Soods, the backbone of Shimla”s economy

Soods, the backbone of Shimla”s economy

bksood chief editor

If I go by the ‘Glossary of Tribes and Castes of the Punjab’ published in 1883, then ‘the Suds are almost wholly mercantile in their pursuits though occasionally taking service as clerks. The tribe is apparently an ancient one, but no definite information as to its origin is available. Folk etymology says that a rishi Surat espoused the daughter of a Chhatri Raja and founded the caste, but the others say it means Sut or Cartman.’ Surinder Sood got published ‘Our Origin’ for Sood Sabha, Chandigarh, in which he states that the British used the spellings Sud for Sood.

A monograph ‘Origin and History of Soods’ handed over to me by Kapil Dev Sood, an advocate of Shimla, reads that according to Amarkosh, the word Sood breaks up into Su+Ut+A, and it means ‘in prosperity’. In other words, ‘Sood means a very noble person who can progress and prosper easily.’

Was their entry to and existence in Shimla easy? To answer this question, I have taken recourse to ‘Entrepreneurs of British Shimla – The Sud, Sarkar and Shimla’ (See photo), an informative book by a Canadian-Indian Hari Sud. By 1830, the British families settled in Shimla wanted stores and supplies for their living. During that period, Sood traders were trading in grains and money-lending in territories along the the Beas. A majority of Soods then resided in Jaswan state.

When these Soods learned that in a newly settling village of Shimla, there is need of traders who could supply ration to British settlers, they grabbed the opportunity. Sabathu, now in Solan district, was then the hub of all activities as the political agent, Major Kennedy, sat there. Their first meeting with Kennedy at Sabathu ended in a fiasco as the parties failed to settle the prices of the groceries.

Mounting pressure on Kennedy forced him to invite the Soods again when the parties arrived at a solution. Hari Sud writes, “By the spring of 1832, the Soods were all set to run first mule-cum-camel train to carry grain and other supplies from ‘Anaaj Mandi’ at Hoshiarpur to Shimla via Nadaun and Bilaspur.”

The credit for this venture goes to four young men of Girlie/ Pragpur – Surdha, Nidha, Jalla and Nihala. Surdha and Nidha started for Shimla to settle on The Ridge where there was an Upper Bazaar, assuming that this site would be their place of business. That was the year 1832 when there were 30 British cottages, a couple of guesthouses and a few shops in Shimla.

Jalla and Nihala went to Kullu side to locate a caravan herder having 30 to 40 mules ready to negotiate the difficult terrain of the hills from Hoshiarpur to Shimla. Both pairs achieved what they wanted to achieve. The journey of supplies from Hoshiarpur to Shimla was not an easy task. Keeping looters and pilferage-rogues at bay, they reached Nadaun in two days. Here they rested for a day and then had to walk for three days to reach Bilaspur to rest for another day. They reached Arki in another two days and then yet another day to touch Boileuganj. A day’s rest here and then the supplies reached The Ridge. This became their routine. But 50 years hence, many Soods had joined them and the Soods not only settled in Shimla but also found their moorings along the Hindustan-Tibet road.

The number of Sood businessmen in Shimla increased to 100 in 1864 and to 400 in 1881. The speed with which Sood enterprises increased in the beginning was checked with the inflow of refugees from West Punjab after independence, who, in business, pushed the Soods to the background, nevertheless their number is quite high even today.

By 1861, age had started telling on four partners who had passed through the rough and toil of starting the business here. They desired to call it a day and hand over the business to their wards. Surdha and others left for their home turf. Nidha Mall instituted the first establishment ‘Lala Nidha Mall Puran Mall’ at Edward Ganj where exists an aarhat (commission agency) today (See photo). The Soods are a vibrant community of the present day Shimla. Highly professionals, they are the backbone of the economy and culture of the town.

Some say Sood is derivative of Shudh which means pure

Shriniwas Joshi

Posted: Jan 18, 2016 12:33 AM Updated: 5 years ago in tribune

Shriniwas Josh