Page 221 - Lohgarh

Situation After the Demolition of Lohgarh Fort w 221

much capital, they could not begin large scale businesses. So, with petty
capital, they began to sell some less expensive goods. They would travel
from one village to another and fulfil the needs of the people of that
area. They would enquire about the needs of the people and would try
to arrange those things. Thus they became petty peddlers. Hundreds
of Vanjaras engaged in such activities. As they would bring the goods
needed by people, they became a necessity for the people, especially
in the villages which were far away from the major road routes. As a
result, people would wait for them. Though, now, they did not trade in
the form of large caravans, and did not move to long routes, but people
still used to call them Vanjaras. Most of them were Rajputs and Khatris.
With the passage of time, even idioms and proverbs became associated
with the Vanjaras.
Like Vanjaras, the number of Sikligars associated with weapon
manufacturing for Lakhi Rai Vanjara, Guru Sahibs and Banda Singh too
was very large hence they too had no chance to get job or assignment
at one place. They too began wandering from place to place in the search
for livelihood. Many of them travelled upto Kumaon, Rajputana and
Martha lands with the hope of getting work of manufacturing of
weapons. But, no Raja, Peshwa, Chowdhry or Zamindar made
arrangements, of setting up industry of weapon manufacturing, for
them. One of the reasons was that the Sikligars were turban-wearing
Sikhs (having uncut hair and beards). They refused to cut hair. In such a
state they had to live in small tents, camps and huts, and, they earned
their livelihood (basic needs) by manufacturing petty household things
like kniyes, swords, bowls, buckets etc. They would halt near a village
or town and fulfil the needs of the local residents. When they did not
get good number of customers, they would proceed to next areas. Thus,
they lived the life of gypsies.
This is the reason that Vanjaras and Sikligar are found in Punjab,
Haryana, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Bihar, Jharkhand and even in some
areas of Karnatka.