Note 55 — Glossary

Kundera, Kharādi.—A small caste of wood-turners akin to the Barhais or carpenters. In 1911 the caste numbered 120 persons, principally in Saugor. When asked for the name of their caste they not infrequently say that they are Rājpūts; but they allow widows to remarry, and their social customs and position are generally the same as those of the Barhais. Both names of the caste are functional, being derived from the Hindi kund, and the Arabic kharāt, a lathe. Some of them abstain from flesh and liquor, and wear the sacred thread, merely with a view to improve their social position. The Kunderas make toys from the dūdhi (Holarrhena antidysenterica) and huqqa stems from the wood of the khair or catechu tree. The toys are commonly lacquered, and the surface is smoothed with a dried leaf of the kevara tree.55 They also make chessmen, wooden flutes and other articles.