RAMGARHIAS: SILENTLY ENGINEERED GREEN REVOLUTION

Outrageously Yours
Jul 11
3 min read

No Recognition. No Awards. But Proudly Kept Their Heads High

This Write up Salutes the Ramgarhia Community for Ensuring No Food Bowl Remains Empty

When India turned from famine to food surplus in the 1960s and ’70s, Punjab stood tall as the land where the Green Revolution took root. Much of the credit rightly went to the Jat Sikh farmers, whose willingness to adopt new crops, fertilizers, and machines changed the agricultural landscape. But behind every running tractor, every functioning borewell, and every thresher that didn’t break down mid-season stood another set of hands — less visible, less celebrated, but no less vital.

The Ramgarhias. Punjab’s born engineers. The mechanics of the Green Revolution.

🔴 WHY THE NAME RAMGARHIA?

The name ‘Ramgarhia’ was earned, not inherited. It traces back to the towering 18th-century Sikh general and engineer, Jassa Singh Ramgarhia—who fortified the Ram Rauni Fort in Amritsar, later renamed ‘Ramgarh’ in his honour. His engineering acumen, battle courage, and civilizational vision gave birth to a community identity rooted in both courage and craft.

🌍 THE MACHINERY MOVED BECAUSE THEY MADE IT WORK

While landowners reaped the harvest, Ramgarhias kept the machines that enabled that harvest running, welded, modified, and battle-ready. They didn’t just repair; they adapted, customized, and built anew. Their workshops became the lifeline of Punjab’s farm economy.

Tube wells installed and re-installed
Tractor engines re-bored overnight
Combine blades reshaped to suit soil types
Mechanical units fabricated locally to replace imported parts

These weren’t educated engineers. They were inherited engineers — trained on the shop floor, by fathers, uncles, and community pride.

🌍 RAMGARHIA GENIUS: ROOTED IN HISTORY

Descended from a tradition of carpentry, smithing, and military craftsmanship, the Ramgarhias were problem solvers by instinct. Their legacy dates back to Jassa Singh Ramgarhia, the fort builder and warrior. Their skills translated seamlessly to the needs of a modernizing Punjab. Their value lay not in speeches or slogans — but in a culture of competence.

🌍 THE JAT-RAMGARHIA EQUATION: PARALLEL, NOT HIERARCHICAL

While Jat farmers were rightly seen as the face of the revolution, Ramgarhias were its operational backbone.

The Jats brought the land, courage, and openness to change
The Ramgarhias brought the tools, the hands, and the technical instinct

Their interactions weren’t always easy. Ramgarhias carried strong self-respect, often uncomfortable with feudal attitudes. But when machines broke and crops were at stake — those caste lines blurred, because only the mechanic could save the harvest.

🌍 FROM PUNJAB TO AFRICA, BURMA, AND THE UK:

THE RAMGARHIA DIASPORA THAT BUILT EMPIRES

The Green Revolution was just one chapter. Their real legacy stretches across continents, quietly powering economies wherever they were taken — or chose to go.

In East Africa:

Taken by the British to Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania as bridge builders, mechanics, railway staff
Built railways, factories, shops — often from scratch

In Burma (Myanmar):

Shell employed Ramgarhias to drill oil, lay pipelines, and maintain rigs
Chosen for mechanical discipline and ingenuity

In the UK:

After the 1970s Uganda expulsion, many resettled in Leicester, Birmingham, Southall
Became small industry backbones: welding shops, auto repair, scaffolding
Built gurdwaras, schools, and housing societies

🌍 GIANI ZAIL SINGH: THE RAMGARHIA WHO ROSE WITHOUT REINVENTION

India’s only Sikh President, Giani Zail Singh, was a Ramgarhia by caste and a carpenter by training. Rising from Faridkot village to Rashtrapati Bhavan, he lacked polish but not presence. He didn’t hide his identity. He brought it with him.