C ENS US 0 FIN D I A I 96J VOLUME XX-PART VI-NO, HIMACHAL PRADESH AND MALET The Superintendent of Census Operations Himachal Pradesh :rict) Ileld lrrvestlgatlon by Draft by SURENDER MOHAN BHATNAGER SURENDER MOHAN BHATNAGER and TARLOK CHAND SUD £ditor RAM CHANDRA PAL SINGH of the Indian AJmltristrat/ye Sen'jce Superintendent of Census Operations, Himachal Pradesh ..... .... •,•• !lilt-•• .... ~r....... ... .....__ ..J .~ o ..,... § z ,nut- <iJD1I- ,11111111- "unll- 1D1lt- "..I/Id)- If!llI1iJ- "ilt- ,_ 'tRlIll- a. 'IIHi- 01( "'II. ~nllf- 411k1- ::i .". ,,)Iltll- '111111- 'NlnU1- .,,",w- ..J ./IIIrt- 01( ." "41f1J1r- Z •,I!il1!- . 0 i= 0 z «cJ) a:~ 4li~ ..... ~ = 'CIf~ '1IIf- ._ -- .... .~ .. ". ....... oOVf~ II.... ... •• "I!/IJ- ........ ... -- ~ ~ .... -- .... l'V 41. lfJ ~ ~.".' ,__ "- .__ .'q.,.. ~ ... -- 4- ~". rfJ ... .... ~ ~ .... ~ __ . ... ... '. ~ .. '''''1- Q, -< :l _J -< z .qUI- 0_. ffi ... .~ ..... -- 5 ... J: z •• 111/111- ,"_ 0 ....... i;: .~ .__ ~ o. e- :t < .' - ''111- !t~ ~ J: ."" ~"'C ....... .. ::::~O 1-/4- -jJl.-"';-. - ..... ~~~~ '11'" -- , 4, t .'_ f ! I f f I " / f t ( t , ~ I if! f .( , ; f t ' i f I I , D Contents Page Foreword IX Preface XII Acknowledgements XIV 1 The V il/age 1 Journey to Kilar-Origin of the inhabitants-Legend about the villages-Physical aspects-Geology, rock and soil-Climate­ Water sources-Flora and fauna-Cremation ground-Public places-Welfare Institutions-Important villages and places of interest. 2 The People 10 .. Population-Residential pattern-House-ty pes-House construc­ tion-Fuel and lighting--Dress-Ornaments-Family. Structure­ Food and Drinks-Utensils. 3 Birth, Marriage & Death Customs 24 Birth-A case study-Marriage-Death-Statistics relating to birth, marriage and death. 4 Social & Cultural Life 32 Religious lnstituticns-Fairs and festivals-Leisure and recreations­ Folk dtJnces--Folk songs-Superstitions-Fountain slabs­ Language. v VI CONTENTS Page 5 Education and Public Health 46 Government High School Kilar-A casf study-Shri Thakur Bapa Pangwal Ashram-Rural Dispensary I(ilar-Diseases. 6 Ec:onomy 49 Economic resources-Income and {!xpenditure-Inhel1itance of property-Gharats-Bee-keeping-Other products-Weights and measures-Markets-I ndebtedness. 7 Agriculture 57 Sowing practices-Horticulture-Prosperous Farmer-A Case Study-Animal husbandry-Veterinary dispensary. 8 V mage Crafts 66 Spinning and weaving-Thobi making_,-Drum making. 9 Community Development and Panchayats 69 N.E.S. block activities-Government weaving training centre. Kilar-Panchayat-Multipurpose cooptJrative society-Nyaya Pan­ chayat-A case study. 10 Conclusion 72 Appendices ApPENDIX I-Extract taken from the ,IReport on the Pangi leased forests". Chamba State, by L. Gis/Jorne Smith. 1891. pp. 1--6 and Appendix I . - . 74 ApPENDIX "II-Extract {rom "A GlossarY of the tribes and castes of the Punjab-and North-West Frontier Province". Vol. III based on the Census Report for the punjab, 1883, by the late Sir Denzil Ibbetson, K.C.S.I.. and the Census Report tor the Punjab, 1892, by the Hon. Sir E. D. Maclagan, K.C.I.E., C.S.I .• and compiled by H. A. Rose . 80 ApPENDIX III-Extract from the punjab States Gazetteer, Vol. XXIr A, Chamba State. 1904, (pps. 261-266) by Dr. Hutchinson 83 ApPENDIX IV-Extract taken from Guide to Dalhousie. compiled by Capt. J. B. Hutchinson, Revised by H. A. Rose, C.S.-1890 87 APPENDIX V-Kinship Table ot PangWa[s 89 ApPENDIX VI-Language-- !Specimen 90 ApPENDIX VII-Impacf ot the changing patterns of Administration on the People ot Pangi. by P. K. Mattoo, Deputy Commis­ sioner, Chamba 92 CONTENTS VII Page ApPENDIX VIII-Conversion Table 102 ApPENDIX IX-Glossary 102 ApPENDIX X-Questionnaire used by the Investigator 106 Art work. sketches and maps o. C. Handa, Tuka Ram and B. S. Thakur. Cover page A young Pangwalen working on the road. Photographs U. D. Khosla, Bal Krishan «Times of India", Jack Gibson, Esq., O.B.E., P. K. Mattoo, Shiv Kumar, S. M. Bhatnager, T. C. Sud and O. C. Handa. Sketches Some sketches have been reproduced from 'Early Wooden Temples of Chamba' by Hermann Goetz and Antiquities of· Chamba. VIII Foreword Apart from laying the foundations of demo­ on the interpretation of statistics to find out how graphy in-this subcontinent, a hundred years of much of a village was static and yet changing the Indian Census has also produced 'elaborate and how fast the winds of change were blow­ and scholarly accounts of the variegated pheno­ ing and from where. mena of Indian life-sometimes with no statis­ Randomness of selection was, therefore, tics attached, but usually with just enough sta­ eschewed. There was no intention to build tistics to give empirical underpinning to their up a picture for the whole State in quantitative conclusions.' In a ~ountry largely illiteratc, terms on the basis of villages selected statisti­ where statistical or numerical comprehension calIy at