Bhishti – The Water Carriers
New Delhi
"The uniform 'e wore
Vas nothin' much before,
An' rather less than 'ad o' that bind,
For a piece of' tasty rang
An' a goatskin water-bag
Was all the field-equipment 'e could find,
With 'is mussick on 'is back,
'E would skip with our attack,
An' watch us till the bugles made C Retire.
An' for all 'is dirty ide'
E was white, clear white, inside
Vhen 'e went to tend the wounded under fire."
- Rudyard Kipling
Barrack Room
The Bhishti's are a traditional community of Water Carriers who supply water in leather-skin bags called as Mashaqs. They are the Muslim tribes found in North India, Pakistan and Terai region of Nepal.
"Street sprinkler", A studio photograph, c. 1900.
Providing water without physical contact: A photograph of a Bhishti, c. 1900.
Anthropologists Russel and Hiralal (1916), maintain that the origin of the word bhisti came from the Persian word meaning - paradise and has been given to them on account of the relief which their assistance provided to the thirsty soldiers. They are also known as Mashki or Pakhali, after their leather water-bag, a distinctive part of the Bhishti.
Source: Columbia University digital archive
As Narrated by Mr. Sohail Hashmi-
"During my childhood days, Bhishtis used to come in with their mass and made sound with two steel bowl in their hand, they used to announce from which well they are getting water. There used to be a huge demand for water from specific wells at that time."
Their leather water bag called as Pakhlior, Mashki or Mashaq. These bags are a distinctive feature of a Bhisti and made out of goat skin with capacity of 25-30 liters of water.
Water boy in India, Early photographs, probably c. 1910.
