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ravichaudhary
February 2nd, 2005, 09:48 PM
Bhim Singh Dahiya has passed away.

Who was Bhim Singh Dahiya?

When did he pass away?

Why should we honour his memory?

During my just ended trip to India, I wished to meet this historian. I tried. To my deepest regret I learnt that he had passed away some time ago.

My immediate reaction was, why did I knot know about this earlier, indeed why did the wider community not know about his passing away?

Why was no memorial erected his in honour, why were his contributions not honored?


I have never met Bhim Singh Dahiya, and he was known to me only through his writings.

He was a Civil Servant, and following in the footsteps of other great civil servants, who devoted their time in academic pursuits, in 1982 he wrote is monumental book- “Jats the Ancient rulers”, published by Sterling Publishers, New Delhi.

It is out of print with them, and they proudly informed me that they have no intention of reprinting it

The work was republished by Dahinam Publishers , Sonepat, whom I tried to contact but was unsuccessful . Perhaps some member in Sonepat can help.

This book, a well-researched and referenced book, is written a free flowing, highly readable, and lucid manner. It is a reconstruction of the History of Jats from time immemorial. His linkage of the clan names/ Gotras to the existence of the Jats in Central Asia, and Europe, put a stamp on the histiography of the Jat History, for the people who could not have access to the works in Hindi or Urdu.

He brought out the Jat wars with Timur in Central Asia, which saga is augmented by other historians, of the pounding that Timur received at the hands of the Jats of the Sarv Khap of Haryana, which in itself is a story a little different from the versions taught it us in schools and colleges.

He brought out to the lay reader, that Chandra Gupta Maurya, the Kushans, the second Guptas, and Harshvardhan were Jats.

For an extract from his book – “ Introduction” see, the Files section

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/JatHistory/files/DAHIYA-%20Jats%20ancient%20rulers%20/

[For non members- membership is required for the files section, but that is only a click away – click on ‘join the group” all welcome

This was followed by a number of articles. One in particular was the treatment of the J and G letter and sounds Greek and English languages and the confusion it created. He showed how the G letter was a substitution for the J sound, as the J letter did not exist in the ancient Greek alphabet. The significance was in determining who the Guti were, whom the Chinese and Western and most Indian Historians know as the ‘Yueh Chi’, but are Jats, of whom Kushans were just one clan, not a people unto themselves.

In 1992, he brought out his next book- Rig Vedic Tribes and Aryans also published by Dahinam Publishers, Sonepat, Haryana. A group member was kind enough to send a copy and I grateful for that.

Here he demonstrated how over 80 Jat Goths, Gotras, clans could be traced back to the Rig Veda.

For someone trying to reconstruct a Jat history this becomes quite a relevant piece of primary evidence, for the story of the Jats can then be tracked back to the dawn of civilization, and of interest to the historian, the same clans can be found existing today.

Extracts of this book can be seen in messages

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/JatHistory/message/421

Jat Rishis in the Rig Veda

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/JatHistory/message/420

Jat Clans in the Rig Veda

Where does he fit in the histiography of the Jats

The pioneer Jat historian was Thakur Desraj, whose work of 1934, “ Jat Ithihass”. Liad pretty much the groud for the futrure.

R S Joon wrote his History of the Jats in urdu about 1938, and this was translated, expanded and republished in 1967

Both are online iin the files section

In the Hindi Stream we also have Mahendra Shastri, circa 1975, and a number of other authors whom I do not mention here , nut will elsewhere

In the English stream

They was followed by B S Dahiya in 1982

Dahiya in chronology was followed by Dilip Singh Ahlawat ( hindi-,Jat viron ka ithiass)in 1988 and Hukham Singn Pauria in 1992.

Great historians who also have sadly passed away.

Dahiya Sahib’s contributions are not in doubt.

Many of us who desired to know more about the Jats, their history and culture, owe much to Bhim Singh Dahiya, and we will remain eternally grateful to this intellectual of stature who made it possible for us to gain just that knowledge.

If other members know about him, his life, please do post the information. Any unpublished material will be welcome.

Indeed if some enterprising member can come up with some material, let have a web page devoted to him. We can host this on any of the many sites that are now exist, and are coming up. The more the better.

Dudhee Sahib will be please to host this on his site http://********.net/

Any other ideas to honour his memory and contribution will be welcome

Ravi

birbal
February 2nd, 2005, 11:22 PM
I am really surprised to know that the death of Bhim Singh Dahiya went largely unreported. I go through the head lines of most Indian newspapers on http://www.samachar.com and never came through his obituary.

His book may be out of print but it is in many libraries around the world. I had seen a copy in the University of Toronto Library several years ago.

uday
February 3rd, 2005, 12:08 AM
Pls. correct me If I am wrong...
Ex V.C. of K.U.K ??

raj_rathee
February 3rd, 2005, 12:18 AM
Pls. correct me If I am wrong...
Ex V.C. of K.U.K ??


No Ch. Sahib was with IRS. (Indian Revenue Serive) (or some variation of
that).

We are close family friends, as we also live in Sector 14 Sonepat.

