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Chapter 7: Trade Via Shimla
Chapter 8: The First Mule Train arrives in Shimla - 1832
Chapter
7
Trade
Via Shimla
Shimla as Getaway to the Hills
All trade routes to the northeastern hill states beyond
Shimla till Chini village - Tibet border (Kalpa now) were pathways, on which
most trade flow occurred. In November every year during the "Lavi"
fair, wool came from Tibet and followed the circuitous path to the plains of
Punjab using the not so well kept pathways thru Shimla village, Sabathu,
Kasauli and Kalka. Most items were carried on the backs of either people or
animals. Wool from the Lavi fair at Rampur[1]
had been following this route for 300 years before either the Gorkhas appeared
or the British followed them. Other route, which the wool trade followed, was
the River Beas route via Kangra until the Maharaja Ranjit Singh wished all wool
trade routes to converge at Amritsar. He sent his General Jorawar Singh to
Ladakh to force this diversion in 1834 and he succeeded. This diversion in
trade alarmed the British, who wished the wool to follow the traditional route
albeit thru the British territory. They also wished full control over wool
trade; hence control of the tiny Shimla Hill states was important for them.
Shimla in the British mindset had acquired dual importance i.e. elegant hill
station and centre point of all trade activity to western Tibet including
Yarkand.
In return to wool coming into the plains of Punjab, the
Tibetans purchased tea, barley, grains etc. Total value of imports and exports
to Tibet was balanced[2],
after major British effort to build the Hindustan-Tibet road. Prior to that in
early 1800s Tibetan exported more wool and imported less grain, as means of
transport were scanty. The British took upon themselves to redress imbalance
issue and began building the Hindustan-Tibet road (1849-52). By 1883, trade via
this road reached an optimum balance.
Shimla hill states were not growing enough food; hence
they depended upon supply from the plains or states in the neighbourhood.
Because of the steep gradient of these hills, extensive food cultivation was
only possible. Food grew only where river formed a valley or ridges in the
gradient where adequate water supply could be assured. The shortage was met
with imports via Kasauli- Sabathu-Shimla pathway or Ropar-Bilaspur-Shimla
pathway. In addition the Mandi-Suket-Bilaspur route also played a role in food
transportation. This transportation without adequate infrastructure depended
mostly on human and mules power.
By 1830, as many as 300 Britishers, including the high
officials were camping in Shimla. Supplying these many outsiders coming there
for 4 to 6 months was outside the capacity of Sabathu military camp. They
needed local entrepreneurs to take over the responsibility. Every week they
needed 10-12 mules, each carrying about 3 maunds of supplies and stores (mules
in hill tracts carry lesser weight). Without these supplies there would be no
Shimla camp office. Hence the British began thinking about better arrangements
to supply their camp offices as well as other holidaymakers now beginning to
arrive in hordes. The British were looking for better local suppliers. Unable
to find one in Shimla or Sabathu they turned their attention elsewhere. That is
when William Moorcroft reports came handy.
Outside the British conquered territories in 1830,
Sud/Sood traders conducted the grain trade and money lending business mostly
along the River Beas. The Jaswan state, where they resided was part of the Sikh
Empire, as the Local Rajah under pressure from Maharaja Ranjit Singh had
resigned his kingdom and handed it over to him 1819[4].
They also spoke some of the local dialects of Shimla area, although they were
well versed in Punjabi and Kangri dialect. Originally from Punjab (Sirhind),
they had only two generation back arrived in the state of Jaswan under pressure
from the continued Muslim atrocities. Hence their connections in Punjab were
very useful.
After learning about need for the traders at newly
settling village of Shimla, Suds/Soods of Jaswan whole-heartedly jumped on the
opportunity. Coming to Jaswan from more prosperous Sirhind, their fortunes had
taken a turn for the worst. Jaswan was a poor cousin of Punjab, although safer.
Hence they were searching for better opportunities. Reaching Shimla from their
villages of Girlie/Pragpur etc. without any roads was an uphill task. They did
not know about the route to Shimla Via Bilaspur. The only way they could reach
Sabathu and talk to the political officer was thru the Ambala, Kasauli and then
to Sabathu. That is what they did.
After their first contact with the British around 1830 or so, they
explored around for a better route, until somebody directed them to the route
taken by the Gorkhas earlier to reach Arki/Malon area. It was thru Nadaun and
Bilaspur. For their subsequent contacts with the British at Sabathu, they took
this route. To their utter surprise, this route had better pathways and well
kept by the Rajah of Bilaspur. Also a gentle gradient made mule travel easier.
