Pashm Trade

Sham S. Misri

Pashm is no doubt among the finest fibers ever woven; but on its arrival in Srinagar it is no more than a grubby and greasy mass as it has come from the goat.

In 1846, the state of J&K was created by treaty of Amritsar with three distinct regions of Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh. The treaty was between the British government of India and the Raja Gulab Singh of Jammu. Gulab Singh the ruler of new state  acknowledged the supremacy of the British. It was pledged that an annual tribute of ‘one horse, twelve perfect shawl goats of approved breed(6 male and 6 female), and three pairs of Kashmiri shawls” be given to the British govt. of India. Shawl industry was considered as ‘the’  issue of primary importance in the state. This “treaty shawls” continued well into 20^th contrary; but the tribute in goats had to be discontinued in 1848, as all the animals presented the first year died. This sad episode illustrates a fundamental truth about the Kashmir shawl business- its total dependence throughout its history on the high altitude pastures of Ladakh, Tibet and central Asia.

By 1846, the shawl industry and the trade on which it depended were already several centuries old- how many it is difficult to say. Around 1684, the supply of Pashm to Srinagar was most important clause of a tripartite settlement between Ladakh, Tibet and Kashmir. After an invasion by a combined Tibetan –Mongol force, the Ladakhi king appealed to the governor of Kashmir for help. But the help did not come gratis. Among the conditions on which the Kashmir army consented to withdraw after expelling the Tibetans, the most telling was that which gave Kashmir a monopoly on the purchase of all the Pashm produced in both Ladakh and western Tibet.  This was confirmed by the treaty of Tingmosgang between Ladakh and Tibet. Under this arrangement four Kashmiri merchants were settled in Ladakh , to procure Pashm from the pastures of western Tibet and bring it to Ladakh. No other Kashmiri was to be admitted to the Pashm producing areas, nor were these Ladakhi - Kashmiris allowed to carry Pashm to Kashmir themselves . Thus trade in Pashm,  between Ladakh and Kashmir  became of mutual dependence. Later it involved larger number of agents kept by Kashmir merchants in Ladakh to collect the Pashm, paying the primary purchasers a miserable price. Then thousands and thousands of men would go from Kashmir to carry back loads of wool to Kashmir. Those days the journey from Srinagar to Leh was very difficult, there were the alarming bridges, consisting of two thick ropes of twisted willow twigs stretched across a stream, with loops suspended between them for the traveller’s feet, whose swaying motion, together with the rush of water below, induced fear and vertigo. In some places the road had landslides, so that the guide had to go in front and cut steps, hauling the traveler up by hand. Elsewhere , it was steep and narrow, and so slippery with ice and snow that there was great risk of falling down mountainside into the torrent below. Imagine negotiating such a path with 55-kg load on your back. Many would lose their lives or get crippled forever. The entire Pashm from western Tibet went via Ladakh to Kashmir. The king of Ladakh and his prime minister were major players in the business, the profits of the trade providing greater part of  Ladakhs  revenue . The shawl wool trade and manufacture are of great profit merchants but little profit to manufacturers. Between growers and manufacturers the shawl wool that passes through Ladakh is increased to thirteen times its original cost. The cost of transport from Leh to Srinagar was around Rs. 33 per horse load, varying according to season and weather. In Kashmir, the weight of various commodities was measured by the ass load(about 79 kg) and the horse load (about 108 kg). Moorcroft states the cost of transport of a horse load of Pashm between Leh and Drass as Rs. 9.8 as , “Whether by a horse or by two porters” corroborating the assertion of 20^th century information that a man’s load was reckoned as half that of a horse, or approximately 55 kg, and that he was paid accordingly. In mid 1830’s the Pashm was carried “upon men’s backs from Leh to Kashmir”. A porter carried 10 trak (a Kashmir measure of weight, approximately 5 kg) and his wage was one rupee trak over the whole distance, sometimes an occasional bonus for extra good quality. Thus his earnings for a march of 18-22 days over appalling terrain, carrying some 50 kg on his back amounted to Rs ten. The duty per horse load levied on entry into Kashmir was a whopping Rs. 87.5, only the first of several imposts by which successive governments milked the industry; other lesser duties along the way amounted to Rs. 8.

