‘Wah sahab!’ they all chorused.

‘So much trouble for Paniwallah?’

‘What are you talking about? This has nothing to do with caring for Paniwallah,’ Monglu continued. ‘All that the sahab cares about is getting more labourers. Don’t you understand? This way he gets one more worker. Soon, there will be children and their grandchildren. There will be more labourers.’

‘I see!’

‘Yes, I tell you. Lakiya, Soronga, Asmai of the Saora line and the others have been smuggled in by bribing the clerks in the coolie depots,’ said Monglu.

‘You mean they’ve been stolen?’

‘Yes, of course, that’s how it goes.’

After some time, Ho Han arrived with the bridegroom. Instantly the atmosphere changed, with the people milling around Ah Chin and his party. Ah Chin was made to sit beside Dukhi, while the rest of the bridegroom’s party sat on the charpais around, covered with clean sheets of cloth. Since there were no formal rituals, soon Ah Chin would simply place vermillion on the parting of her hair and take her away. Everyone was staring at the short, slant-eyed, fair-complexioned Chinese men, with their pigtails. Ho Yen and Suhagmoni were shyly exchanging glances.

‘Jhawru bhaya, take up your drum,’ somebody said to a boy in the crowd.

Dithering for a while, Jhawru went out. Soon, he returned with his drum and started beating it. It seemed as though waves of joy, so long obstructed and dammed up by sorrow, were suddenly let loose and everyone burst out singing and dancing. In the midst of this merrymaking, however, Phulmati sat quietly, immersed in her own thoughts. Suhagmoni called out, ‘Hey! Phulmati, come on, you too must sing!’

Ho Han was looking at her. Glancing at him for a moment she started singing,

‘Nisuti na guni guni

Dehiya sukhaire

Kohobo kake dukhoker batiya

Kohobo kake kohobo dhoni

Kone potiyai re

Guni guni

Mor dehiya sukhaire guni guni …

My body withers

To whom will I speak about my sorrows?

Who will believe in my tales?

My body withers …’

The gathering became quiet. After a while, Suhagmoni broke the silence and said, ‘Phulmati, you mustn’t sing such a sad song today.’

Phulmati sat quietly for a few minutes. Then, without looking at anyone, she got up and left.

Jhawru looked at Phulmati as she left. Then, with renewed vigour, he beat his drum. The people around resumed singing wedding songs with greater enthusiasm.

In the midst of all this, Ah Chin and Dukhi became husband and wife. Ho Yen and Suhagmoni quietly retreated from the wedding venue and faced each other; they stood behind a tree lest somebody saw them.

‘Have you decided to never come near me?’ Ho Yen smiled.

‘Don’t I have any other work than to come after you? Tell me what you want to say.’

‘You look ill. You look thinner, too.’

‘Should I be looking fat? I haven’t slept a wink these last few nights,’ Suhagmoni snapped.

‘What happened?’

‘Phulmati was ill. She has no one. So I stayed with her.’