Ground Reality

Shrinking grasslands and terrorism have forced the nomadic Gujjars out of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu Kashmir to settle down in the plains of Punjab

It8217;s a village like any other, sitting snugly on the fringes of Amritsar city8212;mud huts, scraggy kids, stray cattle and indigence all over. But take a closer look and the differences begin to creep out. For one, this village in Punjab doesn8217;t have any Punjabis. The 30 families with nearly 200 people and 600 cattleheads have converged on the three acres of land from Jammu 038; Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. They are Gujjars, the nomadic tribe that has for centuries followed the seasonal trail with their cattle: to the hills in summers, the plains in winters. No longer. Nearly 10,000 people have migrated to the plains in the past five years, forming unseemly clusters on the outskirts of big cities.

8220;The people from my tribe are settling down in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal,8221; says 47-year-old Alam, a Muslim Gujjar from Kathua district of Jammu 038; Kashmir, who has been in Punjab for six years. 8220;There is no fodder for cattle due to the shrinking grasslands, the living conditions are hard and the circumstances are not conducive for us to go back. Terrorists intercept us when we move with cattle at odd hours in remote forest areas,8221; he adds in an incredibly chaste Punjabi.

While the uncertainty of terrorism continues to loom in J038;K, the grasslands have virtually vanished from the Himalayas due to residential and commercial construction. In contrast, the fodder is in plenty in Punjab and the market for milk is good. 8220;We earn well by selling milk and now we want to buy land to build houses,8221; says Alam who, with his wife, two sons and buffaloes, moved from J038;K to Gurdaspur, then to Verka, Rajasansi, and now is the head of his village in Amritsar.

While Amritsar is estimated to have 600 families, there are close to 3,000 families in various districts of Punjab. Surprisingly, though, they continue to raise cattle and haven8217;t taken to agriculture or any other means of livelihood. And while cattle is often a nuisance for the city traffic, the Gujjars provide good quality of milk at cheaper rates

8220;We can8217;t do any other work except rear cattle, but if we get our own land we could take to cultivation,8221; says Alam. Adds Roshandeen, a native of Chamba district in Himachal Pardesh, who has been here for the past four years. 8220;Nobody in my family is educated. We had been searching for a vacant plot for years and decided to settle here.8221;

8220;Being always on the move, we haven8217;t saved any money. Now perhaps we shall be able to do so,8221; says Subah, a resident of the cluster. Another point on the Gujjars8217; agenda is their children8217;s education. 8220;Though I couldn8217;t educate my children, I want my grandchildren to go to schools, which is possible only if we have a permanent home. With education, they are bound to find jobs, which will be better than rearing livestock,8221; says Alam.

The transition8212;from nomadic to a settled lifestyle8212;has not been easy. Initially, it took a toll on the cattle, with several dying due to the change of environment and feeding habits. 8220;But things are getting back to normal,8221; says Shafi, Aslam8217;s 15-year-old son.

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There have been other problems because the displaced people have not approached or received any support from the government, including land, accommodation or basic amenities like water and power. 8220;We have settled without any help from the government or NGOs. They should give us land, otherwise we shall have to buy it on our own, and it8217;s so expensive,8221; says Alam.

While government officials admit that the displaced people have not been high on the priority list, Kahan Singh Pannu, deputy commissioner, Amritsar, says some families have been provided voter identity cards and would be given ration cards soon. And while there is no policy to provide land, the government might think about it, he adds.

It8217;s the one thing the Gujjars are banking on to secure their future.