TheGreatWar

TheGreatWarIndianWritingsonthe

FirstWorldWar

EditedandintroducedbyRakhshandaJalil

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Thisvolume isdedicated to the remarkableMaulanaHasratMohani, thepoet-politicianwho features in these pages, who lived through the GreatWar, who was amongst theearliest votaries of complete independence for India, andwhogave the enduring cry of‘InquilabZindabad!’torevolutionariestheworldover.

CONTENTSIntroduction

Prose

TheRootsofWar

RabindranathTagore

TheWearyGenerations

AbdullahHussein

SheHadSaid

ChandradharSharmaGuleri

TheGreatWarinEuropeandtheRoleoftheHyderabadImperialServiceTroops

Lt-ColAzmatullahKhan

Unfettered

KaziNazrulIslam

ReactiontoTurkishPolitics

MohamedAli

AcrosstheBlackWaters

MulkRajAnand

JangnamaEurope

RamanSinghChhina

PunjabiFolkSongsonWorldWarI

AmarjitChandan

Poetry

TheGiftofIndia

SarojiniNaidu

Jang-eEuropeaurHindustani

ShibliNomani

WatankaRaag

BrijNarainChakbast

MontaguReforms

HasratMohani

Shikast-eZindaankaKhwaab

JoshMalihabadi

FromtheKulliyat

AkbarAllahabadi

Tasveer-eDard

MuhammadIqbal

AngreziZehnkiTezi

AhmaqPhaphoondvi

AzadikaBigul

ZafarAliKhan

ShukriyaEurope

AghaHasharKashmiri

Bibliography

AbouttheContributors

IntroductionThe Russo-JapaneseWar (1904–1905), the BalkanWars (in 1912 and 1913), the FirstWorldWar(1914–1918)andthedevelopmentsontheeveofandintheaftermathoftheKhilafat Movement (1919–1922) had a profound effect on Indian politics and, byextension, Indian literature. The Japanese victory overRussiawas seen as a significantlandmarkingalvanisingtheAsiannationsagainstthehegemonyoftheEuropeanpowers.JawaharlalNehru,inhisautobiography,capturedtheexcitementofthoseyears:‘JapanesevictoriesstirredupmyenthusiasmandIwaitedeagerlyforpapersforfreshnewsdaily…Nationalisticideasfilledmymind.ImusedofIndianfreedomandAsiaticfreedomfromthethralldomofEurope.’1

TheJapanesevictoryinspiredAsianleadersandstiffenedtheirresolvetoendcolonialdomination.InIndia,theextremistsledbyBalGangadharTilak2feltvindicated,fortheyhad all along rejected the politics of mendicancy or subservience in favour of radicalactivism. Tilak and Aurobindo Ghose began to challenge the existing Indian NationalCongressleadershipwithanewideologythatcombinedHindurevivalismandafarmoremilitant political activism than the stalwarts within the Congress, India’s then-largestpoliticalparty,hadhithertobeenusedto.ContenttosecuregreaterIndianparticipationinexistingsystemsofgovernance,theCongresswas,tillthen,anelitist,amorphoussortoforganisation.

Before we come to the Great War, as the First World War is referred to incontemporary accounts, let us briefly look at somemore significant events in the yearsleading up to it. First, there was the draconian Press Act of 1913 that forced many anationalist newspaper out of business;HasratMohani’sUrdu-e-Moalla and theTauhid,which had their security deposits confiscated in 1913,MaulanaAbulKalamAzad’sal-HilalandMaulanaMohamedAliJauhar’sComradewereforcedtoshutshopin1914.TheAli brothers were imprisoned in 1915, followed, a year later, byMohani andMaulanaAzad forwriting/publishing seditiousmaterial.All this came directly as a result of thePressAct.Gaggedandbound,thevoicesthatwerebeginningtocalloutforfreedomweremethodicallyidentifiedandtheagitatorssilenced,whiletheBritishexpendedalleffortsinextractingthemaximumpossible‘help’fromIndia.

Then, therewere the twoBalkanWarsand theireffectson Indianwritersandpoets,especiallyinUrdu.InarejoindertohisownfamouspoemShikwa(Complaint),Jawab-e-Shikwa(AnswertotheComplaint),MuhammadIqbalwrote:

ThetroublethatisragingintheBalkans

Isamessageofawakeningtotheforgetful

Thoumay’stthinkitthemeansofvexingthyheart

Butinrealityitisatestofthyself-sacrificeandself-reliance

Whyartthoufrightenedattheneighingoftheenemy’shorse?

Truth’slightcanneverbeputoutbythebreathoftheenemy

Shibli Nomani’s Hungama-e-Balqaan is perhaps more powerful because it is morerestrained,moreawareofthefar-reachingimplicationsofthetroubleintheBalkans:

Whendeclinehassetinoverpoliticalpower,

Thenameandbannerwillstandhowlong?

Thesmokefromtheburntcandleof

Avanishedassemblywillrisehowlong?

Whentheskyhastornthemantleofpowertopieces,

Itsshredswillfloatintheairhowlong?

GoneisMorocco,goneisPersia.Wehavenowtosee

ThishelplesssickmanofTurkeywilllivehowlong?

ThistideofwoewhichisadvancingfromtheBalkans,

Thesighsoftheoppressedwillstemhowlong?

Shibli!Shouldyoulongtomigrate,wherecanyougonow?

SyriaorNajdorGyrenearesanctuarieshowlong?

Shortly thereafter, war broke out and India found itself drawn into it without fullycomprehending its consequences. The Viceroy of India, Lord Hardinge, declared thatIndiaalsowasatwar,withoutconsultinganyIndianpoliticalleaders.Thenewsofthewarwas received enthusiastically not just by the native princes but ironically also by thepoliticalbourgeoisieandeducatedmiddleclasseswhowerequick topledge loyaltyandsupport.TheonlypocketsofresistancewereofferedbytheGhadarParty,settledmostlyinNorth America and Canada, and by scattered groups of emigres and politicalrevolutionaries who came together to form the so-called Berlin Indian IndependenceCommittee. Initially, the war did not affectmost of India save for sporadic food riots,occasionalskirmishesandmoderatenationalistdemands,whichrosetoacrescendoonlyby1918.Therewere,ofcourse,storiesofbereavement,ofwomenbeingleftaloneastheirmenwent to battle, especially inPunjab, but they did not impinge on the larger Indianconsciousnessintheearlydays.

When Turkey entered the fray on 28 October 1914 on the German side, IndianMuslims found themselves on the horns of a dilemma. On 14 November 1914, inConstantinople, the Ottoman government, in the name of Sultan Mehmed V, issued afatwaagainsttheWesternnations,includingBritain,FranceandRussia.WhatwereIndian

Muslimstodo?ShouldtheycontinuetoserveundertheBritishasloyalsubjects?Shouldtheyfight theirreligiousbrethren?Itwasatightropewalkbetweenloyaltyandreligiousduty,betweenneedandopportunity.On theonehand, IndianMuslimshated theBritishfortheroletheyhadplayedindismantlingtheOttomanEmpireandresentmenthadbeenbrewingfortheBalkanWars;ontheotherhand,theywerewillingtobeseducedbythepromisesheldoutbytheBritishinreturnfortheirsupportontheAlliedwarfrontasthewardraggedon.3Meanwhile,SharifHusain,theEmirofMecca,proclaimedhimselftobethe king of Hejaz on 10 June 1916. But, by virtue of a Machiavellian treaty signedbetweenBritainandtheHouseofSaud,Ibnal-Saud(arivaltribesman)wasrecognisedbythe former as independent sovereign of Najd, al-Hisa, Qatif and Jubayl. The BritishincreasinglybegantohaveapresenceintheMiddleEast,giventheirvirtualmonopolyofthe steamer ships carrying pilgrims from all over SouthAsia to theHejaz aswell as astrangleholdontradeandcommerce.

As theGreatWarraged inEurope,severaleventswereunfolding inIndia.Of these,Mahatma Gandhi’s return to India from South Africa in 1915 is important. So is theLucknow Pact of 1916 between the Congress and the Muslim League that promisedseparateelectoratesforMuslims.Duementionmustalsobemadeofarisinganti-BritishsentimentamongIndianMuslimscausedbyamultiplicityoffactors—alingeringangerover the way they had been singled out for reprisals after the Revolt of 1857; Britishsupport to the Balkan Christians; the Cawnpore Mosque incident of 1913; the rise ofpopulist leaders such as Jamaluddin Afghani who encouraged jihad against Westerndomination; greater contact between Indian Muslim leaders and revolutionaries incountries suchas Iraq,Egypt,Syria andTurkey; and,most significantly, the roleof theDeobandulamasuchasMaulanaMahmudal-Hasanwhowerepreachingactiveresistanceto British rule not just in India but in distant corners of the world. Like Afghani, thelearnedmenatDeobandwereadvocatingtheprincipleofijtihadtoconcludethatBritishIndiawasDar-ulHarb(literally,houseorabodeofwarbutusedtomeanenemyterritoryasopposedtoDar-ulIslam)andthatjihadwasthereforenecessaryandjustified.Agroupwithdirect linkstotheradicalelementsinDeoband, ledbyMaulanaObaidullahSindhi,reachedKabul in1915andbegan tomobilise support for anti-Britishactivities.Severalothers, such as Barkatullah Firaq and Raja Mahendra Pratap, set up a ProvisionalGovernment of India in Kabul. Yet another group, led by the Khairi brothers, wasoperating from Constantinople and fomenting violent uprisings against the Britishgovernment in India with the active support of German and Turkish governments. InLondon,educatedIndianMuslimsfromfeudal families,suchasMushirHusainQidwai,were drawing parallels between Islam and Socialism, and enamoured by the revolutionbrewinginRussia,makingoverturestotheBolsheviks.4

Bythetimethewarended,theMontagu-ChelmsfordReformswereintroducedbytheBritish Government in India in 1919 with the intention of gradually introducing self-governing institutions. At the same time, there was the infamous Rowlatt Act, a law

passed by the imperial government in March. By indefinitely extending emergencymeasures (under theDefence of India RegulationsAct) enacted during the FirstWorldWar,ostensibly tocontrolpublicunrestandrootoutconspiracy, thispieceof legislationeffectivelyauthorisedthegovernmenttoimprison,withouttrial,anypersonsuspectedofterrorist activities.Anything that smackedof revolutionary activities couldbepunished.TheRowlattActcausedwidespreadoutrageamongbothHindusandMuslimsandleadtothefirstsatyagrahaunderGandhi’sleadershipon6April1919.On10April,twoCongressleaderswerearrestedinAmritsar—SatyaPalandSaifuddinKitchlew—culminatingintheworstbloodbaththecountryhadyetknown:theJallianwalaBaghmassacrethreedayslater. By 1919, the pan-Islamic ferment had also reached a crescendo with theestablishmentoftheCentralKhilafatCommittee.GandhihadbeenconvincedbytheAlibrothersthattheCaliphatewasacausedearerthanlifetoIndianMuslimsandforthenextfouryears, theKhilafatMovement ragedacross India likea tornado,becoming the firstrevolutionary mass movement of Indian Muslims. The peasants who had givenwholeheartedsupporttotheNon-CooperationandKhilafatMovementshaddonesomoreout of a sense of impending freedom, a release from the yoke of crushing poverty andoppressionratherthananyrealunderstandingofthegeopoliticsofdistantTurkeyorevenanysenseofrealallegiance—spiritualorotherwise—toaremoteKhalifaorCaliph.

