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Around 40,000 carts of blacksmiths (Also called Lohar in Hindi) are living in Delhi state and its adjacent districts and states. These people, bound by the pledge of Maharana Pratap, now want their children to join the system and shape their future. If the old traditions have to be broken for the future of the children, then the ancestors do not get angry, but instead show their blessings. This is a perfect story for a documentary film in India.

 

A long narrative breathes at the core of the vows. In it, deep sorrow, resentment, courage and a pleasant hope of future are felt together. It can also be a resistance to its present and a vision of a beautiful dream. The blacksmiths also took one such pledge. Which got more and more frequent over time. But now it seems that the right time has come for Maharana’s descendants to break the pledge. They are studying, growing and even dreaming of their camp being permanent.

 

Gadiya Lohar ‘is a community whose car is its home. His adorned cars are his identity. In the wheels of these vehicles, there has been a nail to keep their household and family moving continuously. Some years old pledge is still tied in this nail. What was that promise after all?

 

It is talked about when Maharana Pratap was fighting with the Mughals in the sixteenth century. The ancestors of the vehicles blacksmiths were in the army of Maharana Pratap. Maharana Pratap was defeated in the struggle with the Mughals and his kingdom went to the Mewar Mughals.

 

These steel soldiers of the defeated Maharana’s army vowed that they would not return to Mewar until Mewar and Chittor were again ruled by Maharana Pratap Singh Sisodia. They have been running since then.

 

Decades passed, centuries passed but they did not break the pledge. This pledge has become the identity of their community. They make their home in the car and start on the unknown path. Gadiya blacksmiths who came out of Mewar in Rajasthan have now reached many states of the country. In their journey, They have the skills to mold iron into their own custom shape.

 

Previously, where they made weapons for Maharana Pratap’s army, now with the changing times, they make and sell iron goods used in homes and fields. From pan, tongs to shovel, chisel, hammer too. In the dust of the time, sun, storm, rain, their skill was the roof of their head and the ground under his feet.

 

Carriage blacksmiths have now spread across the country, carrying their household in their car. People belonging to this community, originally from Mewar in Rajasthan, are now present in every district of Rajasthan. Most of their camps are outside the villages. This is because they do not like to socialize with any other community. They also have their own catering and relatives within their own community. Even now their language has the smell of Mewar.

 

The dress and family structure is still the same. They are classified as nomadic communities according to lifestyle. Due to non-inclusion of Scheduled Tribes, such efforts have not been made for their welfare, as has been done for primitive and tribal communities.

 

Prof. S.P. Ruhela did extensive research on the nomadic castes of Rajasthan in the year 1960. Professor Ruhela, along with his students, had gathered a lot of information about the children of these nomadic castes. Later he also published a small book in 1997.

 

This 70-page book titled Children of Indian Nomads gives remarkable information on children of four nomadic castes. One of them is the children of the Gadiya Lohar community. Children of the Gadiya Lohar community are forced to live a deprivation childhood due to the pledge of their ancestors. Due to the ever growing carriage, the ever rising camp, they are not getting the permanent life which is necessary for the nutrition and development of children.

 

Their business, which is centuries old, is also very difficult to get bread for them for two times. Parents work hard all day for this. The children reaching their age also learn the skills of beating iron. Their childhood is withering somewhere amidst the burning iron. They are deprived of both nutrition and education.

 

Apart from Rajasthan, their encampments can be seen along the road in the states adjoining it. Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh as well as Delhi have a good number of them. With the change of time, there are many people who have come forward for their welfare. The volunteers of Mahamana Malaviya Mission, formed since 2014, are working among these communities.

 

Senior advocate of Supreme Court Prakash Gautam is associated with this institution and has been working for the development of the Gadiya Lohar community for the last several years. Prakash Gautam says that he has 55 camps in different places in Delhi. Where they live with their community. Talking of all these together, their population in Delhi will be around forty thousand.

 

Now the children of this community are also interested in reading. But due to backwardness and economic scarcity, they were unable to fulfill their desire. We have tried to help them by removing their lack of it.

 

We make their families aware and persuade them to send children to school. Also, we have made arrangements for giving supplementary classes, ie tuition, for the children who are going to school, do not be left behind in studies. Our volunteers are working all over Delhi. Those who give supplementary classes every day to help these children in their studies.

 

Permanence is very important for a beautiful future. When they stay in one place, then it will be easier for them to work for their future and to include them in the Kalyaniyari schemes. Their nomadic tendency is the biggest inhibitor of their development. Now it seems that the right time to break this tradition has come.

 

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