Mujeawazea

  

Firewood  supply to city through river transportation

Until August, 1953 peasants had to apportion some percentage of their crop proportional to their land holdings and deposit the same at Shali Store Shaheed Gunj, Srinagar. At times of crop failure due to natural calamity, the peasant had to manage Mujwazea at the cost of his modest living. It used to give rise to the rural indebtedness and add to his miseries further. The government used to supply the crop so collected to the city landless dwellers as ration from the ration ghats. This process provided engagement to licensed ‘Bahchi-Hanz’ families.

Transportation of logs

August 1953, Bakhshi Ghulam Mohammad the then Prime Minister of J&K state, withdrew the draconian system of Mujwazea as the first relief to the majority. Mujeawaza was replaced by khuskhareed through Cooperative department to do away with the middlemen called guldar(Dealers in crop), who used to exploit poverty of the peasant class. 

Only land holders were permitted to import rice from their land holdings in their respective villages to their dwellings in the city against permit for such import.

Others had to face scarcity of rice and had to manage on the government supply against ration card. The ration was too little to suffice for the whole month. Borrowing of rice from one another was a common practice. 

Dal Sabzi

On the rooftop of her Doonga

Those days maximum number of people was engaged with silk factory at Solina-Rambagh and its seed farm called biali-ghar at Rajbagh. Every morning a big crowd of people used to walk the distance on foot to the silk factory from nook and corner of the city and villages around and across the Rambagh Bridge (Natipora-Chaneapora-Barzul Bhagat). The city was surrounded by chungi posts. Chungi means sales tax. Village and city were separated by these chungi posts. I recall a few. Bemina cungi was where there is Bemina Degree College at present. Batwara Chungi was at Batwara. Likewise Navpora Chungi was under Navpora Bridge , Gagribal Chungi was opposite to Nehru Park , Chattabal Cungi at Cement Bridge , Noor Bagh. Tax was levied on eggs, chicken, milk, vegetables, fish and other such goods on sale. These posts would also check illegal transportation of contraband goods.

Since raw rice was not allowed to the city, the silk factory workers from the city used to carry empty ‘degchi’ and handover the same to their colleagues from across the Rambagh Bridge. Next day, they would exchange the empty degchi with the degchi filled with cooked rice. Cooked rice had no restrictions.

Chounthi Koul connecting the Dal Lake with the river Jehlum

At seven in the morning when long queues of workers were heading towards the Silk Factory, flocks of crows were also punctual and regular in the same direction. In the evening both would return to their night lodgings.  Most of these crows used to make their stay on the Sumyar and other temple trees and tin roofs, or mesh of conductors.

School excursion in a Doonga

Firewood transportation in Khouch

Within the last few decades everything has changed.

Bríjû dàss te Girdass chhú vanàn låsív tû båsív.

B K Dass
A wanderer in exile at 75
Deprived of his Cremation Ground
by the Farooq Abdullah Government with acquiescence by the Rajiv Government at the Centre.
“Mezareabal tanie chi hazar tufaan
Vujarea gachi gachi kabaer ti ravem”(Dolwal)
Contact No: 7006968973, 9858205514
bkdass69@gmail.com;

http://bkdass.blogspot.ae