Socio-economic conditions: Salaries, rents and prices of common consumption items in those days were extremely low and it is very difficult to comprehend, as to how the system worked at that time. By and large, the whole country was very undeveloped. Industrial production was extremely limited and the country looked to imports, even for some of the most common items of consumption. The population of the country at that time was about thirty three crores, of which only one percent could be counted as affluent. There was widespread illiteracy and ignorance and the productive potential and purchasing power of the people was extremely low. However, the people were generally simple, straight-forward and friendly. The egos and ambitions were on the back burner and there was an environment of all types of racial and religious cooperation and harmony. It seems that the people had got used to living and working cheerfully and with a feeling of satisfaction in all types of diversity. Children played marbles, gulli-danda and rounder in the streets. Elders participated enthusiastically in gulli-danda and kite flying on festive occasions, without any social, economic or political inhibitions. Bagichis (orchards) located on the outskirts of the walled city were common meeting places for friends and relations on weekends and during festivals and holidays. Akhara ( wrestling pit ) was a special feature of most of the bagichis. People used to water the wrestling pit and took turns to dig and turn the soil of the akhara before entering it for exercises. There were a number of temples and other scenic places within ten to fifteen kilometers of the walled city. People used to go there for rest, relaxation and picnics during festivals and other special days. Teej Mela had a special place in the lives of the people of Bundi. Teej procession passed through the main street of the walled city with great pomp and show. Life rolled on and everybody seemed to be taking things in his stride. Under this context, a fleeting glance at normal economic conditions of that time may be very interesting:
Currency: There used to be a British coin and a local coin. Both were rupee coins and both were minted from pure silver. Normally, the British coin enjoyed a 25% premium over the local Bundi coin. The British coin was machine-made and was known as Kaldar. It weighed exactly one tola of silver. Bundi coin was locally minted and was known as Hali or current coin. Bundi coins did not have uniform shape or size. Different coins had different weights, but had the same face value in the market. 16 annas made a rupee and 4 paisa made an anna. Thereby, there were 64 paisas to a rupee. Only Bundi coins were in circulation in the local market. Then there were dhelas and cowries (conch shlls) also. Two paisas made a dhela and 20 cowries made one paisa.
Gold and silver: Gold was a store of value and the women invested heavily in gold in the form of ornaments. The price of gold at that time was Rs 30 per tola. One tola wighed aapproximately 12.2 grams. Silver ornaments were commonly used by local people. The price of silver was rupee one per tola.
Salaries: The salary of household servants and attendants was about Rs 5 to Rs 10 per month. The salaries of clerical staff was of the order of Rs 25 to Rs 30 per month. People in subordinate services got about Rs 60 per month. The officers could get anything between Rs 100 to Rs 1000 per month depending on their rank and responsibilities in the office. There were very few officers who were entitled to more than Rs 1000 per month and such officers were mostly British officers. Salaries of local people were paid in Bundi coins, whereas the salaries of officers recruited from outside the state were paid in British coins in accordance with their contracts.
Other Services: The washerman was being paid Rs 2 per month. Normally no clothes were washed at home. The washerman used to collect the clothes after every two to three days and washed them on one of the banks of the local tank. Clothes were generally steamed in big pots on furnaces (Bhatti) and thereafter, washed, dried, pressed and delivered at home. Some of the clothes used to be starched. It is difficult to imagine, how all this could be managed in a paltry sum. Since, there was no piped watersupply, drawing water from the well or baori and supplying it to the households was also a common part-time service. The remuneration depended on the number of pots of water supplied everyday, but was generally very low. Similarly, sweepers or scavengers rendered part-time services at a very paltry remuneration.
Food grains and dairy products were generally very cheap. Wheat was sold at 16 seers to a rupee, gram at 18 seers to a rupee and other coarse grains at 20 seers to a rupee. Milk could be taken at 16 seers to a rupee and ghee at one seer to a rupee. Seer was the standard unit of weight in India at that time. Seer weighed slightly less than a Kilogram. Seasonal fruits and vegetables were sold by hawkers from door to door. Fruits were generally sold by dozens, hundreds or in lots.
Market: Food grain market was located in the square (chaughan) outside the walled city. Retail shops of cloth and almost all types of consumer goods were located on the main street in the walled city. There were no manufacturing units in the town and therefore most of the items in retail were procured from outside the state. Fine cloth, cycles, pen, pencil, crockery, cutlery and a large number of retail items used to be imported from Britain.
Communications and Media: There was only one post office in the city located on the main street. Post office was the only place in the town, which was available to the common man for communication with people outside the state, through telephone or telegraph. The clock at the post office was utilised by the people for checking time and setting their watches or clocks. Telephones were not available in common households or public places. There were no local newspapers. Some people used to get newspapers from outside the state by post. Radio sets had not found a place in the life of the common man. Electronic gadgets like mobile phones, television, internet etc had not seen the light of the day.
Entertainment: There was no cinema hall in the state. However, travelling circus and cinemas pitched their tents outside the city, once or twice a year utilizing the open ground in the chowgan, outside the walled city. It may be interesting to note that charges for one show used to be one anna for sitting on the ground, two annas for sitting on benches, three annas for sitting on chairs and four annas for sitting on easy chairs or muddhas. Most of the people took their carpets with them and watched the show from the ground. Festivals, fairs and picnics were the main sources of entertainment and diversions for the common man. Chattris of deities on the hills and religious places scattered all over the state were crowd pullers. All types of shops, swings and modest shows and rubbing shoulders with known and unknown people provided all the incentive for participation in these events and in the process, the common people were able to get much needed change and relaxation.
In retrospect: The life of the common man during that period was simple, slow-paced and uneventful. People seemed to be happy and satisfied and time continued to roll on. Most of the people depended for subsistence on agriculture, horticulture, cattle rearing and a host of low-end service jobs. In spite of lack of growth and development in the state and almost stagnant economy, people were able to manage things on their own and picked up sufficient opportunities for fruitful work, to secure essential bread and butter for the family. Generally, there was a healthy smile on the faces of the people, which found a reflection in the enthusiasm, energy and dedication in their day to day movements. It is a triumph of the spirit of man and the basic intelligence, talents and grit of the people of those days and their unseen dreams and urges, that, inspite of all the disabilities, lack of facilities and constraints, they found ways and means to move to distant places in the country and in some cases outside the country, in the pursuit of work and studies. In course of time, they rose from the heap and were able to contribute to the development of their state, their region, their country and in some cases, in the development of some of the most developed countries of the world.