He was indeed a very learned and remarkable man, and his departure is a deep loss for our community.

I was fortunate to meet Ch. Sahib a day before he passed away. That was the
last day of my India trip. We talked quite a bit about Jat history and he did
give me a few copies of his latest book. I might still have a copy or
two lying around.

I guess it may be possible to scan his books and make available that way. But
I am not sure what copyright issues etc would prop up.

devdahiya
February 3rd, 2005, 06:48 AM
May his soul rest in peace!

nrao
February 3rd, 2005, 08:41 AM
Mr. Bhim Singh Dahiya's work about Jat history is a real contribution. The article that Ravi has mentioned is a well researched work, an eye opener if you are new to Jat History and a wonderful piece of work.

Even after his death, which is a big loss, his work will always ensure that the glorious and wonderful past of Jats is known to us and the rest.

uday
February 3rd, 2005, 11:00 AM
Dear Raj, Thanks for clarification. May his soul rest in peace.

gajeshd
February 3rd, 2005, 01:28 PM
Bhai Ravi / Raj,

Thank you for bringing up such an important matter.

We owe a lot to great people like Dr. Bhim Singh and the best tribute will be to read their work and spread it.

Can some one, may be bhai Raj in Sonepat help in reaching Dahinam Publishers. If the book is out of print we can join hands to reprint and or make it available on the net. I would be privileged to contribute towards this good cause.


I am keen to get a copy Dr. Bhim Sing ji's book. Can any one help.

itsnavin
February 3rd, 2005, 02:37 PM
May his soul rest in peace!

raj_rathee
February 3rd, 2005, 10:35 PM
Gajesh:

I can certainly try to get some contact numbers for Dahinam Publishers.
However, my suspicion is that they may not be regular publishers. In the
book the publishers are addressed under Meghna Mallik (who happens
to be my classmate from 6/7 grade) and the Mallik family and the Dahiya
family are also close friends. [ As an aside Meghna Mallik is an actress who
has appeared in numerous movies as well as plays. She is currently based
in Bombay. Her younger sister, Memansa Mallik is a newsreader on Zee Tv].

What I am saying is that Dahinam publishers may not be in the regular
publishing business....Then again this is just a hunch.

What might be better would be to get the phone numbers for
Mrs. Dahiya. That I can easily do, since my mum and Mrs Dahiya hang
out together practically everyday. Let me know if that is helpful, and if
anyone might want that. However, if Ravi already had been to Sonepat, he
probably has that information.

In addition, perhaps going to the effort of trying to get more
copies published might not be fruitful. Publishers are in the business of making
money and they'll do that if there is sufficient market for the product. I am not
sure if that is the case, otherwise these books would not go out
of print that easily.

If there is enough interest in this, let me suggest the following:

1) Talk to Mrs. Dahiya and get her permission for making reproductions of
the books (I believe Ch. Sahib wrote about 2 or 3 books at least).

2) Then either scan the books into pdf format and make these available
at Jatland or other sites.

Alternately, if scanning does not work then someone in India can be hired
to type in the book (s) into computerised documents.

I think this approach would allow for having these valuable books in a format
that is easily reproducible and will never go out of print.

Of course, this entirely depends on the family of Ch Sahib.

I probably have a spare copy of the "Rig Veda and Aryan Tribes" (?) but have just been in the middle of a house move, so all my stuff is packed up and might be
a while before I know where is what. But I can certainly provide a copy.




Bhai Ravi / Raj,

Thank you for bringing up such an important matter.

We owe a lot to great people like Dr. Bhim Singh and the best tribute will be to read their work and spread it.

Can some one, may be bhai Raj in Sonepat help in reaching Dahinam Publishers. If the book is out of print we can join hands to reprint and or make it available on the net. I would be privileged to contribute towards this good cause.


I am keen to get a copy Dr. Bhim Sing ji's book. Can any one help.

ravichaudhary
February 4th, 2005, 02:07 AM
Raj

Could you find out how many copies of the books are available with

1) the family,

2) the publisher.

I was not able to go to Sonepat, I got the number for Dahinam Publishers, but no one was picking up the phone.

If copies are available, Please keep a set of all his books for me. Let me know where the money should be sent.

I have a copy of his 'Rig Vedic tribes and Aryans', and I am very thankful to a member, Mrs Urmila Duhan who was kind enough to send me a copy some time ago.

My copy of his Jats the Ancient Rulers, got borrowed and suffers now the fate that borrowed books occasionally suffer- they go into never never land, from which there is no return.


If other members are interested , I am sure we can find a way to get these books into their hands. We are trying to do the same for Dr Nathan Singh's book.

Digitalizing the book, by typing it in, or scanning it with an OCR reader will bring the files to a managebale size, and also have the book in a media that it can be reprinted.

Question: would Dahiya Sahib's family give permission ?.

I do know the Desraj Ji etc were keen that their books were writen for the benefit of the community, but I do not wish to presume.

Perhaps you could enquire.

