These days, agricultural activities are at their peak in Kashmir. Farmers go to the fields early in the morning and work hard till the sun set. It is this hard work that gets reflected in the greenery that is seen everywhere. Be it the apple & walnut groves or the paddy and vegetable fields, all these agricultural assets are due to the blood and sweat of the hardworking agricultural people living in villages. As a matter of fact agriculture is the backbone of Kashmir’s economy. More or less seventy percent of the population earn their livelihood directly from this sector. As is well said Rome was not made in one day so is true of farming in Kashmir. It has taken agriculture centuries to reach its present position.
No wonder then that the past of agriculture in Kashmir is marked by wonderful events. In every era, new crops and technologies were added to agriculture thereby making it more viable. From the carbonized traces of wheat in Burzahama to the arrival of potatoes during the colonial era, the journey of crop culture spans more or less three thousand years in Kashmir. Multiple factors contributed to the long list of crops grown in Kashmir. These include economic, political, religious, commercial and natural. In this regard, the residents here have also been curious to make optimum use of the land resources and ensure food self-sufficiency.
One of the most popular corn cultivated in Kashmir is maize. These days it is seen in full bloom in all areas. Who is not familiar with maize and who does not like it? This corn is dear to every heart. As soon as the name of this crop resonates in the year, various beautiful events get refreshed in our memory. Actually this crop is so popular that everyone eagerly waits for its cropping season. It’s attractions lie in its usefulness, reliability, charming look & utility for food values. Due to these qualities it was introduced in Kashmir around the seventeenth century CE. Just after its introduction in Kashmir it became the second most popular crop after rice. It enriched the rural landscape of Kashmir and created new employment opportunities for rural people. Initially it was used as an auxiliary crop. It was cultivated on lands where irrigation was difficult and rice cultivation was impossible. Or when there were no rains and irrigation was impossible farmers took recourse to its cultivation.
Maize is one of the New World crops that was brought from Central and South America by colonists, adventurers, religious preachers and traders. They spread it in Asia, Africa, Europe and other parts of the globe. Like other regions this food crop was introduced in Kashmir due to the above mentioned factors. It is important to mention here that religious factors have played an important role in its spread and its name background. Haj pilgrims played an important role in its spread. They brought it with themselves from Makkah during their pilgrimage to Kaaba. Since they saw it for the first time in Makkah, they called it Maki. Thus it got its name-Maki. There are many other crops which the pilgrims brought with themselves and introduced them in the native places. Religious factors have played a key role in spreading and promoting agricultural knowledge across cultures.
As mentioned earlier, the main objective of introducing various crops in Kashmir was to meet the daily food needs of common masses and ensure food self-sufficiency of the country. Criticality of food crisis is an attested fact of Kashmir chronicle. A productive crop like maize largely stabilized the food situation in Kashmir and relieved the public from scarcity phobia. The production of grains increased considerably and the number of livestock also multiplied thereby strengthened the economy of the countryside. Maize became a cash crop whose purchase and sale saw the circulation of money in the rural environment. Encouraged by these profitable features, farmers started cultivating it regularly in their fields. Some areas in Kashmir became special centers for the cultivation of this corn. It was populously cultivated in the villages in Sonawari. It has also been very popular in Kandi areas. Apart from this, it is cultivated by almost all people associated with agricultural just to enjoy the new crop.
Apart from human usage, maize is also used as livestock fodder. This is one of the main reasons why it is widely cultivated. Corn is fed to cattle, sheep, goats & chickens. Its grass is a common and favorite winter fodder for cows and bullocks. Bread made from corn flour and suto (roasted flour) gives a distinct taste to local salty tea. Sattu is used mainly in winter. It is especially preferred by the elderly person. Making sattu with a mill was considered to be the special work of women. Maize was also used as a substitute for rice during times of famine. The food made from it was called vat. Even today there are people in the society who have used vat in the days of famine a few decades ago.
The major attraction of this crop is the cobs that are roasted in fire and taken in a hot condition. A few years ago, traditional ovens in homes were used to roast maize obs. In the morning or in the evening, fire was lit in the hearth and corn cobs were kept inside it. After a suitable time they were taken out and distributed among the members of the family. It tasted differently. If walnut kernels were eaten along with it, then it turned unmatched in delicacy. If it was roasted along with the cover, it remained soft and clean from ash and at the same time it would be unique in taste. But it took time to prepare corn in this way. There was another common method of eating corn which is more or less still seen in Kashmir today. Maize is boiled in water and after some time it is taken out and eaten. In some areas it was roasted and preserved. In winter it was taken out and put in hot water to soften it and eat. Such traditions are hardly surviving now.
Like apple and saffron, maize is now a cash crop. Considering its popularity, people involved in its trade import it from other states of the country in the seasons when it is not available here. People are seen roasting and selling it on fire at major road crossings. This is how they manage their livelihood. As soon as the passenger or private vehicles arrive, they run and offer corn. Such commercial activities on roads, highways and markets greatly encouraged the cultivation of maize. Maize is also used as a gift. Especially when a person from the village goes to a friend or relative living in the city, he takes few corn cobs with him.
There are well known stories and anecdotes about this crop popular in the villages. In one such story, it is said that there is so much attraction in this crop that it has forced a horseman to dismount. A surname in Kashmir is also attributed to the name of maize which itself testify the importance of this crop in Kashmir.
(The Author is Assistant Professor of History at Government Degree College, Khansahib. Feedback: [email protected])
