THE KSHATRIYAS OR KHATRIS OF KASHMIR
The word Khatri in Hindi and Punjabi language comes from the Sanskrit word "Kshatriya" . "Khatri" and "Kshatriya" are synonymous. The main clans of Kshatriyas in India are Suryavanshi, Chandravanshi , Agnivanshi , Nagavanshi and Yaduvanshi .Most Khatris trace their lineage to Sri Rama or one of his brothers . Several key figures in Buddhism, Jainism, and Hinduism were Kshatriyas, indicating the power and prestige that this group once held in ancient Indian society. The famous religious leaders Gautama Buddha and Sri Mahavira , Lord Rama and Lord Krishna all belonged to this social order. Guru Nanak belonged to Bedi clan of Kshatriyas .Other Sikh Gurus belonged to Sodhi clan of Kshatriyas .Guru Gobind Singh writes this in his autobiography :-
“Chhattri ( Kshatriya ) ko poot ho,
Baman ko naheen kayee tap aavat ha jo karon;
Ar aur janjaar jito greh ko tohe tyaag,
kahan chit taan mai dharon,
Ab reejh ke deh vahey humko jo-oo,
hau binti kar jor karoon ;
Jab aao ki audh nidaan bane,
att hi ran main tab jujh maroon. “
(I am son of a Chhatri (Kshatriya ),
not of a Brahmin and I will live according to my Dharma.
All other complications of life are meaningless for me,
and I set my heart on the path of righteousness.
I humbly beseech thee God Almighty
that when the time comes for me to fulfill my Dharma,
may I die with honour in the field of battle)
In addition to their religious impact, the Kshatriya class also played a very important role in the development of Indian political thought, penning key texts of political strategy such as the Arthashastra. In the Indian subcontinent, they were mostly engaged in mercantilistic professions such as banking and trade. They were the dominant commercial and financial administration class of late-medieval India. Beyond any shade of doubt, like Marwaris and Gujaratis ,Punjabi Khatris (Kshatriyas) have proved an equally enterprising community the world over .
In a recently published book , “Caravans : Indian Merchants On The Silk Road”, we are informed about the fascinating story of countless Punjabi Khatri merchants who built great business empires through their resourcefulness and spirit of adventure. Operating during the sixteenth through the nineteenth centuries, these merchants risked everything and travelled across Afghanistan, Central Asia, Iran and Russia. The book also informs how thousands of Punjabis created a booming market in Central Asia and contributed to the economic and trade development in such far flung areas . Dr Ramesh Tamiri in his book , ‘Pakistan’s Invasion On J&K ( 1947-48 )’ records presence of Punjabi traders in Gilgit, Leh, Kargil, Drass and many other frontier areas of the then J&K state .Many European travellers have noticed their movement on the Silk Route leading to Central Asia .A few travellers have also recorded having seen Punjabi travellers in Kashgar and Yarkand . Punjabi trader Banda Kapur Chand and Marwari businessman Baraev from Rajasthan were very well known names in Central Asia. Punjabi merchants and traders were involved in trade with Central Asia, China, Azerbaijan and as far as Russia and Ukraine. Prussian zoologist Peter Simon Pallas, who visited Astrakhan in Russia ( Russia ) in the 18th century records this :-
“ I attended with pleasure at the idolatrous worship place of the Indian merchants who reside together in the Indian court called the Indeiskoi Dvor. The temple included idols of Rama, Lakshmi and Hanuman, as well as three black stones brought from the Ganges and regarded by the Indians as sacred.”
Dr W R Rishi writes this in Punjab Monitor :-
“At the beginning of the nineteenth century there existed an Indian colony in the Astrakhan region inhabited by traders and merchants from India, particularly from the Punjab. This is borne out by more than 600 manuscripts in about thirty languages of India and South Asia, now lying in the precious possessions of the Asian Museum at Tashkent, Uzbekistan. This collection includes manuscripts of books dealing with varied subjects - there are hand written copies of books on Hindi and Punjabi poetry, copies of Bhagwat Gita and Shri Guru Granth Sahib and copies of books in Hindi and Punjabi languages by Indian authors on Cosmography, Astronomy, Astrology and even on sex. There are copies of Bhagwad Gita and Gita Mahatmya which belonged to a Brahman from Lahore who died in Petersburg. There are 14 account books (Bahi-khata) including two empty ones in Landa language (the shorthand language used by the munims (accounts clerks) of the Punjabi businessmen even now.”
