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Banjara
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The Banjara (also Banjari, Bangala, Banjori, Banjuri, Brinjari, Lamani, Lamadi, Lambani, Labhani, Lambara, Lavani, Lemadi, Lumadale, Labhani Muka, Gohar-Herkeri, Goola, Gurmarti, Gormati, Kora, Singali, Sugali, Sukali, Tanda, Vanjari, Wanji)
are a community in India spread in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and other states of India. About half their number speaks Lambadi, one of the Rajasthani dialects of Hindustani, while others are native speakers of Hindi, Telugu and other languages dominant in their respective areas of settlement.
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Encyclopedia
The Banjara (also Banjari, Bangala, Banjori, Banjuri, Brinjari, Lamani, Lamadi, Lambani, Labhani, Lambara, Lavani, Lemadi, Lumadale, Labhani Muka, Gohar-Herkeri, Goola, Gurmarti, Gormati, Kora, Singali, Sugali, Sukali, Tanda, Vanjari, Wanji)
are a community in India spread in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and other states of India. About half their number speaks Lambadi, one of the Rajasthani dialects of Hindustani, while others are native speakers of Hindi, Telugu and other languages dominant in their respective areas of settlement. They are a Scheduled Tribe in Orissa, a Scheduled Caste in Karnataka, Haryana, Punjab, and Himachal Pradesh.
They live in settlements called Tandas. They have a unique culture and dance form. The women wear colorful and beautiful costumes and have tattoos on their hands. Their traditional occupation is agriculture and trade. Banjaras are also a group of nomadic cattle herders.
The traditional food of Lambadis is Bati which is Roti. Their customs, language and dress indicate they originated from Rajasthan. Their traditional occupation is agriculture and trade. The accurate history of Lambanis or Lambadis or Banjaras is not known but the general opinion among them is that they fought for Prithvi Raj against Muhammad of Ghor. The trail of the Lambadi/Banjara can be verified from their language, Lambadi borrows words from Rajasthani, Gujarathi, Marathi and the local language of the area they belong to.
Banjaras originally belong to Rajasthan and they were Rajputs who migrated to southern parts of India for trade and agriculture. They settled down in the southern or central areal of the country and slowly loosened contacts with Rajasthan, and their original community. Over a period of time both the communities separated and they adopted the local culture. The language spoken by Banjaras settled in Yavatmal district of Vidarbha, Maharashtra is an admixture of Hindi,Rajasthani and Marathi. The word "Banjara" itself means " the one who travels and dosent have their own Home"
The Banjara are (together with the Domba) sometimes called the "Gypsies of India".
Dance, Lambadi is a special kind of dance of Andhra Pradesh. In this form of dance, mainly the female dancers dance in tune with the male drummers to offer homage to their Lord for a good harvest. At Anupu Village near Nagarjunakonda, Lambadi dance originated. They are actually semi-nomadic tribes who are gradually moving towards civilization and decency. This dance is mainly restricted among the females and rarely the males participate in Lambadi Dance. Lambadi is a special kind of Folk Dance which involves participation by tribal women who bedeck themselves in colorful costumes and jewelry.
Notable Banjara people
- Vasantrao Naik was an Indian politician who served as Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 1963 until 1975. He was born in Gavli, Pusad in 1913. He died in 1979. His experience in Grass-roots politics made him a responsible legislator. He was a staunch supporter of Yashwantrao Chavan. After the death of Mr. M. Kannamwar, he was elected Chief Minister of Maharashtra, a post which he handled successfully for more than 11 years. He was the father of the Green Revolution in Maharashtra. During his regime, Maharashtra became a more developed state. His nephew Sudhakarrao Naik later became Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
- Sudhakarrao Naik (1934-2001) was an Indian politician who served as Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 1991 until 1993. Born at the remote Gavli village in the Vidarbha region, he was nephew of Mr Vasantrao Naik who was Chief Minister of Maharashtra for 11 years. He started his political career from his rural base as Sarpanch or village head. He started his larger political career from Pusad. His role as Education Minister of Maharashtra is still held with high importance. Mr. Sharad Pawar gave him the post of Chief Minister when he became a Minister at the Center.He served as governor of Himachal Pradesh from 1994 to 1995. He is also remembered for his work in water conservation.
See also
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