Ravi Chaudhary

raj_rathee
February 4th, 2005, 02:25 AM
Dr Birbal:

We as a nation itself show very little interest in safeguarding our history: our monuments and our relics. And here we are talking about the history and the
proponents of a community that is very often maligned. I would be very surprised
if you were to have found any mention in any of the main media. As it is, it seems to be more focused on film stars, sex scandals, and anything salacious (perhaps
that is what their readsership expects). Infact, even finding any mention in a local
pull out of a Haryana daily might be too much to expect. If "Thambu ki Bahu"
committed suicide by jumping in the well, or if "Kane Kishan ki chorri" ran
away with the "dhaanak's son", you'll definitely find that discussed and
described in all the "chatpati" detail, perhaps under a section "Aaj ki Chatpati
Khabar". But if a guardian of our history passes away, who'd really want to know ?

Our community lacks intellectual capital, otherwise we would realise that history
is not only a record of our past, but more importantly, it is the foundation for
our future: how we and others look and feel about our community, and what we
are willing to invest in its future.

For the most part, we have been content to let others write it for us. And we
know the consequences of allowing that.

Question always is: Okay, so who is going to do it ? Who is going to safeguard it ? Who is going to invest time and energy in it ?

Most often the anwer is "Not me. Somebody else can."
Perhaps that is alright. But if that someone else does, usually we are not there
to applaud him/her and let him/her know what a fine job they are doing for
the community.

To that end, I'd like to thank Ravi for taking on some of that onus on himself. I know
I wouldn't be able/willing to do it.

Thanks Ravi.



I am really surprised to know that the death of Bhim Singh Dahiya went largely unreported. I go through the head lines of most Indian newspapers on http://www.samachar.com and never came through his obituary.

His book may be out of print but it is in many libraries around the world. I had seen a copy in the University of Toronto Library several years ago.

raj_rathee
February 4th, 2005, 02:27 AM
Ravi, I'll talk to my mum and discuss this with her.
Will update you when I have all the info.


Raj

Could you find out how many copies of the books are available with

1) the family,

2) the publisher.


Question: would Dahiya Sahib's family give permission ?.

I do know the Desraj Ji etc were keen that their books were writen for the benefit of the community, but I do not wish to presume.

Perhaps you could enquire.

Ravi Chaudhary

raj_rathee
February 4th, 2005, 03:03 AM
I had a copy of this book as well. It got borrowed by one of my friends. I'll
see if I can get a hold of it again.

If you need it, let me know. I bet it'll find more use with you than me.

Raj


My copy of his Jats the Ancient Rulers, got borrowed and suffers now the fate that borrowed books occasionally suffer- they go into never never land, from which there is no return.

Ravi Chaudhary

gajeshd
February 8th, 2005, 12:39 PM
Dear Bhai Raj/ Ravi,

Thank you so much, please keep me informed about any positive development in this regard and let me know if any contribution need to be
done from my side. I am eager to read Dahiya sahebs book.

ajaysinghbamel
February 10th, 2005, 06:38 PM
Pls. correct me If I am wrong...
Ex V.C. of K.U.K ??
He was ex registrar of MDU university,Ex VC of K.U.,Ex MLA from Rohat and he had played a very major role in jat history. But it is unfortunate that he couldnot get due recognition because of Demise of Ch. charan singh he sided with ch. Ajit singh and because of this he couldnot retain his position in political circles.

His death is big blow to jat society and may his soul rest in peace.

raj_rathee
February 11th, 2005, 10:20 PM
Again, just so that we don't write obituaries for someone who
may very well be alive and kicking, the Bhim Singh Dahiya referred to in the
original post and the author of the books mentioned was a different person
from the Bhim Singh Dahiya you describe below.


He was ex registrar of MDU university,Ex VC of K.U.,Ex MLA from Rohat and he had played a very major role in jat history. But it is unfortunate that he couldnot get due recognition because of Demise of Ch. charan singh he sided with ch. Ajit singh and because of this he couldnot retain his position in political circles.

His death is big blow to jat society and may his soul rest in peace.

ashu
February 12th, 2005, 11:03 AM
It is sad to know about Dr. Dahiya's death.

I had the occassion to read his book "Jats the Ancient Rulers", and get to know about our history while I was studying in Pantnagar at the G B Pant University, somewhere around 1989. His book was there in the University Library. I am too sure whether it is still there but I too would like to have a copy. It would be great if we could digitise the book. Typing it and turning it into a softcopy would hardly be an issue. It would be just about 400-500 pages, maybe even less, as far as I remember. If I can get a copy of it I can get it done/ do it myself. I think having permission from the family would be important keeping in mind the copyright issues.

Ashutosh Malik

yashganga1
February 14th, 2005, 09:20 PM
Dear Mr. Rathee,

The one Bhim Singh Dehiya, Mr. Ravi mentioned has indeed passed away. Mr. Dehiya was author of many books on jat history and culture. He retired from Govt. service as Chief Commissioner of Income tax in 1998. He and the one Dr. Dahiya were college friends. Dr. Dahiya is alive and well.

I know that because Mr. Dehiya and I were very close. Dr. Dahiya was from Vill. Silana Distt. Sonipat and Mr. Dehiya from vill. Sehri Distt. Sonipat

Yash