IMPRESSIONS OF A TOUR IN THE PUNJAB – I
J.C. Kumarappa
The Punjab covers a wide area with a variety of soil and climatic conditions. It has hilly tracts at the foot of the Himalayas, is watered by five snow-fed rivers, and borders on the deserts of Rajputana. Hence the environment and conditions of life of the people vary considerably. This state of affairs has its advantages as far as industries are concerned. It gives us scope for a wide range of occupations and can be used to develop the people in an all-round way.
Such a physical environment will lead us to expect a sturdy, resourceful, hardworking race of people. This is true to actual conditions. It is the usual thing to find men and women busy. Everywhere one finds the people, especially the women, engaged in some economic activity. The charkha is almost ubiquitous, though the use of khadi is not now universal. Compared with other parts of India the Punjab villages still have a good deal of life left in them, and if proper encouragement can be given, the rural life of the province can be made to hum with activity.
The industries department of this province seemed a little more active than in most other provinces. The work of the research laboratory at Shahdara deserves mention. The tanning institute gives recognition to the existence of village tanners, while Hissar attempts to improve the cattle and the quality of wool. But the real function of organising the economic life of the whole province has not been touched. As long as the so-called Kashmere shawls are made at Amritsar with Italian, Japanese or German wool, and the province imports large quantities of foreign textiles and other articles, the department has to bow its head in shame.
Pottery
The presence of the five snow-fed rivers ensures good mud for pottery. Excellent workmanship is to be found in several parts of the province. At Multan, Gujrat and other places good glazed ware is produced. The articles are made on the wheel which is rotated by the foot. The sun-dried art wares are painted with colours prepared by the potters themselves, the ingredients and processes are kept a family secret. Most of the glazed wares of Multan consist of fancy articles like vases, jars, facing tiles etc. The difficulty lies in marketing. There is a fair local market, but the railway freights are too heavy. In one case it was brought to my notice that two saucers valued at four annas had to pay a freight of fifteen annas to Bombay.
At Gujrat they are making utensils and articles of everyday use, like tea and coffee sets. They use a mixture of broken glass, borax, lead, ash and manganese their glazing materials. At Hathras (Jaleswar) the effervescent earth is burnt in kilns and kaccha glass is made and this is used both as glazing material and as block glass for bangles.
Enamel Work
Good enamel work is also being done at Multan but the enamel glass is obtained from Lahore or Ferozabad. This industry has gone down considerably, due largely to competition from Germany and Czechoslovakia. There were formerly about 60 families following this trade, now there are only about 10.
The process is very simple. Silver or gold ornaments are made and the designs are engraved, powdered glass of the required colour is placed in their proper places and the article is heated till the powdered glass melts, then it is allowed to cool. The melted glass sets and forms the enamel. This work affords an outlet for the artistic talents of the people.
Oil Pressing
Although the Punjabis ordinarily use plenty of ghee for culinary purposes yet there is a large demand for oil, especially mustard oil. The ghanis take large charges as the buffaloes used are powerful animals, but the efficiency is comparatively low, though the actual quantity pressed per day may be hgh. These require to be studied with special reference to the power available—bullock, buffalo or camel. Because of this important variable factor it is not possible to draw comparisons with the Maganvadi ghani. In many places they boil the oil extracted and return it to the mortar four or five times during the process of pressing one charge. This is like the hot process and the extraction percentage is high. The demand for ghani oil has gone down considerably since the advent of the mills. The telis find great difficulty in stocking oil seeds. They sell at high rates later on. Making the animals work in a trench will be conducive both to lessening the strain on the animal or increasing the power available. The water power at the base of the hills can also be harnessed to do this work. Linseed is grown widely in Kangra valley and neighbourhood, but is sold away as seed.
(Gram Udyog Patrika, August 1939)