The Gorkhas had improved upon the local infrastructure further during their ten
years occupation. Hence these pathways were better than Kalka - Kasauli -
Sabathu and finally to Shimla pathways.
At Sabathu, their reception was as cool as possible. The
Sabathu Political Officer in Lieutenant later Major Pratt Kennedy (1822-35)
wished supplies sooner but at a much lower cost than the Suds/Soods was
offering. He was not offering them additional compensation for transporting
supplies long distance over the mountains and valleys. Additional risks
included unsold supplies to be left behind at the mercy of rats and other
rodents during winter, since these cannot be taken back. Hence the discussions
were inconclusive. The political officer wished to explore with other
communities in the plains of Punjab. Aggarwala Community in Ambala also sensed
the same opportunity but found the uphill climb to Kasauli and then to Shimla
with 30 mules every week next to impossible. Mahajan community were not grain
traders hence would wait for other opportunities to come their way.
Punjabi Muslim community in 1830 were the top craftsmen of
the area. They came whole-heartedly to Shimla as suppliers of services. Their
services were requisitioned to build houses, recondition horse carts and above
all make the best shoes and clothes for the British gentry. They were already
there at Sabathu and other military camps in the plains. Asking them to
relocate to Shimla was not very difficult. They came in numbers and stayed.
This community were craftsmen not grain traders hence they were also dependent
upon others for their everyday supplies.
Disappointed with their initial contact with the British,
the Suds/Soods had returned to their home base in Jaswan and continued with
their other lines of businesses. Then a call thru a messenger came from Major
Kennedy in Sabathu. Pressure of keeping Shimla's British population base
supplied had forced his hand. Lord Combermere, the then Commander-in-Chief when
he came, he came with an entourage of 1300 porters and staff. They all needed
to be fed and housed. Although they carried some their own supplies yet
additional supplies had to be procured locally. The same issue arose when Lord
Amherst and Lord Bentinck the Governor Generals visited Shimla in 1827 and 1832
respectively. That to some extent had forced Lt. Kennedy's hand. High officials
liked the idea of transporting supplies on a gentle gradient of Hoshiarpur to
Nadaun and from Nadaun to Bilaspur etc. and persuaded Lt. Kennedy to offer
better terms to the traders who wished to relocate to Shimla.
With the call from Major Kennedy from Sabathu, the
Suds/Soods knew that they were going to be wholesalers, suppliers and
commission agents of Shimla. Additional possibilities of being retailers were
also to be explored with more Suds/Soods arriving to supplement this successful
transport arrangement.
In addition they were politically reliable and could cart
supplies to Shimla in a hurry (coming season) based on their connections and
experience. At the moment they were subjects of the Sikh Kingdom, hence the
Political Officer alone could not make all the decisions. That decision had to
be made by the higher command. This was helped by the presence of Lords Amherst
/ Bentinck in Shimla. The Sud/Sood supply chain envisaged, that the supplies
travel from Hoshiapur area (Sikh Territory), to Nadaun (again Sikh administered
Jaswan state), pass thru Kuhlur state (Bilaspur) - now an independent princely
state under British suzerainty and reach Shimla. Laws & transit duties
could make the whole supply chain uneconomical. With clouds of war gathering in
Punjab, British were weary of using passage thru Sikh and Sikh administered
territory. The Suds/Soods reassured them that they have had sourced grain at
Hoshiarpur for export along the River Beas all the way to Rohtang Pass and
beyond, and they did not see any serious problem in picking up supplies at
Hoshiarpur for Shimla. As regards to the passage thru the Kuhlur state via
Bilaspur, they wished the British to restrain the Rajah from undue hindrances.
As the latter incidents would prove, the British had not done their part of the
bargain of instructing the Rajah of Bilaspur, properly.
By the spring of 1832 Suds/Soods were all set to run the
first mule cum camel train to carry grain and other supplies from Hoshiarpur to
Shimla Via Nadaun and Bilaspur.
Chapter
8
The First Mule Train arrives in Shimla - 1832
Four young men of Girlie/Pragpur with their elder's
blessings formed a partnership based on money they contributed to the venture.
Two were to proceed to Shimla at the beginning of month of Phalgun (early
March) to seek British help to find a place for their business enterprise. The
other two went in the opposite direction to find caravan herder with at least
30-40 mules to be hired for the season to make the long distance journey from
Hoshiarpur to Shimla via Nadaun & Bilaspur.
