Metric System in Jammu Kashmir: Miles to Go!

By B. Revti

There still seems to be such a consistent compulsion by the people of Jammu and Kashmir to take recourse to weighing and measuring standards of pre 1958 that it refuses to go away from the popular imagination. The terms used are Pau, Seer Mann, Chattang, Tola, Marla, Kanal  etc. This applies to increasing as well as decreasing scales also. The elders still use this in their daily business based conversations among themselves. These terms are so much ingrained in their subconscious that it refuses to go away to yield accommodation for new system of weighing and measurement introduced by Government of India way back  in  October, 1958.

With very limited avenues for publicity of its policy and Programmes and announcements of any changes it intended to bring for information of public, the Government of India had to rely heavily on the national as well as vernacular press, besides publishing relevant and appropriate posters designed by artists.

One such content and publicity material meant for Jammu and Kashmir and Urdu speaking areas found mention in an old document brought out by DAVP (exclusively preserved with www.Kashmir Rechords.com ) is displayed in the blog. Thus we see the recent history getting folded out in a very interesting way.

The advantages of switching over to Metric system are also enumerated exhaustively in this poster material with tag lines like “ Switching to Metric System is Easy….”It will not only improve trading but National Integration also” etc. etc.

For the esteemed readers of our blog it may be mentioned that it became legally binding to implement Metric System in many industries and provinces of India with effect from 1958. However, the change would be admittedly gradual which explains why the old system has held many a men and women captive to this day.

History of Measurement

The history of measurement of weight implements employed in trade and business in India shows such a consistent regard for detail and observance of scrupulousness and creation of standards one cannot but stand in awe of their farsightedness and sense of quality control which they observed in day to day transactions.

With a thriving civilization that goes as far back as more than fifth millennium B.C, the standardization of weights and measures for commodity trade are said to have been decided by trade guilds, consumers and governments and all stakeholders in the most scientific manner. Mughals introduced their own changes of “Ghaz” and “Bhiga” which are still used…. So are `marla’ and `kanal’, After that East India Company brought out the change to some degree till the adoption of Metric system of weights and measures by Government of India in December 1956 with the Standards of Weights and Measures Act which took effect on October 1, 1958.

Old Habits Die Hard

Despite  adopting the Metric System of weights and measures, discarding Seer and Mann to measure mass, Gaz and Kos to measure distance; Anna or Chavani to count currency, some old habits die hard, as all these words have already become part of our lexicon.

While we have discarded feet for horizontal distances, restricting it to telling an individual’s physical height, when it comes to describing an area, square feet remains as popular as square meter .  We are more comfortable in purchasing a thing in an old system of `Pau’ rather than asking for the same in 250 grams. The thumb rule of addressing the weight of   gold or silver is still preferred `Tola’ over 10 grams, the fact that very few know that one Tola of gold is   approximately 11.7 grams!

Literature and Old Measurement System

Literature remains wedded to the past. “Miles to go before I sleep” will never be “kilometers to go before I sleep”. Pal Mein Tola, Pal Mein Masha or Na Nav Mann Tel Hoga  Na Radha Nache Gi are a few to  mention  here  about the usage of ancient weight measurement introduced in India and South Asia around 1833….. But we continue to use them, at least in our vocabulary and phraseology.

Have we changed a `Rati Bhar’ all these years?