The Complete Short Stories

by Premchand

  He had been working for five years and was now posted in Mathura. Thakur Ajit Singh’s house was attacked by dacoits. The police suspected his tenants. Tenants from several villages were questioned. Their testimonies were recorded, and a case was prepared. The poor, accused peasants were innocent. The ruler of the district was obliged to the thakur. Two or three times a year he feasted thanks to the thakur, he hunted on his lands and went around in his car and phaeton. He was angry at the boldness of the tenants. He scolded them and turned them out. The situation worsened. The whole area was in turmoil. The case was heard in Hari Bilas’s court. The sahib bahadur called Hari Bilas to his bungalow and urged him to dispense justice with due expedience. Hari Bilas followed the proceedings with full attention. It turned out that the testimonies were fabricated. The thakur’s misdeed was unveiled. The accused were acquitted.

  The collector did not like this verdict. He sent a report and Hari Bilas was transferred. He had received the same reward for backing lower caste people at another time as well. He had been posted in Lucknow at the time. Schools in rural areas there did not admit boys from lower castes. In part this was due to the reluctance of the teachers, but mostly it was due to opposition from students’ parents. When Hari Bilas toured the district he heard a number of complaints. He reprimanded the teachers and fined some persons. When the zamindars of his subdivision saw this state of affairs they were infuriated. Anonymous petitions full of false allegations began to reach the officials. The tehsildars further fuelled the rage of the landowners. All of them already found it an outrage to see a Kurmi having achieved such a post. Some teachers handed in their resignations. Hari Bilas’s reputation was sullied. The district collector realized that it was not opportune to keep him there and had him transferred as well as demoted.

  Despite all these failures no government servant in the entire province was as honest and dutiful as Hari Bilas. The noble words of the royal proclamations stating that the governance of the state was based on respect for the law and the upkeep of justice were deeply engraved in his mind. The disregard of his immediate superiors did not compromise his dedication. He saw it as a sign of the blessing of the age that a person like him could occupy such a post which would never have been possible before. The powerless and destitute had never had so much support. Never had the principle of equality been heeded like this. And when had education ever been promoted as much? These were the thoughts which motivated Hari Bilas to prove his loyalty in every possible way during the war in Europe, for which he was honoured with the title of ‘Rai Bahadur’.

  3

  It was Christmas time. Rai Hari Bilas was talking to his eldest son Shiv Bilas, who was studying at Lahore Medical College and had come home for his holidays. In the meantime two or three zamindars also arrived and started to talk about hunting.

  One khan sahib said, ‘Huzoor, there are a lot of wild ducks these days. This is a good time for hunting.’

  The other thakur said, ‘Whenever Your Honour says so, we will organize labourers and get two or three small boats.’

  Shiv Bilas asked ‘Do you still get labourers for free?’

  The khan replied, ‘Yes, with some beating and shoving we get them, and even if we wouldn’t, it would be enough for the officials to give an order. But yes, we cannot be sure about the future.’

  The thakur added, ‘Since some of them have been recruited for Basra their mindset has changed. They don’t listen to us any more. This war has ruined us.’

  Shiv Bilas remarked, ‘Well, you people offer them very little pay.’

  The thakur replied, ‘Your Honour, previously we used to pay two paise for a whole day, now we give four.’

  ‘That’s great, you pay four paise for their labour and expect them to be your slaves. In the towns labourers don’t get less than eight paise per day.’

  The khan answered, ‘You are right, Your Honour, four paise is not enough to fill a man’s mouth, but the tenants have become so used to force and coercion that even if we would give them eight rupees they would not give in without force. Forced labour is a bad word. But tell us, the schools and colleges were closed, have they reopened? One hears that the people want to break up the government courts to establish people’s courts, and to this end they are collecting millions in donations.’

  Hari Bilas knew how Shiv Bilas would answer. He was well aware of his political views. Both often discussed these matters, but he didn’t want to express his thoughts in front of these zamindars. Therefore, he did not give Shiv Bilas a chance to speak. Instead he said, ‘I think this is madness. The people believe that, if nothing else, in this way they will bring down the government. With this in mind they are forming panchayats, Congress committees and national schools, but they forget that the running of a state is always based on law and justice, and as long as the authorities do not deviate from these principles it will be impossible for the state to collapse. Our government has always held up justice as its objective. Every individual and every community has the freedom of speech and action as long as this does not harm anybody. This adherence to justice is the strongest basis for power, and nobody can dare to say that the government has in the slightest manner ever deviated from the path of justice.’

  At this moment the postman came and placed a stack of mail in front of the deputy collector. He had the habit of opening official letters immediately. Today there was only one official envelope. When opened it revealed a government circular bound by a red ribbon. He began to read it with full attention.

