Rebellious Landless Farmer: Isso

(This folktale written by Deepak was originally published in Hindi in Edition 6 of Bi-monthly Journal, “Nami Savair” and translated into English by “Kashmir Times”. This is the first in the series on Legendary Heroes and Revolutionaries of Jammu in collaboration with “Nami Savair”.)

Deepak*

A Brief History and Isso's Period

Struggle has been a continuous process in society ever since humans began dividing resources into private property. In other words, ever since the tradition of holding private property began, struggle, war, and conflict have been ongoing. These struggles have never been non-violent but have always been violent soaked in blood. These very struggles created such divisions in human society through private property that classes were born, and in India, the caste system also came into practice.

At the end of the 14th century, when Samarkand's invader Timur Lang (Tamerlane) attacked India, the Tughlaq dynasty ruled Delhi's sultanate. In 1398, Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah Tughlaq was on the throne-a weak ruler who could not withstand Timur. The result was that anarchy spread in the Delhi Sultanate, and Delhi city was brutally looted. This accelerated the decline of the Tughlaq dynasty, and subsequently, the Sayyid dynasty rose to power.

While looting Delhi, Timur collected enormous wealth from the temples and forts of Kangra in Himachal Pradesh and was returning to Samarkand via Jammu. During this time, Jammu's King Mall Dev tried to confront and ambush Timur's army in the Bahu hills. Timur's army was very experienced in warfare, due to which King Mall Dev lost to him and was presented before Timur as a prisoner. According to Timur's diary, he offered two alternatives to King Mall Dev: death or accept Islam. King Mall Dev accepted Islam to save his life. After this, Timur restored the kingdom of Jammu to him and proceeded to Samarkand.

The author of 'Tarikh-e-Rajgan Jammu', Kahan Singh, believes that King Mall Dev died fighting Timur's army in Kangra. However, other historians hold that King Mall Dev ruled until 1410 CE and converted to his original religion after Timur left. After Mall Dev's death, his son Hamir Dev ascended the throne of Jammu.

During the struggle for Delhi's power, Hamir Dev became a great favorite of Delhi's Badshah Mubarak Shah. Mubarak Shah was the second and most capable ruler of the Sayyid dynasty, who ruled the Delhi Sultanate from 1421 to 1434 CE. He took Hamir Dev with him in several campaigns. Pleased with Hamir Dev's bravery and loyalty, Mubarak Shah bestowed on him the title of 'Bhim Dev' and declared him the chief of 22 small hill territories located in the upper region of the Ravi River. Jasrath Khokhar was a 15th-century Punjabi chieftain who ruled parts of Punjab, Jammu, and some areas of Himachal Pradesh. His capital was Sialkot. He rebelled against Delhi's rule, but Mubarak Shah's armies defeated and drove him out of Delhi several times. Hamir Dev also helped Mubarak Shah in these campaigns. Hamir Dev defeated Jasrath Khokhar in battle once or twice, but in 1423 CE, Hamir Dev was killed by Jasrath Khokhar.

After Hamir Dev's death, his five-year-old son Ajay Dev (Ajab Dev) survived and was installed on the throne. Court poet Pandit Nilkanth of Maharaja Ranbir Singh (1857-1885) wrote and published the life story of Jitto in a text called 'Katha Baba Jitto Di' in 1884. In this, he explained that Hamir Dev's son's name was Ajab Dev and he was only five years old when he was installed on the throne. The administration of ruling King Ajab Dev's kingdom was handled by his maternal uncles. Two guardians (Sardars)-one Mardana and the other Veer Singh-were appointed. 'Veer Singh' lived in Amb Gharota (16 miles to north of Jammu city in Jammu district). This was the same 'Veer Singh Mehta' with whom Bawa Jitto and Isso struggled.

