When conscience meddles with social order people like Subhan Hajam comes to forefront. The right of conscience is the right of an individual to deter on the basis of in-built morality. Mohammad Subhan Hajam a Kashmiri icon, a reformer, a social activist and a visionary who succeeded in mobilizing public opinion for eradication of prostitution which as an institution had excited in Kashmir since ancient past. Kalhana, the historian has censured some of the kings like Kalasha, Kshemagupta, Uccala and Harsha for patronizing prostitutes, paramours and courtesans. It was Sultan Sikander who is reported to have banned prostitution, in his sultanate. However, this institution received inpetence during the Mughal occupation of Kashmir. Naming Kashmir as Baag-i-khas or the special garden, they used the Valley as a pleasure garden to entertain their guests in the Mughal gardens. Secondly, it became a practice, during their era to obtain the Kashmiri beautiful girls for marriage with Subhedars, Mansabdars and nobles.
The fourth Dogra ruler of Kashmir, Maharaja Hari Singh ascended the throne in 1925. Unlike, his predecessor, who was an orthodox Hindu, the new ruler was highly emancipated and modern. He encouraged compulsory education among the masses. He also introduced some reforms in taxation but did not abolish the prostitution tax and as such flesh trade thrived as usual in the early years of his reign. The political awakening ushered in after 1931 upheaval resulted in the ressurengence of the Kashmiri Muslims in the every sphere of its society. This awakening resulted in the emergence of several political leaders in the State, but none worked moral uplift of the Muslim society.
And here a person emerged by the name of Mohammad Subhan Hajam , a braber by the profession of Maisuma area in Srinagar with a pain to initiate and compiled pamphlets, drawing attention of the Maharaja’s government towards this menace which had engulfed people in venereal diseases. He appealed to the Maharaja to take serious notice of this malady and impose ban on it. These Hidayat-Namas were published in the local press. Secondly, Mohammad Subhan Hajam would meet religious leaders, influential people in the civil society and officials and seek their support in his mission. He would impress upon them to put pressure on the Maharaja in one way or the other. Thirdly, he himself comes forward picketing in the red light areas. He would lead a group of people, mostly young men, singing his poems and raising insulting and derogatory slogans against the Kanjars and Kanjaris.
Khwaja Mohammad Subhan Hajam was terrorized and attacked several times by the pimps and goons employed by keepers of the prostitution dens. In order to suppress his voice, several false cases were instituted against him in the courts of Srinagar. All these attacks on him were spearheaded by a rich and influential red light area chief known contemptuously as Khazir Gaan, his name being Khazir but Gaan or prostitution den holder. He would corrupt police officers to seek vengeance on Mohammad Subhan Hajam. But all these intimidating attacks could not succeed to bow down the crusader, who had now succeeded in winning the hearts of all sections of the society – Muslims, Pandits and Sikhs. He even received support from the Church Mission Society and Rev Tyndale Biscoe, the doyen of education in Kashmir.
It was Molvi Mohammad Abdullah Vakil, who raised the issue in the Praja Sabha in 1934 and proposed exacting of a law for the closure of prostitution houses in the State and ban on the flesh trade. In fact, he had raised his voice against this vice on behalf of Mohammad Subhan Hajam, who had succeeded in mobilizing support of the elite in society in his mission. Even the leaders of the Muslim Conference, came forward to help him by inviting the attention of Maharaja Hari Singh to issue orders for the ban of flesh trade in his State. Even the Viceroy of India asked the Maharaja to provide him detailed information, about the flesh trade in Kashmir.
Taking care to involve people from all schools of thought, he persuaded seven hundred signatories, including a good number of Pandits and Sikhs, to submit a memorandum to the district magistrate in Srinagar, asking prostitution to be banned.
In it, he suggested making a list of pimps who, according to him, were responsible for spreading the vice.
“A big and strong group is always associated with the prostitutes,” the memorandum said. “We call them dallaas (pimps). They are criminals involved in serious offences. If a list of the pimps is made, and they are called for questioning at regular intervals, the crime rate will also come down.” ‘These people marry women and then sell them for hefty sums in big cities like Lahore, Calcutta, Peshawar, Bombay, Karachi and Delhi.”
Hajam also suggested barring prostitutes from wearing the burqa (veil). “When the prostitutes use the veil, the life of charactered women becomes miserable. Unless a prostitute proves that she is no longer involved in the detested practice, she should not be allowed to use the veil.”
In view of the landable efforts of Mohammad Subhan Hajam, the Maharaja issued orders banning sale and purchase of women in the State and closure of red light areas in Srinagar as well as Jammu. He even ordered deputation of two Police officers to find and repatriate Kashmiri girls from the red light areas of Rawalpindi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, Delhi and Lucknow.
Eventually Mohammad Subhan Hajam succeeded in his mission during his life time. He owned his saloon near the present day Lal Chowk, Srinagar. Despite his meager income and frail physique, he was equipped with great moral courage to face all challenges.
The name of Mohammad Subhan, the great luminary of Kashmir, will be remembered in history for all times to come. He is a Kashmiri icon who single harded freed the State from the menace of prostitution. He is one amongst the heroes of Kashmir, and we Kashmiris are proud of him.
