Chapter 2

Area and People

Chapter 2 Area and People

Figure 2.1: Map showing the Area of Study in the Map of India

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CHAPTER 2
AREA AND PEOPLE

The present study has been conducted among two adult populations of Delhi:

1. Bania (Aggarwal).
2. Punjabi (Khatri & Arora).

Delhi is located in northern part of the country, situated on the west banks of the Yamuna
river (a tributary of the Ganges River). Delhi is locally pronounced Dilee or Dehli and
officially pronounced as National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). It is the largest
metropolis by area and the second largest metropolis by population in India
(Karamchandani, 1968; Habib, 1999). Delhi has become the most densely populated city
with a population density of 11,297 per sq.km compared to an average all-India density of
382. Delhi is bordered on the east by the state of Uttar Pradesh and on the north, west, and
south by Haryana. It is the capital of the largest democracy of the world. People from all
parts of the country reside here. It is a cosmopolitan city which provides equality of
opportunity to people irrespective of their religious, social and cultural background. Delhi
attracts people for work, trade and commerce, tourism, education, health, employment
and enterprise etc., from all over the country, especially from the neighboring states.
Infact Delhi is a homogenous city which assimilates people from different culture and
languages, leading to the establishment of different cultural pockets. Due to the migration
of the people from across the country, Delhi has grown to be a multicultural,
cosmopolitan metropolis. Because of rapid development and urbanization, coupled with
relatively high average income of its population, has transformed Delhi into a major
cultural, political and commercial center of India. Delhi’s cultural life has been influenced
by the cosmopolitan character of its population which comes from different parts of India
and the world and possesses varied cultural backgrounds. The most commonly used
languages spoken here are Hindi, Punjabi, Haryanvi, Urdu and English. The literacy rate
in Delhi is 82 percent, male having 87.4 percent and their female counterpart has a
literacy rate of 75 percent. The share of illiterate people in urban Delhi is 13.7 per cent
which is much better compared to the urban India average (20.2 percent). Sex ratio at
birth is 820 female births/1000 male births.

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2.1. AREA

The National Capital territory of India is spread over an area of 1,483 sq.km, of which
783 sq.km is designated as rural and 700 sq.km is designated as urban. Delhi is an
expansive area which spans from Narela in the north to Ghitorni in the south, Najafgarh
in the west to Seemapuri in the east. The National Capital Region (NCR) encompasses
towns south and east of the said border namely Ghaziabad, Noida, Greater Noida,
Faridabad and Gurgaon. The present National Capital region comprises of a total area
of 33,578 sq.km including areas of Delhi (1,483 sq.km), Haryana (13,413 sq.km), Uttar
Pradesh (10,853 sq.km) and Rajasthan (7,829 sq.km).

Figure 2.2: Map showing the Districts of Delhi

Delhi was a single district union territory till the mid 90’s. After the constitutional
changes of the early 90’s the NCT was divided into nine districts. These districts are
North, South, East, West, New Delhi, Central, North West, South West and North East.
Each district is headed by a Deputy Commissioner. All Deputy Commissioner report to

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the Divisional magistrate. Every district has three sub divisions headed by sub
divisional magistrate. Presently there are 27 subdivisions and an equal number of
tehsils. These districts are meant for revenue collection and administration. The nine
districts are meant only for revenue collection and administration. These nine districts
came into existence from January 1997 and prior to that there was one district for whole
of Delhi with district head quarter at Tis-Hazari. The District administration of Delhi is
the enforcing department for all kinds of State and Central Government policies and
exercises supervisory powers over numerous other functionaries of the Government.

For civic administration, Delhi is divided into three municipal corporations. These are
Municipal Corporation of Delhi (known as MCD), New Delhi Municipal Committee
(NDMC) and the Delhi Cantonment Board (DCB). MCD is one of the largest municipal
corporations in the world. It is further divided into zones then divided into wards and
finally in colonies. There are total 12 zones in MCD. The zonal structure is as follows:
City Zone, Central Zone, South Zone, Karol Bagh Zone, Sardar pahar ganj, West zone,
Civil lines zone, Sh. South zone, Sh. North zone, Narela zone, Najafgarh zone and Rohini
zone. Within these zones, there are 274 wards and within that wards there are 2334
colonies. In the present research study, the data has been collected from Rohini zone.

2.1.1. Geography

The National Capital territory of Delhi is situated in the north of India (Latitude
28’35’N, Longitude 77’12’E) 160 km south of the Himalayas at an elevation of 216 m
above mean sea level. The River Yamuna, a tributary of the Ganges forms the eastern
boundary of the city. Delhi is situated between the Great Indian Desert (Thar Desert) of
Rajasthan to the west, the central hot plains to the south, and the cooler hilly region to
the north and the east.

2.1.2. Climate

The region has an extreme type of continental climate which is perhaps due to its
distance from the sea. The prevalence of continental air leads to relatively dry
conditions with extremely hot summers and very cold winters. The temperature range
varies from 47˚C in summers to 3˚C in winters. In summers the heat wave is immense.

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The winters are marked by mist and fog in the morning and often sun is seen in the
afternoons. The cold wave from the Himalayan region makes winters very chilly. The
mean seasonal climatic influence is the monsoon, typically from June to October. The
total mean annual rainfall is 715mm. Maximum rainfall occurs in July (211mm).

2.1.3. Flora and Fauna

The flora and fauna of Delhi has more or less disappeared. Till the time of
independence, the ridge and the surrounding area had been abode of a rich variety of
wild animals. Nilgais, Chinkara and Blackbuck roamed in the dry scrub jungles of
Delhi. Even sometimes wild boar, hares and foxes were seen roaming around. But
during the last half century, there has been observed a sea change in the scenario. As the
city expanded explosively the green zones were the first to be sacrificed. These green
areas have been destroyed by road widening schemes, construction and encroachments.

2.2. POPULATIONS SELECTED FOR THE PRESENT RESEARCH STUDY

Bania (Aggarwal)

Punjabi (Khatri & Arora)

Both the population were found to be migratory population. About 47.0% Bania and
51.2% Punjabi were found to be migrated from other places to Delhi and rest of the
population was found to be native of Delhi (Table 2.1). When the origin of the population
was enquired then it was found that Bania were found to be migrated from Haryana
(68.8%), Uttar Pradesh (19.1%), Punjab (6.2%), Rajasthan (3.6%) and Pakistan (2.2%)
whereas Punjabi were found to be migrated from Pakistan (40.4%), Punjab (21.6%),
Haryana (17.9%), Uttar Pradesh (16.3%) and Rajasthan (3.8%) (Table 2.2).

Table 2.1: Distribution of Bania and Punjabi of Delhi according to Migration from other
Places to Delhi or not

Response BANIA PUNJABI

N % N %

Yes 225 47.0 240 51.2

No 254 53.0 229 48.8

Total 479 100.0 469 100.0

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Table 2.2: Distribution of Bania and Punjabi of Delhi according to native Place from
where migrated

Original Place BANIA PUNJABI

N % N %
Haryana 155 68.8 43 17.9
Pakistan 5 2.2 97 40.4
Punjab 14 6.2 52 21.6
Rajasthan 8 3.6 9 3.8
Uttar Pradesh 43 19.1 39 16.3
Total 225 100.0 240 100.0

2.3. ETHNOGRAPHIC PROFILE

2.3.1. Bania

Bania is an ethnic group. Bania refers to an occupational community of businessman,

merchants, money lenders, dealers in grains, spices and commercial enterprises also. The
Bania people are commonly called Lalaji / Seth. The word Bania is derived from Sanskrit
word 'Vaanijya’, which means ‘trader’. In Western India the Bania people are also called
Vania / Mahajan. The Bania are Vaishya according to the Hindu caste system. According
to popular myth, Vaishya have been emanated from the armpits of Brahma.

