Why haven’t you told Sher of this offer?’ asked Sabhrai.

Buta Singh felt cornered. ‘I’ve been out of my senses. If it hadn’t been for the Taylors, I don’t know what would have happened to me! What more can a man do than offer your son’s life back to you?’

‘You must see Sherji,’ said Beena, ‘and tell him about Mr Taylor’s offer.’

‘We will first do the non-stop reading of the Granth,’ said Sabhrai firmly. ‘The Guru will guide us. We will do what He commands.’

Being the only son, Sher Singh had been pampered in his childhood and allowed to have his own way in his adolescence. Despite this, the two things he hankered after were affection and esteem. The one he sought through popularity amongst friends; the other through leadership. The applause that came from his family and his colleagues was offset by his early marriage. Champak, despite her expressions of admiration, gave him an uneasy feeling of being a failure. To impress her became an obsession. The form it took was to hold out visions of a successful political career by which he would take her to dizzy heights of eminence along with him. The more his physical inadequacy gnawed his insides, the more daring he became in his political activity. From fiery speeches, he went on to uniforms and discipline; from those to belief in force: the worship of tough men and love for symbols of strength, like swords crossed over a shield. These, with the possession of guns, pistols, cartridges, and the handsomely masculine Alsatian as a companion, completed his martial padding. Living with these symbols of strength and among people who vaguely expected him to succeed, Sher Singh came to believe in his own future and his power. He did not realize that strength was not a natural development of his own personality but nurtured behind the protection provided by his father’s position as a senior magistrate and a respected citizen. He was like a hot house plant blossoming in a greenhouse. The abuse, beating, and arrest were like putting that plant out in a violent hailstorm. His bluster and self-confidence withered in the icy cold atmosphere of the police station.