A village of migrants, Kullian has 1,271 registered voters

Manmeet Singh Gill

Khadoor Sahib, June 3

From a hamlet in Uttar Pradesh during the British era to the present village of Kullian near Majitha, it has been a story of grit and determination for migrants who have made this land their new home. The over 2,000 residents of the village at present are descendants of migrant workers brought by the British for the digging of Upper Bari Doab Canal (UBDC), lifeline of the present canal irrigation system, and to lay the railway tracks.

Nirmala Devi, one of the residents who traces her origin to UP, said, “Our ancestors were the people who built the big canal and the tracks with their hands. While coming back from areas which are now in Pakistan after completing work there, our ancestors chose to settle down here.” They made these shanties of grass which were called a ‘kulli’ , and hence, the name ‘Kullian’ was given to this settlement by the locals. Nirmala Devi has been the village Sarpanch for the last 10 years.

Colloquially, the village is also known as ‘Bhaiyya da Pind’ as migrants from UP and Bihar are often referred to by the local population.

Another resident Ram Aasre said, “Most residents of this village are descendants of migrants who started their journey from Pratapgarh and Allahabad area of UP. Though we are Scheduled Castes here, actually we are from a Rajput clan.” He said that their connection with UP nowadays is mostly to find a bride or groom for their children.

Says Booth Level Officer (BLO) Amrit Lal who is also from the same village, “Usually, people marry their children in same caste. If we can find a match for them here, then it is good, but if not then we have relatives and connections in UP.” He said that in terms of politics, people of the village are more concerned about local issues and not what is happening in their native land. “We are completely localised now as we have been living here for at least six generations. Our young generations are not even aware of our roots,” he said.

Amrit Lal said that the village has a total of 1,271 registered voters. “We do not have a school in our village and hence our polling booth has been set up in Daddupura village,” he said, adding that residents of the village cultivate nearly 200 acres of land and are into all professions.