Festival of volunteers: Reaping what your neighbour sowed

A holistic way of harvesting on volunteer basis, Hashar tradition slowly dying out.

ABBOTABAD:

When 20 to 70 highly skilled and energetic Hasharis (volunteers) of different age groups compete in the activity of cutting crops amidst the sound of different instruments played by local musicians, the energy is electric.

Hashar, a Hindko word, denotes voluntary agricultural activity in which the whole community comes together to help out a fellow farmer. It is a centuries’ old tradition of the Hazara division in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P). Since Hazara is an agriculture-based (agrarian) society, the Hashar is called especially in remote hilly areas where farmers still cannot single-handedly harvest and gather agriculture produce, with no specialised machines to help them.

When the time is ripe, the Hasharis are called for harvesting and hoeing of wheat and maize. But sarahd (grass cutting season) is when the festivities begin. Sarahd season starts in the last week of August and ends by the start of October every year when natural grass is ready for cutting. Some land owners deem it better to burn the grass. But this results in loss of wildlife, trees and forests, and is discouraged legally.

The areas which are more famous for calling Hashar are in parts of Abbottabad, Haripur and Mansehra districts, among other areas.

Women are better than men

The role of women in Hazara’s agrarian society cannot be discounted from the agricultural activity. These women help their men from clearing the field off crop residues to plowing, sowing and hoeing, and from harvesting to preservation of output.

In almost all rural areas of Hazara where the tradition of Hashar is still intact, rural women are also Hasharis. They go in groups of 20 to 50 women and harvest the crops and cut grass. These women help men from their own tribe or village by making gaddis (bundles). They also play a pivotal role in preserving the harvest. They make gharas (huge piles of grass and stems of maize) which are used as fodder for their cattle heads during the winter season.

“Women do more laborious work than the male Hashari; a male Hashari usually cuts 10 to 12 gaddis weighing 25 to 30 kg while a woman Hashari would make 15 to 18 gaddis,” said Aslam Khan, a farmer from Darband area of Mansehra. He said women are more productive because of hard work and focus, while the men waste time gossiping, enjoying music and folkdance. They also pretend to be more burdened by their responsibilities of being bread-earners of families and the time they spare for participating in the Hashar is out of their busy schedule, implying that women have nothing to do but household chores and agriculture activity.

Hashar festivities

Although rapid urbanisation and automation has changed the habits of villagers, and the activity of inviting Hasharis is both costly and time consuming, this tradition is still intact.

“We call mirasis (local musicians) to energize Hasharis so that they don’t feel tired,” said Abdul Qayum Tanoli, another farmer from Sherwan area, adding the drum beat helps them keep pace with fellow Hasharis who cut the crop moving forward in a single row called prahndh. Failing to keep pace with fellow volunteers would result in being jeered at, so the Hasharis keep moving on despite physical exhaustion.

If singers are not available, Hasharis good at singing present mahiyas, tappas and folk songs. Another group of volunteers keeps on entertaining the Hasharis with luddi (Hazara’s folkdance). In some areas, the gatka (wooden sword-like stick) players also perform behind the Hasharis, entertaining them and villagers who throng to the venue of Hashar.

The elderly men contribute by guiding the Hasharis and helping them sharpen sickles on the spot.

Since Hashar is voluntary but laborious, hosts serve their Hasharis with traditional food that varies from area to area. The food is nutritious and fresh.

A dying tradition

Hashar is a reciprocal voluntary activity that calls for a host, no matter how affluent he is, to become Hashari the next day, when his relative, neighbour or a fellow villager calls him to participate in his Hashar. But with urbanisation, land owners and farmers of this region are also undergoing behavioral changes, becoming lethargic and depending on paid labour.

Thus, the centuries-old tradition of Hashar is fast changing. Villagers harvesting maize and wheat crops hire Afghan refugees, who offer services on cheap rates and easier conditions. They mostly sell the grass out to fellow farmers or donate it free of cost. Some of them also hire labourers, paying Rs500 per day.

To avoid laborious activities of sowing and harvesting, land owners in several villages have rented out their land, abandoning agricultural activity and opting for business or regular jobs. “You will see these traditions die out soon. The tradition of Hashar requires time and energy; farmers are always exhausted owing to poor eating and working habits,” said Ehjaz Khan, a land owner from Noordi village in Haripur.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 2^nd, 2013.