Busal
Encyclopedia
Mandi Bahauddin District
Mandi Bahauddin is a district of the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is located at 32°34'60N 73°30'0E and is bounded on the northwest by the Jhelum River, on the South-East by the Chenab River which separates it from Gujranwala District and Gujrat District and on the southwest by Sargodha District...
of Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
Geography
Busal is located 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi) off the GujratGujrat
Gujrat is a city in Pakistan. It is the capital of Gujrat District and the Gujrat Tehsil subdivision in the Punjab Province. People living in Gujrat refer to themselves as Gujratis, which sometimes leads to confusion with people from the Indian state of Gujarat which adjoins Pakistan...
-Sargodha
Sargodha
Sargodha is a city in the Sargodha District of Punjab province, Pakistan.Sargodha is located in the northwest of Pakistan. It is the eleventh largest city of Pakistan and also known as Pakistan's best citrus-producing area. It is an agricultural trade centre with various industries...
road, south of Gojra
Gojra
Gojra , the capital of Gojra Tehsil, is a city of Toba Tek Singh District in the Punjab province of Pakistan, it is located at 31°9'N 72°41'E and is located 30 miles from Faisalabad, 125 km from Burewala, 157 km from Vehari and north of Toba Tek Singh...
, and is nearly 29 kilometres (18 mi) from Mandi Bahauddin
Mandi Bahauddin
Mandi Bahauddin is the capital of Mandi Bahauddin District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The town is some 220 metres above the sea level and is situated in upper Punjab, between the rivers Jhelum and Chenab . Mandi Bahauddin city is situated some 50 km from the M2 - Motorway of...
. Malikwal
Malikwal
Malikwal is a village of Mandi Bahauddin District in the Punjab province of Pakistan.-References:...
, the Tehsil headquarters, is 25 kilometres (15.5 mi) north of Busal. Busal is located in Jech Doab
Jech Doab
The Jech Doab, can be classified as one of the main region of Punjab. Punjab historically has been divided into regions based on its various rivers, since the name Punjab is based on its 5 main rivers. The Jech doaba include the area between the Jhelum River and Chenab rivers, it is the southern...
(the plain between the Rivers Jhelum
Jhelum
Jhelum or Jehlum may refer to:* Jhelum, a city in Pakistan on the banks of the Jhelum River* Jhelum District, an administrative division in Punjab, Pakistan surrounding the city of Jhelum...
and Chenab). Busal consists of seven settlements: Sukkha, Masoor, Nuryana, Jand, Nakkaywala, Chhanni Hashim and Ghumnann. Sukkha and Masoor are the cultural, population, and financial centres of the Busal area.
History
The time period at which Busal was first settled is unknown, but local legend holds that the name of the founder was Busal, who settled in the area during the reign of Mughal Emperor Jalal ud-Din Muhammad Akbar (1542-1605) and had relations with the Emperor. The Emperor gave him a large estate called Sooba Busal. Busal had three sons named Sukkha, Masoor, and Noor, for which three of the settlements are named. An irrigation department rest house was built outside Busal in 1915, and a police station was established in 1935. A system of canals and irrigation channels was built between 1910 and 1944.Demography
Busal has a large and fast-growing population. Due to road improvements, availability of telephone service, and establishment of new schools, people from small neighbouring villages have migrated to Busal. The number of registered voters in Busal is just below 16,000, suggesting that the total population is above 35,000.The majority of the Busal population are Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
belonging to Jatt clan. After independence, Muslim Rajputs
Muslim Rajputs
Muslim Rajputs or Musulman Rajputs are Muslims belonging to the Hindu Rajput Kshatriya groups of Indian subcontinent, who converted to Islam.-History:...
migrated to Busal from the Karnal
Karnal
Karnal is an important city and the headquarters of Karnal District in the Indian state of Haryana.Karnal is said to have been founded by the Kauravas in the Mahabharata era for the king Karna, a mythological hero and a key figure in the epic tale...
district of East Punjab (now a district in Haryana
Haryana
Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...
, India) and have been assimilated into the local population.
Dravidian people who have converted to Islam are called Musalli or "Muslim Sheikhs". Many Musalli perform manual labour under landowners or at brick kilns, casting raw bricks from mud. Many of them are in debt, but a small percentage are educated.
A small population of Pashtuns
Pashtun people
Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...
, mostly emigrants from Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
after the Soviet war in Afghanistan
Soviet war in Afghanistan
The Soviet war in Afghanistan was a nine-year conflict involving the Soviet Union, supporting the Marxist-Leninist government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan against the Afghan Mujahideen and foreign "Arab–Afghan" volunteers...
(1979-1989), exists in the Busal area. A community of traditionally nomadic people, called Deendars, have converted to Islam and settled in suburban areas of Busal.
