Chak 217 GB (

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. The first known settlements in the village date between 1898 A.D. to 1920 A.D. The village comprises roughly 1,500 acres. Water is supplied by five irrigation channels, known locally as ''moga''. The Gogera Branch canal, abbreviated as GB and forming part of the village name, irrigates the specific area. Neighboring villages are Chak No. 218 GB Vainspur to the east, Chak No. 213 GB Laadi Chak to the west, Chak No. 216 GB Jalalabad to the north, and Chak 478 GB and 475 GB Gidder Pindi to the southeast. Agriculture is the area's primary economic activity. Major crops (including wheat, sugarcane, corn, and cotton) are often cultivated using old methods, resulting in poor yields. Almost four generations have lived in the village since the first residents settled there between 1898 A.D and 1920 A.D. Before settlement, it was barren land called ''baar'', a word which means "rain" in the Persian language. Water was supplied only by irrigation channels, and portable containers stored rainwater. There were three main ''baars'' in what is now the Punjab area. Chak 217 GB is in Saandal Baar, which is named after the grandfather of Punjabi folk hero Abdullah Bhatti (

Dulla Bhatti Dulla Bhatti (also known as Dullah Bhatti and Rai Abdullah Bhatti) is a Punjabi folk hero who supposedly came from the Punjab region and led a revolt against Mughal rule during the reign of the Mughal emperor Akbar. He is entirely absent f ...

). Due to Sikh rule predating

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

rule in Punjab, many landlords in the area were

Sikhs Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism (Sikhi), a monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ...

. The village is accessible by road from the Tehsil Samundari district, from the east, and the west. Samundari City is 14 km away from the village.

History

Agriculture land was allotted among peasant families from 1898 to 1920. In the local

Punjabi language Punjabi (; ; , ), sometimes spelled Panjabi, is an Indo-Aryan language of the Punjab region of Pakistan and India. It has approximately 113 million native speakers. Punjabi is the most widely-spoken first language in Pakistan, with 80.5 m ...

, ''Pind'' is the word for

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

. This village was numbered 217 of GB (the abbreviation of

Gugera Branch Canal The Gugera Branch Canal originates from the Lower Chenab Canal. The main areas to which it supplies water are Toba Tek Singh and Faisalabad in Punjab province of Pakistan. It iis named after Gogera that was district at that time. See also * Hea ...

, a part of the

Punjab Irrigation Department Punjab Irrigation Department (), Pakistan, is a provincial irrigation department in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Punjab Irrigation Department irrigates of agricultural land in Punjab. Rai Manzoor Nasir, Secretary to the government of the Pu ...

system developed by the British during their occupation from 1862 to 1898). The word Chak derived from ''Chak'', a Sanskrit word denoting a circular demarcated piece of land. It may also relate to every village having a central well with a wooden circular lid (also called chak) on it. Numberdars or

Lambardar Numbardar or Lambardar ( hi, नम्बरदार, pnb, ਲੰਬੜਦਾਰ, لمبردار, ur, لمبردار or نمبردار, bn, লম্বরদার/নম্বরদার, Lombordar/Nombordar) is a title in the Indian subcon ...

s, or sub-administrators, who were appointed by the British Government during their rule, were awarded 12.5 or 25 acres of extra agricultural land called Lambar Dari Murruba. They used to bear official expenditures during officials' visits to the village on certain occasions or police officials during criminal investigations. Even today, these inactive posts are under their fourth generation with agricultural lands. In 1958, a grand mosque was built. The same year saw the first batch of four jawans recruited to the Pakistan army, as well as the imposition of martial law, by dictator Ayyub Khan. A substantial number of immigrants from the Indian

migrated during the years 1947 to 1949, significantly increasing the population of the village. Relatives of immigrants who were present in the village provided shelter and food and shared their agricultural lands in a show of love and harmony during the hardship of this time. There is a famous village fair, called (Urs), near Chak No. 217 GB, which takes place every year and starts on the ninth of February. For ancestors, this was the only recreational festival of the entire year. The Urs is a time to remember the teachings of a Sufi saint from almost a century ago.

Demographics

Most of the population here are

Gujjars Gurjar or Gujjar (also transliterated as ''Gujar, Gurjara and Gujjer'') is an ethnic nomadic, agricultural and pastoral community, spread mainly in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, divided internally into various clan groups. They were tradit ...

. Some emigrated from Hoshyarpur in 1898, during

Sandal Bar The Sandal Bar ( pa, ) is a region between the rivers Chenab and Ravi in Punjab, Pakistan. It is located in the southern part of Rechna Doab. It spreads over almost in width (west to east) and in length (north to south). "Bar", in the local ...

colonization, and others mostly from 1947 to 1950, after the partition of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

into India and Pakistan. Some major sub-castes (or

gotra In Hindu culture, the term gotra (Sanskrit: गोत्र) is considered to be equivalent to lineage. It broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor or patriline. Generally, the gotra fo ...

s) are Oddery, Lalwaan, Kissana,

Khatana Gurjar or Gujjar (also transliterated as ''Gujar, Gurjara and Gujjer'') is an ethnic nomadic, agricultural and pastoral community, spread mainly in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, divided internally into various clan groups. They were tradit ...

Koli Koli may refer to: Places * Koli, Finland, a hill in Finland * Koli National Park, a national park in Finland * Koli, Iran (disambiguation), several places in Iran * Koli Airfield, a former airfield in the South Pacific Other uses * Koli people ...

, and Chechi. Earlier, during the settlement of agricultural lands, people lived with their livestock on their lands outside the village. Life was often strenuous for men and women alike. Women ordinarily woke early at dawn to grind the wheat for flour and were entirely responsible for the upkeep of the household and yard. Village women also churned yogurt to extract butter and buttermilk.

References

{{Faisalabad District Villages in Faisalabad District

History

Demographics

Further reading

References