Several poets, lost in the veils of time and virtually unknown today, made importantinterventionsinlightofalltheaboveincidents.Thepoetrysectionofthisvolumecontainsasamplingofthesociallyconscious,politicallyawaremessageofthepoetsofthetimes.Notallofthemarewell-knowntoday,noristheirpoetryofahighcalibre;yet,fragmentsoftheirworkhavebeenincludedheresimplytoillustratethestrongyearningforfreedomintheUrdupoetryofthetimes.5SuroorJahanabadi(akaDurgaSahai)lamentedinapoemcalledKhak-e-Watan(TheDustoftheHomeland):

Onceyourflagofgreatnesswasflyinghigh

Nowthesignofyourgreatnessliesinthedust.

BrijNarainChakbast, inhispoemalso calledKhak-e-Watan, rued the fact thathubb-e-watan (love for the country) was no more, though khak-e-watan (dust of the country)remained the same. In an open letter toQueenVictoria, SajjadHussainKakorviwrotewith sarcasm about the Queen’s many advisors who were misguiding her. HashmiFaridabadi inChalBalkanChal urgedhis readers to go to theBalkans, if theyhad theslightestbitofghairat or self-respect left, for if theywere truemomin (believers), theymustgowheretheyaremostneeded.ZafarAliKhan,inMazaalim-e-Punjab(TheVictimsofPunjab),mockedtheexcessesoftheBritishandjestinglypraisedthedelightsofMartialLawandthebrutalityofmenlikeGeneralDwyer.InShola-e-Fanoos-e-Hind(TheSparkintheChandelierofHind),hewentontowishthatallthedropsofthemartyrs’bloodmay

beusedtodecoratethewallsofqasr-e-azadi (thefortoffreedom).EhsanDanish, inhisrousing anthemTarana-e-Jihad, urged fellowMuslims togo forth (Badhe chalo, badhechalo)usingtheparametersofreligion.Inaghazalwrittenin1917,andpublishedinal-Nizamiya,thejournalfromLucknow’sFirangiMahal,MohanimakesapassionateprotestagainsttheBritishcaptureofBaghdadinMarch1917:

Hasrat’srequesttotheShahofJilan6isthatIslamwishes

ThatthefateofBaghdadshouldnothavebeensodecided.

Eachsuccessivemilestoneaftertheperiodofourstudy,thatis,after1918—theRowlattAct, the first Non-Cooperation Movement, Jallianwalla Bagh, etc. — producedvoluminouspoetry,polemicsandposters.Themorevirulentoneswereproscribed,someofthembeingRowlattActkiAsliMansha(TheRealIntentoftheRowlattAct),asarcasticattack on British laws published in 1919;Waqia-e-Punjab (The Incident of Punjab), acollectionofpoetry,1920;andWatankaRaag(TheSongoftheHomeland),acollectionofpoemsonrevolutionarymartyrsin1932:

OLenin,Mazzini,WashingtonandNapoleon,comeandseethefutureofIndia’sheroes7

All these themesexpressedby thepoets andpublicistsof theagewere takenupby thegrowing numbers of newspapers, journals and prosewriters such asMehfoozAli,whowroteahumorouscolumninMohamedAli’sHamdard.AleAhmadSuroor,inanessayonhumourandsatirecommentingontheproliferationofnewspapersandjournalsduringtheperiod between the twowars, writes: ‘Q.A.Ghaffar, a journalist shaped by the BalkanWar, the First World War and the Khilafat and Non-Cooperation Movement, gave usNaqsh-i-Firang, a satirical account of the mission that failed. It is poor reportage butdelightfulwriting.’8Anumberofnewspaperswerelaunchedtovoicethesentimentsofthepeople,notablytheal-HilalfromCalcutta(1912–1915andagainin1927),ZamindarfromLahoreandComradefromDelhi.AgreatmanyofthemwereinUrdubecauseitwasthelinguafrancaandreadbyHindus,SikhsandMuslimsalike.ThatalsoexplainsthegreaterreferencestoUrdutextsinthiscollection.

Comingnowtothepoemschosenforthissection,thereisSarojiniNaidu’sjewel-likeTheGift of India. It talks with eloquence and passion of the many, many gifts India hasbequeathedtoBritain.Apartfromthe‘richgiftsofraimentorgrainorgold’shehasgivenher ‘priceless treasures’, her sonswhowentmarching to ‘the drum-beats of duty’whonow,alas, sleep in forgottengraves.Forall itsbeautyandelegant turnofphrase,whileNaidu’s is the voice of a loyal elitist that takes pride in the idea of India rising to theoccasionandhelpingitsbenignmasters,NomanishowsustheothersideofthecoininhiswrylymockingJang-eEuropeaurHindustani(TheWarinEuropeandIndians):

Consumedwithpride,aGermansaidtome:

‘Victoryisnoteasybutitisn’timpossibleeither

ThearmyofBritanniaislessthantenlakh

Andnotevenpreparedontopofthat

AsforFrance,theyareabunchofdrunks

Andnotevenfamiliarwiththeartofwarfare’

ThattheUrdupoetwasnotcontentwithmerehigh-flyingrhetoricandwasrooted—andaware—ofimmediatecontemporaryrealitiesbecomesevidentwhenChakbastinWatankaRaagdeclares:

It’sfutiletowishforthethorninsteadoftheflower

WeshallnotacceptevenparadiseinsteadofHomeRule

Similarly,Mohani, in a poem calledMontagu Reforms, is scathing about the so-calledreforms,whichweremerekaagazkephool(paperflowers)withnokhushboo(fragrance)evenfornamesake.ThepoemendedwithaferventpleathatthepeopleofHindshouldnotbe taken in by the sorcery of the reforms. JoshMalihabadi,who acquired hismonikershair-e-inquilabortherevolutionarypoetduringthisperiod,talkswithvimandvigourofthe revolution that is nigh, a revolution that will shake the foundations of the BritishEmpire.Theever-doubting,ever-satiricalvoiceofAkbarAllahabadi,along-timecriticofcolonialruleandanewadmirerofGandhi,showsusthegreatinescapablelinkbetweencommerceandEmpirethatTagoretoohasalludedto:

ThoughEuropehasgreatcapabilitytodowar

Greaterstillisherpowertodobusiness

Theycannotinstallacanoneverywhere

ButthesoapmadebyPearsiseverywhere

The great visionary poet Iqbal, who is at his most active, most powerful during theseyears,doesnotmakedirectreferencestoactualeventsinthewararena;nevertheless,heisaskingIndianstobecareful,toheedthesigns:

Worryforyourhomeland,Oinnocents,troubleisbrewing

Theportentsofdisasterawaitingyouarewrittenintheskies

Adoptingafakeadmiringtone,AhmaqPhaphoondviseemstobepraisingthesharpnessoftheBritishbrain inAngreziZehnkiTezi,while he’s actuallywarninghis readers of theperilsofbeingdividedwhiletheBritishlordoverthem.ZafarAliKhansoundsanearly,and as it turns out in the face of the British going back on their promise of self-governance, entirely premature bugle of freedom.While warning his fellow Indians tochangewiththechangingwindsthatareblowingacrossthecountryasthewardragstoan

end,he’salsopointingourattentiontotheToadies,adreadedwordforsubservientIndianswhowillgladlyacceptanycrumbsbywayofreforms:

SomecrumbshavefallenfromthetableofBritannia

OToadies,gocrawlingonyourbelliestopickthem

In the end, there’s Hashar Kashmiri who, in a sarcastic ode to Europe called ShukriyaEurope, thanks it for turning theworld intoamatamkhana (mourningchamber)and forhavingsuccessfullytransformedtheeastintoanexampleofhell.

Poets andprosewriters are known to react differently at different times to differenteventsintheworldaroundthem.Whiletherewasagreatfloweringofprosewritings—everything ranging from thenovel to the short story,memoir, reportageand journalisticwritings—on thePartition of 1947 in the four languagesmost affected by it (namely,Urdu,Hindi,PunjabiandBengali),therewasrelativelylittlepoetry.TheUrdupoetwas,infact, virtually silent compared to thevoluminousoutpourings inUrdu fiction.9 Indirectcontrast,Ifoundvastamountsofpoetryrangingfromimpeccablycraftedversesbymajorcontemporarypoetstounknownpoems(manyofwhichwereproscribedandarenowonlytobefoundincollectionsofbannedwritingsinarchives)byanonymouspoetsaswellastranchesoffolksongsinvariousdialectsontheGreatWar.Incomparison,thereisverylittleprosebyIndianwritersthatdealsdirectlyorevenindirectlywiththeFirstWorldWarinfictionormemoir.

TheGreatWarsawtheserviceofanestimated1.3millionIndians,ofwhom74,000nevermade it back home.10 For their families, the war was something they couldn’t quiteunderstand. It must be remembered that till 1914, there was only a nominal IndianpresenceinEurope,comprisingsome40,000–50,000AsiansailorsintheBritishmerchantnavy,ahandfulofservantssuchasthecookandmanFridayemployedbyQueenVictoria,asmatteringofstudentswhowentuptoelitistuniversitiesinOxfordandCambridgeortotaketheBar-at-Lawexams.11Itwasonlywiththeoutbreakofthewarin1914thatanewsortofIndianbegantocrosstheSuez,astensofthousandsofsoldiersarrivedtodefendFranceandBelgiumandpatrolthesandywastesofWestAsia—fromAugust1914withthefirstIndiansoldiersarrivinginMarseillestowardstheendofSeptember1914.Whiletherewere a smallnumberof educated Indians, suchasveterinarians andmedics andaminusculenumberofofficers (mostly fromcities suchasCalcutta,Poona,BombayandHyderabad),thevastmajorityofthoseservingintheimperialarmycamefromthepeasantclasses,withthelargestnumbersbeingfromPunjab.GiventheBritishtheoryofmartialraces thatheld certain races andcastes tobemorewar-like thanothers, thebulkof theIndianarmycamefromPunjab,Nepal,theNorth-WestFrontierandtheUnitedProvinces.They were semi-literate, and in many cases illiterate, poor and marginalised. Their

experiences, naturally, were very different from those who had hitherto travelled fromIndia.

At the beginning of the war, in response to an Indian ‘revolutionary’ distributing‘subversive’ literature, a Censors Office was set up under Captain E.B. Howell inBoulognetocensorIndianoutgoingaswellas incomingletters,bothfromthefrontandthehospitalsinEngland.Apartfromensuringnoinformationwasleakedouttotheenemy,the censor also gauged the morale of the Indian soldiers. Translated excerpts of thecensoredmailsintheIndiaOfficeRecords,housedattheBritishLibrary,areanimportantaccount of South Asian soldiers’ involvement in the war and document their fears,concernsandoftenharrowingexperiences.12TheydocumenthowIndiansoldiersandcivilpersonnelsawnotjustthetheatreofwarbutalsoBritain,FranceandpartsofWestAsia;thenotesfromthecensors,ontheotherhand,alsogiveaglimpseofthecolonialviewofthenativesrangingfromadmirationandsympathytosuspicion.13

For example, here’s a somewhat simplistic response from a wounded soldierrecuperating at York Place Hospital, written on 10 November 1915: ‘Government hasmadeexcellentarrangementsforthesickandwounded.Thereisnotroubleofanykind.Wepass our days in joyful easewhile government showers benefits upon us.WeblessGodcontinuouslyandprayforhisbounty.’