Generally all Bania wore sacred thread and abstained from flesh. But this practice has
been declined in recent decades. Hindus and Jains constitute Bania community. They
follow Hinduism and Jainism respectively. The people who follow Hindu religion are
called Meshris while others following Jain culture are called Shravaks.

2.3.1.1. Divisions

The Bania consist of a number of distinct endogamous subcastes. These subcastes are as
follows:

Aggarwal, Barnwal, Ghate Bania, Kesarvani, Khandelwal, Maheshwaris, Oswal, Porwal,

Rastogi, Rohatgi, Rustagi, Sinduria, Sunga, Sudhi or Saundik.

The Aggarwal are generally considered to be the largest and most influential of the Bania
communities from northern India. In the present study, Aggarwal have been studied.

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2.3.1.2. Origin

There are many stories regarding the origin of the Aggarwal community. Some are as
follows:

1. The Aggarwal trace their descent from the legendary king Agarsen, founder of the
city state Agroha, whose eighteen sons were the progenitors of the Agarwal gotras.
It is said about the city of Agroha, that when each new entrant or migrant came
here, he was given one brick and a coin (unit of currency) as a gift by each member
of the city state. So that each new member had enough bricks to built his house and
money to start a business (Singh, 1996).
2. According to some, Aggarwals claim their descent from the legendary kshatriya
king Agrasena who adopted vaishya dharma for the prosperity of his people.
Aggarwal literally means the ‘Children of Agarsena’ or the ‘People of Agroha’, a
city in ancient kuru panchala, near hisar in Haryana region which was believed to be
founded by Agrasen.
3. According to some informants, there were total seventeen and half gotras. The story
of their origin was like this, that Bashak Nag had seventeen daughters, who were
married to the seventeen sons of king Ugar Sain, but these snake daughters of
Bashak used to leave their homes in the night to visit their parents and in their
absence their husbands lived with their hand maidens. The descendants of these are
dasas. The children of the Bashak Nag's daughters formed the 17 gotra of the
Aggarwals. Once a boy and girl of the Goel gotra were married by mistake and their
descendants formed the half gotra called Goyan. Therefore, in total there are 17 and
1/2 gotras in all.
4. The Aggarwals claim to have originated from the village Agroha (about 25kms
from Hissar) from where they are said to have spread to other parts of the country.
They claimed to have descended from the King Agrasen (or Ugar Sain) of Agroha.
They are spread in all the districts of Haryana.
5. Aggarwal gotras are believed to be named after the eighteen children of King
Agrasen. He was believed to be a peaceful king who did not like violence. Once
upon a time while performing yagna, he was asked by his rajguru to sacrifice a goat
in order to complete the yagna successfully but he refused to kill the innocent

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animal. Then he was advised by his rajguru to give up the kshatriya caste and took
up the vaishya caste. Then Goddess Lakshmi asked him to establish a new kingdom
and she will bless his descendants with prosperity and wealth. Then Agrasen
established his kingdom in Agroha. He married a nagvanshi girl and had 18
children. Agrasen divided his kingdom amongst his eighteen children resulting in
eighteen gotras. Some subjects stated it to be seventeen and a half. Some narrated a
story behind this. Once king Agrasen was conducting eighteen mahayajnas. During
the eighteenth yajna, he was filled with compassion for the animal to be sacrificed.
He put a stop to his eighteenth yajna announcing that no sacrifices will be made in
his kingdom in the name of yajnas. Thus, the eighteenth yajna was not completed
and Agrasen had only performed seventeen and a half yajnas and then sage Garga
blessed him with seventeen and half gotras.
6. According to some informants, gotras were the name of saints who performed
yajnas. The concept of seventeen and half gotras originated from the seventeen and
half jaynas which were performed by the saints. Seventeen and half gotra concept
came from here. After performing seventeen yajnas the last one remained
incomplete because it was believed that during the eighteenth yajna the King
Agrasen put a stop to horse sacrifice and he gave up the ritual of horse sacrifice and
in that way, that yajna remained incomplete. The last gotra was believed to be half
gotra because the last yajna was not completed.

2.3.1.3. Gotras

The Aggarwal community is divided into 18 gotras, which are exogamous in nature.
Sometimes, the number of gotras is stated as seventeen and a half. Following are the
names of the gotra – Garg, Goel/Goyal, Bansal, Kansal, Kuchhal, Jindal, Bindal,
Aeron, Mangal, Mittal, Nagal/Nangal/Naagil, Singhal/Singla/Singal, Tayal, Deran,
Tingal, Goyan/Goenka and Mudgal. Of these Gotras, Garg gotra is said to be the first
and biggest gotra. The Goyan gotra is given only half a status.

As discussed earlier, these gotra were believed to derive their name from rishis (saints)
like Garg has derived their gotra name from Gargacharya, Goel has derived their gotra
name from Gautam rishi, Kansal from Kaushik rishi and Mittal from Maitreya rishi.

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Mostly Aggrawals have adopted their gotra name as their surname, such as Bansal or
Goel. But many Aggarwals take the surname as Gupta and Aggarwal.

2.3.1.4. Matrimonial Alliances

The Aggarwal Bania are endogamous at community and subgroup level, but are strictly
exogamous at gotra level. Gotra exogamy is the marriage rule. Marriages are
monogamous and are arranged by the parents. Heavy dowry payments form the part and
parcel of the marriage rituals. Marriage rituals are performed according to the Hindu
rituals. Marriage in the Aggarwal Bania is a gala affair. Residence after marriage is
patrilocal.

2.3.1.5. Family Structure

The Aggarwal Bania has a joint family system which may be vertically or horizontally
extended or even mixed. In the present study 61.2% are found to be living in joint
family whereas 38.8% are found to be living in nuclear families.

2.3.1.6. Property and Inheritance

The families are patrilineal and the inheritance of property is through father’s line. Sons
or grandsons share equally in their father’s or grandfather’s property. After the death of
husband, property is given to the children of that person, if that person do not have any
child then the property is transferred to his wife, only if does not get married to
someone else.

2.3.1.7. Socio-cultural Features

2.3.1.7.1. Language

The Bania community speaks Haryanvi, Marwari, Hindi, Punjabi or related dialects. In
the present study, Aggarwal Bania in Delhi are found to be speaking Hindi within the
kin groups and outsiders. But the older persons are found to be speaking Haryanvi
within the kin groups and Hindi with outsiders.

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2.3.1.7.2. Food Habits

Bania have traditionally been strictly vegetarian, not even using garlic and onion in their
food, though some have changed in the modern times. In the presently studied
population, data shows that 92.3% of the population is vegetarian, 6.5% is found to be
consuming vegetarian and non vegetarian food both and 1.3% is found to be eggetarian.