PUNJABI KHATRIS ( KSHATRIYAS ) IN KASHMIR
In his book, Valley Of Kashmir ,Walter Lawrence writes this :-
“There were certain depots of trade, the chief being Srinagar, Baramulla, Islamabad, Shupiyon, and Bandipur. Latterly, Panjabi traders had opened business in these places.”
Probabaly Khatris arrived in Kashmir sometime in the 16th century after the visit of Akbar . Raja Todarmal is believed to have brought them for development of trade and commerce . Prior to that, Rajatarangini ( Taranga IV..Shloka 11-12 ) informs the presence of traders from outside in Kashmir . There are some stray references to the presence of Khatri traders in Kashmir during late 17th and early 18th century. In chapter 9 of his book , ‘ The History of Kashmiri Pandits ‘ Jia Lal Kilam writes this :-
“In 1719, Mohammad Shah ascended the throne of Delhi and Kashmir was administered by Mughal Subedars . …………… A Hindu Khatri trader Majlis Rai Chopra by name, who was a native of Jullundar and possessed more than a crore of rupees worth property in Kashmir was feeding at the close of a religious ceremony a number of Brahmans in a garden, was attacked there by the followers of Muhatta Khan. The Brahmans ran helter-skelter in all directions and Majlis Rai himself ran into the house of the Subedar Mir Ahmad. Muhatta Khan and his men surrounded the houses of both the Subedar and Majlis Rai. Mir Ahmad Khan somehow or other left his residence and collected a small force to fight Muhatta Khan. But he was soon overpowered and was ousted from his post on the accusation of his being partial to the Hindus. Muhatta Khan himself assumed all powers of the State. Having done so, he ordered a systematic attack upon the Hindu areas. Hundreds of them were killed and maimed and most of them were looted and their houses burnt. Majlis Rai Chopra was killed with great ruthlessness and his property was plundered.”
A large number of Khatri traders came to Kashmir during the Sikh rule . During the Dogra rule, Khatri traders arrived from Punjab to set up their business establishments in Kashmir .In Kashmir , many Khatris ( Kshatriyas ) were absorbed in the mainstream Kashmiri Pandit society and adopted Kashmiri Pandit culture and customs .We have many Khanna , Kapoor ,Suri surnames in Kashmir , who form a part of the mainstream Kashmiri Pandit society . Before 1947, Punjabi Khatris were scattered all over Kashmir province even in remote areas like Uri, Kupwara, Titwal, and Tangdar. The Khatris were addressed by the honorific title of Lala, Shah or Bakshi.
In Poonch town of J&K, one still finds many Puri, Suri ,Kapoor and other Khatri families doing business since many centuries . It needs to be understood that prior to 1947, Poonch was closely connected with Kashmir via Uri - Baramulla route. There was a regular bus service .During 1947 Nanda bus service was plying between Rawalpindi to Srinagar and Poonch to Uri. Otherwise also Poonch area formed a part of Kashmir Kingdom during the Hindu rule in Kashmir. Poonch also remained a part of Khalsa Darbar , Lahore. The Khatris of Poonch had adopted Kashmiri Pandit culture lock ,stock and barrel. Many amongst them spoke fluent Kashmiri .They would also celebrate Shivratri like Kashmiri Pandits and their women would wear Dejhur like Kashmiri Pandit women . Kashmiri speaking Khatris also lived in Baramulla, Handwara ,Kupwara. Tangmarg and other places in what is now POK . These Khatris are believed to have come to Kashmir prior to Mughal rule . No serious research has been done on this miniscule community that adopted Kashmiri Pandit culture and became a part of mainstream Kashmiri Pandit society . Most of these Khatris would consider Goddess Sharda ( temple in POK now ) and Goddess Bhadrakali ( temple in Wadipora , near Handwara ) in Kashmir as their Kuldevi. It is pertinent to mention that Poonch town had a sizeable population of Kashmiri Pandits who had come to live in the town during the suppressive rule of some Shahmiri Sultans and also during Afghan rule. One could see many Zutshis, Dhars, Kars, Misris and Rainas in Poonch town .