The time of Veer Singh, i.e., the 15th century, saw massive upheaval in the politics of Jammu's feudal society. Big-landed estate holders and feudal lords extracted very high taxes/levies from the people in exchange for their bit of land. Farmers had to give more than half of their agriculture produce to the king or the feudal lord. Especially people from Dalit and backward communities who did not have their own land. For livelihood, they took a small piece of land from the feudal lords on rent. They worked on it like bonded labourers. Dalit community was given land under many conditions, so most of the Dalit community did not farm in the way the rest of the community did. Only a few people farmed to feed their families. But in return, they had to pay more than half of the produce as tax every year. This arrangement continued for a long time.

Background of Isso's Story

At that time, in the village 'Aghar' of Reasi district, Jitmal (Bawa Jitto), son of Rupo (husband) and Jojla (wife), had a land dispute with his paternal cousins. The cousins wanted to usurp his land. When this matter reached the panchayat, the decision was announced one-sidedly against Jitmal. Jitto did not agree with the decision and protested. Feeling helpless, Jitto with his young daughter decided to leave his village and go to Panjod village in Marh tehsil of Jammu district. Here lived Jitto's friend 'Rullo', who was a Lohar (blacksmith). Village Panjod was about 30-35 kilometers from Jitto's own village 'Aghar'. When Jitto reached Panjod, he took refuge at 'Rullo's' house. 'Rullo' hosted him and his daughter for several days.

How Did Jitto Meet Isso?

One day Jitto told Rullo to arrange some land for him or get him some work, so that he would not be a burden on him. Veer Singh's agent was a person named Ghaggi, who lived in the nearby village Jasowan. 'Rullo' spoke to 'Ghaggi' and introduced Jitto to landlord Veer Singh. When Veer Singh first learned that Jitto was a Brahmin by caste, he proposed to Jitto that he be seated in some temple or given priesthood. But Jitto rejected Veer Singh's proposal because he considered himself a farmer. He had no knowledge of priesthood or texts related to Vastu (architecture) etc. other than farming. Veer Singh became angry when Jitto rejected his proposal. This rejection hurt Veer Singh's feudal ego. For this reason, Veer Singh refused to hand over a piece of land to Jitto. He also had doubt in his mind that the manner in which Jitto had rejected his proposal, later he might also refuse to give up ownership of the land. But after repeated requests and pleading by 'Rullo' and 'Jitto', Veer Singh finally agreed. He gave Jitto such land that was completely barren, on which thorny bushes and wild grass had grown. Veer Singh wanted Jitto to somehow abandon the land and flee. Veer Singh also gave this land to Jitto on a one-fourth share basis of the agriculture produce. This was very low rent because Veer Singh was confident that Jitto would not succeed in growing crops on this land and would run away. The land that Jitto got for farming was guarded by a Dalit community member named 'Isso'.

Who Was Isso?

Isso was a Dalit landless farmer. He had no land of his own, but he earned some money from Veer Singh by guarding this bushy barren land, which sustained his livelihood. Isso's situation also shows that at that time, Dalits were not given land even in exchange for feudal rent. There was a strong belief at that time that Dalit castes members should not have the right to hold private property. Accumulating wealth by any Dalit was considered religiously wrong. When Veer Singh gave barren land to Bawa Jitto, Isso showed the piece of land to Jitto. On that land, there was nothing but thorny bushes and barren-like forest. Isso was well-versed with the piece of land, because he had been guarding it for many years. He was familiar with every inch of this land and the entire area. Isso already knew about Veer Singh's deeds and intentions. Not to speak of growing crops on this rocky (barren-like) land, even clearing it for cultivation was no less than a trial by fire.

Jitto took an axe from Rullo and the next day began clearing the bushes. Seeing him alone, Isso also started helping him. Seeing Isso helping like this, Jitto told Isso, "Isso brother, instead of helping like this, if you and I clear this rocky land, then in the end whatever be the produce, we will divide it on fifty-fifty basis." Isso first refused, but on Jitto's persuasion, he agreed. At that time, before this, no other Dalit farmer might have been farming in this area. Even if any Dalit farmer wanted to cultivate the land, he had to work like a bonded labourer. Most of the land was with people of non-Dalit castes who did the farming themselves. It took both Jitto and Isso more than a month just to clear the bushes, while the process for preparing the land for cultivation was still pending.

