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Nai (caste)

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Nai/Sen
Vintage photograph of an Indian barber doing his work in the 1870s.jpg
Nai (barber) doing his work (c. 1870s)
Regions with significant populations
Primary populations in:
Religion

The Nai, Nais, Sain/Sen, Sain-Thakur, savita-Samaj, Mangala -The occupational caste of barbers. The name is said to be derived from the Sanskrit nāpita(नपित). They are found throughout the India. In Gujarat they are known as Valand. In Bundelkhand they are also known as Khawās. Nhavi is the Marathi name for the caste, Bhandāri the Uriya name and Mangala the Telugu name.[1] Mhāllo.—A name for Konkani barbers.[2] Vilkurup.—The Vilkuruppu or Vilkollakuruppu are the priests and barbers of the Malayālam Kammālans.[3] Ambattan are the Tamil barbers, or barber-surgeons.[4] Nowadays in northern India Nai community refer to themselves as Sain instead of Nai.

The Nai caste was listed as an Other Backward Classes in various regions of India. These include Andhra Pradesh,[5] Assam,[6] Bihar,[7] Chandigarh,[8] Chhattisgarh,[9] Dadra and Nagar Haveli,[10] Daman and Diu,[11] Delhi NCR,[12] Goa,[13] Gujarat,[14] Haryana,[15] Himachal Pradesh,[16] Goa,[13] Jharkhand,[17] Karnataka,[18] Madhya Pradesh,[19] Maharashtra,[20] Odisha,[21] Puducherry,[22] Punjab,[23] Rajasthan,[24] Tripura,[25] Uttaranchal,[26] Uttar Pradesh,[27] West Bengal.[28]

History

They were traditionally occupied as barbers. The barber has also numerous and important duties in connection with marriages and other festival occasions. They acts as the Brahmin’s assistant, and to the lower castes, who cannot employ a Brahmin, they are the matrimonial priest. They also act as executive priest for the famous Jagannath temple.[29] The important part which they plays in marriage ceremonies has led to them becoming the matchmaker among all respectable castes. As they were skilled in using blades they acted as surgeons because Baid/Vaid (doctor) who were mostly Brahmins do not practice it.[30] It was common to find barbers acting as musicians throughout the southern India, and that there are several other castes in Malabar who employed barbers as purōhits at their funeral ceremonies.[31] Now the people from Nai community have left their traditional jobs and are engaged in modern occupation.

Origin

Mythological view

According to legend prevalent among Nai -

There first ancestor is Nabhi in puranic literature. Nabhi is king of Ikshvaku dynasty.[32]

Puranic view

They are refereed as Ampitta in Puranas. 'Ampitta' is derived from the Sanskrit word "Ambistha". Ampitta is a corrupted form of Ambistha. The word Ambistha means Physician. In olden days they were physicians also. Going about from house to house, they could easily practice both these professions. Since they practiced physic also they were called Ambashtha.[33] They have traditionally been associated with Indian medicine and the profession of physician.[34]

Impact of the Ideas of Sain

The process of the Nais becoming influenced by the life and ideas of Sain can be conceptualized as Sainization, depicted through deifying Sain by setting up the institution of Sainacharya. Sain, who was the contemporaries of Kabir, the Bhakti poet who challenged the hegemonic values and hierarchy of the caste system, has become the most revered symbol of pride and identity formation of the Nais. In order to assert their cultural autonomy in 1992 Akhil Bharatiya Sain Bhaktipith Trust was set up on the occasion of the Ujjain mahakumbh mela headed in Pushkar. Achlanandji Maharaj was made the first Sainacharya.[35]

