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Ornaments
With the changing times, the ornaments of the women are also
changing. They have become simpler and meager. They generally wear rings,
ear-rings, bangles and slender chains. Bangles made of ivory and dyed in red,
with a gold chip, are presented to the bride by her maternal uncle on the
occasion of her marriage.
Language
The three important languages of Gujarat are Gujarati, Urdu and Sindhi. There are eleven variants or dialects of Gujarati. Kachchi as a mother
tongue is important in Kutch.
Religion
The total population of the state consists of Hindus, Muslims
and Jains. Zorastrians
or Parsis can also be seen in Gujarat.
The
caste system is strictly followed by the Hindus of Gujarat. Besides the 'Brahmins' and the
'Banias' whose functions and
occupations are fairly well determined, the community of 'Patidars' owning land
is the strongest force in the economic and political life of the state. Patidars,
also called Patels, are the best agriculturists of Gujarat. They are grouped into
four categories namely Levas, Kadawas, Anjana and Uda. The Levas are most
shrewd and are concentrated in central Gujarat. The Kadawas are most numerous in
Mehsana district.
The fourth regional group which may have been a native of
Gujarat is the community of aboriginals, locally known as 'Bhils', inhabit the
hilly tracts of Gujarat that border the plains from Abu in the north to Dangs in
the south. The Bhils may be regarded as a hybrid group in Gujarat, on the one
hand absorbing Rajput blood and on the other representing a tribal sub-stratum.
The Bhils regard themselves as belonging to the Kshatriya caste who had to take
shelter in the hills of the Vindhyas and the Satpuras, along the lower Narmada, to
save themselves from the wrath of the Brahmin hero, Parashuram. The Bhils of
Gujarat thus do not possess any racial basis distinct from the other inhabitants
of the region.
The tribals of Gujarat are found concentrated in
the south-eastern part of Gujarat particularly in the district of Panchmahals,
Surat, Baroda, and Broach. The main tribal groups are the Bhils, the Dublas, the
Naika-Narkdas, the Gamits and the Dhankas.
Profession
The infertile soil in the hilly areas
of the tribal settlements has left no choice except that of subsistence farming
to the tribal people. Rice, jowar, bajra, and groundnut are the main crops grown
by them. The tribals engage themselves in wood-cutting with which they descend
to the small towns for getting the daily necessaries of life. Many have been
engaged in organised forest industry, some collect lac and toddy. Tied down to
their ancestral and social traditions, living in a microcosm of their own where
they are governed by their own social laws, the tribals of Gujarat have yet to
develop an awareness of the fast-changing social and economic conditions of life
in the outer world.
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