Surdha & Nidha, who proceeded to Shimla, figured that
they did not have enough money to begin building a place for business. On their
earlier exploratory trip in 1831 they were directed to a clearing where the
north and south slopes formed a wide ridge (called The Ridge today). The
British had already cleared this place of trees and shrubbery. Surdha and Nidha
assumed that this place would be their place of business. This place had a few
hilltop native cottages, two native shops; the abandoned Shyamala Devi temple
was in the vicinity and a mule pathway along the southern slopes connected to
the east as well as west.
In 1832 Shimla, Nidha & Surdha found about 30 British
houses/cottages/Bungalows, a few boarding houses, a hotel under construction,
one or two craft oriented shops on the southern slopes. In addition they found
an infirmary Run by Major Kennedy in the name of
"Kennedy House" a distant away from the Ridge. They also found a
settlement of locals on the southern slope of the mountain facing the morning
sun and an occasional traveller from the hill states passing thru Shimla using
the pathway, which later would become the Combermere Road. All British cottages
built so far, were widely scattered from Observatory Hill to Chotta Shimla
(East to West). There was only one road, under construction (Combermere Road),
which connected the various settlements in this village and to the Shimla hill
states in the northeast. Lord Combermere had found it difficult to traverse
between British cottages hence ordered the construction of this road[5].
Drinking water at Baoli(s) and springs in the
vicinity was pure but access to these was difficult. Major Kennedy had enlarged
accesses to the drinking water sources and built larger ponds to meet the
needs. In addition he had declared road accesses to the water sources, as
public property hence future cottagers were discouraged to lay claim on these
lands.
Money to build anything else at Shimla was in short supply
with Surdha & Nidha. Most of the money they had raised had been handed over
to Jalla & Nihala who had gone to fetch merchandise at Hoshiarpur. Each of
the partners knew nothing about other's progress, hence they were hoping for
the best. They thought that if the supplies arrived sooner, with no place to
house them, these would have to be sold off very quickly or stored in the open.
That choice would have to be exercised when the supplies arrive. At the moment
their main task was to survey the customer base and build at least something to
house the supplies.
It was early March of 1832; the British who owned the
cottages, others who occupied the Kennedy House, and yearly sightseers had not
arrived yet. Even Major Kennedy whom they had met on their last trip the
previous year had not come. This new settlement had a dull and dreary look.
They assumed that first to come would be Major Kennedy and his political staff
and staff of the Kennedy House infirmary. Others would follow soon thereafter.
All of them were not due until April 1st or so. Surdha & Nidha were two to
three weeks early. This free time they used to make friends, get familiar with
the place and see the building activity in progress. At some places
construction activity was half completed.
Surdha & Nidha faced three choices, they could return
back to their home villages and wait, go to Sabathu and meet Major Kennedy; stay
put and waits until Jalla & Nihala arrive with the supplies. They picked
the second choice and proceeded towards Sabathu. As they arrived there, they
found Major Kennedy in his full military regalia, commanding the military
station. He immediately recognized them from their earlier meetings last year.
Major Kennedy had just returned from the plains himself and wished to know more
about supply arrangements Surdha & Nidha were making. To which they
reassured him of the certainty of the supplies arriving on time before the
first British set their foot in Shimla. Without knowing how much supplies were
coming, Major Kennedy had ordered his staff to prepare a full load for Shimla
camp office. If Surdha and Nidha supplement his supplies during next few months,
he would order less from Sabathu or plains next time.
On their return journey back to Shimla Surdha & Nidha
ran into Rajah of Keonthal's advisors, who told them that the Shimla Illaqa now
belonged to the British as their Rajah had transferred the land to the British
in return for land elsewhere. (Similar deal had been made with Maharaja of
Patiala). They did not know how to interpret this news, as they were
businessmen not politicians. They had been in Shimla for almost three weeks and
had not heard from Jalla & Nihala, their other partners who had gone to
Hoshiarpur. That is when a traveller coming from Nadaun told them that a mule
caravan of about 40 mules was heading in the opposite direction with Jalla
& Nihala in the lead. That was about two weeks back. It is then they knew
that the necessary transportation arrangements to ferry supplies have been made
and supplies would be here any day.
Jalla & Nihala when they started had the toughest time
finding a mule herder with 30-40 mules. None they could find was willing to
make six months commitment of transporting supplies to an unknown place.
