Saturday 17 September 2011

HISTORY OF PARAJIYA PATTNI SONI


HISTORY OF PARAJIYA PATTNI SONI
Pran Chhaganbhai Arjan (Dhanak), London - Editor
The history of India (Bharatvarsh) is such a place on the earth planet which was not much affected by the natural calamities and disasters like the ice age and the prolonged spine chilling, icy cold storms and blizzards that happened in America and the European countries at the beginning and at the recessing period of these ice ages. Thus, the history of the uninterrupted survival of the civilisation of India goes back to an unbelievable period of time, which could easily be said to be the beginning of the human civilization on the earth planet, whereas the history of the other countries of the world is the history of only 6,000 to 8,000 years.
Even today there are no physical means that could hold or represent the information of the Indian history in its original form without any flaw, fault, change or damage for such a long period of time. It is beyond human power. At the same time, it is also very important that, for the knowledge and the encouragement of the existing generation, that they must know and make them aware of the glories of the past. Thanks to the works of Saints and Rishis who maintained this knowledge with their Divine power and reproduce it on the earth planet in the form of books. That is how the unbroken continuity of the original records of the history is made possible to be available in every generation of the human civilisation.

History of  Parajiya Sonis
Shree Sagarkumar Barot  Rajkot, India

Historically, the early Vedic society was divided into four broad groups:- Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Sudra.  Sonis came from Khastriya caste.  Today, there are many communities who work  in the jewellery trade. Those who are in jewellery business are called  Sonis. When  a person is unable to earn sufficiently from one trade will then look elsewhere and venture into    other  businesses. Such evolution has been going on in the history. We may earn less due to circumstances but that does not mean that our original trade had been destroyed. Today, there are many rich people who have taken up farming. So in future, their generation will become  known as farmers. Like we became Sonis from Khsatriyas, there are many others who became farmers, traders, cobblers etc. Our family was Sonis before our forefathers became your Barots. Now my sons have again taken up jewellery business so will become jewellers. So the evolution carries on.

Soni’s  history in English

Today’s new generation is much more educated. There is a revolution going on in the modern world. Many Samaj are now  researching about their historical roots thus,  I wrote and published fifteen books on the Soni’s history in Gujarati. New generation, specially born abroad, do not have any knowledge of our forefathers. It is very important that these children learn about such a history. I had always hoped that somebody, somewhere will carry the torch and  write this history in English.  It seems that  the Lord has answered my prayers.  I wish you all the best  and pray to Mataji that you succeed in your  task that you have undertaken.

Parajiya Muslims

As you aware, there are many Muslims in Mombasa, whom I have met, whose surnames are similar to Parajiya Sonis - Sagar, Ghaghada, Kagadada, etc., I agree to your comment that this community is completely ignorant about their history. This is because their religious leaders never revealed the true history.

For further reading on Parajiya History, please click Muslim Parajiya Soni

Please do not hesitate to ask for any help or information that you may require on the Parajiya history.
Best Regards and wishes - Sagarkumar Barot

BIRTH OF PARAJIYA SONI SAMAJ

Pran Chhaganbhai Arjan (Dhanak) - Editor
PARAJIYA SONIS  2000 YEARS AGO

2000 years ago, we were all of Kshatriya community. They were settled in the ancient city called Parajav, (it is now called Patiala.), located in Punjab, near the Sindh border in India. The community went through very hard times. Most of them lost all their assets and livelihood.  People were confused and found it difficult to meet their daily household expenses. People used to do what ever odd jobs they used to get.  Many of them even became bandits to support their families.
In the year 145A.D. there was one bandit leader called Hakmibandha. His real named was Hukamsinh Parmar and was a devotee of Mataji. He got tired of living on immoral earnings and realised that the community will never make any progress if they carry on being bandits. So he decided to give up this life style and do something good for the community.  He prayed to Hingraj Mataji and pleaded for her forgiveness for their misdeeds and also asked for her guidance. Legend has it that Mataji answered to his sincere prayers and by giving him jewellery tools and teaching him jewellery business.   Hakmibandha then taught this business to his followers and their children. This community from Parajav city then became goldsmiths and jewellers and were called Parajiya Soni Samaj.  Hakmibandha is the first person to become a Parajiya Soni.

Note: Parajiya Soni Samaj stayed as united   Soni Samaj for next 1000 years. It then split into three Communities: Parajiya Pattni, Parajiya Girnaras and Parajiya Kutchi Sonis. There was also an unfortunate fourth split.   This breakaway section converted themselves to Muslims. They were excluded from Soni Community, thus removed from the Barot’s register book.

Parajiya Soni clans are mainly divided into three branches called Vansh (Lineage) – Suryavansh, Chandravansh and Hanumanvash. It is important to have the basic understanding of the origin of Kshatriya and Vansh. This fact is clearly stated in many Hindu Puranik literatures like Bhagwat Puran, Bramha Puran, and Vishnu Puran etc.
 This is the short history of Parajiya Soni Samaj. Further articles will be added at a later date
(This information is elaborated in one of his books by Shree Sagarkumar Barot)


Shri  Sagarbhai  Barot  resides in Rajkot, India and is our Soni’s Barot. In the old times, there was no such government  system of registering births in India. Barots did this work. Each community had  such  Barots, who would  record  the names of new births and other historical details in their books. These books then got passed on from Barot’s  one generation to the next. These record books are still maintained and kept  up to date by Shree Sagarbhai Barot  - Editor 

PARAJIYA ANCESTRAL TREE

This is just a very brief explanation. to understand this Ancestral Tree

There are three main lineage branches called ‘Vansh’ - Suryavansh, Chandravansh and Hanuman Vansh. All Parajiya Sonis family roots come from these three ‘Vansh’s 

‘Suryavansh’ : Bhagwan Ram, the seventh avtar of Bhagwan Vishnu is the most prominent Surya Vanshi. Thus all Parajiyas who are ‘Suryavanshi’ are the descendents of Bhagwan Ram

‘Chandravansh’ : Bhagwan Krishna was a ‘ChandraVanshi’ So in the Parajiya Ambo, those who are ‘Chandravanshi’ are the descendents of Bhagwan Krishna’

Hanuman Vansh : As the name suggest, Hanuman Vanshi are the descendents of Hanuman.