This was the background to the Dogra conquest of Ladakh (1834-1842). There seems little doubt that the aim of Raja Gulab Singh, in planning the invasion of Ladakh in the summer of 1834, was to lay hands on  the wealth represented by the trade in Pashm, Ladakhs only product of any value. But the trade was contrary to his expectations. The trade between Ladakh and Tibet was based on traditional relations which could hardly fail to be disturbed by the conquest of power alien in culture and religion.

For years later, the Treaty of Amritsar put Gulab Singh in possession of Kashmir in addition to his existing territories of Jammu and Ladakh, thud fulfilling his ambition of enriching himself with the profits of Pashm trade and the shawl industry.

The monetary prices for the period approximately 1925-1960 , vary between Re. 1 to Rs 30 per kg of Pashm( the wide variation being accounted for inflation over the period, and partly difference in quality). Toosh prices varying between Rs. 30 per kg in 1930s  and Rs.400 by 1960.

The trader often made deals in advance, with an arrangement to exchange a certain amount of wheat or barley for wool or Pashm in a year’s time; and Leh area merchants had sufficient resources to be able to supply goods against the promise of a certain amount of Pashm to be delivered the following year. Business worth lakhs of rupees was done on the basis of trust, with nothing written. Agreements were ratified by a small ceremony in which each party held one end of a twig and they broke it between them. For the Changpa as well as for the Ladakhi, it was a matter of self respect and the maintenance of a man’s business reputation to honor the commitment so made.

With the improvement of Leh –Srinagar road after 1870, and bridges built, it was in actual horse loads that the Pashm reached Kashmir, until the road was further upgraded in 1960s to make it fit for wheeled and motorized traffic. The trade in its ancient form staggered to an end in the 1950s as a result of China’s hold on Tibet; and after the complete closure of the border between Tibet and India in 1962, the Srinagar shawl industry had to depend upon Pashm produced in Ladakh.

In the 1960s when the connections with Tibet came to an end, the whole pattern of trade underwent radical change. Though wool continued to be an item of trade, Pashm emerged as an important product of commercial importance. For this and other reasons, the  traditional barter system more or less collapsed. The Changpa became increasingly integrated into a market system, where they needed money to survive and purchase eatables like rice, sugar oil etc. After the border with Tibet closed, the Leh merchants travelled to Ladakhi Changthang . A few Himachali traders also travelled to  Changthang. They could not compete with the high prices of Pashm offered by big merchants of Leh. The Himachali concentrated on wool instead.

The increased demand for Ladakhi Pashm , after supplies from Tibet were cutoff led to rise of its pr ice. Whereas highest price in Tibet quoted for the period before  1962 was 30 rupees per kg.  , by 1970 the price of local Pashm had risen to Rs 300 per kg . The amount of Pashm a Changpa family has for sale varies widely. Families with large flocks of about 300 goats may have as much as hundred kilograms, while others may have as little as ten 10 kilograms.

Spring is a lean period for the Changpa. Private traders are ready to advance them the money free of interest. These deals cannot be changed later in  the year even if the agreed price varies. Some Changpa say that the trader uses it to exploit them. The traders on the other hand say that if there is substantial increase in price then the Changpa do not honor the agreement. “In the old days they would keep their word but that does not work these days so well, the world has changed”. Pashm prices were Rs. 1200-1500 per Kg. during 2008. Once price has been agreed, the Pashm is packed and loaded into trucks for the journey to Leh, where the traders sell it to Kashmiris who come from Srinagar for the purpose. Just as Ladakhi trader pay Changpa , they too are paid by Kashmiris in installments- receiving half of their money on delivery of goods and the rest a few months later. In Srinagar there is no organized market for Pashm. The traders store the raw Pashm in their sheds and the shawl manufacturers approach them for their requirements. Pashm has always gone to Kashmir in raw form. Ladakhi have a grievance that all the value addition is done in Kashmir, which thus reaps almost the whole benefit from this lucrative business.