26. Commercial honesty.
As a trader the Bania formerly had a high standard of commercial probity. Even though he might show little kindliness or honesty in dealing with the poorer class of borrowers, he was respected and absolutely reliable in regard to money. It was not unusual for people to place their money in a rich Bania’s hands without interest, even paying him a small sum for safe-keeping. Bankruptcy was considered disgraceful, and was visited with social penalties little less severe than those enforced for breaches of caste rules. There was a firm belief that a merchant’s condition in the next world depended on the discharge of all claims against him. And the duty of paying ancestral debts was evaded only in the case of helpless or hopeless poverty. Of late, partly owing to the waning power of caste and religious feeling in the matter, and partly to the knowledge of the bankruptcy laws, the standard of commercial honour has greatly fallen. Since the case of bankruptcy is governed and arranged for by law, the trader thinks that so long as he can keep within the law he has done nothing wrong. A banker, when heavily involved, seldom scruples to become a bankrupt and to keep back money enough to enable him to start afresh, even if he does nothing worse. This, however, is probably a transitory phase, and the same thing has happened in England and America at one stage of commercial development. In time it may be expected that the loss of the old religious and caste feeling will be made good by a new standard of commercial honour enforced by public opinion among merchants generally. The Banias are very good to their own caste, and when a man is ruined will have a general subscription and provide funds to enable him to start afresh in a small way. Beggars are very rare in the caste. Rich Mārwāris are extremely generous in their subscriptions to objects of public utility, but it is said that the small Bania is not very charitably inclined, though he doles out handfuls of grain to beggars with fair liberality. But he has a system by which he exacts from those who deal with him a slight percentage on the price received by them for religious purposes. This is called Deodān or a gift to God, and is supposed to go into some public fund for the construction or maintenance of a temple or similar object. In the absence of proper supervision or audit it is to be feared that the Bania inclines to make use of it for his private charity, thus saving himself expense on that score. The system has been investigated by Mr. Napier, Commissioner of Jubbulpore, with a view to the application of these funds to public improvements.
[1] See [para. 19] below.
[2] See commencement of article.
[3] C.P. Census Report (1911), Occupation Chapter, Subsidiary Table I. p. 234.
[4] For examples, the subordinate articles on Agarwāl, Oswāl, Maheshri, Khandelwāl, Lād, Agrahari, Ajudhiabāsi, and Srimāli may be consulted. The census lists contain numerous other territorial names.
[5] Rājasthān, i. pp. 76, 109.
[6] That is Mārwār. But perhaps the term here is used in the wider sense of Rājputāna.
[7] Rājasthān, ii. p. 145.
[8] Punjab Census Report (1881), p. 293.
[9] Supplemental Glossary, p. 110.
[10] Rāsmāla, i. pp. 240, 243.
[11] Rājasthān, ii. p. 360.
[12] Ibid. ii. p. 240.
[13] The Parwārs probably belonged originally to Rājputāna; see subordinate article.
[14] Rājasthān, i. p. 491.
[15] Bombay Gazetteer, Hindus of Gujarāt, p. 80.
[16] The common brass drinking-vessel.
[17] Sir H. H. Risley’s Peoples of India, p. 127, and Appendix I. p. 8.
[18] Punjab Census Report (1881), p. 291.
[19] Nāgpur Settlement Report (1900), para. 54.
[20] Nāgpur Settlement Report (1900), para. 54.