A complete comprehensive history of Parajiya Sonis will be posted chapter by chapter as we develop our website.

Click the link to view  Parajiya ancestral Tree - Parajiya Ambo (double click on ambo to enlarge)

PARAJIYA HISTORY

As mentioned in our History Section, Parajiya Sonis were from Kshatriya Caste. The Kshatriya caste was traditionally that of the warriors. It was in the year 145A.D. that one leader Hakmibandha who took refuge and sought advice from Hingraj Mataji who guided and taught him to become jewellers. The abode of Hingraj Mataji temple is still in existence in today’s Pakistan, 170 miles from Karachi.

AADH SHAKTI DEVI MAA
 

Hakmibandha was from the city of Parajav (today’s Patiala in Punjab). He was thus the first person to become a Parajiya Soni. The name of this community of goldsmiths and jewellers was derived from the name of this city. Sonis of Parajav later became known as Parajiya Soni.  Parajiya Soni Samaj stayed as one Soni Samaj for next 1000 years. A section of Parajiya Soni converted themselves to Muslims.

Indian History during Islamic Invasion
The Islamic invasion of India shows India being one of the many countries having a violent spread of Islam. Many Muslims in the Indian sub-continent & surrounding areas (Afghanistan; Iran) are Muslim today because there ancestors were turned to Islam usually by force, persecution, or by laws favoring Muslims. Examples of this are the invasions of Muhammad bin Qasim and Mahmud of Ghazni. Historian Will Durrant wrote that the Mohammadan conquest of India was "probably the bloodiest story in history."
We have already mentioned in the History Section that Parajiya Soni Community (the community that came into being in 145A.D.) used to live in Punjab in North India. The Parajiya Community was also severely affected during this period.
Mahmud of Ghazni (971A.D. – April 1030),   was the ruler of Ghazni from 997 until his death. Mahmud turned the former provincial city of Ghazni (in present-day Afghanistan) into the wealthy capital of an extensive empire which included today's Afghanistan, most of modern Iran, and parts of Pakistan and northern India.

Mahmud Ghazni carried sixteen or seventeen campaigns into northern India and Gujarat, as well as others to the north and west. His first campaigns were against the Hindu kingdom, which occupied the Punjab from the Indus east to the Ganges. Mahmud's campaigns seem to be motivated by both religious zeal and an interest in wealth and gold. Mahmud followed the injunction to convert non- Muslims, whom he had vowed to chastise every year of his life. Hindu temples were depositories of vast quantities of wealth, in cash, golden images, and jewellery.  The later invasions of Mahmud were directed to temple towns, including Thanesar (1012), Mathura and Kanuj (1018), and finally Somnath (1026).

The spread of Islam in India during this period was the result of immediate mass conversions. It took several centuries during the onslaught of Mughal Empire, especially during the Aurangzeb (reigned 1658-1707) period to finally spread Islam in all portions of India. Most Indian Muslims who converted to Islam belonged to the Hindu fold and some of their ancestors embraced Islam under duress, although some did willingly or under the influence of laws favoring Muslims. Many Kshatriya (warrior) chose to become Muslims during this period. This included many of the Parajiya Soni community.

Prof. K.S. Lal calculated in his book The Growth of Muslim Population in India that between the years 1000 AD and 1500 AD the population of Hindus decreased by 80 Million.

Break up of Parajiya Sonis Samaj

Again to summarise from our History Section, Parajiya Soni Samaj stayed united as Soni Samaj for next 1000 years. It then split into three Communities: Parajiya Pattni, Parajiya Girnaras and Parajiya Kutchi Sonis. As mentioned in the Indian History above there was also a fourth split.   This breakaway section converted themselves to Muslims. There are many Memon Sonis living in Mombasa who are aware of this history. They are also aware that their surnames used to be Kagadada, Sagar, Challa, Suru, etc., unfortunately after the spilt Soni’s Barot; (birth registrar) stopped recording the births of those who converted to Islam. 

Click for further reading - Muslim Parajiya Soni

Parajiya Sonis during the turbulent period of Muslim invasion, moved from Parajav(Punjab) to Patan (Gujarat). So as they were from the city of Parajav, they were called Parajiyas and since settled in Patan; they were called Parajiya Sonis of Patan and which later became known as Parajiya Pattni Sonis. 

Due to political reasons, there was a further split in the Samaj. Two new Parajiya Samaj came into being which became known as Parajiya Girnara Soni and Kutchi Parajiya Sonis –

We shall continue this interesting history of how and why Girnara Sonis and Kutchi Sonis split from Parajiya Sonis from Patan.

Don’t also miss our forthcoming article on Hingraj Mataji who was the reincarnation of Goddess Sati and the place of abode which is currently in Pakistan.

Pattnis in Africa        

We have sufficient information from Shri Barot’s books. However we still need to know a lot more about our history, especially the history of Sonis in the last century.

Our forefathers migrated from India about 120 years ago to many countries - Africa, The Middle East, Mauritius, and Fiji and recently to Britain, Australia, New Zealand, U.S.A. and Canada. I do not think any history has ever been written on them to date. It is important that we record this now; otherwise such historical facts will be lost forever.   Since most of the Sonis in U.K. came from East Africa, it is appropriate to write a brief history of how the migration started in Africa.
   
In May 1896 British Government started the construction of the railways in Kenya, which was to run from Mombasa to Lake Victoria. The government brought in 13,000 workers, mainly from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madras. It had not been easy to lay this railway line and many became victims of diseases and wild animals and a number of them lost their lives. In 1899, the railway works reached a flat marshy land. The local natives, the  Maasais, knew  this place as Ny-robi. This name was later changed and was called  Nairobi.
During this period, many middle class Indian traders, artisans and professionals  started arriving, particularly after World War 1. These also included many Parajiya Sonis.  Who were those pioneer Parajiyas?

In January 1901, the work was completed  at Port Florence( now Kisumu ), at the shores of  Lake Victoria. Three quarters of those Indian workers then returned back to India.

The bulk of the migration was between 1920  to 1940, when many of our forefathers migrated and settled in Kenya, Uganda, Tanganyika  and Zanzibar. This means that each and every one of us have some kind of history of their forefathers.   This is an ideal  opportunity to record these historical accounts. Would it not be wonderful to have such a  permanent record in memory  of  our forefathers

Parajiya Sonis in U.K.

