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Bantva Recollection
(Excerpts from “A Ramble Through Life” by Mr. Kassim Dada)

 
Bantva was exceptional. Until partition, it had no electricity, and no street lighting and no telephones or public transport system of any kind. It was the principal town of a minor princely state in a predominantly Hindu area, but some 80% of its population was Muslim. For a small town of twenty thousand it became to well-known not only in the whole of Kathiawar but throughout the trading circles of the sub-continent. Even today, 39 years after the entire Muslim population – except about a dozen individuals – migrated from it, I occasionally meet people here as well as in India, who remember it because of its well-known trading houses.

Bantva had its own brand of life in which religion and social customs played an important role. The vast majority of Muslims in Bantva belonged to the mainstream Sunni Hanafi Sect of which the Memon community forms a part. A few Muslim families were Syeds, who are believed to be the direct descendants of Muhammad, the Holy Prophet of Islam. Syeds had a special place in the minds and hearts of many, and the women of Bantva, and some men, patronized them by seeking their assistance by way of talismans and special prayers.

 

Women appeared to take religion more seriously than men. They would go to various tombs of men who had the reputation of being holy. Such men, known as Pirs, were believed to plead for you, if you beseeched them to do so. Of course, many Muslims do not believe in dead men being able to do anything. But then there is also the belief, held by some, that men who had acquired special supernatural powers while they lived, never really die in the ordinary sense and they continue to be close to God and, therefore, could be helpful. Many women took vows to visit a particular tomb if their wishes were granted. These wishes generally pertained to recovery from disease, birth of a child in a barren home, and solving serious family disputes.

 

During the day one saw few women on the road. If you saw any they were elderly persons on their way to or from the meat or vegetable market doing shopping for themselves or for their neighbours. An hour or two after sunset, however, younger women appeared, but always well covered in a cloak known as a “burka”. It consisted of a loose garment that one got into. It had a screen in fromt of the face which helped to see through and to breathe. These women were usually on their way home, escorted by a brother, father, or a maid servant, who would have a torch light or an oil lamp to see the way in dark lanes. It was customary for a married girl to return to her parents’ home each morning for some weeks immediately after the marriage, and go to her husband’s home after dinner. Distances being short, it was common for the new brides, mostly in their mid teens, to just walk. In most cases this meant a journey of ten or fifteen minutes at a leisurely pace. The burka was an attractive piece of garment, made of colourful material and often had expensive embroidery of gold or silver thread. Because of the custom of purdah for women, those few families who owned cars had curtains in them so that the passengers in the rear seat could be protected from the public gaze. Even taxis had this facility.        

 

Lack of electricity meant the use of batteries to operate radios. Two or three shops did a roaring business in motor car batteries for use for the radios. As soon as they were used up they could be exchanged for others.

 

Muharrum is an important month in the Islamic calendar. The Shia sect in particular observes it with great fervour and solemnity. It was in this month that several members of the Prophet’s family were martyred at Karbala in Iraq because they refused to acknowledge the sovereignty of a tyrant whom they considered to be an enemy of Islam.

 

There were only a handful of Shias in Bantva but Muharrum was celebrated with enthusiasm by the Syeds and the families of the ruling princes. The celebrations took various shapes and forms. For ten days the Syeds and members of the princely households and their servants wore no shoes.  Some wore black bands on their arms. Their women folk wore black clothes. They all slept on the floor rather than in beds. And the Memons went about their work in a manner that did not appear to cause any misunderstanding or strains. We all believed in the Holy Prophet and held his entire family in great respect. Hazarat Ali, the son-in-law of the Prophet, occupies a very high place in the heart of a Memon.

 

There were two major features of Muharrum in Bantva. One was a “chowkara”, which took place at night just outside the residential premises of the ruling prince. This consisted of some 40 to 50 men forming a large circle and then raising their arms and bringing them down on their chest in harmony with a special rhythm of the frums, and at the same time moving a little at a time while maintaining the shape of the circle, in which anyone could join.

 

The other feature was making of ‘tazias’. A tazia is symbolic of the tombs of the martyrs of Karbala. It could be an expensive and time consuming thing to make. It needs a variety of articles, such as paper of various colours and quality, wood, string, gum, and several decorative items. People of different localities would decide to build a tazia of their own. There would be an element of competition in this. To meet the cost, a self-appointed committee would seek contributions several weeks earlier. It would be necessary to complete the job by the 9th of the month as on that night all the tazias would be taken out in a procession through the town to the outskirts and left there on the morning of the 10th. Some tazias were small and could be carried by just one man, while others were larger, requiring as many as ten or twenty to carry them. It was a colourful and memorable event in the life of the people.

