Online Flip Book / Download   Back to our Information Page

When the new Department for Salt was created and the sale of this god-given substance was banned, the business of selling and buying salt began to be done on the sly. Several illegal practices were begun. Some resorted to bribes, others to clever dealings. Government officials made a lot of money. People from other departments wanted to join this department, regardless of whatever high position they already occupied in their own departments. Even lawyers were tempted to become salt inspectors.

This was the time when people thought English education and the Christian religion went hand in hand. Persian was much in favour. Those Indians who had read Persian romances and epics could reach some of the highest offices. Munshi Vanshidhar was one such person who, having read the tale of Zuleikha’s separation from her beloved and the love story of Shireen–Farhad, set out in search of employment.

His father was an experienced man of the world. He tried to explain things to his son, ‘You can see the state of affairs in our home. We are groaning under debt. Your sisters are getting big and tall like wild grass. I am like a tree that is about to fall over at any time. Now you are the master of this house. Don’t give any thought to the position of employment; that is like the grave of a saint. Keep your eyes on the offerings and gifts. Look for a job where there is enough extra money to be made. The monthly salary is like the full moon which you can see one day and from the very next day it begins to lessen till it finally disappears. Extra income is like a perennial stream that will never let you go thirsty. Salaries are given by men; that is why they seldom increase. Extra income is god-given; that is why there is so much of it. What else can I say to you; you are a learned man. Remember, these things require intelligence. Learn to study human beings, understand their needs and look out for the right opportunity and only then do what you consider appropriate. If you are strict with the man who is in trouble you will make profit. But it is difficult to extract money out of someone who doesn’t need your help. Remember my words; they are the sum total of my life’s earnings.’

The father finished his lecture and gave his blessings. Vanshidhar was a dutiful son. He listened carefully to his father and left the house. In the big, wide world he had Patience as his friend, Intelligence to show him the way and Confidence as his helper. He must have left home on an auspicious moment for he was immediately appointed as an inspector in the Salt Department. The salary was good and the sky was the limit for extra income. When his elderly father heard the good news, his happiness knew no bounds. The moneylender’s attitude softened towards the family. Hope sprang afresh. Thorns of envy pierced the neighbours’ hearts.

*  *  *  *  *

It was a winter’s night. The staff and watchmen of the Salt Department were drunk. It had been barely six months since Munshi Vanshidhar had been posted here, but even in this short time he had impressed his seniors with his efficiency and perfect manners. The officers trusted him.

The Yamuna river flowed about a mile away from the Salt Office. A bridge of boats was made over it. Vanshidhar was fast asleep when suddenly he heard the sound of carts crossing the boat bridge and the shouts of boatmen. Why would carts be crossing the river at this hour of the night, he wondered. Surely, something is amiss. He put on his uniform, put his pistol in his pocket, mounted his horse and within minutes reached the riverside. He saw a long line of bullock-carts crossing the bridge. He shouted, ‘Whose carts are these?’

There was a minute’s silence. There was some whispering among the men. One man in the front spoke up, ‘They belong to Pandit Alopideen.’

‘Who is he?’

‘He is from Dataganj.’

Munshi Vanshidhar was surprised. Pandit Alopideen was among the most respected zamindars of this area. He dealt in lakhs of rupees. From the lowest to the mightiest, there was no one in this area who was not indebted to him in one way or the other. He did a variety of businesses and was considered quite a clever person. English officers visited his estate for hunting and enjoyed his hospitality. There were parties and feasting at his home for twelve months in a year.

Vanshidhar asked, ‘Where are the carts going?’ The answer was, ‘Kanpur’. But when he asked what was loaded in them, he was met with complete silence. Vanshidhar’s suspicion now became firm. He waited for an answer, then shouted, ‘Have all of you become deaf? I am asking you:What is loaded in these carts?’

When there was still no answer, he took his horse close to one of the carts and poked his finger in a sack. Now there was no room for suspicion. The sack had lumps of salt crystals.

*  *  *  *  *

Half-awake half-asleep, Pandit Alopideen was riding his beautifully decorated chariot. Suddenly, a couple of nervous-looking cart-drivers came running up to him and woke him up. They said, ‘Master, the inspector has stopped our carts. He is standing by the riverside and calling you.’

Panditji was a firm believer in the Goddess Lakshmi. He used to say that forget this world, even in heaven it is Lakshmi who reigns supreme. Perhaps he was right. Justice and government are mere toys in the hands of Lakshmi; she can move them around as she chooses. Panditji spoke arrogantly from his reclining position on the chariot, ‘I am coming.’ Unhurriedly, he folded a paan for himself. Wrapped in a warm quilt, he went up to the inspector and said, ‘God bless you, Babuji! Have I committed a crime that my carts have been stopped like this? You should be kindly disposed at least towards us Brahmins.’

Vanshidhar spoke drily, ‘Government orders!’

