In the tapestry of Kashmiri history, woven with tales of both beauty and brutality, one thread stands resilient—the indomitable spirit of its peasants, whose quiet defiance against oppression shaped an era. Professor R.L. Hangloo, in his seminal work, Agrarian System During the Dogra Reign in Kashmir, unearths this saga with the skill of a master historian, weaving scholarly analysis with the poignancy of human struggle. Through his prose, Hangloo does not merely recount facts; he resuscitates the cries, hopes, and silent battles of a community that defied the odds. The book is a testament to the courage of these unsung heroes, a scholarly canvas on which their resistance is painted not in the dry strokes of record-keeping but in colors that pulse with life.
This literary and historical exploration spans 233 pages, divided into seven chapters, each section a mosaic of meticulously researched details presented in a language as soft as it is literary. The text moves through a spectrum of themes—agricultural production, revenue policies, grantees of land, the dire state of the peasantry, trade patterns, and a concluding analysis—each a tile in the larger picture of Dogra rule’s oppressive machinery. Hangloo presents his findings not as lifeless data, but as an intricate chronicle, illuminating the socio-political undercurrents that bound Kashmiri peasants to servitude, and yet, like a river pushing through rocky terrain, their collective will surged forth in defiance.
The genesis of this oppressive era lies in the Treaty of Amritsar, a calculated transaction in 1846 that commodified not just the land of Kashmir but the people within it, reducing them to assets on a colonial ledger. Sold to Gulab Singh by the British East India Company, Kashmir became a pawn in a game of imperialism, its peasants the silent casualties of economic and political stratagems. Hangloo examines this foundation of tyranny with a scholar’s rigor, unraveling how the Dogras established a feudal system that coiled around Kashmir like a serpent, tightening its hold on the very lifeblood of its society—its peasantry. Taxation was transformed from governance to an act of suppression; it was no longer a simple levy on crops, but a ruthless instrument wielded to stifle autonomy, binding Kashmir’s farmers to an existence of dependency and despair.
Yet Hangloo’s prose carries a weight beyond numbers and policies; he portrays the Dogra rule as a dark canopy under which human suffering bloomed like poisonous flowers. This was a regime of exploitation where the peasantry’s relationship with the land became a theater of perpetual sacrifice, each harvest a toll extracted through forced labor—locally termed begar—where peasants toiled without compensation, constructing roads and erecting state edifices, their sweat feeding the grandeur of a regime that returned nothing but subjugation. Here, Hangloo illuminates the Dogra governance not just as a structure but as a calculated machinery of degradation, one that preyed upon the dignity of Kashmir’s peasants as much as it did their sustenance. Forced labor, crippling taxes, and pervasive fear were the bricks and mortar of this system, yet even within this grim architecture, embers of resistance sparked into being.
Hangloo’s narrative draws the reader into the soul of the Kashmiri peasantry’s defiance, depicting acts of resistance that were as quiet as they were powerful. He captures the organic nature of this rebellion—unled by generals, fueled not by manifestos, but by a collective resilience woven into the everyday lives of ordinary villagers. These acts of defiance were small in appearance—refusing to pay taxes, withholding produce, or silently fleeing oppressive villages—but, as Hangloo insightfully reveals, they represented the roots of a larger movement that would one day shake the Dogra regime to its core. Each instance of quiet rebellion was a raindrop; together, they swelled into a torrent of collective defiance.
Hangloo brings forth the stories of peasants who defied the odds, evading tax collectors by relocating entire villages overnight, dismantling harvests to deprive the regime of revenue, and refusing to break under the weight of oppression. This resistance was not impulsive; it was an embodiment of a Kashmiri spirit that understood survival as an act of defiance. In every withheld crop and every journey to unknown lands, there was a profound statement of resilience, a refusal to bow to a regime that demanded their sweat yet denied them dignity.
Central to Hangloo’s argument is the idea that the peasantry, so often relegated to the sidelines of historical narratives, was in fact the bedrock of change. He challenges long-standing assumptions of passivity and silence, illuminating the peasants not as pawns but as catalysts, whose quiet resilience ultimately destabilized the Dogra rule. Their resistance was the seed of a broader consciousness, a shift in perspective that empowered later movements and reforms. Hangloo’s narrative paints these farmers as architects of their own destiny, their resistance a precursor to the organized calls for autonomy that would one day sweep across Kashmir. Through this scholarly lens, Hangloo repositions the peasantry within the annals of history, not as incidental victims but as critical forces who altered the course of their nation’s future.
