Ramgarhia

Originally called Thoka, meaning carpenter, the Ramgarhia are named after Jassa Singh Ramgarhia, whose birth surname of Thoka became Ramgarhia in the 18th century due to him rebuilding near Amritsar a fortress named Ramrauni, renaming the rebuilt fortress as Ramgarh and becoming its governor. Thus, the term Ramgarhia became associated with Jassa Singh. The term Ramgarhia now is a honourifical title for Sikhs of the carpenter caste. East African Ramgarhias dislike being referred to as Tarkhans and much prefer being called Ramgarhias. == History ==

Sikh period Ramgarhia Sikhs originate from the Tarkhan (carpenter) caste. According to Reehal, Bhai Rupa was a Tarkhan who officiated the wedding of Guru Gobind Singh, with the descendants of Bhai Rupa being known as the Bagrian-wale. In Punjab, the Ramgarhias struggled to improve their social-standing despite their skilled-labour and artisanry, with the Jatt Sikhs landowners holding them back and opposing their caste-consolidation. Their traditional occupation was in decline due to a decline in real wage rates, oppressive village structure, and a denial of owning land enshrined in the law (Act XIII of 1900). The gap between rural Ramgarhias and urban Ramgarhias also grew, as an educated, middle-class of Ramgarhias had developed in the cities of Amritsar and Shimla. In East Africa in-particular, they consisted of up to 90% of the local Sikh population in the region and were valued for their technical skills, which were utilised to construct railways, canals, and other infrastructure projects. When they settled in East Africa, they founded their own Ramgarhia-dedicated instituitons. A revered saint of the East African Ramgarhia Sikhs was Baba Puran Singh Karichowale. By the 1960s, they were no longer engaged in their traditional, menial roles but had found work in business, contractors, administration, and technology, with a local African Ramgarhia Sikh identity being formed that was independent from the Punjabi Ramgarhia Sikh identity back in the Punjab. In urban areas of Africa, the Ramgarhias had connections to the Khatri Sikhs. The Ramgarhias of Africa also provided financial support to the Ramgarhias back in Punjab, such as in the case of the construction of a gurdwara in-memory of Bhai Lalo at the village of Tatlewali in 1931. Ramgarhias also established themselves in Assam during the early 20th century. Increasing communal cohesion and social movements In Punjab, by the late 19th century, increasing wealth of the Ramgarhias allowed them to establish their own biradari organisations, such as in 1883–84 in Shimla and 1893 in Lahore. In 1900, the Punjab Land Alienation Act came into force, which categorised Ramgarhia Sikhs as non-agricultural and therefore they were barred from buying and owning agricultural land, which motivated them to achieve in non-agricultural aspects. However, land ownership was a status-marker and seen as a sign of success in colonial Punjab so the Ramgarhias attempted to change their classification of being non-agricultural but this was opposed by the Jat Sikhs. This movement helped consolidate the Ramgarhias as a united force. In 1901, a Ramgarhia confederence led by Ram Singh Thekedar was held in Gujranwala which opposed the Land Alienation Act. In 1909, another confederence of the Tarkhan biradari was held by Arjun Singh, which resulted in the Vishvakarma Vans Sudhar Sabha, Punjab (Vishvakarma Brotherhood Reform Society, Punjab) being established, which campaigned against the Land Alienation Act. In 1911, the organisation changed its name to Ramgarhia Sabha, Punjab. The Akali movement of the 1920s motivated the Ramgarhias but they were loyal to the British and hesitant to fully participate or align themselves with the Akalis' anti-imperial position. Post-independence In 1982, Giani Zail Singh, a Ramgarhia Sikh, was elected as the president of India. ==Occupation and status==

Historically, the Ramgarhias worked as carpenters, blacksmiths, and bricklayers. The British authorities also encouraged Ramgarhias to migrate within India during the first quarter of the 20th century. Their inventiveness and skills at construction, repair and maintenance were of much use at, for example, the tea plantations in Assam. Now distant from their landlords in Punjab, who were mostly Jat Sikhs, the Ramgarhia diaspora in the Brahmaputra Valley of Assam were able to enhance their social status even higher. The lessons learned in Punjab, where they had established a few gurdwaras to aid community cohesion and had been loyal to the British and generally unwilling to support the Jat-led Akali movement, assisted their improved status in Assam. Despite Sikhism generally rejecting the caste system, it does have its own very similar socio-economic hierarchy, with its constituents often described as castes. In that, according to Peter Childs, the Ramgarhias today rank second only to the Jat Sikhs, thanks to significant economic and social power that elevated this middle class group from its lower caste confines. However, Joginder Singh says that they still lack influence in the Punjab, which is a region heavily dependent on agriculture and dominated by some influential peasant farmers, mostly Jat but also some from communities such as the Labanas and Sainis. Those people, says Singh, have "captured the control of Sikh socio-religious institutions and political parties." Associations representing the less influential but numerically superior people have formed in reaction to this, including Ramgarhia groups that are running their own educational and socio-religious institutions as well as mobilising their diaspora and any prominent individuals who might assist in enhancing their identity. Ramgarhias were inducted into the OBC group in Punjab in 2001. ==Notable people==

• Jassa Singh Ramgarhia, Sikh religious figure • Nand Singh, Sikh saint • Ram Singh Kuka, second religious leader of the Namdhari Sikh sect • Zail Singh, seventh president of India • Harbhajan Singh, Indian cricketer • Jasprit Bumrah, Omani cricketer ==References==