According to the 1981 census, the number of Sikhs in Haryana was 8, 02,230, Constituting 6.13% of the total Sikh propulsion in India. As such, Haryana ranked second among the various states and union territories in terms of the size of Sikh Population. The Sikhs accounted for6.21% of Haryanas total population, while their shares in its urban and rural segments were 5.84% and 6.31% respectively, The total number of the Sikh households in the state was 121,513) (rural:92,966; Urban:28,547) in that year.
The distribution of the Sikhs is various tahsils of Haryana showed great unevenness. It’s important to note that more than one third population of this community was concentrated in just three tehsils, namely Sirsa, Dabwali and Ambala, Sirsa tehsil alone had a little less than one fourth Of the Sikhs in the state. Similarly, other tehsils bordering Punjab also displayed relatively higher concentration of these People. Thus, the Sikh population residing. In the eight tehsils of Ambala, Jagadhri, Pehowa, Thanesar, Kamal, Fatehabad, Dabwali and Sirsa accounted for more than two thirds (68.68%) of the total Haryana Sikhs.
A part from the role of greater proselytization to the Sikh faith, these areas have also been marked by considerable immigration of the Sikhs especially in the post 1947 period. Availability of cheap agricultural lands and extension of canal irrigation acted as the main pull factors for the land hungry agriculturists in the ad joining densely populated Punjab plains. Besides, a notable number of displaced persons from Pakistan had come to some of the urban centers in the area following the nutrition of the country in1947.
The concentrator of the sikhs was very thin in the districts of Rohtak, Faridabad, Gurgaon, Mahendragarh, Bhiwani, and Sonipat which together included 18 of the 39 tehsils of Haryana. It is significant to rote that the total Sikh population of all these six districts constituted only 4.38% of the total Sikhs in the state. In other words, the concentration of the Sikhs gradually thins out as one moves away from Punjab, the heart hare a of these people.
The highest proportion of the Sikh population to total population in Haryana was found in Sirsa district 26.94%) and even in Jind (2.83%).
As was true for the country as a whole, the Sikhs were predominantly rural in residence in Haryana as 79.41 of them were living in the countryside. Thus, only 20.59% of Haryana’s Sikhs were enumerated as urbanites in 1981.However it is notable that their level of urbanization showed striking regional variation in the state.
The analysis of data reveals that the level of urbanization of the Sikhs was higher in areas (I) having fast growing bigger urban centers (ii) which are further away from Punjab; (iii) which have low concentration of the Sikh population. It is worth I mentioning that urban Sikh population of Haryana has not so much to do with local ruler urban migration from Punjab however, consequent upon rural prosperity attendant with the green revolution in the Haryana Sikhs has started in recent years.
The growth rate of the Sikhs in Haryana during 1961-71 was 22.04% only; which was much below the corresponding figure 32.71%) for the Hindus. The unusually low growth rate of the Sikhs was chiefly connected with the reorganization of thirst while state of Punjab into Punjab and Haryana in 1966 which induced many of the Sikh employees of this area to opt for Punjab as quite as large number of the Hindu employees had done in the reverse direction.
The decade 197-181 recorded a perceptible rise in the growth rate of the Sikhs (27.13%) which was only slightly lower than that of the Hindus (28.93%). The increase in the growth rate of this community was connected with both rise in their natural growth as well as some in migration of these people, especially agriculturists from the neighboring Punjab. It is worth mentioning, however, that there is little possibility of any perceptible immigration of the Sikh agriculturists from Punjab in future due to the following two factors: i the filling up of the agricultural frontiers which had been instrumental in attracting huge number of the Sikh agriculturists during the 1950s and the early 1960s; and (i) both overt and covert governmental discouragement to such an influx. Moreover, the tragic anti Sikh violence in most of Haryana, as also in the rest of the Hindi belt, especially in the national capital of Dei, in easily 1980s seem to have made an indelible negative imprint on the Sikhs regarding their perceptions of their security outside Punjab.
Gurgaon district (60.25%) followed by the district of Bhiwani (47.51%), Faridabad (45.50%), and Karnal (38.85%). Their growth rate was above 30% even in Sirsa district where their proportion to total population was as high as 26.94%. In other words, their growth rate was higher in two types of areas: (i) which witnessed rapid expansion in employment opportunities in industries (e. g. Faridabad and Gurgaon), and Gurgaon) and (II) which were still experiencing a trickle of immigration of agriculturists (e.g. Sirs district). On the other hand, there were two districts, namely Rohtak and Jind, where the Sikh population suffered actual decline during 1971-81.
As per the 1981 census, Haryana occupied second place after Punjab, in the country, in terms of the size of the Sikh population. The distribution of the Sikhs in the area becomes progressively thinner as one moves away from the Punjab border, In about one half of the districts of Haryana, the proportion of the Sikhs is just negligible notwithstanding the fact that they are often marked by greater visibility even in these areas which is due to their distinct personal identity and unshorn hair. The characteristic distribution patter of the Sikhs owes both to the patter of religious conversions to this faith in the past as well as to their in migration patterns, particularly in post 1947 period. As in their hearth area, Punjab, their level of urbanization was found to be quite low which is bound to have long term adverse bearing on the socioeconomic and political influence of these people in this state.
SIKH REVIEW
Article extracted from this publication >> October 18, 1991
