by Premchand
In a moment a man stood before him. Raja Sahib asked, ‘Who’s there?’
‘It’s me, your servant,’ came the answer.
Raja Sahib said, ‘Captain! I was afraid that my enemies had sent someone to make short work of me.’
Captain replied, ‘Your enemies have other plans. The life of the emperor himself is in danger today.’
‘Don’t tell me! How?’
‘Since the day you were captured, anarchy has spread throughout the state. The selfish officials are on a looting spree. Destiny has smiled on the English. They are doing whatever they want. No one can challenge them. In one month, many nobles of the city have been ruined. Raushanuddaulah has effectively become the emperor. Prices are rising. The traders are afraid to bring their goods inside the city. The shopkeepers are forced to pay up arbitrary sums as taxes. The price of grain has shot up so high that in many houses people are starving. The soldiers haven’t yet received their salaries. They have taken to robbing the shopkeepers. Unrest has spread in the whole state. I’ve tried to bring this reality home to the emperor several times, but he always says that he’ll look into it and then forgets about it. Today, many shopkeepers had come with complaints and said that if their problems are not sorted out they’ll leave the city. The sentries dealt with them severely and threatened them, but they did not leave before telling their whole story. Finally, only when the emperor reassured them that their problems would be solved did they leave.’
‘I’m surprised that it had some impact on the emperor.’
‘Come on, there is no impact on him at all. This is just another aspect of his character. In the evening he called his close courtiers and expressed a desire to go around the city in disguise, and instructed them to accompany him in disguise too. He wanted to see how afraid his subjects were. He ordered his courtiers to stay at a distance from him so that no one would recognize who he was. Only Raushanuddaulah and the five English courtiers would be with him.’
‘How did you come to know of it?’
Captain: ‘The Englishmen’s barber is one of my men. I get to know whatever transpires in the court. It’s because of his information that I’ve come here. (The clock in the watchtower strikes ten.) We plan to start at eleven. The throne of Lucknow will be empty by the time the clock strikes twelve.’
Raja Sahib was scared. ‘Have they decided to assassinate him?’
‘No. Their desires will not be fulfilled if the emperor is assassinated. They will walk the emperor through the thoroughfare of the market and take him towards the Gomti. There, a troop of British soldiers will stand in readiness. They will immediately take charge of the emperor and transport him to the residency in a car. There, the Resident will compel the emperor to abdicate. He will be made to sign up the papers right there and then sent to Calcutta immediately.’
‘What a calamity! There’s very little time. His Excellency the emperor must be out by now.’
‘Why are you calling it a calamity? Who was happy under his rule? The government that follows, however bad it may be, will be better than his.’
‘The English will take over?’
‘The English will run a far better government than him.’
Raja Sahib said plaintively, ‘Captain! For God’s sake, don’t utter such words. Why didn’t you tell me all this a little earlier?’
‘But the emperor has not treated you well!’
‘How he has treated me is irrelevant. The value of a state is much more than that of a single individual or a family. Can you release me from my shackles?’
‘In the whole state of Awadh, you won’t find a single person who would bless the emperor from his heart. Everybody is weary of his oppressive regime.’
‘I prefer the oppression of my own people to the slavery of others. The emperor has been reduced to this state because he trusted the strangers. He didn’t care for anyone else because he was sure that the English would help him. I have observed closely the ways of these firangs. They have spoilt the emperor. They have achieved what they desired. The emperor has lost his honour in the eyes of his subjects and he has lost their love. Today, the entire country is up in arms. These people were waiting for such an opportunity. They know that no one will shed tears over the emperor’s dethronement. But let me tell you this, if you do not save the emperor from his enemies now, you will always remain imprisoned in the shackles of slavery in your own country. If you feel that you will achieve peace by expressing allegiance to a conquering power, it won’t be peace but death. They will simply trample over you. The dream that our country will have rule of law will always remain just a dream. No, there’s still some love left in my heart for my own country. I haven’t yet become so insensitive. I will not allow the kingdom to slip through our hands so easily. I will not sell myself so cheaply to strangers. I won’t see my country face dishonour, even if I have to lay down my life for it. If I can’t do anything else, I can at least give my life. Please remove my shackles.’
‘I’m your servant but I am incapable of doing it.’
Raja Sahib said impetuously, ‘This is not the time for such words. Each moment is taking us to certain destruction. Please open the chains. If a house catches fire, we don’t pray to God but run towards the pond.’
‘You are my friend. I can’t but obey your orders. But—’
‘Hurry up, hurry up. Give your sword to me. This is not the time to stand on ceremony.’
The captain was speechless. A sincere effort is always infectious. Although Raja Sahib’s moralistic utterances did not convince him, he called in the jail inspector and said, ‘The emperor has ordered that Raja Sahib be released immediately. If you delay for even a moment, you will have to face the consequences.’
The inspector knew that the captain and the emperor were good friends. If Captain Sahib became angry, then no effort of Raushanuddaulah’s would be able to protect him. He took off Raja Sahib’s shackles.
Raja Sahib left the prison, sword in hand. His heart was welling up with his devotion for the emperor. Just then, the watchtower struck eleven.
