Chinawal facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Chinawal
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Village
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 Chinawal
Location in Maharashtra
Chinawal
Location in India
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| Country |  India |
| State | Maharashtra |
| District | Jalgaon district |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.05 km2 (0.41 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 246 m (807 ft) |
| Population
(2011)
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| • Total | 11,747 |
| • Density | 11,000/km2 (30,000/sq mi) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Khandeshi, Hindi, Marathi |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN |
425505
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| Telephone code | 91-2584 |
| Vehicle registration | MH-19 |
| Sex ratio | 901 ♂/♀ |
| Literacy | 84.25%% |
Chinawal is a lively village in the Jalgaon district of Maharashtra state, India. It sits at the base of the Satpura range, where the weather is usually hot and dry. This busy village is surrounded by flat land with rich, dark soil.
Even with many people living and farming here, you can still find nature. Look for neem trees, tree squirrels, and gracula birds. Villagers use modern agriculture methods to grow lots of crops, especially bananas. The Government of Maharashtra and other groups have noticed their success.
Chinawal is also known for its good schools. There are schools that teach in Marathi, Urdu, and English. They offer education from kindergarten all the way to higher secondary school. Students can stay in hostels and use school buses, which makes it easier for everyone to learn.
The people of Chinawal love their food! Some favorite dishes include 'vangyache bharit' (a dish made from eggplant), urad dal, shev bhaji, puran poli, and kheer.
Contents
What is Chinawal's Geography Like?
Chinawal village is located at 21°11′46″N 75°55′36″E / 21.1962°N 75.9267°E in the Raver area of Jalgaon district, Maharashtra, India. It is about 246 meters (810 feet) above sea level. The village is at the foot of the Satpura range in the north-east of the Deccan Traps region.
The land around the village is mostly flat, without many hills. The soil is rich, like loam or clay, and comes from volcanoes. This soil is great for growing crops like cotton and bananas. You'll see many neem trees around the village, along streets, and at the edges of farms. They provide good shade in the hot summer.
How is Chinawal Village Managed?
Chinawal village has made great progress since its local government, called the gram panchayat, was set up in 1936. The whole village has electricity. A group called Shikshan Prasarak Mandal has built many school buildings and places for students to stay.
The village is famous for growing bananas. In 2004, officials from the Kerala government visited Chinawal to learn about their banana farming. In 2011, farmers from Haryana also came to study their successful farming methods.
In 2013, Chinawal village won an award for being a "Dispute-Free Village" from the Maharashtra government. This means they are good at solving problems peacefully. However, some challenges remain. For example, in 2012, health officials said the drinking water in Chinawal was not safe because of general unclean conditions.
Roads leading to Chinawal and other villages are often in poor condition. This makes it hard to transport bananas and affects the village's economy. Also, villagers and farmers often face long power cuts every day. This means farmers cannot water their fields regularly, which hurts their crops.
Who Gets Elected in Chinawal?
Chinawal holds elections for its local government, called the gram panchayat. Here are some of the people who have been elected to lead the village:
- Gram panchayat elections
| Year | Sarpanch | Deputy Sarpanch |
|---|---|---|
| Damodar Yadav Mahajan | ||
| 2007-12 | Ujwala Bhangale | Shaikh Samsuddin Shaikh Kutubuddin |
| 2012-15 | Surekha Narendra Patil | Shaikh Kalim Shaikh Nyajuddin |
| 2016-17 |
In December 2012, 17 members were elected to the gram panchayat. These included:
- Surekha Narendra Patil
- Shaikh Kalim Shaikh Nyajuddin
- Manish Sharad Borole
- Jayashri Nitin Patil
- Chandrashekhar Sudhakar Kirange
- Manisha Sunil Bhalerao
- Sanjivani Sharad Bonde
- Chandrakant Dongar Bhangale
- Rekha Jitendra Nemade
- Begum Sandu Tadavi
- Suresh Girdhar Garase
- Vinod Pundlik Bavaskar
- Shaikh Azgar Shaikh Siraj
- Gauri Yogesh Bangale
- Yogesh Suresh Borole
- Madhuri Yuvraj Mahajan
- Asha Kamlakar Nemade
- Panchayat samiti and Zilla parishad
| Year | Gan | Panchayat Samiti Member | Party | Gat | Zill Parishad Member | Party |
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| 2007-12 | Chinawal | Yogesh Janardhan Bhangale | INC | Chinawal-Khiroda | Tanuja Srikant Sarode | BJP |
| 2012-17 | Chinawal | Gopal Lakshman Nemade | BJP | Chinawal-Khiroda | Pushpa Prakash Tayade | INC |
How Many People Live in Chinawal?
In 1951, Chinawal village had 4,720 people living in 977 homes. Most of them, about 3,866 villagers, depended on farming for their living.
By 2011, the population of Chinawal had grown a lot, to 11,747 people. There were 2,738 homes. Out of the total population, 6,180 were males and 5,567 were females. This means there were 901 females for every 1,000 males.
