Quddus, a
Government Silk Farm and the Italian Silk Expert
Around the
beginning of the 20th century and into the years of the First World
War, major steps were being taken towards direct government involvement in
sericultural development in Mysore. In 1904 a Canadian scientist, Dr Leslie
Coleman, had been appointed Government Entomologist and Mycologist for Mysore.
Starting as a lone officer with a limited brief, he established himself and in
1911 became the first Director of Agriculture under the Economic Conference of
Mysore, with responsibility for sericulture[1].
Abdul Quddus claims in his evidence given to the ITB enquiry (1935: 501) that
his family in 1905-07 had 'induced Mills like the Sassoon and Alliance Silk
Mill of Bombay to use Mysore silk and silk waste for weaving in place of
Japanese stuff', also that ‘measures to prevent and cure diseases affecting
cocoons’ were ‘concerted with the co-operation of well-known firms, like Hashim
Arif Brothers & Co. of Bengal Silk Mills Co. in Calcutta'. The Administration
Report for 1907 comments: 'It is interesting to note that a co-operative credit
society has been formed in the Mysore District with the object of starting
power-reeling, dyeing and other operations connected with the silk industry to
deal with the raw produce now largely exported from the State'. There was a
'Steam Silk Factory' operating at Closepet [subsequently Ramanagaram], as well
as the Tata filature in Bangalore employing 30 people. By 1912/3 the latter was
employing 84 people. This was the time at which Alfred Chatterton, another
luminary of Mysore life, arrived from Madras to take charge of a Department of
Industries and Trade which would be responsible for silk reeling and other
processing in that presidency’s industry.
As a future
centre for the development of sericulture itself, the basis that had been laid
by the Mustan family in Channapatna and their current representative, F.M.
Abdul Quddus, proved decisive. A plaque in the 1990s
still witnessed that Shahukar Mahamad Hyder Sahib and his son, Abdul Quddus had
by 1915 given 'the premises and some structures' – in fact land and an old
house – to the Mysore Government for the establishment of a Central Silk Farm
at Channapatna. Quddus was to add more land in 1918 and 1930 (ITB 1935: 501), using the old
house given for the purpose by the firm. A little paradoxically, this was to be
the base for Washington Mari, ‘Italian Silk Expert’, whose appointment Quddus
had opposed.
Mari had arrived
to take up his position at the end of 1913, and his involvement represents a
further episode in a somewhat tense relationship between Italian sericultural
experts and the British in India. According to Maxwell-Lefroy, it was out of a
concern to develop reeling that Chatterton contacted the Italian Consul-General
at Bombay, Dr Gorio. He was connected with an Italian firm spinning silk waste
and exporting spun silk to India. His advice was to forget about developing reeling
as a cottage industry, to concentrate on producing cocoons and improving their
quality. These might then be exported to Italy. He suggested the appointment of
the Italian expert. Mari himself, as Maxwell-Lefroy writes in his clearly
partisan telling of the story, was interested in the production of silkworm
seed in Italy where he was part-owner of a grainage, for export to India. His
activities in India were, Lefroy hints, a response to his own and his country’s
interests more generally (Maxwell-Lefroy 1917: 32). What the record shows,
however, is that Mari had considerable success in the short time that he stayed
(see Department of Agriculture Report, 1939). He arranged to import eleven
white European silkworm races and one yellow Chinese,[2]
to be maintained on the farm at Channapatna; he prepared a successful hybrid of
Mysore and these foreign races; he inspected operations in the field and
experimented with disease-free rearing of all the varieties of eggs around,
making a beginning in manufacturing and issuing Pasteur’s ‘cellular seed'. He
also started the farm at Channapatna, where seven Sericultural Inspectors were
employed and trained, as well as other potential staff.[3]
Demonstration rearing houses in which Italian methods were shown were
established: a model rearing house was to be opened at Karohatti, or Kerehatti,
a small village 3 kms south of T. Narasipur town, described as 'the seat of
sericulture' in the Taluk Handbook of c. 1917. There were four other
experimental farms. One at Chikballapur was moved to Kolar and a new one
established at Hassan as part of a policy already in place to extend
sericulture into new areas. From Kadur District, reports were favourable but
from the two areas further north, Shimoga and Chitradurga, they were not (Admin Report 1914/5, quoted by
Maxwell-Lefroy 1917:34).
Mari also developed
a hot-air chamber for drying – ‘stiffling’ – cocoons, perhaps for supplying to
Italy. Separately however, experiments towards improved reeling methods were
set up by the Department of Industry and Commerce, this with a view to producing
raw silk at home in India rather than sending cocoons abroad. The machinery for
a second filature to be established at Channapatna was constructed in the
Industrial School that had been started there. This, however, was hardly open
before it had closed again, in 1914/15 when it was said to be already suffering
owing the wartime disruption of demand in the industry.