In 1931 , many shops belonging to Khatris at Maharaj Ganj were attacked and looted by crowds during the agitation against the Maharaja’s rule . Most of the Khatris ( Kshatriyas ) of Kashmir , who are as good state subjects as any other Kashmiri, had also to move out after the eruption of Pakistan sponsored armed insurgency in the Kashmir valley. Like the Kashmiri Pandits , the terrorist guns were aimed at this community as well. Presently this minuscule population lies scattered across the length and breadth of the country. Their contribution in various fields of trade and commerce of the valley is colossal and unforgettable. They were pioneers in many arenas of trade and commerce .I quote some areas as under:-
DEVELOPMENT OF MAHARAJ GANJ IN SRINAGAR CITY AS A FLOURISHING TRADE CENTRE
Maharaj Ganj was a trading hub of Srinagar even during the rule of Sikhs in Kashmir . It had shops owned by Punjabis . During the rule of Dogras , many traders from adjoining areas of Punjab especially Gurdaspur , Jalandhar, Amritsar, Rawalpindi and Lahore started coming to Kashmir for setting up their business establishments .After Maharaja Ranbir Singh established the new trading centre at Maharaj Ganj, Srinagar in 1871, a fresh wave of Punjabi Khatri traders arrived in Kashmir and established their trading shops at Maharaj Ganj,Srinagar . Khanna , Kapoor , Sethi , Chopra , Chawala, Mehra , Malhotra , Sehgal,Talwar, Bal and many families from as far as Multan arrived in Kashmir at the specific insistence of the Maharaja. They brought the wholesale business culture that proved of immense help in providing provisions, tea, sugar, common salt, tobacco, cloth, wool, spices, pulses etc. to Kashmiris at competitive rates. As a matter of fact, this Bazaar proved the backbone of Kashmir's trade till the nineties of the last century. Starting from the latter half of the 19th century , enterprising traders, goldsmiths , tailors , photographers , sweetmeat sellers ,fruit Arahtiyas , hoteliers and men from many other professions started arriving in Kashmir to set up their business ventures .The Dogra rulers encouraged this trend primarily to develop business and commerce in the state .
MJ Aslam writes this in Counter Current dated 18th June , 2018:-
“At the time of partition (1947 ) , when the market ( Maharaj Ganj , Srinagar ) was fully controlled by the Khatris, most of them fled the valley with Maharaja Hari Singh’s escape on 26-10-1947. With onset of armed resistance in 1989, save few Khatri-families of Malhotras, Mehras and Gandotras who stayed put, (KL, 04-05-2010) all of them have migrated and left their businesses in SR Gunj and these buildings have been purchased by local traders who consequently and presently control and run this heritage market of Kashmir, now.”
Greater Kashmir newspaper dated September 3, 2018, writes this :-
“ Once a major business centre of Kashmir, historic Maharaj Gunj market in downtown here has lost its glory due to failure of successive regimes to revive it as a heritage market. Before partition, Maharaj Gunj housed stock exchange-cum-business centre for the traders from Amritsar, Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi and even Central Asia. The only remnants of the royal market are crumbling buildings, garbage dumps, overflowing drains and encroached roads. As Maharaj Gunj was situated on banks of river Jhelum, water transport was used to import and export goods from Central Asia. From Baramulla, the goods were ferried in boats to Maharaj Gunj. The market was established by Dogra rulers in mid-19th century. Subsequently, Maharaj Gunj Beopar Mandal was formed in 1865. Earlier the market was named as Sri Ranbir Gunj, later it was renamed as Maharaj Gunj. Major portion of the market was allotted to the businessmen from Hoshiarpur and Gujranwala. During Maharaja Pratap Singh’s rule, the market flourished as one of the major business centres of Central Asia. Trade Directory of India’ authored by then prominent trader Teerath Ram Sethi published in 1932 in Gujranwala Pakistan states that Maharaj Gunj figured as one of the best and biggest markets before partition. “Kashmir is a beautiful place with large expanse of waters and agricultural fields. Many products like Pashmina shawls, blankets, vegetables, dry fruits, gold ornaments, spices, dals and wood carvings are available in Maharaj Gunj whose nearest Railway Station is Rawalpindi,” reads excerpts from the directory originally written in Hindi.”
