Book Review

Dear Dr. Rajvir Dhaka, As instructed by you I am sending my book review for publication in the journal Prashashak.I had attended your training programme at HIPA(June29th to July3) where you had made this offer.Dr. Shamsher Singh Gulia.(Sel. Grade Lecturer, Govt.
College, Sector9,Gurgaon).

BOOK REVIEW


R.P. RANA : Rebels to Rulers
The rise of Jat Power in medieval India
C 1665 -1735. Manohar, New Delhi, 2006,
Pages 222, Price Rs. 575/-


Dr. Shamsher Singh Gulia


It is one of the writings in recent years, by a professional teacher of medieval history who teaches at Delhi University, which has seen the resurgence of the ‘region’, where decay and decline of the ‘Empire’ has been overshadowed. It is a Perspective from the Regional Point of view. The central theme of the work is various economic and administrative frictions and tensions, that provoked the sturdy Jats to rise into Uprisings against the Mughal State and its intermediaries in the neighborhood of Delhi and Agra. Further, this study challenges the past notions about peasant uprisings, decline of the Mughal empire and forming of the new regional states. The volume discusses how north India’s rural communities passed through various socio-economic processes and the ways and the manner in which they negotiated with the state and if the situation arose, rebelled against the centre to maintain their ‘autonomy’.


This book is divided into six chapters besides ‘introduction’ and ‘conclusion’. This scholarly and well-researched study is an enlarged and revised version of author’s Ph.D thesis, entitled ‘Social and Economic Background of the Rise of Bharatpur Kingdom’, submitted at J.N.U., New Delhi, in the year 1984. The book opens with an introduction on existing historiography on the field of study and mentions various primary sources used in making of this volume. The period covered is late 17th and the early 18th centuries. The geographical region covered by the present study is the area of ‘Braj’, 'Mewat' and 'Dundhar'. The first chapter discusses the working of the village communities and patterns of rural settlements. There was multi-layered hierarchy among village communities. The village higher – ups dominated and exploited the common villagers. Natural and man made causes kept the peasantry mobile resulting in deserting of villages. Thus, the author challenges the myth of land bound peasantry unable to migrate. The words used for mobile peasantry are ‘wadhdars’ and ‘pahis’. The second chapter focuses on the activities of production, surplus sharing and the resultant exploitation. Well arranged tables, in this chapter corroborates the statements made regarding the fluctuation, in cereal production year wise. Lack of peace is attributed as a cause for declining agricultural production. The chapter third, deals with causes of the agrarian revolts. Though revolts were in itself not spontaneous in nature, but it was due to long term exploitation. From the middle of the 17th century, economic conditions of the peasantry kept on deteriorating on account of not only high revenue demands and increasing extortions, but also the manner in which revenue was extracted. The state formed a nexus with the money lenders to run the apparatus of revenue administration successfully, thereby creating another groups of exploiters. The peasants were exploited everyday and when the methods of exploitation became stiffer and stiffer, the peasantry also answered the exploiters, and the answer lay in rebellion. The fourth chapter i.e. ‘the Domain of the zamindars’ gives us a view from the perception of rural magnates i.e. zamindars. These intermediaries were so powerful that the survival of any empire in medieval times in India was based on developing and establishing a suitable hierarchy with these multi- layered rural lords. These landed people not only passed the fiscal burden on the already burdened peasantry, but at times used the peasants to serve their own interests. The State also realized their power and influence and never underestimated them. The author points to massive transformation of the zamindari rights between this period. Thus the, so-called notion of hereditary right of zamindari is challenged. A detailed data is also provided explaining the caste –wise zamindari positions and changes in it. The Mughals also played and negotiated with the clan lineages to replace trouble-making zamindars with the loyal, submissive zamindars. The fifth chapter focuses on the Jat identity and its resistance to dominant discourses. Here, the learned author has challenged the existing historiographical notions, propounded or rather associated with the eminent historian, Sir Jadunath Sarkar, that uprising of the jats was due to the policy of discrimination adopted by the 'Zindapir', the epithet used for Aurangzeb. The author argues that resistance to dominant Brahmanical culture was integral part of Jat religiosity. The Jat religious and cultural milieu was nearer to the traditions of Baba Farid and Sikh gurus. It is mentioned in clear terms that since the days of Sind conquest by the Arabs, Jats remained on the peripherals of brahamanical society. The Jat, beings a peasant-pastoral community, practiced diverse form of worship, from deification of natural forces to visiting the ‘majars’ of the living or the dead saints. Certainly, caste was the dominant rallying point behind peasant-zamindar relationship but it needs to be clearly understood that the motivating factor behind these rebellions was the misery of the peasants. The sixth and the last chapter, discusses agrarian revolts in the areas of Braj, Mewat and Dundhar regions and the series of happenings ultimately leading of the formation of the first Jat State, i.e. the royal household of Bharatpur At present, it is one of the districts of the State of Rajasthan. It is further interesting to note that without the support and solidarity by the rebel zamidars of other castes, the Jats could not had sustained their insurgency for such a long duration. It was certainly the coming together of the Jats and zamidars of other castes that gave such a tough resistance to the Mughal power and authority.


Thus, the present volume does full justice to bring out the various subtle processes through which Jat rebels became the rulers. The book is set in a rural background and the author uses extensively Rajasthani primary sources. A glossary, towards the end of the book, certainly enriches our understanding of Rajasthani, Braj and Mewati languages or dialects. In this book we hear voices of the humbler peasants, in the form of everyday experiences. Well-drawn bibliography and meticulous drafted index, certainly add charm to the reading of the book. The study also has two appendixes to it along with two well-defined, illustrated maps. A must reading for researchers, historians in the field of medieval Indian history and regional studies. It is a hard bound volume, perhaps a back-paper edition, with less cost would be a better option for the students and the general public alike.

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बातचीतचयन करें: सभी, कोई नहीं, पठित, अपठित, तारांकित, अ-तारांकित संग्रहीत करें स्पैम रिपोर्ट करें हटाएँ इनबॉक्स में ले जाएँ लेबल और क्रियाएँ ताज़ा करें कुल 3 में से 1-3
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