‘Maru Dharmaj’: Gujarati Patidar diaspora and transnational engagement

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article examines the transnational engagement of the Gujarati Patidar diaspora with its village of origin—Dharmaj, India—through return visits. ‘Dharmaj Day’ is a homecoming event that demonstrates how return visits shape and are shaped by migrant subjectivity concerning the Patidar diaspora. It analyzes the emergence of Dharmaj Day, the experiences of the Gujarati Patidar diaspora regarding this day, and Dharmaj Day as a transnational field based on a phenomenological approach. In-depth interviews with transmigrants and Dharmaj residents revealed that Dharmaj Day originated from the return visits of the transmigrants, strengthening transnational networks established between the two groups to share difficulties faced abroad and to reminisce about the home or the ‘gam’ (village). Simultaneously, Dharmaj day highlights the status of the Gujarati Patidar diaspora in transnational networks and strengthens their hold over Dharmaj, thereby deepening social divisions. Concurrently, it also makes the village and residents ‘transnational’.