Another soldier, writing on 2 December 1915, offers the other side of the coin,especiallyinplaceslikeKitchener’sHospital,whereIndiansoldierswerenotpermittedtogo out for fear of racial intermingling and especially of sepoys coming in contactwithwhitewomen:‘Alas,wearenotfreetogoaboutatwill.Infact,weIndiansaretreatedlikeprisoners.Onallsidesthereisbarbed-wireandasentrystandsateachdoor.LeaveLondonoutofthequestion,wecannotevengettoseeNewMiltonproperly.IfIhadknownthatsuchastateofaffairswouldexist,Iwouldneverhavecome.Ifyouaskmethetruth,IcansaythatIhaveneverexperiencedsuchhardshipinallmylife.True,wearewellfedandaregivenplentyofclothing,buttheessentialthing—freedom—isdenied.ConvictsinIndiaaresenttoAndamanIslandsbutwehavefoundourconvictstationhereinEngland.’

On 14 January 1915, an Indian soldier serving in France gives this fairly accuratepictureof the truestateofaffairs tohisfather inhisnativeGarhwali:‘It isveryhardtoendurethebombs,Father.Itwillbedifficultforanyonetosurviveandcomebacksafeandsoundfromthewar.Thesonwhoisveryluckywillseehisfatherandmother,otherwisewhocando this?There isnoconfidenceof survival.Thebulletsandcannonballscomedownlikesnow.Themudisuptoaman’smiddle.Thedistancebetweenusandtheenemyisfiftypaces.SinceIhavebeenhere,theenemyhasremainedinhistrenchesandweinours.Neithersidehasadvancedatall.TheGermansareverycunning.Thenumbersthathavefallencannotbecounted.’

Here’sthefatherofawoundedsoldierwritingfromIndia,inUrdu,toaBritishofficer:‘Mysonhasgivenfullproofofhisloyalty.Hewentsixorseventimesintoaction.Now

hehasbeenwounded.Itrustthatyourhonourofyourkindnesswillhavehimsentbacktothedepot,sothathemaybewellrubbedwithoil&makehisappearanceinthemosque.Whenheiswell,hecanbesenttotraintherecruitsorsentonrecruitingduty,ifheisabletowalk. Imake this requestat the instanceofhismotherwhohasbeen illandhelplesssinceweheardofhiswound.’

How expensive everything was a common topic for letters. G.R. Chowam, at theKitchener IndianGeneralHospital inBrighton,notes that ‘[u]nlike India,nothingcheapcanbepurchasedhere’.AbdulSaid,aPunjabiMuslim,writingon1November1915tohis brother in Jammu, comments on howexpensive the newspaperswere.He attributesthistothefactthat‘everyonegreatandsmallreadsthepapers.Severalnewspaperscomeoutduringtheday’.Buthe’salsoimpressedbyEnglishshops,notinghowcleanandtidythebutchers’shopsareandhow‘everyshopkeepertriesespeciallytokeephisshopspickandspanandeverythingisinperfectorder’.

Khan Muhammad, 40th Pathans, Brighton Hospital,14 writing to Niyaz Ali 74thPunjabis, Hong Kong (Urdu, 17/05/1915) resorts to allusions: ‘And there is anexpenditure,toogreatforwords,inthiscountry,ofblackandredpepper(i.e.HindustaniandBritishtroops).Youarewiseandfortherestyouwillreplywithoutfailtothisletter.[…]Theblackpepper,whichhascomefromIndiahasallbeenusedup,andtocarryonwithIwill(i.e.,theywill)nowsendformoremen,otherwisetherewouldbeverylittleredpepperremaining,becausetheblackishardandthereisplentyofit.Andtheblackpepper(here)issomewhatlessthanthered,andthiswaterisnotrightwithoutblackpepper.Nowyoumustunderstand,andwhatyoucanseewiththeeye,iswritten;youmustmultiplyitallbyforty-five.’

Aware of censorship, a soldier would often use coded or euphemistic language. Inlettersbackhome,manyconveytheirshockatthelargenumberofcasualties,whichledthem,quite rightly, tobelieve that theywerebeingusedascannonfodder.TwoinfantrydivisionsoftheIndianCorps,underthecommandofSirJamesWillcocks,werevirtually‘fed’ into the fighting at Ypres in October–November 1914: ‘…suffering heavy lossesbefore being pulled out of the line to rest and reorganise. By early 1915, the Indianstrengthon theWesternfronthadbeenbuiltup tofourdivisions—twoof infantryandtwoofcavalry.TheIndianinfantryformedhalftheattackingforceattheBattleofNeuveChapelleon10-12March1915;theLahoreDivisionwasbadlymauledduringtheSecondBattleofYpresattheendofApril;andtheMeerutDivisionmadeadiversionaryattackatthe Battle of Loos in September. Towards the end of 1915, the two Indian infantrydivisionswerewithdrawnaccordingtosome(disputed)accountsbecauseofpoormoraleresulting from heavy losses and an uncongenial winter climate. They were sent toMesopotamia, where they took part in the unsuccessful attempts to relieve the British-IndiangarrisonbesiegedatKut-al-AmarabetweenJanuaryandApril1916,beforehelpingtocaptureBaghdadthefollowingyear.ThecavalrydivisionsstayedinFranceuntilMarch

1918, when theywerewithdrawn to take part in the forthcoming offensive against theTurksinPalestine.’15

ThefollowingtableshowsthetotalnumberofIndianswhoservedinallareasofthewarfrom1914to1918.

Countriessentto

CombatantsIndianofficersandwarrantofficers

CombatantsIndianotherranks

Non-combatants Total

France 1,911 82,974 47,611 132,496

EastAfrica 826 33,633 12,477 46,906

Mesopotamia 7,812 287,753 293,152 588,717

Egypt 1,889 94,596 19,674 1,16,159

Gallipoli 90 3,003 1,335 4,428

Salonika 31 3,643 1,264 4,938

Aden 343 15,655 4,245 20,243

PersianGulf 615 17,537 11,305 29,457

Total 13,517 538,794 391,003 943,344

Source:IndiaOfficeRecords:L/Mil/17/5/2383:IndianContributiontotheGreatWar,Calcutta,1923,pp96-97

WhilethetotalnumberofIndianshere(943,344)seemsdisputedbyothersources,16thereseems no disputing the courage of the Indian soldiers in the war arenas spread acrossEurope,theMediterraneanandtheMiddleEast.17SouthAsiansoldierswonmanyawardsforbravery,atotalof12,908,includingelevenVictoriaCrosses,withKhudadadKhanofthe 129th Duke of Connaught’s Own Baluchis being the first Indian to be awarded aVictoria Cross for his exemplary courage in the First Battle of Ypres.18 That thisunprecedented show of valour by Indian soldiers remains largely unsung andunrecognised,particularlyinIndia,isperplexing.WhileBritainhasfinallyacknowledgedtheextentoftheparticipationbyIndiansoldiersinarangeofpublicresponses—throughbooks,mediareports,photoexhibitions—beginningin2014whenthecentenaryoftheFirstWorldWarwasbeingobserved, the response in Indiahasbeen tardy.19 Itmustbenotedthatthecorpusofcontemporarywritingswas,inthefirstplace,slender.Notagreatdealwaswrittenthen;littlehasbeenaddedovertheyears.IsitbecauseformuchofIndiait was someone else’s war, one they neither understood nor cared for? Or, given theambiguityaboutIndia’sparticipationatatimeofrisingnationalistconsciousness,amnesiaseemsbetterthanremembering?

Thisvolume,then,isanattempttoredressanoldwrong.ItcontainswithinitspagesawidespectrumofvoicesandreflectsavarietyofattitudesamongIndiansofdifferenthues.While for the informed Indians, thewar brought vestiges of loyalty to the Empire into

directconflictwitha risingconsciousness for thegreatmassofpeasantry,enlistment inthearmywasduetoacombinationofreasons:asteadyincomewitheitherapensionoragrant of land for loyalty and courage, upwardmobilitywithin their own social class, achance to see theworld, a chance toget access tobetter food,moneyandclothes, and,occasionally,enforcedenlistmentcausedby falsenotionsof izzatorhonour.The Indianresponseto theFirstWorldWarwascomplexandvariegated.Thecollectionofwritingsherereflectsthatambiguity.

Beginning with a rejoinder to an editorial in the journal Shabujpatro, written inDecember 1914,we see theGreatWar in an unusual binary provided byRabindranathTagorewhoviewsitasabattlebetweensoldiersandmerchants.Usingthetropesof theIndiancaste systemand theKurukshetrawardescribed in the IndianepicMahabharata,thebardlinksEuropeanmercantileinterestswiththeexpansionoftheEmpireinAsiaandAfrica.‘Business,’hewrites,‘isnownolongertradeandcommerce:itisnowmarriedtotheEmpire.Once,themerchanthadownedmaterialthings,nowheownshumanbeings.The difference between then and now is apparent.Unlike the timeswhen the king andcountrywereone,theEmpirebuildersarenowtraderswhoindulgeinimportandexportinfarcornersoftheworld.’

ThissmorgasbordofwritingsmovesontoanextractfromAbdullahHussein’sseminalnovelTheWearyGenerations.AliterarymasterpieceinmodernUrdufiction,publishedin1963,itrecreatesthestoryofNaimandAzrafromstarklydifferentbackgroundsyokedinamarriagethatmirrorstheunionbetweentheBritishEmpireandthe‘jewelinitscrown’,namely India; an uneasy marriage that ends in estrangement. Enlisting with the 129thBaloch, Duke of Connaught’s Own, Ferozepur Brigade, Lahore Division, Naim travelsfromhissmallvillagebytraintoKarachiHarbourtoboardtheHMSWeighmouthtoAdenthenCairo, thence by train toAlexandria andupononce again embarkingon theHMSWeighmouth toMarseilles. ‘LesIndiens,’ the French say to one another, pointing to thedarksoldiers.Theextractchosenhere,comprisingallofChapterTenfromthenovel,isaluminousaccountofNaim’sexperiencesinBelgiumandFrance.Naimfightsthefirangi’swarinFrance,losesanarm,comesbackwithastumpbutalsoa‘DistinguishedConductMedal,anawardoftenacresoflandinhisvillage,apromotion-onretirementtoSubedarandanincreaseinhispension’.Allinall,thewarhasbeengoodtohimthoughithasalsoopenednewwaysofseeing,andbyextension,engagingwiththeworld.

