“The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.”
Ghulam Qadir used to sell fruits in Lal Chowk but suddenly he shifted to more lucrative trade . He started selling old and used woollen clothes known as" Bangla Desh " in Kashmir .He was not from the traditional Kabadi background but gained quick expertise in selling old cardigans, coats , overcoats and jackets on the footpath . Crazy people called it “Bangla Deshi Maal “ or " items from Bangla Desh ". Nothing came from a newly formed country known as Bangla Desh. Immediately after the Bangla Desh liberation war , used clothes arranged by the International Red Cross through public donations from the European countries and the US , were diverted to the footpath markets in the sub-continent by unscrupulous traders , middlemen and smugglers .These clothes were worn by workers , students , teachers, employees, housewives and any and everybody In Kashmir . It came as God’s gift for Kashmiris ; both Pandits and Muslims .Manchester tweed replaced local Pattu .Carton loads of foreign used socks , caps , shirts , shoes , sandals , mufflers , jackets , coats , overcoats, parkas , trousers, cardigans , pullovers , body warmers and ladies’ garments arrived from Europe and the US in Kashmir to the delight of the poor and the elite . When cartons arrived, horse-cart owners, labourers and general helpers got busy and earned their livelihood.A crop of traders in these clothes suddenly flooded footpaths in Srinagar city. Their lingo, a mix of satire and humour, these traders could be heard crying this :-
“ le ja le ja ...angrez ne Beja"
“ hey sahib he lala ..pehno coat kaala ”
“O khan ! ..maal pehchaan”
“idhar idhar.. nazar hai kidhar”
"London se aaya.. Kashmir mein laaya"
"looto looto.. sastay mein looto"
"topi pent coat baniyaan ..iss ko boltaa kashmir ki shaan"
" loot o loot...foreign ka boot"
"do sau ka pehnegaa do naya kameez...bolegaa thank you bolegaa please"
" idhar ka dress bombai ki jaan....idhar ko aataa Sanjay khan "
( After 1990s Sanjay Khan was replaced by ‘Shahrukh Salman’ )
"valo benyaa ( sister) valo baayaa( brother)....foreign ka maal Kashmir mein aayaa"
After the Bangla Desh liberation war, many Kashmiri intellectuals would arrive at ‘India Coffee House’ to discuss Marcel Proust or Frenz Kafka or the existential philosophy of Jean Paul Sartre or Albert Camus or the editorials of Times Of India / Indian Express / Hindustan Times wearing ‘Bangla Desh‘ warm jackets , parkas , overcoats, topcoats etc. These clothes made discussions on art, poetry , philosophy , politics and Marxism extremely enjoyable and thoughtful . Wearing donated and discarded apparel from the Western capitalist countries, it was thought fashionable to ponder over the ‘benefits of Marxism to the society at large in India’ in the India Coffee House, Srinagar. A hot steaming cup of coffee added a Parisian aura and ambience to these discussions. Many Kashmiri intellectuals thought as if they were in Café de Flore , Paris , France's best-known postwar literary café frequented by Picasso, Robert Desnos ,Marcel Carne, Camus ,Jean Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir and many more . Some Sahitya Akademi-awarded writers also came to the India Coffee House in Kashmir wearing ‘Bangla Desh’ coats ,jackets and overcoats .
Political leaders of all hues wore’ Bangla Desh ‘clothes. One could include men from right-wing ,left-wing, secular ,communal and socialist groups, trouble creators , peace lovers , social workers etc. Comrade Nazir Bezabaan of the Communist Party loved his old ‘British Warm’ brand overcoat purchased from Gaffar Kabadi for 40 rupees. Popular with British soldiers and officers ,this long overcoat helped him in many ways . It kept his body warm ,enabled him to hide his apparel poverty underneath and also brought some Bolshevik aura to his personality . He would always button up his overcoat from the neck down to almost his ankles. Comrade Bhushan Lal Nargis( who happened to be his mentor and Guru ) would always tell him that he looked like Marshal Bulganin as he spoke to his comrades in any meeting . And one day as he raised his hand forcefully in a meeting, three buttons of his ‘Bangla Desh’ overcoat fell on the floor and exposed his torn and shabby clothes underneath. However, Bezabaan picked up the buttons from the floor and rushed to the toilet to do some ” perestroika (restructuring ) ” of the exposed inner garments . Having failed in this exercise , he went to Ali Tailor keeping a message with comrade Bhushan Lal Nargis to tell other comrades that he was not keeping well and was going home for rest .Comrade Bhushan Lal Nargis had always advised him about purchasing a cardigan and a shirt from Gaffar Kabadi for such occasions . Comrade Nargis was also fond of the ‘Bangla Desh ‘ clothes of Gaffar Kabadi. Wearing a ‘Bangla Desh’ coat and white shirt with ‘made in UK’ tag, he felt elated if his comrades told him that he looked like Vladimir Lenin .
