Bajwa

Bajwa ( _pa. ਬਾਜਵਾ) ( _hi. बाजवा) ( _ur. باجوہ) is a Jat "gotra" or clan. They originally belonged to the region known as 'Bajwat' near Kashmir. They are now spread across the Punjab region divided between Northern India and Pakistan.

Etymology

Bajwa is a well-known last name amongst Punjabis. .cquote|A Jat clan (Agricultural) found in Sialkot , Amritsar, and Multan and as a Hindu Jat clan in Montgommery . [ A glossary of the tribes and castes of the Punjab and North-West provinces , compiled by H A Rose , vol II Page 38 ]

According to one theory, the word "Bajwa" is derived from the term "Baaz Wala", which can be loosely translated to "Owner of Falcon or Person having Falcons". "Baaz or Baaj" (pronounced as "Baaz" in colloquial Punjabi) is the Arabic word for hawk or falcon, while "wala" is an Indian suffix indicating a person owning (a given thing) or living (in a given area).

Bajwa in Persian also means "those who levied tax". Bajwas living in the "Bajwat" area (the Sialkot and Narowal districts in Punjab (Pakistan)) were known to fight against the invading armies of Timur, Ahmed Shah Abdali and others, who invaded India from the northwest.Fact|date=June 2007

Origin

Bajwa is a prominent Jat clan of the Punjab. They are believed to be the bravest Jatt Clan. They claim Suryavanshi descent. The place of Bajwas' origin is Bajwat in the Sialkot and Narowal districts of Pakistan. This place is located in the Shiwalik foothills and is quite near the Indian border as well as the city of Jammu. At one time, Bajwa Jats had eighty-four villages in the Sialkot area.

The founder of the Bajwa clan, Bajwat (or Wajab) used to live in Jaisalmer in Rajasthan. From there, he migrated to Sialkot and Gujranwala. One of his descendants became the ruler of Multan. The Bajwa ruler Raja Shalip, who owned a large estate in Multan, was ousted from Multan at the time of Sikandar Lodhi by the local Governor with whom he had quarreled. Shalip had a number of sons who were killed fighting with him, but two sons named "Kals" and "Yas" managed to escape. Both used to rear hawks ("baaz") and are reputed to have left their father's fort disguised as falconers, thereby providing the clan name.

Another legend is that one of their ancestors, Rai Jaison, was forced to leave Delhi by Rai Pithora (Prithvi Raj Chauhan).

The Bajwa clan have given their name to the Bajwat area on the Sialkot/Kashmir border but are thought to have migrated from Multan and Uch in central Pakistan. As with all Jat clans, however, they are thought to have Scythian origins. The area of Bajwat is located in the Shiwalik foothills and is close to the Indian border and to the city of Jammu. Bajwa Jats have founded many villages and towns in the Sialkot area and the names of villages and towns of the area still reflect this.

A Bajwa by the name of Kholu settled in Panwana and had six sons; each of which founded a town. The eldest, "Naru" established the town of "Narowal" . The other towns founded are "Bhagowal, Rurki, Khanowali, Chawinda" (famous for the tank battle in the 1965 war with India), and "Pasrur". Pasrur was founded by Mankah.

According to one legend, the ancestor of the Bajwas is Baba Manga. Baba Manga had seven sons. The eldest, "Naro" established a village, which was named as "Narowal" after him. Another son, "Deepa" founded "Kotli Bajwa" and a third one, "Chandu" founded "Chanduwal".

There are reputed to be three main divisions of the Bajwa clan in Sialkot; with the descendants of Mankah settled around Pasrur, the descendants of Mangah clustering around Chawinda and Narowal is the headquarters for the children of Naru.

Customs

Both Bajwa Jatts and Bajju Rajputs are settled in the Bajwat region of Jammu-Sialkot-Narowal. Their customs were very similar to others who live in Punjab area. Some of them would take their newly wed brides to the "Samadhi" of their ancestor, Baba Manga to pay obeisance. Like other Jat clans, Bajwas give a cut to the tree of Jand.

Religion

Bajwa: In India mostly Sikhs, In Pakistan Muslims.

Muslim 40%, Ahmadi Muslims 10%, Sikh 45% & Hindu 5%

Notable Bajwas

* Maj. General Anis A. Bajwa, Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Timor-Leste. and former head of the Pakistan Tourist Development Corporation.(6/30/2007)

* Ch:Muhammad Amin Bajwa ,Superident Police In Punjab(Retired). He Blongs To Sialkot , He Searved His Life For Punjab Police, Village: Dilawar Bajwa Bhagh ,Tehsil: Pusrur ,District: Sialkot

* Naseer A. Bajwa was Executive Vice President and Regional Chief Executive of National Bank of Pakistan.

* Mr. Atif Bajwa, President MCB Bank Limited, Pakistan. Leading banker in the region who is heading the top private bank in Pakistan. He was previously the regional head for central and eastern Europe for Citibank.

* Commodore Rehmat-Ullah Bajwa - Pakistan Navy and Ambassador to SEATO

* Hasnain Bajwa, Senior Vice President & GM, Mindspeed Technologies, Inc. heads a semiconductor business unit of a publicly listed US company.

* Kanwar Idrees Bajwa, was provincial Minister and Chief Secretary Sind, Pakistan.

