When oil lanterns dispelled darkness

DURING my childhood days in the 1950s, the majority of the villages in Punjab had no electricity supply. Kerosene or mustard oil lamps were commonly used. Mud houses had an aala (alcove) at the entrance and in the rooms for keeping the lamp. In the village gurdwara, mustard oil was used to light a large clay lamp on a wooden stand.

At night, someone in the family would carry a hurricane lantern from one place to another to find their way in the dark. At times, the lantern was hung from a hook in the middle of the door frame for covering a wider area under light. Most of the household chores were usually completed during the daytime. My mother used to prepare food for the night in the late-afternoon hours. It was also a prevalent practice to have dinner before sunset.

The hurricane lanterns were cleaned daily in the evening. My grandfather — a British Indian Army veteran — was a strict disciplinarian who wanted timely cleaning of lantern chimneys and refilling of kerosene in lamps. A depot in the village issued kerosene oil on the basis of the ration card.

As schoolgoing children, we would finish our homework before the evening. However, in the higher classes, studying at night was a must to cope with the syllabus. My parents purchased a large kerosene lamp with a raised base and bigger chimney glass. We cousins would sit around this lamp that emitted better light and study till late-night hours. We were literally burning the midnight oil.

The inauguration of the Bhakra Dam in October 1963 spurred electricity generation. It was a great boon for farmers, industries and households. Dedicating the dam to the nation, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru aptly described it as the “New Temple of Resurgent India”. By the mid-1970s, all villages of Punjab were receiving power supply, making it one of the first states in the country to achieve 100 per cent rural electrification.

Initially, some villagers were reluctant to get an electricity connection, fearing electric shocks. However, electricity gradually became an integral part of every household. The practice of keeping hurricane lamps on standby continued for many years until inverters and domestic generators arrived.

Later, while serving in the CRPF, I was posted in remote areas of northeastern states where there was no electricity supply. We used hurricane lanterns and petromaxes, besides handheld battery torches. I could readily adjust to the familiar light from a hurricane lamp, which rekindled fond memories.