The Story of Sindh ( An Economic Survey ) 1843 - 1933 By: Rustom Dinshow Choskey Edited with additional notes by K. Shripaty Sastry Lecturer in History University of Poona The Publication of the Manuscript was financially supported by the Indian Council of Historical Research and the responsibility for the facts stated, opinions expressed or conclusion reached is entirely that of the author and the Indian Council of Historical Research accepts no responsibility for them. Reproduced by Sani H. Panhwar (2015) TO FATIMA in Grateful Acknowledgement For all you have done for me ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Our heartfelt thanks are due to the members of the Choksey family for kindly extending their permission to publish this book. Mr. D. K. Malegamvala, Director and Mr. R. M Lala Executive Officer of The Sir Dorab Tata Trust, Bombay, took keen interest in sanctioning a suitable publication grant for this book. Prof. H. D. Moogat, Head, Department of Mathematics, N. Wadia College, Poona was a guide, and advisor throughout when the book went through editing and printing. We are grateful also to the Indian Council of Historical Research, New Delhi for extending financial support for the publication of this book. Dr. A. R. Kulkarni, Head, Department of History, Poona University was a constant source of inspiration while the book was taking shape. CONTENTS Chapter One - Introduction .. .. .. .. Page - 1 Government and life during the tune of the Mirs – Land revenue and other sources of income - Kinds of seasons, soil and implements - Administration of the districts - Life in the Desert - Advent of the British - Sir Charles Napier in Sindh - His administration, revenue collection, trade, justice etc. - Sindh becomes a part of Bombay. Presidency - Changes effected in the administration of the Province-Sir Bartle Frere, Commissioner of. Sindh and his work -Sindh after Sir Frere’s departure-his successors-The administration in the desert. Chapter Two - Land .. .. .. .. .. Page - 37 Geography-climate - monsoon - animals - irrigation - land policy and revenue- spirits, Opium and salt-cultivation, soil and crops-famine-live-stock-seasons-land revenue (table) – prices. Chapter Three - People .. .. .. .. .. .. Page - 91 The people of Sindh-the Sheiks or Sayads - the Afghans-the. Baluchis - Memons and Khwajas-Hindus early opinions on populations - population In general - towns in Sindh-the proportion of towns to villages-area population and density in the districts-language, literature and literacy immigrants occupations- condition of the people, character and needs debts and credit - Deccan Agriculturists’ Relief Act and its influence--takavi and its uses (table) - diseases- and Government efforts to meet them-general condition of the people – education - public opinions and the newspapers. Chapter Four - Labour .. .. .. .. .. .. Page - 132 Labour and wages-trade-Karachi and Shikarpur-railways - trade in Sindh on British advent - Karachi harbour and town - trade in the port of Karachi - Places of lesser importance - Tatta and Sonmeeanee - maritime trade-the desert region - value of sea borne trade-growth and development of the port of Karachi-revenue and expenditure of the port-value of the trade of the port-effects of the War, (1914-1918) - trade in the post-war years-great economic depression and its effects-gradual recovery-rail and water borne trade – fairs - old markets and present condition – communication - railway, canals, road and waterways – Ferries and tolls – blessing of good, communication to agriculture etc. – industries – working in leather, cotton, weaving, woolen textiles, carpets, silk weaving etc. EDITOR’S PREFACE The aim of the present work is to give the reader an account of the economic conditions prevailing in Sindh, from the time of the British conquest in 1843 to 1933 when Sindh was separated from the Bombay Presidency. The late Dr. R. D. Choksey, a reputed research scholar with not less than sixteen standard works to his credit, felt that no justice had been done to the study of the economic history of India. He held that the task was too stupendous to be undertaken and completed by a single individual. He also felt that the best approach to the study of this neglected branch of history would be a regional one. In pursuance of this view he had undertaken a region-wise research study, of the economic history of the former Bombay Presidency. Before his premature death in 1976, he completed and published the economic histories of Bombay Deccan (1818-1939), Bombay Karnatak (1818-1939), Bombay Konkan (1818-1939) and Bombay Gujarat (1800-1939). The last part of the series was the economic history of Sindh which he could not publish during his life time although he had completed the preparation of the