‘What you’re saying is the need of the moment!’ I exclaimed.
‘I’m afraid you’ll depart this town as a much-maligned man,’ he replied. ‘When thousands of my fellow men are rotting in jails, and can’t afford even the cheapest cloth to cover their bodies, my conscience doesn’t allow me to wear fine clothing and gorge on the best delicacies.’
‘You’re right,’ I said. ‘I’m sorry that others are incapable of making the same sacrifices as you.’
‘I don’t think of it as a sacrifice,’ he said, ‘nor do I behave like this for show. I’m just disgusted by all this pomp and splendour. A few days ago my father sent me to Siwan to look after the sugar mill, and what do I see? The manager’s cook, cleaner, washerman, gardener, guard and servants were all on the payroll of the mill. They worked for the manager, but were paid by the factory. And to make matters worse, the manager himself was completely without principles, but was so strict with the labourers that he would deduct half a day’s wages if they were late by even five minutes. I decided to take matters into my own hands, and showed some leniency towards the workers. That was all. The manager was furious; he threatened to resign. My family knew that he was a cheat and a parasite of the highest order. But the moment they received his threat, they went pale with fear. They immediately ordered me to go back home and gave me a stern dressing-down. If there was any doubt of my being a fool, this incident just settled the case and proved it right once and for all. I fail to understand why they are so afraid of the manager.’
‘You did absolutely the right thing,’ I averred. ‘In fact, if I was in your place, I would have first sued him for embezzlement, had him beaten up by goons, and then spoken to him. People like him deserve no better.’
‘That means we’ve similar views,’ he said. ‘I’m sorry you won’t be here for long. I wish to spend a few days in your company. It’s been a long time since I’ve met a man I can speak my mind with. I do not converse with these illiterates. My uncle, when he was young, had developed an illicit relationship with a tanner woman. He had two children, a son and a daughter, from her. The woman died, leaving the infant girl in his arms. Since then, these children have been treated worse than beggars in my house. No one cared for them. They went hungry and ill-clothed, and languished in the servant quarters outside the house. I couldn’t bear that. I began feeding them from my kitchen, and still do. What a furore it created in my house! I was the target of everyone’s anger, but I didn’t let that bother me. After all, they are our flesh and blood, aren’t they? That’s why I’m called a fool.’
‘Those who call you a fool are fools themselves,’ I replied.
‘Sir, it’s strange to live with these people,’ Khalil continued. ‘The shah of Kabul and the Indian ulema have both banned the sacrifice of cows. But the sacrifice continues, particularly in my house. I tried my best to stop it, raised a hue and cry, but to no avail. I atoned for this atrocity by selling my own horse to feed three hundred fakirs. Since then, whenever I see cows being led for slaughter, I buy them. This way I have managed to save the lives of ten cows. All of them are now in the homes of Hindus, but the strange thing is that even in those homes, I am called a fool. I’m now so used to this name that I’ve fallen in love with it.’
‘I wish there were more fools like you in this country,’ I said.
‘There!’ said Khalil. ‘You too are having me on. Look at my mango orchard! I’m the one who guards it. People find it odd that I don’t care about losses worth thousands, but guard this little garden with my life. Sir, the problem is that the boys here pluck one mango and in the process let twenty-five drop to the ground. So many trees get bruised that way and they become good for nothing. All I want is for the mangoes to turn ripe and juicy. After that, anybody is welcome to pluck and eat them. What’s the point of ruining raw mangoes? This is, again, a part of my folly.’3
While we were speaking we saw three or four people beating up the local merchant. When asked what the matter was, one of them, who appeared to be a maulvi, answered, ‘Sir, this man’s a cheat and a fraud. His weights measure less than they should. I’ve just bought a kilo of ghee from him. When I went home, I discovered that it weighed less by a quarter of a kilo. Now when I’ve come to return it to him, he says he had measured the full amount. Have I eaten the ghee on my way home then? I’m going to take him to the police station. He’ll come to his senses when he gets a good beating.’
Then another gentleman, who was a clerk at the post office, said, ‘He has a habit of never weighing the full amount. Only today, I sent my boy to get two annas’ worth of sugar from him. When the boy returned home, there was barely an anna worth of sugar left. When I came to return it to him, he glared at me. His weights should certainly be checked.’
The third person was a milkman. He put down the bundle of cattle food from his head and spoke, ‘Sir, this cattle food cost me eleven rupees for six kilos. When I reached home and weighed it, it turned out to be barely two kilos. I’ve come to return it to him, but he refuses to