Chandradhar SharmaGuleri’s short storyUsneKaha Tha (She Had Said) is in thenatureofaminiclassic.Writtenin1914andpublishedin1915inthejournalSaraswati,and often regarded as the first Hindi short story, it presents one of the earliest Indianresponses to theGreatWar through themediumof creativewriting.While seemingly asweetandgentlelovestory,itneverthelesstakesinever-populartropesoflove,sacrificeanddevotionandcontainsusefulreferencestotheWar:thecamaraderieamongtheIndiansepoys, subedars, naiks and other non-commissioned officers and their dynamics withtheirsuperiorEnglishofficers,thepresenceofmindandbraveryoftheIndiantroops,and

thebitterwet,coldconditionsinthetrenches.20

Literacy rates being low in India,we have few first-person accounts in the formofmemoirs or diaries.The account byLt-ColAzmatullahKhan,whobelonged to an eliteeducated family from the princely state of Hyderabad, presents a rarity. Apart fromaccurate andminute descriptions of places and events, alongwith exact dates (each ofwhich incidentally can be corroborated as is shown in my footnotes), this accounthighlightstheroleoftheprincelystatesinthewareffort.InAugust1914,whentheKing-Emperorsentamessagetothe‘PrincesandPeopleofMyIndianEmpire’,21theresponseswere enthusiastic bordering on slavish. Ruling almost one-third of India with varyingalliances and partnerships with the British Raj, the princes made extravagant offers ofmoney, troops, labourers, hospitals, ships, ambulances,motorcars, flotillas, horses, foodand clothes. The Imperial Service troops of all the twenty-seven states in India wereplaced at the disposal of the Viceroy. Invoking a tradition of a long history of familyallianceswith theEmpire, theNizamofHyderabaddeclared in a speech: ‘In 1887,myrevered father offered toHer ImperialMajesty,QueenVictoria, the sum ofRs 60 lakhwhendangermerelythreatenedthebordersoftheIndianempire.IshouldbeuntruealiketothepromptingsofmyownheartandtothetraditionsofmyhouseifIofferedlesstoHisImperialMajesty, KingGeorgeV, in this just andmomentouswar.’22 As Lt-Col Khannotes,‘NawabSalarJungBahadurofHyderabadStatedonatedasumofRs60lakhforthe20thDeccanHorseandHyderabadImperialServiceTroopstowardsexpensesinthewareffort. The 20th Deccan Horse was especially singled out for this honour because thisregimenthashadalongassociationwiththeHyderabadContingentandHisHighnesswasanHonoraryColonelinthisregiment.’TherestofthememoirisafaithfulrecordoftheactionseenbytheImperialServiceTroopsintheMiddleEast.

Thewarmachineryneededallsortsofpeople,besidesofficersandsoldiers;knownasfollowers, they provided a variety of services as washermen, drivers, animal-keepers,veterinarians, saddlers, cobblers, cooks, clerks and storekeepers both at the base campsand the fronts. Regrettably, we have precious little by way of testimony from theseassorted service providers. A most remarkable piece of writing is Bondhon Hara(Unfettered) by the legendary Bengali poet Kazi Nazrul Islam who joined the BritishArmy as an eighteen-year old lad in 191723 and was posted at the Karachi Harbour.ComingfromthedistantBardhmandistrictinBengal,crossingthebreadthoftheIndiansubcontinent, he is struck by the sights and sounds ofKarachiwhere everything seemsnewanddifferent,eventhecolouroftheskiesandtherainwhenitfallsontheearth,aswellashisexperiencesintheharbourcityduringwartime.Henarratestheseexperiencesin the form of letters back home to his friend and sister-in-law. A lesser-known workamong Nazrul Islam’s vast corpus of songs, this epistolary novel, originally written inBengali, is an excellent example of the subaltern response to thewar and how thewarexperience was subsumed into a larger coming-of-age experience for the very youngenlistedmen.Nurul,theyoungprotagonist,talksofcrossingtheArabianSeaandjumping

into the fires of Mesopotamia. He expresses the angst and bewilderment of an entiregenerationofyoungrecruitswhoareperplexedbytheirragingemotionsatthethoughtofthe horrors and violence awaiting them: ‘I feel like beheading all human beings anddrinking theirblood.Maybe thatwillslakemyinsatiableblood lust.Why,ohwhy,doIhavesucharageagainstallhumanity?Whathavehumanbeingsdonetome?Ijustcan’tsay.If theyarenotmyenemies,whydoIhavethisburningdesire todrinktheirblood?Howstrange,whentheslightestgriefoftheseverypeoplecausesmyhearttocryoutinpainlikeaparcheddesert.Whydoessuchrageresideinmyheart?Alas,nooneknows.Thismadnesshasnorighttoexist.Youwillnotunderstandthispain,BhabiSaheba,youwillnotunderstandthehustleandbustle,therestlessness.’

No mention of the Indian response to the First World War is complete without areference to theKhilafatMovement spearheadedbyMaulanaMohamedAli Jauhar thatemergedasadirectconsequenceofBritain’smisadventuresintheMiddleEast.Jailedin15 May 1915 for writing a ‘seditious’ article titled ‘The Choice of the Turks’, thecharismaticmaulanasatoutthewarinprisonfromwherehekeptchurningoutaseriesofrousing poems and articles. As a result, the words Gandhi, Khilafat and Swaraj, andMohamedAli became ‘words that conjured up in theminds of the people a picture ofbringingaboutabetterworldunderthedirectionofbetterleaders’.24TheextractsfromhisautobiographyincludedhererevealtheimpactofinternationalpoliticsonIndianMuslims,the spread of what Ali deemed Nai Raushni (New Light), and the Indian response toEurope’stemporalaggression.

Possiblythefirstfull-lengthnovelwrittenbyanIndianontheFirstWorldWarintheyearsbetweenthetwowarsisMulkRajAnand’sAcrosstheBlackWaters.25Sufficientlyclose in time, it reads virtually as an eyewitness account being the story of Lalu,dispossessed from his land, going off to an alien land to fight a war he has littlecomprehensionof.Theextracthere, fromChapterTwo, talksofLalu’s first interactionswiththeFrenchpeople,howhe’stakenabackbytheirkindnessandgratitudeforsavingtheir country, how he can’t get over the mem who offers him fruit and milk, hisexperiencesataFrenchbrothelandabar(bothequallybewildering),hisreactionatseeingmenandwomeninteractingfreely,thebreakingofcastetaboosinthecampkitchens,theeasyminglingbetweensepoysofdifferentreligions,castesandethnicities,hisadmirationfor French cities and villages alike, andmost of all, how different Frenchwomen seemcompared to Englishwomen in India who were condescending and disdainful of anycontactwithIndianmen.

Oralliteratureplayedanimportantpartinrecountingthevalourandsacrificeoffallensoldiers, in rustling support for battles in distant lands and primarily enlistingmen andsourcingmaterials.Speciallycommissionedsongs,26written for thepurposeof drawingthe youth, were often relied upon to reach the nooks and crannies of the popularimaginationsuchasthissongusedbyenlistersinruralPunjab:

Therecruitsareatyourdoorstep.

Hereyoueatdriedroti

Thereyou’lleatfruit

Hereyouareintatters

Thereyou’llwearasuit

Hereyouwearwornoutshoes

Thereyou’llwearboot(s)

Then, there was an alternative tradition of verses and songs, partly formed in reactionagainstmenbeingcalledawaytowar,nevertoreturn.Insomeofthepoems,therewasnotjustlamentandmourningbutalsoapowerfulcritiqueofthewar:

Holibroughtyouthintheoldage,MrSethisplayingHoliwithMrsSeth

Whyshouldthenephewnotbeshocked,seeingUncleplayHoliwithAunty!

SpringsofbloodareflowinginEurope,inwhatnewcolourshavearrivedtheoldHoli.

And:

Germanyhasbeengoingonwithitschaaeinchaeeinforfouryears

Crowsareteasinglionswithkaeeinkaeein

Wearefacinginflationinthemarketwheretradingisslow

SuchwindisblowingfromtheWestwithsaaeinsaaein

WhileaseparatesectionofthisvolumelooksattheprotestpoetryinUrduthatemergedfromthewar,intheprosesectionwehavetwoessaysthatdealwithwarpoetryinPunjabi.Raman Singh Chhina draws our attention to a nearly forgotten genre of poetry, thejangnama— or poems about war. A tradition that began in the sixteenth century andthroughaseriesofwarsfoughtundertheBritish—namelytheAnglo-AfghanandAnglo-Egyptian wars and the Boxer Rebellion in China — yielded a rich corpus of versechronicles.IttookaloyalBritishsoldier,HavildarNandSingh,towriteJangnamaEuropedepicting the sequence of events starting from the assassination of the Shehzada (theprince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire) to the German invasion of Belgium, the‘compassion’oftheBritishgovernmentincomingtotheaidofFranceandBelgiumintheface of the ‘arrogance’ of Germany studded with local references to native wars andheroes. Redolent with the pluralism and syncretism of undivided Punjab, JangnamaEuropeisbothrefreshingandinvigoratingdespitethegrimnessofitssubject.

Amarjit Chandan’s research shows that an apparent amnesia around India’sinvolvementintheFirstWorldWaramongIndiansdoesnotmeanalackoranabsence;sometimesa subterranean streamofmemoryneeds tobe tapped.Onceunearthed,qissa

kahanis,oralnarratives,folksongsanddittiesrecoverbitsandpiecesofaforgottenpastand retrieve lost voices. Stories of enlistments, both forced andvoluntary, provide vitalclues about social forces and dynamics that are overlooked by historians and creativewritersalike.ChandannotonlyrecordstheimmensecontributionofPunjabis—Hindus,SikhsandMuslims—butalsotheeffectofthislarge-scaleinvolvement.WhiletherearehardlyanyfolksongsonthePartitionof1947inPunjabi(such,possibly,isthelingeringguilt and trauma), there is a rich crop of folk songs on the two World Wars: onbereavementandmourningforthedead,thebirahaorseparationofthewomenfromtheirmen,theadmirationandmockingofenlistmentstrategies,andsoon.

Takentogether,thevarioussegmentsinthisvolumeshowthattheIndianresponsetotheGreatWarwasnotuniform,monolithicorunvariegated.Thedirectexperienceofwelloveramillionmenandtheindirectexperiencesofcountlessothersdeservestobestudiedboth individuallyandas thesumof theirparts. It ishopedthatastudysuchas thiswillspurgreaterinterestinthishithertoneglectedaspectofthehistoryoftheIndianpeoples.

RakhshandaJalil

NewDelhi

September2018

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JawaharlalNehru,AnAutobiography,London,JohnLane,1936,p.16.

TilakformedtheHomeRuleLeaguein1916toattainthegoalofSwaraj.Hisslogan,‘SwarajismybirthrightandIshallhaveit’,inspiredmillionsofIndians.He,alongwithBipinChandraPalfromBengalandLalaLajpatRaifromPunjab,formedthecoregroupofextremistswithintheCongresswhocalledforradicalaction,especiallyaftertheBritishhadplayedthecommunalcardinthePartitionofBengal.ThetriowascalledtheLal-Bal-Paltriumvirate.

The British had promised reforms and greater Indian participation in systems of governance as well as greaterMuslimrepresentation.Theydidindeedintroducethemuch-awaitedreforms.However,iftheMontagu-ChelmsfordReformsof1919wereabenignformofthesepre-Warpromises,theRowlattActpassedinthesameyearshowedtheuglysideofBritishruleinIndia.

Fordetails,readKhizarHumayunAnsari,TheEmergenceofSocialistThoughtAmongNorthIndianMuslims(1917-1947),BookTraders,Lahore,1990.

Culled from a variety of sources such asUrduMeinQaumi ShaeriKe Sau Saal andNawaiAzadi, compiled byAbdurRazzaqQureshi,andHindustanHamara,editedbyJanNisarAkhtar.OthersuchcompilationsincludeAzadiKiNazmeinbySibteHasanandaselectionofproscribedpoemscalledZabtShudahNazmen.Manywerewrittenbywriterswhohadtogoundergroundtoevadethecolonialgovernment.Alltranslationsinthissectionaremineexcept,ofcourse,forthefirstpoembySarojiniNaidu,whichwaswritteninEnglish.Imustconfessmyinabilitytoaccessanypoemsfromotherlanguages,especiallyfromBengali.Ihave,however,includedtwoessaysthatdealexclusivelywiththePunjabipoetrywrittendirectlyontheFirstWorldWar.

