Jat future lies away from agriculture?

[swaich]

My Physics tutor Prof Sekhon, once remarked to a kid from Lucknow chit chatting with me at the back of the class - "What are you two interacting about? Yours is a culture, ours is an 'agri - culture'!" Never mind the intended pun, but the fact remains that Jat society is closely linked with its traditional occupation - agriculture. Our customs, tradition, social values all signify a close connection with the land we till and the eco-system we build around it. Our songs are about harvesting crops, the joy of the first rains battering down a parched field or having our hearts fill from the money earned from selling the crop.

But as we move ahead with times, more and more Jats adopt a less-rural and more urban lifestyle. Some of this is voluntary and some forced upon by factors such as industries or new residential colonies etc. While this brings its own set of benefits, it also sets in motion a process of disconnect with the rural, agricultural set up. I know less about the farming than my Dad does and he knows even lesser than my late grandfather who was the first to move away from farming due to economic and social pressures. So the process of 'disconnect' is set in motion by the first generation that moves away. Honestly having grown up in an urban environment, I would balk at the prospect of spending hours under the sun on a tractor or going late at night into the fields to make sure water is properly irrigating the fields. And I am sure this is the case with many of us here on this forum. It also fills me with respect for my kin who still do it.

So as we get urbanized we pick up occupations far different from what our fathers or grandfathers did. This includes getting into business which was traditionally looked down upon as it was seen as a preserve of the wily bania and the scheming khatri. So how do we maintain our tradition and maintain our uniqueness as we become more like the people we previously saw as different? We work with people of different communities in our workplaces and follow a lifestyle that more closely resembles urban communities rather than our relatives in the village. I do the same job as a bania, khatri, brahmin does in my office and my personal choices and set of social behavior mirrors theirs. This would be even more true for the generation that follows mine. How do we ensure that the things that define our community do not get lost in rat race? What will set us apart in the future?​ How would this move away from our roots impact our coming generations?