Punjab: a Background

2. Punjab: A Background This chapter provides an account of Punjab’s Punjab witnessed important political changes over history. Important social and political changes are the last millennium. Its rulers from the 11th to the traced and the highs and lows of Punjab’s past 14th century were Turks. They were followed by are charted. To start with, the chapter surveys the Afghans in the 15th and 16th centuries, and by Punjab’s history up to the time India achieved the Mughals till the mid-18th century. The Sikhs Independence. Then there is a focus on the Green ruled over Punjab for over eighty years before the Revolution, which dramatically transformed advent of British rule in 1849. The policies of the Punjab’s economy, followed by a look at the Turko-Afghan, Mughal, Sikh and British rulers; and, tumultuous period of Naxalite-inspired militancy in the state. Subsequently, there is an account of the period of militancy in the state in the 1980s until its collapse in the early 1990s. These specific events and periods have been selected because they have left an indelible mark on the life of the people. Additionally, Punjab, like all other states of the country, is a land of three or four distinct regions. Often many of the state’s characteristics possess regional dimensions and many issues are strongly regional. Thus, the chapter ends with a comment on the regions of Punjab. History of Punjab The term ‘Punjab’ emerged during the Mughal period when the province of Lahore was enlarged to cover the whole of the Bist Jalandhar Doab and the upper portions of the remaining four doabs or interfluves. `Punjab’ is thus actually co-terminous with the Mughal province of Lahore, that is, the Mughal Lahore became known as the province of panj aab. The boundaries of Punjab changed several times thereafter, under Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the British and in independent India. 11 PUNJAB: A BACKGROUND the religious movements during these centuries, led to the emergence of new towns in the well as well as the freedom movement in the rest of cultivated upper doabs of Punjab. Merchants of India had important affects on the economic and Multan and Lahore began to play a crucial role in social life of the province. domestic and external trade. By the early 17th century, Punjab had an active commercial life, Punjab – Early Years involving a wide range of traders, peddlers, There were many social changes as a result of brokers. The cash nexus was fairly well established Turkish rule. Traditional society so far had been under the Mughals, and interdependence between closed and hierarchical, dominated by a rigid caste towns and the countryside increased considerably system in which the relative positions, duties and by the end of the 17th century. disadvantages of its different segments were determined by birth and were believed to be divinely The introduction of the ‘Persian wheel’ facilitated ordained. This social structure began to artificial irrigation, resulting in considerable significantly transform itself during the Turko- increase in agricultural production. A certain degree Afghan, Mughal, Sikh and British periods. The of commercialisation of agriculture was in ruling class, or Rajputs, lost their status to newer evidence during the early 17th century. The spinning elites and the Brahmins too lost state patronage. wheel, carding-bow and improved wooden loom The upper castes, including Brahmins (priests) and brought a major change in weaving technology and Kshatriyas (rulers) were thus forced into other resulted in rapid growth in the textile industry under occupations. The former took to secular the Mughals. The introduction of lime mortar as occupations; and the latter became, at best, cementing material and the abundance of lime chaudharis, collecting revenue from a group of (chuna) in Punjab facilitated brick-and-stone villages. Others became cultivators, traders and construction and gave impetus to the building shopkeepers. industry. After the Turks introduced the manufacturing of paper, Sialkot emerged as an As a result of the hierarchical order being important centre of paper manufacture. Artisanal weakened by the Turko-Afghans and the Mughals, production, on the whole, continued to be carried much greater social mobility became possible. on with elementary technology and simple tools Artisans and service-providing groups could move in a system of production which was rooted in the from rural to urban areas and serve the new ruling caste society and based on the family as a unit of class in cities and towns, which were increasing production. Minute specialisation by each in size and numbers, due to a spurt in craft occupational sub-caste created a vested interest production and trade. The extension of cultivation in static labour-intensive technology. Since Box 2.1: Guru Nanak (1469-1539) GURU NANAK (1469-1539) based his message on the applicable to all his followers. Social responsibility and ideas of equality, universality and social commitment. spirituality were the two sides of the same ideological All human beings, men