Forced Labour by Landlords: Jharlangi.

There are various forms of forced labour to which the ryots are subjected. About twenty years ago, a notification was said to have been issued by the state, based on international conventions, announcing the application of forced labour. This notification was never explained to the ryots and the practice was never stopped, far less abolished. It is carried on to this day. The notification was a mere pretence of having carried out an unavoidable obligation but was clearly never meant to be observed. Forced labour with minimum and often without any compensation is usually exacted by the landlords when cultivating their extensive and mostly ill gotten private fields and when harvesting their crops. So far the ryots have grudgingly submitted to this kind of exactions througggh fear of punishment. But such exactions have of late become manifold on account of the ever increasing farming and gardening interests of the landlords, which allow the ruots scarcely any time to attend to their own affairs. Most of the influential landlords, who hold important posts in the administration, live live at Gangtok. Their estates may be two or three days’ journey away. From there the ryots have to come all the way to Gangtok and serve their landlords in turn, in arious menial capacities. The ryots get no wage or compensations for such service and they are lucky if they escape from cruelties. The exaction of this kind of service at all times often accompanied by cruelties is peculiar to the Kazi Landlords.