In an interview to ‘The Hindu’ newspaper in 2023, Saleem Beg, convenor, INTACH-Kashmir has said this :-
“In the pre-1947 era, Maharaj Gunj transcended regional boundaries, attracting traders from prominent cities such as Amritsar, Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi, and even parts of Central Asia, who embarked on journeys to this bustling hub in their pursuit of expanding commercial prospects,”
Pran Nath Wali ,who in 1990s worked as Senior Manager of a public sector bank branch in Maharaj Ganj ( Srinagar ) has this to say :-
“ It is not possible to think of any commodity business in Kashmir unless you include the Khatris of Maharaj Ganj.They were the pioneers . At a point in time almost all shops in the Beopar Mandal Market belonged to them .Many of them dealt with our bank. Their dealings were fair. They mostly did wholesale business. Lala Shiva Nath was the biggest copper trader of Kashmir. He had his shop and godown in Maharaj Ganj. He supplied copper to the entire Kashmir valley that was used for making utensils. He was a fair and honest businessman. It was reported that after terrorists killed his son ( in 1990s) , he closed his business and left Kashmir. Tea was traded from this market .Except Tarak Budshah’s ( a Kashmiri Pandit ) tea business ,all other prominent tea traders were Khatris . The Khatris controlled entire cloth trade through this market .They were authorised stockists of Siyaram, OCM,JCT ( Phagwara ) ,Mafatlal , Vimal ,DCM,Lalimli, Dhariwal , Raymonds and many more cloth brands . Lala Tirath Ram and Lala Dev Raj were leading cloth traders from this hub. Wholesale trade of rock salt , sugar, cotton bales and common salt was also controlled by Khatris from Maharaj Ganj .Unfortunately , like Kashmiri Pandits ,these Khatris were also targeted by the terrorists and most of them closed their business and left Kashmir to save their lives and honour.”
PHOTOGRAPHERS OF KASHMIR
In Kashmir, photography business was pioneered by men from the plains or Punjabi Khatris . 'Mahatta Co and Photographers' was started in Kashmir in the year 1915 by Amar Nath Mehta and his younger brother Ram Nath Mehta. They were pioneers not only in Kashmir but in Rawalpindi, Murree and Dalhousie. In Kashmir, they started the shop from a houseboat. The Connaught Place, Delhi shop of ‘Mahatta And Co’ also belongs to this family. Many Kashmiris learnt photography from Mahattas. This family is originally from Gurdaspur, Punjab.
This author vividly remembers Shri Suri proprietor of the photographic shop near Regal Chowk. Suri Sahib, as he was fondly known, was a man of short stature but very agile and active. He was a perfect photographer. He was always called in for photo sessions in S P College, Srinagar where this author studied for three years. He would stand on his toes to look from the camera lens hiding his head under a black cloth. He would then rush to the spot where boys and teachers were seated for the photograph; bring people closer, use his hands to straighten heads and shoulders, rush back to the camera and say ," okay , one , two and three". He was also connected with Kashmir's Arya Samaj society .
Some prominent photography shops of Khatris of Kashmir could be listed as under :-
(a) Datta Studio
(b) Mahatta Studio
(c) Darly Photographers
(d) Preco Studio
(e) Royal Photographers , Lal Chowk
(f) Suri Photographers , Regal Chowk
(g) Longman Photographers , Pahalghaam
PRINTING PRESS
In 1875 ,Munshi Harsukh Rai established first Urdu printing press at Maharaj Ganj in Srinagar, He printed his newspaper Tohfa-e-Kashmir at this press. Brocas, owned by a Sikh family from Punjab , were the first to install an automatic cutting and rotary printing machine at their printing workshop in Lal Chowk , Srinagar .
HOTELS
Many families from Punjab started hotel business in Kashmir during the rule of Maharaja Hari Singh . Some hotels owned by them could be listed as Under:-
(a) Khalsa Hotel , Amira Kadal , Srinagar
(b) Pahalgham Hotel ( owned by the family of S. Gareeb Singh )
(c) Premier , The Bund , Srinagar ( owned by Soni family )
(d) Broadway , Srinagar (owned by *Amla family of Kashmir )
( *Late Sh Tirath Ram Amla's family moved to Kashmir from Muzaffarabad in 1931 for business. This family also opened Broadway cinema in the cantonment area of Srinagar )
(e) For many years after 1947, Maharaja Hari Singh’s palace was leased to East India Hotels run by Oberoi family.
