The Hindu : National / Elections 2004 : Bakerwals won't vote because they're on the move

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Saturday, May 01, 2004

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National - Elections 2004

Bakerwals won't vote because they're on the move

Luv Puri

Kathua

Thousands of people in the remote areas of Jammu and Kashmir will not be voting in the coming elections — not because of any threat from the militants or poll boycott appeal, but because of their way of life. These are the shepherds of the Himalayan State, known as Bakerwals in the local parlance, who are constantly on the move.

Although the growing political consciousness of the community has led some of them to get registered as voters, a large number does not vote. Come summer, the shepherds who descend to the plains in the winters prepare themselves for their annual march to Zanskar in Ladakh via Doda district of Jammu province. The march is necessary because the sheep reared by the Bakerwals cannot withstand the summer heat of the plains, when temperatures touch 40 degrees Celsius. For centuries, the Bakerwals, spread over all parts of the State, have travelled hundreds of miles on foot with their sheep to reach their remote destinations. The movement is reversed with the onset of winter as they descend to the plains.

Some of the community leaders, campaigning in Kathua district, which is part of the Udhampur Parliamentary constituency, have been asking the Bakerwals to stay on for the elections and cast their votes. Noor Mohammad, a clan leader, says, "I was able to register my clan members as voters. But the big question is whether they will stay for the voting or not. I have been asking them to stay on till the polling day. Only if we vote will the political parties highlight our problems." Mr. Mohammed has a point; the Bakerwals lag behind the others economically.

A silent revolution occurred here in the late 1970s when white sheep started replacing the traditional black sheep, providing more wool at better prices in the urban markets. The revolution occurred with the import of superior rams from countries such as Australia by the Jammu and Kashmir Government and mating them with the local sheep. The Animal Husbandry Department gave the imported rams for a season to the Bakerwals who returned them after mating. Enthused by the good profits, the Bakerwals termed the sheep safed sona (white gold) and the State Government decided to spread the experiment to the remotest parts of the State. Things were on the right track till the 1990s when the entire livelihood of the Bakerwals was disrupted by the militancy, which hit the State. The immediate impact was on the movement of the community, as it has to pass through militant-dominated parts of the State during its annual march. The behaviour of the militants towards the community has been harsh; the militants often commandeer sheep for meat or for money. Things got so bad that the Bakerwals had to change their traditional migration routes.

Rashid, who owns a flock of 40 white sheep, says: "Earlier we used to travel more than 500 km, but now because of the militants, we go only up to Sanasar in Udhampur district of Jammu, which is less than 200 km away." The impact is showing on the Bakerwals; they are not able to rear their sheep as well in their new destinations. The worsening economic conditions have forced the Bakerwals to shear their sheep twice a year, which has led to a fall in market price. The buyers of the sheep wool demand longer hairs and for this, the hair should be cut only once a year. The community has also had to face stiff competition from farms run with the modern infrastructure. Akram, a Bakerwal, asks, "How can you expect us to compete when we have no infrastructural support?" This complex underplay of factors have led a handful of Bakerwal leaders to unite and demand a cattle insurance scheme for the community, among other things. Bakerwal leaders say that as long as the community does not vote, it is not likely to make any headway with the Government.

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