Chak 217 GB

Chak No.217 GB
Village
Chak No.217 GB Gujjar Pindi
Coordinates: 31.016694°N 72.8567818°E / 31.016694; 72.8567818

Chak 217 GB (Urdu: چک نمبر ۲۱۷گ۔ب گجر پنڈ), or Gujjar Pind, is a suburban village of Tehsil Samundri, in the District Faisalabad (Lyallpur) Punjab in Pakistan. The first known settlements in the village date between 1898 A.D. to 1920 A.D. The village comprises 1,500 acres or 60 murrabba (one murrabba or square is approximately 25 square acres). Water is supplied by five irrigation channels, known locally as moga. The Gogera Branch irrigation canal is abbreviated to GB and irrigates this specific area.

Neighbouring villages are Chak No. 218 GB Vainspur to the east, Chak No. 213 GB Laadi Chak to the west, Chak No. 216 GB Jalalabad to the north and Chak 478 & 475 GB Gidder Pindi to the southeast. Agriculture is the area's primary economic activity. Major crops ( including wheat, sugarcane, corn, and cotton) are cultivated using old methods, resulting in poor yields.

The village has a primary school for boys and a middle school for girls, which goes up to the 8th grade only.

Almost four generations were living in the village since the first residents settled in the location between 1898 A.D and 1920 A.D. Prior to settlement, it was barren land called baar, a word derived from the Persian language which means rain. Water was supplied only by irrigation, and portable containers stored rainwater. There were three main baars in what is now the Punjab area. Chak 217 GB is in Saandal Baar, which is named after the grandfather of Abdullah Bhatti (Dulla Bhatti). Due to Sikh rule predating British rule in Punjab, most landlords were Sikhs, who held supremacy in the region.

The village is accessible by road from the Tehsil Samundari district, from the east, and from the west. Samundari City is 14 km away from the village.

History

Agricultural lands were allotted among peasant families from 1898 to 1920. In the local Punjabi Language, Pond is the word for village. This village was numbered 217 of GB (the abbreviation of Gugera Branch Canal , a part of the Punjab Irrigation Department system developed by the British during their occupation from 1862 to 1898). The word Chak may have been derived from Chuck in English, as at one time, a Chuck consisted of 1,500 acres of land. Other sources say that chak is derived from Chak, a Sanskrit word denoting a circular demarcated piece of land. It may also relate to every village having a central well with a wooden circular lid (also called chak) on it.

Numberdars, or sub-administrators, who were appointed by the British Government during their rule, were awarded 12.5 or 25 acres of extra agricultural land called Number Dari Murrumba. They used to bear official expenditures during officials' visits to the village on certain occasions or police officials during criminal investigations. Even today, these inactive posts are under their fourth generation with agricultural lands. In 1958, a grand mosque was built. The same year saw the first batch of four jawans recruited to the Pakistan army, as well as the imposition of martial law, by dictator Ayyub Khan. A substantial number of immigrants from the Indian Punjab migrated during the years 1947 to 1949, significantly increasing the population of the village. Relatives of immigrants who were present in the village provided shelter and food and shared their agricultural lands in a show of love and harmony during the hardship of this time.

Interestingly, the village had but one handheld watch, owned by Syed Abdul Haq Shah, the Imam of the Masjid, who may have been entrusted to announce prayer times for the villagers.

The village graveyard dates back nearly five generations to current village residents.

There is a famous village fair, called (Urs), near Chak No. 217 GB, which takes place every year and starts from the ninth of February. For ancestors, this was the only recreational festival of the entire year. The Urs is a time to remember the teachings of a Sufi saint from almost a century ago.

Demographics

Most of the population here are Gujjars. Some emigrated from Hoshyarpur, in 1898, during Sandal Bar colonization, and others mostly from 1947–50, after the partition of India into India and Pakistan.

Some major sub-castes (or gotras) are Oddery, Lalwaan, Kissana, Khatana, Koli, and Chechi.

Earlier, during the settlement of agricultural lands, people lived with their livestock on their lands outside the village. Life was often strenuous for men and women alike. Women ordinarily woke early at dawn to grind the wheat for flour and were entirely responsible for the upkeep of the household and yard. Village women also churned yogurt to extract butter and buttermilk.

Buildings and services

The village has two middle schools, one for boys and one up to the 8th grade for girls since 1936. The village also has three mosques.

Pakistan Telecommunication (PTCL) has since 1997 provided a landline telephone exchange network and medium speed internet services. The UFone cellular company began service in the village recently by erecting a booster tower.

Sports

From 1955 to 1965, the village football team, Maestro, participated in regional soccer games. They won many tournaments in and outside the region. Locally famous players were:

• Master Anyat Ali.
• Muhammad Saeed Numberdar.
• Sultan Ali.
• Muhammad Sadiq (goalkeeper)
• Haji Muhammad Irshad.
• Muhammad Yusuf.
• Ameen Ahmad.
• Fateh Ali.

Currently, Muhammad Sarfraz Kaka, Salman Khalid, and Ali Liaqat are prominent young athletes in the village. Along with soccer, cricket and kabaddi are also played here with passion.

Notable people

Locally notable residents include:

• Sanaullah F.I.A.
• Ch.Nisar Ahmad F.I.A.

Further reading

• Virdee, Pippa. From the Ashes of 1947. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-108-42811-8.