Dusadh

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The Dusadh or Paswan is a Hindu community generally found in the states of Northern India (Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand and Delhi) and few parts of Eastern India (Jharkhand, West Bengal)[1] and Nepal which is the neighbor county to India. It is assumption by some foreign authors like William Crooke who considered Dusadh as backward community and merged other Hindu community with Dusadh without any proper evidences.

Etymology

Etymology of the term "Dusadh" is contradictory, however, a synonym used instead of Dusadh is Paswan, which is derived from Persian word "Pasban" meaning Sentinels or Defenders,because of bravery and courage these peoples were mostly engaged in "Chaukidaari" (Village Watchmen).

History and origin

The History of Dusadh is still unknown and undiscovered. But , the Dusadh claims descent from Duhsâsana, or in other stories from Bhîmsen, or from Salhes of the Loric cycle. Those Dusadh living in the hills at the end of the 19th century referred to as Khasiya Rajput.[2]

Distribution

The population of this caste in Uttar Pradesh is 3-5%,[citation needed] and Dusadhs are the second largest Hindu community of undivided Bihar. They are also found in bordering areas of West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh with Bihar.[citation needed]

Genetics

In recent studies, it has been proved that these peoples have higher frequency of Haplogroup R1a (more than 40%) which is very high as compared to rest of north Indian population (only North Indian Brahmins shows an average of almost 60%and Pathans at 40%) which shows they have higher affinity with other high caste North Indian Brahmins, Central Asians and Eastern Europeans[3]

Present circumstances

The community has a traditional caste council, and each village sends representatives to the caste council. The council deals with issues of divorce, adultery, theft and disputes within the community. The Akhil Bhartiya Dusadh Kalyan Parishad is working for development of this caste.[citation needed]

Notables

References

  1. ↑ People of India Uttar Pradesh Volume XLII Part One edited by A Hasan & J C Das pages 464 to 469
  2. ↑ William Crooke (1896). The tribes and castes of the North-western Provinces and Oudh. Office of the superintendent of government printing. pp. 346–. Retrieved 27 July 2011. 
  3. ↑ Table 1. Y-haplogroups percentage distribution in studied regional population groups of India 54 (1). 
  4. ↑ "Ram Vilas Paswan struggles to stay relevant - Economic Times". indiatimes.com. 3 April 2010. Retrieved 22 November 2011. "Mr Paswan's standing among people other than those belonging to his Dusadh community" 

Meghnath Manjhi

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