There are many antiquarian words
of Indian origin, understood even by foreigners. Some such words go defunct due to changed
circumstances. Some others still survive in spite of onslaught of modern
trends, thanks to their uniqueness in Trade and Travel and communication. We
have explained one such antique word ‘Al or Aal’ in our previous Post-315. Another word is Jangal, Jangar or Jangad and
its derivatives.
Jangal Wada ( Jangal Oda)
Have anyone in Tulu Nadu seen
the ‘jangal wada’ in his/her
childhood?
This takes me to my childhood
days: My mother’s younger sister
Mammubai (Note: Mammu is a shortened form of Mammayi, meaning Mother of
Mothers, i.e. Mother Goddess) was a good speaker and story-teller. She is good at telling news and stories in an
interesting way. In rainy days, she has
the news of havoc done by heavy rains and mishaps at ferry points, capsizing
boats and jangal wadas. My childhood
idea is that it is a ‘double boat made one’, not knowing that it is a ‘teppa’
(raft). I had seen such a boat at Kulur
ferry point on Gurupura River (Phalguni) during my school trip to Mangalore
City in 1950-51 (when I was in Sixth Standard).
First leg of journey was on foot from Suratkal to Kulur Ferry Point
(under the care of our Teacher P.C. Vasudeva Rao, classmate of my brother Cpl. M.H.
Sadanand) and the second leg was by bus after crossing the river by boat. The Kulur River over bridge was under construction
then.
‘Jangal Wada’ is a two-boat structure with balanced fitting of a raft
for ferrying heavy materials, sugar cane and field products, goods laden
bullock-carts, cars and motor bikes, logwood, etc. It was commonly seen at
ferry points and river navigation.
Jangal, Jangar, Jangad
It is a classic word used
since time immemorial. A comprehensive
meaning is explained below to give a glimpse of the memories of the Past.
Mercantile Agent: Jangad
means goods taken on approval, held by agent on behalf of owner. There are many case laws in Mumbai (Bombay)
High Court and other courts during Raj Period onwards to decide about fraud and
criminal conspiracy to deceive owners of properties.
Jangad sale is ‘a sale on approval and/or consignment
basis’ (that is taken without definite settlement of purchase).
Military Guard: Jangadiyo (Gujarati) was one who
delivered products into the treasury. The business tradition of ‘Jangad’ is prevalent even today among
diamond merchants/cutters of India. The derivative of ‘Jangadiyo’ is ‘Angadia’,
that is a courier who carries goods from point to point, based on ‘trust’. This is well explained in meaning of Jangad as ‘Entrust Receipt’ in Diamond
Platform in Mumbai.
One of my colleagues is ‘Jangad’. Rajasthan is also famous for
diamond and other jewelry business. The
surname Jangar.>Jangad is common among Marwari’s, which
was based on profession.
‘Entrustment Note’: It
is interesting to note that this traditional trade transaction process known as
‘Jangad’ is traceable to hieroglyphs
(secret, symbolic or picture writing = ರಹಸ್ಯ,
ಸಂಕೇತ ಅಥವಾ ಚಿತ್ರ ಲಿಪಿ) of Indus Scripts.
Throwing light on Indus Script
Corpora & business transactions of Jangad,
Dr. S. Kalyanaraman of Saraswati Center (April 12, 2012), says:
“….This monograph posits a
function served by the seals of Indus Script Corpora that the hieroglyphs used
on such seals were intended to connote ‘entrustment notes’. Jangad
for trade transactions from Melhuhha constituted an improvement in
documentation and control of guild (Corporation) transactions over earlier
system of token, tallies and bullae…” (Note: Bulla, Plural bullae, in
Medieval Latin means ‘sealed document’).
A Jangad Note is an acknowledgement of entrustment, which
is invariably forwarded with ‘goods sent on approval’ or ‘sale or return’ basis
in diamond business, mentioning quantity and value of consignment. Thus the meaning of the term Jangad is well settled in legal system
as aforesaid.
Tally of Products: In
Marathi, Jangad means ‘a tally of
products delivered into warehouse for approval’.
A raft on two boats: The
Tulu Lexicon ( page 1274) gives the meaning of Jangal/Jangāl as: (a) A
wooden plank fixed across the canoe to serve as seat for passengers, (b) Two
canoes joined together with flat planks on them and used for transporting
vehicles across the river, a barge.
In Tamil and Malayalam, it is ‘
Channatam’; in Pali/Prakrit, Sanghaata,
equivalent to ‘Sangatha of Sanskrit,
meaning companion, union, association.
In English, there is a word
‘Joint’ (= combined), might have been fashioned out of ‘jangad’. This word
becomes ‘janti’ in vernaculars. It
could also be guessed that ‘Jangad’ is derived out of or related to ‘Janga/Janghe (Thigh or joint between hip and leg ?),
supporting part of human body. ‘Jang’ also means ‘war’ in Hindi, so ‘Jangada’ is
a warrior.
Hobson-Jobson
The Hobson-Jobson Glossary of colloquial Anglo-Indian Words by
Col. Henry Yule and A.C. Burnell, Ph.D., first published in 1903 and Asian
Edition in 2012, quotes from books, letters
and notes on Travelogues of travelers of 16th to 19th
Centuries. The picture of Jangada/Jangar
emerging from it (page 450) is as under:
1.
The name Jangada (aka Jangai) was given to certain responsible guides in the
Nair country who escorted travelers from one inhabited place to another,
guaranteeing their security with their own lives, like Bhats (= soldiers) of
Gujarat.
C.
1672: “The safest of all journeyings in India are those through the Kingdom of
Nairs and the Samorins, if you travel with Giancadas, the perilous if you go
alone…. (sic)” (quoted from P. Vincenzo,
127; See also Chengathum in Burtons Goa, 198).
2.
Jangar or Jangada is “A raft (a
double platform canoe made by placing a floor of boards across two boats, with
bamboo railings) (Madras Glossary)”
It
is a word of particular interest as being one of the few Dravidian words (but
perhaps ultimately of Skt. Origin), preserved in the remains of classical
antiquity, occurring in the Periplus as our quotation shows. Bluteau does not call
the word an Indian term.
3.
Fleet of jangadas kept in readiness (by
Portuguese and other European traders)
with dry wood, barrels of pitch (= residue of tar) and other combustible stuff,
while entering ports.
Rani Abbakka’s Navy
This reminds us how Rani
Abbakka’s naval fleet under Mogaveeras of Ullal preempted the attempt of
Portuguese from Goa to capture Mangalore
Port by their exemplary valour. They
ventured into sea in dead of night and rained torches of fire (Toote=ತೂಟೆ)on anchored
ships of Portuguese, who ultimately fled the scene of fight.
Today, fleet of small ships or
small fleet is called ‘flotilla’.
Conclusion
Though ‘Jangal’ is rarely seen
or heard in Tulunadu now, it is still known around ferry jetties in Southern
States as ‘Jangad’- in old and new forms - for river transportation of man and material. In
tourism, it plays an important role there. In the North, it is surviving in the
world of diamond business.
- Hosabettu Vishwanath, Pune
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