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| Kind Dogra rulers abolished beggar system, not introduced it | | ASSEMBLY SESSION | | Rustam
JAMMU, Mar 13: Some Kashmir-based legislators have unleashed a no-holds-barred propaganda blitz against the Dogra rulers, who ruled the state between 1846 and 1947 and handed down to the people a fair administration. The Chief Minister's uncle and former Cabinet Minister Mustafa Kamal and Nazir Ahmed Gurezi are two of them. Both belong to the ruling National Conference. Earlier in 2002, Omar Abdullah had also castigated Maharaja Hari Singh for which his party had to pay a very heavy price in the Jammu province. Its tally in Jammu province had come down to 5 from its earlier tally of 12. In 1996, the NC had captured 12 seats in Jammu province, including four from Jammu district alone. The objective of these NC legislators is, it seems, to not only paint the Dogra rulers black and make the people of Kashmir believe that they were anti-Muslims, but also to set the people of Kashmir against the people of Jammu province.
They have become so irresponsible and arrogant that they have started pouring venom on the Dogra rulers on the floor of the Assembly itself and that, too, in the presence of the Jammu province-based legislators. They indulged in the Dogra-bashing on March 9 in the Assembly, which led to the heated exchange of words between them and the JKNPP and the BJP legislators, with the Jammu-based Congress legislators thinking it prudent to remain silent and it was expected of them, as they seldom speak because they do not want to create any trouble for the government and their alliance partner even if the NC legislators cause an affront to the self-respect of the people of Jammu province; even if they deliberately taunt them. While Kamal called the Dogra rulers as "zalimana (cruel) rulers", Gurezi asserted: "During the Dogra rule, Begar system (system of forced labour) was there in the state."
The accusations of Kamal and Gurezi could be legitimately construed as a willful attack on the Dogra rulers considering the fact that Jammu and Kashmir was, like the princely states of Baroda and Travancore, one of the very few progressive states in the princely India. That the Dogra rulers handed down to the people a modern administrative system or a system based on the rule of law could be verified from the records available with the State Archives Repository, Jammu, and the National Archives of India, Janpath, New Delhi. They introduced modern system of education, sound legal system and humane revenue system. But more than that, they believed in the dignity of labour.
Gurezi says, "During the Dogra rule, Begar system was there in the state." In other words, he sought to create an impression that the Dogra rulers introduced the obnoxious Begar system in the state. Absolutely wrong. It is a distortion of sorts. It's, in fact, murder of history. It appears he and others of his ilk have fallen a victim to the anti-Dogra literature that has been prepared in Kashmir over the period by the biased political scientists. The fact of the matter is that they had only inherited this inhuman system and they abolished it in course of time or in stages.
According to the seminal Rajatarangni of Kalhana, Shankervermana (833-902 A.D.) was the first Kashmiri ruler who introduced the Begar system to undertake and accomplish thirteen jobs. There was, it may be mentioned, no labour class in Kashmir that time. The horrifying system remained in vogue throughout the Hindu rule in Kashmir. It also remained in vogue during the Muslim rule, including the Sultan Zain-ul-Abidin's regime, the Chak rule, the Mughal rule, the Pathan rule, to mention only a few, and the Sikh rule. The system was introduced because there were pressing needs for such a system as every king and every ruler that time was engaged in warfare. Besides, the kings also needed the required number of workers, Begaris, for the construction of palaces, temples, shrines and other projects, as also for carrying war-loads through difficult mountain passes on high altitudes. According to Kashmir of Francis Younghusband, Resident in J&K, "the means of communication (in Kashmir) were rough and rude in the extreme so that men, instead of animals, had to be used as beasts of burden."
It is, however, true that the pressure of "Begar system was heavier on the people o Kashmir than on the people living in other parts of the State." The reasons are not far to seek and the most important reason was the desire on the part of the Dogra rulers to secure the Northern Frontiers for India. Since the fields of military operations were on the northern borders of Kashmir province and the province being the natural base for such military operations, it was natural that the authorities would make or force the people of Kashmir to carry war material to these areas and perform state duties as Begaris. Hence, it would not be proper to accuse the Dogra rulers of willfully oppressing the people of Kashmir by forcing them to perform Begar just because they were Hindus. It is important to note that the Hindus outside the Valley had also not been exempted from the Begar system. The only difference was that the pressure of Begar system on Kashmir was much more as compared to other parts of the state.
It is also important to note that even the Rajputs and Brahmins had to perform Begar in Jammu province whenever required. The system was prevalent in several parts of India, including Rajasthan under the name of Saguti, Punjab under the name of Sepi, Himachal Pradesh under the name of Jeeta, Uttar Pradesh under the name of Sevak, Gujarat under the name Maji, Kerala under the name of Pulayains, Andhra Pradesh under the name of Vethi, Madhya Pradesh under the name Salakari, Maharashtra under the name of Veta Begar and Salkari and Haryana under the name of Begar. It was also prevalent in western and oriental countries, including America, France, Rome, Egypt, to mention only a few.
It would be only appropriate to refer to here very briefly what the Dogra rulers did to abolish the Begar system to put things in perspective and call the Kashmiri legislators' bluff. Gulab Singh (1846-1857), who founded Jammu and Kashmir State in March 1846, was the first ruler who turned his attention towards the plight of those who had suffered owing to the Begar system. Though he did not abolish it, he ordered that the forced labour must be paid at the rate of one Kharwar (192 1bs) of rice per month, plus "Begaris ration when on active duty." During his regime, the military operations in the sensitive and strategic Northern Frontiers required a very large number of collies to carry military-related material to the mountains and other difficult and treacherous zones. The villagers, at the behest of the authorities, discharged this duty, of course, much against their wishes. However, Gulab Singh used to see to it that they were compensated for their service in kind. Ranbir Singh (1857-1885), who succeeded Gulab Singh in 1857, further improved the system. He fixed the wages of a Begari at Rs 4 to 7 Chiliks for a return trip from Gilgit and Astore (now under the Pakistani illegal occupation), which used to take as many as 24 days. (To be continued) —Early Times Report |
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