INSIDE THE GURU'S GATE - Anpere

caste identity with Hindus and the majority of Khatris remain Hindus. According to
an old tradition one son of a Hindu Khatri family should become a Singh. When it
comes to marriage practices, religious affiliation and differences have been comparatively
insignificant and intermarriages do occur between Khatri Sikhs and Hindus.
Within one and the same family one may consequently find followers of both the
Hindu and the Sikh religion, even if this will be more exceptional in families who
intend to observe the Khalsa discipline. In face of modernization inter-caste marriages
are by many looked upon as the ultimate test in abolition of the caste system, so
strongly associated with social inequalities in the Hindu society. Families who promote
the Khalsa ideals profoundly advocate a caste-less Sikh community in accordance
with the Gurus’ teaching and claim that religious qualities rather than the
social got belonging should be favored in marriage arrangements. 145
When the marriage of a young Khalsa man of a Khatri family was arranged in
Varanasi in 2001 the female match-maker (vichola) intentionally suggested a young
woman of a lower Gujarati caste to bridge caste divisions. The prospective bride was
also initiated in Khalsa and shared similar religious values. In one conversation the
matchmaker strongly criticized the Sikh community for upholding hypergamous
practices which made caste identity, financial position, and physical appearance the
determining factors for choosing a spouse, rather than “internal qualities that will
produce a sweet smell in the house that never fades away”. Religious propagandists
and other employees in the gurdwaras vividly support caste abolition on ideological
grounds and sometimes go in between marriage arrangements to negotiate between
families. 146
The trading profession of Khatris, in combination with their shared caste identity
with Hindus, has resulted in numerous clichéd caste images expressed in folk
myths, proverbs and aphorisms. The Khatris are often contrasted with the dominant
“other” ‒ the Jats in the Punjab. As landowners and chief-producer of food the Jats
have strong emotional ties to their land and consider themselves at top of the social
hierarchy. The Jats are said to have incorporated the ideology and ethics of warriors
and value male virtues and physical strength, but are relaxed when it comes to caste
rules and ritual customs. “They are the ones whose hair can be shorn”, a Sikh woman
in Varanasi said when she explained their more lax attitude towards religious symbols.
If a Khatri Sikh cut his hair he would compromise with his Sikh identity and
probably be regarded as a Hindu by others. Stereotypes of the Khatris hold them to
be more “soft” and timid in nature, but cunning in business. Their affiliation to the
Hindu social system makes them stricter with religious observances in order to maintain
the Sikh identity and elevate their social status. Khatris are therefore said to be
145
According to McLeod, the Sikhs may advocate freedom from the varan notion of caste, but not
the jati concept. See his essay on Sikh concepts of castes in McLeod 2007.
146
The custom of keeping got names as surnames instead of using only “Singh” or “Kaur” to
indicate caste background of high status is similarly disapproved by gurdwara employees and
reformist spokespersons in the community who are of the opinion that the Sikh identity, and
particularly a Khalsa identity, should subsume previous social divisions.
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Published on www.anpere.net in May 2008