About 1,403 children in the village were between 0 and 6 years old. If you don't count these young children, the average literacy rate (people who can read and write) in the village was 84.25%. This is higher than the national average for India. About 89.13% of males and 78.86% of females in the village can read and write.
Many villagers belong to a group called Leva Patil. Some villagers are from scheduled castes (1,335 people) and scheduled tribes (618 people). Out of 4,311 working villagers, many work in agriculture. The village is quite crowded, with about 11,000 people living in each square kilometer. Chinawal is the most populated village in its area.
What About Religion in Chinawal?
Most people in Chinawal are religious. Hindu villagers believe in one main god, but they also worship many different deities and saints. In most Hindu homes, you can find a small temple or pictures of gods like Lakshmi, Shiva-Parvati, Vithoba, Ganesha, and Dattatreya.
Daily prayers are simpler now, often just lighting a lamp and incense. The village has temples like Ram mandir, Maruti mandir, and Mahadev mandir. Some villagers visit these temples daily, while others go during festivals. Muslim villagers pray five times a day and many fast during the month of Ramzan.
The old practice of untouchability has ended in Chinawal. People from all groups can now do any work they choose. While caste still matters in personal life, there is no public discrimination. Inter-caste marriages are still rare.
Many old traditions are changing. For example, the influence of priests is less than it used to be. Schools teach science and logical thinking, which has changed how people view some old customs. TV and cellphones have also brought new forms of entertainment. Some old practices like pravachan (religious talks), bhajan (devotional songs), and kirtan (storytelling with music) are less common now.
However, some traditions remain strong, and new ones have become popular. Fireworks and electric lights are now part of Vijayadashami and Diwali celebrations. Ganesh Chaturthi and Navratri have become big public festivals with music and dance. The Holi festival, which was not very common before, is now celebrated by teenagers with colors. Other festivals like Krishna Janmashtami, Gudhi Padva, and Raksha Bandhan are still celebrated.
Most Muslims in the Jalgaon district were originally Hindus who converted to Islam over many centuries. Some are descendants of Arabs. They all follow Islam, but their food, clothes, and homes show local cultural influences. Ramzan Eid, Bakri Eid, and Eid-e-Milad are their biggest festivals. On Ramzan Eid, Muslims traditionally share a sweet dish called Sheer khurma with their Hindu friends.
The Ram Mandir in Chinawal was built around 1863. There has been a long-standing disagreement about its property between a charitable trust and some villagers.
How Do People Travel in Chinawal?
Chinawal village is well connected to nearby villages and cities. You can travel by MSRTC buses and auto rickshaws using eight different roads. These roads connect Chinawal to places like Waghoda, Kochur, and Khiroda.
The Shahada - Raver Maharashtra State Highway Number 4 is just 3 km south of Chinawal. The closest train station is 30 km away in Bhusawal city. Raver, the main town of the area, is 18 km away, and the district city of Jalgaon is about 56 km away. Mumbai, the state capital, is 400 km southwest of Chinawal.
What is Chinawal's Economy Like?
Most villagers in Chinawal work in agriculture. Out of 4,311 working people, 3,187 are involved in farming, and 1,124 do other jobs. More than 60% of the money in the village comes from farm products.
Around 1890, a farmer near Chinawal found an old Roman coin. This coin was from the time of Roman Emperor Septimius Severus (193 A.D.-211 A.D.). This discovery suggests that the Roman Empire traded cotton with this part of India a long time ago.
Chinawal village and the Jalgaon district are famous for growing bananas today. However, this wasn't always the case. Old records from the 16th century do not mention banana farming in this area. In the past, during the British period, Chinawal was known for its handloom weaving and making good quality cloth, not bananas. Weavers worked long hours, making clothes to be sold in markets.
Banana Farming in Chinawal
The main crops grown by farmers are bananas and cotton, with bananas being the most important. Crops harvested during the monsoon season are called Kharif crops. Water for winter crops (rabi crops) comes from wells. Years ago, farmers used a lot of water for irrigation, which made the water levels in wells drop.
Now, thanks to awareness programs, farmers use modern methods like drip irrigation and fertigation to save water and grow more crops. This has helped increase banana yields from 15 kg to almost 30 kg per plant. About 99% of banana farms in Chinawal use drip irrigation, producing about 65 tonnes per hectare.
Maharashtra grows bananas on 72,000 hectares of land, and the Raver area contributes 22,000 hectares. These bananas, including those from Chinawal, are sent to north India by trucks and trains. Raver has special train stations just for loading bananas.
However, farmers face challenges. Banana prices can change a lot, and crops can be damaged by heat or storms. Power cuts also stop farmers from watering their fields. Plant diseases can also cause problems. In 2012, the government started offering weather-based crop insurance for bananas, which helps farmers with losses. But the changing market prices for bananas are still a concern.