  4

  It was after midnight, but Hari Bilas was still turning from side to side in his bed. A lamp was illuminating the table before him. Again and again he looked at the letter with the red ribbon and was lost in thought. The red ribbon appeared to him as soaked in the blood of honesty and justice, like the bloodshot eyes of a murderer or a blazing flame that was leaping at him to swallow his conscience and his sense of justice. Until this moment he had understood his task to be to dispense justice, but now it seemed that he had been mistaken. His work was not to uphold justice but to kill it. He was supposed to keep an eye on those villagers who were reading newspapers, to warn those who seemed inclined to side with the peasants, and those who told them openly or subtly to stop giving rations and forced labour, to interrogate the sadhus and ascetics who went around giving moral instruction to the people, to note in his diary all those whom he saw instigating the people to use spinning wheels and the loom and who were seen wearing coarse clothes and khadi; to regard all those as rebels who helped in establishing national schools, who participated in national associations, and even those pure souls who risked their lives saving people from epidemics and typhoid by distributing free medicine here and there; and without delay to put under pressure everybody who fought against the use of drugs and alcohol. In short, he was to become an enemy to the friends of the people and the servants of the nation.

  Once again he glanced at the red ribbon which looked like a fire serpent creeping here and there with every blow of the fan. What was he to do now? He was a government servant—not to instil in people the fear of the government, but to serve the people. What option did he have other than refusing to become a tool of government pressure when the conflict between the interests of the nation and of the government was so great? His government employment was temporary, but his link with the nation was permanent.

  So should he kill his conscience for the sake of his personal interests? Others devoted themselves fully to the service of the nation and endured all kinds of suffering in return. He held himself as a better nationalist than them. He believed that one honest government servant could do more for the people than ten devoted nationalists. But what could be more degrading than remaining loyal to the government when government service meant to act against the nation and the country? No, no, he would not do this.

  But how would he maintain his livelihood? He did not have enough money to sustain himself for four months even. His children who had been brought up in e
very comfort would now fall to destitution. His family which was used to a lifestyle of grandeur would have to face poverty. The family property had been sold for his education, otherwise he could have returned to tilling the soil. What a simple life that was! One ate the bread earned by one’s sweat and slept peacefully. Education had made him accustomed to extravagance and turned him into a slave of pomp and vanity. He had grown used to unnecessary things. The yearning for sophistication had ruined him. Now the thought of a simple life was enough to make his heart sink.

  What a pity! So many wishes he had nourished, so many castles in the sky he had built. He had intended to send Shiv Bilas to England. Sant Bilas had decided to become a lawyer. Hari Bilas was already dreaming of a magistrate’s post. All right, leave the boys aside, they would somehow or the other go on with their lives. But what about the girls? He had thought of marrying them off into high-ranking families regardless of the expenses. All these wishes would end up buried in his heart. If he went searching for employment he would not find a salary like the present anywhere, and his access to the upper classes would also become difficult. A person who had resigned from government service was not welcomed anywhere. If anybody employed him out of kindness, he would be obliged to suffer all his whims, which he had never done before. He would be totally dependent on that person. How could he endure such a disgrace? He prayed to God to release him from this dilemma and not to let him strangle justice with his own hands.

  5

  One week had passed since the letter with the red ribbon had arrived. Hari Bilas had not yet decided what to do. He remained depressed all the time, rarely attended the court sessions and, when he appeared at all, he postponed the hearings and left forthwith. To his children also, he talked very little. In conversation he was highly irritable. He had told his wife about his difficulties, but she did not approve of his idea of resigning, and he hesitated to mention the matter to his sons because he was afraid of breaking their hearts. He no longer believed in the noble intentions of the government. This employment no longer appeared to him as an option. Every moment of it was a heavy burden on him. He did not know any vocation or trade on which he could fall back. Even the simplest trading transactions, by which thousands of barely literate people made a living, were a closed book to him. He found himself unfit for any employment other than government service. This inability further aggravated his torment. He was torn between personal interest and duty. His situation was pitiable indeed.

  On the eighth day he got news that a new panchayat for a ban on drugs and alcohol was to be held in a village nearby. There would be moral instruction, the chanting of religious hymns and a debate on the question of penalties for drug users. He admitted that drug abuse was ruinous for the country and especially for the lower classes and, therefore, any attempt to stop it should be welcomed. Several years ago he had served as commissioner in the drugs department. At that time he had looked at the problem from an official angle, regarding the campaign against drugs as equivalent to pushing drug abuse and drug trafficking underground and the well-meaning efforts of enlightened reformers as mainly based on opposition to the government, but time and experience had considerably changed his perspective. According to the letter with the red ribbon it was his duty to observe the activities of the panchayat and to prevent anybody from putting pressure or enforcing abstinence on others. Such an action appeared thoroughly unacceptable to him. He was sitting tormented by the inner struggle between his duty as a human being and his official duty when the local sub-inspector of police arrived with some armed guards for his support. Seeing him Hari Bilas became furious. He addressed him in an imperious tone: ‘What are you doing here?’

