Dheer (surname) explained

Dheer (also spelled as Dhir) is a surname found among the Brahmins and Khatris of Punjab.^[1] The Dhirs of Kapurthala descend from Baba Mahya, who was the Guru (teacher) of Guru Amardās of the Sikhs, and is still revered at Dhir weddings.^[2] The word "Dhir" translates to brave.^[3] The Khulasat-ut-Tawarikh, a Persian language book about the history of India and the Mughal Empire was written by Sujan Rai Bhandari, a Dhir Khatri from Batala in Gurdaspur.^[4] The Dhirs of Batala moved there before the end of Akbar's reign as soldiers. Bhai Bula, a Dhir Khatri was a dedicated Sikh of the time of Guru Arjan.^[5] His son, Dayal Das Dhir was martyred during a battle against the Mughals in Amritsar.^[6]

Customs

The Dheers used to marry within Puri, Bhandari, Tuli, Khosla and other clans among Bunjahi (fifty two clans) Khatris; but now they marry with other Khatris, Aroras, Bhatias and Soods.^[7]

As per a legend, a man of the Dhir clan had fought with thieves even after losing his head, seeing his valor a Sidhu Jatt woman kept watching the scene. The woman was rebuked for standing there and tauntingly asked if it was her husband's head. She replied that it was indeed her husband's head and thereafter became a Sati. As a custom, the Dhirs of Ludhiana feast a woman from the Sidhu clan of Jats on the occasion of a birth of a son.

Notable people

• Anuja Dhir, the first non-white judge to be appointed to sit at the Old Bailey court in London
• Ashwni Dhir, director of the TV show "Athithi Tum Kab Jaoge" and producer of "Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah"
• Heena Dhir Kochhar, FPS Haryana State
• Jagdish Lal, born Dhir Jagdish Lal, Indian cricketer
• Kewal Dheer, Indian writer
• Maninder Singh Dhir, Indian politician
• Nikitin Dheer, Indian actor
• Pankaj Dheer, Indian actor who played the role of Karna in the TV series Mahabharat
• Ravinder Kumar Dhir, serving Air Marshal in the Indian Air Force
• Santokh Singh Dhir, Punjabi language writer
• Vijay K. Dhir, former Dean of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

Notes and References

1. Book: K S Singh. Communities, Segments, Synonyms, Surnames and Titles . 1996 . National series. en. 1441. 978-0-19-563357-3 .
2. Book: Dogra . R. C. . Encyclopaedia of Sikh Religion and Culture . Mansukhani . Gobind Singh . 1995 . Vikas Publishing House . 978-0-7069-8368-5 . en.
3. Book: A Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North-West Frontier Province: A.-K . 1997 . Atlantic Publishers & Dist . 978-81-85297-69-9 . en.
4. Book: Ireland, Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and . Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland . 1895 . Cambridge University Press for the Royal Asiatic Society . en.
5. Book: Dilagīra, Harajindara Siṅgha . The Sikh Reference Book . 1997 . Sikh Educational Trust for Sikh University Centre, Denmark . 978-0-9695964-2-4 . en.
6. Book: Gandhi, Surjit Singh . History of Sikh Gurus Retold: 1606-1708 C.E . 2007 . Atlantic Publishers & Dist . 978-81-269-0858-5 . en.
7. Book: Puri, Baij Nath . Baij Nath Puri . The Khatris, a Socio-cultural Study . 1988 . M.N. Publishers and Distributors . en.