‘It wasn’t my fault. It was the cow.’

‘Don’t you watch where you’re going? Always head in the clouds. A cow is the size of an elephant.’

‘Did you see the neighbours?’ Pestonjee asked again.

‘No.’

‘They must be from London.’

‘How do you know?’

‘I know. Prepare your special dhansak tomorrow. I’ll introduce myself. Don’t use the steel bowl.’

The next day he covered the ceramic bowl with a wooden plate, used for the first time since his cousin had brought it eight months ago. He tied a white ribbon around the bowl like a bow and tugged at his tie again.

‘Can I see Mr Hedge? May I have the pleasure of meeting Mr A. Hedge? Could I please meet Mr Hedge? I have come to meet Mr Hedge. I have come to meet my new neighbour, Mr Hedge, about whom I have only heard great things. How do you do? Delighted! Delighted! How very kind of you  .’ he continued muttering until he pressed the neighbour’s doorbell.

‘Mr He-Hedge please,’ said Pestonjee.

‘Hedge?’

‘Yes, Mr Hedge.’

‘No Hedge. Hed-gay, Mr Hed-gay you mean, from Solapur, Bombay Province?’

‘Hejj!’ repeated Pestonjee.

‘No. Mr Hed-gay.’

‘Sorry. I was—I thought—thank you.’

Before the man could open the door fully, Pestonjee scuttled away down the stairs. The bowl slipped from his hands and fell. The brown gravy formed a dense puddle on the floor. Shards of ceramic jutted out precariously. A large stain appeared on Pestonjee’s new suede shoes. The white ribbon was safe however, suspended on the handrail, far from the mess below.

19

For the second time that week, Panditji came looking for Pestonjee at the office. People came to him; he did not go to them. This was the third company in the neighbourhood that did not bother to perform a puja. If they refused, others, even native businesses, will follow. Puja was good for everyone. The mantras brought good luck and prosperity. After discussing the issue with his fellow priests, he decided to offer his services gratis. A public ceremony will send a strong message. Expenses could be recovered from others later.

‘The English are fine without your prayers,’ said a manager at a newly established company.

‘They will be even better if they perform a puja,’ he responded, then added, ‘The English consult us priests periodically. Where does the Hindu legal code comes from?’ This argument convinced the officer. But Panditji knew, the Brahmin priests who were consulted, even in the earlier days of the Company rule, were too few, ten or twelve at most, among the teeming millions. Their trade was on the path of decline. The younger generation priests had no interest. In Bombay, the membership of the Priests Association had fallen with every passing year during the last decade. Most members were irregular in their dues. Earlier, this was grounds for suspension. Now they needed the members more than the money.