and women, could join his coin. By installing one of his followers as the Guru in path and become equal among themselves. They his lifetime, Guru Nanak made the position of the Guru worshipped together in congregation (sangat), and ate and the disciple interchangeable. This concept served together a common meal (langar). These two practices as the basis of the unity of Guruship, leading eventually institutionalised the ideal of equality. All norms and to the uncompromisingly democratic idea of the Panth values, whether spiritual or ethical, were equally as the Guru. 12 PUNJAB HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT production of necessities like textiles, metal The egalitarian nature of the Sikh Panth was articles, leather goods and agro-manufactures reinforced by the institution of the Khalsa in 1699. was highly localised, mass production and In addition to equality in congregational worship technological innovation became relatively difficult. and the community meal, the Khalsa encouraged equality in social and political life. The ideal was Islamic Law was introduced for the administration embodied in the doctrines of the scriptural Guru, of justice under Turko-Afghan and Mughal rule. that is, ‘Guru-Granth Sahib’, and the Guruship of Islam made spirituality accessible to all sections the collectivity of the Khalsa, that is, Guru-Panth. of society and Punjab soon developed a sizeable Muslim population. The 18th century struggle of the Khalsa was in many ways made possible by their faith in the Gurus, A Period of Social and Religious Change the doctrines they had propounded and the By the 16th century, many new ideas began to institutions they had evolved. It is significant that emerge. Sufism and the Sikh Panth gained Punjab remains one of the few examples in India considerable ground and popularity amongst the where the peasantry and backward castes were masses. Guru Nanak and his successors able to achieve political power. The Sikh social introduced and popularised a new ethic, which order was much more democratic than the made no distinction on the basis of birth. To a large traditional caste system which had so far extent, spirituality became universally accessible. dominated society. The ideology of Guru Nanak and his successors British Rule had a special appeal for labouring sections. Day- British rule in Punjab introduced new institutions labourers, craftsmen, agriculturists, traders and and technologies. The colonial state subscribed shopkeepers were electrified by the radical new to the values of humanism, rationalism and doctrine. Their voluntary contributions to the progress. Yet the state was geared towards using common funds of the community enabled the its technological and industrial superiority to Gurus to establish religious centres and establish perpetuate its own domination and maximise its new towns, which became centres of production economic advantages. and exchange. The financial independence of the community and its organisational networks spread Thus an increase in agrarian production meant that all over the Mughal empire, making the Sikh Panth the surplus was taken away by foreign agencies. a sort of state within the Mughal empire. The network of perennial canals built by the new Box 2.2: Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708) GURU GOBIND SINGH (1666-1708) invited all the Sikhs pursue. In the process, Guru Gobind Singh sharpened to become his Khalsa by offering direct affiliation to the distinctive identity of the Sikhs and added political him, accepting the new baptism of the (khanda) commitment to the idea of social responsibility. The double-edged sword, with the obligations, among order of the Khalsa was more emphatically an others, of keeping the hair uncut (kesh) and bearing egalitarian social order. He institutionalized the ideal arms. His objective was to unify the Sikh Panth in order of equality by vesting Guruship in the Khalsa Panth. to meet any external threat. He had already evolved Guru Gobind Singh’s mission was the culmination of the idea of war in the way of righteousness the Sikh movement, and a point of departure leading (dharmayuddha), which the Khalsa were now to to the Khalsa Raj. 13 PUNJAB: A BACKGROUND Box 2.3: The Freedom Struggle India’s Freedom Struggle received a uniquely rich input orientation, combined with an international outlook and from Punjab. In terms of sacrifice of life, property, jobs, the vision of a radically different society entailed the and personal freedom, Punjab suffered more than any Ghadar and the Naujwan Bharat Sabha. The latter also other province of British India. Relatively, among the gave the war cry of inquilab zindabad and subscribed Punjabis, the Sikhs suffered more, both as the to the goal of complete independence before the revolutionaries and the peaceful agitators. The efficacy Congress adopted it. Through the Jallianwala incident, of non-violent passive resistance was successfully Bhagat Singh and the INA trials, the Punjabis gave three demonstrated first in the Akali morchas.

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