 

Ramazan was another important month in Bantva. This is the month of fasting from dawn to sunset. Some individuals took upon themselves the responsibility of waking you up in the middle of thenight by chanting in a loud voice a special couplet or phrase so that you could cook your meal to be taken before the break of dawn. They would divide the areas among themselves. The method was to pass by the house and tell you that it was time to wake up. For this service they would expect some payment at the end of the month.

 

Religious fairs, known as “urs”, were also important events. Though no important one took place in Bantva, several were held within easy driving distance, and many people from the town took part in them just for the excitement of it. For some these were the occasions to see and hear professional dancing girls and singers, and indulge in a bit of gambling.

 

Many well-to-do families considered it their religious duty to help the needy. A few had adopted a rather unusual method. In the holy month of Ramazan they would invite the poor to assemble in an open ground surrounded by us boundary wall. When the people had gathered, the gate would be closed. One or more men would take position at the exit with canvas bags full of coins of appropriate denominations. Then the gate would be opened, and as the people walked out, each person would receive the amount determined by the donor. Since everyone was assured that he would receive his share, there was no disturbance of any kind.

 

One of the important features of life was the official town crier appointed by the Jamat, a social organization which controlled undesirable practices affecting engagements, marriages, divorces, circumcisions, births and deaths. The town crier was a widely known personality named Habib Ebrahim Ghedia. He had a loud voice and a strong constitution. Depending on what he had to convey, he would either use a drum and cry out an announcement, or would visit individual homes or a block of houses and convey the message. In case of invitation to weddings or feasts, he would read out the names of the invitees in front of a house or inside a cluster of flats known as a “dehli”. This dispensed with the need of writing and distributing invitation cards.

 

The town crier was an important man indeed. He not only knew the names of people but in many cases also who was related to whom. Consequently, he was often called upon to help in the preparation of the list of invities. On occasions, some rich families would decide to invite the whole town to a meal, known as “dhaam”. At times the invitation was extended to neighbouring village too. In keeping with the custom and culture of the region, the meal was restricted to adult males and children. It was the town crier’s responsibility to make the announcement several days in advance.

 

Within any father’s memory the names of those who ruled the small native state of Bantva were Sher Khanji, Rustom Khanji, Rasool Khanji, Sherbulund Khanji and another Sherbulund Khanji and another Sher Khanji. I remember only the last two. Both were colourful personalities.

 

Haji Pirmuhammad Jangda and Haji Habib Shekha were considered rich before my father made his fortune. When asked who was considered rich he said anyone with Rs. 1,000 was a rich man. Dhoraji had rich families earlier than Bantva. Khano Moosa was a well known wealthy person a hundred years ago.

 

One of the characteristics of life in this town was that a number of trading firms accepted money from those who wished to invest with them. In some cases it was needed by the owner and in others it was a way of offering an opportunity to others to participate in business. In all cases the money was treated as an investment and not as a loan. Once each year the firms would invite the investors, present the accounts, and declare and distribute the profit.

 

The most common ailments were malaria, typhoid, pneumonia, diarrhea, worms, influenza and tuberculosis. Children’s diseases were taken for granted and accepted as unavoidable. There were in the town a number of men of medicine. These included doctors, and practitioners of eastern medicine: vaids and hakims. In this connection many names come to mind, such as Uttam Chand, Parikh, Bhatt, A.M. Nagori, Aziz-ul-Haque, Barkatali Nanjiani and M.D. Khan. The most colourful of them all was Dr. Nanjiani. He had a gift of communication with his patients that immediately put them at ease and created a feeling of utter confidence. The  only one who is still alive is Dr. Khan. He looks younger than his age and continues to lead a busy life, attending to scores of patients six days a week in Karachi. Many of his patients know him from Bantva days. He had built up a fine reputation for himself by  his kind disposition.

 

My father owned a piece of land about 3 miles away measuring around 200 acres which included a village named Eklera. In Bantva itself he owned many different properties, including a garden with a bungalow, which was used for an occasional party, or for providing accommodation to dignitaries. Among those who stayed there was M.A. Jinnah, who visited Bantva in January, 1940. He had come there for donations for the All India Muslim League Press Fund. “Give me the silver bullets, and I will do the job”, he said.

 

I was given the responsibility of looking after the distinguished guest. He came in the evening, addressed a large public meeting at night in the compound of Madresa-e-Islamia, and left the next day. It was for me to see that his quarters were properly furnished, and that he had what he wanted for breakfast. There was no one else in the building where Jinnah spent the night. I don’t  remember where others of his party stayed, but Jinnah had his breakfast alone, with me waiting on him. When I supplied him with English  newspapers, he asked for Gujrati papers, and when these were provided he got busy reading them. This was the first time that I realized that he knew Gujrati. Later, of course, I learnt that he even wrote his Urdu speeches in Gujrati script.