Their main staple food is wheat. In the present studied Bania population, wheat is found
to be the staple food in 75.2% of the population whereas mixed type (wheat and rice
both) staple food is found in 24.8% of the population. Their meal includes chapattis,
pulses and vegetables. They consume all types of vegetable oils and refined oil but the
preferred one is ghee. Consumption of milk, fruits and salads is found to be moderate
one. In the present studied population, 57.8% are found to be regularly consuming milk,
45.1% are found to be regularly consuming curd, 48.2% are found to be regular in
consuming fruits and 47.4% are found to be regularly consuming salads. Bania
population is found to be fond of sweets. Generally in every family one can found
sweets because in one and the other occasion, there is an exchange of sweets between
their relatives and family friends. In the present population, 60.1% is found to be
consuming sweets irregularly but 26.9% are found to be consuming sweets daily.

2.3.1.7.3. Education

Literacy levels are high as both boys and girls are encouraged to study higher studies
and attain university degrees. In the presently studied Aggarwal Bania population,
94.2% of them are found to be literate and only 5.8% of them are found to be illiterate.
Majority of them (37%) are graduates followed by higher secondary pass (16.5%).
Some of them have taken higher education like 11.5% of them are educated up to post
graduation and 2.1% of them have taken professional education also. 12.3% of the
population is educated up to high school, 5.6% is educated up to middle class and 9.2%
are educated up to primary only.

2.3.1.7.4. Occupation

Traditionally, the Aggarwal Bania has been a trading community in northern India.
Business and trade are the traditional occupations of the Bania. They are found to be the

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traders of grain, groceries and spices and also found to be shopkeepers, grocers and
money lenders. But nowdays they are also found to be working in government
departments and private enterprises. They are administrators, doctors, engineers,
advocates, judges, academicians, teachers, scholars, industrialists and stockbrokers.
They are active in politics at local, regional and national levels and have a powerful
presence.

2.3.1.7.5. Religion

The Aggarwal Bania are Hindu by religion. They believe in idol worship. They worship
Hindu Gods and Goddesses like Rama, Krishna, Shiva, Durga, Lakshmi. They celebrate
major Hindu festivals. Majority of them follow Hinduism but some follow Jainism also.
Some are followers of the arya samaj which does not permit idol worship. They
celebrate major Hindu festivals associated with Hindu gods and goddesses.

2.3.1.8. Customs and Rituals (Rasm)

2.3.1.8.1. At the Time of Birth

Generally, no pre delivery rituals are observed among the Bania but in some families
there was observed a satwan puja which is performed in the seventh month of
pregnancy. On this occasion, pooja is performed by the punditji (priest) and gifts are
brought by the parents and brother of the expectant mother. Gifts include clothes of the
expectant mother, for her expected child and for her husband and mother-in-law. Gifts
also include sweets, fruits, suhag accessories, vermillion and glass bangles.

After the birth of the child, post delivery pollution is observed for 40 days and this
period is called period of Jaapa. Chhathi pooja is performed after the sixth day of birth
of child. In some families havan is also performed but this is not necessary. On this day
the mother (who is also called Jachha) and the new born are bathed and given new
clothes. Up till the chhathi pooja, child is not allowed to wear any new clothes, up till
that period, the child wears old clothes. The new clothes are brought by the child’s bua
(child’s father’s sister). On the tenth day another havan is perfomed after which the
restrictions on the mother like before that she cannot enter the kitchen, she cannot go
outside the home, so all these restrictions end after this havan on the tenth day. Another

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ceremony is performed after the 40 days of the child of birth and this is called Kuan
Poojan. This ceremony is generally performed for the male child but nowdays this is
observed for female child also in some families. During this pooja the jaccha took a
matka (earthern pot) on her head and goes to the nearby temple along with her relatives
singing the folk songs related to this ceremony. In the rural areas, the kuan (well) is
worshipped and that’s why the name of this ritual is kuan poojan, but here in
metropolitan cities, these is no kuan (well) that’s why the mother went to the temple
and performed the pooja there. Then jaccha performed a pooja in that temple. On the
same day, from the parental home of jachha, parents of the jachha or her brother
brought chhoochhak which consists of clothing, sweets, toys, ornaments for the new
born and gifts for his parents.

2.3.1.8.2. Marriage

2.3.1.8.2.1. Pre Wedding Rituals

The first process in Bania’s marriage is roka. In roka ceremony, the girl’s parents visit
the boy’s place and performed the roka ceremony by presenting him with sweets and
some token amount of cash normally in odd numbers like 1001, 5001 rupees. After this
ceremony the purohitji (family priest) is consulted to announce the muhurat and
auspicious date of engagement and marriage after consulting the books and almanac.
This is called seeking the Lagan. After that Engagement ceremony is performed. This is
also called Sagan/Sagai. In this ceremony the girl’s brother and father puts the tilak on
the forehead of the prospective groom and also give cash, clothes, fruits, sweets etc. In
reciprocation of the tilak, the mother-in-law of the prospective bride fills the girl’s lap
with ornaments, cash, dry fruits, sweets and clothes and this is called Godbharai
ceremony (filling the lap). After this there is an exchange of rings occurred between the
bride and the groom which is called Ring ceremony. The girl’s parents and family
members offer gifts in the form of cash to all the family members of groom and this
process is called milni.

Before two or three days of marriage, haldi rasm is performed. On haldi rasam, a paste
of turmeric (haldi) and mustard oil is applied on the body of the bride and the groom.
After this ritual, bride and groom are not allowed to go outside the home and they are

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constrained from meeting each other uptil the wedding ceremony. Then on the day of
marriage this paste of turmeric and oil is removed off by the groom’s elder sister. She
also performed the aarti of his brother. Aarti is performed by his elder sister during both
the times of applying turmeric and removing off the turmeric. This whole ceremony of
applying turmeric is called Haldaat / Haldidaat. In the bride’s and groom’s home on a
day before the wedding, ladies of the home and the nearby houses (neighbors) sing the
traditional songs with folk music and traditional songs on the dholak. Nowdays D.J’s
are also hired. This is known as Ladies Sangeet and in this atmosphere the bride and
other ladies get mehandi applied on their hands, and the bride gets it done on both hands
and feet. For the bride the mehandi is sent by the future mother-in-law.

There is one more ceremony which is called Bhat. In this ceremony gifts (clothes,
jewellery) for bride and for the whole family is given by the mama (maternal uncle) and he
also puts the tilak on every male member of the family and gives cash to them (in the form
of gift) and mami (maternal aunty) also gives cash (as a gift) to all female family members.

On the day of marriage, at the groom’s place there is a pooja called chaak pooja. In this
pooja, all the female relatives of groom went to the Kumhar’s (potter’s) house singing
the folk songs and there they worshipped the potter’s wheel and from them they bought
an earthern pot in which they put some ornament of gold and then they took this pot to
the home which will be used in marriage ceremonies. At the bride’s place, after the
prospective bride dressed up for the marriage, she went to the nearby temple along with
her sisters and female relatives and there she worshipped the Goddess Parvati. This is
called Gauri Pooja. On the day of marriage, the parents of the bride kept fast for the
whole day. Even the bride also keep fast but after the gauri poojan she eat something.

