Saini

This article is about the Saini community of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Chandigarh and Delhi. For the Mali community who were recorded from the 1931 as Saini, see Mali caste and Rajput Mali. For the Bhagrathi or Gola community of Western Uttar Pradesh, see Bhagirathi Mali.

Saini
Languages	Mainly Punjabi and its dialects such as Dogri and Pahari, Haryanvi and Hindi
Country	Primarily India
Populated States	Punjab (India), Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Chandigarh and Delhi
Subdivisions	Haryanvi and Punjabi

Saini ( pronunciation ) is a caste of North India who were traditionally landowners. Sainis claim to be descendants of a king, Shurasena, as well as of Krishna and Porus, and to be related to the ancient Shoorsaini clan, noted in Puranic literature. This is disputed and the 1901 census noted that people using the Shoorsaini name were by then found only in Punjab, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and Delhi. Sainis also claim themselves to be Rajputs of Yaduvanshi descent.

As both a statutory agricultural tribe and a designated martial race during the British Raj era that followed the Indian Rebellion of 1857, Sainis had been chiefly engaged in both agriculture and military service since then until recent times. However, since the independence of India, Sainis have diversified into different trades and professions other than military and agriculture. Sainis are now also seen in increasing numbers as businessmen, lawyers, professors, civil servants, engineers, doctors and research scientists, etc.

Sainis profess in both Hinduism and Sikhism. Several Saini families profess in both the faiths simultaneously and inter-marry freely in keeping with the age-old composite Bhakti and Sikh spiritual traditions of Punjab. Until recent times Sainis were strictly an endogamous group and inter-married only within select clans. They also have a national level organization called Saini Rajput Mahasabha located in Delhi, established in 1920.

History

Main article: History of Sainis

British era

During the British period Sainis were classified as both a statutory agricultural tribe and a martial race. The latter was an administrative device based on the now-discredited theories of scientific racism: ethnic communities were categorised as being either martial or non-martial, with the latter being those who were thought to be unfit to serve in armies due to their sedentary lifestyles.

Some Saini landlords were also appointed as zaildars, or revenue-collectors, in various districts.

Distribution

Present day cross-reference of divisions of British Punjab

The British Punjab, the Jalandhar division comprised the following districts: Kangra, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Ferozepur. Lahore division comprised the following districts: Lahore, Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Sialkot, Gujranwala and Sheikhupura. The present day Ropar district fell in Ambala district before partition. Hence Ropar Sainis were included in that district in the colonial accounts.

Mali caste identifying as Saini since 1931

1937 Jodhpur State Order in respect of renaming of Mali caste to "Saini" or "Sainik Kshatriya". Source: Jodhpur State Archives.

In 1937, the ruler of the princely state of Jodhpur granted the request of the Mali community of Rajputana to be recorded as "Saini" or "Sainik Kshatriya" in official records.

Religion

The census of 1881 reported 10% of Sainis as being Sikh and this proportion rose to over 57% by the time of the 1931 census. A similar demographic shift was also recorded among other rural communities of Punjab, such as the Jats, Mahtons and Kambohs. The reason generally attributed for the post-1901 demographic shift towards Sikhism are explained as follows:

• Sikhs were preferred over Hindus and Muslims for army recruitment by the British. All of these rural communities heavily depended on army jobs in addition to agriculture for subsistence. Consequently, a large number of Punjabi Hindus from these communities started returning themselves as Sikh for preferential treatment in army recruitment. Since most of Sikh and rural Punjabi Hindu customs, beliefs and historical perspectives were identical or closely related, this transformation did not pose any social challenge.
• Early 20th century reform movements within Sikhism simplified marriage rituals which eliminated a major factor in rural indebtedness in addition to failed crops. This also attracted many rural Hindus of farming background to identify themselves with Sikhism as a cultural response to this widespread problem. The Punjab Alienation of Land Act of 1900 was also instituted by colonial government for the same purpose to prevent appropriation of agricultural land belonging to these rural communities, who formed the back bone of Indian army, by money-lenders who were generally of Saini Sikhs.
• General polarization of Hindu and Sikh identities after 1881 census due to polemical debates between extremist factions of Singh Sabha and Arya Samaj movements. Prior to 1881, the separatist consciousness among Sikhs was not very strong or well-pronounced. According to 1881 census only 13% of Punjab's population was returned as Sikh and many groups with Sikh background had returned themselves as Hindu.

Marriage

Traditionally, Sainis have been married through Vedic ceremonies performed by Brahmins of Sanatani tradition. However, in 20th century some Hindu families started opting for Arya Samaj based vedic ceremonies and Saini Sikhs started opting for Anand Karaj ritual.

Sainis are strictly endogamous and the marriage could not take place if:

• Even if one of the four gotras from boy's side is common with one of the four gotras from girl's side, needless to say marriage is impossible. Both boy and girl will be treated as brother and sister respectively. These four gotras from each side is the gotra of: (1) Paternal Grandfather (2) Paternal Grandmother (3) Maternal Grandfather and (4) Maternal Grandmother. Marriage between cousins is an impossibllity.

• Despite none of the above gotras being common between both sides, if both the families are from same village. In this case as per the ancient honour system, the boy and girl in question were to treat each other mutually as brother and sister respectively.

Divorce

Prior to The Hindu Marriage Act of 1955, it was not legal for Hindu men to divorce their wife. Divorce was non-existent and there was very strong community taboo and stigma against it. Other than the reason of infidelity, it was not possible for a Saini man to desert his wife without facing ostracism and inviting stigma for his whole family. But if a Saini man repudiated his wife on the basis of infidelity or elopement, reconciliation was not possible again under any circumstances. The consequences were often grave under this condition. The woman thus accused most certainly faced ostracism for the rest of her life. No other man from the community would marry a woman thus repudiated. In great many cases a certain prospect of honor killing loomed over the 'offenders'.^{[citation needed]}

Widow remarriage

Among present day Sainis the taboo against widow remarriage, especially if they are widowed at young age, has now dissolved or almost disappeared even in Punjab.

Fictional treatment

In the anthropological thriller The Krishna Key, the lead character of the novel, history professor Ravi Saini, belongs to Saini community of Punjab. A key component of the novel is Ravi Saini's research into the origin of the Saini community.

Clans

Main article: List of Saini clans

Notable people

Main article: List of Saini people

See also

• Surasena Kingdom

References

•  This article incorporates text from The cyclopædia of India and of Eastern and Southern Asia: commercial, industrial and scientific, products of the mineral, vegetable, and animal kingdoms, useful arts and manufactures, by Edward Balfour, a publication from 1885 now in the public domain in the United States.

External links

• SainiOnline.com
• SainiInfo.com