Slice of history
SANJAY SHARMA
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Study of the Marwar region, its Rathor rulers and their subjects
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POLITICS OF PATRONAGE AND PROTEST — The State, Society, and Artisans in Early Modern Rajasthan: Nandita Prasad Sahai; Oxford University Press, YMCA Library Building, Jai Singh Road, New Delhi-110001. Rs. 595.
The 18th century in Indian history has been like an unwanted orphan for historians for a long time. However, in the past three decades a number of historians have tried to rescue 18th century Indian society from oblivion and neglect in which the Cambridge historian, Chris Bayly, has played an influential role. As can be guessed this has led to a somewhat acrimonious debate among historians and Nandita Prasad Sahai's work provides a nice synthesis by qualifying various positions. Her in-depth study of the Marwar region ably demonstrates the futility of dismissing the 18th century as `dark', `chaotic' and `stagnant' or alternatively as `resurgent' and ready for take-off before being cut short by `evil' colonialism.
In popular perception 18th century Indian rulers are still stereotyped as weak in character whose petty quarrels and shortsightedness paved the way for British rule in India. This book shows the pressures at work on regional states once the overarching Mughal protection withered away in the 18th century. The focus of this study is the Marwar region (comprising Jodhpur, Nagore, Jalore, and Sheo), its Rathor rulers and their subjects, primarily the artisans. It situates them in the ecologically dry and agriculturally fragile environment where the cultural practices of its people evolved to cope with frequent shortages and scarce resources. Trade and commerce assumed greater importance in this difficult agricultural zone and hence the crucial position occupied by artisans.
Strategies
The author argues that in the post-Mughal political climate, the 18th century state could hardly be predatory or parasitical. In order to survive and govern it had to employ incorporative strategies, blend coercion with legitimate practice and seek the consent of labouring subordinate groups. Although the author is well aware of the problems of using modern concepts like consent-building and consensus, she insists on applying them to 18th-century Rathor state which she characterises as early modern. This position however seems a bit unconvincing and the author could have stayed clear of stock characterisations like `modern' and by implication `traditional' — binaries that have become sterile now. In fact, the rich evidence presented in the book enables us to question the belief that pre-colonial states were despotic and non-hegemonic and that its subjects were oppressed and passive.
The author demonstrates how the state, the elites and lower orders were constantly in the process of domination, protest, negotiation and accommodation. For this she extensively employs the concept of wajabi — that which is `appropriate'. Wajib behaviour kept in check the misuse of power by the dominant while ensuring the subservience of the subaltern classes locked as they were in hierarchies of caste and community. The harshness of elite power was tempered with munificence and patronage for the weak and the needy. Thus a certain noblesse oblige on the part of the elite was essential to secure them the loyalty of the ruled. When violations occurred the agencies of the state had to mediate to maintain social harmony and political stability. Wajabi seems to be at the heart of the moral economy of this region — a concept that was normative but flexible enough to be applied in different situations to distinguish the legitimate from the unethical. The Jodhpur state survived well under noteworthy rulers like Vijay Singh but started experiencing the pressures of Maratha demands in the later decades of the 18th century. A weakened and divided Maratha polity eventually invited British intervention in the early 19th century.
Artisans
This is an important book simply because there are very few studies of artisans of northern India. It has been written with empathy for the artisans who often enter records and history books as mere statistics. It delves deep into the social world of the Marwari artisan in times when state building followed principles and practices still untouched by those initiated by the colonial state. The text cites fascinating examples that show how marriages worked or did not work and, the layers of caste and community ties that defined the world of the artisan. The picture that emerges is one that is highly dynamic in which rights and obligations were constantly being negotiated and scriptural norms were suitably adapted for pragmatic needs. For example, wifely adultery invited different repercussions for the elite and artisan groups. The former regarded it as ultimate dishonour sometimes leading to the elimination of the adulterous woman. But in artisan families the woman's lover could claim the woman by paying monetary compensation to the husband (bair ke paise). This transaction was deemed legal and the woman and her lover were free to live "happily ever after"!
This is a book mainly for the specialists but those who like to flirt with history will also find it readable. Moreover, the cultural flavour of Marwar can be savoured from the variety of folk sayings and tales that are woven into the text. One folk tale that is moving, tragic and yet delightful is about an over-exploited poor bhambi (leather-worker) in a village. Fed up with life, he jumped into a well only to disturb a sleeping frog. The angry frog ordered him to clean the well of all the accumulated dirt. Even in death the poor man was damned to unremitting labour!
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