CHAPTER 18
Meanwhile in the state of Ratangarh, the ruler of the state Pradyuman Singh and the Resident, Colonel Somers sat in the fantastical drawing room of Badal Mahal discussing matters of state. It was late in the evening – the moon having risen – and a cool breeze agitated the curtains. The two men were drinking whiskey from a cut-glass decanter with a silver stopped shaped like an antlered head.
“So what does the Government of India have to say to my request?” Asked Pradyuman Singh.
“I was just coming to that Preddy. You are in good odour with the powers that be, it seems.”
“Ah! so old Tom sticks by his school chums after all. Pretty decent of him, I call it.”
“Yes, the GOI have been generous in one case, and unhelpful in another. Still such requests rarely find favour with the curmudgeons of Delhi.”
“Generous in one but unhelpful in another, what does that mean. You are not telling me that they have turned down my request to appoint Uday as my successors.”
“I am afraid they have. But the refusal is not final. It leaves the door open, shall we say, for future representations. But they have given you an extra gun in your salute. You can now have six guns, one more than Kishanganj for instance.”
“That’s justice of sorts, my state after all is a thousand years older than Kishanganj. Come to think of it, it is the oldest state in India, so this upgrade was long overdue. You remember, my late father spent his whole life pleading with the Imperial Government, but they were unyielding. So this victory, and with your permission Colonel, I will call it a victory, after all this the only kind of victory that you allow us to claim – the victory of cadging small favours from the Paramount Power – is sweet when it comes. Another drink Colonel?”
“Yes indeed. Let us celebrate your victory.”
The drinks were poured by a liveried attendant who silently appeared whenever he seemed to be needed. I have some entertainment for your tonight Colonel. You remember Champa Bai the court dancer.”
“Of course Preddy.Quite a woman. Is she dancing tonight?”
“Yes, an exclusive recital, just for you Colonel. But first we have some business to do. And i will need your help in this. You know this railway agitation.”
“Only from hearsay, at second hand, as it were. I should like to hear the story from you.”
“Not much of a story. There are some disaffected elements here, led by that seditious Brahmin, Rajhavji. These Brahamins are always intriguing against the state. Troublemakers – all of them. Now they want me to bring the railway to the state. Imagine that, the railways, in this ancient kingdom.”
“I am afraid I don’t see it. You are not far from the trunk line and it should not be difficult to lay down a branch line to Ratangarh from Piparia. It seems quite a reasonable demand to me.”
“You don’t see it? No, I suppose you don’t You can’t, because there are things that an Englishman just can’t understand. Take the railways. Along with the English language they arethe most subversive force imported into India by the British. Thousands of people can travel on them and cover the entire country in a few days. Along with the people come ideas, dangerous ideas which spread like a contagion. And to make matters worse the Government of India does not allow the states to police them. You have your own Railway Police and we have no control over it. The railway lines and the railway stations are strips of foreign territories cutting through the heart of our domains. Naturally I don’t want any of it. Not in my thousand year old kingdom.”
“But Preddy, you can’t stop the railway. Whether you like them or not, they are going to come in. Progress is like influenza, there is no vaccine against it.”
“Who says so. In my state, not a leaf stirs without my permission. But here is Panditji. Let us see what he has to say.”
Pandit Ram Narayan, the Dewan of the state of Ratangarh entered, bowing deeply to his king, and perhaps less deeply to the British political agent. He was dressed in a white silk dhoti and kurta and wore a black lawyer’s coat over it. On his head he wore a traditional pugree, and on his forehead, emblazoned in sandalwood paste was the U shaped mark of the Shaivite sect to which he belonged. Panditji, as he was known, took pains over his appearance, and if he looked rather ostentatiously like the stage Barahmin, that is how he wanted to look.
“Panditji!”
“Unndata !” (It was the custom in the state of Ratangarh to refer to the ruler as Unndata, or the giver of bread, this being the highest power that one human being could enjoy over another.)