Then at the marriage venue, as soon as the baraat reached the venue, the Dwar pooja is
done and mother-in-law of the groom applied tilak on the forehead of the groom and
took the aarti of the groom. After that Samdhi Milan is done where father of the bride
welcome the father of the groom by the garland of flowers and cash (in envelope as
milni). All the male members of the bride’s side welcome the male members of the
groom’s side, for example, bride’s chacha (uncle) do the milni with the chacha of the
groom, mama (maternal uncle) of the bride do milni with mama (maternal uncle) of the

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groom and so on. Female members from bride side also welcome the female members
from groom side. They are also welcomed in the same fashion as the male members
from groom side. Then after that a pooja is performed which is called Khait Pooja. In
this pooja only male members are involved. The bride’s father puts the tilak on the
forehead of the groom and is given seven utensils all of which are filled, some with
grains, some with dry fruits and so on. This is followed by Jaymala ceremony in which
bride and groom exchange garlands fully made up of beautiful flowers. A feast is
arranged by the bride’s father for the guests and marriage party (baraat). The bride and
the groom are then taken to the marriage mandap where the bride and the groom’s
dupatta are tied to one another with a knot joining each other’s dresses. After that
Kanyadaan ceremony occurred in which bride’s parents put a tilak on the forehead of
the groom. After that Phera occurred in which bride and groom walk around the sacred
fire seven times and then seated on a platform where they take the vow to observe
certain rules of conduct towards each other and avoid causing offence. This is followed
by sindurdaan in which groom applied sindur (vermillion) on the parting of the hair.
Then couple is blessed by the elders and after the wedding ceremony some rituals are
performed like Dhaan beejna, in this bride and the groom is made to sit at one place
and then bride’s relatives took seven rounds around the couple (chakkar katna). After
each round, the relatives who have dhaan (food grain) in their hand give this dhaan to
the couple and also some cash as their blessings. After that the groom’s party are given
a send off (bidaai) by the bride’s relatives. During bidaai, the bride takes yellow
coloured rice (coloured with the help of turmeric) in her both hands and shower on all
the brothers who are walking behind her. They collect this rice on some handkerchief or
some piece of clothe. She does this all the way to her car seven times. By doing this she
is repaying all her debts to her parents for having looked after her all these years. Then
the bride is given a send off (bidai) along with the groom and after that their parents
throw chillar (loosed coins) on their car which is taken away by the poor.

2.3.1.8.2.2. Post Wedding Rituals

When the baraat (marriage party) returned with the bride then the groom’s mother
welcomed them at the doorstep by putting tilak and aarti is performed and then she
offered some sweets to eat. After that some oil is poured over the corner of the gate and

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then couple enters the house. The groom’s sister stands at the door to prevent the couple
from entering without giving the neg of dwar rokna. When the groom gives her neg
(generally in the form of cash) then she allowed both of them to enter in the house.
Then along with her husband she worshipped their deities and god. Then they touch the
feet of the elders to take their blessings.

After that muh dikhai is performed. It is actually a form of introduction of the bride to
the groom’s family members and relatives. The mother-in-law showers her daughter-in-
law with jewellery, clothes and money (in the form of neg) and the other close relatives
of the family give neg (gifts and cash) to the bride.

After the muh dikhai some customs are performed which is basically for fun making.
Like one rasm is there which is called Chand sunana in which the groom was asked to
crack some jokes. This is followed by Kangana kholana. This ritual is more like a
game. On both the bride and the groom’s wrist there is tied a sacred thread (moli). This
thread has seven knots and bride and groom has to untie these knots. Bride uses both
her hands to untie these knots but groom has to untie the knot only by his one hand. The
person who will win that game is declared the winner. Another game is made to play
between bride and the groom which is organized by groom’s bhabhi in which groom
and bride have to search a ring in a bowl which is full of water and milk and the person
who will win was declared the winner and was believed to have a upper hand for the
whole life. As soon as bhabhi throws the ring in the bowl, the bride and the groom both
try to fish it out, even snatching it from other’s hand. All relatives who are standing
around make fun of that.

There is one more custom which is performed by sister-in-law. When the bride came
after taking the bath then the sister-in-law applied some oil on bride’s hair and comb her
hair. This is called Sir guthhi / Bal guthhi. For this sister-in-law received neg from the
bride.

After this that bride took the blessings from all the family relatives by touching their
feet. Then on the same day, seven married women of the family along with the newly-
wed bride eat the steamed cooked boiled rice with ghee and bhura (powdered sugar).
This rasm has the belief that from now onwards this newly-wed bride mingles in this

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new family of her and is now the part of the family. Then after one day any relative
from bride’s side come for taking the bride to her parental house (mayka). Then on the
same day in the evening, groom went to the bride’s house for taking her back. This is
the first short visit of her to her parental house. During this visit bride’s parents give
clothes and gifts to the bride and the groom. This custom is known as Pagphera.

2.3.1.8.3. Death Rituals

The Bania cremate their dead, but bodies of children below ten are either buried or
immersed in the river. On the following day the phool (ashes or bones) are collected
and kept in earthen pot, suspended from a tree in the crematorium. On the same day
uthawana / uthaowoni ceremony is performed. During this day Pagdi ceremony is
performed by the in laws of the chief mourner. His in laws give him new clothes. After
this day the mourner can start his work like going on their work, starting his business.
The chief mourner goes to the crematorium everyday and pours fresh water on that pot
containing the phool (ashes) of the deceased. Pollution is observed for thirteen days.
They do not shave the beard and the moustache till the tenth day. On the tenth day, the
phool (ashes) are immersed in the Ganga and the male members of the bereaved family
shave their beard and moustache and women wash their head. On thirteenth day, Kriya
is performed. On this day, a feast is given to thirteen Brahmans and also to the other
caste members. On that day they give money, clothes and accessories to the Brahman as
dan to them. Barsi is oberved in the eleventh month following the death. The punditji
(priest) performs the pooja, and he is given dan in the form of clothes and cash.

2.3.2. Punjabi

The Punjabi people are a distinct ethnic group primarily of North Indian origin.
Punjabis mostly live in Punjab but due to occupation and employment opportunities
many of them have migrated to the nearby states like Haryana, Himachal Pradesh,
Rajasthan, Delhi etc. In the present study, Punjabi (Khatri and Arora) of Delhi has been
studied. It was found during the fieldwork that Punjabi identity was more cultural,
geographical and linguistic rather than genetic that means those who are living in
Punjab and maintain the Punjabi cultural traditions and for whom Punjabi language was

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their first language belongs to Punjabi community. This unique definition of Punjabi in
recent times have led to the social and racial integration in Punjab and led to the cultural
assimilation from various ethnic groups in Punjab over time. The Urdu, Punjabi and
other language speakers migrants who arrived in Punjab after the partition are now
assimilated and their second and third generations identify themselves as Punjabis but it
is not the same in Sindh (Pakistan) where they form distinct ethnic group. Punjabis are
primarily found in the Punjab region of India and Pakistan, which forms the present
Indian state of Punjab and Pakistan province of Punjab. After the independence, the
Punjab region was divided between the two nations. In Pakistan, Punjabis are the largest
ethnic group who reside predominantly in the province of Punjab and Pakistan-
administered Kashmir. In India the majority of Punjabi-speaking people can be found
in the Indian states of Punjab, Haryana, Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir,
Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh as well as in Delhi and
the Chandigarh.