3
It was midnight. But the narrow lanes of Lucknow were animated. It seemed as though it was just late evening. The jewellery market was busy. But the surprising thing was that there were no jewels in the shops. Only crowds of people could be seen walking the streets. Everyone was armed, their moustaches were erect and they walked with their chests thrust forward. Even the ordinary shopkeepers kept their weapons close at hand.
Suddenly a man appeared before a jewellery shop. He had a heavy turban on his head, his cloak descended below his knees and there was a sash tied around his waist. It looked as though he was a trader from Iran. In those days a lot of Iranian traders visited Lucknow. The appearance of one in the street was not an uncommon spectacle. The name of the shop owner was Madhav Das. He said to the trader, ‘Tell me, Mir Sahib, shall I show you something?’
The trader asked, ‘What’s the rate of gold?’
Madhav replied in an undertone, ‘Don’t ask me about the rates. For a month now, the market has been in a mess. The goods are not coming in. People are keeping them hidden. They don’t bring them to the market out of fear. If you require a large quantity, you will have to come to my humble abode. You will have enough of a choice. Be assured that the rates will be reasonable.’
‘Why is the market in a mess nowadays?’
‘Have you arrived in the city recently?’
‘Yes, I arrived today. The market does not seem to be as lively as before. The cloth market was also dull. I was looking for a length of Dacca muslin, but couldn’t find it.’
‘There’s a reason for it. Something has gone wrong.’
‘I hope you don’t mean that the traders are afraid of robbers. I’ve never heard of it earlier.’
‘The situation has changed. Now raids happen in broad daylight. Forget the police chief, even the emperor cannot capture them. What can I say? Even the walls have ears. If someone overhears us, I will be in
trouble.’
‘Sethji, you are talking in riddles. I’m a foreigner, to whom would I tell the story? Please tell me why the situation is so bad. I had gone to the cloth market, which was totally desolate. Even coarse materials were being sold at double the price.’
Madhav looked around him cautiously. ‘It’s a month now since Raushanuddaulah assumed supreme power. All this is a consequence of his bad management. Before him, Raja Bakhtaavar Singh was our master. While he was around, no one dared to do any harm to the traders. Everyone respected his authority. He kept a close eye on the firangs. His standing instruction was that if a firang visited the market, a soldier was to be employed to keep an eye on him. It is for this reason that the English were annoyed with him. Eventually, they conspired with Raushanuddaulah to arrest Bakhtaavar Singh and send him to jail. Since then, the market has turned into a lawless place. The government officials are also indulging in the looting. The English are a cut above them. They pick up from the shops whatever they want. If you ask them to pay, they threaten you. If you complain to the court, you get punished. Only a couple of days ago, all of us had gone to see the emperor to lodge a complaint. In the beginning he was very angry, but then he took pity on us. Well, the temperament of an emperor is always uncertain. He listened to all our complaints and reassured us that he would look into the matter. But the looting is still going on.’
In the meantime, three men dressed in Rajput-style shawls came and stopped before the shop. Madhav Das became alarmed. Often, the soldiers of the imperial army dressed like this. The trio stopped when they saw the trader, but he looked at them in such a way that they walked away. Then the trader asked Madhav Das, ‘Why were you so afraid?’
Madhav Das replied, ‘They’re the soldiers of the imperial army. Since Bakhtaavar Singh has been made prisoner, no one has any control over them. They wander around in the market looking for prey. They have not been getting their salaries, and manage their livelihood through loot and plunder. If you please, come to my house. I’ll show you the goods.’
‘No, brother, not at this moment. I’ll come in the morning. It is late and I’m rather scared now that I’ve seen the situation.’
Saying this, the trader walked off in the same direction as the three Rajputs before him. A little later, three more individuals entered the market. One of them was wearing a tunic as pandits do. There was a round turban on his head and a gold embroidered shawl hung from his shoulder. His two companions were wearing servants’ clothes. They were looking around as though they were searching for somebody. They took a look at the shop and passed on. The Iranian trader had walked about a mile, glancing about cautiously. He had reached a small orchard. There was an old mosque too. The trader stopped there. A moment later, the three Rajputs came out of the mosque and said, ‘Sir, you were sitting with the jeweller for a long time. What did you talk about?’
The trader had not yet answered when the pandit and his servants appeared. The moment the trader saw the pandit, he said reproachfully, ‘Raushanuddaulah, I’m so angry with you at this moment that I feel like having you thrown to the dogs. You’re an ungrateful traitor! You’ve ruined the kingdom. The entire city is mourning because of your oppression. I realized today why you have got Raja Bakhtaavar Singh imprisoned. I had lost my wits and was influenced by your glib talk. I’ll punish you so severely for your betrayal that people will learn a lesson from it.’
Raushanuddaulah said fearlessly, ‘You are my emperor, that is why I respect you. Otherwise, I would have punished you for this misbehaviour. When you are enjoying yourself with your ladies in the palace, why should others work hard for the state? Why should we shed our blood while you are making merry? Only fools would do that.’
