Archiving Living Residue of a Lost World

Dr. Uzma Azhar Ali

Archiving Living Residue of a Lost World                                

 Dr. Uzma Azhar Ali

“Guzara to ho jata hai, par judta nahin hai …”

“We are able to sustain ourselves (barely) but, not able to save (for future)”, Mohammad Shakeel, the metal engraver who sits on the pavements of Lal Kuan, Shahjahanabad aptly describes the conditions of many such skilled traditional occupation practitioners at Shahjahanabad/Old Delhi.

Shahjahanabad/Old Delhi is known mostly for its food and architecture but it also has a big population of skilled crafts people who are struggling to make a living in present times The pandemic and the subsequent lockdown dealt a big blow to many occupations which were already facing a crisis. The informal economy employs majority of the population at Shahjahanabad as many are self-employed and work with the principles of faith- sabr patience, shukr gratitude and tahammul endurance.

Modern cities promote homogeneity of ideas, architecture, standard occupations and lifestyles. The 17th century city of Shahjahanabad/Old Delhi has diversity of people, communities and cultures who are still engaged in occupations which can be termed as ‘traditional’ belonging to the pre-industrial or pre-modern era.

The traditional Occupations

Traditional occupations are usually dependent on physical labor, use minimal technology and their relationships with their kinsfolk, employers and others around them are based on old world social and emotional networks, solidarity and care. Technology has played a substantial part in the loss of livelihood and business for them as most of these occupations are labor intensive and almost on the brink of disappearance today. Very few of them want their family traditions to be passed on to their children as for most survival is a struggle.

Many artisans like the zardozi embroiderers, the jewelery maker and the calligrapher talked about the golden period of their craft and how most people left these occupations due to the financial issues. The cost does not justify the work hours/labour and raw materials being used in making the product. 

The Qalaigar cousins Faizan and Faisal (brass/copper utensil polishers) spoke on how theirs is the last generation working as Qalaigars’ in a long family tradition’ and they would not like their children to join this profession due to the involvement of hard physical labor, heat and smoke. The hands get rough and sometimes even get holes in them due to the use of chemicals in the process of qalai’. 

Some of the older occupations are obsolete now, like Bhishtis’ the water carriers in animal skin from the pre-piped supply era (now living at the Dargah of Hare Bhare Shah/Sufi Sarmad). They philosophically described the water economy and how it has changed since those days. Similarly, Sheikh Farooqis or Gadhe/ Ghode walas of Shahjahanabad performed an important role for the city till a decade back. .

Wahid a third generation reti maker, the last and the only one at Shahjahanabad, runs a hundred-year-old shop. Reti or File (rasp) is a hand tool which comes in various shapes rectangular, round and half-round and vary in coarseness as per the need and metal.

It is used by carpenters, jewelers, horse hoof-makers, and as per Wahid even by surgeons and few others. His language was extremely colourful and carried the pride he had for his livelihood. 

Women Kite Makers

Patangbaazi or the game (baazi) of flying kites (patang) is an integral part of life at Shahjahanabad. Not just kite flying but kite-making and selling is a big activity in the narrow streets of Lal Kuan. Kite makers and sellers work for around 10-12 hours a day during the kite flying season of Delhi around Independence Day in August. While talking to the male kite-makers, we were told women wrap up work earlier and were denied access to interview them.

The toughest interview was with the women kite makers, as men around them acted like gatekeepers made it difficult to get access to women, as some men thought it goes against traditions to have women speak on camera. But, women themselves wanted to talk and share their life-stories and their daily work schedules. Women kite-makers work throughout the day to make minimum 1000 kites per day along with household chores. The details on how they combine work with domestic chores and also take care of children is fascinating as well as awe-inspiring.

Diversification 

There were some occupations which due to the ingenuity of their professionals were doing well. They have opened new avenues for themselves, they use social media for expanding their business.The oldest ittar shop Gulab Chand Johri Mal at Shahjahanabad has diversified into all kinds of scent related products.

They innovated with time and technology and now offer online home deliveries for people and have been successfully selling ittar (pure and chemical based) to their patrons since 1816 at Dariba Kalan, Shahjahanabad. Indian Classical Music Instruments are still handmade and have not gone through much change over the years. J P Singh and his father Avtar Singh have been carrying forward the legacy of making Indian classical musical instruments for Bina Musical Stores at Nai Sarak. They have been selling musical instruments since independence.

Different instruments are cut, polished, assembled, tuned, and packed at their premises. They are known for their harmoniums which are made and exported all over the world. At Shahjahanabad/Old Delhi their shop is one of the oldest in the business. It was quite a big set-up where the instruments were being handmade on one floor, to the showroom on the first floor where they were being sold. 

Last Generation 

The physical labour, dust, injuries involved in some of these crafts acts as a barrier for people to learn them as the new generation wants to pursue ‘clean’ work.  The tedious and long working hours weaken the eyes, the work posture gives back pain problems.  

Mohammad Naved and his brothers in his small shop are still carrying on with their family's traditional occupation of carpentry. They have a shop at Ballimaran which they say was a known market for wood. He discusses the challenges of working with wood, the environmental issues, the changes in wooden products, problems of working with sharp machines Mohammad Yusuf Khan's son has converted his father's carpenter's shop to selling spectacles and frames for glasses. He still sits outside the shop selling some readymade wooden things and is proud of the many injuries he has had in his working life.  Most of the bakeries’ have shifted to electric ovens except for two-three bakeries who still continue with traditional wood-based ovens at Shahjahanabad.

The history and the relevance of some of these time-honored professions are also found in the folk tales and oral traditions that were passed on as genealogical heritage along with the skills of these occupations’.  The last generations of these people are talented and often even guard their crafts’ knowledge with zealousness and often even displayed caste, class, sexist behaviour. The professions are intrinsic to the old city of Shahjahanabad as it is provides the environment for their being, sustenance and existence.