Although it is written in folk tales or ballads that Jitto cleared the land overnight with the help of gods. The ballads are sung in Dogri (Local dialect):

“Leyi Guren Da Nan Bawe Ne, Ditta Fatt Karayi,

Dinen Baddi Bawa Karda, Ratin Devte Layi;

Jinne Devte, Sarre Lagge, Bawe Di Baddi Layi,

Ikke Rati Bich Bawe, Liti Zamin Banayi.”

English Translation:

("The Bawe (Jitto) remembered the guru, hard work began soon,

What Bawa did during the day, the gods did at night;

All the gods brought together Bawa's work,

Overnight Bawa made the land cultivable.")

Whereas the truth behind this poetic imagination is not some supernatural power that made the land cultivable overnight, but it is the same human labour that Isso and Bawa Jitto put in day and night. Class unity had removed the division of caste between them and succeeded in making the land cultivable. The rocky land that Veer Singh thought would make the hill farmer Jitto flee, that very piece of land was made fertile and valuable with Isso's labour playing a crucial role. But this work did not happen overnight. For this, both Isso and Jitto worked hard with backbreaking effort and continuous dedication for about two months.

Both consulted each other that a lot of time is wasted in commuting to the village repeatedly, so why not build a Kulli (Mud-thatched hut) near the fields, so that time could devote more time and effort on the land. They built a small hut in the field itself. In this way, they started paying more attention to farming. Isso would often sleep there, which saved time. For this land, Isso put in more hard work compared to Jitto's hard labour. Isso, along with his companion Jitto, worked day and night and changed the face of the land. People were amazed to see how they had turned a bushy and barren-forest into fertile and cultivable land. Both worked hard in the field all day, sweating blood. When the time came to plough the land, a pair of oxen were used that Jitto had brought from his village 'Aghar'. The fields were ploughed with these oxen. After ploughing the fields, now seeds were needed. Isso knew from where seeds could be sourced. He told Jitto that in the neighbouring village Kanha Chak, there was Mahant Nathuram who might help them with seeds. The next day Jitto went to Kanha Chak and requested Mahant Nathuram that he needed seeds for his land. Nathuram gave seeds on the condition that he would return the seeds after the crop’s harvest.

After sowing the seeds, making proper use of time, Isso and Jitto together enlarged a small well-like pit so that more rainwater could be collected and stored. From the stored water, they could irrigate their wheat crop. Generally, wheat crops need irrigation every 25 to 30 days. In the remaining free time, both increased their acquaintance with local people and started meeting them and having conversations. Many people became admirers of both Jitto and Isso. Together they had completed such a difficult task that no one could have done with such hard work before. Had Isso not been there, even after getting the land, Jitto alone could not have done anything. It was Isso who, thanks to his companionship, Jitto's struggle is remembered till date.

Landless Dalit Farmer 'Isso' Oppressed by Feudalism and Casteism

Meanwhile, landlord Veer Singh's advisors Malli and agent Ghaghi informed him that Jitto had made Isso his partner. They also told him that Isso had a crucial role and contribution in making the barren land fertile. Before this arrangement, there was no custom of any Dalit farmer being a partner without the landlord's permission or work on his land without informing him. When Veer Singh learned of this, he took offense and became furious. He was already angry with Jitto because he had rejected Veer Singh's proposal of priesthood and temple service. For a feudal lord, it was a big issue against his feudal honour that a landless Dalit should farm on his land, plough it, and become a shareholder in the produce without his permission. Although Isso also knew this and was aware of the serious consequences, yet he did not care about the consequences and bravely extended the hand of friendship to Jitto. But how could a feudal lord let his honour go down so easily? Therefore, what was agreed as a one-fourth share with Jitto, he ordered it to be made half. He told his agent that now half the share of the crop growing on that land would be taken because Isso is his servant and he (Veer Singh) had the first right to his (Isso’s) labour. According to Veer Singh, all the wages for the labour Isso is putting in should go to Veer Singh because Isso is his servant, not Jitto's. He said that Isso takes wages from him for guarding the land, not for partnership with Jitto. Whatever labour his servant has put in sowing Jitto's land, making it fertile, and growing crops will be considered his, and its value will be deducted from the crop.

