Beyond politics, the Bihar caste survey is a revolutionary document.
A public document, the first ever after 1931, allowing for people to stand up and be counted.
We go down to the wire, on what each of the numbers unveiled mean.
Who are the people referred to by percentages in the survey?
Today we look at Chik (50,404 people).
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If you are a meat lover and live in the Hindi belt, it is impossible for you to never have heard about the Chik community. Such is the nature of their occupation. Things may have changed a bit now, but earlier both Muslims and Hindus used to purchase mutton from them. The community never discriminated against anyone either.
Some people believe that the Chik community is the same as the Kasai or Kasab community. But they are two different castes.
While Chik people trade in the meat of small animals, the people of the Qureshi community, also known as Kasai, trade in the meat of big animals. In Bihar, there is a huge difference between the status and population of both these castes. While the population of the Kasab community is 1,33,807, that of the Chik community is almost half, at 50,404.
Illustration: Pariplab Chakraborty
Talking about status, both Chik and Kasab/Kasai are considered Arzal (equivalent to Dalits). Most of the people of the Chik caste are very poor and their condition is similar to the people of Hindu Dalit Khatik caste. The traditional occupation of the Khatik caste is similar to that of the Chik caste. The only difference is that Muslims consider the meat slaughtered by Chik people halal (allowed for consumption) while it is considered forbidden for Hindus. Similarly, Hindus are allowed to eat meat slaughtered by a Khatik while Muslims consider it haram (prohibited).
The Chik community is also addressed by many other names such as Bakar Kasab or Buj Kasab. Bakar means goat. At some places people call them Chikwa. This form of address, with an added syllable, is quite common in Bihar. For instance, Gowala becomes Gowarva, Dhobi become Dhobiya, Chamar becomes Chamra. It is usually done with a derogatory purpose. Many a times, the upper castes are also referred people in such a way. For instance, Pandit becomes Panditwa, Bhumihar becomes Bhumiharwa, and Rajput becomes Rajputwa. However, in the case of upper castes this change happened after 1990.
In terms of salutations, Uttar Pradesh is considered a culturally rich state. Here, people address the people of the Chik caste as Bakar Kasab or Buj Kasab. Most of the people of the Chik community live in these two states. In Uttar Pradesh, they mainly inhabit the areas of Rohilkhand and Awadh. Bareilly, Bijnor, Badaun and Shahjahanpur districts of Rohilkhand have a significant population of the caste. In Awadh, the population is mainly found in Lucknow, Kheri, Unnao and Hardoi districts. However, the people of Chik caste are spread over almost every district of Bihar. Apart from India, the community also lives in Karachi and Lahore in Pakistan. No matter where they live, India or Pakistan, their job is the same – slaughtering goats and trading in its meat and skin.
The Sachar Committee mentioned the Chik community in its report as well, but the real question is about the implementation of its recommendations. In both Bihar and UP, this caste is included in the backward class.
As far as their political status is concerned, their participation is absolutely negligible. For social status in India, numbers are important – which is why a minuscule population of only 50,000 means they are deprived of almost every right.
With the controversy around jhatka and halal meat, their livelihood is under attack. As a result, the Chik people have now started entering other occupations and are leaving their traditional profession. But no change happens overnight. It will take time.
Translated from Hindi by Naushin Rehman. Read the Hindi original here.
Read earlier parts of the series on the following communities by clicking on their names: Ghasi | Santrash | Madaria | Koeri/Kushwaha | Chaupal | Nai/Hajjaam | Pasi | Rangrez | Chamar | Gorkan | Jutt | Yadav.
The series is available in Hindi here and in Urdu, here.
