E-Paper
HT This Day: October 23, 1951 -- Birth of new era in Himachal Pradesh
General elections in the Chini and Pangi tehsils of Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday will herald the era of democracy in this mountain-locked conglomeration of hills and hamlets.
General elections in the Chini and Pangi tehsils of Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday will herald the era of democracy in this mountain-locked conglomeration of hills and hamlets.
Hitherto unheard of in this region elections will be a unique experience to a population of 10 lakhs -roughly 50 per cent are voters of the 21 hill States which constitute the 10,000 square-mile State.
This will be more so to the 26,000 voters of the Chini and Pangi tehsils who go to the polls ahead of others. Because cut away from the outside world for most part of the year, they are more backward politically as in other respects than those in the rest of the State.
Chini is the most eastern tehsil of the erstwhile Bushahr State, most of which is included in the present Mahasu district, the largest of the three districts of the State with 3,820 sq. miles. The district is bounded on the north and south by the hills of Punjab and U.P. on the west, by the peaks of Mandi and Sirmur and on the east by the undefined ice-fields stretching miles across to Tibet.
The river Sutlej which is only a stream at the most eastern point, flows along the district for 60 miles practically cutting it into two lengthwise and serves as the main drainage of the region. Two immense mountain chains bound the drainage on the north and south rising to snow-clad peaks from 16,000 to 21,900 ft.
IMPORTANCE OF CHINI
Chini, which takes its name from a village situated in the centre of the tehsil, is perched high up on the eastern Mahasu terrain. Although separated by a chain of mountain ranges, proximity to Russian territory and Communist influence in Tibet lend this tehsil immense political importance.
With the exception of a few low depressions providing easy means of contact with Tibet, the boundary generally runs along the great mass of mountainous spurs with precipitous sides jutting out in every direction from the main range.
The passes in the snow hills varying in height from 11,892 to 15,500 ft. are open for a short period between the rains and the first autumn snow falls. The others still higher open only between May ano July.
For five to six months in winter, the place is virtually dead with cold and snow but when it thaws, strings of shaggy donkeys appear along the winding mountain path from Tibet carrying homespun wool The traders descend to Rampur which is some 3,000 ft. above sea level and carry on brisk trade in summer. There are annual fairs in several parts of the tehsil who goods, mostly raw wool, homespun wool and salt from Tibet, are exchanged with tradesmen from the land of the lamas.
During the winter when snow lies 30 ft. on the boulder-strewn mule tracks, the only contact with the outside world. young men descend to lower regions for manual work and the older ones stay behind tending the cattle and farm and weaving the wool into exquisite patterns of rugs. brocades and tapestries.
Even in summer, people here say, thick mountain haze hangs heavily over the area so that it is difficult to perceive the beautiful valleys. woods and streams, glints of which show up rarely at noon when the mist is thinned by the sun. Otherwise, only the jagged outlines of silver-crowned mountain peaks appear against the background of pale grey skies.
According to the Deputy Commissioner of Mahasu, Mr Shiv Pal, the forests in the region abound with black bear and panther, which constantly menace the cattle wealth of the people. The only protection they have at present is the fierce dogs.
METEOROLOGICAL RECORDS
No meteorological records are available in the region, but according to Mr Shiv Pal, rainfall is heavy in the south but nearer the Tibetan border continuous wind blows, driving dust and dry snow and stunting vegetation.
Authentic records of history prior to the 19th century are also not available but the people of the tehsil are, from accounts available here, different from those of all the other parts of the State, in features, customs and manners. Mostly Mongolian in stock, they have inter-marriages with Tibetens and speak a sort of Tibetan apart from 22 other dialects.
Although the women population exceeds men by 1,039 in the total population of 2,905 of the tehsil), this phenomenon does not present a problem, for, the Deputy Commissioner says, polyandry is a widely prevalent practice. In the early years when Taoism and a degenerated form of Buddhism held sway over the population even human sacrifice was known to have been practised. But this custom has now died a natural death.