PETROL AND FUELS
Petrol ,diesel and kerosene business was also pioneered by Punjabis in the Kashmir valley. Some petrol pumps owned by them could be listed as under :-
(a) Little Sons ( petrol pump )
(b) Bakshi Gurdass ( petrol and kerosene )
(c ) Bharat Motor Company ( petrol and diesel )
(d) Aishi Ram Batra ( Petrol , LPG and diesel )
(Sh. Aishi Ram Batra, a renowned businessman and philanthropist of Kashmir hailed from district Multan. Much Before the partition of the country, the family moved to Kashmir Valley, where they established their Petroleum business .)
(e) Jay Kay Gas ( LPG)
WINE TRADERS
(a) Dewan family ( The family had a distillery in Jammu )
MILK SUPPLIER TO SRINAGAR CITY.
(a) Gur Das Mal
(This firm would bring fresh milk daily to Kashmir in tankers from Amritsar ,Punjab to remove the scarcity of milk in the city. Milk would then be transported in horse carts to the entire city from Sonawar where these tankers would park )
GLASSWARE
(a) Suri Glass house
PROVISIONS
( a) Chowdhary Brothers ( agency Hindustan Lever )
(b) Sri Ram Madan Lal ( wholesale oil and salt )
( c ) Malhotra Provision Traders Amirakadal ( opposite Kailash Cafeteria )
(d) Malhotra Brothers ( Bal Raj , Tilak Raj and Dhan Raj sons of Dina Nath Malhotra )
( This Malhotra family had to close the business in Kashmir after Joginder Malhotra was killed by terrorists )
(e) Chaman La Chityani ( Kiryana trade )
(f) Mangal Sen Marwah ( spices )
BICYCLE TRADE
(a) Puri Cycle Store ( Hari Singh High Street )
WATCH TRADE
(a) Sethi Watch House
QUALITY MEDICINES
(a) Badri Das Kidar Nath ( near Hanuman Mandir )
(b) Bahrisons ( HSH Street )
(c) Amrit Medical Stores ( HSH Street )
(d) Chawla and Co
(e) Neeraj Medical Hall
(f) Shiva Drug Store ( Residency Road )
(g) Sri Ram Ganga Ram ( Lambert Lane )
CLOTH MERCHANTS
(a) O. T. C. ( Residency Road, Srinagar )
(b) Mehra Cloth House ( Lal Chowk and Maharaj Ganj, Srinagar )
(c) Kapoor Cloth House
(d) Verma Saree Store ( Habba Kadal )
(e) Bakshi Cloth House ( Maisuma )
(e) Kohli Fabrics (Maulana Azad Road)
(f) Sethi Cloth House (Habba Kadal
(g) Sohan Lal Mehra And Sons ( wholesale ) , Maharaj Ganj, Srinagar
(h) Yash Pal Mehra And Sons ( wholesale ) , Maharaj Ganj ,Srinagar
(i) Lala Dev Raj ( wholesale ) , Maharaj Ganj , Srinagar
(j) Tirath Ram Lal Chand ( wholesale ) , Maharaj Ganj , Srinagar
(k) Hira Lal Mehra ( wholesale ) Maharaj Ganj , Srinagar
Almost in every locality of Srinagar city and in every town of Kashmir valley , one could see one cloth shop serving the poor strata of the society . They were known as ‘saade paanch aane metre dukaan’ and later ‘Pandrah aane metre dukaan’ . Add to that, roaming cloth sellers from Punjab would be seen in summers selling cloth to villagers and also allowing credit facility .