Master Mohan Lal Wanchoo , nicknamed ‘ Mohan Jang-sangi ‘ by his Muslim neighbours for his right-wing views, remained a diehard opponent of the Congress party . However, in the heart of his hearts, he would always thank, ‘Sheikh Mujeeb, Indira Gandhi and D P Dhar‘ for the Bangla Desh liberation war . He would often say,“ Sheikh Mujeeb ,Indira Gandhi and D P Dhar have proved real well-wishers of Kashmiris “. He, his wife and children wore only ‘Bangla Desh’ clothes. Mohammad Sultan Dandroo nicknamed Sula Pakistaen by his Pandit neighbours for his pro-Jamaat-I- Islami beliefs, supported the Pakistani army during the Bangla Desh war yet he didn’t mind when some Pandits started calling him Sula Bangla Desh the moment he wore coats and jackets meant for Bangla desh war victims . Professor Ram Ji Kaul Shastri , the noted Sanskrit scholar was also a lover of ‘Bangla Desh’ overcoats and cardigans. So was Molvi Moammad Irfan who had a special skill to dig choicest tweed overcoats from the ‘Bangla Desh’ heaps lying on cots . Noor Mohammad Kalwal had his dry-cleaning shop in Rainawari. He did roaring business in the autumn season when Pandits brought newly purchased Bangla Desh stuff for the ensuing winter to him . Ali Dhobi too remained busy washing ‘Bangla Desh’ shirts , T-shirts and ladies-wear. In Kashmir , one Mohammad Subhan Dar earned the nickname of Subhan Charpai after he became the largest cot supplier to footpath traders of ‘Bangla Desh’ clothes . And one day while having a deep puff at his Hookah, Ali Tailor told his assistant ," These Farangis should start wearing Yezaar-Kameez and pheran now so that we receive next supply of these items in ‘Bangla Desh’ cartons .I am fed up with this re-stitching and re-fitting of their trousers and coats for Kashmiri Pandits and Muslims of Rainawari .Let there be a supply of old ready-to- wear pheran , Yezaar , Kameez and Shilwar or what "Bobu Jis ( Kashmiri Pandits )" say ready-made. Buy your size from the cot and wear it .That is it. How long should I re-stitch these trousers, coats and shirts of Farangis in this shop . Should that happen, I will also start trading in ‘Bangla Desh’ cartons and supply the clothes to colonies inside Dal Lake like Nabir Monjigor. See, he has a scooter now . And look at me , I am busy opening stitches of Firangi clothes. "
This stuff was also sought after by the city’s elite. A well-known doctor from Kashmir would ask the Bangla Desh trader to bring a full carton to his house so that his family and relations could select clothes of their choice . A search in pockets of these garments would sometimes throw up a surprise. My friend saw a dollar note in one coat pocket once. Many friends in the bank would pounce upon the popular ‘Bangla Desh‘ trading shops when fresh cartons arrived . To us, Shiben Shoobhidaar would say, “Let them call this stuff as " Bangla Deshi Maal " and make fun of it but I tell you nobody bothers when it comes to saving yourself from harsh winters. I can name 10 professors who wear Bangla Desh” .Sometimes , a poor man from downtown Srinagar would look smarter than Dustin Hoffman once he put on the old ‘Bangla Desh’ tweed overcoat bought from the inner market below Taj Hotel (Amirakadal) or Maisuma or Hazuri Bagh with a ‘made in USA’ tag. One day, my friend who’s marriage had been fixed landed in an awkward position when he saw his would-be-father-in-law at the ‘Bangla Desh’ Kabadi shop in Amirakadal behind the Punjab National Bank building. Both had come to buy old clothes. My friend was fond of used imported trousers that he would get refitted at a nominal price from a specific tailor .That day he also saw an almost fresh fur jacket which he intended to purchase . However, the arrival of his would be father in law spoiled the game . I quote the conversation between my friend and his would-be-father-in-law at the shop.