random. The selection was avoWfldly of even such a simple thing as age was liable purposive: the object being as much to floc1 to be ina,ccurate, an understanding of the social out what was happening and how fast to those structure was essential. It was more necessary villages which had fewer reasons to choose to attain a broad understanding of what was change and more to remain loqged in the past happening around oneself than to wrap one­ as to discover how the more 'normal' types self up in 'statistical ingenuity' or 'mathematical of villages were changing. They were to be pri­ manipulation'. This explains why the Indian marily type studies which. by virtue of their Census came to be interested in 'many by-paths' number and distribution, would also give the and 'nearly every branch of scholarship, from reader a 'feel' of what was going on and some anthropology and sociology to geography and kind of a map of the country. religion.' A brief account of the tests of selection will In the last few decades the Census has help to explain. A minimum of thirty-five vil­ increasingly turned its efforts to the presenta­ lages was to be chosen with great care to re­ tion of village statistics. This suits the temper present adequatelv geographical, occupational of the times as well as our political and econo­ and even ethnic diversity. Of this minimum of mic structure. For even as we have a great thirty-ftve, the distribution was to be as fol­ deal of centralisation on the one hand and de­ lows: centralisation on the other, my colleagues (a) At least eight villages were to be so thought it would be a welcome continuation of selected that each of them would con­ the Census tradition to try to invest the drv tain one dominant communitv \£ith one pre­ bones of village statistics with flesh-and-blood dominating oecunation, e.g. fishermen, forest accounts of social structure and social change. workers, jhum cultivators, potters. weaversalt­ Tt was accordingly decided to select a few vil­ makers. quarry workers etc. A village should lages in every State for special study where have a minimum popUlation of 400, the opti_­ personal observation would be brought to bear mum being between 500 and 700. IX x FOREWORD (b) At least seven villages were to be of were to be recordings, of course. of cultural numerically prominent Scheduled Tribes of the and social traits and occupational mobility. State. Each village could represent a particular This. was followed up in March, 1960 by two tribe. The minimum population should be 400, speCImen schedules. one for each household. the optimum being between 500 and 700. the other for the village as a whole. which. (c) The third group of. villages should each apart from spelling out the mode of inquiry be of fair size. of an old and settled character suggested in the September• .1959 conference. and contain variegated occupations a,nd be. if introduced groups of questions aimed at sens­ ~ossible, multi-ethnic in ?omp,osition. By fair ing changed in attitude and behaviour in such SIze was meant a populatlOO of 500-700 per­ fields as marriage. inheritance. movable and sons or more. The village should mainly depend immovable property, industry. indebtedness. on agriculture and be sufficiently away from education. community life and collective acti­ the major sources of modern communication vity. social disabilities forums of appeal over such as the district administra.tive head-quar­ disputes, village leadership. and organisation ters and business centres. It should be .roughly of cultural life. It was now plainly the inten­ a day's journey from the above places. The vil­ tion to provide adequate statistical support to lages were to be selected with an eye to varia-' empirical 'feel'. to approach qualitative tion in terms of size. proximity to city and other change through statistical quantities. It had means of modern communication. nearness to been difficult to give thought to the import­ hills. jungles and major rivers. Thus there was ance of just enough statistics to give empiri­ t<1 be a. regional distribution throughout the cal under pinning to conclusion'. at a time - State of this categocy of villages. If. however. when my colleagues were straining, themselves a particular district contained significant ecolo­ to the utmost for the success of" the main gical variations within its area, more than one Census operations. but once the census count village in the district might be selected to study itself was left behind in-· March, 1961'. a the special adjustments to them. series of three regional seminars in Trivan­ drum (May. 1961). Darjeel~ng and Srinagar It is a unique feature of these village sur­ (June, 1961) restored their attention to this veys that they rapidly outgrew their original terms of reference, as my cdlleagues warmed field and the importance of tracing social up to their work.