* Colonel Gurjeet Singh Bajwa Vir Chakra, Shaurya Chakra - Indian Army - Credited with the capture of post BP 638 in the Longewala Sector during the 1971 Indo-Pak War.

* Major Manohar Singh Bajwa, 17th Kumaon regiment, Indian Army. Killed -in-Action in 1971 Indo-Pak war. Established and served in Advanced reconnaissance mission (Mukti Bahini) in Bangladesh before the 1971 war. Mukti Bahini operated as an effective guerrilla force to keep their enemies on the run and help shape Indian victory.

* Sardar Chet Singh Bajwa, a Deorhidar who served Ranjit Singh and Kharak Singh; killed by the Dogras in 1839 A.D.

*Sardar Jodh Singh Bajwa, ally of Maharajah Ranjit Singh and whose daughter married Prince Kharak Singh, son of Ranjit Singh.

* Wg. Cdr. Kuldeep Singh Bajwa, Indian Air Force commander; during the Indo-Pak War of 1971 he was credited with checking the advance of Pakistan's tanks into the Rajasthan sector. In the movie 'Border' this role was played by Jackie Shroff. He was a cousin of Kulbir Singh Bajwa (ante).

* Dr. Saeed A. Bajwa, U.S. neurosurgeon of Pakistani origin; honored with the "Hilal-e-Imtiaz" medal, Pakistan's highest civilian honor, for his role as the first doctor in the US to successfully perform a spinal-column replacement surgery.

* Sardar Swinderjeet Singh Bajwa (s/o of Late Sardar Sohan Singh Bajwa) a braveheart, courageous, kind and honoured leader of the B.J.P. One of the most respected Deputy Mayors of Delhi

* Prof. (Wg Cdr) Gulshan Bajwa, Advocate-on-Record (Supreme Court of India) and 1971-War veteran; he won six Medals, and assisted in the operationalisation of the Air Force Forward Base in Udhampur in a record time.

* Rupa Bajwa, Amritsar-based author. Her book "The Sari Shop" (2004) won the 2004 Orange Prize for Fiction, the Best First Book award in the regional round (Eurasia) of the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and the Sahitya Akademi Award. (6/29/2007)

* Waqar Ahmed Bajwa, Captain of the Pakistan Hockey Team in 1960 which won the Olympic Hockey Gold Medal for the first time, defeating India in the final.

* Muhammad Asif Bajwa (born June 6, 1972) son of Chaudhry Asadullah Khan Bajwa, Advoacte. He was Pakistan's Hockey Team Manager and Chief coach field hockey. He was member of Pakistan's world cup winning Hockey team (1993).(6/29/2007)

* Dr. Farooq Naseem Bajwa has published two books “Pakistan & the West; The First Decade 1947-1957” and “Pakistan (A historical and contemporary look).(6/29/2007)

* Rafiq Ahmad Bajwa, Advocate, served as a Vice President of Jamiat Ullama-a-Pakistan (JUP) and Secretary-General of the Pakistan National Alliance (PNA) movement against Zulfikar Bhutto. (6/29/2007)

* Mrs Sajeela Ansar Bajwa served as Member District Council, Sialkot; and has been elected as Member Provincial Assembly of the Punjab in General Elections 2002 against one of the seats reserved for women. (6/29/2007)

* Brigadier Asim Saleem Bajwa served as Musharraf’s Deputy Military Secretary and played an active role in the publication of the Urdu edition "Sub Sey Pehlay Pakistan".(6/29/2007)

* Lt. Colonel Hameed Bajwa, younger brother of Aslam Bajwa (see above), credited with many heroic acts while in service of the Pakistan Army. Credited with raising a unit in Lahore. Died in a car accident. His son Aamir Mustafa Bajwa is now a Brigadier in the Pakistan Army. He was killed in a automobile accident while on active duty.

* Akhtar Ahmad Bajwa served PTCL (Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited) as a Chairman & CEO for three years (2001-04) plus 38 years service with the same company.(6/29/2007)

* Hasrat, Sukhpal Vir Singh Bajwa is a famous poet and was awarded by the “Sahitya Akademi” in the year 1980 for his book, “Suraj Te Kahkashan”. Two of his books “Shakti Naad” and “Suraj Da Kafla” were awarded prizes by the Punjab Govt. also as best collections for the years 1967-68 and 1971-72 respectively.(6/29/2007)

* Partap Singh Bajwa is a popular politician in East Punjab and Minister for PWD and B& R. (6/29/2007)

* Muhammad Ashraf Bajwa, (1922-1988) Founder and President of Kisan Board Pakistan. Was acting president of Pakistan National Alliance movement in 1977. He was the elder brother of Muhammad Aslam Bajwa and Abdul Hamid Bajwa (mentioned above).

* Hassan Bajwa is an elected city Nazim Chawinda.

* Farooq Yousaf Bajwa, CEO Bajwa Group of Companies. Suppliers of food to Pakistan armed forces since 1949.

Online Communities

* [http://www.orkut.com Bajwa the Lords of Punjab] “We fly high above in the sky” [http://www.orkut.com "Bajwa the Lords of Punjab"] is the biggest and fastest growing online community of Bajwas residing anywhere in the world. It’s an online ethnic pind to address different topics of communal interest.

=References=