They started lending money to the poor Sri Lankans at a high rate of interest. The Afghans lacked education, but they knew the art of persuasion. The Sri Lankan natives borrowed money and returned the money at double/triple rate to the Afghans.
by Tanmaya Das
Sri Lanka is a great exponent of cultural diversity, but many living in the country aren’t aware of a minority group called the ‘Ceylonese Afghans’ whose history in the Island can be traced back to the early 15th century. During the British Colonial Era, many Afghans were brought to Ceylon to work as horse-keepers and labourers, and their descendants took to money-lending and rose to become an affluent community in twentieth century Ceylon. By 1970s, almost all Afghans had left the Island and there are only a handful of Afghan descendants living in Sri Lanka today. To learn more about this obscure minority in Sri Lanka, whose history is largely unknown, I met up with the foremost expert on this topic, Dr. Tuan M. Zameer Careem Khan, a Medical doctor and historian, whose paternal great-grandfather, Carim Gunney Baay Khan, a Pashtun (Afghan) coachman, came to Ceylon in the late nineteenth century, and eventually settled, following his marriage to a lady of mixed Ceylonese Malay and Indian descent. Over the past few years, Dr Careem has written extensively on the Afghan community in Sri Lanka, and his efforts to raise awareness about his people have been recognised and supported by His Excellency, M. Ashraf Haidari, Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to Sri Lanka.
How did
Afghans land up in Sri Lanka?
Under the British rule, many immigrants
from Afghanistan, the North Western Frontier Province and Balochistan
(present-day, Pakistan) came to Sri Lanka to work as horse keepers and
labourers. In Ceylon, they used the term ‘horse-keepers’ to identify grooms.
The tall and muscular Afghans were put to work as labourers, some were involved
in the construction of railway lines, and others worked as porters at the
Railway stations. Their hefty look also qualified them to be employed as
watchmen at the plantations and in private homes. Their origins in the country, however, can be
traced back to the 15th century. In the words of Dr Zameer-Careem,
“The advent of Afghans in Ceylon can be traced back to the early 15th
century, when a schooner carrying Afghan (Pathan) merchants, was washed ashore
by a storm in Batticaloa. According
to the narrative, ‘Mattakkalappu Maanmiyam’ (Glory of Batticaloa), these
valorous Afghans helped the Mukkuvar tribesmen redeem the villages of Eravur
& Akkaraipattu, from the clutches of the Thimilars and
coastal Veddhas. They also helped resolve the age-old feud between the Mukkuvars
and other local tribes and many settled permanently in Sri Lanka, by marrying
local women”. The descendants of these
Pathans who settled in Batticaloa, are now part of the Batticaloa Moor (Muslim)
community, who have, for over many centuries followed the matri-clan ‘kudi’
system in Sri Lanka. Dr Careem (2020) writes, “In 1762, an English envoy named John Pybus
accompanied by two Pathan (Afghan) emissaries from the court of the Nawab of
Arcot (Carnatic), visited Ceylon and met King
Kirti Sri Rajasinghe in Kandy, where
they remained for about forty days, living in Rammolle Adigar’s manor on
Nagahavidiya”. The second wave of Afghans or Bhais as they
were popularly called, came to Ceylon during the early years of British rule.
When I asked Dr Careem, why the Afghans in Sri Lanka were called Bhais, he
replied saying, “Most Afghans back then bore the title Khan, which was a
popular surname among the highly influential Parsis. Hence, the British forbade
the Afghans from using ‘Khan’;, therefore most Afghans used ‘Bhai’, meaning
brother as their surname. But it should be noted however that the term ‘Bhai’
was also popular among other Indian minority groups, like the Bohras, Memons
and Khojas, who rose to prominence in the twentieth century”. Many Sri Lankan
authors, like Weerasooriya (1973), have used the term, ‘Bhai’ to identify the
Afghans, a community that went from rags to riches, thanks to money-lending.
Rise of
Afghan people during the British Colonial Era
They started lending money to the poor
Sri Lankans at a high rate of interest. The Afghans lacked education, but they
knew the art of persuasion. The Sri Lankan natives borrowed money and returned
the money at double/triple rate to the Afghans. Although the Europeans operated
banks during the colonial period, the banks provided loans only to richer
people. Since the natives of Sri Lanka couldn’t approach the European-run
Banks, they were mostly dependent on the Afghani people for their loans. The
borrowing of money from Afghani people made Sri Lankans poorer. Many Ceylonese
borrowed money from Pathans and couldn’t repay them. Since Pathans could save a
large chunk of their salaries, they started lending money in huge amounts to
Sri Lankan natives. At the same time, the poor Sri Lankans returned the money
at a higher rate of interest. These business tricks made the Afghans (who
worked as horse keepers) richer within a couple of years and eventually, they
stopped working under Britishers and money-lending became their full time
profession. The stories circulated that many Pathans waited for their debtors
outside their workplaces on their paydays. The Pathans captured the houses of
the poor debtors who couldn’t pay them back. They were also known to beat their
debtors with sticks, and were have been described by Sri Lankan and British
authors as an ‘aggressive. Money-craving tribe that preyed on innocent Sri
Lankans’. When asked about this, Dr Careem replied, saying; “The Afghans
weren’t infallible, they were rapacious money-lenders who subsisted on unconscionable usury,
and yes, they always
carried with them a truncheon, to clout their swindling debtors. In fact, In
1927, Lady Jean Lachore, donated a sum of 300 Pounds and established the Lady
Lochore Loan Fund, to provide debt relief to those hassled by the Afghans. The
Chetties, Moors, Jews and the Parsis were also engaged in money-lending, but no
other community was subjected to such criticism and hatred as the Afghans, who
were shunned, hounded and despised by the majority of Ceylonese, as evinced by
authors like Cowell (1933), Menon (1981), De Souza (1919), Feinberg (2005)
Schrader (1994) Tambiah (1908). In Ceylon, the Afghans suffered under the same
hostility which the Jews experienced in other countries where the locals were
improvident”. Dr Careem went on to add that, “Afghans in Ceylon were tough, and
were known for their pugnacious attitude, yet they also had a friendly side to
them. India’s first foreign secretary, K.P.S. Menon, during his time as the
Agent of the Government of India in Ceylon, befriended an Afghan named Kabir
Bhai, who became a close ally to his family. Menon, in his autobiography
(1981), speaks fondly of his friendship with Kabir Bhai, who was both his
confidante and Pashto teacher. Likewise, a painting by German artist,
C.W. Allers (1899), depicts an Afghan moneylender playing ‘Dhaam’ with a local
on the roadside, thus proving that not all Afghans were tyrants”.