“What have you done about this railway business. Has Raghavji been arrested?”
“No Unnadata.”
“Why not. He should have been behind bars long ago, the seditious bastard.”
“Unndata, this railway agitation is going to fizzle out. There would be no need to arrest Raghvaji. At least not at the present moment.”
“Fizzle out. But only yesterday you were talking about a huge procession that was to be taken out. Pamphlets being distributed.Inflammatory speeches by Raghav and so on. What happened in the interim that you seem to be so sure.”
Panditji walked upto his ruler and whispered something in his ear. A slow grin spread over the ruler’s face as he heard Panditji through.”
“Ah, so that’s how the land lies. Well done Panditji. In that case we shan’t need you anymore. Go and enjoy your rest, you have earned it tonight”.
Panditji went off, bowing deeply once more. “Well, that takes care of the matter for the time being”.
“What does?”
Pradyuman Singh chuckled softly over the matter before replying. “Do you know that this seditious Brahmin Raghav has been doing. He has been carrying on with a school teacher. The lady is from a low caste. Being a servant of the state, she agreed to turn approver when a little pressure was put on her. She will spill the beans in public if we want to. Imagine what will happen to this Brahmin when the matter becomes public. His name will be mud. He will be boycotted by his own caste-men who will never tolerate a liaison with a low-caste woman, even though most of them have their own little doxies hidden away. And the very people who now hail him as the new messiah will turn against them.”
“So what do you plan to do, make a public expose.”
“No, no, that won’t be necessary. Panditji will have a quiet word with Raghav. Everything will go on as if nothing has happened. The agitation will go ahead. There will be rallies, torch-light processions, sit-ins-business as usual. But things will gradually lose steam – the whole show will start to wind down, to fizzle out eventually. We will do nothing. Raghv will see to everything. He will see to it that things do not get out of hand and nothing untoward is allowed to take place. In the end inertia will be restored and the natural order of things will prevail.”
“Sounds pretty silly to me.”
“But it will work. And mark the difference from the British approach. You would have dispersed the crowd by brute force and locked up the agitators. Look at what Dyer did in Amristar. So unnecessary – and the senseless brutality of it, the crudeness and the stupidity of it.”
“Take care Preddy, you are talking before a servant of the crown.”
“Yes Colonel, I know. And I speak as a loyal subject of His Majesty. And as a subject who wants the British Raj to endure forever. But if you go on like this, you will bring down the whole edifice with a crash. Sometimes I wish you British could be a little more like us.”
“You mean we should let you burn your widows and horsewhip your untouchables. Or perhaps you want the Paramount Power to be like you own later Moghuls, a government of eunuchs and concubines.”
“Now, now Colonel, you go on like a temperance preacher. I only meant stop playing God for a while. Be a little more human. Let your pants down, if I may say so. And that reminds me of Champa Bai’s dance recital.”
“Not now Preddy. You have put me out of humour for that sort of thing. But there was something that I wanted to speak to you about.”
“Can’t it wait.”
“Ah yes!” The Colonel ignored the interruption, “it was about the election of the new oracle.”
“My dear Colonel, you are not telling me that the Paramount Power is concerned with such trifles. Why, I have heard you saying yourselves that the oracle is nothing more than medieval superstition.”
“I have changed my mind, an oracle can have its political uses. Remember the oracle at Delphi. It was the only political force in ancient Greece that could command obedience across the country.”
“So?”
“So, as Resident the matter falls within my ken.”
“My dear Colonel are you suggesting that we manipulate the oracle.”
“Precisely the opposite Preddy. I only want to ensure that the oracle is not manipulated by anyone. So I suggest the next election be held under our supervision.”
“And what if I refuse.”
“I would advise you not to refuse. Remember the little matter of succession is still pending. And the extra gun in your salute which was granted after so much bellyaching by the curmudgeons in Delhi can still be withdrawn.”
A low smile spread over Preddy’s face. “Of course I will follow your advice. When have I ever refused.”