Therefore, the Punjabi of Delhi are mainly immigrants from the West Punjab and its
neighboring states that fell in Pakistan at the time of partition in 1947. The Punjabis are
defined by language, food habits, common tradition of history and folk culture, rites de
passage and festivals. The population of Indian Punjabi are divided in to two major
religion groups, the Sikhs and the Hindus. It is further divided in to various caste groups
and sub groups. The major group in India include the Khatri and Arora. Both these
groups are trader community. Both groups shared same rituals and customs in all
events. Arora are considered as a sub group of the Khatri group. Earlier there were no
marriages happened in between these two groups but nowdays intermarriages happened
in between these two communities. So in the large amount intermixing has been noticed
in this group. In the whole thesis both the community is pronounced by one word only
and that is Punjabi community. In the present study Hindu Khatri and Hindu Arora have
been studied.

Differentiation within Punjabi exists at the economic and religious levels and to an
extent at the social level, which not only indicate social status but also regulate marriage
alliance. For example, Punjabi Khatri regarded themselves as superior to the Punjabi
Arora as Arora are sub groups of Khatri. Earlier there were no matrimonial alliance

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between the Khatri and Arora but now days no such differentiation exist and
intermarriages are taking place. Most of the Punjabis didn’t know about any such
differentiation but they know about the varna system and they recognize themselves as
kshatriyas.

2.3.2.1. Khatri

Khatri word originated from sanskrit word ‘Kshatriya’. The Kshatriya are one of the
four varnas of the Hindu caste system and the other three being Brahmins, Vaishyas and
Shudras. According to the caste system they were believed to be the members of the
military order who as administrators and rulers, were assigned with the duty of
protecting the Hindu dharma. In course of time, the Khatri also expanded into
mercantile and trading occupations and now this is their main occupation. Infact in
modern times, the Khatri play a significant role in all the fields of activity - Indian
economy, Politics, Arts, Entertainment, Hotels, Industry, Trade serving as businessmen,
Bureaucracy - Civil and Government administrators, landlords and military officials. It
can be said that Khatri are one of the most successful communities in India.

Khatri is a caste from the northern Indian subcontinent. Khatri in India are mostly from
the Punjab region, but they later migrated to regions like Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan,
Delhi, Jammu, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

2.3.2.1.1. History

When India was divided to placate the demands of its Muslims for a country of their
own, most of the Khatri in the Punjab which was divided to create Pakistan migrated to
India. In one of the worst human tragedies of modern history, which resulted in the
deaths of untold thousands, millions of Hindu and Sikh families, many of them of the
Khatri caste, were forced to abandon their hereditary family lands and flee to the Indian
side of the British imposed dividing line. Today Khatri lived in all regions of India, but
are concentrated in East Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. While most Khatri
are Hindu, some are also Sikh. This is interesting in view if the fact that Sikh Gurus
were all Khatri. Khatri of all these faiths collectively form one community.

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The Khatri were confined to upper Punjab while the Arora inhabited upper Punjab,
lower Punjab and Sind. In the upper Punjab, the Arora were more concentrated towards
the west while the major Khatri concentration was between the rivers Ravi and Beas.
Satluj was the eastern boundary for both.

2.3.2.1.2. Division

Khatri belongs to the Kshatriya varna and two gotras are found among them: Kaushal and
Kashyap. They have different clans which are also called surnames which are arranged
without any hierarchy in the society. The function of the clans is to regulate the
matrimonial alliances. Endogamy at the community level and exogamy at the
clan/surname level are the marriage rules. Some of the clans or surnames noted in the
fieldwork are Bagga, Bajaj, Bakshi, Bedi, Behal (Behl), Bhalla, Bhasin, Bhandari, Bindra,
Chadha, Chandok, Chopra, Dhall, Dhawan, Dhingra, Dhir, Dua, Duggal, Gambhir,
Gandhi, Ghai, Gujral, Gulati, Gulla, Handa, Jaggi, Jalota, Kakkar, Kapoor (Kapur),
Katyal, Khanna, Khosla, Khullar, Kohli, Koshal, Lamba, Mahendru, Malhotra, Malik,
Mehra, Mehrotra, Nagpal, Oberoi, Sabharwal, Saggar (Sagar), Sahni (Sawhney), Sarin
(Sareen), Sehgal, Sethi, Seth, Sibal, Sikka, Sobti, Sodhi, Soni, Suri, Talwar, Tandan
(Tandon), Thapar, Uberoi, Uppal, Vadehra, Vohra, Wadhawan, Wahi (Wahie), Walia.

2.3.2.2. Arora

Arora is an urban mercantile community of Punjab and Sindh. According to the Hindu
caste system of four varnas they are kshatriyas. From historic point of view, they
belonged to warrior caste but presently they are usually well educated people.

The word Arora means one belonging to the ancient city of ‘Aror’ situated on the banks
of the river Indus in the northwestern part of Sindh province of Pakistan. Arora are sub
group among Khatri. Arora and Khatri resemble each other in most traits including the
type of work engaged in, ancient, physical appearance, traditions, rituals and customs
etc. Both communities are closely related to each other. There are many surnames
which are common to both Arora and Khatri. Earlier there were no marriages happened
between these two groups but now intermarriages are taking place.

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2.3.2.2.1. History

Before independence and partition of India, they were mainly concentrated in west
Punjab (now Pakistan) along the banks of river Indus and its tributaries, and in the
Malwa region (in Indian Punjab) apart from North-West Frontier Province and Sindh.
Khatri were found to be more numerous in northern Potohar and Majha regions of
undivided Punjab whereas Arora were more numerous in central and south western
parts of undivided Punjab. After the partition, they migrated from Amritsar, Lahore,
multan etc. to different parts of India from Jammu in North to Chennai down South.
Now they mainly found in Punjab (India), Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu
& Kashmir, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Kutch, Gujarat and other parts of the country.
They settled in Delhi due to business prospects. They have also spread to all parts of the
world with a desire to make life better and have prospered in short duration even after
losing almost all their belongings during the partition.

2.3.2.2.2. Origin

There are many folklores regarding the origin of the Arora community. Given below are
some of the stories narrated by some informants on the field.

1. According to the one story, their origin can be traced to the time of Parshuram, who
in anger started killing kshatriyas. In this process Parshuram met a kshatriya who
refused to oppose the Brahmans and winning Parshuram’s respect was asked to go
to Sindh to settle there. Later that place came to be known as Arutkot or Arorkot.
His progeny are called Arora.
2. According to another story, Parshuram met a kshatriya who when asked about his
identity, denied his caste and described it as aur or other, hence Arora.
3. When the Arabs invaded the Aror kingdom, the Arora for the fear of persecution,
fled through its three gates to the north (uthradhi), south (dakhnadhi) and west
(dahre). This differentiation follows territorial divisions (Singh,1996).
4. There were many stories which support the origin of the Arora from Aror. Infact the
name of the community was derived from a place named Aror, which was the
ancient capital of Sindh. They were believed to be concentrated on the banks of the
river sindhu before the arrival of the firstly of Aryans and may be some attackers
from western asia. Thus it was presumed that they can be the missing link in
understanding Indus valley civilization.

