We Are More Than Our Map: A Soldier’s Plea for Tribal Recognition
By Brig. Daleep Singh Chhajta (Retd.)
I come from Ghyan, a tiny village tucked in the highlands of Jubbal.
A population of just 45—yes, just 45 souls—but what we’ve given to this nation is nothing short of extraordinary.
Over 40 professionals have emerged from this little hamlet.
Army officers, IITians from Roorkee, Kharagpur, and Allahabad, school teachers, PhDs working in the US and Australia, police officers, and doctors, including an Army doctor like myself.
All of us walked the same narrow path from Ghyan to the Government school in Sawra, which has now grown into a senior secondary school.
We had no privilege. No private schools. No city coaching. No shortcuts. Just steep climbs, long walks, modest homes, and unshakeable willpower.
Our roots may be simple, but our pedigree is strong.
Let me give you some perspective on our lineage and demographics. My father had three brothers—two had children, one didn’t.
Among them, only one of my step-grandfathers had a son. That son is my step-chachu.
We are not a large community by numbers, but we are bonded by resilience and a distinct way of life.
We live in a region where survival itself is an achievement. And yet, we have stayed out of trouble.
In all these decades, we had only one case of criminal record—a man who worked as an auto driver in Delhi and served 14 years.
One person, in the entire community. The rest? Law-abiding, hardworking, and deeply committed to nation-building.
Given our remote location, scattered population, tough terrain, and historically deprived status, I strongly believe our area—especially parts of Chopal, Pabbar Valley, including Dodra Kuar, Rohru, Chirgaon, and our region beyond Jubbal—deserves inclusion in the tribal zone.
This isn’t a political pitch. It’s a justified call for recognition.
If regions with far better access and connectivity can be categorized under tribal status, then what stops our neglected, underfunded, and still-forgotten villages from being considered the same?
I appeal to the policymakers, the state leadership, and the central government—look at our record, look at our roots, and look at our resilience.
We don’t seek sympathy; we seek justice. Give our children what they deserve: a chance to grow with dignity, with the rightful support that comes with tribal status.
Let this story be more than a Sunday read. Let it be the beginning of a correction in history.
#TribalStatusNow #ForgottenVillages #JusticeForPabbarValley #HimachalDeservesBetter #VoicesFromTheHills