Here it can be seen that in Indian society, in matters of caste, economic and socio-historical aspects are intertwined. The caste questions that seem to us to be merely social issues have deep economic aspects associated with them. The question of the caste system is connected to the Indian economy and exists culturally in the society.

Isso and Jitto both represent their respective social and economic realities. Isso is both socially excluded and in an extremely miserable economic condition. On the other hand, Jitto comes from the so-called upper caste social hierarchy. Even though his economic condition is weak, the social parameters for him are not the same as for Isso. If Jitto's economic condition had improved in the coming days, he could have obtained a better place in the society. But even if Isso's economic condition improved, he would still be seen as part of the downtrodden and excluded class. His caste exploitation would continue, as it has been the practice. This is why Jitto received a much higher status as a folk hero in and outside Jammu than Isso could.

Folk storytellers also called this rebellious landless farmer not 'Isso' but 'Isso Megh', so that his caste identity would always accompany him and he would be treated accordingly. The casteist mentality hidden within these folk storytellers and great litterateurs comes to the fore during the description of Isso. Whereas Jitto had a friend like Rullo and a companion like Isso, establishing their class, i.e., class-based unity. This unity could have destroyed the caste system and feudalism, which is why this unity was never allowed to succeed by the ruling classes.

A Landless Farmer's Resistance

Golden crop had grown in the fields of Isso and Jitto through their labour and partnership. The wheat crop was shining like gold. Throughout the village, Jitto and Isso's crop was being praised, and word had spread. These discussions also reached landlord Veer Singh. Seeing Isso and Jitto's crop, the villagers were amazed. After Baisakhi, the crop was harvested, and in this too, both worked very hard again. When it was time for winnowing (cleaning the grain), Jitto and Isso informed landlord Veer Singh Mehta that he could take his one-fourth share. Jitto gave assurance to all the people from whom he had borrowed that as soon as Veer Singh took his share, he would clear all debts. Like Nathuram, who was a resident of Kanha Chak and had loaned seeds to Jitto. Heaps of grain were set, and sacks were lying.

Jitto had gone to the village Panjod and Isso was guarding the produce when Veer Singh arrived there with his soldiers. He had arrived much earlier than the scheduled time. At that time, only Isso was present there. When Veer Singh asked Isso to give him his share of the crop, Isso asked him to wait till Jitto’s arrival. Veer Singh became angry and abused Isso and hurled insults on him. Without delay, he ordered his men to take away half the crop. Isso opposed the order to take half the crop and told him that only one-fourth share had been agreed upon, so how could he take half the crop. Veer Singh said that his labour had gone into this land, and half the share of the labour belongs to him. He told Isso that he is his servant, and Veer Singh also has a right to his labour. After saying this much, he told his men to forcibly fill the sacks.

When they started filling sacks by force, Isso opposed it and with full force started preventing them. Scuffles began between Veer Singh's men and Isso. But due to their greater number, Isso could not stop them for long. Isso had exhibited bravery of a farmer warrior to a casteist authority for his rights. He had defied his orders and challenged his authority. Veer Singh's men tied Isso with a rope and beat him mercilessly. While being beaten, Isso did not apologize in any way, nor did he fold his hands before the oppressor out of fear. On the contrary, he called Veer Singh dishonest. This is the first time that any Dalit landless farmer openly opposed any landlord or feudal lord in this manner. Isso alone had confronted Veer Singh and his men.

Despite being tied up, he kept struggling to free himself. Veer Singh left with his men after taking more than half the crop. When he had gone quite far, Isso somehow freed himself and ran toward village Panjod and told Jitto everything. Both ran after Veer Singh. While going, Jitto also took a katar (dagger-like sharp-edged weapon) with him. Both surrounded Veer Singh's convoy on the way. It is said that Jitto started tearing open the sacks with the katar and grains started falling on the ground. Soon a large heap of grains formed. On the other hand, Veer Singh's men caught and over-powered Isso again.