manuscript. A good deal of editing was required before it could be made ready for publishing. As a former colleague of Dr. R. D. Choksey in the Department of, History at the Nowrosjee Wadia College, Pune, where he was Principal, I was well acquainted with this work in all its stages. Therefore I undertook to edit the work. The province of Sindh was unique in that, it alone among all the provinces of British India had not been under Hindu rule since A. D. 712. For the next 1,130 years it had been ruled by Muslim sovereigns. After its annexation by the British, Sindh was first governed as a separate province for a short while. Then it was united with the Bombay Presidency, firstly because it was a deficit province and secondly because of administrative convenience. That it was a deficit province should be clearly borne in mind while making a study of the economic history of the region and it was in this respect that it differed from the other regions of the Bombay Presidency. The work of the Editor was primarily concerned with preparing a copy for print from the manuscript in order to lend greater authenticity to the statements the Author has made I have supplied them with figures taken from various Official Reports. I considered that it was in the fitness of, things to take the general narration of the story from 1933 where Dr. R. D. Choksey had left it to 1947 when the fortunes of the province came to be linked with the fortunes of the newly created state of Pakistan. An exhaustive bibliography is provided and the index is prepared on the pattern adopted by the Author in his earlier works. If I have failed to rise to the standards of late Dr. R. D. Choksey, the faults are mine. By the middle of the 19th century, the people of Sindh, long accustomed to a monotonous medieval life, were suddenly confronted by a new political and economic life ushered in by the British connection. The Story of Sindh is the story of the awakenings of its people due to this contact. The mode and pace of this transition, the stresses and strains which the transition brought in its train is authentically dealt with in this work. The period covered is from the conquest of Sindh by Sir Charles Napier in 1843 to the Separation of Sindh from Bombay in 1933 which was immediately followed by the introduction of Provincial Autonomy. Every major aspect of the subject is adequately covered-geography, land, the people, irrigation, labour, agriculture, commerce, industry, transport, finance, banking and above all the development of the Port of Karachi. Since the Author is no more, the Editor would like to take liberty of mentioning the Author’s approach to the study of the subject. His approach to the study as presented here varies from his earlier works on the economic histories of Bombay Deccan and Bombay Karnatak (1818-1868). The Author had confessed that he was grateful to Prof Andrus Burmese Economic Life which furnished him with a new approach and new model for the writing of an economic history. The plan of that work had appealed to the Author and The Story of Sindh is a readable account of a similar nature. What the Sunday Statesman (Calcutta) wrote in review of the Author’s earlier work in this series: Economic Life in Bombay Deccan, is true of this volume as well: It is a model for writing an economic history of India. The Author was aware that his work had its limitations and the major limitation was due to the paucity of required material for building up his account. Yet no effort was spared by him to avail himself of all material likely to throw, sufficient light on all the main trends of economic development throughout the ninety years of British rule in Sindh. The Story of Sindh is the outcome of a patient study and a thorough analysis of the original material available in such places as the offices of The Director of Land Records, the Revenue Authorities, The Director of the Local Authorities and the Peshwa Daftar. Besides, the secondary, authorities on the general matter of the subject under study have also been freely made use of. A list of the material consulted by the author, both published and unpublished, is provided in the Bibliography. The publication of this work completes the author’s series on the economic history of Western India during British rule. Had he but lived longer, the author could have completed the last and the finishing part of the work with greater authority and greater competence which I cannot pretend to possess. To me, it is a labour of love which I have tried to discharge as best as I can. The late Dr. R. D. Choksey was on the sick-bed for a long time and Miss Fatima who, though no relation of his, nursed him with affectionate care as only a daughter could. She had come from East Africa to pursue her studies at the N.