Finally they found one in Kullu, who had known the route to Bilaspur but not
beyond. With a lot of incentives he was persuaded to take up the job. He wanted
to take two of his helpers along, which the Jalla & Nihala agreed. This
additional help would add better protection from wild animals, robbers and
poachers on their way. The traveller who relayed the information to Surdha and
Nidha in Shimla was on way to Shimla Hill states. He was most profusely
thanked.
Jalla & Nihala at Hoshiapur were making the best deals
they could make on wheat, barley, rice, salt, spices, sugar etc. They were
using the old family connections at the Hoshiarpur "Anaaj Mandi"
to make the deal. This deal immediately ran into rough weather, when the grain
dealers asked for money on delivery. The money the partnership had pooled
together was not enough to buy 4,500 pounds of sundry items. Hence Nihala
returned home to fetch some more money.
There was no more money in the till at home; hence money
from a Sud/Sood moneylender had to be borrowed on exorbitant rates. Nihala
quickly returned to Hoshiarpur and paid the merchants in full. Once that issue
was settled, the fully laden caravan together with them, three caravan herders
and 40 mules began their two days journey to Nadaun. This pathway was good as
it was the beaten path of large number of caravans coming from Kullu to
Hoshiarpur. They followed this well-known path till the River Beas and followed
the river to Nadaun without crossing it. During this journey they maintained
round the clock vigil to prevent theft and pilferage. They were aware that
caravan on this route had been looted hence safety came first. Their
community's own experience near Gagret, now talk of a legend[6],
had taught them that it is better to be safe than sorry.
At Nadaun they rested for a day, animals were fed and
pastured and reloaded for onwards three days journey to Bilaspur. On way they
would cross the River Sutlej as safely as possible. After that they rested at
Bilaspur for a day. On the eighth day they proceeded in the direction of Arki.
That was the route; the caravan herder had never taken before. For All the five
- Jalla, Nihalla and three-mule herders, this journey became difficult. The
unknown bothered them, hence they loaded up with water, food for themselves,
and grain for the mules and as many sharp agricultural implements as they could
carry to ward off wild animals on the way. This route was known to be full of
them.
In two days they reached Arki. They were making careful progress, investigating sighting of each
new village and the wild animals in the vicinity. One day after Arki, the
caravan appeared at Boileauganj settlement, where they rested for a day. Next
day a commotion ran thru the Shimla settlement as the caravan began crossing to
the Ridge.
The three camel herders slept closer to the mule's
enclosure to ward off any danger. The four partners slept in thatch and wood
hutments, which Surdha and Nidha had built. They updated each other of the
progress of the others and began to plan the return journey. The mule herders
loved the location and its cool climate. They wished to stay a day or two
longer for rest and recreation before their return journey, which they did and
pastured the mules a bit longer. Nihala paid them their full amount and some
more. As per agreement the mule herder were free to carry any baggage on return
trip. That would be extra money for them. But they were to reach Hoshiarpur
back in 10 days and return to Shimla in another twelve. This time Nihala would
stay back at Shimla, but Nidha and Jalla will accompany back the mule train to
Hoshiarpur. On way, one of them was going to appraise the elders at
Girlie/Pragpur about the situation in Shimla.
The British Arrive To examine the supplies
The wind of goods arrival and mule train had already
reached Sabathu. Major Kennedy also heard about it and wished to proceed to
Shimla immediately. His staff was not yet ready as they were preparing for
April 1st departure and there were few more days in the month of March. Not
waiting for them, Major Kennedy took his two aides and proceeded to Shimla
ahead of the main party.
On April 2nd, Major Kennedy sent for the two Suds/Soods in
Shimla. Surdha and Nihala went to see their master with a full list of supplies
received. They were happy that they had brought the supplies ahead of the
British arrival. That also made Major Kennedy happy. He wished to know from
Nihala about difficulties encountered on way and route they took. To which
Nihala not volunteering much told him about conditions of the roads etc. In his
own mind major Kennedy made a note that the Suds/Soods have honoured their
commitment and they are trustworthy.
Later Major Kennedy paid a visit to the site. First thing
he saw the enclosure they had made for the mules. He did not like it all. He
wished the mules to be kept as far away as possible from the clearing at the
ridge, but for now he will not act. He would later restrict mules entry and
making of enclosure on the ridge as a non-starter. But first he wished to
examine the supplies. As he approached platform where supplies were stored, he
was not pleased. He wished for a better storage area.
