Kumaoni people

Kumaoni/Kumauni
(कुमाँऊनी)

Regions with significant populations
Primary populations in: Uttarakhand Populations in: Uttarakhand Uttar Pradesh Himachal Pradesh Maharashtra Madhya Pradesh Delhi Other: Nepal United States United Kingdom Australia
Languages
Kumaoni
Religion
Hinduism, Buddhism
Related ethnic groups
Indo-Aryans, Chettris and Bahuns of Nepal, Rajputs, Brahmins

Kumauni or Kumaoni are people from Kumaon region of Uttarakhand. They include all those who speak the Kumaoni language or any of its numerous dialects. There is evidence that the hills of Kumaon have been inhabited by mankind for centuries and the people of Kumaon today are the descendents of different waves of migration to these hills which took place over centuries the tough mountain terrain and the hardships of life gave the Kumaoni people a character which they are reknowed for simple at heart, honest, but fiercely loyal and full of valour and courage these have been the traits of the Kumaoni people. They were the part of the North-Indian military class and military service was treated as an occupation pased on from father to son. Thier long history of conflict with the neighbouring Kingdoms of Garhwal, Nepal, Tibet and the Muslim Dynasties of Delhi made them battle hardened and it is hardly surprising that the British conferred upon them the title of martial race and recruited heavily from them the result was the Kumaon Regiment which has served India with its blood in various wars and made motherland Kumaun Proud. The modern Kumauni is in all its ways similar to any other Indian a blende of modern and old, with old practices holding as much sway as the new. Indian Army still provides much employment but the Kumaonis have progressed with time and adopted different profession and proved themselves in every field.

Etymology

The word "Kumaon" can be traced back to the 5th century BC. The Kassite Assyrians left their homeland 'Kummah', on the banks of river Euphrates,and settled in the northern part of India. These inhabitants formed Koliyan tribe and having their new settlement as Kumaoon. Lord Buddha's mother, Mayabati belonged to this clan. Although this theory does not seem true considering the fact the distance between these two places is about 2000 miles and this region was already populated at this time (ruled by Kunindas dynasty).

Another version of the origin is that word Kumaon is believed to have been derived from "Kurmanchal", meaning land of the Kurmavatar (the tortoise incarnation of Lord Vishnu, the preserver according to Hindu mythology). The region of Kumaon is named after as such.

History

1905 illustration of a Kumaoni Woman .

In the ancient period between 1300 A.D. to 1400 A.D, after the disintegration of katyuri kingdom of uttarakhand, eastern region of uttarakhand (Kumaon and Far-Western Region of Nepal which was a part of uttarakhand then), divided into eight different princely states i.e., 1.Baijnath-Katyuri, 2.Dwarhat, 3. Doti , 4.Baramandal, 5.Askot, 6.Sira, 7.Sora, 8.Sui (Kali kumaon). Latter on, in 1581 A.D after had a defeat of Raika Hari Mall (maternal uncle of Rudra chand) with the hand of Rudra Chand all these disintegrated parts came under King Rudra chand and the whole region was named as kumaon .

Kumaon with headquarters at Nainital. Area 35,136 km²; pop. (1901), 1,207,030, showing an increase of less than 2% in the decade. Kumaon proper constituted an old Rajput principality, which became extinct at the beginning of the 19th century. For some time region was ruled by Gorkhas. But People of Kumaon fought them valiantly.With their courage,wisdom and their ever indomitable spirit, and help from British, they finally defeated the Gorkhas,who earlier seemed invincible ,and opened the way for the liberation of Garhwal from the oppressive Gorkha rule.Inspired by their bravery the British granted on the people of Kumaon the title of martial race. Later, the region was annexed by the British in 1815, and was governed for seventy years on the non-regulation system by three administrators, Mr. Traill, Mr J. H. Batten and Sir Henry Ramsay. In 1891 the division was composed of the three districts of Kumaon, Garhwal and the Tarai; but the two districts of Kumaon and the Tarai were subsequently redistributed and renamed after their headquarters, Nainital and Almora.

Martial Race

Kumaonis have been famous for their valour, their courage was legendary, their honour indomitable. The Kumaonis were never fully subjugated by the powerful Muslim dynasties of Delhi. Kumaonis were observed by the British , their valour was thus given recognition by the British and were included in the British Army. It is interesting to note that the 3rd Gorkha Rifles was known as the Keemaon battalion when it was formed and it included Kumaonis as well as the Garhwalis along with the Gorkhas. The Kumaonis, once accepted as a martial race, were themselves to be recruited in the Hyderabad regiment and displace the native troops, ultimately becoming the Kumaon Regiment after Independence of India. The Kumaon Regiment is one of the most decorated regiments of the Indian Army. The regiment traces its origins with the British Indian Army and has fought in various campaigns including the two world wars. After independence, the regiment has fought in all major conflicts involving India. They showed their exceptional courage in the Indo-Chinese War, the Battle of Rezang La has been proverbial for valour.

