ગુજરાતી
One class (Community, Caste or Jamat) of Muslims performing duties of a Sipai in Army or Police Force or as Chowkidar, Pasayata (Village Policeman), Peons or engaged in professions like horse-cart running, indigenous cigar rolling, hoteliering, Paan selling, Cycle repairing and other labour work on piecemeal basis in Two hundred Twentytwo (222) Monarchial States in Kathiawad was known as ‘Sipai’. Muslim ‘Sipais’ are famous for their honesty and loyalty. Talks about valour and fidelity of Sipai community are taken note of in folk literature (Lok Sahitya) of Kathiawad. There are more than 130 recognised surnames and family names of Sipai community of Sipai Jamats in Saurashtra. Sipai Jamats are also found in small villages and clusters in Saurashtra. Sipai Jamats are spreaded ‘Mohalla– wise’ in cities of Saurashtra. It is linked with dynasties of Saurashtra.
Majority of “Sipais” in villages have come following their hereditary profession of Pasayata. (Sipahis in monarchial era were given charge of village for Chowkidari per one or two Sipahis per village depending upon population of the village. Such Sipahis were remaining stationed as care-taker in the villages and were called Pasayatas).
The word Sipai in Saurashtra is known also by some other synonyms like ‘Sipahi’, Sipah and Sepoy. Sipahis were doing small jobs under Kshatriya, Rajput and Kathi-Darbar.
With the merger of local Monarchial States of Kathiawad in 1947 after the Independence, a State of Saurashtra came to be formed on 15th February, 1948 which was known as United State of Kathiawad. In a Report submitted by a Committee appointed after Independence under the Chairmanship of Parikshitlal Majmudar, a list of other backward classes was prepared in which Sipai (Muslim) community was included in 1952 as a backward class. Thus, Sipai community settled in old Kathiawad, means Saurashtra, only was included in Other Backward Class (OBC), all over India.
Saurashtra merged in bilingual Mumbai on 1st November 1956. During the period of merger also, only Sipai community in Saurashtra continued to remain in the list of Other Backward Class. Thereafter, the State of Bombay bifurcated on 1st May, 1960 and State of Gujarat came into existence. Sipai community of old State of Saurashtra continued to remain on the list of Other Backward Class after 1960, in the State of Gujarat.
Government of Gujarat formed Bakshi Panch in the year 1972, The Panch submitted its report to the State Government in 1976. And it became effective from of 01-04-1978. (Even today, at the time of verification of Sipai community, pre-1978 documentary proofs, about being “Sipai”, have to be given to the State Government.)
Sipai community stands at Sr. No. 68 on OBC list of Gujarat State, at No. 68 on Mandal Panch list and at No. 65 on OBC list of the Centre.
Sipai community in Saurashtra is mainly spreaded over the district areas of Bhavnagar, Rajkot, Surendranagar, Amreli, Porbandar, Jamnagar and Junagadh which were also famous as Gohilwad, Jhalawad, Halar and Sorath in former State of Saurashtra Kathiawad. However, all they immensely are attached unanimously with each other as a single family in the matter of customs, manners, language, culture, civilization, dress as well as marital relations. Any Sipai family in any part of Saurashtra is found inter-related in one way or the other. These family relations are still in existence which is an identity, self-respect and self-recognition of Sipai community.
Compilation coordination
Janab Late Haji A. Kadar K. Pathan
Jamnagar
If we look at the efforts made by Sipahis for upliftment of Sipai Samaj, an example of the same is that one mouthpiece magazine titled “Sipah Garjana” was launched by Ijjatbag of Dhoraji in the year 1934-35 in which articles throwing light and giving stress on the education, customs and manners and development of Sipai community were being published. Sipai Samaj is spreaded right upto Africa and ‘Sipah Garjana’ contains information about the same. But in a very short period of two years Sipah Garjana ceased to be published in absence of enough co-operation from the society. Once again, during a decade between the year 1950 to 1960, an Advocate in Bombay (originally from Palitana) Janab Mohamadbhai Chauhan along with Ismailbhai Khanbhai Solanki from Rajkot and other Sipahi brothers set combined efforts for organising Sipahi Samaj and, for that, they travelled across the Saurashtra in Bullock Cart, from small and big villages to the cities continuously for two months, personally contacted each and every one of our Sipahi brethren and convened a grand get-together of Sipai Samaj at Rajkot in 1956 wherein an organisation named ‘Akhil Saurashtra Siphi Samaj’ was set up. Late Janab Ismailbhai Khanbhai Solanki was appointed as President of the “Akhil Saurashtra Sipahi Samaj”. Right at this time (1956-58) a newspaper titled ‘Nav Javan’, representing “Sipai Samaj”, was being published under the aegis of late Janab Mohamadbhai Chauhan but this organisation as well as the newspaper did not last long and were finally closed.
A survey for Backward Class was being conducted in the decade of 1970-80. Right during this time many Sipai brethren including late Janab Haji Bhikhubhai Makwana, late Haji A. K. Pathan Saheb and Janab Fajalbhai Chauhan, contacted people of Sipai community village to village in Saurashtra under the guidance of late Janab Mohamadbhai Chauhan and brought the Sipai Samaj on one Platform and set up ‘Akhil Gujarat Sipai Samaj Charitable Trust’. A mouthpiece Monthly titled ‘Sipahi Samaj’ began to be published in the year 1980 which continued publishing constantly for 22 years. In the same period of time mass-gatherings, mass-marriages, educational programmes, felicitating functions etc were organised in different villages of Sipai Samaj.
In the year 2005-2006 a Monthly titled ‘Sipahi Paygam’ was started publishing which remained in stream incessantly for two years.
It would be seen from the above that Sipai community periodically comes up like surging of milk, gets organised in quick succession, sets in motion and disperses in a few period of time.
In one more effort, the brethren of Sipai community unitedly formed ‘Sipai Young Group’ in the year 2015 and ‘Sipai Samaj Trust’ (Reg. No.B/41-Porbandar) registered organisation emerged to be established from the same in 2016. At the present juncture the most active organization, striving for the betterment of Sipai community, is ‘Sipai Samaj Trust’. Presently, this organisation publishes Monthly ‘Sipahi Samaj’, distributes scholarship among the students of Sipai Samaj studying in standard 10th and above, runs ‘Jivansathi Parichay Samaroh’ and Marriage Bureau, organises programmes in different villages giving educational and career guidance, felicitates brilliant students and the youths joining Government services, organises Medical Camps, Blood Donation Camps and takes up such other miscellaneous activities.
There are more than 100 Jamats of Sipai community in Gujarat. Many of them are stood registered before the Independence. Many Jamats hold history in writing, for more than 80 years which includes Monarchial writings, old files, Resolutions etc. belonging to the pre-Independence period. Many Jamats have their own Jamat Khanas. Many of the registered Jamats administer tombs, mosques, graveyards, and the lands received during Monarchial period.