NOTES PREPARED BY
KHURSHEED AHMED
TEACHER IN SCHOOL
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
JAMMU AND KASHMIR
CHAPTER 6
POST INDEPENDENCE ERA: J&K ON THE PATH OF MODERNISATION
TERMONOLOGY
1.Jagir: A land grand given by state to an individual in lieu so services, the individual held right to collect revenue from the land.
2.Muafis: A land grant exempted from payment of land revenue given by a state to an individual or religious place.
3.Mukararies: Fixed cash grants.
4.Chakdar: A native land tenant acting as intermediate in position between the propertier and cultivator.
5.Sadar-i-Riyasat:- In 1952, the Dogra hereditary position was abolished completely and was replaced by a constitutional head of the state referred to as Sadar-i- Riyasat. He was elected by the constituent assembly for a period of 5 years.
6.Paper Machie:- A craft using waste paper to form beautiful articles, a popular art in Kashmir. Maefi Nama:- A satire (poem )written by Rehman Rahi on the government policies in Kashmir.
7.Bomber Te Yemberzal:- The most celebrated poem in the form of opera written by Dina Nath Nadim, which was a satire on the misrule in Kashmir.
8.Lalla Rookh:- A publication established in 1955 as a non-profit organization.
1. Briefly discuss the major economic reforms introduced by the post - 1947 governments in the state.
In 1948 the government headed by Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah gave priority of the nascent state to the economic reforms in general and land reforms in particular because 80% population was agriculturists. The new regime was too enthusiastic to translate its New Kashmir Manifesto of 1944 In to a reality. The following are the main economic reforms introduced by NC regime in the state:
(i) The NC government abolished Jagirs, muafis, mukarares (except those for religious purposes) and discontinued the abatement in land revenue given to the chakdars,
(ii) In the same year, to tackle the problem of the shortage of food grains in the region, the government launched the Grow More Foods scheme to bring cultivable waste lands under cultivation by allotting land to the landless peasants.
(iii) The State Tenancy Act of 1924 was amended as the Tenancy Amendment Act of 1948 to protect interests of tenants. It guaranteed the fixity of tenure and the maximum rent payable by him to the landlord.
(iv)To alleviate the distress of the poverty stricken people, the state enacted the Distressed Debtors Relief Act of 1950 to relieve them from distress. Under this act debt of peasants mounting to Rupees 290 lakhs were settled and reduced to Rupees 98 lakhs. It relieved the agriculturists, artisans and the village menials of the burden of their accumulated debts.
(v)The most important land reform was the Big Landed Estates Abolition Act in 1950. Through this act landlordism was abolished in the state by transferring land to the tiller without giving any compensation to the expropriator. This Act is called as the Magna Carta of the peasant rights in the state.
2: What was the impact of land reforms on rural society?
The land reforms had great impact on rural society which is highlighted as below:
(i) These land reforms ended the privileges of the landlords, secured the position of the peasants and restored his confidence by making him the owner of the land.
(ii) The land reforms programme succeeded in removing fear from the peasantry as reported by visitor - Daniel Thornier, an agrarian historian and economist. Land reforms injected the elements of dynamism in the agricultural setting of the state and encouraged the peasant to make investments in land by making him the direct beneficiary of any such investment.
(iv) The economic emancipation of the peasant paved way for his social advancement by motivating him to educate his children and avail facilities of better health and cultural advancement.
(v) The reforms reduced the amount of taxation to the people which was the primary cause for the discontent among the masses during maharaja's rule.
(vi)The land reforms had far reaching political consequences which created an everlasting support base for Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah
(vii) However, the land reforms did not do much in improving the conditions of landless laborers as the land appropriated from the landlords was distributed among the tillers of his estate. Besides it antagonized the landlord class of the society who launched a rigorous campaign against him.
3. Highlight the education policy of the government in J and K during G.M Bakshi's period.
The vision of modern education initiated by Abdullah' government received further impetus during Bakshi's reign- 1953-1963. With full financial backing of the central government, G.M Sadiq as the Education Minister under GM Bakshi drafted the educational policy of the state. Following were the main highlights of State Government's education policy during this period:
(ii) A network of educational institutions- primary, middle and higher education were opened, mobile schools were set up for the tribals like Gujjars and Bakkerwals.
(iii) Textbooks were provided to the poor students and the System of scholarship was provided for them.
(iv) Steps were taken to develop languages – Kashmiri, Dogri and Bhoti besides other regional languages and job oriented education was incorporated in the curriculum.
(v).Women education received special attention.
(vi) Medical and Engineering Colleges were established in Srinagar, besides National Institute of Technology-NIT and Government Medical College -GMC were also founded.
4. Write a short note on Jashn-i- Kashmir and Cultural Front?
Jashn -i --Kashmir:-_In 1956, the Jammu and Kashmir government hosted first ever festival of Jashn-i- Kashmir which was held throughout the region. It intended to bring light many aspects of Kashmiri culture and served as a vehicle of contact between Kashmir and the rest of India. it showcased regional theatre, music, poetry, and dance of Kashmiris well as of various other Indian states.
Cultural Front:- An organization which contributed to the development of a syncretic cultural ethos. The writers associated with this front travelled throughout the region holding drama and theatre, programmes and activities on themes pertaining to social change, proletariat life, status of women, Hindu Muslim unity etc. it was renamed as Cultural Congress in 1949 and began to publish its literary journal Kwang Posh. Important writers of this time were Dina Nath Nadim, Rehman Rahi, Dinoo Bhai Pant, Som Nath Zutshi, Ram Nath Shastri, Amin Kamil etc.
The state government of J and K took many important steps for the promotion of tourism which are discussed as below:
(i) During his regime the Kashmir Chalo Campaign boosted tourism and film industry in the region. Advertisements were used to publicize the state achievements in the sphere of education, healthcare, and industry. The entire administration was mobilized to take part in the campaign.
(ii) Many other important steps to promote tourism include opening up publicity wings all over the country, improvements in air services, abolition of permit system, construction of youth hostels, and revitalizing hotel arrangements
(iii) A series of travel guides were printed and distributed through different organizations-media, schools, colleges through out India.
(iv) The tourist reception centre (TRC) got built in early 1960's by the state government.
Impact
As a result Kashmir came into media gaze about its beautiful landscape and handicrafts.
*** Kashmir became the prime shooting location of the Bollywood films. Many block buster movies were shot in Kashmir- junglee (1961), Kashmir Ki Kali (1964), Jab Jab Phool Khile (1965), Kabhi Kabhi (1976) etc.
***The places of natural attraction like Gulmarg, Sonamarg, Pahlagam, Kokernag, Verinag, and Achabal became favourite destination for the people of the country as well as whole world.
*** The valley of Kashmir became one of the biggest tourist hubs in the world. All this brought economic dividend to the valley and gave unprecedented boost to the state economy.
6. Write a short note on the development of roads ad buildings during Bakshi's regime.
After the independence in 1947 the construction of roads and buildings received huge impetus especially during Bakshi's government. Apart from constructing educational institutions, hospitals, buildings for government departments, hydroelectric projects, housing colonies and stadiums, GM Bakshi also significantly contributed to the establishment of a vast network of roads within the state. The construction of Banihal tunnel designed by German engineers- Alfred Kunz and C. Barsel, was considered to be one of the greatest achievements of the times. The tunnel accommodated two-way traffic and resulted in greater flow of trade between Kashmir and rest of India. A city bus service was started in order to bridge up the rural urban divide, which connected the remote towns and villages. These developments gave boost to the tourism and the fruit industry and also increased cultural interactions within and outside the state.
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