Education of Gujjar and Bakerwal (Scheduled Tribes) of Kashmir Division

AbstractJammu and Kashmir is a land inhabitated by various Tribal groups. These Tribal Groups arespread in almost every corner of the hill State making the culture and tradition more rich and colourful.The constitution of Jammu and Kashmir has notified 12 tribal communities as the scheduled tribes. Eightcommunities; Balti, Bot, Beda, Brookpa, Garra, Changpa, Mon and Purigpa among them were given thisstatus in 1989; and Gujjar, Bakarwal, Gaddi and Sippi were notified as the scheduled tribes vide theconstitution (Scheduled Tribes) order (Amendment) Act,1991. All the twelve scheduled tribes wereenumerated officially for the first time during the census 2001.The Gujjar tribe has the highestconcentration in Poonch and Rajouri districts followed by Anantnag, Udhampur and Doda districts(Census 2011). The Gujjars and Bakerwals is a unique ethnic group which migrates in the WesternHimalayas. They are the sheep and goat rearing transhumant’s who oscillate with their rewards (flock)between high and low altitudes in the mountains, lands and valleys of the Jammu & Kashmir State. TheGujjar Bakarwals claim a common ancestry from the ancient Gujjar tribe of India. Some of the scholarsare of the opinion that they are the foreign stock representing the pastoral nomads of Central Asia.Whereas the Gujjars primarily tend buffaloes, the Bakerwals mainly rear sheep and goats. Gujjars andBakkarwals are mostly nomadic tribes of Jammu and Kashmir but since past many years, a majority ofthe Gujjar population has become sedentarized (Zutshi, 2001). Gujjars which were primarily a nomadiccommunity, have now settled to a large extent and have become sedentarized or settled in permanentvillages in the plains bordering the foot hills and have taken to cultivation of land as their primaryoccupation (Bhardwaj, 1994). Besides, there are semi-settled or sedentary transhumant’s GujjarswhoGujjar are traditionally called as Goojar, Gujar and Gurjara. The beginning of this tribe is veryfascinating it was said that amid the time of attack of Hunas. The Gurjara tribes moved into northern Indiaand the Himachal Pradesh. It is expected that Khazar tribes are the precursors of the Gujjar tribe. Theterm Gujjar has touched base from Khazar. In India, Gujjar populaces are found generally in Delhi,Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Harryana. The semi- nomadic Gujjar are found in the statesof Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and north- western Utter Pradesh. The name for the state ofGujarat has gotten from Gurgar. Gujjar are rich regarding cultural heritage. They have their own dialectGOJRI which is a branch of Indo-Aryan dialect and have their own particular customs, nourishmentpropensities, living propensities and workmanship, and specially (Faehar, 2012).