Grewal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Grewal (pronounced: gurray-waal and anglicised to "grey-wal") is one of the many last names of early Jat tribes that played an important historical role in Sikh history who later adopted Sikhism.
Contents |
[edit] History
The Grewal community are the descendants of the Chandel Rajputs of Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh (North India).
They share their family tree with Chandel Rajputs. Chandels are one of the 36 royal castes of Rajputs. At one time, Chandels ruled over Bundelkhand. This state fell in the middle of rivers Yamuna and Narmada. They had their fort at Kalinjar.
They came into Punjab in around 1469 AD. The three main villages of the Grewal's are Gujjarwal, Narangwal and Qila Raipur; there are another 70 smaller villages around these three, all in the district of Ludhiana. Guru Hargobind visited Gujjarwal in 1631 AD. Grewals converted to Sikhism at this time.
It is said that one of the Chandel kings, named Bairsi had a son named Grewal, from where the name started.
Located South of the Sutlej River, the Grewal's came under British rule early even as Maharaja Ranjit Singh consolidated the Sikh Empire all the way to Kabul. The Grewal villages are characterized by small land holdings and a complete lack of large estates "zamindaris" that have been the cancer that has kept rural India impoversihed. In contrast, the Grewal villages with a rural middle class prospered and established schools which led to further progress. Education became the passport for the Grewals to travel and obtain positions across the Punjab and also relieve pressure on the small land holdings. They also joined the British-India mercenary army and fought in wars from Mesopotamia to Germany.
Women's emancipation also came early to the Grewals. A girl's high school was established in Gujjarwal over a hundred years ago. Grewal girls like Dr Gurdial Kaur Grewal and Dr Shivdev Kaur Grewal travelled to Delhi and graduated from Lady Hardinge Medical College early in the twentieth century. With education came problems for the girls; while sought after as educated brides, they were also less likely to accept the often vicious treatment of daughters-in-laws across the Punjab. The prohibition of Grewals marrying Grewals only made the matters worse. Female infanticide was not unusual across Grewal villages - it was perceived as less painful compared to watching a life-time of torture by the in-laws. In the Grewal villages women held equal power and worked and moved freely where they pleased.
Qila Raipur is now famous for the Grewal Sports that are an annual event. They were started by a successful businessman, Harchand Singh Grewal who made his fortune with "Harchand Singh Grewal's Motor Training School" in Calcutta. The high point of Grewal sports pride was Alexi Grewal's Gold Medal for the USA in the 110 Mile Cycling event at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984. For the Grewal's, Alexi is their Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron.
The Grewal emphasis on education continues with Prof. J. S. Grewal a renowned Historian with numerous publications and Prof. I.K.Grewal the brilliant feminist and author of the most widely used text book for Women's Studies. Grewal inventors are also responsible for 83 United States patents since 1976 alone.
[edit] Famous Grewals
Gippy Grewal - Current popular bhangra singer.
Gurmant Singh Grewal - Canadian politician and former Conservative Party of Canada Member of Parliament.
Nina Grewal – female Canadian politician and member of the Conservative Party of Canada.
Baljit Singh Grewal (Bob) - Former hockey international and journalist now residing in Wellington, New Zealand.
Harnam Singh Grewal - Field hockey Olympian, former commanding officer of the Royal Hong Kong Regiment and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
Alexi Grewal - Olympic gold medalist and former professional road racing cyclist from the United States.
Simi Grewal – Former Bollywood actress; anchors of popular television show "Rendezvous”.
Ravinder Grewal - Popular bhangra singer.
Dr. Iqbal S. Grewal - Famous Scientist in the USA
Avtar Grewal - Famous filmmaker and Businessman
Gary Grewal - Cricketer playing for Toronto and District cricket league, Canada
[edit] Grewals Today
Most of the Grewals are settled in the district of Ludhiana in Punjab. Being wealthy, they are much ahead of others in the spheres of education, business and agriculture. Today, many Grewals can be found abroad, mainly in countries such as the USA, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong and Africa
[edit] Reference
History of Grewal. H.S Dulleh. History of Lalton (A village of Grewals) by S. Bahader Singh Grewal