Abdul Quddus and the Mysore Silk Association
If the
employment of Mari, though not his location at Channapatna, was something of a defeat
for Quddus, he had compensation soon in the shape of the establishment of a
Mysore Silk Association. This was not yet the associations in each village
which he envisaged as a major force for development, but it was a start. On 2nd
April 1914 there was a grand inauguration held in front of the Office of the
Silk Expert in Channapatna. Sirdar Sir M. Kantaraj Urs, C.S.I.[4],
a member of the Maharaja's Council and destined to succeed the renowned Sir M. Visveshwarayya,
the current Dewan of Mysore, was in the chair. Quddus was the President of the
new association and he made the opening speech. It was on this occasion that he
claimed that Dewan Purnaiah had chosen his ancestor, Peer Mohammad Sahib, to
develop the industry and went on to review major events and problems since that
time. He even acknowledged the help of a 'brother silk-man’, M.C. Srikanaiah,
the representative in Mysore of Messrs B.G. Gorio and Company, of Bombay and
Milan, the company with which the Consul-General who had recommended Mari was
associated. And in relation to Mari himself, Quddus was, as befitted the
occasion, generous. Despite the abnormal heat of the year – and they were then
in the hot season – Mari had already successfully reared two crops (Quddus
1923: 89-96). He then responded, apparently briefly. He mentioned that he had a
younger brother, Benito, who was a barrister, but who was engaged with their
own Silk Farm and had been deputed by the Goverment to China to find out new
races.
Kantaraj Urs
then spoke. He referred to the income from the industry as estimated at not
less than a crore of rupees per year, i.e. 10 million, but noted that the
industry was limited at present to parts of Bangalore, Tumkur, Kolar and Mysore
districts. Export of cocoons was widespread, 'even to Benares': a few years before,
a well-known French firm had established a filature on the borders of Mysore and
had also exported cocoons to Bengal. The export of silk waste was a big
business too. However, the industry was, he agreed with the Government of
India, 'slowly but surely declining’. It was ‘said that from 30 to 45 per cent
of each crop is being lost'. The Government in the last three or four years had
adopted special measures. They had trained Inspectors ‘to explain improved
methods to the ryots and are publishing from time to time valuable literature
both in English and Kannada language'. They had employed 'an Italian Expert of
great fame who is organising his Central Farm'. His first aim is to establish
seed depots and distribute disease-free eggs to the ryots.' The Director of
Industries and Commerce has opened a filature in Channapatna, and that place
was promising ' to become a great educational and experimental centre in
sericulture'. As to the Association, he congratulated Abdul Quddus on
organising it. 'The great dangers you should bear in mind and guard against are
such as internal factions, petty jealousies, sectarian bias and lethargic
habits'. It was to have a grant from Government matching the money they could
raise by private subscription, up to a limit of Rs 500 per year, and the
Government was to approve the programme of work and expenditure in advance. A
report was to be submitted by July 31st each year, and there was a stern
warning: 'the grant will be liable to be cancelled if sufficient work has not,
in their opinion, been done.' (Quddus 1923: 98-106)
The
Association, or perhaps mainly Adbul Quddus, was busy. In March 1915 the
filature which had been constructed in Channapatna was handed over to the
Association to manage for two years. Previous arrangements to run it had not
worked out and many of the basins were out of action. By May the filature was
able to reopen, with eleven basins operative; six more were still under repair.
Of the eleven, eight were to be worked commercially, three used for training
new reelers. The Association employed a manager, a clerk and two 'servants'.
The latter were to supply water to the boiler and basins and to turn the reels.
The reelers themselves were on monthly wages. A government subsidy of Rs 60 per
month was provided but it was found insufficient. There was a problem also in
getting the silk it produced noticed by potential buyers. This would it was
hoped, be solved by supplying it to the Government Weaving Factory in Mysore. Loss
of silk and the value of what was being produced needed to be dealt with too.
This would require the training of new workers but would mean additional costs.
Abdul Quddus made up for the shortfall on the government subsidy out of his own
pocket, but could not go on doing so. By the time he had to close the filature
at the end of 1916 – with the permission
of the Government he notes – and the return of machinery to them, he was Rs
3,000 out of pocket. (Quddus 1923: 107-10).
He commented
sadly, 'in spite of all my best efforts I was not able to keep alive the
Association longer than the year 1917, owing to the want of response from the
capitalists and ryots engaged in sericulture' (Quddus 1923: 106).
[1]
This is the same year in which legal regulation of sericulture was adopted by
the Government of Japan. Maxwell-Lefroy (1917: 206)
[2] These are described
elsewhere as '12 Italian races' (Vengopalan Nair, 1982: 899)
[3] Maxwell-Lefroy
states that at least one person who had been for training in Japan was employed
by the State (1917: 33), but this may have been a confusion with K.T. Achaya,
employed by Madras, who had been sent to Japan and Kashmir about 1910 (ITB
1935a: 214).
[4] Companion of the
Star of India. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._Kantaraj_Urs
for his close connection with the Mysore Royal Family and his long Civil
Service career, ending as Dewan of Mysore, 1918-22.
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