WHOLESALE OF COPPER INGOTS
(a) Lala Shiv Nath Kapoor ( Maharaj Ganj , Srinagar )
( Lala Shiv Nath closed his business in Kashmir after terrorists killed his son in 1990s )
GOLDSMITHS
( (a) Khem Singh Sewa Singh
( This shop was established in 1850 . Another shop with name Tara Singh And sons was later carved out from this family shop in Hari Singh High Street, Srinagar possibly around 1970. )
(b) Mehtab Singh , Jewellers ( Hari Singh High Street)
DOCTORS
(a) Dr SK Atri
( grandfather of the present-day doctor with the same name )
(b) Dr Mohan Singh
(c) Dr Jaswant Singh
(d) Dr VP Sethi
( first homeopath of Kashmir )
ICE CREAM IN KASHMIR
(a) Capri , The Bund , Srinagar
( The first softy ice-cream in Kashmir was sold by this restaurant. Sh Karam Vir Anand owned this business)
TEA TRADE
(a) Tilak Raj Chopra ( Maharaj Ganj)
(b) Dola Singh ( Maharaj Ganj )
BOOK
STORES IN KASHMIR
(a) Kapoor Brothers ( Lal Chowk and Habba Kadal)
(b) Gian Chand Om Prakash ( Lal Chowk )
(c ) Jai Ram Dass Gian Chand ( Lal Chowk )
(c) Kashmir Book Shop (Residency Road )
(d) Hind Book Shop (Residency Road )
MITHAI SHOPS IN KASHMIR
(a) Sant Ram Sohal And Sons ( Maisuma )
(b) Amar Nath Sohal And Sons( Court Road )
(c) Prabh Dayal And Sons ( HSH Street )
(d) Nishat Sweets (Amirakadal )
(e) Shakti Sweets (Residency Road )
( Russ Malai was first brought to Kashmir by Shakti Sweets )
SILK AND PASHMINA SHAWL TRADE
(a) Kapoor Silk ( Amirakadal )
(b) Sehgal Silk House (Amirakadal)
(c) Durga Das Harnarain (Residency Road)
(d) Malhotra Silk ( Amirakadal)
(e) Sethi Silk and Embroidery ( Amirakadal )
(f) Sobha Ram Satya Pal ( Chopra family selling quality silk yarn for carpets )
(g) Shyam And Co ( Residency Road , Srinagar )
(h) Jai Lal Pyare Lal ( Amirakadal )
DRY FRUITS
(a) Srichand Jagmohan (Court Road , Srinagar )
(b) Bal Krishen ( Amirakadal )
(c) Jain Dry fruits (Maisuma)
(d) Sita Ram And Sons ,(Court Road , Srinagar)
(e) Lala Hukam Chand (Amirakdal)
(f) Nagpal Traders ( Amirakadal )
CEMENT
(a) Bir Sen Anand
CINEMA HALLS IN KASHMIR
(a) Palladium Talkies , Amirakadal , Srinagar
Bhai Anant Singh Gauri was a businessman who pioneered cinema in Kashmir by opening Kashmir's first cinema hall "Palladium Talkies " in 1932. Ardeshir Irani' s 'Alamara' (produced in 1931) was the first movie screened in this cinema hall.When SKIMS was set up at Soura, Bhai Anant Singh donated more than 50 Kanals of land for this premier medical centre. Bhai Anant Singh kept his cinema hall at the disposal of National Militia cadres of Kashmir in 1947. The cinema hall also became headquarter of emergency administration after the tribal attack. The cinema halls became immediate targets of the militancy in the Kashmir Valley. By January 1990, all the cinema halls in the Kashmir valley were closed. The historic Palladium cinema looks more like debris now.
(b) Regal Talkies , Residency Road , Srinagar
This cinema belonged to Bal family of Kashmir. The well-known fashion designer, Rohit Bal is from this family. Rohit Bal studied in Burn Hall School, Srinagar. Bal's clientele list includes noted celebrities like Uma Thurman, Cindy Crawford, Pamela Anderson, Naomi Campbell and Anna Kournikova. Bal opened a flagship store in Delhi apart from his stores in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Chennai. The Bal family had opened a cinema hall in Gulmarg as well. This hall was closed during the winter season.
( c) Amrish Talkies , Residency Road , Srinagar
This cinema hall also belonged to the Bal family. The Bal siblings — Amresh Bal, Prakash Bal, and Mahinder Bal did cinema business in Lahore and Kashmir through a firm known as Universal Pictures Limited. The Bal family had a bungalow at Gupkar Road in Srinagar and another house at Raj Bagh apart from other properties in the Kashmir valley. In 1950 , both Regal and Amresh cinemas were sold to Bakshi Abdul Majid brother of Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad by the Bals. Both the cinema halls were set ablaze on 28th December, 1963 by an infuriated mob protesting against the mysterious disappearance of the holy relic from the Hazrat Bal shrine in Srinagar
READY MADE GARMENTS
(a) Dress Corner( Lal Chowk )
(b) Kohli Readymade Garments ( Regal Chowk )
COTTON BALES
(a) (a) Kewal Krishen ( wholesaler ,Maharaj Ganj , Srinagar )
DRY CLEANERS IN KASHMIR
(a) Vir And Co (Lambert Lane , Srinagar )
(b) Sunshine Dry Cleaners (Amirakadal , Srinagar)
TRANSPORTERS AND RAIL TICKETING SERVICES IN KASHMIR
(a) N D Radhakrishen And Co ( Sethi family who had the railway ticket agency )
(b) Nanda Bus Service
( Till 1947 , Nanda Bus Service was plying between Rawalpindi to Srinagar and Poonch to Uri.)
