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Living Conditions in a small town during 1940s: Jhalu, my house
One can not imagine the living conditions in a small town like my own town, Jhalu. Here, I would like to share with you my impressions as how we lived in a small house during 1940s. The basic amenities were not there and we were so many people living as joint family in that house. After living in urban areas and big cities and now living with all modern , perhaps the best facilities in USA and Canada, it is simply not imaginable about those poor conditions. A few years back, I took my children and grand children to my town to given an idea as how we lived in that house.
I come from a small town, kind of a rural setting . About my village , I have written somewhere else in detail. https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/7434278182063497637/2213017834987711381
I come from a small town, kind of a rural setting . About my village , I have written somewhere else in detail. https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/7434278182063497637/2213017834987711381
My house like other houses in the neighborhood was a small house, and my family lived independently in that house without sharing any one. All of us, my brothers, sisters ( seven of us ) , my parents and my grandparents lived in that house.
The house had two medium size rooms, two small rooms ( kothries ) on the ground floor ; two rooms and a common toilet on the first floor . The toilet was open toilet without any door or roof. It has to be cleaned every day morning by Mehtrani /janitor . It was highly unhygienic , can not be imagined now that worms could be seen all over in the toilet space with naked eyes. foul smell from the toilet all around and the flies would be hovering all over.
No bathroom , either you go to the well side or fetch the water from the well and take bath on a small raised platform (chabootri ). Normally gents and boys used to take bath outside on well side and ladies and girls in side on chabbootri. A very small kitchen just for cooking the food and keeping a few utensils.. Our roofs were not cemented, only made with clay which used to leak during rainy season and lot of clay used to be washed away to be replenished every year before rains. Our room floors were also not cemented . They were also made of clay , used to be maintained by cow dung paste with special clay occasionally. Even our court yard was also the same; you can imagine the condition during raining season.. No proper ventilation as rooms were made wall to wall and houses in the neighborhood were made wall to wall. I wonder as where we used to store our personal things and school books etc..Not enough space for every one..But one could imagine as so many people were using this small housing facility ( may be up to 500 sq, ft in all ) for toilet, shower, and sleeping and all other activities There was no electricity or gas facilities during those days, storing materials for cooking was also limited. For lights in the night , we used to have either oil lamp (Diya) or Kerosene
oil lantern. No chairs or tables or any other kind of furniture in the house; used to have various size of ordinary home made cots with locally made spreads and covers etc.The best part of the house was the chabbotra outside the house in between the kitchen and the well where all of used to sit in the evenings during summer days. Myself and my grandfather used to sleep there during summer.
But I think that we managed all this with no complaints what so ever.In fact life was simple and going..Our needs were limited and we were contended whatever we had. It was not the condition only of our house or our living, all other families in the town were living with the same conditions. Perhaps many other families in the worst conditions than ours.I wonder as how the guests and visitors were also accommodated in that limited accommodation?
During late 1950s and early 1960s, my father renovated the whole house with brick flooring all over; changing the walls in the first floor with big size windows etc. Electric connection was also taken with moderate electrification of the house with light bulbs and a fan in one room. The look of the house changed to be more beautiful and comfortable.
I love my house where I lived for most of my childhood and visited till my parents lived there. It is now gone, sold now to several hands. In fact, nothing is there, the shops, the other houses of other family members; our land, our gardens etc. all gone, nothing remains there to say that this is my village or this is my house. Well, nothing is permanent.
The house had two medium size rooms, two small rooms ( kothries ) on the ground floor ; two rooms and a common toilet on the first floor . The toilet was open toilet without any door or roof. It has to be cleaned every day morning by Mehtrani /janitor . It was highly unhygienic , can not be imagined now that worms could be seen all over in the toilet space with naked eyes. foul smell from the toilet all around and the flies would be hovering all over.
No bathroom , either you go to the well side or fetch the water from the well and take bath on a small raised platform (chabootri ). Normally gents and boys used to take bath outside on well side and ladies and girls in side on chabbootri. A very small kitchen just for cooking the food and keeping a few utensils.. Our roofs were not cemented, only made with clay which used to leak during rainy season and lot of clay used to be washed away to be replenished every year before rains. Our room floors were also not cemented . They were also made of clay , used to be maintained by cow dung paste with special clay occasionally. Even our court yard was also the same; you can imagine the condition during raining season.. No proper ventilation as rooms were made wall to wall and houses in the neighborhood were made wall to wall. I wonder as where we used to store our personal things and school books etc..Not enough space for every one..But one could imagine as so many people were using this small housing facility ( may be up to 500 sq, ft in all ) for toilet, shower, and sleeping and all other activities There was no electricity or gas facilities during those days, storing materials for cooking was also limited. For lights in the night , we used to have either oil lamp (Diya) or Kerosene
oil lantern. No chairs or tables or any other kind of furniture in the house; used to have various size of ordinary home made cots with locally made spreads and covers etc.The best part of the house was the chabbotra outside the house in between the kitchen and the well where all of used to sit in the evenings during summer days. Myself and my grandfather used to sleep there during summer.
But I think that we managed all this with no complaints what so ever.In fact life was simple and going..Our needs were limited and we were contended whatever we had. It was not the condition only of our house or our living, all other families in the town were living with the same conditions. Perhaps many other families in the worst conditions than ours.I wonder as how the guests and visitors were also accommodated in that limited accommodation?
During late 1950s and early 1960s, my father renovated the whole house with brick flooring all over; changing the walls in the first floor with big size windows etc. Electric connection was also taken with moderate electrification of the house with light bulbs and a fan in one room. The look of the house changed to be more beautiful and comfortable.
I love my house where I lived for most of my childhood and visited till my parents lived there. It is now gone, sold now to several hands. In fact, nothing is there, the shops, the other houses of other family members; our land, our gardens etc. all gone, nothing remains there to say that this is my village or this is my house. Well, nothing is permanent.
you may ask some questions like as the toilets were cleaned on daily basis? How the guests were accomodated on special occasions llike weddings etc? How the religious rituals like SatyaNarain Katha, Sharadh , community feedings etc.were organised ? Where people used to sit without any kind of furniture?
I forgot to mention a few points;
ReplyDeleteregular visitors; various birds including sparrows, crows, dogs, monkeys were regular visitors to our house, mostly looking for their food; crows some times, used to snatch food from the children; monkeys used to take away our cloths and used to tease us by showing the cloths and ready to torn them expecting food from us. Normally we used to give them some food and they used release our cloths , otherwise they will tear the cloths. Cats were occasional visitors. Snakes will appear once in a while. However, it was interesting for to watch these regular visitors.
Living with us were rats, flies, mosquito, bed bugs , lizards and sparrows. Sparrows used to make their nests in the corners of the ceilings of balcony of our courtyard.. I liked the sparrows living in the house, especially their sweet chirping sound through out the day.
Farmers, vegetable sellers, washer man, barbers, beggars, and other service providers , neighbours and our family members from the adjacent houses were also regular visitors for help and several other things. I especially liked the gifts of fresh vegetables, fruits, sugarcane, sugarcane juice etc and may other farm products.brought by our farmers and patients of my father. I especially like the sugarcane juice out of which used to make kheer.
My mother and grandmother used to be quite busy almost the whole day making breakfast, lunch and dinner etc. for the family.