Bajwa
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Bajwa (Urdu: باجوہ) (Hindi: बाजवा) is a Jat gotra or clan. They are spread across the Punjab region divided between Northern India and Pakistan.
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[edit] Etymology
Bajwa are believed to be the bravest clan of Jatt. Bajwa means the Clan of the Hawk, and is a common last name amongst Punjabis. The word itself "Bajwa" is derived from the word Baaz Wala (pronounced as Baaj in colloquial Punjabi), the Arabic word for hawk or falcon.
Bajwa in Persian also means "the people who levied Tax". Bajwas living in the Bajwat area (the Sialkot and Narowal districts in Punjab (Pakistan)) were known to harass the invading armies of Timur, Ahmed Shah Abdali and others, who invaded India from the northwest.
[edit] Origin
Bajwa is a prominent Jat clan of the Punjab. They claim Suryavanshi descent.
The ancestor of the Bajwas is Baba Manga. Their place of origin is Bajwat in the Sialkot and Narowal districts of Pakistan. This place is located in the Shiwalik foothills and is quite near the Indian border as well as the city of Jammu. At one time, Bajwa Jats had eighty-four villages in the Sialkot area.
Another legend is that one of their ancestors, Rai Jaison, was forced to leave Delhi by Rai Pithora (Prithvi Raj Chauhan).
Baba Manga had seven sons. The eldest, Naro established a village, which was named as Narowal after him. Another son, Deepa founded Kotli Bajwa and a third one, Chandu founded Chanduwal.
The founder of the Bajwa clan, Bajwat (or Wajab) used to live in Jaisalmer in Rajasthan. From there, he migrated to Sialkot and Gujranwala. One of his descendants became the ruler of Multan. Raja Shilp, a Bajwa ruler, was ousted from Multan by Sikandar Lodhi. Raja Shilp had two sons named Kala and Lis. Both used to rear hawks. Bajwas in India are mostly Sikhs and Bajwas in Pakistan are usually Muslims
[edit] Bajwa Jatts and Bajju Rajputs
Bajwa Jatts are closely linked to the Bajju Rajputs.
Lis migrated to Jammu. There, he married a Rajput girl. His descendants were called Bajju Rajputs. Kala, on the other hand, married a Jat girl and settled in the Pasrur area. Kala’s descendants came to be known as Bajwa Jats. Thus, both groups have common ancestries.
[edit] Customs
Both Bajwa Jatts and Bajju Rajputs are settled in the Bajwat region of Jammu-Sialkot-Narowal. Their customs are very similar. They take their newly wed brides to the Samadhi of their ancestor, Baba Manga to pay obeisance. Baba Manga is worshipped. Like other Jat clans, Bajwas give a cut to the tree of Jand.
[edit] Religion
Indian Bajwas are mostly Sikhs, while in Pakistan, they are mostly Muslims.
[edit] Famous Bajwas
Vice-Chief of General Staff, Maj. General Anis Bajwa 28 July 2005 : The Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, has appointed Maj. Gen (ret) Anis A. Bajwa as the new Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Timor-Leste. He has worked for the past two years at the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) as the first Director of Change Management with major responsibilities including DPKO strategic and programme planning as well as the development and application of an integrated operational planning process. He has also previously served in UN peacekeeping missions as Chief Military Observer in Georgia from 2000 to 2002 and Chief of Staff of UNOSOM II in Somalia in 1993.
He had a distinguished career in the National Army of Pakistan including important assignments as Vice Chief of Staff of the Pakistan Army and as Chief of Staff of President Pervez Musharraf. He retired from the Pakistan Army in 2003 after more than 37 years of service.
Waqar Ahmad Bajwa, a CPA settled in the DC area. Origanally from Pakistan. Helped erect New Pakistan Embassy in Washinton DC.
Sardar Chet Singh Bajwa Sardar Chet Singh Bajwa was a deorhidar serving Maharaja Ranjit Singh as well as Maharaja Kharak Singh. He was murdered by the Dogras in 1839 A.D.
Late Kulbir Singh Bajwa (IPS)--during the Emergency proclaimed by Late Mrs. Indira Gandhi from 1975-1977 Mr. Bajwa was in-charge of the 'incarceration lists'. Late Shri K.S.Bajwa had a distinguished career in Delhi Police and CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force).He is still remembered with honour for his integrity, Honesty and his contribution to the DPS (Delhi Police Service) and CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force).
Wg. Cdr. Kuldeep Singh Bajwa (Retd.)--during the Indo-Pak War Wg. Cdr. Bajwa was credited with checking the advance of Pakistan's tanks into the Rajasthan sector; in the movie 'Border' this role was played by Jackie Shroff.
Prof. Gulshan Bajwa, Advocate-on-Record (Supreme Court of India)--who was recently in the news for having cursed a Delhi High Court's Judge due to an extremely unfair role played by the said Judge.
Dr. Mahmud Ahmed Bajwa A Financial and Management consultant of Pakistani decent based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Former Financial Controller of HSBC Saudi Arabia, now independently running a consultancy firm by the name of Anfal Economic Consultancy.
Rupa Bajwa In year 2004, a 27 year-old Amritsar-based author. Bajwa's The Sari Shop (2004), set in Amritsar, won the 2004 Orange Prize for Fiction.The Best First Book award in the regional round (Eurasia) of the Commonwealth Writers' Prize. She has been awarded the prestigious literary award of India- the Sahitya Akademi Award in English 2006 for her debut novel `The Sari Shop`.
Players:
Muhammad Asif Bajwa(Assistant Coach) Born on June 6, 1972. Serving in United Bank. Represented Pakistan in the BMW Trophy 1992, World Cup 1994, Champions trophy 1993 & 1994, Asian Games 1994 and Azlan Shah Cup Hockey tournament 1995. XVII Commonwealth Games - Manchester - 2002.
Satinder Bajwa a famous personality in the world of Squash. He coached Jansher Khan, arguably one the best squash players in history (challenged by Jahangir Khan for that title) for almost 10 years, and Mir Zaman Gul, who rose to world number 6 under Bajwa's coaching. Known affectionately as 'Bajwa', he is now Harvard University's squash coach (Harvard has one of the best college squash teams in the United States). He has also coached teams from Bowdoin College and US Military Academy. Bajwa's dedication to squash commits him to run squash training programs for young players during the summer and compete in age tournaments such as under 50's most recently. Aside from coach and competition, Bajwa has also managed for many years, one of the most lucrative professional squash tournaments on the professional circuit ('The Super Series of Squash'), which only invites the top 8 professional players in world.