Surdha & Nihala showed him all the 40 mules full of
supplies and he checked condition of all of these. He was pleased to see that
it was a first-rate material that the Suds/Soods had sourced. He advised them
to build a shelter sooner than later. As a starter he asked for the price, to
which Nihala who had been to the Hoshiarpur "mandi" quoted
prices separate for wheat, sugar, rice, spices and barley, as they had
discussed a year before. These prices had been talked about last year when the
exploratory talks were happening, but without a firm agreement on price and
volume. Nihala gently gave him the details of prices of superior quality
merchandise in Hoshiarpur, transportation costs, wayside stop expenses and huge
amount of interest they had to incur on borrowed money etc. Without saying
anything, Major Kennedy left the spot and headed towards his Kennedy House
establishment. In his mind, he was happy that supplies had arrived. He was a
bit unhappy that these were pricey but not pricier than what it would cost East
India Company to haul supplies to Shimla for its troops. In the meantime Nihala
and Surdha got busy building a better-thatched material protection for the
supplies sitting on a platform. The best they could do was to build a thatched
roof enclosure to protect these from the elements.
There was nobody else other than Major Kennedy and two of
his aides together with a few natives in the area. Others including regulars at
Kennedy House had not arrived yet. Earlier a word had come to his office while
he was in Sabathu that Governor General Bentinck may visit the area again and
would stay at Kennedy House. That was considered as an important development.
The Governor General had picked this place to visit again this year added to
the importance to Shimla as a hill station of the future.
Surdha & Nihala had been waiting for the last three
days for the Major to come and pick up the supplies. He had not come. It
worried them a bit. They wished to collect their money and pay the moneylender
as quickly as possible. On the fifth day, Major Kennedy's aide with three
retainers arrived to re-examine the merchandise. They examined these thoroughly
and gave their seal of approval. Later in the day four mules arrived. They
began hauling most of what Surdh and Nihala had on the site. It was all sold at
the price they had quoted. Nihala was told to present himself in the presence
of the Major to get their bills approved and get paid, although the paymaster
had not arrived yet, emergency funds from the Nasiri Battalion cash box
would be used to pay them right away. In fact, Major wished for the supplies to
continue, hence paying them quickly was essential.
With money in their pockets, Nihala wished to return to
the village to pay off the moneylender and use the balance to buy greater
amount of supplies at Hoshiarpur. But the mule herder and others had been gone
for seven days hence catching up with them was not possible. Hence they decided
to wait until the next trip.
Nidha talks to Elders in the Village
Nidha and Jalla on their way to Hoshiarpur, made a stop
closer to Girlie, to apprise the elders of their first successful run.
The whole village turned up to hear their experiences.
They again were short on cash. They needed the same amount of money as borrowed
before to pay the grain dealers in Hoshiarpur and mule herder accompanying
them. There was a unanimous vote to proceed with the endeavour, with the
promise that the money would follow.
When they arrived in Hoshiarpur there was a crowd gathered
around them to hear their tales of travel to far off places, which nobody had
heard off. They told them that they were back to pick up more supplies. Again
the same amount of supplies were ordered and packed properly but this time they
wanted supplies on credit, since the British had not paid them yet. The grain merchants were considering their request
when two men from the village arrived with money. Nidha & Jalla continued
with their deal making even if they had the money. This time a better deal was
stuck - i.e. pay half now and half with in a month. Missing the payment would
invite an interest of one and a half rupee per hundred per month. This high
interest included a penalty and covered the merchant's risks. Also the
merchants wanted a co-signer. Final deal did not include a co-signer but they
did not budge on the interest rate.
They paid the merchants as per terms and paid half of the
haulage fee to the mule herder. Next day morning they were off on their second
trip to Shimla. When they were still in Hoshiarpur, a word arrived at the
village thru the travellers from Surdha at Shimla that they had been paid. That
was a major sigh of relief. Soon they would be able to return all the money
they had borrowed.
Now the elders sat down to think about the future of
partnership a bit more. They needed to add more people to this arrangement and
set-up wayside stops to service the caravan as well as enlarge it. If these
weaknesses were redressed then haulage would become a bit easier.
