Hari Bilas’s MA was the death knell for his property. Fortunately, in those times, the doors to employment were not guarded by selection. Hari Bilas took part in competitive examinations. His success was guaranteed. He got hold of a magistrate’s post. When Ram Bilas got the news he came running to the thakur’s house and fell at his feet. The next day he disappeared, nobody knew where he went. Reality had turned out to be more enchanting than a dream.2
Hari Bilas had been bestowed with a good disposition by nature. He was outspoken, sweet-tongued and a friend of the poor. His most striking attribute was his acute sense of justice. He never deviated an inch from what was lawful. The common people were held in check by his authority, but they nevertheless loved him. His superiors respected him and secretly mistrusted him at the same time.
He had studied politics thoroughly. This was a field for which he had a special aptitude. He was only guided by the law. He never followed personal orders since he didn’t feel bound by them. He no doubt wanted to keep the officials happy, but only as far as this did not mean transgressing the boundaries of the law.
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
