Should Jats move away from Villages ?

[ravichaudhary]

Rajendra Kumar Kalkhunde (Apr 30, 2003 10:28 p.m.):
Dear Lamba Sahib and every one else,

All this shows that the address matters in this world. Jat communinity needs both hands and mouth.. If Jats in villages are our hands, the jats living overseas are certainly our toungues and mouths... and then there are like us who can act as communication links between these two.. I honestly believe that we jats have all the ingredients to have our rightful place in society if we coordinate our efforts. One thing is very sure; our roots remain in villages and there is no way we can have our rightful place in society without maintaining our links to these very roots. Let us keep our roots healthy if we wish to be seen taller than the rest...

Rajendra



The time for the idyllic romantic rural village life, Makka di Roti and Sarson da Sag is over., the tinkle of the bells from the cattle returning home art dusk, all the soft images that hide a sour reality, small uneconomic landholdings, poverty, squalor, no electricity, no healthcare, no education, and no future.

The last step before an entire community is marginalized and reduced to shudrahood

The means of wealth creation is no longer the village.

Today an IT engineer, a doctor, a professor, a Chartered Accountant, a CPA, a business executive, can earn over $ 100,000 a year, 50 Lakhs, a large fortune in rural India, beyond most persons wildest dreams.

If we do not wake up, that is what is happening and what will happen.


We who are more fortunate, and have escaped from the village, need to re double our efforts and get our families, and fellow Jat children out of the villages, by education and showing them new doors.

When the next generation goes into media, journalism, sanskrit studies, business, and not just look at a police career, we will start to see a renewed proud Jat Identity.

We have to move away from the village. Those times are gone.

Toward this Dudhee Sahib and others have launched initiatives for rural education, and the liberation of our Jat kids from future squalor.

We must support their efforts

Ravi Chaudhary

[rkumar]

Ravi Bhai,

I really congratulate you to initiate this debate. Those of us who have seen life in west, in Indian cities and had our initial life in villages may be in position to analyse the issue more logically. My views on the subject are;

1. I agree that as many of us as can manage, must move towards the centres of higher income and better avenues. With modern technology one does not need to many hands to manage the agriculture. However, this is possible only when our younger generation is well equiped with skils which are in demand in cities and towns and overseas. Being just manual workers in cities can be disastrous culturally and socially.

2. Abandoning the villages totally will be disastrous for Jats as we will loose our political base. Let us not forget that land is land everywhere and its the people who add value to it. I see no reason why the lot of our villages can not be improved in terms of infrastructure. We have to work on it collectively. Its just a matter of time when qualtity of life will not be measured in terms of access to just city facilities but to clean air and clean water in sufficient quantity. I am sure villages will fare much better on that scale.

3. Now comes the crucial issue. How to improve the lot of jats, be they are in villages or in cities. my personal feelings is that we begin at the level of younger generation which is below 10-15 years. Teaching a Jat new art of living when he is above 20 yrs is a difficult proposition as most Jats don't like taking advices and become immune to learning. Best way is that many of us Jats who have lived their share of life and enjoyed it all, must contribute towards society building directly and not by mere lip service. we have to water our roots friends and that is the only way we can shine up all around. Physically we have to go and invest in our rural roots and carve out new generation.( From time to time you will read my articles on education, wher i am getting involed in a big way).

The issue certainly needs to be debated and most important, action has to take place, talks alone won't take us too far...

Rajendra