There was a solution to it. The Suds/Soods from other
villages would set up wayside stops to service all the caravan traffic. This
venture would be successful if service centres were located at intersection of
major roads. The first one would be at Nadaun. This will service incoming
traffic from Hoshiarpur, Jawalamukhi/Kangra (across the river) and outgoing
traffic to Bilaspur and Mandi Kingdom. The second service centre would be set
up at Bilaspur itself to service traffic to Shimla, Mandi and Ropur in the
plains. The returning traffic would use the same facilities. This above
proposal would greatly facilitate mule handling twice in their 150 mile run.
The forgoing proposal would take time to materialise. In
the mean time goods had to flow to Shimla uninterrupted. Moreover Nadaun was
within easy reach of the Suds/Soods. But Bilaspur was farther away and they
were less familiar with it, hence they rather concentrate on Nadaun as their
wayside rest and recovery stop than Bilaspur.
Two weeks later after picking up supplies at Hoshiarpur,
the second Run of supplies also arrived at Shimla. By now the British had also
begun arriving in Shimla in their cottages. As they arrived they needed
supplies. They were pleased to know that a newer supply arrangement had
materialized and fresh supplies were arriving every three to four weeks. This
took a huge load off their head. They now could order their choicest supplies
with the Suds/Soods and get them in three to four weeks (that was the turn
around time of the mule caravan). The second run of supplies was not purchased
by Major Kennedy but by the cottagers. He deliberately let the supplies be
picked up them.
Partners Decide on a New Strategy
After three runs, they had enough cash to pay off their
loans and enough credit built to pickup supplies in Hoshiarpur on credit. The
mule herder was a happy man. He had started to get haulage on his return trip,
which almost doubled his intake. If need be, he could add more mules to his
supply train. At the moment there was no need to add more mules.
On there third run with all the partners in Shimla, they
sat down to chalk out a better strategy. They were not happy with their to and
fro travel, every time hence wished better arrangements. None could be made
until they talked to their elders. There was a need to add more people to this
supply process. Otherwise they would tire themselves out running with the mule
train. They were unaware that the elders in Girlie/Pragpur were already seized
of this problem and were planning a better arrangement to move supplies.
More British Begin to arrive in Shimla - Summer of 1832
With the British arrival, all their domestic help also
arrived. These were natives of the surrounding villages, who had worked for
them for a few years. Some of the incomplete buildings of last season also came
to life. Work began on uncompleted cottages, a hotel and a few British shop
which had been left uncompleted last year. Other businessmen from Calcutta and
Agra had come and surveyed the area but found business opportunities a bit low
hence had postponed retail ventures in Shimla. Their contention was that three
hundred and some British souls did not make much of a business opportunity for
cloth merchants, drug stores, photo studios, jewellers etc. They would
reconsider when the population base increases. But for Suds/Soods these three
hundred odd souls were a big business opportunity. They were supplying them
their everyday needs.
The house building activity took an upward trend with
existing cottages finished and newer one started. Muslim craftsmen had been
hired to build them in good numbers together with local help. This was the time
for Jalla, Nidha, Surdha & Nihala were also planning to build a permanent
structure for their business. They approached Major Kennedy for permission to
rebuild their present rudimentary structure into a wooden structure with a better
roof. They also wished permission to fell 24 trees.
Major Kennedy could give them permission to build at the
site but could not allow them to cut trees at the spot without further
consultation. But he allowed them to take a few trees from his inventory to build
immediately before the rainy season. He
was worried that a single shower may spoil the supplies now stored in less than
perfect storage conditions. They paid for all these trees and hired carpenters
to fashion something immediately to look like a "Godown cum shop". It
had to be completed in next six weeks before the rains arrive. Hence rush was
on. The Suds/Soods had never seen Shimla rains before. Stories they heard had
scared them. These rains come in torrents. It makes the streams and river impassable.
The forgoing made them work full time to build something durable to protect
their merchandise.
With three mule runs completed, they have had a few extra
rupees but were short on labour. It was all occupied building cottages for the
British, hence they asked for carpenters from their home villages to come. That
is the first time that carpenters, masons and other craftsmen from Kangra
arrived to work. On completion of their work, they were hired in the other
construction activities hence like Suds/Soods the artisans also became regular
workers in the area.
