Dheevara (caste) explained

Dheevara is a grouping of fishing castes from the Kerala state of South India.

They are designated as Other Eligible Community by the State Govt of Kerala.

Etymology

The word Dheevara is of Sanskrit origin, and has been used to describe fishermen in Gautama Dharmasutra and Mahabharata. The Dheevara community was formed by Arayan, Valan and other castes to lobby for the fishers' rights, and to seek caste-based reservations in government jobs. The members of the community formed "Akhila Kerala Dheevara Sabha"(AKDS) andDheevara Mahasabha ("Dheevara Great Assembly"), which are politically powerful organizations.

Listed castes

The following castes are categorized as "Dheevara" in the Government's list of Other Backward Classes:^{[1] [2]}

See also

• Dhimar
• Fishing communities in Maharashtra

References

Bibliography

• Book: Sathyapalan, Jyothis . Svein Jentoft and Ratana Chuenpagdee . Interactive Governance for Small-Scale Fisheries: Global Reflections . Governability Challenges in Sustaining Small-Scale fisheries in an Urban Context: A study of Cochin Backwaters . https://books.google.com/books?id=5VrACQAAQBAJ&pg=PA90 . 2015 . Springer . 978-3-319-17034-3 .
• Book: Singh, Kumar Suresh . People of India . 25 . Anthropological Survey of India . 2003 . 9788173041181 .
• Castes and Tribes of Southern India Edgar Thurston Castes And Tribes Of Southern India Vol.7 (t-z) http://www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/edgar-thurston/castes-and-tribes-of-southern-india-volume-7-ala.shtml

Notes and References

1. Web site: Central List of OBCs for the state of Kerala . National Commission for Backward Classes . 18 May 2016 .
2. Web site: List of Other Eligible Classes in Kerala State . Kerala Public Service Commission . 18 May 2016 .