There was a further migration from Africa to U.K. This happened in four stages.
The first one in early 1960s, those who came to study, then in 1967 from Kenyan exodus, in 1973 from Idi Amin’s  Uganda and lastly 1975 onwards, when Sonis came from various countries. We need the history for all these periods. This is the first time that such a project has been undertaken.
                        
Further reading:-
Shree Sagarkumar Barot - Paraj Vansh Prakash
Wikipedia, the Encyclopaedia.

PARAJIYA PATTNIS IN ZANZIBAR
Vinay Chhaganlal Ramji Kagdada  – Dallas. USA

In the late 19th century, the Sultan of Oman moved his throne from Muscat to Zanzibar, which was the main slave market. Many Indian businessmen were encouraged to settle here.

The mode of Transportation was dhows, moving with the help of sails & winds. Seasonal Monsoon/Trade winds allowed the dhows to move in different directions in different seasons. The majority of the Indians who ventured to settle in this Island, came from Gujarat-mostly from Kathiawar/Kutch, sailing out of the fishing ports of Porbunder, Bedi Bunder, Veraval and other Kutch ports. The khalasis (sailors) and the Maalums (captains) were mainly from the Kharwa community.
Amongst the Indians, were many Sonis who came to Zanzibar were - Luhar Soni, Kansara Soni, Vania (Shreemali) Soni, Memon Soni, Bohra Soni, Parajiya Girnara Soni and the Parajiya Pattni Soni.

First Parajiya Sonis in Zanzibar

The Pattni Sonis were mainly were 'Sagars' from Shil, Madhupur and Mangrol and 'Vayas' from Prabhas Paatan and Veraval area.  Some of the Soni names which come to my mind were Haji Ahmed Haji Elias, Haji Budha Haji Hasham, Visanji Dungarshi, Tulsidas Nenshi Devshi, Morarji Devshi, Dhanji Pala and many others.   And amongst the Parajiya Pattni Sonis were – Pragjibhai  Dharamshi, Kakubhai Bhaya, Chhaganbhai Ramji, Laljibhai Savji, Liladharbhai Hansraj, Bhanjibhai  Bhagwan and many more. They were in their tender age of between 15 and 20 years. They were the pioneers who left their families and beloved ones to adventure out of India to settle in Zanzibar. Most Sonis became proficient in the local language Kiswahili and the royal language Arabic and Kutchhi, which was the language spoken by the majority Indians. There was also another language which was exclusive spoken by  the Sonis called 'fali’ language.

They suffered lot of hardship whilst trying to settle down. Most of  them would sleep in groups in their own shops. Cooking was also done in groups. So their home and work were all in the same place. Their special dish was Khichdi with orange juice!!      All these Sonis had left their families in India. They used to send their remittances to their families by ‘Hawalas’ through merchant bankers, mainly run by the Bhatias.

First Pattni Mahila in Zanzibar

Amongst the first Parajiya women who came to Zanzibar was Maniben w/o Chhaganbhai  Ramji.  Sonis are fervent worshipers of Mataji. Soni 'Garbi' was popular during Navratri festival. They would spend money lavishly on décor and dresses they had unique technic to play their 'garbi'. Even as of present day, one of the Soni is stilling living in Zanzibar, a descendant of the original settlers- Kamal V.Sagar.  **** to be continued.

Zanzibar: The missing History
Mrs. Kala Dayaljibhai Mavji          Leicester - UK
                     
I read about the history of Parajiya Pattnis in Zanzibar. There were few famous Parajiyas that we should remember in our history like Ranchod Purshottam, Velji Pitamber and A.P. Bhimji. The first two names mentioned started a jewellery shop called Velji & Ranchod. There was also another shop owned by Kakubhai Hirji.

These were few of the Pattni pioneers who came to Zanzibar by boat and despite lot of hardships managed to settle down. Zanzibar used to be a stop over port for boats coming from India to collect drinking water en route to Mombasa and Dar-es-Salaam. These boats used to anchor for two days. Ranchodbhai and Veljibhai would go and meet all these Pattni passengers and invite them for lunch at their homes. They then packed some food for these Pattnis for their onward journey. These were the generous Pattnis whom we should all be proud of and remember them.
  
Parajiya Pattni in Zanzibar----Continuation of the history Part 2
Vinay Chhaganlal Ramji Kagdada     Dallas   USA

There were many other Indian communities like the Brahmins, Vaniks, Lohanas and Bhatias. Parajiya Sonis were highly respected and were referred to as ‘Soni Mahajan’. There were about 80 goldsmith or 'sonara' shops throughout the Indian population of some 60,000.  However, it should be noted that the sonara shops also included Bhoy, Arab and Ceylonese Sonis. The coastal Africans who had converted to Islam, the Arabs and the local Indians adored jewellery – whether it was gold, rolled gold, silver or mixed silver (rupu).  Thus the sonis had a thriving business.

Chunilal Liladhar catered mainly to the local Indian clientele. He was a very talented craftsman and also led a stylish lifestyle that combined with a contemporary dress sense. Some sonis later moved to the sister island of Pemba; some of these Parajiyas included Jivan Mulji, Ramji Hirji and Chhaganlal Kurji.    There was another group of sonis that specialised in manufacturing African jewellery, which was being sold by the travelling Arab/Baloch merchants who travelled deeper into the mainland villages to sell the merchandise to the local Africans.  Kakubhai Hirji and Velji & Ranchhoddas Co were such specialists. Indeed Kakubhai was the first Parajiya to own a car and also to own a fruit and clove plantation in Zanzibar. A.P.Bhimji of V. & R. Co went on to become one of the renowned and successful businessmen overseas.

Zanzibar was a gateway to East Africa. Many Indians moved to the mainland especially after the construction of Kenya/Uganda Railways. Being in strategic position, not far from the mainland, Zanzibar was a very convenient port of stop for many ships, dhows, and navy. It also emerged as a tourist paradise. Some sonis excelled in the tourist business with curios and Kutchhi artistry ‘ghatkaam’ the notable sonis in this business were that I could recall were Shivji Morarji and Shivshankar Kalyanji.

