We have received beautiful memories letter from "Sheikh Muhammad Sarwar" who is a Jalandhari but had to leave his ancestral place during horrible time of partition. He has compiled his memories in a very touching letter to us. These letters not only contain his memories, These also contain a very important piece of Jalandhar history. The good times. bad times, changed times. Please help by posting comments below or emailing admin@jalandhari.com if you can add or help him in any other ways. We will be posting these memories in few parts. Here is 5th and concluding part:
Myths
People used to put a black goat head or spread different dals; split beans; in the chowks; street crossings; thinking that would avoid bad luck and keep away troubles.
Some small denomination coins were thrown out, every few minutes, in the air, over the bride and bridegroom, as a Sadqa – an offering to avoid difficulties for the couple. It was difficult for local and outsiders to pick up these coins from under the foots and from dust, so they made coins traps with two large sticks 4-5 feet apart connected with a sheet of hard cloth. As soon as coins were thrown, they would open and spread these traps under the coins falling down and thus more coins were caught.
WARNINGS BY SENIORS
If I went for pulse or a karyana item; the shopkeeper (even the Hindu shopkeeper) would ask for a piece of cloth to put the stuff in it. If I didn’t have, he would advise me to bring next time saying that putting food stuff in papers was calling for dearness.
That was the World War II time – and it was heard “Jaddon Roos Panjabay Aaway, Rupaeey da ik sair un Wikaway”. It means, ‘when Russia will come to Punjab, one kilo of wheat flour will cost one rupee’ Back then one rupee was considered a huge amount! That was probably four times the cost of 1 kilo wheat at the time.
We used to bring vegetables in cloth.
Ghosht/mutton was put in a cloth wrapped in a white paper. Some time the seller would put a piece of charcoal in it; saying it will keep Bala/bad omens away. He said if mutton was wrapped in newspaper its calico ink printing will damage the ghosht.
RESPECT OF ALL BY ALL COMMUNITIES Functions/festivals were not disturbed. Everybody respected others’ events. For example, on basakhi (a festive by sikh community) they will travel around on bullock carriages, sing joy songs loud, but as soon as they entered the basti’s muslim abadi/community, they started singing a praise-song (naat) – “SAAREY RASOOLON KAY SARDAR MAKKI MADNI” meaning the head of all prophets is that who is in mecca/medina. PLEASING CHILDREN
Some sweet rice or kheer (pudding) or even black roasted grams mixed with sweets were distributed in children each month. Children would hear a call by the distributor “Kurio, mundeo, wundi the kheer (etc) lay jao” – (girls and boys, please come and take ------“ As soon as –even one child- would listen; he will start calling other children; and in minutes 15-20 children would show up – all of this same mohallah. Some children would ask for a share of his sister or brother (she/he is at home, and couldn’t come). Children were happy, and it’s good for your well-being to make children happy.
In addition to please children, as explained above, the shopkeepers used to give a candy or something sweet to the child returning after purchase. This also made children happy.
Hair cuts at home:
It was done at the salons but where arranged it was done – on Sundays – for some permanent customers at their houses. Hajjam (hair cutter) brought with him a small water container with some burning charcoal under it, to use warm water for shave. At the client’s place, he would refill water and charcoal and move to another house.
EGGS and Chicken for free:
Hens/chickens were kept in almost all houses. They were fed some leftover breads crumbs in the morning; had some water; they let loose, go out of house all day long searching for food; in the evening they will return and by evening fall enter their cage.
Each morning collect some eggs from the cage.
On a fashion day or to serve a special guest with delicious feast, one of the chickens from cage would do the job.
Maintenance of household cows and buffaloes: There comes a period when these animals cannot provide milk, and a period they expect. Therefore, instead of their maintenance and feeding at home, they were left with some farmers until they were due to deliver baby. The owners would bring them back home and pay a settled amount to the farmer for maintenance.
Maintenance of household goats: Some people used to collect goats from their owners, each morning, take to the grassy places and bring back home at noon. They were also paid monthly by the owners.
Maintenance of Farms; water well wheels; ploughs, accessories, bullock-carriages (Gadd), was done by supposedly arranged contractors; carpenters, blacksmiths. They will do the job whenever needed and farmers will supply them sufficient Produce (wheel, maize, etc.) at each cultivation period.
People’s Safety without guns
Entrance doors of all houses were kept open during the day. Real, and I don’t know how, no robberies happened. Except, that those who were cheaters, used to knock and call out the resident to tell past and future and what they could do to keep the calamity away – in exchange of some money. Ladies were convinced and they took away money from them.
At night – evening through to morning – one (just one person) with a stick and on foot, used to walk through streets of a mohallah; a portion of a basti; uttering loud “JAGTEY RAHO”. Thieves would not dare come to enter the area or face him. Was that person scary just with a stick walking around alone?
