Vikas Rawal
Sikar,
situated in Shekhawati region of Rajasthan, has a glorious history of peasant
struggles. From 1920s through 1960s, peasants of Sikar fought successfully
against the jagirdars.
Sikar had an extremely oppressive jagirdari
regime under the Raja of Sikar and peasants worked under a huge burden of taxes
(lag) and obligation
to provide unpaid labour and military services (bag). It was on account of peasant struggles that started
in the early 1920s and culminated with abolition of the Jagirdari system
in the 1950s that sharecroppers in Sikar got ownership (khatedari) rights over land.