Then there was also an illegal trade in alluvial gold or gold dust, commonly referred to as  'bhuko' and uncut diamonds (‘kankara’). These mainly came from then Tanganyika and South African mines. The mineworkers used to pass on such goods to traders in towns near the mines. These were then brought into Zanzibar. There was also importation of gold coins from Italy, bullion gold fondly referred to as ‘plates, biscuits and bricks’ from South Africa and Europe.  The final destination for such gold was India where there was an insatiable demand. Sonis were involved in various stages in the export of this gold, whether legal or otherwise.

The political revolutions, coups, expulsions, Africanisation, racial discrimination or economic disasters forced the Indians, sonis included, to move out of Zanzibar and eventually from East Africa. Many emigrated to the UK, some settled in USA, Canada, Australia and others returned to India.

At present the highest number of Parajiyas outside India are settled in the United Arab Emirates. The rest are distributed all over the world.  By and large they are doing fairly well in their chosen professions and businesses. Fortunately for them the circumstances are different. Since many of them are not in the same 'goldsmith' business with their inter-related social and business connections and jealous ...hopefully there is more peace and harmony among them and compassion to help the disadvantaged members of the community.

Times are changing very fast. Today’s Pattni Samaj with its current progress is now making its own history. Let the future generation review this history.  I may have missed out lot of names. My apologies for that.  The only thing to say now is that the Parajiyas are mostly in a better position.  It all started with the courage, sacrifice and the adventure of the few.

Some of them lost their lives in the SIKOTRA storms and went down with dhows into the icy cold waters of the Indian oceans. Our hats off to them

PARAJIYA PATTNI SONI IN AFRICA
Babulal  Mamaiya  Ghaghada  Rajkot - India

I am writing this article from my fading memories. So please do excuse if I have forgotten to mention any names or if you find any other discrepancies.

The first ones who came to Africa were Hirjibhai Lakha’s grandfather, Bhim Hadabapa, Jetshibhai Naran from Lalpur, Parmanandbhai Dossa (well known as Mabheni walla),  Laljibhai Savji Vaya, Raghvji Mithabhai  (brother of Narshibhai Mithabhai) and one Girnara Soni, C.M.Jinna. Some of the Pattnis who later joined them after 1944, were Kanjibhai Meghjibhai, Shamjibhai Lakha, Jamnadas Muljibhai and Merambhai Govind.

The only mode of transport from India to Africa  was sailing boats which used to leave either from Porbandar port in Gujarat or from Mumbai. It used to take nearly one month to reach Mombasa. The fare for such a journey was 210 Rupees (three pounds!)

Talking about Nairobi, few names that I can remember who came first were – Damjibhai Devji Vaya, Laljibhai Jetha Vaya, Naranbhai Jetha Dhanak, Jethabhai Kathad Challa, Jamnadas Jadavji and few more.

Going back to Mombasa, the Samaj originally bought a plot of land near Brahm Samaj in Station Road. This was then subsequently sold and the Samaj building was built near Makupa Road. It  was formerly inaugurated in August 1952. Parmanandbhai Dossa  became the first President of the Mombasa Samaj

Pattnis in East Africa - corrections         
Jitu Anandjibhai Jeram. London

Dear Editor
Please correct following discrepancies in the article on Parajiya Pattni Sonis in East Africa, as this is not factually correct. I have attached a word document with facts and some history for the names within.

The facts:
Bhim and Hadabapa were sons of Govani and neither of them came to East Africa   The first Ghaghada to arrive in East Africa was Samat Bhim, - grandfather of Anandji Jeram, and not as reported in the article.

Shamat Bhim was the original founder of Hirji Lakha (the shop), as it is known today. Shamji Lakha first arrived in East Africa around 1910 followed by his brothers Hirji, Purshottam, and Damji Lakha, brother of Samat found East Africa not to his liking and went back to Kharadi- India.

Raghvji Mithahai (son of Hadabapa) was the other Ghaghada as correctly stated in the article to arrive in East Africa. (Babulal Mamaiya’s side of the family)

The name of Hirji Lakha (shop) came into existence around 1925, after the death of Samat Bhim.  Jeram Samat was not in Mombasa at the time and as it was the family business Hirji Lakha (known as “Seth” meaning boss) was the most appropriate name to continue trading of the shop.

I hope these facts have further enlightened you.

The writer Babulal is descendant of Govani and so am I.  I make these corrections with full respect to him and his fading memory.

Babulal - Mamaiya – Mitha – Hada – Govani (The writer of original article)
Jitu - Anandji – Jeram – Samat – Bhim – Govani (Me)
Tribhovan (Abbi) – Shamji – Lakha – Bhim Govani (Lakha connection)

Finally, Congratulations are in order for the first PPA News in the UK, and I look forward to the launch of the web site.

Thank you Jitubhai for your comments and corrections. As we are recording history of the East African Pattnis for the first time, there are bound to be some discrepancies, which can only be rectified by one’s immediate family. – Editor

PARAJIYA PATTNIS IN ADEN
Rameshchandra Jamnadas Satikuvar (London)

First Parajiya Sonis in UK
I first came to U.K. for studies,  from Aden in August 1962. Pravin Bhagwandas Choksi (Kagadada) and Mansukh Haribhai Ghaghada followed me within fifteen to twenty days time. So we three Parajiyas came to study here in August/ September 1962. We three,  were the first Parajiya Pattnis to arrive in UK.

When we left  the life in Aden in 1962 life was normal and businesses were thriving.  This was also a period when  the movement for Aden's independence from the British was gathering pace. Aden eventually got its independence in 1967 (five years after we left).  Due to the political turmoil that followed, majority  of the Indians including most of Sonis started to leave Aden. My younger brother was among very few who stayed behind with family. Finally the country became so unstable that he also left in around 1988. To my knowledge I do not  think any  ParajiyaPattni is currently living in Aden (now called Yemen)

PARAJIYA PATTNI IN U.A.E.           
Haresh V. Dhakan - U.A.E
      
The migration of the Parajiya Pattni  Sonis in the Gulf, mainly in  Bahrain and Dubai started in around 1950. This was the time where they had to struggle for basic needs, as there was no electricity or drinking water available easily. There was no cultivation of vegetables and grains. These were brought in from India or from the neighbouring countries. Despite such difficulties, gradually managed to establish and expand themselves. Today by contributing to the trade and economy that U.A.E. has carved a very successful and efficient market in gold jewellery locally known as “GOLD SOUK”. We owe a lot to our elders to enjoy the fruits of their labour.

