‘What shall I do? Beat her?’

‘It is not good to be idle all day. She reads stories and listens to film songs over the radio.’ As her mistress did not reply, Shunno went on. ‘How long has she been married? Isn’t this the second year? There are no signs of a child appearing!’

‘You ask her to have one.’

‘I? She doesn’t even talk to me; as if I was an enemy. She won’t let me press her when she is tired. She is always asking Mundoo.’

Again Sabhrai made no comment.

‘This Mundoo is getting very cheeky.’

‘Is there anyone in the world you do not malign? Whether you are well or ill, you never curb your tongue form gossip and slander.’

‘Hai, Hai,’ protested Shunno. ‘Whatever I say is gossip.’

She pressed her mistress in silence for a few more minutes, then heaved herself up and went down moaning about her age and illness and invoking the Great Guru.

‘We Indians have no character.’

When Buta Singh made such statements he excepted himself. But when he added: ‘We have still a lot to learn from the English,’ the implication was that he had done all the learning there was to be done; it was for other Indians to follow his example. In the past these remarks had been directed to the shortcomings of Wazir Chand’s character. Of late Buta Singh had to make his references less pointed because his son and daughter had begun to see a lot of Madan and Sita.

‘Some people have boot-licking ingrained in their makeup.’ Buta Singh recalled that he had passed that judgment on Wazir Chand more than once and quickly tried to generalize it. ‘All these magistrates are great lions in their own homes. When it comes to facing the Sahib, you should see them: each anxious to push the other in front. When Taylor is there, they can’t utter a squeak.’

‘This has come because of centuries of slavery. Our country has never been free and we have developed a servile mentality. We are frightened of power. Rarely do we get someone who can stand up to it: someone like Sivaji, or Rana Pratap, or our own Guru, Govind Singh.’ Sher Singh’s heroes were the tough men of Indian history who had fought the Muslims.

Buta Singh acknowledged his son’s compliment. ‘Those were great men called upon by destiny to save their country. I am talking of common people like us. Take this business of getting permission for the procession. Not one of these Hindus, who give battle with their tongues, would face Taylor and get him to revise his decision. They had to come to me.’

‘Did he grant them permission?’ asked Sabhrai.

‘Of course! Didn’t take a minute. It would have been a little awkward if he had asked me why a Sikh had to speak on behalf of the Hindus.’

‘Sikhs have always had to help the Hindus,’ answered his wife proudly. ‘That is nothing new.’