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5. It was believed that they are a group of Indo-Aryans who remained in the Indus
Valley throughout most of their history. It was presumed that Indo-Aryan migrated
to the east and south after the decline of the Indus valley civilization but some
groups remained in the Punjab region, the Arora were one of those groups, making
them one of the most untouched descendants of the Proto-Indo-Europeans.

2.3.2.2.3. Religion

The Arora people are originally Hindu, but over their history some of them have
accepted Sikhism also. So, great majority of them are Hindus. Some of them are found
to be following Sanatan Dharma, Radha Swami and Arya Samaj. The present study has
been conducted on Hindu Arora. For all religious pursuits, they invite a Brahman priest.
They celebrate Holi, Dussehra, Diwali, Raksha Bandhan, Bhai Dooj, Shivratri,
Ramnavmi and Janamashtami with great enthusiasm and devotion. These all festivals
have socio-religious significance. They visit several hindu sacred places and worship
hindu gods and goddesses. Along with that they also respect other sects and visit arya
samaj temples and sikh gurdwaras.

2.3.2.2.4. Division

The Arora belong to the kshatriya varna and the kashyap gotra. They have many
surnames (clans). Exact number is not known to anybody on the field. Some of the
surnames of the Arora are – Ahuja, Aneja, Bajaj, Baweja, Batra, Bhutani, Chawla,
Chhara, Chugh, Dhamija, Dawar, Dua, Gambhir, Gaba, Gandhi, Gulati, Gujral, Grover,
Juneja, Kalra, Kharbanda, Khurana, Kukreja, Madaan, Makhija, Makkar, Manchanda,
Munjal, Nagpal, Narula, Pasricha, Saluja, Taneja, Sethi, Sikka, Sachdeva, Wadhwa etc.

2.3.2.3. Socio Cultural Features (Khatri and Arora)

2.3.2.3.1. Language

They speak Hindi or Punjabi within the kin group and communicate in the Persian and
devanagari scripts.

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2.3.2.3.2. Food Habits

Punjabis (Khatri and Arora) are found to be both vegetarian and non vegetarian. In the
present study 29.4% population is found to be consuming non vegetarian diet along
with the vegetarian food. The main non vegetarian items of Punjabi dishes are mutton,
chicken and fish. Some are found to be consuming pork in the form of sausages etc. 3%
present studied Punjabi population is found to be eggetarian (that means along with
vegetarian diet food they consume eggs also). Some are found to be strict vegetarian. In
the present studied population 67.6% is found to be strict vegetarian. Punjabi’s staple
food is wheat followed by rice. In the present studied Punjabi population, 81.0%
responded that their staple food is wheat and remaining 19.0% responded wheat and
rice both as their staple food. Maize is also found to be consumed but only during
winter months. All kind of pulses are taken but the preferred one is urad dal. Punjabis
have a special liking of stuffed paranthas with butter on it. Infact in many families this
is a preferred breakfast. Nowdays because of health consciousness many have reduced
the fat consumption but still it is the most liked one. The traditional cooking medium,
ghee or butter is now used less and instead of this refined vegetable oil is used. Lassi,
shikanji is a popular drink in summers. Consumption of milk, fruits and salads is found
to be moderate one. In the presently studied Punjabi population, 48.6% were found to
be regular in consuming milk, 45.2% were found to be regular in consuming fruits and
48.2% were found to be regular in consuming salads. Consumption of alcoholic drinks
were found in small Punjabi male population (13.2%) and 4.5% were found to be ex
drinkers.

2.3.2.3.3. Matrimonial Alliance

Caste endogamy and surname exogamy is the preferential form of marriage but
nowdays intermarriages between arora and Khatri are very common. Infact nowdays
nobody even recognize who is khatri and who is arora. But even today it was believed
by many Khatri families that girl of arora families can be taken in to Khatri families but
girl of khatri family cannot be given to arora family. But now with the time, all these
propositions are taking a backseat. Monogamy is the common form infact rule of
marriage. Vermilion, finger ring, Chuda (set of bangles) are used as marriage symbols.

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Dowry was not practiced among Arora as well as Khatri. But generally parents give
gifts in the form of clothes, jewellery, household furniture, utensils etc to the daughter
according to their capacity and status without any demand from the bridegroom and his
parents. Residence after marriage is patrilocal.

2.3.2.3.4. Family

Among Punjabi community (khatri as well as arora) joint families (56.1%) are more
common as compared to nuclear families (43.9%) but nowdays the percentage of
nuclear families are also increasing at the fast pace. Succession is patrilineal. All
children get an equal share in parental property. Earlier the property was distributed
equally among sons but nowdays daughter is also getting equal share in the property.
But this is totally dependent on daughters whether they demand property share from
their parents or not. If they did not want the property share then property was distributed
equally among the sons but if daughter also wants then daughter will also get an equal
share and sometimes this become the cause of conflict and confrontation. Earlier girl’s
education was not the priority but now they received the equal education as boys in the
family. At present they have an equal status and decision making powers in the family
with men. They are consulted equally in economic, social, ritual and religious spheres.

2.3.2.3.5. Occupation

The primary and traditional occupation of the Khatri and Arora is business. They are
involved in both government and private services. They are found to be involved in
diverse fields. Some are found to be property dealers, contractors, banking
professionals, money lenders and some are self employed as well.

2.3.2.3.6. Festivals

In the present study Hindu Khatri and Arora have been studied and it was found that
they practice the Hindu customs and celebrate all Hindu festivals of socio religious
significance. They are found to be devoted to all Hindu Gods and Goddesses. They
worship Vaishno Devi, Chintpoorni devi, Jwala devi etc. They celebrate Diwali, Holi,
Dussehra, Rakshbandhan, Navratris. They invite Brahmans for all religious pursuits.

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2.3.2.4. Customs & Rituals

2.3.2.4.1. At the Time of Birth

After the birth of the child, child is made to taste its first liquid food (gurhuti/honey)
which is generally administered by some elder member of the family. After that the
‘breast washing’ ritual is performed. In this ritual, one of the father’s unmarried sister
or some other related girl from family soaks few grass in milk and water and washes the
mother’s breasts with it. In return of this that sister of the father is given neg (money as
a gift). After this rite, the baby is put to the mother’s breast.

The first set of clothes which the child will wear is also done through ceremoniously. It
was believed that for the new born, no new clothes were used, the child wears old
clothes and after the punditji (family priest) announces the auspicious date, then on that
date child wears new clothes. Generally on the thirteenth day of the birth, chola
ceremony is performed. In this all that baby wears has to come from the parents of her
mother.

