To protect himself from the attack of Sher Shah Suri at the battle of Chausa, Humayun, son of Mughal emperor Babur, jumped into a river that was flowing with a strong current. When Humayun’s life was at the last gasp by the strong current, a bhisti (water carrier) saved his life. Humayun promised him that if he ever could sit on the throne of Delhi, he would give that bhisti whatever gift he asked for. Later, when Humayun became the emperor, the bhisti asked for him the emperor’s throne. King Humayun put his crown on the head of bhisti and sat him on his throne. Then, the bhisti embraced the emperor and returned his crown and throne. The name of that bhisti was "Bhistiwala Nizam".
In the nineteenth century, there was a severe shortage of drinking water in Dhaka city. Like other regions of India, people in Dhaka city also had to rely on canals, rivers, or wells for drinking water. The same procedure was followed in Kolkata city too. So, the city dwellers had to travel far and wide for safe water. Usually, the citizens of Dhaka had to rely on the Shitalakshya and Buriganga rivers for safe water. Even the wells in the city had a scarcity of drinking water. Therefore, financially independent people would collect their water with the help of a special professional class of people. They used to hang a bag made of goat skin on their shoulders. With this bag, they used to supply water by going from house to house in exchange for money. They were called ‘Bhisti’ or ‘Sukka’. Shouting ‘Bhisti will come’ out loud, they would bring water to every house.
Once, not only Dhaka but also the streets of Kolkata and Delhi were reverberated with the loud call of ‘Bhisti will come’ by bhistis. With the rotation of time, we can no longer hear that loud call. That profession and the people associated with it have been lost in the womb of time. History is giving testimony that in the middle of the twentieth decade of the last century, there was the coming and going of bhistis on the streets of Dhaka.
According to various sources, ‘bhisti’ means a leather bag used for carrying water. This word has come from the Persian word ‘behesta,’ which means heaven. Husayn ibn Ali (R), the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (S), ascended to heaven after being wounded by an arrow while carrying water during the war at the field of Karbala. It is believed to have been named after that incident. Those who used to supply water with a black leather pillow-like ‘mashaq’ are called bhisti, which means water carrier. Many people also called them bhistiwala.
Once, there was no system to supply water through pipelines in cities. Then, city dwellers had to depend on water carriers. They used to fill a kind of bag made of goat skin with water and deliver it from one end of the city to another. This specially made bag was called a ‘mashaq’. Water in the mashaq of water careers would remain cold. We already know that the word ‘bhisti’ is derived from the Persian word ‘behesta,’ which means heaven. According to the culture of West Asia, heaven is thought to have many rivers, canals, and gardens. There was a time when people used to believe that water carriers would bring water from heaven. They were also called angels of heaven because they would deliver the water of heaven to people.
In earlier days, water carriers would use mashaq to store water during war. During the British colonial rule, they used to supply water at the forts with mashaq. A mashaq filled with water used to be kept in Dhaka’s Tomtom car (a horse-pulled chariot). The relationship between water careers and Kolkata is very old. With mashaq on their shoulders, they used to roam the streets of the metropolis in the early morning. The water supplied by them was used for cooking and bathing. Till 1940–50, they were also used for washing some roads in Kolkata. Kolkata and Dhaka had separate villages for water carriers.
However, the situation has changed now. With the help of a motor pump, the corporation’s water is reaching houses in Kolkata. In keeping pace with time, water carriers are also choosing other professions.
Water carriers are famous in history as ‘The Last Waterman’. They were called ‘Saqqa’ in the Persian language. Their habitation was in Sikkatuli in old Dhaka. We do not find it hard to understand that Sikkatuli has come from the word ‘Sikka’. These professionals were also in Delhi. There is also a Sakke Wali Gali. Traces of water carriers with a snub nose, kisti tupi (one kind of cap) on the head, and a massive black beard covering the whole cheek and chin are also found in literature.
Water carriers had a significant influence in old Dhaka. They used to live in a separate panchayat (a village council) system. The chief of panchayat used to be called ‘Nawab Bhisti’. While reminiscing about water carriers, Ametul K. Bagum, daughter of the landlord of Jindabahar Chowdhury Bari, wrote: “In the morning, a water carrier would come with a mashaq filled with water hanging on the shoulder... What a loud voice the water carrier had! Opening the cap of the mashaq, they used to hold it down and pour water into the pitcher. Water used to be kept in those very big pitchers and large earthen pots too. Their bags were made of leather. Those bags were originally made of goat skin.”
