Nai (caste)
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Almost all the states and union territories of India | |
| Languages | |
| Punjabi · Hindi · Telugu · Tamil · Kannada · Malayalam · Dravidian languages · Indo-Aryan languages | |
| Religion | |
 Sikhism •  Hinduism • Islam |
The Nai is a caste originating in India.[1] The members were traditionally occupied as barbers, although many have adopted the name Sharma that was historically the preserve of Brahmins.[2]
Distribution
In the state of Gujarat the Nais are referred by the name Valand. The Valand have several territorial divisions, such as the Soratia, Halai, Gohil, and Jalawadi. They are further divided into clans, called ataks, the main ones being the Vaghela, Parmar and Hanani. The Valand are endogamous and practice clan exogamy. They speak Gujarati and concentrated in the urban areas. The community is involved in the different trades, with many rural Valand have given up agriculture. Some are practitioners of Ayurvedic medicine.[3]
The Nai community is listed as an Other Backward Class in various regions of India. These include:
- Andhra Pradesh.[4]
- Assam.[5]
- Bihar.[6]
- Chandigarh.[7]
- Chhattisgarh.[8]
- Dadra and Nagar Haveli.[9]
- Daman and Diu.[10]
- Delhi. NCR[11]
- Goa.[12]
- Gujarat.[13]
- Haryana.[14]
- Himachal Pradesh.[15]
- Goa.[12]
- Jharkhand.[16]
- Karnataka.[17]
- Madhya Pradesh.[18]
- Maharashtra.[19]
- Orrisa.[20]
- Puducherry.[21]
- Punjab.[22]
- Rajasthan.[23]
- Tripura.[24]
- Uttaranchal.[25]
- Uttar Pradesh.[26]
- West Bengal.[27]
References
- ↑ Hasan, A.; Das, J. C. (eds.). People of India: Uttar Pradesh XLII. p. 1067.
- ↑ Atal, Yogesh. Sociology: A Study of the Social Sphere. Pearson Education India. p. 242. ISBN 978-8-13179-759-4.
- ↑ Lal, R. B.; Padmanabham, P. B. S. V.; Krishnan, G.; et al. (eds.). People of India: Gujarat. XXI, Part Three. pp. 1415–1418.
- ↑ http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/andhrapradesh.pdf
- ↑ http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/assam.pdf
- ↑ Central List of OBCs for the State of Bihar (PDF). National Commission for Backward Classes. p. 2. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
- ↑ http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/chandigarh.pdf
- ↑ http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/Chhattisgarh.pdf
- ↑ http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/dadarandnagarhaveli.pdf
- ↑ http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/damananddiu.pdf
- ↑ Central List of OBCs for the State of Delhi (PDF). National Commission for Backward Classes. p. 3. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
- 1 2 http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/goa.pdf
- ↑ Central List of OBCs for the State of Gujarat (PDF). National Commission for Backward Classes. p. 5. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
- ↑ Central List of OBCs for the State of Haryana (PDF). National Commission for Backward Classes. p. 2. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
- ↑ http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/himachalpradesh.pdf
- ↑ http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/jharkhand.pdf
- ↑ http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/karnataka.pdf
- ↑ Central List of OBCs for the State of Madhya Pradesh (PDF). National Commission for Backward Classes. p. 5. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
- ↑ Central List of OBCs for the State of Maharashtra (PDF). National Commission for Backward Classes. p. 4. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
- ↑ http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/orrisa.pdf
- ↑ http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/puducherry.pdf
- ↑ Central List of OBCs for the State of Punjab (PDF). National Commission for Backward Classes. p. 2. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
- ↑ Central List of OBCs for the State of Rajasthan (PDF). National Commission for Backward Classes. p. 2. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
- ↑ http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/tripura.pdf
- ↑ http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/uttaranchal.pdf
- ↑ Central List of OBCs for the State of Uttar Pradesh (PDF). National Commission for Backward Classes. p. 3. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
- ↑ http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/westbengal.pdf