There are now both Hindus and Buddhists, but over 50 per cent profess Lamaism, the cardinal tenet of which is the endless incarnation of the divine leader in a series of deified man or Lama. Almost every village is stated to have a Buddhist temple; the nearer the eastern border, the more the number of temples.
Mr Shiv Pal said most of those manning these temples had had training at the Lhasa monastery which was under the influence of the Panchen Lama. Some monasteries were known to be subordinate to the one at Gartok and Ushak Lama and Dwarika Lama visited them occasionally.
DAILY HABITS
In their daily habits, the Buddhists had much in common with those in Tibet. For instance, every ceremony-birth, death or marriage -was conducted under the Lama’s patronage and even sowing was done after the Lama had led them with the chant, Om Akani Nikani Ambila Mandita Mantala Swah, which meant, “ May the Gods bestow on us abundant crops.”
There are, Mr Shiv Pal said, ceremonies peculiar to the Buddhists of Chini. namely, the Gorasang-the religious service to celebrate the completion of a new house; the kanger zalmo-visit to the Buddhist library at Kanam; menthako - when men, women and children climb hills, dance and sing; and jokhiga chug simig-the inter- change of visits between relatives.
According to other official sources agriculture and sheep and goat rearing are the chief occupation of the people. Cows and buffaloes are rare but a cross between them known as “ yak “ is most common. It is used both for milch purposes and as a beast of burden. Its thick hide is highly valued by tradesmen from across the border.
Cultivation is scattered and the implements are primitive. Plough is used when the ground is level and in other places chikri, a kind of hoe, for stirring the soil. In stony areas amend, an iron bar with a flat end, or kasst, a kind of spade, is used.
Black wheat and maize are the main crops but they only raise just about enough to meet their own needs. Pears, peaches and apricot grow wild in certain areas but no particular attention is paid by the local population to their organized cultivation. Zeera, a spice, is cultivated in some areas, but it grows wild in dry regions beyond Chini.
RAJPUT STOCK
The Hindus dwelling in the region consist mostly of Rajputs as in the Pangi region in the Chamba district. Their habits are more or less similar to those in Pangi.
Most of the 25,000 people inhabiting the Pangi hills are Hindus. A small number of Muslims who were there left for Pakistan after partition. No connected account of history is available of this area also. But copper inscriptions and ruins of age old temples along the banks of the river Ravi indicate influence of ancient Hindu civilization.
Chamba district of which Pangi is the northernmost tehsil is shut in on almost every side by rising mountains which make the tehsil inaccessible for most part of the year. Blizzards in th1s regron are known to be violent so that journey along the passes in the rainy season or winter is most perilous. The lowest pass to the tehsil is over 20,000 ft. high and ordinarily it takes eight days to get across to the valley on mules.
The principal crops in Pangi are rice and maize cultivated on strips of land scatteted along the valley. Mineral wealth is immense and unexplored. Forest resources provide an important source of revenue to the State, timber being floated down the Ravi to the plains.
Civilization has certainly made its inroads into these two tehsils but it has not gone to the extent of providing a road, a cart track or even a post office. The nearest post office from either of these two tehsils is over 70 miles.
In spite of the backwardness of the people, the Congress claims that it will have a sweeping victory at the polls because it has penetrated the area long before any other political party had done. In their estimate at least 90 per cent of the votes cast will be in favour of the Congress.
Unofficial sources here do not believe that more than 20 per cent of the electorate will exercise its franchise. Over 90 per cent of them will go to polis, not from a knowledge of what they are doing, but because some one has asked them to vote.
The elections in these two tehsils as in most other parts of the State which are backward, will not, therefore, be a contest on a party, much less an ideological, level but on an individual basis the candidate with the greatest number of contacts bagging the maximum number of votes. And so they can by no means be said to have any “ barometer value “ for those in the other parts of the country.