From the book titled ‘Company Amale Dhaka’ (কোম্পানী আমলে ঢাকা), we come to know that the Magistrate of Dhaka, Henry Walter, in his 1830 census, ‘Census of the City of Dhaka,' made an occupation-based list of the Muslims, where there is mention of 10 houses occupied by water carriers. Water carriers were the followers of Sunni. Despite being Sunni, during the Muharram procession at that time, water carriers would distribute water among the waiting and sun-exhausted visitors on both sides of the road. Azim Bakhsh, the director of Dhaka Center, while reminiscing about the memory of water carriers, said, “Every day, in the morning and afternoon, they used to water the roads with large water-filled leather bags on their backs so that dust did not fly. They used to hang a mashaq made of goat skin on their shoulders. With this mashaq, they used to supply water by going door to door in exchange for money. Their activities continued until the 1960s. Then it disappeared.’
Later, in 1874, paying attention to the lack of safe water for the residents of Dhaka, Nawab Khwaja Abdul Ghani made a donation of BDT 200,000 for the establishment of water workers at Chadnighat. In 1878, due to his generosity, the modern facility of water supply at houses was established in Dhaka municipality. Later, when Dhaka WASA was established in 1963, the concern of the city dwellers about safe water was removed. With this, the professional lives of water careers practically came to a halt. The appeal of water carriers started decreasing. They were also forced to get themselves involved in other professions, but water carriers are still seen in Kolkata.
Dhaka has changed a lot, but in modern Dhaka, there are now modern water carriers. They supply water to houses through pipelines. Now, there is no use for water carriers, but there is still the work of water supply. People in Sadarghat, Islampur and Patuatuli call water suppliers ‘Bharwala,’ which means load bearer. They carry the water-filled tin jars across their shoulders on a bamboo pole. There is a small mill next to Bulbul Academy of Fine Arts (BAFA) in Waizeghat. From here, the load bearers take water and supply it to shops in Sadarghat, Islampur and Patuatuli.
Water bearers get the price of water depending on the size of the container. They also supply water on a monthly contract basis. In a water mill at Hemendra Das Road in Sutrapur, it was seen that pitchers were kept in a row, but there was no one around. After inquiry, it was found that water comes to the supply pipe after 12 p.m. At that time, pitchers are filled one by one. Pitcher-bearers do the work of delivering them. There are pot-bearers in the markets of the city. Their work is to supply water to fish and vegetable vendors in the market. People in this profession supply water by loading tin containers. The price per tin jar of water is BDT 5.
Meanwhile, some water carriers still regularly supply water to a few households and shops in central Kolkata. About 40 water carriers in Kolkata have still kept their family profession alive. Most of them live in the Katihar district of Bihar. They live in a rented house in central Kolkata. At least ten people adjust in each room. Some people still buy water from water carriers like Mohammad Zariful and Mohammad Rezaul. Their water also goes to hotels. In the morning and afternoon, they fill the mashaq with water from taps and tube wells of the municipal and supply them ignoring storms, rain and sun heat. Each mashaq contains nearly 30 liters of water. Each water carrier delivers water twice a day to approximately 30 houses, combining Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road, Vrindavan Das Lane, Marquis Street, Elliot Road, and the houses and shops of Marquis Street. For this, each family spends about Rs. 400 per month.
In Bengali literature, we can find evidence of the existence of bhistis in the works of Rabindranath Tagore, Sukumar Ray, Shamsur Rahman and Humayun Ahmed.
There is a mention of them in ‘Smritir Shohor’ written by Shamsur Rahman. Shamsur Rahman, while recalling his childhood memories, has portrayed bhistis this way: “Every day, filling mashaq, they would supply water to our house twice. On their backs, they would carry mashaq, which were swollen like the belly of a black buffalo. Then, opening the cap of the mashaq, he would pour the water into the clay- or brass-made pitcher. I still remember his snub nose, kisti cap (one kind of cap) on the head, massive beard covering the whole cheek and chin and a wet towel wrapped around his waist."
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