(b) Muree Kashmir Transport Company ( before 1947 )
(c) N V Hari Ram And Brothers
( This transport company was plying buses on Jhelum Valley Road till 1947 )
HARDWARE
(a) Kashmir Metal Mart
(b) Allied Kundan Lal Lal Chand
FURNITURE AND FURNISHINGS
(a)Dewan Wasti Ram
(b)Kohli Furnishings ( Hari Singh High Street and Maulana Azad Road )
TOBACCO AND NASWAR
(a)Matta Brothers ( Akhara Building , Hari Singh High Street ,Maharaj Ganj )
(b)Durga Das Narang , Maisuma
FLOUR MILL AND BAKERY
(a)Krishna Food And Baking Industry Pvt. Ltd. ,Nawab Bazar (Sahni Family )
(b) Krishna Flour And Oil Mills , Nawab Bazar (Sahni Family )
( Praneet Sahni the only son of the proprietor of Krishna Flour And Oil Mills was gunned down by terrorist in his office in March 1990 . Sh R K Sahni ( proprietor) closed the mill and moved to Delhi )
(c ) Prem Ji Bakers ( Prem Ji’s bread was popular in entire city . People would come from downtown to buy his bread in Amirakadal. The lane leading to his shop was also known as Prem Ji ki Gali. Later the family opened another shop known as Paul Ji Bakers .)
KHATRIS FROM KASHMIR IN SPORTS ,FILMS, FASHION AND OTHER CREATIVE FIELDS
And some Khatris from Kashmir joined sports, cinema or other creative fields . The prominent amongst this category could be listed as under:-
(1) Sanjay Suri ( The family of the actor had a flourishing business in Kashmir but they had to run for life after terrorists gunned down the father or head of the family )
(2) Vidhu Vinod Chopra ( He belongs to a business family from Wazir Bagh in Srinagar city that had to leave Kashmir due to terrorism )
(3) Ramanand Sagar ( He belongs to Chopra family from Srinagar , Kashmir )
(4) Balraj Sahni ( The family owned a residential house in Wazir Bagh , Srinagar )
(5) Rohit Bal ( fashion designer ) .He belongs to the well known Bal family from Kashmir that owned some cinema halls and other business.
(6) Bhisham Sahni ( brother of Bal Raj Sahni )
(7) Harish Bahri (Ranji Trophy cricket player ). Harish belongs to a reputed business family from Kashmir that traded in pharmaceuticals.
(8) Sonia Sahni , Bollywood Actress.
(9) Shammi Sethi (Ranji Trophy cricket player) . Shammi belongs to a business family from Kashmir .
(10) Keshav Malik, Art Critic .
(11) Virender Chopra ( cricket player J&K team )
(12) Dewan Virender Mohan ( music composer and instrumentalist who scored music for Opera Vitasta and many Kashmiri and Punjabi songs . He was fondly known as Virji )
D K Malhotra , who belongs to the reputed business family of Malhotras from Kashmir had this to say:-
“ Name any trade of Kashmir and you find immense contribution of Khatris of Kashmir . In fact they were the pioneers who developed proper business acumen and culture in Kashmir that was picked up subsequently by locals . Mehras were pioneers of cloth trade .Their business started by Shree Lal Mehra continues to this day in Kashmir .Similarly, tea trade was pioneered by Tilak Raj Chopra . Copper ingots were traded by Shiv Nath Kapoor.In fact the worthy father of Shiv Nath was invited by Maharaja Hari Singh for supply of copper wires to Mohra Power House . Satisfied with his business dealings , the Maharaja asked him to establish his copper business in Kashmir . The Sawhney family opened first flour mill in Kashmir . They were popularly known as Bhagats .The Sawhneys had to close their business after Praneet Sawhney was killed by the terrorists . Fraya Lal was a leading trader of Raffal used for making shawls and Pherans .In Kashmir ,the Matta family started tobacco and Naswar business on a bigger scale . Sethi family traded in watches . The wholesale business in pharmaceuticals was also pioneered by Khatris . Contribution of Bahris ,Khannas and many other families is immense .The Arhtiya trade in fruits was also pioneered by Khatris . About 25 families were engaged in this trade in Srinagar city alone .They were Chopras ( Mohan Lal Chopra ), Mahendrus , Kapoors ,Chaudharys, Nagpals and many more . I am not talking about Baramulla, Ananatnag , Shupian, Kulgam , Pulwama. Kupwara , Handwara , Sopore and many more places that had presence of Khatri traders who traded in fresh fruits and dry fruits . My great grandfather Lala Lodhi Ram Malhotra was a prominent trader of Karyana goods in Kashmir . The Malhotra