Language

Their Kumaoni language forms the Central subgroup of the Pahari languages.

Kumaoni is one of the 325 recognized Indian languages, and is spoken by over 2,360,000 (1998) people of Indian states of Uttarakhand - Almora, Nainital, Pithoragarh, Bageshwar, Champawat, Rudrapur (Udhamsingh Nagar) districts; Assam; Bihar; Delhi; Madhya Pradesh; Maharashtra and Punjab, besides being spoken in some regions of Himachal Pradesh and Nepal.

Amongst its dialects, the Central Kumauni is spoken in Almora and northern Nainital, Northeastern Kumauni is in Pithoragarh, Southeastern Kumauni is in Southeastern Nainital, Western Kumauni is west of Almora and Nainital.

Dialects of Kumaon region

Almost all people who can speak and understand Kumaoni can speak and understand Hindi also. This is one of the dialects which is shrinking very rapidly and becoming out of fashion. Most of the educated people who live in cities hardly speak Kumaoni and in most cases parents still speak and understand Garhwali but their children cannot. In many cases children can understand it well but can not speak it. A very common scenario in Kumaon is that a person from older generation communicates to a young fellow from two generations younger in Kumaoni and he or she gets reply in Hindi. Middle generation communicates in both Kumaoni and Hindi. Although it is easy to write Kumaoni in Devnagri script, there is not much literature available in Kumaoni and whatever is available is not popular.

In all, there are 20 dialects spoken in the Kumaon region, including, Johari, Majh Kumaiya, Danpuriya, Askoti, Sirali, Soryali, Chaugarkhyali, Kumaiya, Gangola, Khasparjia, Phaldakoti, Pachhai, and Rauchaubhaisi.

Dialects of Kumaoni Language

• Kali Kumaon, Central Kumaoni
• North-Eastern Kumaoni
• South-Eastern Kumaoni
• Western Kumaoni
• Askoti of Askot
• Bhabhri of Rampur
• Chaugarkhiyali
• Danpuriya of Danpur
• Gangoli of Ganai-Gangoli
• Johari of Malla and Talla Johar
• Khasparjiya of Almora
• Kumaiyya
• Pachhai of Pali-Pachhau
• Pashchimi
• Phaldakotiya of Phaldkot
• Rhau-Chaubyaisi of Upper Himalayan Valleys
• Sirali of Sirakot
• Soriyali of Sor Valley (Pithoragarh)
• Baitada of Baitadi district of Nepal
• Dotiyali of Doti in Nepal

Culture

Music

Kumaoni folk music had its root in the lap of nature. The pure and blessed music have the feel and the touch of nature and subjects related to nature. The folk music primarily is related to the various festivals, religious traditions, folk stories and simple life of the people of Kumaon. Thus the songs of Kumaoni are a true reflection of the Cultural Heritage and the way people lives their lives in the Himalayas.

There are many kinds of folk songs from the area, including ceremonial mandals, martial panwaras and melancholy khuded, thadya and jhoda.

Musical instruments used in Kumaon music include the dhol, damoun, turri, ransingha, dholki, daur, thali, bhankora and masakbhaja. Tabla and harmonium are also used, but to a lesser extent.

The Music and its development have seen various phases of growth and have undergone lots of transformation during the course of time.

The earliest of the singers who left never ending impressions on the folk music of Kumaon were :

1.The most famous personality associated with Kumaoni Folk Music is Mohan Upreti, who is known for his Nanda Devi Jagar & Rajula Malu Shahi Ballad.

He is famous for the great Kumaoni song Bedu Pako Baro Masa which for many years the identity of the hills of Uttarakahand. It is said this song was also a favourite of Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru who heard it in a band march as this song is also apopular marching song.

2. Shri Gopal Babu Goswami who is considered to be a legend in Kumaon for his melodious voice.

His songs on the life of the members of the armed forces and their families like Kaile baje muruli , Ghughuti na basa and many others are legendary, it is said that when these songs were transmitted on All India Radio women with their husbands could not help but weep when they heard the soul touching voice of Gopal Da as he was lovingly called.

3. Heera Singh Rana is identified as a singer and asocial activist whose songs tell the tale of the pain of the people of the hills .

