ગુજરાતી

     Among the Muslims inhabiting in Gujarat, Sipai Community includes in socially and educationally backward class (SEBC & OBC). Sipai community is included as other backward class (OBC) by the Gadget published on 10^th September 1993. But due to typographical mistake it was printed as “Sipaipathi Jamat and Turk Jamat” instead of “Sipai, Pattani Jamat and Turk Jamat” in the said Gadget at Sr.No. 65. Despite the error being so, OBC certificate in English (English creamylayer certificate) was being issued to Sipai Community in the name of ‘Sipai – Muslim’ from 1993 till beginning of the year 2014. And Sipai Community ceased to be issued English OBC certificate in certain cities right from the beginning of the year 2014 and, wherever were issued, were given in the name of “SipaPathi Jamat” owing to which Sipai Community got deprived of the benefits being given by the Central Government under various schemes and also 27% reservation in education and employment.

       People of Sipai Samaj Raised voice against the injustice being meted out to the entire community of Sipai and stirred a movement among the community to make them aware of the same and to rise to fight for the same. But the community was not serious to that extent. Thereafter, the young and educated groups, scattered all over Saurashtra, came together through various means of communications including telephonic contacts. In a bid to get organised very fast, these groups also resorted to social media, formed Whatsap group from 19-12-2014 giving APs a name of “Sipai Young Group” and a large number of youths joined hands in this campaign of mass organisation of the community.

         Widespread debates and discussions went viral on the social media about OBC certificate which bore fruit and educated youths of Sipai community approached leaders of Sipai community seeking guidance as to how the community can be pulled out of this quagmire. In the wake of this the team of Sipal young, with live support of the community’s  well  wishers  Janab Fajalbhai Chauhan  and  Late Janab A.K. Pathan Saheb, telephonically contacted greater part of the leaders in Saurashtra  and apprised themselves of the  problems pending. With these informations in their archives, they began touring different cities and villages in Saurashtra. They visited more than 40 towns - small and big - by the date 05-04-2015 during which time the team personally met leaders of Sipai community, educated youths and the elders in each town and discussed at length about pros and cons of the benefit of OBC. The team, Sipai Young Group, received a rousing welcome all over Saurashtra which instilled in them a new lease of life and confidence and it was enough to encourage them to lead the community to a new horizon of development.

        Team, during the above tours, was also used to prepare a diary of the community, gathering informations like names of Sipai Jamat, addresses and contact numbers, number of members holding membership of the Jamat, activities and achievements of the Jamats etc. A very first meeting of the Sipai Community in Saurashtra was convened on 12/04/2015 by Sipai Young Group at Gamadia Sipai Jamatkhana in Rajkot to determine and discuss about our stand in the matter of giving our community and OBC status. After lengthy discussions, it was decided to delegate one team, comprised of the youths from our community, to Delhi for detailed personal representation before the Social Welfare Department. Fund to meet with the expenses for this purpose was got collected by the different Jamats and prominent personalities of the community.

       Above team made submissions to the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment on 27^th and 28^th of April, 2015. Thereafter, the team followed the matter incessantly and remained in constant touch with the above ministry and played a significant role in the same. Consequent upon this the problem was resolved in our favour in September, 2015.

       Sipai Young Group got published its maiden article in “Titanic News Paper” in June, 2015 which received a encouraging response. Being inspired by this the long closed publication ‘Sipahi Samaj’ news paper was re-registered and publication of the monthly restarted.

Note-worthy functions of Sipai Young Group

·   Management of the Monthly ‘Sipahi Samaj’.

·   Get-together of Sipai Samaj.

·   Organising of various programmes on career guidance in various cities and towns for the whole of Muslim Samaj (Community).

·   Beginning of a registered institution “Sipai Samaj Trust” from ‘Sipai Young Group’.

Functions of Sipai Samaj Trust

·   Began Jakat and Imdad scholarships for Sipai community under which 109 students were awarded scholarships of total Rs. 4,65,000/- upto 30.01.2018.

·   Organising ‘Jeevansaathi Parichay Samaroh’.

·   Conducting ‘SYG Marriage Bureau’.

·   Arranging ‘Blood Donation’ and ‘General Medical’ Camps.

·   Organising ‘Felicitation Ceremony’ for the students undertaking higher studies and for the young boys and girls selected for Government jobs.

Forth coming programmes of Sipai Samaj Trust

·   To build Hostels for community pupils.

·   Enhancement in scholarship amount.

·   To start awarding scholarships to the yatim children of the ‘Samaj’.

·   To organise Medical Camps, Blood Donation Camps, Educational Seminars and Career Guidance Programmes, hand-in-hand, by the ‘Jamats’ in the whole of Gujarat.

ગુજરાતી

“Sipahi community in the context of Bakshi Panch Report  of 1976”

     One Commission was formed by the Government on 8^th August 1972 to compile data of the socially and educationally backward people and a Secretary was appointment for the same on 20^th December 1972. Shri A. R. Bakshi was at the helm of this Commission as Chairman. Main task of the Commission was to collect and compile data of the people socially and educationally backward in the State and hand over the same to the Government. Commission moved from village to village, studied for more than three years, prepared a Report and submitted it to State Government in the year 1976. State Government started implementation of the Bakshi Commission Report from 1978.

     Our ‘Sipahi’ community has been placed at Sr. No. 68 on the list of this Bakshi Panch which is referred to as Sipai, Pattani Jamat and Turk Jamat (all Muslims). Report of Bakshi Commission on Sipai, Pattni Jamat and Turk Jamat speaks as follows.

“SIPAI”

    Sipahis are Muslims and probably are settled in India before third or fourth Century and were working in Police Force of the Moghal Kings. May be, some of them, while working in Police Force of the Monarch, converted to Muslim religion, were local peoples, Majority of Sipai population is situated mainly in Saurashtra and Ahmedabad district. A large portion of Sipai population dwell in raw houses or hutments. Most of them do not have enough facilities for dwellings due to poor wretched economic conditions.

    Main occupation of this community was to work in Police Force. And even today many of them serve Police department. Previously in the Monarchial States, they were used to serve as “Sipai”. But in the present days, some of them work as Peons and some do jobs like indigenous cigar rollers, hotel boys, horse -carriage runners etc. Their monthly income per family was hardly to the tune of Rs.100/- to 200/- (this income is of the of the time of Bakshi Panch Report, 1978). Many of them had to suffer a lot in the matter of employment owing to abolition of Monarchy. And they had no alternative but to accept smaller professions and services. A large number of women in this community observe “Purdah” system due to which they are unable to easily augment to the income of their families by working in open. This community resort to ‘Pir’ out of superstitions on some event like long illness in the family etc.

    Literacy percentage in this ‘Sipai’ community is hardly 10 to 20% and, in women folk, it is still lower than that. Percentage of secondary and higher secondary education is abysmally low. Poor economic condition leads and forces younger generations of the boy to earn living by doing jobs as hotel boys or do some sort of the laborious work as a result of which they are deprived of the rights of medium and higher educations. Stricken by the circumstances they are forced to live in hutment and slum areas. They have remained deprived of leading a cultured, cultural and educated life. Some of them, at certain locations, have become addicted to liquor. ‘Sipai’ community in the region of Saurashtra was considered as  Other Backward Class.