Jemadar or jamadar (Hindustani: जमादार; جمعدار) is a title used for various military and other officials in the Indian subcontinent.
Etymology
The word stems from
Urdu (جمعدار), which derives through
Persian language jam'dar from
Arabic jamā‘a(t) 'muster' +
Persian language -dār 'holder'.
Pre-colonial
A jemadar was originally an armed official of a
zamindar (feudal
lord) in India who, like a
General officer, and along with
, was in charge of fighting and conducting
warfare, mostly against the rebellious peasants and common people who lived on the lord's land.
Also, this rank was used among the
thuggees as well, usually the gang leader.
Later, it became a military rank used in the British Indian Army, where it was the lowest rank for a Viceroy's commissioned officer. Jemadars either commanded or themselves or assisted their United Kingdom commander. They also filled positions such as assistant quartermaster (jemadar quartermaster) or assistant adjutant (jemadar adjutant).
Post-colonial
The rank remained in use in the
Indian Army until 1965 as the lowest rank of junior commissioned officer. The rank of jemadar was later renamed in both the Indian Army and the
Pakistan Army as
naib subedar in infantry units, and
naib risaldar in cavalry and armoured corps units. Jemadar remains a warrant officer rank in the
Nepal Army.
Other uses
-
Jemadar was also used in other contexts to denote Indian 'captains', like the leaders of thuggee bands who strangled travellers.
[Mike Dash, Thug: the true story of India's murderous cult, , 2005]
-
Jemadar was used as a rank title for an Indian inspector in the Shanghai Municipal Police
-
The name inspired that of the Star Trek enslaved warrior race known as the "Jem'Hadar"
-
In the future of Edgar Rice Burroughs' novel The Moon Men, "Jemadar" was a title of a ruler, implied to have been brought to Earth by the Lunar invaders.
See also
-
Koli rebellions
-
List of Koli people
-
List of Koli states and clans
-
Hatem Ali Jamadar (1872–1982), Bengali politician
-
Peter Jamadar, Trinidadian judge
