Kagzi: Difference between revisions
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They are also quaint! Kagzis marry only among themselves! Though there are about 3000 of them in Sanganer, there can't be much choice for young people. Don't they marry among the larger Muslim population? |
They are also quaint! Kagzis marry only among themselves! Though there are about 3000 of them in Sanganer, there can't be much choice for young people. Don't they marry among the larger Muslim population? |
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== History and origin == |
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The term Kagzi in [[Urdu]] means a manufacturer of paper, from the word kagaz or paper. There are, in fact, two distinct Kagzi communities, with their own customs, traditions and origin myths, one found in [[Gujarat]] and the other in [[Maharashtra]] |
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The [[Gujarat]] Kagzi claim to have come to [[Ahmedabad]] have from [[Bukhara]] in [[Central Asia]], at the invitation of Sultan Ahmad Shah. The community have always been associated with the manufacture of paper, and many still reside in the Shahpur area of [[Ahmedabad]] their original settlement in [[Gujarat]]. Numerous Kagzi families also live in kagziwaad and Munshi ka dehla localities in Shahpur, part of the old city. They are typically fair skinned and light eyed.<ref>People of India Gujarat Volume XXI Part Two edited by R.B Lal, P.B.S.V Padmanabham, G Krishnan & M Azeez Mohideen pages 571-575</ref> In [[Maharashtra]], the Kagzi claim to be descended from soldiers of the [[Tughlaq]] armies that invaded the [[Deccan]]. They are now found mainly in the districts of [[Aurangabad, Maharashtra|Aurangabad]], [[Jalgaon]], [[Pune]], [[Akola District|Akola]] and [[Nasik District|Nasik]]. The [[Maharashtra]] Kagzi speak the Dakhani dialect of [[Urdu]], although most can understand [[Marathi language|Marathi]].<ref>People of India Maharshtra Volume XXX Part Two edited by B.V Bhanu, B.R Bhatnagar, D.K Bose, V.S Kulkarni and J Sreenath pages 882-886</ref> |
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== Present circumstances == |
== Present circumstances == |
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Revision as of 13:37, 7 December 2014
Tucked away in a village near Jaipur is the world's largest centre of hand-made paper!
The variety that one finds in India is not just about different types of people and culture. There is surprise and variety in the number of economic activities too! Whole specialised craft-based businesses exist tucked away in pockets across the land. Each of these will narrate a fascinating tale. Two tales about the ancestors of kagzi's are there.one of them is correct.
First one says that they are from Turkey.
When the Uzbek, Ghiasuddin Babur finally defeated Ibrahim Lodi at Panipat in 1456, he was in addition to being a conqueror, a man with a vision for a grand empire. His hordes were not all armed soldiers. Bringing up the rear was a team of scholars, craftsmen, designers and theologists. Among these were a few papermakers drawn from Turkey. Their charter was to produce paper and parchments for the Moghul court. [Not to be asserted, but was this the moment paper was introduced India, as an alternative to the traditional palm leaf and fabric?].
Fast forward to Akbar's times. The small band of paper-makers had developed into a guild, restricted to those born into the clan. They had adapted the surname, Kagzi, after 'kagaz' meaning paper. And spread to karachi, Sialkot [now in Pakistan], Gujarat, Maharashtra and Jaipur.
Of these the only surviving settlement of Kagzis today is at Sanganer, in the outskirts of Jaipur. Sanganer is blessed with water and open spaces, that are essential for paper making. From here the Kagzis enjoyed patronage of the royal court of Sawai Man Singh and his successors. And all seemed well.
And other one claims that they are from samarkan bukhara in Uzbekistan.
Hard times.
By the eighteenth century, storm clouds gathered over the Kagzis. The advent of the Europeans, brought in their wake industrial produce of the west, among which was low-priced mill-made paper
New opportunity.
It is difficult to resist a digression here. India today is at a similar juncture today. With its doors open to globalisation, there is a steady stream of low-priced products from overseas. There is widespread closure of small businesses. And a rising level of discontent. Let us hope there is a happy ending to all this as there was to the plight of Kagzis.
Hope arrived in the late sixties with a world awakening to the perils of polluting industries while at same time realising the pleasures of hand-made objects. Slowly, Sanganer revived and arrived at the moment it understood that it was on to a great opportunity. What the world wanted from them was many usable hand made objects made of paper. From the obvious, letter pads and books, Sanganer began to produce gift boxes, desk accessories, mobiles, decorative objects etc. The conversion activity generated jobs and added to their pricing power. The Kagzi streak of enterprise was in flow again.
Today there are about 10 hand-made paper industries in Sanganer.
And dozens of card board paper mills. Used for making sweet boxes diaries and othwr stuffa its hard paper from thickness of about 1 mm to approximately 6-7 mm. Sold in entire India
A unique clan.
Except for the electric motors used for pulping, calendaring and peripheral activities, all production is manual. No chemicals whatsoever are used. All colouring is organic. Decorative effects are produced by inclusions such as petals, grass clippings and the like. Paper is dried under the sun. The water let out from the industries is benign. The input is cotton cut waste from garment industries. And the output goes to every advanced economy in the world.
Another business kagzi are familiar of is manufacturing of speaker paper cones and its other soft components. There are 103 large and small paper cones factories owned by sanganer kagzi's many of them made there home terrace factory.
Kagzis are more wholesome than just business people. They preserve a remarkable heritage that grew out of the interactions of Turks with India. Over time, this heritage has become unique to India, worth a sociologist's attention.
The wealthy Kagzis are austere and unostentatious! They live a frugal life. Their marriages are simple, group affairs where, everyone rich and poor contribute an equal sum of the order of Rs.5000 and share the same wedding feast.
They are also quaint! Kagzis marry only among themselves! Though there are about 3000 of them in Sanganer, there can't be much choice for young people. Don't they marry among the larger Muslim population?
Present circumstances
The Gujarat Kagzi are divided into a number of clans, the main ones being the Mehtar, Pathan, Raddiwala, Khanzada, Munshi(enjoying the mujtahedun status within the community), Mirza and Shaikh. Their traditional occupation has been greatly affected by the growth of paper mills, and many Kagzis have abandoned their paper manufacturing. Many are now involved in petty trade, or have taken to farming. The Ahmadabad Kagzi Jamaat is their caste association, and deals with the various problems of the community.[1]
The Maharashtra Kagzi are divided into a number of territorial groupings, such as the Yawalwale, Badwale and Kalekhwale. Each of these territorial groupings has a caste association, known as a jamaat. Although marriages are permitted within these groupings, they are rear. The Kaghzi have seen a complete decline in their traditional occupation, and most are now either petty businessmen or involved in other occupations. They are one of the more successful Muslim community in Maharashtra, and have a fairly active caste association, the Kagzi Jamaat, which deals with issues of community welfare. They belong to the Sunni sect, and have been affected by the Barelvi Deobandi split among the Sunnis. .[2]