“We are not alone”

I have just read the editorial of your April issue entitled "We are not alone.” I may not have understood it properly but by lumping our community with minority Christians and Muslims you seem to be suggesting that the majority community is behind the vandalism at the Bhikha Behram well. This is surprising for like most simple-minded Parsis I believe that we owe our survival to the generosity of a Hindu king in Gujarat and the generally tolerant attitude of the majority community.

Half way down the editorial you have made a statement: "Not only Muslims but Hindus too have slaughtered community mem­bers in the centuries gone by.” Would you care to educate us about the occasions on which Hindus slaughtered members of the Parsi com­munity?

ASPI DOCTOR

The Editor replies

The editorial stated in the second para that "there is as yet no apparent communal angle to the desecration.” It is only when minority institutions are attacked that support from all quarters is needed. The Public Concern for Governance Trust that convened the meeting is a cosmopolitan organization, many of whose members including the chairman are from the majority community. Minorities, by their very definition, believe they are more vulnerable to attack and hence there is all the more need for reassurance from all communities.

With reference to the attacks on the community in the past by Hindus in and around the 13th century, according to the book From the Iranian Plateau to the Shores of Gujarat, the Parsis of Surat progressed to the extent of assuming a more or less independent position and challenged their sovereign.” The book quotes the Bombay Gazetteer, vol IX, part II (Bombay, 1901) as saying:

"These settlers, according to traditional records and as reported by Henry Lord refused to pay tribute to their overlord, the Rajput chief of Ratanpur, and attacked his troops when they came to collect the tribute. Ultimately, they were defeated by a stratagem of attacking the settlement in the absence of the menfolk. The women bravely fought back but were defeated and it is said that they jumped into the Tapi River, which ran through the village, rather than be captured. The tradition is so strong that even today the day of this disaster (25th day of the Farvardin month) is commemorated in Surat with special religious ceremo­nies.”

The authors of the book Mani Kamerkar and Soonu Dhunjisha further note that three and a half centuries later "during Shivaji’s attack on Surat in 1664... Shivaji’s troops surrounded the town on all sides and... many men and women were taken prisoners. From reports given by Jadunath Sarkar, Jagan­nath Laxman Mankar, N. S. Taka­khav and Jamshed Kekobad, Surat had a fort, but no wall around it at the time of the attack. As mentioned Surat was the emporium of inter­national trade and also the port of exit for the Haj journey. The city was therefore extremely wealthy with a population of two lakh. The rich occupied the river frontage, which included the spacious house of Rustom Manek. Shivaji was attracted to Surat and after sacking it a number of times, he called it the key to his treasure. Shivaji’s chief object was to amass wealth by plundering this rich city. His army consisted of 10,000 mawlis lead by Moropant Pingle and Prataprao Guzar. On hearing of the approach of Shivaji’s army from the direction of Gandevi, the people began to leave the city for villages on the other side of the river.

"The governor, Inayat Khan fled into the fort, without arrang­ing for any protection for the people who were left to fend for themselves. Some rich men took shelter in the fort by paying the commandant. It seems, the people were left helpless and open to abuses and loot. Many of the rich and wealthy traders did not even have guards to protect them and their property. The foreign companies, the English, Dutch, Armenians and Turks, guarded their own factories with their soldiers and showed the courage to oppose the Maratha looters. Some favorite agents and brokers seem to have found shelter within them, such as Rustom Manek. For four days, Shivaji’s men devastated the city. After looting both (the) rich and poor, they burnt the houses. According to the reports, Shivaji shrank from no cruelty to extract money as quickly as possible including whipping, cutting off hands, killing and taking hostages. Men, women and children mostly from the poorer artisan and working class were taken as prisoners for whom ransom were demanded. A number of Parsis were taken hostages and a sum of Rs 10,000 demanded from them. Having lost whatever they pos­sessed, and probably belonging to the working class and artisan groups, they did not have the wherewithal to pay and sent word to Rustom Manek for help. Rustom paid this amount and got his breth­ren freed.

"Reports from Gandevi and Navsari from Parsi records also show harassment and deaths caused by the Maratha troops. Jamshed Kekobad mentions the destruction of parwanas of property deeds of the Parsis. An interesting account of the Surat Parsi Panchayat for 1849 is worth noting in this connection. It states that in about 1573, Emperor Akbar gifted 100 bighas of land for a dakhma. The firman was one of the documents destroyed during the sack of Surat. In 1752 a new firman was granted by the king of Ahmedna­gar. After the sack of 1664, Aurangzeb had ordered a wall to be built around the city. It could not however stand the second attack on Surat by Shivaji made in October 1670, as the governor of Surat had only 300 men, against Shivaji’s army of nearly 15,000. As in the first attack, the governor and his soldiers fled to the safety of the fort and the whole town was once again open to the Marathas. Once again, the foreign factories defended themselves and again the wealthy merchants and traders took no step to defend their property and homes. It may be that hearing of the approach of Shivaji, they had already sent a large part of their wealth outside the city. The Parsis seem to have been prepared and had sent their families and properties outside Surat and suffered to a lesser extent this time than the last. Seeing undefended property, it seems the soldiers leisurely plundered house to house and set fire to many of them. It is reported that half the town was burnt down. On the third day, the Marathas left Surat, demanding a tribute of Rs 12 lakh a year. This assault was too much for the common citizens who fell to plundering and ransacking whatever was left of Surat.

"As a result of these two attacks, Surat began to lose its importance. In a way it was a prelude to its decline. The exodus had started towards Bombay. Business was scared away and the producers of cloth and other goods in the interior were wary of sending their goods for sale to Surat. For a month after this sack, there was so much confusion as there was no authority or government to be seen. Every few days or so, there were rumors of another attack and life became extremely insecure. However again the resilience of the people was so great, that they once again returned to rebuild the city, though not completely to its former glory.”