People are generally confused when they hear about Jatts and Jaats. Is Jatt and Jaat the same thing? If not, how are they different? Where are they from? Is it Punjab or is it Haryana? It’s a common dilemma. Well me being a Jaat, I have had to face this issue a lot and have had to explain it to people every time. So here it is.
Originally, there was only one caste known as ‘Jats’, a traditionally agricultural community (kisaans as we call them) in Northern India and Pakistan.
Later on ‘Jats’ got divided into three different communities based on the religion they chose to follow.
In western Punjab, the Jats became primarily Muslim, in eastern Punjab, Sikh (Jatts), and in the areas between Haryana, Delhi Territory and Agra, primarily Hindu (Jaats).
Though over the years, several Jats have abandoned agriculture in favour of urban jobs. A large number of Jat people serve in the Indian Army, including the Jat Regiment, Sikh Regiment, etc.
Most of the Jatts speak Punjabi and almost all of them are non-vegetarians.
Jaats are from Haryana, UP and Rajasthan. They speak Haryanvi and are mostly vegetarians.
The Jatts form nearly 25% of the population of Punjab. Many of them are land owners and are popularly known as ‘Zamindars’. The followers of Sikhism offer their services in Gurudwaras and provide food to all.
So that’s all you need to know about the differences between a Jatt and a Jaat. And if you can’t remember all that, then just know that a Jatt is a Whiskey lover & a Jaat is a Hookah lover!
Though you can’t really differentiate between them through looks. Just like Randeep Hooda is a Jaat and Abhey Deol is a Jatt. Who knew?