This story by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay highlights the plight of the rural poor in colonial India. After years of drought, a landless Indian farmer lives on handouts, sharing what little he and his daughter have with Mahesh, his beloved bull. After the starving animal escapes and raids his cruel zamindar’s garden, the poor man is severely beaten and given a heavy fine. Angry and frustrated when Mahesh later breaks a pitcher of precious water, he does the unthinkable. Themes include poverty, social injustice (exploitation and deprivation), devotion/human-animal bonding, the potential devastating effects of nature on rural communities.
A subtle additional theme is religious discrimination. As a Muslim in a Hindu village, Gafoor’s status was among the lowest of the low. His daughter wasn’t even allowed to draw water from the village wells, having to wait for someone to take pity on her and give her some of theirs!