Notable people

References

  1. ^ Russell, R. V. "The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India—Volume IV". gutenberg.org. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  2. ^ Rangachari, Edgar Thurston (1855-1935) K. "Castes and Tribes of Southern India: Volume V—M to P". www.gutenberg.org. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  3. ^ Rangachari, Edgar Thurston (1855-1935) K. "Castes and Tribes of Southern India: Volume VII—T to Z". www.gutenberg.org. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  4. ^ Rangachari, Edgar Thurston (1855-1935) K. "Castes and Tribes of Southern India: Volume I—A and B". www.gutenberg.org. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  5. ^ "National Commission for Backward Classes" (PDF). Ncbc.nic.in. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  6. ^ "National Commission for Backward Classes" (PDF). Ncbc.nic.in. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  7. ^ Central List of OBCs for the State of Bihar (PDF). National Commission for Backward Classes. p. 2. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  8. ^ "National Commission for Backward Classes" (PDF). Ncbc.nic.in. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  9. ^ "National Commission for Backward Classes" (PDF). Ncbc.nic.in. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  10. ^ "National Commission for Backward Classes" (PDF). Ncbc.nic.in. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  11. ^ "National Commission for Backward Classes" (PDF). Ncbc.nic.in. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  12. ^ Central List of OBCs for the State of Delhi (PDF). National Commission for Backward Classes. p. 3. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  13. ^ a b "National Commission for Backward Classes" (PDF). Ncbc.nic.in. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  14. ^ Central List of OBCs for the State of Gujarat (PDF). National Commission for Backward Classes. p. 5. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  15. ^ Central List of OBCs for the State of Haryana (PDF). National Commission for Backward Classes. p. 2. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  16. ^ "National Commission for Backward Classes" (PDF). Ncbc.nic.in. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  17. ^ "National Commission for Backward Classes" (PDF). Ncbc.nic.in. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  18. ^ "National Commission for Backward Classes" (PDF). Ncbc.nic.in. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  19. ^ Central List of OBCs for the State of Madhya Pradesh (PDF). National Commission for Backward Classes. p. 5. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  20. ^ Central List of OBCs for the State of Maharashtra (PDF). National Commission for Backward Classes. p. 4. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  21. ^ "National Commission for Backward Classes" (PDF). Ncbc.nic.in. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  22. ^ "National Commission for Backward Classes" (PDF). Ncbc.nic.in. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  23. ^ Central List of OBCs for the State of Punjab (PDF). National Commission for Backward Classes. p. 2. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  24. ^ Central List of OBCs for the State of Rajasthan (PDF). National Commission for Backward Classes. p. 2. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  25. ^ "National Commission for Backward Classes" (PDF). Ncbc.nic.in. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  26. ^ "National Commission for Backward Classes" (PDF). Ncbc.nic.in. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  27. ^ Central List of OBCs for the State of Uttar Pradesh (PDF). National Commission for Backward Classes. p. 3. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  28. ^ "National Commission for Backward Classes" (PDF). Ncbc.nic.in. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  29. ^ Ghurye, G. S. (30 October 2017). Bharat Mein Jaati Evam Prajaati (in Arabic). SAGE Publishing India. ISBN 978-93-5280-444-3.
  30. ^ Russell, R. V. "The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India—Volume IV". www.gutenberg.org. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  31. ^ Rangachari, Edgar Thurston (1855-1935) K. "Castes and Tribes of Southern India: Volume V—M to P". www.gutenberg.org. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  32. ^ Mani, Vettam (1975). Puranic encyclopaedia : a comprehensive dictionary with special reference to the epic and Puranic literature. Robarts - University of Toronto. Delhi : Motilal Banarsidass.
  33. ^ Mani, Vettam (1975). Puranic encyclopaedia : a comprehensive dictionary with special reference to the epic and Puranic literature. Robarts - University of Toronto. Delhi : Motilal Banarsidass.
  34. ^ Leslie, Charles M. (1998). Asian Medical Systems: A Comparative Study. Motilal Banarsidass Publishe. ISBN 978-81-208-1537-7.
  35. ^ Singh, Jagpal (7 October 2020). Caste, State and Society: Degrees of Democracy in North India. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-000-19606-1.
  36. ^ Hemacandra (1998). The Lives of the Jain Elders. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-283227-6.
  37. ^ Singh, Upinder (2008). A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century. Pearson Education India. ISBN 978-81-317-1677-9.
  38. ^ Mookerji, Radhakumud (1966). Chandragupta Maurya and His Times. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. ISBN 978-81-208-0405-0.
  39. ^ Selections from the Sacred Writings of the Sikhs. Orient Blackswan. 2000. ISBN 978-81-250-1790-5.
  40. ^ Grewal, J.S. (2011), "The Sikh Faith and the Khalsa Panth: Chhibber's Bansāvalīnāma", History, Literature, and Identity, Delhi: Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198070740.001.0001, ISBN 978-0-19-807074-0, retrieved 5 November 2021
  41. ^ "एक आम आदमी, जो बना भोजपुरी का शेक्सपियर!". Amar Ujala (in Hindi). Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  42. ^ Singh, Aastha (24 January 2019). "Karpoori Thakur, the other Bihar CM who banned alcohol". ThePrint. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  43. ^ "కరుణానిధి ప్రస్థానం..." Sakshi (in Telugu). 7 August 2018. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
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