“Gaasha Ji, are you fine? Is Papa Ji and Rani Bhabi fine? What brings you here?”
“Namaskar, I am fine. I just came here to open his bank account. We are now trying to bring these shopkeepers to our bank’s fold.”
“That is fine. I came here for some personal issue. Ghulam Nabi, the proprietor of this shop is known to me for a long. He wanted to buy something from the army canteen (CSD). I have to collect the list and the money. In the FOD office at Badami Bagh, we have this liberal CSD facility. Anything you need, please do tell me. Don’t be shy. Liquor I can arrange if you need and XXX Rum for the cooks too. Come , let us have a plate of Kebab at Kailash Hotel. Come, I will be happy. Don't worry, he doesn't sell doubtful mutton. “
"Thank you, next time. I have to go back to the bank .My work is pending .” And both left in different directions.
The next day my friend went to the ‘Bangla Desh’ Kabaadi shop to buy the jacket that he had seen. The shopkeeper told him that the Pandit Ji who had been talking to him the previous day, had returned after one hour and bought the jacket without any bargain.
How could poor people in this subcontinent fight harsh winters if the Americans or the Europeans didn’t discard or donate their old wooilen clothes ? And if there was no liberation war in Bangla Desh , what would have been the fate of millions in the subcontinent during harsh winters . Ali Mohammad, the diehard NC worker believed that Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah had supported the liberation of Bangla Desh to see poor Kashmiris didn’t suffer in freezing winters. According to him, Sheikh Sahib wanted to give ‘Izzat va Aabroo Ka Maqaam’ or ‘ a place of dignity and respect’ to every Kashmiri once he was in a position to provide them with adequate warm clothes to fight harsh and freezing winters. Ali Mohammad believed that Mirza Afzal Beg had put pressure on Parthasarthi to include, " an uninterrupted supply of Bangla Desh clothes to Kabadis of Kashmir " clause in the Indira Shiekh Accord of 1975. According to him , Parthasarthi had replied that this ‘uninterrupted supply’ was already guaranteed by Article 370 as well as by Article 35 A . As such, there was no need to incorporate a separate clause. At this, Mirza Afzal Beg is reported to have replied that if the supply of 'Bangla Desh ' clothes was disrupted by the Government Of India for any reason whatsoever , NC leadership may consider relooking at ILLHAAQ ( accession to the Indian Union) .Many elderly people believe Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad always regretted about wrong timing of the Bangla Desh liberation War . According to them, Bakshi Sahib always spoke privately that the liberation war of Bangla Desh should have taken place before the implementation of the Kamraj Plan. Had that happened , he would have gifted the choicest Bangla Desh overcoats to Pandit Ji, Shastri Ji , K Kamraj, Babu Jagjivan Ram, Morarji Desai, Biju Patnaik , S K Patil ,Partap Singh Kairon and other leaders by organising “Jashn e Bangla Desh Kabaad” in Kashmir.In that event , Shastri Ji would not have borrowed an overcoat from Pandit Nehru for his visit to Srinagar and Russia .
Ramzan Baanta ,the Congress worker in our locality privately cursed the Americans and the Europeans for not using Achkan , Kameez –Salwar and Bandh -gala coats . Baanta believed that Sadiq Sahib gave a statement from his hospital bed in PGI Chandigarh supporting the liberation of Bangla Desh purely for ensuring adequate winter clothing for poor Kashmiris : Pandits and Muslims . According to him , that was his method of bringing secular e azam ( secularism) and social e Azam ( socialism ) and fighting Firka--parast ( communal ) forces in Jammu And Kashmir .
( Avtar Mota )
PS
(This work of fiction is meant to entertain and bring smiles .The writer does not intend to misrepresent any person (living or dead ), group , association ,party or leader who finds mention in this write –up as they had nothing to do with the Bangla Desh clothes.)
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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