  The sub-inspector replied, ‘Your Honour must have received the announcement of the panchayat. It is feared that there will be a riot. We have come to accompany Your Honour.’

  ‘I don’t see any danger. Yes, there will be a riot when you interfere without any reason.’

  The sub-inspector looked at him with utter confusion and said, ‘I will remain at Your Honour’s side.’

  ‘There is no need for you to accompany me.’

  ‘I have the written order of the Superintendent of Police to assist Your Honour.’

  ‘You go back home and spend some days seeking redress for your sins. You have looked after law and order long enough. It is wonderful how you ended robbery and theft. For a long time you have been strangling the poor. Devote the last days of your life to the remembrance of God. It is possible that on the way to His court your burden will lose some weight.’

  The sub-inspector was dumbfounded when he heard this crazy speech. He thought this man must be drunk today, or perhaps he had received such a blow that he was out of his senses. He bid goodbye and left.

  These words expressed Hari Bilas’s inner turmoil as well as his final decision, as though this was the declaration of his resolve. While the policeman bade him farewell Hari Bilas began to formulate his resignation.

  ‘My dear sir, it is my firm conviction that the government order is the outward expression of Divine Will and its laws are based on mercy, right and justice. I served the government for fifteen years in which I honestly fulfilled my duties. It is possible that the authorities were not always happy with me because I never felt obliged to obey personal orders. Whenever I saw a conflict between my understanding of the law and the command of an official I followed the law. I always thought government service to be the best way of serving my country, but the orders issued in a letter _____ dated ____ run counter to my conscience and my principles. To my mind they are so unjust that I cannot bring myself to implement them. These orders interfere with the rightful freedom of the subjects and are meant to prevent their political awakening.

  ‘In view of these facts it would mean acting against my country and my nation if I remained in government service.

  ‘Along with other rights the subjects also have the right to political action; and since the government is bent on curtailing this right, I as an Indian can no longer offer my services and, therefore, request to be relieved from office without further delay.’

  6

  When his friends heard the news of Hari Bilas’s resignation they began to admonish him but he remained firm in his resolve. Even then people hoped that the government would not grant his application so soon, but the approval arrived by cable the very next day. Hari Bilas was very happy. He went to his office in the best of moods early in the morning and handed over charge with a smile on his face. But when evening came his cheerfulness waned and all kinds of worries began to surround him. He owed hundreds of rupees to the cloth merchant. Some wages of the servants were outstanding. For six months he had not paid the rent for the house. The confectioner and the milkman also had to get some money. Thinking of these creditors his heart began to sink. He had grown so used to his monthly salary, it had become such a natural procedure for him to receive a fixed amount on a fixed day that now he found it very hard to settle accounts in the middle of the month, particularly when he already felt short of money. There was no choice but to take money out from the bank to settle the accounts. Earlier, he used to give some extra amount, according to his means, but today, past and present obligations added up to such a sum as if a heap of dirt had turned up below a clean carpet. He had never noticed before how deep in debt he was. His bank account was reduced menacingly. He made up his mind to have some furniture and other household items auctioned off. Now he would not need them anyway. The public auction started the next day and things began to disappear one by one. Hari Bilas was sitting on the veranda with a heavy heart watching the devastation of his household. Many things had been with him for a very long time. To see them go away now was very hard, but the worst came when his horse and his phaeton were auctioned. He could not bear to watch this scene. When he entered the house his eyes were wet with tears. Sumitra tried to comfort him, ‘You should not take it to heart so much. There is no need to be sad. You should rather be happy that you are relieved
from work which went against your dharma. Now nobody can force you to coerce others. This is not the only way to earn a living. When God has created us He will also provide our food. If you had tyrannized your own brothers then would this sin not have fallen back on your own offspring? God intended for you to do some good, only then did this idea enter your mind.’

  Hari Bilas was somewhat pacified by these words. At first Sumitra had not approved of his resignation, but the desire to see her husband’s inner turmoil come to an end had compelled her to submit to his decision.

  Hari Bilas looked at Sumitra admiringly and said, ‘Do you know how much hardship we will have to endure?’

  She replied, ‘So what? For his dharma a person can endure all hardships and not even care about his life. Finally we will also have to face God. If He asked you why you have killed your atma for the sake of worldly comfort then what would you answer?’

  Hari Bilas said, ‘What shall I say? I don’t possess such a pure belief. Materialistic education has turned me into a slave of selfishness and greed. I don’t believe in God any more. Although I resigned for these very reasons, I don’t feel this living faith in me; I have become an unbeliever. I still don’t have any idea of how we will live in the future. Had Shiv Bilas continued his studies for one more year he would have supported himself. Sant Bilas will need our assistance for three more years at least, and poor Sri Bilas is still far behind. Now the three of them are left with nothing. I don’t know what they will think.’

  Sumitra said, ‘If God has given them any understanding, they will no longer regard you as their dear father but as a deity!’

  It was night. Shiv Bilas and his younger brothers were discussing these very matters.