Pandit Alopideen laughed and said, ‘I don’t know the government or its orders. You are my government. Between us, it is like a family matter. Are you and I outsiders for each other? You need not have taken the trouble of coming here. It can’t be that I pass this way and forget to make an offering to the god of this ghat. I was, in any case, about to come and meet you myself.’

These sweet words had no effect on Vanshidhar. Riding the wave of honesty was still a new experience for him. He spoke harshly, ‘I am not one of those dishonest types who sell their soul for a little money. You are under arrest. You will have to follow the law. I have no more time for idle talk. Jamadar Badlusingh, I order you to arrest him.’

Pandit Alopideen stood like a statue. Panic spread among the crowd of cart-drivers. For the first time in his life, Panditji had had to hear such harsh words. Badlusingh stepped forward, but he could not dare hold Panditji by the hand. Panditji had never seen Duty show such disrespect towards Wealth. He told himself that the inspector was young and inexperienced. He didn’t know the value of money. With great humility, he said, ‘Don’t do this, Babu saheb, I will be destroyed. My reputation will be dragged through mud. And what will you gain by humiliating me? We are not outsiders for each other.’

Vanshidhar spoke in a harsh voice, ‘I don’t wish to listen to such things.’

The support that Alopideen had taken for a rock seemed to slip from under him. His self-respect and his sense of superiority were shaken. But he still had faith in the power of money. He addressed his manager, ‘Present Babu saheb with a thousand rupees; he is like a hungry lion right now.’

Vanshidhar spoke angrily, ‘Forget one thousand, even one lakh rupees cannot make me step away from the right path.’

Such senseless obstinacy and sacrifice for the sake of Duty annoyed Alopideen. The two powers now stood face to face. Money began to jump higher and higher to attack Duty. From one thousand, the sum was raised to five, ten, fifteen and finally twenty thousand rupees but Duty displayed godlike bravery in the face of this army of thousands and stood unshakeable like a mountain.

Till, finally, Alopideen spoke despairingly, ‘No more! I can offer you no more. You can do whatever you wish.’

Vanshidhar once again called out to his Jamadar. Silently cursing the inspector, Badlusingh moved towards Pandit Alopideen. Panditji nervously took a few steps backwards. With utmost humility he said, ‘Babu saheb, for god’s sake have mercy on me! I am willing to make a deal for twenty-five thousand rupees.’

‘It is impossible!’

‘For thirty thousand?’

‘No, never!’

‘Not even for forty thousand?’

‘Not forty thousand, not even forty lakh! Badlusingh, arrest this man. I don’t wish to hear another word.’

Duty crushed Wealth under its feet. Alopideen saw a big-built man coming towards him with handcuffs. He looked all around him with hopeless eyes. Then he fainted and fell to the ground.

*  *  *  *  *

The world slept but its tongue was awake and wagging. By the morning, young and old alike spoke only of this. Everyone had something to say about Panditji. Everyone was busy heaping abuses at him as though, with his arrest, crime had been removed from society. The milkman who sold water instead of milk, the officials who filled out false account books, the clerks who travelled without tickets, the merchants who did business with false papers—they were all behaving as though they were superior, god-like beings. The next day when a handcuffed Pandit Alopideen—his heart filled with regret and sadness, his head bent with shame—reached the courts, the entire city rushed to the spot. Seldom had such an eager crowd shown up for fairs or even festivals! People pushed their way into the courtroom in such large numbers that you couldn’t tell where the walls ended and the roof began.

But once inside the courtroom, it was a different matter. Pandit Alopideen was the lion king of this vast jungle. Here, court officials were his devout followers, clerks his humble servants, lawyers his obedient slaves and the lower-level peons, orderlies etc. in his pocket. People ran from all directions upon seeing him inside the courtroom. They were surprised not by what he had done but by the fact that he had got caught by the law. How can such a man—who has the money to solve all his problems and a glib tongue to get him out of any tricky situation—get caught like this? Everyone walked up to him to express their sympathy. An army of lawyers was selected with great care. The battle lines between Duty and Wealth were drawn up in the battlefield of Law. Vanshidhar stood quietly. Truth was his only strength and clear speech his only weapon. There were witnesses, but clearly wobbling under the influence of greed.

Vanshidhar could sense that the law would not be fair to him. This was a court of law, but its officials were under the influence of prejudice. What do law and prejudice have in common? Nothing. The case was immediately dismissed. The Deputy Magistrate wrote in his order:‘The proofs presented against Pandit Alopideen are baseless and false. He is a great man. It is beyond one’s imagination that a man like him would do any such thing for small, petty profit. Although it is not fully Inspector Vanshidhar’s fault either, it is a matter of regret that his thoughtlessness and arrogance have put a good man to so much trouble. While we are happy that he is so conscientious about his work, the corruption in the Salt Department has made him act in this thoughtless way. He needs to be more careful in future.’