Cultural
Identity of Afghans
Sri Lankans identified Pathans, (Afghans)
for their distinct clothing. The use of ‘Partug’ made them unique. The term,
'Partug', referred to the Pashtun Clothing, trousers with several pleats and an
embroidered waistcoat. They also used to wear patterned boots with a turban on
their heads. They carried a long stick and spoke Pashto, Dari, Sinhalese, Tamil
and Sri Lankan Malay. The Afghans played sports like wrestling, goat pulling
and many more. They used the ‘Jirga System’ (assembly) to resolve their
disputes. “Afghans were also known for their religious fervour. The Hanafi Red
Mosque on Castle Street Kandy was built upon the funds provided by the Afghans
and Indian Moors. They also had a mosque on Shorts Road, Colombo. Most Afghans
were Sunni Muslims, and some were Sufi mystics. Most of them believed in
sainthood (wali). During
Eid festivals and Nowruz the Afghans gathered together on
Galle-face esplanade for their worship” said Dr Zameer-Careem, who
shared some of the pictures of the old mosques and explained to me its rich
history. He also spoke of the ‘Ceylon Pathan Association’ which had its branches
in Colombo and Kandy.
End of
Colonial Period
After the
independence of Sri Lanka, the country introduced the Citizenship Act and
Repatriation Bill in 1948 and 1949. Hence, most Afghans and their descendants
were deported to India and Pakistan. Henceforth, many Afghans started moving
out of Ceylon. To get Sri Lankan citizenship, the Afghans were supposed to
prove that they were either third generation Immigrants if not had to prove
their Lankan birth. As most Afghans didn’t have the necessary documents, they
were repatriated. Because many had
married local women, the birth certificates of their children usually
recognised them as part of the wife’s family. For instance, if an Afghan got
married to a Malay lady, the birth certificate of children had Malay as
ethnicity, and the birth certificate never disclosed the identity of their
Afghan father. Some of the Afghans adopted the wives surnames. When enquired
about this, Dr Careem replied, saying “Yes it is true. My paternal grandfather,
Alal (1902-1973) deliberately concealed his Afghan roots, and in the 1920s he
changed his ethnic identity on the birth certificate to ‘Ceylon Malay’. He
dropped ‘Bhai (Khan)’ and adopted ‘Careem’ as our surname. So did many others
in his family. This was done, to ensure a better future for their descendants.
Nevertheless, we haven’t forgotten our roots; we still love our Kabuli
Palao, kebabs, mantus, yoghurt, almonds, dried fruits, nuts, Bonjan,
Masteh etc and our Pashto mores have survived to this day. Just like our
Afghan brethren, we too believe in sainthood and Sufism. Despite
the checkered history, I am very proud of my Afghan, Indian and Malay roots,
but I am through and through Sri Lankan”.
The
relation between Afghanistan and Sri Lanka
After the
comedown of Taliban rulers, Afghanistan became free, democratic and peaceful.
The people of Afghanistan, believing in the ideas of democracy, regained their
forces to improve international relations amongst other people. During this
period, many countries supported Afghanistan and shook their hands to improve
foreign policies. Afghanistan also promoted co-operative policies that help to
win many countries and signed various deals and pacts with neighbouring
countries. Both the countries signed
many agreements and MOUs that involved the promises to improve the bilateral
connections such as, trade, science and technology, economy and so on. The
President of Afghanistan, Mohammad Ashraf Ghani was the first leader sending
best wishes to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa for his electoral victory in Sri
Lanka. The Afghan Ambassador, H.E. Ashraf Haidari, is playing an important role
in strengthening and deepening the ties between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, and
over the past few months, many trade and educational agreements have been
signed between the two countries, which have since ancient times maintained
strong ties.
Special
thanks go out to Dr Tuan M. Zameer Careem, MD, MPhil Candidate at the
University of Colombo, for sharing information on his vibrant community. For
more details on this community please read his articles and his recent book
titled “Afghans of Sri Lanka: An Untold Story”.
The Writer Tanmaya Das, is a proud Bengalee, who holds a Masters Degree in Philosophy, and did her internship at Times of India and Lokus Application.
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