TheShahofJilanreferstothegreatSufimasterAbdulQadirJilani,whoseshrineisinBaghdadandwhoisregardedasthefounderoftheQadiriyahsilsilahorchainofSufis.

These,andmanyotherexamplesofproscribedpoetry in theyears leadingup to Independence,canbe read inN.Gerald Barrier,Banned: Controversial Literature and Political Control in British India 1907-1947, New Delhi:Manohar,1978.

IndianWriters inConference:TheSixthPENAllIndiaWriters’Conference,Mysore,editedbyNissimEzekiel,p.212.

RakhshandaJalil,TheAbsentPresence:ThePartitioninModernUrduPoetryinLookingBack:The1947Partitionof India70YearsOn, editedbyRakhshanda Jalil,TarunK.Saint andDebjaniSengupta,OrientBlackswan,NewDelhi,2017,pp.114–138.

The online page, Indian Soldiers inWorldWars of the British Library, says: ‘During the FirstWorldWar, over130,000IndiansoldiersservedinFrance.TheirmajormilitarycontributionontheWesternFronttookplaceinthefirstyearoftheWar.Attheendof1915,themajorityofinfantrybrigadeswerewithdrawnandsenttotheMiddleEast.Asmallnumberofcavalrybrigades(whofoughtasinfantry)remainedinFranceforthedurationofthewar,andwerelatersupplementedbyaLabourCorps.’

DavidOmissi,‘EuropethroughIndianEyes:IndianSoldiersEncounterEnglandandFrance,’TheEnglishHistoricalReview,Vol.122,No.496(April2007):371–396.

Regrettably,thelettersthemselveshavenotsurvivedtheravagesoftimeandcircumstance;weonlyhaveaccesstotranslatedexcerptsfromthecensor’sreports.Theoriginals,wecanonlyassume,werewritteninpoorHindiorUrdu,eitherbythesoldiersthemselvesorbyfriendswhoweremoreadept.

AllexcerptsarefromthefilesoftheCensorofIndianMails[IOR:L/MIL/5/828]availableonline.

Anestimated14,514woundedmenweretransportedtoBritishhospitals, initiallyinSouthampton;later theRoyalPavilion andDomeatBrightonwas converted into a hospitalwith 722beds as the first Indianpatients began toarrive byDecember 1914. TheBrightonWorkhousewas converted intoKitchener’s IndianHospital in February1915andathirdhospitalinthecitywasconvertedfromschoolsinYorkPlaceandPelhamStreet.ThekitchensatthesehospitalsdidnotserveporkandbeefandseparateareasweresetasideforMuslims,SikhsandHindustopray.

Omissi,‘EuropeThroughIndianEyes,’p.374.

AreportinTheGuardianputsthenumberto1.27million.https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/feb/21/found-translation-indias-first-world-war

Novels and books have celebrated the roles and sacrifices ofAustralians,NewZealanders,Canadians andSouthAfricans,especiallyinGallipoli.

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A victory parade was taken out by the Indian contingent through the streets of London in July 1919 as anacknowledgementofthevitalroleoftheIndianArmedForcesduringthewar.ThecontingentconsistedofaBritishdetachmentofelevenofficersand270men,anIndianArmydetachmentoftwenty-sevenBritishofficers,465Indianofficersand985Indianotherranks,andthirty-fourImperialServicetroopsoftheIndianNativeStates.

TheGreatWarliterallybledIndiadry.Apartfromthesoldiers,India’scontributionrangedfromminerals(iron,micaand manganese), military hardware and transport equipment to grains, cotton, jute, wool and hide to 185,000animals, including horses, camels and mules. The statute governing India’s relationship to Great Britain wasamendedsothatIndiacould‘shareintheheavyfinancialburden’.Therewasafreelumpsumgiftof100millionpoundstoHisMajesty’sgovernmentasa‘specialcontribution’byIndiatowardsexpensesofwar,whichwaspartlyraisedthroughwarbonds;andinthefiveyearsending1918–1919,itstotalnetmilitaryexpenditure,excludingthespecial contribution and costs of special services, amounted to a whopping 121.5 million pounds.https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/responses_to_the_war_india

AHindifilmwasmadeonitin1960,producedbyBimalRoystarringSunilDuttandNanda.

https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/responses_to_the_war_india

M.B.L.Bhargava,India’sServicesintheWar,Allahabad,1919,p.51.

Joiningasasepoy,hewaseventuallypromotedtolance-naikduringhisthree-yearstintinthearmy.

MohamedAli,MyLife:AFragment,editedbyMushirulHasan,Manohar,Delhi,1999,p.22.

Othernovels,suchasJohnMaster’sTheRaviLancers,showtheIndianpresenceinthewararenasfromtheBritishpointofview.Across theBlackWaters is remarkablebecause it seems tobe theonlynovelwrittenby an Indianshowingthesubalternviewofthewar.

Aggressive recruitment also led to resistance fromwives,mothers and daughters.Womenwould sometimes trailtheir freshly recruitedmen formiles, trying towin themback. In the playBengalPlatoon, themother of a newrecruitcursesthe‘red-facedmonkeys’,thatis,theBritishrecruiterforstealingherson.

Prose

TheRootsofWar1RabindranathTagore

TheNovemberissueofSabujPatracarrieda ripebunchofargumentsby itseditor: thewordswerebothfullofsubstanceandjuice.Thereisnothingonecansaymorethanthat;therefore,Iamemboldenedtowriteafewthingsdown.

Theeditorhas explained succinctly that thepresentwar is abattlebetween soldiersandmerchants, between Kshatriyas and Vaishyas.2 In society, the warriors had alwaysheldaninnatecontemptforthosewhoearnedtheirlivelihoodsfromtradeandcommerce:the Kshatriyas had never tolerated the power of the traders, the Vaishyas. ThereforeGermany,intheprideofitsmartialpast,hascontemptuouslybegunthiswar.

Among the four varnas that exist in Europe, theBrahmins or priests have long lefttheirlivelihoodsandtakenabackseat.DuringEurope’sinfancy,theChristianChurchhadbeenaformidableteacher,sittingatahighplacewithacaneinhand,layingdownthelaw.Itisnowreducedtoloiteratthedoorstepofitsadultpupil:withoutacane,bereftofahighplaceandfedafewmorselsowingtoitspastglories.Nowithastofolloweverycommandof itspupil.Therefore, theChurchhasneverreprimandedEuropeinall itswrongdoingscommittedthroughwars,orinthecourseofitsrelationshiptootherraces;instead,ithastemperedthedishbychoicestreligiousdoctrinesandenhanceditstaste.

On the other hand, the sword of the soldierwasmelted down tomake the plough;therefore,thesoldiersarenowsittingidle,waxingtheirmoustachesandlookingafterthewarehouses of the merchants. The Vaishyas or the merchants, in turn, began to wieldpowerandprestige.Thetwoadversariesarecurrentlyengagedinwar:theKshatriyasareupagainsttheVaishyas.

IntheDwaparage,3theploughmanBalaramdidnotjointheKurukshetra4war,butinKaliyuga,assoonashisstockofwinehasbeentouched,heisreadytofight.Now,inthisKurukshetrawar, themainprotagonist isnotKrishna, it isBalaram.Hehasno taste forblood: all this while hewas drinking and enjoying his alcohol-induced torpor, but thissuddenonslaughtmaybreakhisdreamystate,thoughthereisstillhopehemaygobacktohispast-times.

After this, another war is getting ready to be waged: between the trader and theworker,betweenthelabourerandthemerchant.Preparationsareafootforthatwaranditwillusherinanothernewage;aworldofdeprivationandfamine.

Atpresent, thewar isonbetween the soldier and themerchant, and thequestion is,whatareitsrootcauses?Inancienthistory,wesawthatthemercantileclasshadalwaysbeenprotectedandpanderedtobythemonarch,sometimesevenattackedandinsulted,but

they did not get down to fight anyone. In those days, wealth and prestige were keptseparate,so traderswereneverseenas importantpeople;rather, theywerelookeddownupon.That isbecausetheworthofhumanscannotbejudgedwiththings, itcanonlybejudged through human ties. As long as the Kshatriyas remained powerful and themerchants rich, they left each other alone. At that point of time, the antagonism wasbetween the Brahmins and the Kshatriyas because the Brahmins were not simplyinterested in prayer and worship, scholarship and learning, they had extended masteryoverpeople.So,thepowerfulBrahminandthedominantsoldierjostledagainsteachotherforauthority.InEurope,thequarrelsbetweenmonarchsandpopeswerelongandfulsome.

Tradeisbasedongiveandtake:thebuyerandthesellerbothtrytoseeeachother’spointofview.Mastery is just itsoppositebecauseonlyone ispowerful.One side rulesovertheother,andthemaster-slaverelationshipisunequal.Masteryweighsaloadanditcreatesobstaclesinthefreedomofhumanrelationships.Therefore,thedesiretodominateistherootofallthewarsthathavebeenfought,bigorsmall.Ifwecannotthrowawayaburden,thenweatleasttrytoresistit.Themenwhocarrythepalanquinchangeshouldersfromtimetotimeastheycarryitsweight.Humansocietytootriestoshifttheweightofthis burden of dominance because it creates pressure from outside. The burden is deadweight,soman’sinnatehumanitytriestogatherstrengthtothrowitofforatleastshiftitaround.

Meanwhile,thebattleformasteryovermenwaslimitedamongsttheBrahminandtheKshatriya:themerchantswerebusywithtradeanddidnotbotherwiththem.Butrecently,theworldisseeingtheestablishmentofthekingdomoftheVaishyas.Businessisnownolonger trade and commerce, it is nowmarried to the Empire. Once, the merchant hadownedmaterialthings,nowheownshumanbeings.Thedifferencebetweenthenandnowisapparent.Unlikethetimeswhenthekingandcountrywereone,theempirebuildersarenowtraderswhoindulgeinimportandexportinfarcornersoftheworld.Inworldhistory,thishasusheredinacompletelynewera:thedominanceofonecountryoveranother,evenwhentheyresideontwooppositecornersoftheocean.

Theworldhadneverseenmasteryonsuchagiganticscale.Europe’sfieldofconquestisAsiaandAfrica.

TheproblembeganwithGermany.He is late toawaken;hurrying to thebanquethefinds nothing save a few bones. Yet he is hungry, for he has smelt the richness of theleftovers.Heisfuriousatbeingdeprived.Heissaying,‘Nevermind,youdidnotsendmean invitation. I will now forcefully take what is my share.’ Hunger-crazed Germanybelieves there are just two kinds of people: the master and the slave. The master willsnatch,theslavewillprovide.Thepowerfulwilldrivethechariotandtheweakwillmakeway.WhenGermanyannouncedthistheoryatlarge,Europedidnotunderstanditsbitterreality.Nowitdoes.ButthisnotionthatGermany’slearnedmenhassentouttotheworldandthathasmadethecountryintoxicatedenoughtofightanunjustwardoesnotoriginate

onlyintheGermanmind.TherootofthatistobefoundinthecurrenthistoryofEuropeancivilisation.