Since the advent of our elders the population of the community in the U.A.E. has now grown to a sizeable 3000 members (500 families approx.) The largest group resides in Dubai and Sharjah. Our Samaj is known as Shree Parajiya Soni Samaj. We organise many social events and the best being the Navratri and our New Year celebrations when the whole community of Parajiyas get-together.
         
The Samaj members are always in the forefront taking active part in various Charities like Morbi flood, droughts in Gujarat, the mission for Kargil Jawaans funds and the recent earthquake in Gujarat. As the Gold and Jewellery trade being the vital part of the economy, Sonis’ and Pattnis’ are active members of various trade organisations

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HISTORY OF PARAJIYA PATTNI SONI

History
   
The family,community or nation that is not acquainted with its own history has no place in this world. The society records its history in terms of the achievements (not failures) made by their forefathers. It is their deeds and accomplishments that form the basis of principles, customs and way of life of the present day society.

We at the Rajkot Mahamandal have tried to chart the history of Parajiya Pattni Soni Gnati Samaj with the help from our Barots ( Family Historian), various historical reference materials like artifacts, literatures and other historical records.
 
The first reference to the word Parajiya Soni (Gold Smith of Parajiya Caste) is in the year 145 AD. This is believed to be the time when Shree Hinglaj Mataji blessed the Parajiya Kshatriya's with the art and skill of the Suvarnkar (goldsmith).

It is believed that the profession of gold smith originated at this time and it was taken up by the followers and descendants of Shree Hakam Sinh Parmar alias Hakami Banda. Today this art of creating exquisite Gold Jewellery has taken the Prarajiya Soni community all over the world; where they have been successful in establishing themselves in business environments totally alien to them. They also have contributed significantly towards the socio-economic development of these countries. Parajiya Soni's are the descendants of the warrior class also known as the Kshatriyas .They were ruling the Parajav region of the Indus valley (currently In Pakistan) These Kshatriyas of Parajav region were also known as Parajiyas.

Forever ready to fight & to die for !
rather than to run away from the sense
of duty that is the Parajiya warrior
 
In the yr 145 AD the descendants of Rajvanshi Kshatriya's of Sapt (seven) Sindhu (rivers) area (Presently in Pakistan) resettled in Songadh (Saharanpur in Punjab) and thus were also known Songadha Kshatriyas with passage of time some of the Songadha Kshatriyas resettled in Parjav region of the Indus Valley (Patiyala in Punjab) and also came to be known as Songadha Parjiya Kshatriya's. In Songadh they built a magnificent temple for Shree Mahakali Mataji…………
 
In ancient Bharat (India) traditionally the elder son of the king was the heir to the throne and the younger sons were given a few villages, towns as their inheritance.
 
These younger sons who were given part of the wealth or property in form of small villages were known as Garasiyas or Rajput (Garas in Gujarati means a small part) with passage of time these small villages were further divided amongst their heirs.These Descendants had no other means of livelihood and were solely dependent on their inheritance. Due to lack of education and skills, jobs were hard to get & slowly their honorable status declined completely. Even in these times of troubles they kept their faith in the history of their ancestors and their way of life, family values, rituals and religion, etc. but in order to survive, they had to unwillingly choose different occupations.
 
A few of the Garasiya's ( Rajputs) however choose not to adopt the occupation of other communities. Therefore due to their misplaced ego's and also in order to maintain their livelihood they became dacoits and took to robbing and looting. But even in these bad times there were a few good religious people, one of them being Shree Hukamsinh Parmar alias Hakmi Banda. When he saw that the evil was eating into the society, he realized that if his people continued on this path they would be lost forever.
 
He was inspired to guide his people to the righteous path of living. He decided to put his family fortunes to persuade the younger generation to abandon robbing & looting & return to the mainstream and the good ways of earning a living. Shree Hakami Bandaji told them that this was the only way to repay the dept of the elders and build a fulfilled and active life for themselves & their future generations.
 
To realize these intentions he invited his community elders & religious heads for a feast. He asked for their advice & blessings to put his thoughts into  action. The elders keeping their faith in Shree Jagdama Mataji advised the community to go on a pilgrimage to the Temple of Shree Hinglaj Mataji (now in Baluchistan in Pakistan) on the top of the Kohla hill.
 
The legend has it that the community on reaching there prayed to the Mataji for her blessings. Mataji blessed the community with the art and skill to practice the profession of Goldsmith Shree Hinglaj Mataji gave them three Tools for creating gold ornaments namely.
 
Mataji gave them the guiding values and principles for their new profession.
 
Never earn through cheating             
Never cheat your customers
Never take what is not yours
Work by which your customers will be satisfied
Donate fourth part of your profits for the benefit of your society
 
By doing so they would keep on reaping the fruits of their labor. Thus Hukamsinh Parmar became to be known as the first gold smith of Songadha Parajiya Kshatriya Samaj. He handed over this legacy to the younger generation along with the guiding values and principles of  Mataj. Gradually the rest of the Kshatriyas began joining the profession and thus the Parajiya Soni Samaj came into existence. The idealism, Virtuosity & Sincerity of Shree Hukamsinh Parmar became a way of life.
 
In Year 1152 of Vikram Savant in the Hindu calendar or near the end of the 10th century AD. Songadha region faced a terrible famine & drought infamously known as the Valvaliya famine. This famine forced the Parajiya Kshatriya's to resettle themselves elsewhere. The leading Parajiya's of that time were...
 
Shree Narvir Nandaji Chavda Shree Gangaji Chouhan 
Shree Damaji Barad Shree Vir Dada Jasraj Barad
 
They led the community to the kingdom of Siddhraj Jaisinh Dev in the princely state of Siddhpur Pattan (Gujarat). The goldsmith's of the state were of Gurjar caste, they did not like to share their profession with the Parajiya's. Therefore they attacked the parajiyas but lost the battle miserably,
 
The Barot of Parajiya's "Shree Kalyan Rao" mediated between the warring parties and advised them to make an appeal to the King for a just solution.
 