This was not mere survival—it was survival with a purpose, an unspoken manifesto of dignity that flowed through the valley’s villages, uniting disparate communities in a common cause. Hangloo’s meticulous recounting of these episodes is infused with reverence; he depicts the peasants not only as warriors against oppression but as visionaries who, even in the face of overwhelming adversity, could imagine a life beyond servitude. Each act of defiance, no matter how small, was a thread woven into a greater tapestry of hope and resistance.
Hangloo’s exploration of resistance is not a monolithic account; rather, he portrays it as a “symphony of defiance,” an array of voices and actions harmonized by a singular spirit of resilience. These acts of resistance were multifaceted, each form adapted to the circumstances of the community that employed it. Hangloo’s categorization of these modes reveals a landscape of defiance as varied as it was determined, embodying the Kashmiri peasantry’s capacity for strategic ingenuity.
Among the most effective tactics was the refusal to pay taxes, an act that hit the regime where it hurt most—its coffers. Peasants chose to let fields lie fallow, depriving the Dogras of the produce that fueled their wealth. This non-cooperation was not an act of apathy but a calculated disruption of the economic cycle that sustained the Dogra authority. Hangloo’s vivid accounts of barren fields and deserted villages bring to life the courage of these peasants, who weaponized their livelihoods in the fight for dignity.
Entire families and communities often migrated en masse, leaving behind homes and history to escape the regime’s demands. For these villagers, migration was not merely a flight but an assertion of autonomy—a declaration that they would not be shackled to land that returned no compassion. Hangloo captures the poignancy of these migrations, painting them as acts of protest against a regime that prioritized revenue over humanity. These migrations were a silent anthem, an assertion of dignity in the face of displacement.
Collective Action: United, the Kashmiri peasants defied tax collectors, obstructing access to produce and frustrating the regime’s attempts to extract revenue. Hangloo’s narrative of these collective resistances is infused with admiration for the solidarity that bound these communities. These were not isolated acts; they were the synchronized beats of a shared heartbeat, an expression of unity that defied individual survival in favor of a greater cause.
In a land steeped in culture, even symbolic acts carried profound resonance. By rejecting imposed rituals or refusing to bow before Dogra officials, the peasants crafted a quiet narrative of rebellion. Hangloo illuminates these gestures, small yet potent, as expressions of a deeper refusal to yield to oppression. Each symbolic defiance was a whisper in the dark, a reminder that dignity could not be legislated or taxed away.
Through these varied forms, Hangloo crafts a portrait of resistance that is as resilient as it is adaptive. The peasantry’s defiance becomes a melody of survival, each note a testament to the Kashmiri spirit’s unyielding pursuit of justice.
Hangloo’s work does not merely chronicle the lives of Kashmir’s peasants; it dissects the impact of their defiance on the Dogra regime itself. This was no minor inconvenience; the resistance of Kashmir’s agrarian class sent shockwaves through the corridors of power, destabilizing a regime that relied on the compliance of its subjects. The Dogras, accustomed to ruling through fear, found themselves facing a populace that no longer trembled. This shift marked a profound change in the balance of power, a recalibration of authority that would have lasting consequences for the Dogra rule.
The regime’s reliance on agrarian revenue transformed the peasantry’s resistance into an economic insurgency. With each withheld tax, the Dogras’ economic foundation eroded, creating a fiscal strain that weakened their governance. Hangloo argues that this economic decline was not a fleeting setback but a chronic ailment that sapped the regime’s strength, turning the peasants’ quiet defiance into a force of systemic disruption.
The regime’s legitimacy, already tenuous due to its foreign origins, was further corroded by its oppressive policies. The peasants’ resistance exposed the Dogras’
Through this work, Hangloo has not only documented a critical chapter in Kashmiri history but has also given voice to those who, for generations, had none. His work elevates the Kashmiri peasantry to a position of honor, showing that their struggles were not in vain but formed the bedrock of a lasting legacy of resistance. He does not shy away from the harsh realities of their existence but transforms these realities into a larger meditation on the nature of resilience itself.
In Agrarian System During the Dogra Reign in Kashmir, Hangloo has crafted more than a historical account; he has created a work of art, a tribute to the courage of ordinary people, and a call to remember those who fought not with weapons but with quiet, unyielding strength. His scholarship is as thorough as it is compassionate, as poetic as it is precise. The book leaves an imprint on the reader’s soul, echoing with the silent strength of a people who refused to be crushed by history but instead chose to reshape it.
Through Hangloo’s lens, the Kashmiri peasantry emerges not as victims but as victors, their legacy a beacon that illuminates the path for future generations. It is a reminder that, in the face of oppression, even the smallest acts of defiance can become the seeds of revolution. In this masterful work, Hangloo has given Kashmir not just a history, but a heritage.
ABOUT THE REVIEWER
Sanjay Pandita is a writer and columnist, can be reached at sanjaypanditasp@gmail.com