At the same time, standing on the heap of grains, Jitto started talking about his rights. He also called Veer Singh dishonest and said, "Why would you eat these dry grains? I will mix my blood and flesh." Saying this, Jitto stabbed himself in the stomach with the katar and martyred himself.

Seeing Jitto die, Veer Singh and all his men fled from there. But Isso sat near Jitto's corpse crying and cursing feudal lord Veer Singh. The land and crop for which both had worked so hard and struggled, Veer Singh tried to usurp it through dishonesty and cunning.

Isso ran shouting loudly toward the village. It was Isso who, crying, reached the village and told Jitto's daughter 'Bua Kodi' everything. The storytellers have presented this scene in a very touching way in Dogri:

Bol Bua Bachan Karen, Isso Gi Gall Sunayi,

Jithen Mera Bapu Mareya, Leyi Chal Ungli Layi;

Rodan Kardi Bua, Royi-Royi Hosh Goayi,

‘Sehren-Simblen’ Aayi Bua Devi, Labmi Loth Namani;

Apni Chikha Banayi Bua Ne, Bapu Di Chikha Banayi,

Leyen Loth Galey Kanne Landi, Ahyu Bapu, Dhee Gamayi.

English Translation:

("Speaking to Bua slowly, Isso told her the story,

Where my father died, lead me there by handholding;

Bua Kodi started wailing, Lost Her consciousness While Crying,

Goddess 'Sahrai Simbalai' came, Bua bowed her head long;

Made a Pyre for her father, then made another for herself,

Bua hugged that body of her father, screamed and jumped into the pyre.”)

After the death of his partner Jitto, Isso must have been left alone. He must have lived in such a society that deprived him of social rights. Economically too, he had to continuously struggle. After this, there is no description of Isso's condition in folk tales. Some people say that Isso sacrificed his life along with Bawa Jitto and Bua Kodi, but some believe that he did not die but remained alive even after this episode. Still, there is no concrete story or episode about Isso in folk tales from which the issue of him sacrificing his life comes to light.

Isso's story could have become an example of friendship, brotherhood, and humanity, but it remained suppressed in muted voices in folk legends. People remember Jitto, but his partner Isso and friend Rullo received neither a revered place nor any special honour. The major reason for their neglect in society was their caste identity—one a blacksmith and the other a Dalit. Folk storytellers and later litterateurs did not attach much importance to Isso compared to what they attached to Jitto.

Isso was such a warrior who was fighting a double battle with the society of that period. One of self-respect and the other of poverty. If Isso had been born in a so-called upper caste, then perhaps he too would have been revered like Jitto. Isso is also a true folk hero of the landless farming class. His struggle is from that era when the condition of landless farmers, Dalits, and deprived sections of the society was the most miserable. They were neither given land for farming nor a dignified life. They were made to work like bonded laborers. The honour that Bawa Jitto got, Isso is also fully entitled to.

Isso is the second great folk hero of the Bawa Jitto’s story, who chose the path of rebellion against traditional systems and challenged the caste and socio-economic system. That's why this bothered the feudal lords and people with feudal mentality, so artists and litterateurs wrote many plays on Jitto, but nowhere was Isso given due importance. He was neither established as a folk hero nor as an honest, truthful and good person. Today both, Jitto’s friend and partner, are only remembered as entities belonging to Dalit caste and are remembered by their caste—Isso Megh and Rullo Lohar.

(*The author is a writer and Treasurer of the bi-monthly Hindi magazine, "Nami Savair")

References:

Prof Ramnath Shastri, Dogri Santha, Jammu 1990

Dogri Play “Bawa Jitto” by Prof Ramnath Shastri

“Bawa Jitto” play first produced and staged by Natrang, Jammu and directed by Padma Shree Balwant Thakur in 1986