The King advised them that the best way to prove their right was by showing their skills as Goldsmiths. Therefore to prove their skills the King gave each of them 25 Kilograms of gold to work with and gave them a fixed period of time in which to prove their skills.
 
The Gurjar Soni's created the image of a Fish which could swim in the water from their part of the allotted gold. They did this by cleverly filling the mould of the fish with live flies. Whereas the Parajiya Soni's having had come from outside; had no financial strength to even feed themselves. Therefore They sold all their gold bit by bit to sustain their families. 
 
By the time to show their skills had also come they realized that only one gram of gold was left; In desperation the entire community prayed to Shree Hinglaj Mataji for help the legend says that Mataji appeared and instructed them to cover the gram of gold with a vessel and take it to the king.
 
She told them that they should uncover the gold only in front of the King. When the vessel was uncovered They found that the gram of gold had turned in to a live and beautiful golden swan.
 
The swan and the Fish were kept in the water before the entire royal court for everyone to see and judge. The swan, divinely blessed by Mataji, attacked the fish and split it into two. Upon which the flies came out of the Fish and attacked everyone present in the court.
 
This enraged the King very much. He thought even the Parajiyas must have also played some trick with their part of the gold. So thinking he pierced the Swan with his royal sword. Upon which the swan started bleeding. Seeing this every one was shocked and they realized that the Parajiyas were divinely blessed.
 
As a token of appreciation the king gave the Parajiya's the right to rule the kingdom of Siddhpur Pattan for a period of three and half days. Shree Nandaji Chavda became the king of Gujarat and Shree Gangaji Chauhan become his prime minister for a period of three and half days.
 
During this time a Royal Coin was issued in the name of Shree Nandaji Chavda. As the king he gave lot charity to the poor and the needy. He also granted the farmers freedom from that year's tax. He also reduced the octroi for the Businessmen and made many more changes which were helpful to the subjects of  the kingdom.
 
He appreciated the work of the Royal office bearers for doing a fine job of implementing the Royal decree. He released all the beggars and eunuch's kept in the jails. It is said that since that day no beggar or eunuch has the right to accept or ask for alms from the people of Parajiya Soni Samaj.
 
On the Third day of ruling Shree Nandaji Chavda honored the King Siddhraj and offerred him his most beloved Black Stallion in gift and returned the kingdom . As a remembrance of this event the King Siddhraj proclaimed that henceforth the descendants of Shree Nandaji Chavda shall be known as the Patels (elders) of Parajiya Soni Samaj. Shree Gangaji Chavda and his descendants were given the degree of Patlaiyee ( Lordship of particular territories) their descendants ,i.e., the Patt's , Dhorda's, Bhindi's and the Lodhiya's are also known as Patels. Since then the Parajiya's started practicing their craft of goldsmith along with the Gurjar Soni's. They were also accepted as warriors, craftsmen, advisors, wise-men, faithful, loyal and sincere people by the society.
 
In the year 1101 AD that is in the sixth year of coming into Siddhpur Pattan some of the Parajiyas decided to resettle themselves in the Sorath / Khatiyawar area of the Gujarat. But due to enemity between the two kings of that time they were not permitted to cross the border. But the persistent and clever Parajiyas managed to achieve what they set out to do and settled themselves in Kathiyawar.
 
Some of the Parajiyas settled themselves in Gharana village and hence came to be also known as Gharana Soni's or Girnara Soni's. They kept spreading themselves all over the Khatiyawar and slowly created & merged into new communities. Their kept their memory of their origin alive and kept the purity of their blood by avoiding inter caste marriages and kept following their traditions and rituals. Thus they ended up being Independent communities and came to be known as Girnara Parajiya Soni.
 
After the death of King Siddhraj the prince Paadraj took over the rule. The Jains were favored by the new King therefore the Jains gradually became to be more influential and powerful. These lead to lost of mistrust and the parajiyas settled there decided to migrate to Kutch area of Gujarat. At that time the people of the Kutch region were being harassed by dacoits. The brave Parajiyas solved the problem with their might and acumen and resettled themselves as Parajiya Soni 's and developed their business.
 
The wealthy among the community offered the Parajiyas money and right to protect the community from the problem of the Dacoits and Looting. When this word reached the King of the Kutch, he welcomed the parajiya's with pomp & splendor. He gave them twelve villages as a token of appreciation.
 
The Parajiyas revived the ancient culture of these villages and set up three more villages viz. Parjav, Devaiya and Happa In Naliya Taluka of todays Gujarat The Kshatriyas of Songadha came to be known as Parajiya Sonis. When they settled in other regions they came to be known by distinctive names viz. Parajiya Pattni Soni, Garana Soni, Kutchi Soni & Sindhi Parajiya Soni.
 
These communites of Parajiya Soni's have been goldsmiths in Gujarat for the last 1500 years. The last 800 yrs they have made Saurashtra & Kutch as their new homeland and have been living with complete peace & harmony since then Today there are approximately 51 sub - castes of the above mentioned first three Soni Castes. The total population of Parajiya Soni's is estimated to be around 1,30,000 settled all over the world.
 
For the information provided above we have been assisted by helpful contributions made by Shree Sagarkumar Ranabhai Barot and Shree Natubhai Bhimjibhai Barot. We hope the person going through this information is enlightened and made more aware of the illustrious history of the Parajiya Soni's.
 
We appeal to the elders of our community to come forward and assist us in making this website more richer in content by their valuable contributions. We have tried to be true to the history as far as possible.
 
 
   


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Hindustan Socialist Republican Association



The Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA), known as the Hindustan Republican Association until 1928, was an Indian independence organisation formed to overthrow the British Raj through armed struggle.

Contents

[edit] Origins

[edit] Background

The Non-cooperation movement of 1920 led to large scale mobilisation of Indian population against the British rule. Though intended as a Nonviolent resistance movement, it soon turned violent. After the Chauri Chaura incident, Gandhi suspended the movement to prevent escalation of violence. This disillusioned a section of nationalists who felt the suspension was premature and unwarranted. The political vacuum created by the suspension led to the formation of revolutionary movements by the more radical amongst those who sought to overthrow British rule.