Punjabi Khatri and Arora celebrate chola (purification ceremony) on the thirteenth day
after birth when mother and child are given a bath and was given new clothes by the
mother’s brother. The gifts are also called chhochak which was given by the mother’s
brother and if brother is not there, then by mother’s parents. The chhochak consists of
sweets, clothes, ornaments, toys for the new born and gifts for his parents. On this day
pooja is performed in the house. In some families havan is also performed on this
occasion. The period from the birth up till the purification ceremony is called sutak
period. Many old beliefs and superstitions are associated with this period. For example
during sutak a piece of iron (either it is iron knife or iron bangle) is placed behind the
mother (who has given birth) just to repulse the evil spirits who are believed to be on
the lookout to harm mother and child. Care was also taken that no woman who had a
miscarriage or has lost her child in early pregnancy is allowed to cast a shadow on the
mother or the newborn. But these are some superstitions which are believed in only few
families.

During sutak period the mother is given strengthening foods like ghee and panjiri.
Panjiri is a type of sweet which is purely made up of wheat flour, all dry fruits and lots

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of ghee. It was generally given to the lady who has given birth to a child to regain her
strength and which will help in fast recovery. Mundan is performed for both the sexes at
the age of 3 years or 5 years.

2.3.2.4.2. Marriage

2.3.2.4.2.1. Pre wedding Rituals

The first stage of Punjabi wedding is Roka. This is performed at the groom’s place,
where the father of the girl applies tilak on the forehead of the groom-to-be and is
presented with fruits, sweets and some token amount of money (normally in odd
numbers like Rs.101, 1001) by the bride’s side. This ceremony consists of a simple puja
sometimes havan that is conducted by purohit, followed by exchange of gifts between
the two families in the form of milni. As roka is performed for the groom, in the same
way chunni charana is performed at the bride’s house. In this close female relatives
from the groom’s home go to the bride’s home with what is known as the ‘suhag ki
pitari’ (a decorated basket containing gifts from the groom’s mother for the bride).
These gifts usually consists of mehendi (henna), clothes, jewellery, fruits, dry fruits,
dried coconut, chuaare (dried dates), bangles, sindoor (vermillion powder) and a red
dupatta/chunni (veil). Some even gift any ornament or any gold ring but it is totally
optional.

After that Sagan/Mangni/Sagai/Engagement is performed at the groom’s house or in

some other venue. This is an official engagement ceremony when there is an exchange
of rings between the to be bride and to be groom, in the presence of ‘pandit’ or ‘pujari’,
close friends and relatives. Earlier the engagement ceremony is used to be a simple
affair with a modest offering of sweets, fruits and cash. But now it is a high profile
event. The girl’s parents and family members offer gifts in the form of cash to all the
family members of groom and this process is called milni. Usually a gold ornament is
given to the groom (according to the status). The father of a girl puts the tilak on the
groom’s forehead and along with that he also gave gifts in form of cash and clothes.
Details of marriage and other formalities are settled on this occasion. Hindu Punjabis
(Khatri and Arora) are very particular about the auspiciousness of the day. They called
the family priest who consults his books and the almanac and then fixes a day which is

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called Saha. Sikhs do not bother about these things. They see the convenience of both
the families concerned and generally fix the solemnization of the marriage on sunday
which is convenient to all. The months of Kartik, Poh and the Shradh days are
considered inauspicious. Maghar is the most favoured month for marriages. When the
Saha is fixed, the girl’s father informs the boy’s father.

The marriage rituals start with batna / vatna / haldi rasam. In this a paste (ubtan) of
turmeric (haldi) and mustard oil is applied on the body of bride and groom for three or
five consecutive days (nowdays couple of days) at their respective homes. This ubtan is
supposed to bring glow on the bride’s and groom’s body especially face. After this
ritual, bride and groom are constrained from meeting each other until the wedding
ceremony. This ritual demands that the would be bride and groom would stay at home
in their old clothes up till the wedding ceremony. On the wedding day, when they took
bath then that old clothes are given away to the nau or naun (barber/barber’s wife) or to
any poor person.

The marriage celebrations in Punjabi communities typically comprise of singing,

dancing, eating and drinking. The marriage function starts in the bride’s home on a day
before the wedding with folk music and traditional songs by the women on the dholak
(small drum). This is known as ladies sangeet. Singing and dancing is done by both the
young and the old ladies. Family and friends sing to the catchy beat of the dholak
making several songs are sung to tease the bride’s mother-in-law and other members of
the groom’s family. This ritual is performed in both bride and the groom’s places. In
many families, the sangeet is a mixed party held at night, hosted separately by both the
families. Nowdays, D.J’s are hired for the party. Dinner is served and the celebrations
continued till the wee hours of the next morning. In this atmosphere the bride and other
ladies get mehandi smeared on their hands, but the bride gets it done on both hands and
feet. For the bride the mehandi is sent by the future mother-in-law.

There is a custom called Kangana Bandhana (tying of the symbolic bracelet on the
couple) on the morning of the wedding day when the bride and the groom (each in their
respective homes) has to have the mouli (sacred thread) tied to their right wrists. The
‘mouli’ has an iron ‘challa’ (bracelet) tied to it along with turmeric sticks, supari (betel

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nut) and ‘kaudis’ (shells). The thread has to have as many knots as possible in order to
make it difficult to untie later.

On the day of the marriage, at groom’s home there is a ceremony called Ghara ghardoli
/ Ghardi bharna / Matka bharna. Infact the morning of the wedding is marked by
gharoli ceremony at the groom’s house. In this the bhabhi (elder brother’s wife) of
groom went to the nearby temple singing the folk songs with a decorated pitcher
(matka/ghara/ghadoli) on her head along with other female relatives to fill that earthen
pitcher (gharoli) which is later used to bath the bridegroom. With this water groom
takes the bath and then he puts on his wedding attires. For this ritual, bhabhi (elder
brother’s wife) of groom receive a gift (which is also called neg) from the groom’s
mother. Same ceremony occurred in bride’s home also.

After the groom is dressed with his wedding attire then a puja is performed. Then the
pink turban is tied on the groom’s head by some elder member of the family and the
groom’s sister ties ‘sehra’ (veil) to that turban. This ritual is called ‘sehrabandi’. For this
ritual she recieved neg. A younger nephew or cousin also wear the same attire as like
groom and he is called the ‘shahbala’ (caretaker of the groom) and will act as his
constant companion and be with him until the wedding ceremony is over. After the
sehrabandi groom’s bhabhi lines his eyes with surma (kohl). This process is supposed
to ward off the evil’s eye. The cash is given away to the poor for seeking their
blessings. Then the groom’s sisters and cousins decorate and feed his mare with ‘gud’
(jaggery) and ‘chana’ (Bengal gram). Then the groom rides his decorated mare and
leave for the marriage venue. Nowdays instead of mare some groom choose car for the
occasion, then the car is decorated (nowdays groom come in ‘decorated raths’ also).
The groom’s relatives used the cash for the varna, a ceremony that is supposed to ward
off the evil eye and the cash is given away to the poor.

Here, in bride’s home there is a ritual called ‘Chooda Chadana’ which is usually held in
the morning of the wedding. The maternal uncle of the would be bride plays an important
role in this ceremony. The ‘chooda’ is slender ivory bangles in white and dark red color
which is wear by a Punjabi bride from traditions. This chooda is important accessory of
bride. The punditji (priest) performs the pooja and havan and then maternal uncle give her

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a set of choodas after washing them in milk and are touched by all present there to signify
their blessings and good wishes for the bride-to-be. The would be bride wears this chuda
on her wrist. After this punditji (priest) ties a mauli around the would be bride’s wrist.
According to the tradition, the bride should wear the chooda for atleast one year of her
marriage but nowdays bride wears it for only a month.