Other Crops and Jobs
After bananas, farmers also grow cotton, wheat, and jwari. For pulses, they grow harbhara, udid daal, toor daal, bhui mug, and mung daal. Other popular crops include teel, maka, soybean, and bajri. Rice is not grown in Chinawal. Some farmers have started growing turmeric and potatoes as new options.
The Satpura range is 10 km from Chinawal, so water from the Suki dam cannot reach the farms directly. To solve this, eight wells near the Suki River are refilled with water. This helps increase the water level in 600 wells in Chinawal and nearby villages, providing water for farms.
Not all farmers can afford modern farm machines. Only a few own tractors and threshers, which they rent to others. Tractors are used for tough work like tilling the soil. Later, ox-driven ploughs are used for planting and controlling weeds.
Farmers keep some of their crops for themselves and sell the rest in markets in Raver and Savda. Other village needs like spices, oil, and medicine are sold by local shopkeepers. A market is held regularly in Chinawal where traders sell various goods. Many villagers also have non-farming jobs, such as raising dairy cattle for milk, running retail stores, offering services, or working in healthcare.
What About Education in Chinawal?
Schools in Chinawal follow the 10+2+3 education system of Maharashtra.
- Primary education (1st to 5th grade)
- Upper primary (6th to 8th grade)
- High school (9th to 10th grade)
Students take state-level exams called SSC at the end of 10th grade and HSC at the end of 12th grade. After these exams, students can look for jobs or continue their studies. They can go to college for three more years to get degrees like B.Sc., B.Com., or B.A., or study for degrees like B.E. (Engineering) or MBBS (Medicine).
Since 2009, all children aged 6–14 receive free education. The government pays for textbooks, uniforms, and transportation. Schools must have at least two trained teachers for every 60 students. Schools have 145 vacation days each year.
Chinawal has two primary schools for elementary education up to 4th grade in Marathi language: the Zila Parishad boys' school and girls' school. For English medium primary education, there is Nutan Prathamik Vidya Mandir. Education from 5th to 12th grade is provided by Nutan Madhyamik Vidyalaya. This school has its own buses for students from nearby villages and offers hostel accommodation. There is also a privately supported Urdu medium school called Khizar Urdu High School.
Nutan Madhyamik Vidyalaya is an exam center for SSC and HSC exams, so students from other nearby schools also come here to take their tests. The school has a very high passing rate for these exams, often over 90%. Khizar Urdu High School also has good passing rates.
Recently, Shikshan Prasarak Mandal started an industrial training institute in Chinawal. They are also working on a college for teacher training. Most educational facilities in Chinawal, except for the Zila Parishad primary schools and Khizar Urdu High School, are run by Shikshan Prasarak Mandal. The closest college for higher degrees is Dhanaji Nana College in Faizpur, which is 7 km away.
What is Chinawal's Culture Like?
How Do People Dress?
The way men dress in Chinawal has changed. Old styles like white turbans, Gandhi caps, and traditional loose clothes have mostly been replaced by modern shirts, T-shirts, and pants. For women, old styles like the nauvari sari and traditional jewelry have largely been replaced by regular saris, petticoats, blouses, and salwars. Women still wear a mangalsutra, but the traditional red dot (kunku) has mostly been replaced by a bindi.
Muslim men's clothing is similar to Hindu men's, unless they wear a taqiyah (cap), sherwani, or keep a beard. Muslim women usually wear a hijab.
What Do People Eat?
The main foods for villagers are Indian breads like bhakri and poli, eaten with different types of bhaji. For weddings and festivals, special dishes like varan-poli (lentil soup with bread) and vangyachi bhaji (eggplant curry) are popular. Baigan bharta, urad dal curry, shev bhaji, pooran-poli, and kheer are also favorite festive foods. Thecha-bhakri is a quick meal, easy to prepare and take to the farms. Non-vegetarian villagers prefer goat meat over chicken. Generally, most dishes from Maharashtrian cuisine are part of the villagers' meals.
What Games Do Kids Play?
Children in the village play many games. Younger kids (4-10) enjoy simple games like running and tagging, swinging on ropes, pretending to be trains or horses, rolling old bicycle tires, playing with marbles, and red hands. Older children play games like abadhabi, lapandav (hide-and-seek), aandhali kosimbir (blind man's buff), bhavra (spinning top), kite-flying, volleyball, badminton, and musical chairs. Girls often play skipping rope, hopscotch, fugdi, and sagargote.
Traditional school games include Kho kho, kabaddi, viti-dandu, langdi, and atya patya. Lately, children also enjoy video games on phones and computers. Many traditional games are becoming less popular as cricket has become the most favored game, played almost everywhere.
Entertainment has also changed over time. In the past, religious performances like bhajan, kirtan, and pravachan were major sources of fun. Shows like Tamasha and lavani were popular with younger people. After 1950, these were slowly replaced by radios, movies, cassette players, and then television, computers, and cellphones. Bollywood films and TV have greatly changed entertainment in the village. Some old religious performances still happen, but mostly for religious reasons, not just for fun.
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