[edit] Formation

The Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) was established at a meeting in 1924, in the village of Bholachang, Brahamabaria subdivision, East Bengal. Present at the founding meeting were Pratul Ganguly, Narendra Mohan Sen and Sachindra Nath Sanyal. It emerged as an offshoot of the Anushilan Samiti.[1] The name was suggestive of the Irish Republican Army. Sanyal, the leading light of the new movement, wrote the organisation's manifesto titled The Revolutionary.[2]

[edit] Objectives and Ideology

The stated objective of the HRA was establishment of a "Federated Republic of the United States of India by an organised and armed revolution".[3] Armed struggle, terrorism and retaliatory strikes were the favored tactics in the attempt to defeat the British empire. Its manifesto declared
“ The Official terrorism is surely to be met by counter terrorism. A spirit of utter helplessness pervades every strata of our society and terrorism is an effective means of restoring the proper spirits in the society...this revolutionary party has deliberately abstained itself from entering into this terrorist campaign at the present moment...because the party is waiting to deliver the final blow. But when expediency will demand it the Party will unhesitatingly enter into a desperate campaign of terrorism, when the life of every officer and individual helping the foreign government will be made intolerable...[2] ”
and
“ The Indian revolutionaries are neither terrorists nor anarchists... They do not believe terrorism alone can bring independence and do not want terrorism for terrorism's sake.[2] ”
The HRA was also socialist in its attitude and was inspired by Bolshevik Russia. The manifesto stated,
“ ..the railways and other means of transportation and communication,the mines and other kinds of very great industries... shall be nationalised...Instead of private and unorganised business enterprise, the Party prefers co-operative unions[2] ”
Amongst other goals stated by the manifesto are Universal Suffrage, supremacy of the legislature and religious freedom.

[edit] Early Activities

From 1924 to 1925, the HRA grew in numbers with the influx of new members like Bhagat Singh, Chandrasekhar Azad, Sukhdev and Ram Prasad Bismil. The Kakori train robbery was the first well known action by the HRA. On 9 August 1925 the members of the group looted government money that was being transferred in a train. The Kakori conspiracy case led to the hanging of Ashfaqullah Khan, Ramprasad Bismil, Roshan Singh and Rajendra Lahiri. Sanyal and Jogesh Chandra Chatterjee were sentenced to life imprisonment.[4] The Kakori arrests decimated the leadership of the HRA and dealt a major blow to its activities. Of the original conspirators, only Azad and Kundan Lal Gupta escaped. During this period the HRA splintered into various factions based in Kanpur, Lahore and Bengal. In 1927 a new group of revolutionaries like Jatindra nath Sanyal (brother of Sachindra), Phanindra Nath Ghosh and Bhirendra Nath Bhattacharjee emerged as active members. Ghosh was behind the attempted assassination of Rao Bahadur JN Banerjee in Benares in 1928. BN Bhattacharjee was the prime accused in the Deogarh Conspiracy Case.[3]

[edit] The Hindustan Socialist Republican Association

In September 1928, the Lahore faction (Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev) and Kanpur faction (Azad, Kundan Lal Gugta) of the HRA merged with the Bengali revolutionary faction led by Phanindra Nath Ghosh to form the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association(HSRA).[3] This amalgamation came into existence at a meeting of the various factions at Feroz Shah Kotla grounds in Delhi. Bhagat Singh declared socialism as their ultimate goal and that their party's new name should reflect that. Azad was appointed as the Commander-in-chief and Bhagat Singh placed in charge of ideology.[5] The HSRA's manifesto titled Philosophy of the Bomb was written by Bhagawathi Charan Vohra.[6]

[edit] Assassination of JP Saunders

The HSRA decided avenge the death of Lala Lajpat Rai in a police lathi charge (a form of crowd control in which the police use heavy staves or `lathis' in Hindi) in November 1928. They decided to assassinate J A Scott, the Superintendent of Police, Lahore who had ordered lathi-charge. The plan was to be executed by Bhagat Singh, Shivram Hari Rajguru, Azad and Jai Gopal. The assassination attempt was carried out on 17 December 1928 in Lahore. It was planned that Jai Gopal would give a signal to Bhagat Singh and Rajguru as soon as Scott came of his office. However, Jai Gopal misidentified J. P. Saunders, the Assistant Superintendent of Police as Scott and gave the signal. Saunders was shot dead by Bhagat Singh and Raj Guru. A head constable was also killed while trying to chase the shooters.[7] The next day the HSRA acknowledged the assassination by putting up posters in Lahore that read
“ JP Saunders is dead; Lala Lajpat Rai is avenged ...In this man has died an agent of the British authority in India...Sorry for the bloodshed of the human being, but the sacrifice of individuals at the altar of revolution...is inevitable[8] ”

[edit] Assembly Bombing

The next major action HSRA carried out was the bombing of the Central Assembly in Delhi. This was done to protest the introduction of the Public Safety Bill and the Trade Disputes Bill. The HSRA decided to bomb the Assembly while the bills were being introduced to arouse public opinion against them. On April 8, 1929 Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt threw bombs at the empty treasury benches. They made no attempt to escape and courted arrest while shouting Inquilab Zindabad (Long Live the Revolution) and Samrajyavad ko nash ho (Down with Imperialism). Their rationale for the bombing was explained in a leaflet titled "To Make the Deaf Hear" (paraphrasing the words of Édouard Vaillant). This leaflet was also thrown in the assembly and was reproduced the next day in the Hindustan Times. No one was killed in the bombing as it was designed as a propaganda operation. On April 15, 1929 police raided the HSRA's bomb factory in Lahore and arrested Kishori Lal, Sukhdev and Jai Gopal. The Assembly Bomb Case trial followed and Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru were hanged on 23 March 1931 for their actions.[9]

[edit] Later Activities

In December 1929, the HSRA bombed the special train of Viceroy, Lord Irwin. The viceroy escaped unhurt. Later the Lahore faction of HSRA broke away and formed the Athisi Chakar (Fire Ring) party under the leadership of Hansraj 'Wireless'. They carried out a series of bombings across Punjab in June 1930. On 1 September 1930, the Rawalpindi faction made a failed attempt to burgle the Office of the Controller of Military Accounts. During this period the leading members of the HSRA were Azad, Yashpal, Bhagwati Charan Vohra and Kailash Pati. In July 1930 the HSRA robbed the Gadodia stores in New Delhi and carried away 14,000 Rupees. This money was later used to fund a bomb factory. In December 1930, an attempt was made to assassinate the Governor of Punjab, which wounded him in his arm.[10]

[edit] Decline

By 1931, most of the HSRA's main leaders were either dead or in jail. Kailash Pati was arrested in October 1930 and turned approver (witness for the prosecution ). On 27 February 1931, Chandrasekar Azad shot himself during a gunfight with the police. Bhagat Singh, Sukdhev and Rajguru were hanged in March 1931. After Azad's death there was no central leader to unite the revolutionaries and regional differences increased. The Organisation split into various regional groups and they carried out bombings and attacks on Indian officials without any central coordination. In December 1931 another attempt was made to revive the HSRA at a meeting in Meerut. However this attempt failed with the arrests of Yashpal and Daryao Singh in 1932.[11] This effectively ended the HSRA as a united organization though the various regional factions kept up their armed struggle till 1936.