The lawyers heard the verdict and jumped with joy. A smiling Alopideen came out of the court. His well-wishers had thrown money about. A sea of generosity had sprung up. Its waves had shaken the foundations of justice. When Vanshidhar stepped out of the court, he was met with a rain of sarcasm. The peons bent low in mock obedience. But at this moment, every cruel word, every unkind gesture simply fed the fire of pride burning inside him. Had he won the case, he might not have walked with such pride as he displayed now. Today he could sense something sadly lacking in the world around him. Law and learning, the grand-sounding titles, the long beards, the flowing robes—nothing seemed fit to deserve true respect.

Vanshidhar had taken up the fight against Wealth; it was necessary that he pay the price for it. In less than a week, his suspension orders arrived. He was punished for following his duty. Heartbroken, overcome with sadness and regret, he returned home. His father had been grumbling for days: ‘Despite all the lectures he has not paid heed. In my old age, I have to listen to the grocer and the moneylender while he wants to live only on his salary and refuses extra income. After all, I also worked. I didn’t occupy a high position, but I worked and did my best. Look at him—he wants to be honest! It’s a case of wanting to light a lamp in the mosque when there is darkness at home! I pity such thinking. What a waste of all that study and learning!’

When Vanshidhar was suspended and returned home, the poor old father was, at first, regretful at the loss of his son’s job. Then he said so many harsh things that had Vanshidhar not removed himself from the spot, his anger would have known no bounds. His mother was sad too. Her dream of going on pilgrimage to Jagannath and Rameshwar now lay shattered.

A week passed. It was evening. Vanshidhar’s father sat counting the Lord’s name on his beads when a gaily decorated chariot stopped at their door. It had green and pink curtains and a pair of handsome bullocks with copper-coated horns pulling it. Several servants with stout sticks on their shoulders accompanied it. Pandit Alopideen alighted and stood in the doorway. Vanshidhar’s father ran to greet him, bending low and talking sweetly all the while. ‘It is our great good fortune that you havecome to our home. We are so ashamed that we cannot even look up at you. What are we to do? We are unfortunate in having this good-for-nothing son. God should have left us childless instead of giving us such a son.’

Alopideen said, ‘No, no, brother, don’t say such things.’

Munshi ji expressed surprise, ‘What else can I say about such a son?’

Alopideen spoke in loving tones, ‘There are so many righteous people in the world who have sacrificed everything for the sake of bringing a good name to their family.’

Then Pandit Alopideen addressed Vanshidhar, ‘Please don’t take my words for flattery. I need not take all this trouble just to please you. That night you had taken me under arrest because you had the right to do so; today I have come to you of my own free will. I have seen thousands of wealthy people and have dealt with many officials. I managed to turn them all into my slaves. But you are the only person who has defeated me. Allow me to make a humble request.’

Vanshidhar had got up to greet Alopideen the moment he had seen him approaching, but his gesture had been marked with dignity. He thought Alopideen had come to taunt and mock him. He had made no attempt at offering an apology. He found his father’s fawning hard to tolerate. He glanced quickly in Panditji’s direction and found goodwill written all over his face. Pride was replaced by embarrassment and made Vanshidhar bow his head. A little shyly, he said, ‘It is your generosity that makes you say this. I apologise for my brashness and bad manners. I was chained by my sense of duty, or else I am your slave. Your wish is my command.’

Alopideen spoke with humility, ‘At the riverbank that night you wouldn’t listen to my request, but today you must.’

Vanshidhar said, ‘I can be of no use to you now, but whatever I can do for you, I promise to do wholeheartedly.’

Alopideen took out a stamped paper and put it before Vanshidhar. ‘Please accept this post and sign on this document. I am a Brahmin, and till you fulfil my request I shall not move from your doorstep.’

Munshi Vanshidhar read the paper and his eyes filled up with tears of gratitude. Pandit Alopideen had appointed him as permanent manager of all his properties. An annual salary of six thousand rupees, a daily allowance, a horse to ride on, a bungalow to live in, and plenty of servants at no extra cost! Moved, Vanshidhar spoke in a trembling voice, ‘Panditji, I don’t have the ability to sufficiently praise your generosity. But I am not fit to occupy such a high post.’

Alopideen laughed and said, ‘At this moment I need an unfit person like you!’

Vanshidhar spoke in a serious tone now, ‘I am your devoted servant. It would be my great good fortune to serve a well-known, well-regarded person such as you. But I have neither intelligence, learning nor the temperament that make up for my shortcomings. For such an important post you need an experienced person.’

Alopideen took a pen out of a pen-stand and handed it toVanshidhar saying, ‘I need neither bookish learning, nor experience, nor efficiency. I have seen enough proof of the importance of these qualities. Now by a stroke of good fortune and good timing, I have come across that pearl in front of which ability and learning fades. Take this pen and without any further ado, sign on this document. My only prayer to the Almighty God is that may you always remain that dry, brash, harsh but disciplined and high-minded inspector that I saw beside the river.’

Vanshidhar’s eyes became wet with tears. His heart could not contain the kindness shown by Alopideen. He looked once again towards Panditji with respect and admiration. Then, with a trembling hand, he signed on the document.

A delighted Alopideen embraced Vanshidhar.