TranslatedfromBengalibyDebjaniSengupta

WritteninDecember1914,asarejoindertoaneditorialinthejournalSabujPatra(editedbyPramathaChaudhuri),Tagore framesascathingcritiqueof theFirstWorldWar thatheseesasabattlebetweensoldiersandmerchants,between Kshatriyas and Vaishyas. Theorising through the tropes of the Indian caste system and Mahabharata’sKurukshetra war, he links European mercantile interests with the expansion of the Empire in Asia and Africa.Written in his usual expansive prose style, Tagore’s unceremonious connection between commerce and war ispossiblythefirstofsuchtheorisationsinthepoliticalhistoryoftheEmpirethatoriginatesfromAsia.ThepiecewasgiventhetitleLoraiyerMoolbyTagore.(Translator’sNote)

ThetermsbelongtothevarnasystemofdividingHindusocietyintofourgroups:Brahmin(thepriests),Kshatriya(thesoldiers),Vaishya(themerchants)andShudra(themenialworkers).

Hindumythologydenotesfouryugasorages theworldgoes through:Satya,Treta,DwaparandKali.Kaliyuga ischaracterisedbydiscordandwar.AccordingtoPuranicsources,LordKrishna’sdeathmarkedtheendoftheDwaparageandthestartofKaliyuga.

FoughtbetweentheKauravasandthePandavas,thewaristheultimateexampleoffratricideandbloodshedintheepicMahabharata. LordKrishna helped the Pandavas towin thewarwhileBalaram, his elder brother, remainedneutral.Balaramisassociatedwiththeploughandfarming.

TheWearyGenerations1AbdullahHussein

TheyfoughtoninBelgiumandFranceforayear.InthemonthofJuly,theregimentwaspulledoutandorderedtogotoEastAfrica.TheyspentafewdaysinMarseillewheretheyweretoboardship.

Ithadbeenasunny,warmdayandNaimhadbeenoutstrollingalongthecitystreets,whichwerecrowdedwithmen,womenandchildren.Ahorse-cart,loadedwithbasketsofvegetables,passed.Afewyardsahead,thehorse’shoovesslippedontheroadsurfaceandit fell awkwardlywith its legs spread out in all four directions. People gathered on theroadside,womenutteringsmall,briefcriesofpityandhorror.Thefarmerandhishelper,putting the strength of their backs behind it, first helped up the horse and then startedpickingupspilledheadsofcabbage,parsnipsandothervegetablesfromtheroad.Somemore people gathered on the other side. Suddenly, Naim saw a figure in the crowd,walkingaway.Hewasaheavy-setmaninacrumpledarmyuniform.Therewassomethinginthewayhewalkedandthelineofhisshouldersthatwasrecognisable.Naimcaughtupwithhim.Themanturnedround.

‘Mahindroo!’Naimcriedinsurprise.

‘Neem!’MahinderSinghanswered.

Theygrabbedoneanother’shandsandkeptpressingandshakingthemforminutesonendwithout saying another word, their eyes twinklingwith oldwarmth. Finally, Naimlaughedandsaidtohim,‘Youarealive!Anddirty.Great!’

MahinderSinghlaughed.‘Iamgoingtohaveabathtoday.’

‘Good.Thenyouwillbealiveandclean.’

‘Whatareyoudoinghere?’MahinderSinghasked.

‘WearegoingtoAfrica.Iaminthe129thBaloch.Amachine-gunner.Andyou?’

‘No.9,HudonHorse,AmbalaBrigade.’

‘Haveyoubeenfighting?’

‘Yes.’

‘Where?’

MahinderSinghpointedinanindefinitedirectionwithhishand.‘There.’

‘Againstwhom?’

‘Turks–Germans,’MahinderSinghsaidvaguely,asifhewasnotsurewhotheywere.

‘Areyouallright?’Naimasked.

‘Yes.You?’

‘Igotabullet.Butonlyintheflesh.Healedquickly.’

Theywalkedoninsilence.

‘Youwanttogoandeatsomethingsomewhere?’Naimaskedhim.

‘Er, no, I am going back to my unit. Come, there is a place where we can talk,’MahinderSinghsaid.

Walking alongside one another, they left the neighbourhood. People, especiallychildren,stoppedtogapeatthissoldierwithabeardandaturbanwrappedroundhishead.Thetwoofthementeredavastcemetery.Concrete-slabgraveswithheadstonesspreadoutfromnarrowredstonepathways,oneithersideofwhichstoodtendedfruittrees.LookingatMahinderSinghoutof thecornersofhis eyes,Naimnoticed that theyoungSikhnolongerhadtheagilityinhislimbs;hehadgrownfatandmovedponderously,likeanoldbull—somethingunlikelytohappentoasoldierinthemidstofwar.

‘Anynews?’Naimasked.

‘Therewerefloods.’

‘Somebodytoldyou?’

‘Ramzan.’

‘Thecobbler?Hewasn’twithus.’

‘No,hewasawaywhenweweretaken.Hewascaughtsixmonthslater.’

‘Wheredidyoumeethim?’

‘Hewassenttoourregiment.’

‘Whatelsedidhesay?’

‘It came non-stop for four days after we left. Crops washed away. Many housescollapsed under the rains. Ramzan’s too. After the floods foot-and-mouth spread andkilledmany cattle.But our two best bullswere sold to Juginder in good time,ChaudriNiazBegalsosoldmostofhisanimalsbeforethediseasecame,soyou’llbeallright.’Badthough the newswas,Mahinder Singh perked up as he spoke toNaim of their homes.‘AfterwecameawaymanyRoshanPurgirlsranoffwithboysfromJatNagarwhohadhiddenandescapedbeing taken, Ishtamalwasdoneby the landdepartment.Ourbarleyfieldby thepondwasexchangedwithoneofyoursby thegraveyard.Our field isgoodsoil,youhavenothingtoworryabout.Everyone’shandisinoneplacenow,whatmoredowewant?Goodforanimalstoo,theydon’thavetogofromonefieldtotheother…’

Inthegrowingdarkofevening,theyweretheonlytwoleftinthesprawlingcemetery.

Muchoftheirtalkhadbeenexhaustedinthefirsthalf-hour.Stillreluctanttopart,walkingupanddown thepaths in silence likeghosts fromanother timeandanotherplace,onlyoccasionally breaking the quiet of the place with a word from Naim or a grunt fromMahinderSingh,theykeptrepeatedlylookingatoneanotherwithoutwords.Asthelightofthedaydied,NaimstoppedandputhishandonMahinderSingh’sshoulder.

‘Mahindroo,areyouwell?’

Afterapause,MahinderSinghsaidsoftly,‘Iamwell.Onlytired.Muchtootired.’

‘Ofthewar?’

MahinderSinghshrugged.

‘Ididn’tthinkwarwoulddoyouanyharm,’Naimsaid,laughing.‘Rememberbackinthevillage?Youcouldkillwithoutblinkinganeye.’

MahinderSinghleftthepathandwenttositontheraisedslabofagrave.‘Thatwasdifferent,’hesaidafterafewlongminutes.‘Toavengethebloodofoneofyourown,evenaratcankill.Herewedon’tevenknowthepeople.Itislikekillingapig,orajackalinthejungle.’

‘Well,’Naimsaid,‘thatiswhatwaris.’

Althoughsupportinghisweightonhandsplacedoneither sideofhimon the stone,MahinderSinghlookedslumped,hisbackintheshapeofabow,hisshouldersfallen,asifhisbodyhadtakenonadifferentform.

‘Tellme,’MahinderSinghaskedsuddenly,‘whyarewehere?’

‘Becauseofthewar,’Naimsaid.‘Theenemyhasattacked.’

‘What,attackedourvillage?’

‘AttackedtheBritishSarkarandtheirfriends.’

‘Whatisittous?’

‘Theyareourmasters.’

‘OurmasterinRoshanAgha,’MahinderSinghsaidsimply.

‘Yes,andtheEnglishSarkarisRoshanAgha’smaster.’

AbriefhollowsoundemergedfromMahinderSingh’smouth.‘Howmanymastersdowehave?’

Naimlaughed.‘Well,it’sjustthewayitis.’

MahinderSinghgotupponderously,asifmakinganefforttocarrytheweightofhisclothes. ‘I like thisplace,’he said,gesturing towards thegraves. ‘Heregoodpeopleareburied.Withnames.’

Naim didn’t knowwhat to say to awakenwithinMahinder Singh the old friend heoncehad.Cheerilyhepressedon,‘Anddates.’

‘Yes,’saidMahinderSingh.‘Somewiththenamesoftheirfathersandmotherstoo.’

Naimlaughedagain.‘But,Mahindroo,youcan’tevenread.’

‘ButIknow.Onthestonesarenamesanddates.’

Hethumpedhissides,as ifdustinghisclothes,althoughtherewasnodust.Thenheofferedhishand toNaim.Naimgrasped it inbothhandsandkept squeezing it, as if toreachtheinnerplacesoftheman.

‘Iwillseeyoulater,’MahinderSinghsaid,freeinghishand.

‘Yes,yes.Whenallthisisover.OncewearebackinthevillagewewillsnatchallthegirlsfromJatNagar’sscoundrels,won’twe?’

Afteralongmoment,duringwhichMahinderSinghlookedaroundatthegravesandtheirheadstones,whichhadlosttheircontoursinthedark,hesaid,‘Yes.’Withoutanotherwordhewalkedaway,quicklydisappearingfromview,leavingNaimstandingtherewithvisionsofhisvillageandthetwoofthemastheyhadbeen,inpastseasonssofarbackthatit was hard even to recall them, although therewas nomore than a year-and-a-half inbetween.Inthattimetheyhadseenthefaceofawartheydidnotunderstand.

AfricaMaking their way through six-foot-high grass with the help of bayoneted rifles, theyemerged on the bank of a lake that divided the jungle into two halves. The sun wasreflectedlikeaconflagrationonthewatersofthelake.

‘Bahoh!’exhaledLanceNaikSajan,pressingapieceofclothon tohis face,whichwascoveredwithfinecutsthatoozedtinydropsofblood.‘Sharpasswordsitis,andtheycallitbloodygrass.’

Naim,screwinguphiseyestoscanthejungleontheoppositebank,suddenlyfelthisfeetsinkingintotheearth.Helookeddowninhorror.

‘Retreat,’heshouted.

The soldier jumped, fell, leaped in panic and pulled themselves out of the shiftingearth,withdrawingquicklyintothegrass.

‘Swamp,’NaimtoldSajan.

Sajanswore.‘Strangecountry.Mybloodhasturnedblack,look.’

‘Everythinglooksblackintheshade.’

‘No,no,Iamtellingyou.Itisthemosquitoes.Youknow,Ihavecrushedamosquitoand itsbloodwasblack,’hesaid,utteringaforced,hollowlaughpeculiar tomenin the

battlefield.

They had been camping in this part ofAfrica, undergoing exercises to ‘familiarise’themselveswiththeAfricanwaringrasslandandsmalldenseforests,wheretherulewas‘fire first and apologise afterwards’. In this land of swamps, they lived among largemosquitoesthatoutnumberedthembyamilliontoone.Thereweredeathsfrommalaria.Theconditionofthewhitetroopswasworse,becausetheyfellvictimnotjusttomalariabut to diarrhoea and skin diseases as well.Many died without firing a shot. The only‘healthy’troopsontheirsideweretheAfricanbattalionswho,althoughreputedtobepoorfighters,werenotintheleastaffectedbytheelements.Acrossthelake,intheotherpartofthejungle,wastheenemy.Therehadbeennoengagementsofar.Allnightlongthemenstayedhalf-awake,fightingthebee-sizedmosquitoes.Oneoftheirmendiedofsnake-bite.Whenadeathoccurredamongtheranks,themenoftheplatoonstayedup,rememberingthedeadandkillingmosquitoes,which theyconsidered their firstopponents in thewar,moredeadlythantheenemysoldiersbecausetheywerealwaysthereandattacking.

