Page:The People of India — a series of photographic illustrations, with descriptive letterpress, of the races and tribes of Hindustan Vol 2.djvu/162

 RAM PERSAD—MUHAJUN. (100.)

ROWN eyes, complexion rather dark, black hair, light blue satin dress, edged with gold embroidery from Delhi, rich Cashmere shawl, yellow tuurban; height five feet eight inches.

Ram Persad is a Bukal and an Ugurwallah by caste, and a Muhajun or banker by profession. He is the richest native in Allahabad, and being an Ugurwallah, would not object to intermarry with the Suragee caste, which class are greatly disliked by all other Hindoos, on account of their worshipping an obscene image earned about on certain occasions (when permitted to do so). The Ugairwallahs are Hindoos, and are worshippers of Vishnu in his incarnation of Krishna. They are not migratory, and bear a good character for honesty. They eat no flesh of any land, nor drink either spirits or wine; but live principally on milk, butter-milk, sweetmeats, pulse, wheaten and barley bread, rice, and vegetables, cooked in many savoury dishes.

The Ugurwallah Muhajuns are a respectable but self complacent class of men, imbued with that pride of wealth, which is often found to exist amongst people of the same profession in other countries of the world. They are famous in India for the correctness and universality of their exchange and bill transactions, and for their industry as merchants of money. Many of the class are men of enormous wealth, and then- agencies extend all over India. In loan transactions they have the reputation of being usurious, and of being also hard and exacting creditors; they seldom grant private loans except upon deposits of jewels or gold, or upon mortgage of landed property, and are remarkably strict and precise in all their transactions. The caste is said to hold together like Quakers, and to assist members who are in difficulties. They do not readily join with other professional bankers in public loans, preferring to act independently and upon their own established principles, which the discipline of the caste does not allow to be infringed. They recognise and support the authority of Deans of Guild, according to the most ancient Hindoo principles, and their disputes are almost invariably referred to Punchayets, or arbitrations among themselves, in preference to resorting to courts of justice.