Busal has been known in the past for crime and conflict, mainly stemming from a lack of education. This has changed due to the construction of government-funded schools.
Main tribes
- Jat: ChadharChadharChadhar is a Punjabi tribe in India and Pakistan. They are both Rajputs and Jats, and are Aryan.This caste should not be confused with another Indian caste spelled similarly, which is found in Madhya Pardesh India and is amongst one of the Indian Scheduled Caste...
, Gondal, LuckLuckLuck or fortuity is good fortune which occurs beyond one's control, without regard to one's will, intention, or desired result. There are at least two senses people usually mean when they use the term, the prescriptive sense and the descriptive sense...
, RanjhaRanjha (tribe)The Ranjha are a gotra of Jat, found in the eastern uplands of Sargodha, Mandi Bahauddin and Gujrat districts, of Punjab, Pakistan. A small number are also found in Jhelum and Gujranwala districts...
, TararTararTarar is a Punjabi tribe and Jat gotra of Northern India and in Punjab province of Pakistan.-Geographical distribution:Tarar is a Goth of Jats that means a sub-caste of Jat clan...
, Waraich - RajputRajputA Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
: Bhatti, GujjarGujjarThe Gurjar are an ethnic group in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Alternative spellings include Gurjara, Gujar, Gurjjara and Gūrjara. The spelling Gurjara or Gurjar is preferable to the rest....
, Janjua, Rao, RanaRana (clan)Rana is a family name, originally a Hindu ancestry now found in all religions such as Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism etc. Rana is a surname used by the Rajputs of India, Pakistan and Nepal... - PathanPashtun peoplePashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...
- MughalMughal (tribe)The term Mughal is simply a Turkic word and many groups in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh use the term Mughal to describe themselves...
- Syeds: Bukhari, Gilani, Kazmi
- BalochBaloch peopleThe Baloch or Baluch are an ethnic group that belong to the larger Iranian peoples. Baluch people mainly inhabit the Balochistan region and Sistan and Baluchestan Province in the southeast corner of the Iranian plateau in Western Asia....
, Butt, MalikMalik (Julaha)The Malik or Malik Julaha are ethnic community found in the Punjab province of Pakistan. They are one of many communities found in South Asia associated with weaving.- History and origin :...
, MirMir (tribe)Mir Hindi: मिर) is a tribe which has descended from the Butt tribe in Kashmir Valley of Baramulla. It is also in Sindh Gilgit and Punjab provinces of Pakistan and India....
, Raja - Muslim Sheikh
Religion
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
, Mian Muhammad Panah, has a following in Busal and nearby villages.
Languages
PunjabiPunjabi language
Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...
, with Shahpuri
Shahpuri
The Shahpuri is a dialect of Punjabi language, named due to the town of Shahpur, currently in Sargodha district. This dialect has been spoken by the people of District Sargodha including Dera Chanpeer Shah, Khushab, Jhang, Mianwali, Attock, parts of Faisalabad , parts of Dera Ismail Khan, Dera...
dialect, is the language predominantly spoken by the people of Busal. The Rajput community speaks their native language Haryanvi, a language closely resembling Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
. Urdu is also spoken and understood by almost entire population.
Economy
The economy largely depends on agriculture; more than 50% of the people work in agriculture. Busal has some of the most fertile lands in Pakistan and farmers are well-off due to excellent production of cash crops like sugar cane, oranges, rice, cotton, and wheat. Other main crops are maize, sarsaun, millet, tobacco, potatoes, guava, and other vegetables.Many people have joined the government and private service sectors, and a large number of young people are living and working abroad in the Gulf States, the United States, Australia, and Europe.
Education
Government Higher Secondary School Busal
Government Higher Secondary School Busal was established in 1905, offering education up to the primary level only. In 1951, with the efforts of social workers like Hakeem Ghulam Ali, the school was promoted to middle level. Ch. Batti Khan Busal, a venerated landowner, donated approximately 33 kanals of land for the project. In 1984, the school was upgraded to high school and in 1986 to intermediate level. Presently around 700 students are enrolled in the school.Recreation
Despite of the fact that Busal is a large village, there is no recreational grounds or playground for children in or around it. Children usually use the school grounds and the graveyard for playing cricketCricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
.
A small canal passes from the east of the village and a larger one from the west side. There used to be recreational swimming in these canals, but now thanks to the villages located upstream, the canals are highly polluted and swimming is no longer an option.
Bangla Busal
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
, Busal Irrigation Rest House or Bangla Busal is located approximately 2 km from Busal Masoor and Sukha. At one time it was well maintained, with a variety of flowers and trees. It also served as a large bird sanctuary. The building and grounds have fallen into disrepair due to lack of interest on the part of the irrigation department, and from people taking things to use as building materials elsewhere. This example of classical architecture has turned into ruins and requires immediate attention to preserve it as a piece of heritage.