‘Suchauselessdeath,’LanceNaikSajan said toNaimas they sat around, tiredbutsleepless.‘Imeananinsectthatyoucaneasilykillsneaksuponusandkillsus.’

‘Nomoreuselessthananyother,’Naimsaid.

‘ExceptthosethatcomefromGod,’Sajansaidwithacertainsatisfaction.

‘SoyouthinkadeathinwarcomesfromGod?’Naimaskedafterawhile.

‘No,’answeredSajan,‘Idon’tthinkso.’

‘Allright,whynot?’

Sajanwasquietforamoment.‘Youknow,havildar,’hesaidthen,‘wheneverIthinkIhave killed someone, not hand-to-hand but even unseen, I feel the blood inmy throat.DeaththatcomesfromGod’swilldoesnotstickinanyone’sthroat.’

‘Ithinkwewillhaveanengagementwiththeenemytomorrow,’Naimsaidtochangethe subject, althoughhe did not believe it.He hadonly had somedoubtful informationabout their strength. ‘They are massed over there, on the western side of the trees.Intelligence says they have sixteen thousand troops. Two thousand white and fourteenthousandblack.’

‘Wheredotheygettheblacks?’

‘Don’tknow.Eachcompanyhastwohundredmen,sixtybiggunsandeightymachineguns.Wewillhaveajobtodo…’

‘Motherfuckingmosquitoes,’Sajansaid.‘Ohyes,sir,bigjobtodo.Havildar,aretheremosquitoeswheretheenemyis?’

‘Ofcourse,muchmore.’

‘Good.’

Not long after, they had their first real engagement. There had been noword fromintelligence. Theywere on a routine exercise when it happened. Light-footed as forestfoxes, theywere advancing through thick grasswhen suddenly they came up against acompanyofwhitesoldiers.

‘BlackBird!’Thecompanycommandershoutedthecodeword.

Hewasansweredbyriflefire.Thecompanyhitthegroundandreturnedthefire.Birdsflewupfromthegrasslandandsmallanimalsscurriedaway.Afterafewminutes’silence,alineofsoldiersappearedvirtuallyatarms’lengthfromthemandattacked.Hand-to-handcombat began. Naim, still on the ground, took aim at a soldier’s chest and fired. Thesoldier,ahusky,red-facedman,fellbackandgatheredupintheshapeofaball.Hedidn’tgetup.Findingattackingsoldiersalmostloomingabovehim,Naimjumpedup.Afewfeetaway he saw a soldier running across, his bayonet pointing at the body of Naim’scompanycommander.Withoutamoment’spause,Naimchargedandsankhisbayonetinthesideofthesoldier.Thecommander,alertedbythecryofthewoundedman,turnedandfired his revolver at him. The soldier slumped to the ground. The commander glancedroundandfiredagainatasoldierattackingNaim.Atthesamemoment,Naimlookedtohissideandsawthathisleftarmwashangingbythinthreadsoffleshandveinsjustbelowtheelbow.Beforehelostconsciousnesshedistinctlyrecalledthinking,whywasitalwayshisleftarmthatgothurt?

Thehospitalwasinabuildingonceusedasaschool.Inalongnarrowroom,Naimlayamong the other half-fallen, their heads touching others’ feet, squeezed into spaces toosmallforthem.Amidcriesandmoansfromthewounded,themaimedandthenear-dead,theoldbandagedoneslookedatthenewarrivalsasabuffalowouldlook,withuninvolvedconcern,atanotherintheagonyofgivingbirth.APathansoldierlaybesideNaim.

‘Howareyoufeeling,jawan?’adoctoronhisroundaskedthePathan.

‘Sonofadonkey,’ thePathansaid to thedoctor,gloweringathimwithred,swolleneyes.Thensuddenly,heburst into tears. ‘Ihavebecome lame—Iwillbea lameman,always…’

The doctor threw a tired glance at the soldier and moved on to Naim. ‘Your lastdressingwillbeonFriday,’hesaid,lookingatthepatient’spapers,beforemovingon.

Following the doctor came Nurse Doris. ‘Stop crying, you baby,’ she said to thePathanaffectionately.

‘Heisnotababy,nurse,’Naimsaid,laughing.

‘Youareallbabieshere.Whenyouarrivedherelastmonthyouwerecryingtoo.’

‘NoIwasn’t.’

‘Yes you were. You have forgotten. You were very small then,’ she said, sweetlymischievous,passingontothenextman.

NaimgotoffhisbedandwenttositonthePathansoldier’sbed.

‘Whatisyourname?’

‘AmirKhan,’thePathanreplied.

‘Wheredoyoucomefrom?’

‘KakaKhel.NearPeshawar.’

‘Wherewereyouwounded?’

‘Someplaceoutthere.Don’tknowthename.’

‘Unit?’

‘FrontierForceRifles.’

During this exchange the soldier’s gaze remained fixed upon Naim’s arm. Naimsmiledandshowedhimthebandagedstump.

‘Yes.Ithadtobecutoff.’

ThePathansoldiershookhishead inaggrievedsympathy, lookingfromNaim’shalfarmtohisownhalflegforafewseconds,thensmiled,asiftakingstrengthfromtheothermanwholookedaliveandwell,minusanarm.

Afterhisdischarge from thehospital,Naimreported tohisunit, fromwherehewassent tobrigadeheadquarters.Hewassittingonabenchoutsideanoffice,waiting tobecalled,whenhefeltsomeone’shandonhisshoulder.HelookedupandsawitwasKhalikfrom Jat Nagar. Naim stood up and they shook hands. Khalik kept looking at Naim’semptysleeve,knottedupbelowtheelbow.

‘Yes,this,’Naimsaid,movinghisarm.‘Iwaswounded.’

‘Bad,’Khaliksaid.‘Verybad.DoyourememberthetimewecametoRoshanPurforakabaddimatchandyoubrokemyearwithablowofthishand?’

‘N-no,’Naimsaid,‘Idon’tremember.Whereareyouposted?’

‘Here,inheadquarters.Iamwiththesupplycorps.’

Khalikgavehimacigaretteandhelpedhimlightit.

‘What’sthenews?’Naimasked.

‘MybrotherTufailhasmadeahavildar.DarshanSinghbecamedisabledandwassenthome.RoshanPur’sMahinderSinghdied.’

ThecigaretteinNaim’sfingerstrembled.‘Inaction?’

‘Yes.Butnotattheenemy’shand.’

‘Whathappened?’

‘His unit was ordered to advance, but he stayed put, wouldn’t move. After manywarnings,finallyhiscompanycommandershothim.’

Naiminhaleddeeplyonthecigaretteseveraltimes.

Khalikcontinuedinalow,flatvoice,‘Hehad,youknow,grownabitpoorinthehead.Oh, Idon’tknow,don’twant to talkbadabout thedead.Anyway, therewas somethingwrongwithhim.’HesawsignsofdistressonNaim’sfaceandsaid, ‘Mindyou,hemayhavediedinsomeotherway.ThisisjustthestorythatIheard.’

Naim’sthoughtswerestillmuddledashewascalledin.

‘Youhavebeenrecommendedforamedalforbravery,andweareallproudofyou,’theadjutanttoldhim.‘Finalapprovalhastocomefromhighup,takestime.Look,canyouhandlearifle?’

‘Yes,sir.’

‘Imean,canyoufireit?’

‘Ican,’Naimansweredwithoutthinking.

The officer looked at him as if he had doubts about the statement. ‘Well, it doesn’tmatter.Youwilldoguarddutyontheenemywounded.’

‘Yes,sir.’

The wards of wounded prisoners of war were in a small church building. On theseconddayofhisnewassignment,Naimwentdownacorridorandstoppeddead;itwasasiftheearthhadgrippedhisfeet.Sofarhehadn’tlookedatthewoundedwithanyinterest.Tohimtheywerelikeeveryotherwoundedmanhehadearlierseeninhisownsickbed—exceptthat theseweretheenemy.Bloodlessanddisfigured, theyweremostlywhiteandhencestrangerstohim.Thedayhefirstglancedatone,hehadafaceswollentothesizeofa largewatermelon,hisfeatures lost in thedistended,fluid-filledflesh.Asheturnedhisfaceaway,Naimcaughtsightofanother,lyingstill,withhisheadproppeduponarolled-uppieceofcloththatservedasapillow.Naimturnedpaleandquicklyretracedhissteps.It’shim,hesaidtohimself.Isawhisface.Heturnedtowardsmeforasecondbeforehefell.His bayonetwas inches away from the captain’s ribswhen I pushedmine into hisside.Hehadonhisfaceagrimaceofpainashelookedatme.HowcanIforgethisface,the imprintofhis twistedfaceonmybrain, thefaceof thefirstmanIdrewbloodfromundermyeyes,nearenoughtotouchhimandsmellhissourblood?Whythehelldidhenotdieanddisappearintotheearth?Hetookabulletfromthecaptaintoo.YaKhudaya,howhardthesebastardsare!

Naimstayedawayfromthatpartofthewardfortherestoftheday.Thenextdayhe

triedtosteadyhimselfandpassedbythesickman,whowaslookingstraightahead.Willherecogniseme?hethought.Actually,Ihaveonlyexposedmyprofiletohim,whereashesawme from the frontearlier in thegrass. Ismy face fixed inhiseyes? Ionceheardastorythatapoliceinvestigatorlookedintotheopeneyesofadeadmanandsawtheimageofthemanwhohadkilledhim.Idon’treallybelievethatstory.Anyway,thismanisnotdead.Butthatisthewholeproblem.Heisalive…Onthethirdday,thefoolishnessofthesituationdawnedonhim—thathe,Naim,wasnowthisman’smasterandhadnoneedtofearhim; thatheheld theweaponand themanwashisprisonerand thuspowerless.Helooked the man straight in the face and passed on. The man, yellow-skinned, sunken-cheeked and heavily bandaged around the chest, looked back without a glimmer ofrecognition in his eyes. It’s all right, thought Naim, we are completely different inappearancefromthesepeopleandprobablylookallthesametothem.Hecanneverpickmeout.

Satisfyinghimself thus,Naimwentabouthisguardduties,gradually losinghisself-consciousness until a couple of days later when he was brought to a halt again: heimagined that theman had smiled at him.Without stopping, hemanaged a wan smileback.Onhisnextroundthemanspoketohim.Inaheavy,thickvoice,hesaid,‘Officer.’Naimstoppednearhim.ThemanknewfewEnglishwordsbutmadehimselfunderstood.‘Sun,’hesaid,pointingtothelargewindowjustbehindhim,‘allday,Iburn.’

Naimnoddedandhastilywithdrew.Still,hecouldn’tkeephimselffromgoingtospeaktothedoctorincharge.

DrMcDonaldsmiledsarcastically.‘Doeshethinkheisinahotel?’

‘But,sir,’Naimsaid,‘heisbadlywounded.Atleastwecanstopthesuncomingin.Itisveryhotinthereandheissuffering.’

‘Suffering,hah!Canyouimaginehowmanypeoplehemayhavemadetosuffer?’

‘Verytrue,sir,’Naimsaid,butdidn’tgoaway.

The doctor looked at his amputated arm and relented. ‘Don’t look to me to doanything,Icanonlyattendtohiswounds.Butyouarefreetodowhatyoucan.’

Afterabitoflookingaround,Naimfoundapieceoftarpaulinthathehungup,withthehelpofanothersoldieronguardduty,apartlyshell-shockedmanwhohadtheuseofbotharms,infrontofthewindow.Itstoppedthesuncomingin.

