Rural-Urban Relations and Modernization of a Pastoral Caste in North Indian Regional Setting

Meerut region is situated between the two rivers of north India- the Ganga and the Yamuna. The region has well-developed agriculture as the markets of the national capital Delhi and the regional town, Meerut provide incentives for agriculture. The region has a rich history and mythological connections which goes back to the Mahabharata and the Ramayana period. The Gaddi is traditionally a pastoral caste among the Muslims of the Meerut region who are said to have been converted from Ahirs during the Mughal rule. They still practice their traditional occupation of cattle rearing and milk supply in the towns which is also one of the reasons that their settlements are either on the outskirts of the town or in nearby areas. They are found in cities, small towns as well as in villages and are engaged in similar kinds of occupational activities of cattle rearing and selling of milk and milk products like Khoya (concentrated milk cake). They were also supplying milk in Meerut Cantonment Military Supply Depot. Some of the Gaddis of Hazipur village were having partnerships in the Zamindari of that area granted by the Britishers to a wealthy merchant of Meerut city. During the post-independence period, they owned vast land in rural areas being used by them for agricultural purposes. They adopted modern agricultural technology and started growing and supplying potato and other vegetables to local markets which brought prosperity among them in the rural as well as in urban settings. Consequently, their lifestyle and consumption patterns improved a lot as they have all modern gadgets in their household. They have acquired modern education and have limited mobility in modern professions, business, and politics. The paper aims to understand the modernization process of the Gaddi of Meerut region in both the rural and urban settings.