Punjab's Assembly elections have been postponed until
February 20, highlighting the importance of the Ravidassia population in the
state. Several political parties had petitioned the Election Commission to
postpone the election since the original date of February 14 would have clashed
with Guru Ravidas Jayanti, an annual pilgrimage to Varanasi by Ravidassiyas.
Many of them travel by rail, which is organized by the Dera Sachkhand Ballan in
Jalandhar, the Ravidassias' main dera.
Over the previous few decades, political parties have taken
into account the vast numbers of Ravidassias and the influence of the Dera
Sachkhand Ballan in every election.
Also, out of the 23 Doaba seats, Jalandhar has 9 seats, 6 of
which are owned by Congress, and 3 by Akali Dal Kapurthala, all of which are
owned by Congress.
Hoshiarpur has 7 seats, 6 of which are held by Congress and
one by the AAP.
Nawanshahr has 3 members, 2 of whom are affiliated with the
Congress party and one with the Akali Dal.
In the end, we can see that 19 of the 23 are with Congress,
which can be considered a spotless move of the Doaba region by Congress. We can
also say that 41% of the people in Doaba are Dalits.
This algorithm states a lot and leans heavily towards the
Dalit side, particularly in the Doaba region.
It is also worth noting that CM Punjab Charanjit Singh
Channi is a member of the Dalit community.
What exactly are the Ravidassias?
The Ravidassias are a Dalit community, the majority of whom
live in the Doaba region (almost 12 lakh). Baba Sant Pipal Das founded the Dera
Sachkhand Ballan, the community's largest dera, with 20 lakh members globally,
in the early twentieth century. The dera, which had been strongly associated
with Sikhism for decades, stated in 2010 that they would now join the
Ravidassia religion.
The statement was made on Guru Ravidas Jayanti in Varanasi
by the dera. Guru Ravidas was a mystic poet-saint of the Bhakti Movement who
formed the Ravidassia religion in the 15th and 16th centuries. In Ravidassia
temples and gurdwaras, the Dera Shackchand began replacing the Guru Granth
Sahib with its own Granth, Amritbani, which contains 200 hymns of Guru Ravidas,
beginning in 2010.
How did the Dera Sachkhand Ballan come into being?
Baba Sant Pipal Das, the organization's founder, was born in
the Bathinda village of Gill Patti. He and his son Sarwan Das left home when
his wife died. Their journey took them to Sarmastpur near Jalandhar, and then
to Ballan village in 1895, where they resided.
According to Dera officials, Baba Pipal Das and his son
began to live under a dried pipal tree. The tree gradually flourished as they
nurtured it, giving the Baba the moniker Sant Pipal Das. Dera claimed to be
fluent in the Guru Granth Sahib bani and Punjabi, and he began to gain
disciples, especially those who followed Guru Ravidass' teachings. He then went
on to found the Dera Ballan.
After Baba Pipal Das, who has been in charge?
Sant Pipal Das's son, Sant Sarwan Das, led the dera from
1928 to 1972 after his father's death. Since then, three more spiritual Sants
have emerged, none of whom were chosen through inheritance.
Sant Hari Das, the third Sant, was born in Jalandhar's Garha
village and spent his entire life in Dera Ballan. Sant Garib Das of Jalbhe
village in Jalandhar, the next dera chief (1982-94), likewise spent his life at
the dera, where he left an indelible impression on Sant Sarwan Das.
Sant Niranjan Das, the current dera head, was born on
January 5, 1942, in Ramdaspur village, Jalandhar, to a couple who were Sant
Pipal Das devotees and presented their son to Sant Sarwan Das, who gave him the
name "Hawaigar" for the speed with which he accomplished his tasks.
What is Guru Ravidas Jayanti's significance?
During his time in Varanasi, Sant Sarwan Das worked on the
construction of a memorial temple. The dera purchased land in Seer Goverdhanpur
village near Banaras Hindu University after discovering Guru Ravidas'
birthplace, and the foundation stone for a temple was placed in June 1965, with
the first phase finished in 1970. It was aided by NRI Dera disciples as well.
Several of Ballan's followers began to visit the shrine, and
it became customary to celebrate Guru Ravidas Jayanti in Varanasi over time.
Dera Ballan grew to become the Ravidassias' largest dera over time. Every year
on Guru Ravidas' birthday, the Dera Ballan has taken devotees on the Begampura
Train from Jalandhar to Varanasi.
What political significance does the dera have?
Thousands of deras, both tiny and large, can be found in
Punjab. Political leaders have begun attending deras in recent elections
because of the large numbers they command. Party leaders have gone and met with
the head of the Dera Sachkhand Ballan, Sant Niranjan Das.
The Dera Sachkhand Ballan has never officially endorsed any
political party but has always welcomed visiting political leaders. Punjab
Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal
(AAP), Punjab Congress President Navjot Singh Sidhu, Shiromani Akali Dal chief
Sukhbir Badal, and prominent BJP officials were among those who paid a visit
this time.
Around 15 lakhs of the dera's 20 lakh followers dwell in
Punjab, especially in the Doaba region, which has 23 Assembly seats (out of
Punjab's 117). Dalits make up over 32 percent of Punjab's population, with
Doaba having the greatest proportion at 37 percent (19.48 lakh Dalits out of a
regional population of 52.08 lakh). The Ravidassia community accounts for 61
percent (11.88 lakh) of Doaba's Dalits. Doaba is home to hundreds of deras, the
largest of which being Dera Sachkhand Ballan.
That explains why various political parties petitioned the
Poll Commission for a postponement of the election due to Guru Ravidas Jayanti.
CM Channi, a Dalit Sikh from the Ramdassia community, had written to the ECI
requesting a postponement, and his elevation had lifted all Dalit groups,
including the Ravidassias.
What is the Ravidassias' level of assertiveness?
Following a deadly attack by fundamentalists on Shri Guru
Ravidas Temple in Vienna on May 24, 2009, they have become increasingly
assertive. When the attackers struck, some 400 devotees had assembled for a
religious service, murdering the Dera Sachhkhand Ballan's then
second-in-command, Sant Ramanand, and injuring 30 others, including the dera's
Sant, Niranjan Das. The suspected assailants were said to be associated with a
gurdwara in Vienna.
The Vienna incident sparked rioting throughout Doaba,
primarily in Jalandhar, and a 15-day curfew was imposed. Because of the rift,
it created between Sikhs and Ravidassias, the Dera severed its decades-long
links with Sikhism and declared that they would follow the "Ravidassia
religion." Ravidassias have now asked for a distinct religion column in
the 2021 Census. Ravidassia artists produced new songs centered on their caste
and religion after the Vienna attack so that members of the community may play
them at celebrations instead of songs composed by upper-caste Jat Sikhs. Last
year, for the first time, Jat Sikhs and Ravidassias observed Guru Ravidas
Jayanti jointly, as it was critical for both communities to stand together
during the protests against the Centre's three farm legislation.
Punjab's Assembly elections have been postponed until
February 20, highlighting the importance of the Ravidassia population in the
state. Several political parties had petitioned the Election Commission to
postpone the election since the original date of February 14 would have clashed
with Guru Ravidas Jayanti, an annual pilgrimage to Varanasi by Ravidassias.
Many of them travel by rail, which is organized by the Dera Sachkhand Ballan in
Jalandhar, the Ravidassias' main dera.