Some of the hit songs / albums being Fauji Lalit Mohan Joshi's "Maya Ki Yaad", "Tak Taka Kamla" and many other hit albums / songs

Jagara, tales of bravery is most important culture in Kumaon since Katyuri period. Jhusia Damai of Baskot of Baitadi District (now in Dharchula india) is famous Jagar singer.

Films

• Megha Aa, (First Kumaoni Film) . Director Kaka Sharma, Produced S S Bisht, 1987
• Teri Saun, (First film both in Kumaoni and Garhwali) , written, produced, and directed by Anuj Joshi , 2003.
• Aapun Biraan (Apne Paraye) by Shri Kartikey Cine Productions. Produced By Bhaskar Singh Rawat. 2007. Cell No. -> '9412044393'.
• Madhuli by Anamika Film, 2008 .

Theatre

Kumaoni theatre which developed through its 'Ramleela' plays, later evolved into a modern theatre form with the efforts of theatre stalwarts like Mohan Upreti and Dinesh Pandey, and groups like 'Parvatiya Kala Kendra' (started by Mohan Upreti) and 'Parvatiya Lok Kala Manch'

Radio

• Trans World Radio (USA) - 7320 Hz (Shortwave)

Cuisine

Kumaoni food is very simple but very nutritious completely suits the hard environment. Pulses like gehet are fashioned into different preparations like ras-bhaat, chains, faanda and thatwaani all are unique preparations from the same pulse. Jholi or curry seasoned with curd. Chudkani and jola made from bhatt pulses. Cereals like mandua with rice and wheat are popular.

List of Kumaoni peolple

Politics

• Shri Govind Ballabh Pant (Bharat Ratna)
• Shri B.D. Pandey
• Sheila Irene Pant (Pakistan)
• ShriNarayan Dutt Tiwari
• Shri Murli Manohar Joshi
• Shri Krishan Chandra Pant
• Shri Pratap Singh Bisht
• Shri Bhagat Singh Koshiyari
• Shri Harish Chandra Singh Rawat
• Shri Kashi Singh Aiery
• Shri Baalam Singh Janauti
• Shri Bipin Chandra Tripathi
• Shri K.C. Singh Baba

Administration

• Babu Tej Singh Negi, (British time Administrator)
• Shri Sobhan Singh Jeena, (Lawyer)
• Shri R.S. Toliya, (I.A.S.)
• Shri B.R. Tamta, (I.A.S.)
• Shri B.D. Sanwal, (I.A.S.)
• Shri Mukul Sanwal, (I.A.S.)
• Shri Leela Singh Bisht, (Police Commissioner)
• Shri Hukum Singh Rana
• Shri A.S. Gusain

Scientists and Scholars

• Dr. D.D. Pant, (Physicist)
• Dr. K.S. Valdiya, (Geologist)
• Dr. Shekhar Pathak, (Historian),(Padma Shri)
• Dr. Ajay Rawat, (Historian)

Sports

File:Stumping edited.jpg

Mahendra Singh Dhoni stumps a South African batsman during a match in Chennai in 2008.

• Shri Hukum Singh Pangti, (Mountaineer)
• Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Arts, Films and Drama

• Shri Mohan Upreti
• Mohan Bhandari
• Nirmal Pandey
• Prasoon Joshi
• Shri Jhusia Damai

Nobel Prizewinners

• Rajendra Kumar Pachauri (born August 20, 1940, Nainital, India) is an economist who has served as the chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) since 2002.
• Sir Ronald Ross born in Almora, Kumaon (13 May 1857 – 16 September 1932) was an Anglo-Indian physician.

Military

File:Gen b c joshi.jpg

General Bipin Chandra Joshi

• General B.C. Joshi, PVSM, AVSM, ADC COAS
• Major Manoj Bhandari
• Major H. S.Dhaila
• Major Shaitan Singh
• Major Rajesh Singh Adhikari

Literature and Art

File:Sumitranandan Pant, (1900 - 1977).jpg

Sumitranandan Pant (1900-1977).

• Gumani
• Gourda
• Sumitra Nandan Pant
• Shivani
• Sher Da Anpad
• Mrinal Pande
• Dev Singh Pokhariya
• Shailesh Matiyani
• Shekhar Pathak
• Himanshu Joshi

See also

• Famous kumaonis
• Maneaters of Kumaon
• Chand Kings
• Kumaoni
• Martial Race
• Garhwal

External links

• Official site of Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN) for tourist information
• Brief History of kumaon
• Information on Kumaon Region and Community
• Trip to Binsar and the Kumaon Region