A government employee with a ladder on shoulder and carrying two canisters; one with kerosene, one empty; would come each evening and take out used kerosene from lamps fixed to walls on each turn and middle of streets and refilling and lighting them. He would come again in the morning to put off the lights.
Jugglers
With Snakes, Bear and Monkey, goat tricks used to come and stop at few places in street to show children how bear, money and goat would perform on the signal of a stick. When they entered they would play the “dug-dugi” – a handmade paper craft instrument with threads with one rice or tiny stone on both sides of the small drum made of paper. When shaken, rice would hit the drum and make noise. Children understood the juggler has come. At the end children would give their some money or a handful of wheat flour.
Hawkers made some essentials available at door steps
- Ladies with needles (assorted sizes) and threads.
- Sabzi wala – with a bucket of vegetables.
- Ghost wala – carrying different parts of mutton. Used to mince manually.
- Fruit wala – with assorted fruit.
- Kerosene wala – with a barrel of kerosene on a hand-pushed trolley.
- Kaprey wala – Carrying dress fabrics on a bicycle.
- Oil wala – Another person carrying mustered oil, and other perfumed oils.
How about the kitchen stuff; ata, dal, ghee, mirch, masala (flour, pulses, cooking oil, spices). I am talking here about Basti Danishmandan. A shopkeeper (named: Khushia; Khushia Mal) used to come (I should say all houses) couple of days before end of month, and checked for quantities and stuff needed. He would carry all orders on a bull- o-cart (could not find this word in dictionary) – it was wooden flat-bed trailer pulled by bullocks; and deliver door to door without money. On payday he would come back to be paid. What a facility!
Ladies were not seen doing general shopping. They would go to a fabric store to buy and stich all dresses (I am sure) at home or to have it done for money from another lady with sewing machine. Same was true for sweater and muffler (to cover head, ears and wrap around neck) buy wool, do it or get it done.
System of cleaning of streets Government employees came every morning to sweep the streets. Of and on during summer, to avoid dust rising up, a waterman (carrying on his shoulder a MASHQ; water container made of leather/full-size goat skin) would come and sprinkle water before sweeper worked. Toilets and drainage
There were gutters; sumps; dumps; Latrines were in the houses and cleared by some person every morning and dumped outside locality on heap (called rudi – garbage pile).
The street drains were cleared or sand and stones.
WORLD WAR II
Those days terrorism-cum-war was between countries; not communities. There was no electricity, at least in our basti. There were kerosene lit lanterns dimmed at bedtime or clay-made little blows filled with mastered oil feeding a burning wick. People were warned to blackout ventilators; by carbon papers or other stuff; and not any light seen from outside to help enemy. If a light was seen; a color would be spilt on that roof by the airplane to identify and punish next day. Young boys – within the weight and height required, were recruited from poor and influenced countries to help bygone fight a war. There were warnings announced not to pick stray pens, pencils or other gadgets on the street or roof; those could be booby traps dropped by the enemy and would blow out.
These fears traveled thousands of miles to become now unidentifiable from from an arm’s distance.
Times is a cure: In couple of years war effects were fading and people enjoyed leftovers of wars, Potatoes chips; parachutes; servicemen’s tiny stoves with wax burning under, servicemen’s stomping lasting-long shoes; khaki uniforms, cots and other accessories were on sale and adopted by the people. It was a good and cheaper source of pacifying injured poor people. It’s my wish that these same injured suffered people should never try a war; if we had one arm decapitated; not let the other arm also fall down. Let’s spend on welfare of people’s water, power, education, environment, food and industry.
Farm land is being rapidly sold for increasing population’s housing needs, thereby reducing Produce Supply against the Demand. We should review the taxation system. The farming land to be taxed lower than the Banjar or barren land; if this formula could work, more and more barren or uncultivated land would become under farming. Give more incentives to people who would cooperate. Or make such banjar-cum-farm lands tax free for five years.
BE MY GUEST!
It’s a hand shake, sharing a dining table, some gupshup, then depart to meet. We meet to depart, isn’t it?
Ashwani Kumar Agarwal, a nice person I met over the internet, from Jalandhar has invited me to be his guest. He will show me around my native home place and its new look. Reciprocating this I invite Ashwani ji and others with same spirit to be my guest and let me serve them when I am in Pakistan.
Let’s torn away sheet of scary fears spread on us to find that was just a fake illusion.
Editor's Note: Sarwar Ji has since decided to visit Jalandhar in later part of thi year. We wish him the best and willing to help anyway we can. Please reply by hitting comments below if you are from Danishmanda area.
Regards