HISTORY OF JAUNSAR BAWAR
Jaunsar Bawar is located in the Himalayas and forms the northern half of Dehradun District. The area was under the rule of local Rajput kings till 1815 and its history goes back to the Ashokan period containing as it does a rock edict of Ashoka's inscriptions. It's present however however is hardly anything to be proud of, being as it is, a living testimony of a special form of bondage which leads to women of indebted families into the brothels of North India.
The extent of bondage in the Chalaota and Kalsi blocks of Northern Dehradun District has been detailed by government functionaries themselves according to whom there are as many as 19,000 bonded labourers.
This large number does not however give an account of the enormity and intensity of their exploitation unless we take into consideration the large scale trafficking in women that exists in the area and which is the outcome bondage. The bonded labourers are mainly drawn from among the aboriginals such as the Koltas, Bajgis, Doms etc. who constitute the rock bottom of the society.
They are bonded mostly to the upper castes consisting of Rajputs and Brahmins who control the land and practice money-lending. Polygamy and polyandry are both practiced in the areas with the richer folk practicing polygamy and the poorer ones sharing a wife in common.
Thee Koltas who are Harijans are landless, are very poor and can be described as representing a democracy of beggars. In the last two hundred years the condition of the indigenous tribals of the area has deteriorated sharply since the British introduced land legislation which was detrimental to the tribals.
The result was a complete proletarianisation of the tribals who becomes totally dependent on the Rajput and Brahmin money-lenders for their basic needs.
