Kashmir issue is directly proportional to have and have-nots. My age group until mid seventies has seen the days of utter scarcity and poverty. Within the Municipal limits rice was rationed by the State Government. The rationed supply was too little to suffice for the month. Movement of rice from villages to the city was banned. Many people working on the Silk Factory muster roll used to pass on their empty utensil to their colleague from the area beyond the municipal limit Rambagh. Next day the utensil filled with cooked rice was exchanged with an empty utensil. Movement of cooked rice was not a banned item. The then Revenue Minister Mirza Mohammad Afzal Beig suggested people to eat boiled potatoes or puddy of maiz (mukaie vath) in place of rice. For a few months wheat and maize were issued to supplement the ration.
I shudder the days when in mid fifties I used to deposit my ration card at the ration ghat in pitch dark wintry months of frozen roads early in the morning at 4 AM. By the arrival time of the ghat munshi, a number of piles of ration cards would pile up. Lucky ones would get their turn and the rest were kept in the custody of one of the trusted ones for the next day. Some time paddy was issued and some time the rotten imported American rice. In case of paddy, we the school going children had to miss the school and spread the paddy on our grass woven mats called putujie/vaguve by the roadside to dry it under the sun. By dusk the coolie from the rice mill would come and take it to the mill of our choice for its milling.
9th August, 1953, the then Prime Minister of J&K State Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah was replaced by Bakhshi Ghulam Mohammad. Supporters of the ousted Prime Minister came on roads. It was protest by a sea of people against the change. The same evening the new Prime Minister in his address to people announced enough ration for many additional mouths. He said:”ze shoungive te trai vuthiv, butea gav mianie zimea(Sleep two and get up three. Food to the additional mouths is my responsibility). Next day the protestors changed their sides. 1975 on his resumption of charge as Chief Minister of J&K State, the erstwhile Prime Minister said: “adhi roti khaiany ghay sir nahee jukaiany ghay. Aur jatay jatay apnay parivar kay liyay puree roti chod ker ghuiay.
Evidently, during the days of scarcity, peace and tranquility were food centric and dawn to dusk we were busy to manage for avenues to fight for livelihood. 1988 winter, snow all around in chill cold a pavement businessman had connected two handcarts together with the top of one to give shelter in between the two to roast hazel nuts. My daughter said: “Why he works in such chill cold under such circumstances?” I said: “Otherwise his furnace will not be live for evening meal”.
Our salaries were not matching with the salaries of the Central Government. 1961 I got my salary @Rs 96/PM in the pay scale of 60-5-100 as a government teacher and the next year as upper division clerk in AG’s Office my salary was about Rs 400. 1975 salaries were in hundreds. I used to supplement my needs by doing tuitions. Most of my colleagues would start borrowing money from the Nazir (Accountant) just by the end of second week. Second choice after the Nazir was B K Dass. One day one of my colleagues cursed three of his sons for all the three had passed their examination. He said that if one of them would have failed, he would continue with the set of books for the next year too.
Immediately thereafter the Central Government took the liability of the State employees. Now despite hartal for months together, eyes are on the Seventh Pay Commission.
Imported rice that was supplied in the valley was @4 annas(Rs0.25)/Kg and the same rice at Jammu was @ Rs.1.50/Kg. It was a strange anomaly. Besides, at Jammu the supply per head was not at par what it was in the valley. We used to smuggle our stored ration back to Jammu in bed holdall. To my good luck, once my classmate retired SP the then sub-inspector Police Krishan Lal Tandon at Lower Munda Check post let me go with the heavy holdall carrying rice instead of bedding. It was nothing short of “To carry coals to Newcastle (Ultay bans Barelle ko”
Thanks to the benevolence of the Central Government. Now unlike yesteryears, we need not to strive for our livelihood. We have enough to engage imported labour for our paddy fields, orchards, replace our barbers, masons, carpenters and other artisans from Bihar,Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and other states of India. Pampered child generally gets spoiled and idle brain is said to be the devil’s workshop.
Free time we spend on roads either for stone pelting or to dance to the tune ‘alea te vanguen’or to implement different calendars.
I shudder the days when in mid fifties I used to deposit my ration card at the ration ghat in pitch dark wintry months of frozen roads early in the morning at 4 AM. By the arrival time of the ghat munshi, a number of piles of ration cards would pile up. Lucky ones would get their turn and the rest were kept in the custody of one of the trusted ones for the next day. Some time paddy was issued and some time the rotten imported American rice. In case of paddy, we the school going children had to miss the school and spread the paddy on our grass woven mats called putujie/vaguve by the roadside to dry it under the sun. By dusk the coolie from the rice mill would come and take it to the mill of our choice for its milling.
9th August, 1953, the then Prime Minister of J&K State Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah was replaced by Bakhshi Ghulam Mohammad. Supporters of the ousted Prime Minister came on roads. It was protest by a sea of people against the change. The same evening the new Prime Minister in his address to people announced enough ration for many additional mouths. He said:”ze shoungive te trai vuthiv, butea gav mianie zimea(Sleep two and get up three. Food to the additional mouths is my responsibility). Next day the protestors changed their sides. 1975 on his resumption of charge as Chief Minister of J&K State, the erstwhile Prime Minister said: “adhi roti khaiany ghay sir nahee jukaiany ghay. Aur jatay jatay apnay parivar kay liyay puree roti chod ker ghuiay.
Evidently, during the days of scarcity, peace and tranquility were food centric and dawn to dusk we were busy to manage for avenues to fight for livelihood. 1988 winter, snow all around in chill cold a pavement businessman had connected two handcarts together with the top of one to give shelter in between the two to roast hazel nuts. My daughter said: “Why he works in such chill cold under such circumstances?” I said: “Otherwise his furnace will not be live for evening meal”.
Our salaries were not matching with the salaries of the Central Government. 1961 I got my salary @Rs 96/PM in the pay scale of 60-5-100 as a government teacher and the next year as upper division clerk in AG’s Office my salary was about Rs 400. 1975 salaries were in hundreds. I used to supplement my needs by doing tuitions. Most of my colleagues would start borrowing money from the Nazir (Accountant) just by the end of second week. Second choice after the Nazir was B K Dass. One day one of my colleagues cursed three of his sons for all the three had passed their examination. He said that if one of them would have failed, he would continue with the set of books for the next year too.
Immediately thereafter the Central Government took the liability of the State employees. Now despite hartal for months together, eyes are on the Seventh Pay Commission.
Imported rice that was supplied in the valley was @4 annas(Rs0.25)/Kg and the same rice at Jammu was @ Rs.1.50/Kg. It was a strange anomaly. Besides, at Jammu the supply per head was not at par what it was in the valley. We used to smuggle our stored ration back to Jammu in bed holdall. To my good luck, once my classmate retired SP the then sub-inspector Police Krishan Lal Tandon at Lower Munda Check post let me go with the heavy holdall carrying rice instead of bedding. It was nothing short of “To carry coals to Newcastle (Ultay bans Barelle ko”
Thanks to the benevolence of the Central Government. Now unlike yesteryears, we need not to strive for our livelihood. We have enough to engage imported labour for our paddy fields, orchards, replace our barbers, masons, carpenters and other artisans from Bihar,Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and other states of India. Pampered child generally gets spoiled and idle brain is said to be the devil’s workshop.
Free time we spend on roads either for stone pelting or to dance to the tune ‘alea te vanguen’or to implement different calendars.
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