[edit] Criticism

The association's methods were diametrically opposite to that of Gandhi's Nonviolent resistance movement. The revolutionaries and their methods were severely criticized by Gandhi. Responding to the attack on Lord Irwin's train, Gandhi wrote a harsh critique of the HSRA titled "The Cult of the Bomb" (Young India,2 January 1930). In it he declared that bomb throwing was nothing but froth coming to the surface in an agitated liquid. He condemned the HSRA and it's actions as "cowards" and "dastardly". According to Gandhi, the HSRA's violent struggle had its hazards. Violence led to more reprisals and suffering. Also, it would turn inward as it was an easy natural step from violence done to the foreign ruler to violence to our own people.[12] The HSRA responded to this criticism with its own manifesto 'The Philosophy of the Bomb',[6] in which they defended their violent methods as being complementary to Gandhi's non violent methods.[13]

[edit] Prominent Members

Name Involved in What happened to him
Shivaram Hari Rajguru J.P. Saunders Assassination (1928) Sentenced to death in Second Lahore Conspiracy Case; Hanged in 1931
Sachindra Nath Sanyal Kakori conspiracy (1925) Sentenced to life in Andaman Cellular Jail; Died in prison (1942)
Bhagat Singh J.P. Saunders Assassination (1928), Central Assembly Bomb Case (1929) Sentenced to Life in Assembly Bomb Case; Sentenced to death in Second Lahore Conspiracy Case; Hanged in 1931
Chandrashekar Azad Kakori conspiracy (1925), J.P. Saunders Assassination (1928) Killed himself without surrendering in a shootout with police at Allahabad (1931)
Ram Prasad Bismil Mainpuri Conspiracy (1918) Kakori conspiracy (1925) Absconded in Mainpuri Case; Sentenced to Death in Kakori Case, Hanged in 1927
Ashfaqullah Khan Kakori conspiracy (1925) Sentenced to Death in Kakori Case, Hanged in 1927
Vishnu Sharan Dublish Kakori conspiracy (1925) Sentenced to 7 years rigorous imprison; Joined Indian National Congress, Freedom movement activities in Western U.P., become a Member of Parliament.
Rajendra Nath Lahiri Kakori conspiracy (1925) Sentenced to Death in Kakori Case, Hanged in 1927
Thakur Roshan Singh Kakori conspiracy (1925) Sentenced to Death in Kakori Case, Hanged in 1927
Shachindra Nath Bakshi Kakori Conspiracy (1925) Sentenced to Life in Kakori Case; Released in 1937
Yogesh Chandra Chatterjee Kakori conspiracy (1925) Sentenced to Life in Kakori Case; Became a Member of Parliament after independence
Manmath Nath Gupta Kakori conspiracy (1925) Sentenced to 14 year rigorous imprison in Kakori Case; Later on became a journalist/writter; died in 2000 on the day of Deepavali
Govind Charan Kar Kakori conspiracy (1925) Sentenced to Life in Kakori Case
Mukundi Lal Kakori conspiracy (1925) Sentenced to Life in Kakori Case
Suresh Chandra Bhattacharya Kakori conspiracy (1925) Sentenced to 7 years rigorous imprison in Kakori Case
Bhupendra Nath Sanyal Kakori conspiracy (1925) Sentenced to 5 years rigorous imprison in Kakori Case
Banwari Lal Kakori conspiracy (1925) Sentenced to 5 years even after being an aprover in the Kakori Case
Pranvesh Chatterjee Kakori conspiracy (1925) Sentenced to 4 years rigorous imprison in Kakori Case
Sukhdev Thapar J.P. Saunders Assassination (1928) Sentenced to death in Second Lahore Conspiracy Case; Hanged in 1931
Batukeshwar Dutt Central Assembly Bomb Case (1929) Sentenced to Life in Central Assembly Bomb Case; Released in 1937
Bhagavati Charan Vohra Central Assembly Bomb Case (1929) Killed in a bomb blast (1930)
Kailash Pati Gadodia Store Robbery (1929) Arrested in 1930. Turned Approver
Phanindra Nath Ghosh Leader of Bengali faction Arrested in 1930. Turned Approver; Killed in retaliation (1931)
Yashpal Viceroy train bombing (1929) Arrested in 1932. Sentenced to seven years rigorous imprisonment; Became an Award winning novelist
Jaidev Kapur Central Assembly bombing (1929) Sentenced to life in Second Lahore Conspiracy Case;
Sheo Varma Central Assembly bombing (1929) Sentenced to life in Second Lahore Conspiracy Case;
Bejoy Kumar Sinha Central Assembly bombing (1929) Sentenced to life in Second Lahore Conspiracy Case;
Gaya Prasad Central Assembly bombing (1929) Sentenced to life in Second Lahore Conspiracy Case;

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Saha, p. 16-17
  2. ^ a b c d Ralhan, P. 801-807
  3. ^ a b c Ralhan, p.806
  4. ^ Grewal, P.42
  5. ^ Grewal, P44-45
  6. ^ a b Bowden & Davis, P.29
  7. ^ Bhagat Singh, P.16
  8. ^ Grewal, P.46
  9. ^ Bhagat Singh, P.18
  10. ^ Relhan, P.716-720
  11. ^ Relhan, P.720-730
  12. ^ Gandhi, P.298
  13. ^ Nayar p.173-175

[edit] References

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