Suds/Soods Upgrade Transport Network to Shimla
With good stranglehold on supplies in Shimla, Nihala went
back to the village. There he discussed the need to get a better transportation
arrangement, as it was the bottleneck in their enterprise. The arrangement they
came out after discussion was to split the run into two segments. That would
relieve pressure on the animals and the people who were accompanying them. It
would also reduce excessive hardship of the journey. Tired mules were
inefficient load carriers hence these had to be rested longer at stops and
rotated with extra mules waiting in the rest stops. Sensing trouble, the mule
herder had also gone back to Kullu area to get another group of mules as well
as an experienced help. His two helpers together with the Suds/Soods lending
hand continued the run. He returned with ten additional mules and another mule
herder after two weeks. Now the pressure on the animals was off as he could
rest ten of his mules for an extended period and continue the run with the
other 40 mules. He also relieved the helpers with the new person. Those changes
helped a lot. Now it was Suds/Soods elder's turn to make better arrangements
between Hoshiarpur and Nadaun.
The elders already had a solution. They were searching for
local people with mules to lend a hand. They wished the locals to carry
supplies between Hoshiarpur to Nadaun with a turn around time of one week. From
there the original mule herder would pick up and continue to Shimla. The latter
would have a turn around time of two weeks approximately. As the elders
searched locally the rainy season interrupted their planning. In next two and
half months, they made only two runs as opposed to 4 runs planned. This was a
bit of rest for all of them, although it also cut back on their cash intake.
For the elders scheme to work, they had to build a depot
cum rest stop at Nadaun and man it continuously. There the supplies would be
dropped off and be stored until the other mule train picks it up (in two
weeks). To build a storage yard, they had no capital to get started. Alternative was to persuade another Sud/Sood
family at Garlie/Pragpur to man the Nadaun depot. Once it gets started the
depot could act as a wholesale cum retail outlet for local needs and that would
add to the profit of the location.
After a while, one Sud/Sood family from the neighbourhood offered
interest in this venture. They clearly stated that they would operate
independently and would levy charges for their services. The latter would jack
up the costs at Shimla but this would be offset by many other ways including
picking up additional supplies etc.
This whole operation at Nadaun could not get started right
away. It took time to find a suitable location at Nadaun to get started. The
Sud/Sood family, which was going to man that operation, was not fully prepared
yet. They wished to begin with a retail operation first and then get into depot
business later. The location they selected needed some work at the site to fix
the roof and the walls. They could not purchase the location, as cash
availability was the hindrance. Hence they rented it from the local landlord.
He also gave them land nearby where they could build mule enclosure. With these
arrangements completed, the Nadaun operation was expected to begin after the
rains. The passing other caravans took notice of the new mule enclosure under
construction and began to think in their mind of another possible stop before
Hoshiarpur. It was another masterstroke on the part of the Suds/Soods whose
business acumen was well known. Soon it became a popular stop on the riverside
with well-built enclosure for animals and a covered storage yard.
The local Rajputs of Girlie & Pragpur who had got the
wind of opportunity of making extra money had managed to gather twelve mules of
their own. They were immediately put to work for picking up supplies from
Hoshiarpur and dumping them at Nadaun. It was five day run with one-day stop.
By the time the Shimla caravan returned to Nadaun, the Hoshiarpur run had piled
up enough supplies for 40-50 mules.
In the mean time work on building a semi permanent
structure to store supplies, before these were distributed was complete at
Shimla. Now the supplies were not stored in open, but under a covered space
with permanent walls. The British cottagers were picking up their requirements
at the Suds/Soods establishment that pleased them. They worried less about the
price. For them availability was the key issue. Anybody who wished to get
something special, he placed an indent with Nihala or Nidha, or whosoever was
manning the operation in Shimla. If it was available in Hoshiarpur, it was
procured for them and delivered.
[1] In 1840,
Baden Powell has estimated the volume of wool at Rampur
to be 2,000 Maunds, half of which was pasham wool (Poonam Minhas; Traditional Trade and Trading Centres in Himachael Pradesh
[2] Imports in
1883 were valued at Rs. 498,817 and exports were valued at Rs. 312,915. (Above
reference)
[3] William
Moorcroft Travels, Volume 1, 1841
[4] Princely and
Noble families of Former Indian Empire - Himachal Pradesh by Mark Brentall
[5] Lord
Combermere whenever he travelled in the hills, travelled with full complement
of his army battalion and equal number of coolies/porters to carry the food and
other baggage. There are references that about 1300 men travelled with him all
the time. While camping in Shimla, he wished his men some work and hit upon the
idea of building the pathway into a 12 feet wide road and bridge the ravine.
[6] Legend of
Chubb/Maria Jatheri, where a returning party after wedding party was looted and
the groom murdered.
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