One ornament is also there which is given to the bride by her sister/cousins/friends and
that is called ‘Kaleerei’ which is made up of silver or gold plated dangling bangles
which are tied to the choodas. According to the custom before departing for her
husband’s home means at the time of departure of the doli (palanquin), the bride was
asked to hit the kaleerei on the head of one of the sister/cousin/friend who stands to bid
farewell. It is believed that if those kaleerei fall from the bride’s hands on any of her
sister she will be next one to get married.

2.3.2.4.2.2. Wedding Rituals

The bridegroom’s party or baraat is welcomed and greeted by the male relatives from
the bride‘s family and then dwar pooja (pooja /worship offered at the entrance of the
marriage venue) is performed. Here there is a milni ceremony which is the formal
introduction of the parents and the main relatives. Like the bride’s father greets the
groom’s father by garlanding him and is garlanded in return. All the male relatives of
the bride greet their counterparts in the groom’s family in sequence like both the
chachas (father’s younger brother) will come together and exchange garlands of flowers
and money. This is called milni. After the milni of male relatives, milni of female
relatives is also observed.

After milni, bride and groom exchange a beautiful garland made of flowers on each
other. The bride garlands the groom first signaling her acceptance of him as her
husband. This ceremony is called Jaimala. A big feast is given by the bride’s parents.

The mahurat or the auspicious time for the wedding ceremony is usually set after
dinner. The marriage ceremony or wedding puja is performed by a Brahman priest in
the wedding mandap. When the mahurat approaches the purohit (Priest) first performs
a pooja for the groom. The groom is made to chant the few mantras along with the

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purohit. The purohit performs another pooja with the couple and their parents. This is
called Kanyadaan, in this the bride is given by his father to the groom. This signifies
that from now onwards they are giving their daughter to the groom. The last stage of the
wedding is the mangalpheras around the sacred fire. In this the bride and the groom go
around the sacred fire with the bride’s dupatta tied to the groom’s pagdi with the help of
red chuuni used in the ghara ghardoli ceremony or his duppata in case of shervaani.
This is followed by sindurdaan (putting vermillion in the parting of bride’s hair) and
mangalsutra dalna (putting on the mangalsutra around the bride’s neck). Mangalsutra is
a necklace made up of black small motis (pearls) and gold. This is an important
ornament of bride. At the end of the ceremony, the newly weds touch the feet of the
groom’s parents to take their blessings.

2.3.2.4.2.3. Post wedding Rituals

Before the bride leaves for her marital home, she lights a mitti ka diya (earthen lamp) in
her parents home or turn on all the lights. This is followed by the lajahom. This is the
most emotional ritual in the wedding. Laja or Phulian is puffed rice (a sign of
prosperity) which the bride takes in her both hands and shower on all her family over
the top of her head. She does this all the way to the palanquin or decorated car which
will take her to her new home. By doing this she is repaying all her debts to her parents
for having looked after her all these years. Then the bride is given a send off (bidai)
along with the groom after this their parents and relatives throw chillar (loosed coins)
on their car which is taken away by the poor.

When the wedding party along with the bride reaches home, then the couple is
welcomed by the groom’s mother and then she performs the pani varna (welcome)
ceremony. The groom’s mother performs the traditional aarti with a small pitcher of
water. In this pitcher, the diluted milk is put and the groom’s mother and sisters turn by
turn take it over the head of the bride, three times each. Each time they pretend to make
an attempt to drink it, but the groom puts his hand across and stops them. In the last
attempt, the groom allowed her to succeed. The groom’s sister stands at the door to
prevent the couple from entering without giving the neg of dwar rokna. When the
groom gives her neg (generally in the form of cash) then she allowed both of them to

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enter in the house. Then along with her husband she worshipped their deities and god.
Then they touch the feet of the elders to take their blessings. After this the whole day is
spent in playing traditional games.

After that muh dikhai is performed. This means the showing of the bride to the groom’s
family members, relatives and women from neighborhood. It is actually a form of
introduction. The mother-in-law showers her daughter-in-law with jewellery, clothes
and money (in the form of neg) and the other close relatives of the family give neg
(gifts and cash) to the bride.

This is followed by Kangana kholna and Mundri challa (playing with a ring) ceremony.
These rituals are more like a game. On both the bride and the groom’s wrist there is tied a
sacred thread (mouli). This thread has seven knots and bride and groom has to untie these
knots in presence of all the relatives. Bride uses both her hands to untie these knots but
groom has to untie the knot only by his one hand. The person who will win that game is
declared the winner. There is a lot of teasing, fun and frolic at this time.

Another game is organized by groom’s bhabhi in which groom and bride played a
game. In this game bride and groom have to search a ring in a bowl which is full of
water and milk and the person who will win was believed to have a upper hand for the
whole life. As soon as bhabhi throws the ring in the bowl, the bride and the groom both
try to fish it out, even snatching it from other’s hand. All relatives who are standing
around make fun of that. This is done seven times.

Then next day, there is a ceremony of Pag phera / Phera pana, in which bride
accompanied by her husband goes to her parental house on her first short visit after her
wedding along with the gifts for her family members. After this visit, when the girl has
to leave for her husband’s home again, then it is customary for her parents to give her
clothes and other gifts. This gift includes clothes for bride, groom, and groom’s family
members.

2.3.2.4.3. Death Rituals

All the death rites are performed by the eldest son. Death pollution is observed for
thirteen days and seventeen days. The ashes are immersed in flowing water at some

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holy place. Nowdays because of time constraints all death rites which are to be
performed on the thirteenth or seventeenth day are performed on fourth day and this is
called Uthala. In Uthala certain rituals are performed like Pind daan and Pagdi
bandhana. Pagdi bandhana ceremony is performed with the new clothes and the turban
provided by the father in law, who ties the turban around the head of the son-in-law. On
the last day Mahapatra Brahman and members of the community are offered food. The
Mahapatra Brahman who presides over the last rites received items ranging from food
grains, bed, clothing and some items which were dear to the deceased person. The barsi
is performed after one year. In shradh paksh (September-October) they worship their
ancestors and this is called shradh pooja.

2.4. REASON FOR SELECTING THESE TWO POPULATIONS

Both populations are found to be migratory populations whose origin is not from Delhi.
It is found that both these populations are found to be involved in almost same
occupation, same socio economic status, sharing the same space and the latest health
care facilities, better nutrition etc. So the present study aimed to see the ageing effect in
the two populations who are living in the same environment, sharing the same space but
have different culture. So this research work explored whether the biology or the culture
is playing role in the ageing process. Up till now various studies have been conducted
among Punjabi (Khatri and Arora) and Bania (Aggarwal) of Delhi by various scholars
(Kapoor and Tyagi, 2001; Tyagi and Kapoor, 2004; Tyagi et al., 2005; Tyagi, 2007;
Tyagi and Kapoor, 2010; Sinha and Kapoor, 2006, 2007; Dhall et al., 2011). But none
of these studies have taken a comparative approach between Bania and Punjabi of
Delhi. So, the present study has been a step in this approach.

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