Shaking with anger, the emperor ordered, ‘I command that this traitor be shot dead right away. I don’t want to see his face. And go and take over all his property right this moment. Not a single member of his family should be left alive.’
Raushanuddaulah was unfazed. ‘And I command you to arrest this person who is the enemy of the country and the community, who is a sinner and an oppressor of his people. He is not worthy of the throne and the crown.’
At this, the five Englishmen who were in disguise captured the emperor and dragged him towards the Gomti river. Then the emperor realized that it had all been part of a conspiracy to arrest him. He looked around him, but there was no one there. It was pointless to raise an uproar. He tried to understand the reality. It is in distress that a man faces his real image, shorn of all trappings. Such situations reveal how there are layers of artificial thoughts that cover the human mind. In a moment the emperor forgot all his arrogance and pride and became humble. He said, ‘I have never said or done anything against you for which I should be punished. I have always regarded you as my friends.’
Raushanuddaulah replied, ‘Of course. Whatever we are doing now is also for your good. We are freeing you of the burden of governing the state. Now you can indulge in your luxuries without any interruption. You can enjoy your life with your beautiful ladies without a care in the world.’
‘Do you want to dethrone me?’
‘No. We just want to free you from the responsibilities of statecraft.’
‘I swear by Imam Hussain, I won’t bear with this humiliation. I won’t dishonour my ancestors.’
‘We are more concerned than you about your ancestors. Your licentiousness is not adding glory to their reputation.’
The emperor said with humility, ‘I promise not to give you any cause for complaint in the future.’
‘Only a mad person would trust a drunkard’s promise.’
‘You can’t dethrone me by force.’
‘These threats are useless. Come quietly. Your carriage is waiting. We will bid you goodbye with full honours.’
‘Do you know what impact it will have on my subjects?’
‘I know very well. No one will raise a finger in your support. Tomorrow, everyone will celebrate your departure by lighting a candle.’
By this time all those who were entrusted with the task of accompanying the emperor had arrived. The carriage too was standing there. There were twenty-five armed white soldiers. When the emperor saw the carriage, he was deeply moved. His tears ran in torrents, and his sense of honour, which had been hidden behind his licentiousness, came to the fore. He pulled away his hand and shouted daringly, without any fear of consequences, ‘O inhabitants of Lucknow! Your emperor is being killed by his enemies. Come and save him, or you will regret it forever.’
This piteous cry that rose to the sky, piercing the silence of the space, did not merge with the waves of the Gomti, but penetrated the hearts of the people. Raja Bakhtaavar Singh had come out of his prison, mobilized the people and was approaching with great speed, along with a swelling crowd. Even a moment’s delay could have allowed the conspirators to fulfil their designs. Gradually, it had become a crowd of several thousand armed people. This collective power could have rescued the emperor and the city of Lucknow. Time was of utmost consequence. If the emperor had been trapped by the English, then all of Lucknow would not have been able to release him. As Raja Sahib moved forward, his mind was overcome by despair. His enthusiasm was weakened by the possibility of failure. He could not find any trace of the conspirators, though he had arrived late. The rebels had fulfilled their wishes. The freedom of the state of Awadh was lost forever!
They were on the brink of giving up and turning back when they heard the emperor’s cry. Several thousand voices rose, ‘My lord, may God keep you safe. We have arrived to sacrifice our lives for you!’
The crowd, propelled by one strong desire, moved to the scene of action with utmost speed, new energy coursing through their veins. Those at the back wanted to come to the front, and those at the vanguard wanted to fly to the spot.
The English pointed their twenty-five guns at the crowd and started to fire. Many fell, but the people did not retreat. In a moment, another wave took their positions and several of them fell to the
ground, but the crowd kept advancing. The crowd made a third move, and then they were upon the rebels. The Englishmen fled.
When the people came close to the emperor they witnessed a strange scene. The emperor was seated on the chest of Raushanuddaulah. When the white men fled, the emperor had caught hold of this low-born, mean human being, thrown him to the ground and sat on his chest. Had he been armed, Raushan’s dead body would have been lying there.
Raja Bakhtaavar Singh moved forward and saluted the king. The people’s cries of victory rent the sky. Some wanted to touch the emperor’s feet, while others blessed him. Raushanuddaulah was being kicked and hit by the angry crowd. There were also some who spat on his face.
4
It was morning. The city of Lucknow was celebrating. Thousands had gathered before the palace of the emperor, carrying gifts. The poor were being fed at many places. Music was being played in the imperial music house.
The court sat. The emperor, dressed in jewel-studded clothes, was seated on his throne. The nobles and the rich presented their gifts. Poets read out their panegyrics.
Suddenly, the emperor asked, ‘Where is Bakhtaavar Singh?’
The captain answered, ‘He’s in prison.’
The emperor sent a few officials to fetch Raja Sahib and escort him to the court. After a while, when Raja Sahib came and saluted the emperor, the emperor got down from his throne and embraced him. He made him sit on the right of his throne. Then, the emperor stood up before the courtiers and praised Raja Sahib’s loyalty and his good deeds, after which he dressed him in a robe of honour with his own hands. All the members of his family were given a warm send-off with full honour.