family had many establishments and branches later . We had to close down and move out due to tragic killing of my cousin Joginder by armed terrorists in Kashmir . That was very painful . The Chityani family and the Marwah family were also leading Karyana traders of Kashmir . Dewan family traded in wine and liquors . This family had set up a distillery in Jammu . The Batra family ( Aishi Ram Batra ) traded in petrol and LPG. Kohli family were trading in furnishings and supply of uniforms .Bal family had Regal and Amrish cinema halls . Kapoor and sareen families were pioneer book sellers of Kashmir .The Khatris brought Arya Samaj to Kashmir . They opened the Devki Arya Putri Pathshala which became a premier centre for girls education in Kashmir . Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s family owned land in Tangmarg , a house in Wazir Bagh . The family had good business in the valley . Ramanand Sagar is also from this Chopra family of Kashmir . There are so many other names who were doing good business in Kashmir . I have forgotten many names at present .”
Indu Bhushan Zutshi from Anantnag, Kashmir has this to say :-
" The contribution of Punjabi Khatris in development of trade and commerce in Kashmir is immense . They also had a prominent presence in the Anantnag district . They enjoyed respect and acceptability because of their fair dealings .Till 1960s , they were the backbone of the district's economy trading in cloth , utensils, hardware, tobacco, Naswar, fruit Arhtiya ( commission agents ) , gold jewellery, etc. They had business establishments in Kulgam, Anantnag town, Shupian, Pahalgham and other towns . I vividly remember some establishments of Anantnag town like Balla Mal Roshan Lal ( known as Balla Shah ) dealing in fruit business. There used to be another firm Hari Sharan Madan Lal in fruit business. This firm had diversified and opened an oil mill. Their B brand was quite popular name in mustard oil market .Then we had Anand family dealing in tobacco and Naswar through the firm named Sita Mal Chuni Lal . Hari Ram Anand from this family had also flourishing business in Anantnag town . Bal Krishen Anand from this family had wholesale cloth business in the town. One Roop Lal Dhawan had his goldsmith shop in Anantnag and Mattan. Roop Lal's family had come to Kashmir during the Dogra rule. I can't remember many other names. These Khatris were a part of the mainstream Kashmiri Hindu society. They spoke Kashmiri and most of them had properties in Kashmir. They maintained very cordial relations with majority community . Alas they too were targeted by the terrorists and made to flee from Kashmir ."
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During this author’s visit to Handwara town in 2009, he was told that the town was an old trade centre before 1947 and Punjabi Khatri traders had their shops in the main market. It was found in 2009 that one Lala Madan Lal still had his cloth shop in the main market. Some family members of Kishori Lal had their shop in the main Bazar. This author also saw Jujhar Singh and Mohinder Singh , two prominent dry fruit traders of the town who were Khatri Sikhs . This author was told similar story of Khatri traders in Kupwara .The Khatris in this area were ardent devotees of Goddess Bhadrakali . Before 1947, Khatris were doing good business in Uri , Tangmarg , Sopore , Bandipuir and Baramulla . SS Kohli , former chairman of Punjab National Bank belonged to a Khartri family that was doing walnut and dry fruit trading in Bandipur .
The list of firms and individuals detailed above is indicative and not comprehensive. Many more can be added to it. There are some more areas where Khatris contributed and were pioneers . I conclude this write up with some lines from Maya Angelou’s poem ‘ Still I Rise ‘.
" You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.
You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.
Out of the huts of history’s shame
I rise up from a past that’s rooted in pain
I rise leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear
I rise, I rise , I rise"
(Avtar Mota )
CHINAR SHADE by Autarmota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.Based on a work at http:\\autarmota.blogspot.com\.
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