The patwari who stood out

On the fourth death anniversary of Krishan Kumar Sharma, a retired patwari and resident of Chimbal Har village near Palampur, it is an honour to offer a tribute to his memory and legacy. KK Sharma was an extraordinary man, one who bridged worlds and connected the past to the present in remarkable ways. I knew him as a mentor, teacher and friend. Our friendship dates back to 1990, when I first met him in conjunction with my PhD research on the gravity-flow irrigation systems of Kangra (‘The Kuhls of Kangra: Community-Managed Irrigation in the Western Himalaya’, Permanent Black, 2007).

Sharma’s fluency in Urdu (reading and speaking) and his encyclopaedic knowledge of terms related to land revenue, agriculture and irrigation in Kangra were extraordinary and widely acknowledged within the Revenue Department where he worked. For this reason, he was asked by the tehsildar to aid my research efforts by translating the ‘Riwaj-i-Abpashi’ (Book of Irrigation Customs), written in Urdu and first prepared in 1874. Thus began a marvellous friendship that continues to this day through the ongoing relations between our two families. Sharma’s translation of the ‘Riwaj-i-Abpashi’ was an invaluable contribution to my research on the kuhl irrigation systems of Kangra. His family roots and personal experience in irrigated farming provided a strong foundation on which to rest his knowledge of agriculture and land revenue, which developed further through his decades as a patwari.

His impeccable knowledge of Urdu, combined with a deep understanding of local agricultural practices and fluency in Kangri, enabled him to provide accurate English and Hindi translations of the detailed descriptions, maps and terminology contained in this important archival document.

Sharma straddled multiple worlds. He attended St Paul’s Secondary School in Palampur, where he gained fluency in Urdu as well as English and the canon of British literature. His memories of that time, including of lectures from the principal, Rev G Guiton (1933-1947), stayed with him his whole life.

He also had an impressive command of verses and stories from Hindu texts. This diverse and deep font of knowledge enabled him to recount stories from English literature, recite Urdu couplets and poetry, and expound on the philosophical aspects of Hinduism.

Without his translation work, the historical aspects of my research on the kuhl irrigation systems would have been almost completely absent.

With affection and openness, Sharma welcomed me and my spouse into his family and life. The strong bonds of love that developed in the 1990s have strengthened over the years and now include younger generations of our families, my children and his. In this era of division, where differences often cause discord, Sharma’s legacy of affection and love across differences of language, geography and religions is an inspiration to us all.

On the anniversary of his passing, perhaps this is his greatest legacy — to model a life in which diversity is embraced as a source of knowledge, fulfilment and enrichment.

— The writer is Emeritus Professor, Cal Poly, Humboldt, USA