From Pods to Poundra

Abstract

Caste has been an inseparable part of Indian society since the beginning of settled human civilization. Like other parts of India, certain caste communities of Bengal were assigned lower social status in the caste hierarchy. They were categorized in the colonial administrative records of the nineteenth and early twentieth century as ‘Hinduised Castes’, ‘Semi Hinduised Tribe’, ‘Depressed Castes’ and as ‘Depressed Class’. They began to be classified as Scheduled Castes with the adoption of the Government of India (Scheduled Castes) Order (1936). These communities had to face a lot of social injustice. In terms of their possession over capital goods, they were poor. So they could not develop their skills other than their traditional occupation(s). Lack of education and social restrictions made them an ‘oppressed social category’ who can be categorized as ‘Dalits’. In such a caste oriented social context of colonial India, certain lower caste communities of Bengal like Bhuinmalis, Chashi Kaibartyas, Chandals, Dhobas, Gopas, Malos, Patnis, Poundras, Rajbanshis, Sutradhars, etc., had developed a sense of self‐respect by announcing a ‘self identity’. Simultaneously, they adopted certain rituals from the caste Hindus to legitimize their demand. At the same time they placed their appeal to the colonial G9vernment for recognition of a respectable caste identity. They also initiated social reforms including the spread of education in their own society for materializing the dreams of achieving respectable caste status. In such a context of colonial society of Bengal, in this article I shall highlight the social movement of the Pods of Bengal who demanded Poundra (Kshatriya) identity for achieving respect and social justice what was granted by the Government of Independent India in 1956. The process ofd evelopment ofc aste consciousness among the Poundras, influence ofc olonial policy and the outcomes of the Poundras Kshatriya movement are also analyzed in this paper with a perspective of Dalit history.