‘Thankyou,’saidtheprisonerseveraltimes,gratitudeshowinginhiseyes.

Fromthenon,Naimstoppedbythemanatleastonceinadaytoaskhimhowhewas,towhichthemanalwaysreplied,‘Thankyou,’withasmile.

AfewdayslaterthemanspoketoNaimonceagain.‘IHarold.Thankyouforfavour.’

‘Nofavour,’Naimsaidtohim,‘onlymyduty.’

‘Ireturnfavour,’Haroldsaid.

‘Thankyou.Butthereisnoneed.’

‘Imakehand.’

‘Hand?Whathand?’

‘That.’ThemanpointedtoNaim’semptysleeve.

‘This?’Naimasked,raisinghisleftupperarm.‘How?’

Themansimplysaid,‘Yes,yes,’vigorouslynoddinghishead.

Naimcameawayfromtheresayingnomorethan‘thankyou’.Onthefollowingdays,Naimdidnotstopbytheman;andbygenerallyignoringhimhetriedtodiscouragethemanfromspeakingtohim.Somedayslater,however,withthehelpofanotherwoundedprisonerwhospokebetterEnglish thanHarold,Naimcame tounderstand theprisoner’soffer:Haroldandhis father,comingfroma long lineofcabinetmakers,hadworkedalltheir lives inafactory thatmadeartificial limbsbeforeHaroldwas taken into thearmy.Allheneeded,theprisonerspeakingonbehalfofHaroldsaid,weresometoolsandapieceof wood. Throughout this conversation, Harold, with a smile on his face, kept saying‘thankyou’andpointingtothebackofhisshouldersandneck,wherethetinyboilsthathadcomeupontheskinfromtheheatoftheAfricansunwerealreadybeginningtolosetheir angry red colour andwere drying up.On top of his guilt,Naim felt embarrassed.Conspiringwithanotherguard,hestoppedgoingtoHarold’swardaltogether.DayspassedwithoutNaimsettingeyesonHarold.The longerhestayedaway,however, thestrongertheimageofthemanwithapatheticsmileonhislipsimpresseditselfonNaim’smind.Atthesametime,asifbycoincidence,thefeelingofthelossofanarmbecameintensifiedinsidehim,obliginghimintheendtogiveuphisdignifiedresistanceandgotothedoctoronceagain.

‘It is against the rules,’ DrMajorMcDonald said. ‘They cannot be given even thesmallest sharp instrument.They canopenup theirwounds, or kill themselves right off.Thesepeoplearefanatics.’

‘Iamsurehewon’tdoanysuchthing.Itrusthim.Sir,itisaquestionofmyarm.’

‘WearesettingupanartificiallimbfactoryinIndia.Youwillgetitproperlydoneassoonasyouarebackthere.’

Naimpersisted.‘Sir,Ithinkthisprisonercanmakeagoodoneandquickly.’

It went like this, back and forth, between Naim and the doctor, for a few days.Eventually,perhapsagainasacompassionategesturetowardsNaim,thedoctorsaid,‘Allright. I can use my discretion in this matter, but if anything untoward happens, theresponsibilitywillbeentirelyyours.’

Thedoctordecided thatHaroldshouldbeshifted toavestibulenear theentranceso

thathecouldnotbeseenby theotherprisoners,and thatNaimshouldspend thewholetime with him for the few hours a day the man was using the tools he was given.Furthermore,hedecreedthatthetoolsshouldbetakenfromhimattheendofeachday’sworkandputaway.Afterthejobwasfinished,theprisonerwouldbeshiftedbacktohispreviousplaceinthegeneralward.

Thiswasdone.Naimprocuredafewcarpenters’toolsandapieceofcuredhardwood,ofwhichtherewasplentyinthoseparts.HewouldtakethemallawayfromHaroldintheafternoonandbringthembackthenextmorning.Overthenexttwoweeks,Naimsawthatshapeless piece of wood take on the form, at Harold’smeticulous hands, of a forearmalmost exactly the size of the oneNaimhad lost, awrist and a hand—completewithcriss-crossing veins, bits of knobbly bone sticking out in the right places, thewrinkledskinonthewrist,fingerjointsandfingernails—allperfectlycarvedwithnothingmorethan a penknife, aside from a couple of bigger tools,which he used initially to cut thewoodtothepropersize.Finally,Haroldaskedtoexaminethestump-endofNaim’sarmmorecloselyfordentsanddepressionssohecouldworkoutwheretocutintothejoiningendofthewoodenlimb.Thistookthelongesttimeandrequiredseveralfittings.TheonlythingHaroldcouldn’tdowastofixthesmallmetalliccatchesandhingesthatwouldholdtheattachmentsecurelyinplace.Forthat,NaimwouldhavetogotoafactoryinIndia.

Naimtookthewoodenarmtothedoctor.Althoughsurprisedtoseetheworkmanship,thedoctorsaidwithoutasmile,‘Good.Movehimbacktotheward.’

Takinghimfromthevestibule,Harold’sindependenthomeforoverthreeweeks,totheward,Naimsaidtohim,‘Sorryforthis.Andthankyou.’Hetooktheartificialarmandputitinhistrunk,safelywrappedinwoollyclothing.

Four weeks later Naim received his honourable discharge with a letter ofcommendationandasmallpension.Beforeboardingshipforhisvoyagehome,Naimpaida last call to the sick prisoners of war.When he learned that Naim was going home,Haroldproducedthebroadestsmilethatanyonehadsofarseenonhisface.Naimlingeredthere.Therecouldbenoconversationotherthanbrokenphrasesbetweenthem.ButNaimhadaquestiononhismindthathedidn’twantanyoneelsetointerpretforhim.Finallyheaskedit.‘Whydidyoudoitforanenemy?’

Haroldfirstansweredwithapauseandashrug,asifhedidn’tunderstandthequestion.Thenhesaid,‘Inotknowyouenemy,onlyman.’

TwelveweeksafterreturningtoRoshanPur,NaimwascalleduptoDelhibythearmyauthoritiesanddecoratedwithaDistinguishedConductMedal.Withitcameanawardoftenacresoflandinhisvillage,apromotion-on-retirementtoSubedarandanincreaseinhispension.

ThisisanextractfromAbdullahHussein’sseminalnovelTheWearyGenerations.IthasbeenreproducedwiththepermissionofthepublisherHarperCollins.

SheHadSaidChandradharSharmaGuleri

Ourappeal to the residentsof thebigcitieswhosebackshavebeenblisteredby tonguelashingsandwhoseearsarefilledwiththeabusesofekka1drivers,istoapplythesweetbalmingspeechofthebamboocartdriversofAmritsar.

Onthewidestreetsofbigcities,whenanekkadriverthrasheshishorse’sbackwithhiswhip, all the while insulting the horse, and also makes his intimate relations with thehorse’sgrandmotherknown,orwhenhepitiesthepedestriansfornothavingeyestoseeasheridesovertheirtoesandbemoanshisfate,theuniverseandhisluck,thenmenfromhisfraternitycomeoutonto the streets and startnavigating thenarrowandconfusing laneswithendlesspatience.Hewouldshoutout,‘Saveyourself,Kalsaji’,‘Moveaside,brother’,‘Stop,brother’,‘Letusthrough,Lalaji’,‘Moveaside,kiddo’,ashewouldwadethroughacrowdofwhite turbans,mules,ducks, sugarcanesellers,etal.Ofcourse,noonewouldthinkofmovingwithouthearingjiorsahabasasuffix!

Itisn’tasthoughtheekkadriversofbigcitiesdon’thavesharptongues;butheretheyarelikeastilettothatmovesswiftlyandsmoothly.

If anold ladywere tonotgiveway to thesebamboocartdrivers,despitewarnings,theywouldcryout: ‘Moveaside,youdeservea long life…Move,you fortunateone…move aside, if you value your life, watch out!’ All of which basically means, you arefortunateand lovedbyyour family,youhavea long life aheadofyou,whywouldyouwanttocomeundermycart?Saveyourself!

Inthemidstofsuchbamboocartdrivers,aboyandagirlmetatashopinthechowk.Fromtheboy’slonghairandthegirl’sloose-fittedclothes,itcouldbemadeoutthattheywerebothSikh.Hewastheretobuysomecurdforhisuncle’shairandshewastheretobuysomebadiyan2forherkitchen.Theywaitedwhiletheshopkeeperwaswranglingwithastrangerwhoinsistedoncountingeachandeverypapadinthepilebeforemoving.

‘Whereisyourhouse?’

‘InMaghre;andyours?’

‘InManjhe.Wheredoyoulivehere?’

‘AtAvtarSingh’shouse.He’smymaternaluncle.’

‘EvenIlivewithmymaternaluncle.HishouseisinGuruBazaar.’

Atthismoment,theshopkeeperinterruptedthemandgavethemwhattheyhadcomefor.Theboyandthegirlwalkedouttogetheraftermakingtheirpurchases.Afterwalkingforawhile,theboyaskedthegirlwithasmile,‘Areyouengaged?’

Atthisthegirlfrownedandsaid,‘Dhatt!’3Thensheranoff.Theboystoodthereandwatchedhergo.

Onthesecondorthirdday,theybegantobumpintoeachotheratthevegetableseller’sshop,oratthemilkman’s.Thiswentonforamonth.Twiceorthricetheboyasked,‘Areyouengaged?’andeachtimehegot thesameanswer:‘Dhatt’.Then,oneday,when theboy askedher the samequestion again, laughingly, this time the girl replied against allexpectations:‘Yes,Iam.’

‘When?’

‘Yesterday.Don’tyouseethisembroideredsilkshawl?’

Theboyranaway.Heheadedhome.Onhiswayback,hepushedanotherboyintothegutter,ruinedaday’sworthofahawker’searnings,threwastoneatadogandpouredmilkalloveracauliflowervendor’scart.HebumpedintoaVaishnavawomanreturningfromherholybathandearnedtheepithetblindfromher,andonlythenreachedhome.

‘Ram,Ram!4Whatkindofwaristhis!Mybonesarestifffromsittingfordaysandnightsinthesetrenches.Here,itistentimescolderthanLudhianaandontopofit,itrainsandsnowsconstantly.We’reuptoourcalvesinmud.Wecan’tseetheground;afteranhourortwo,weheartheear-piercingboomofanexplosionasitshakesthetrench,andthegroundbeneathusshakesformiles.’

‘Ifwecansaveourselvesfromthesebombs,onlythencanwefight.Wehadheardofthe earthquake at Nagarkot, but here, such earthquakes take place at least twenty-fivetimes a day. If ever the tip of a turban or an elbow is seen above the trench, weimmediatelyfeel thecrackofashot.Wedon’tknowwhether thewretchesarehidinginthemudorinthegrass.’

‘LahnaSingh,itisjustthreemoredaystogo.Wehavealreadyspentfourdaysinthisbunker.Onthethirdday,thereliefwillreachandthenwe’llhaveaseven-dayleave.We’llkillananimaltogetherandtheneattillourstomachisfull,thenwe’llsleepsoundlyinthefirangmem’s5 garden, which has a velvety green lawn. She showers us with fruit andmilk.Everyonesays that shedoesn’teven takeapenny for it.Shesays thatyouareallkingswhohavecomeheretosavemycountry.’

‘Ihaven’tsleptawinkforfourdays.Withoutexerciseevenahorsebecomesrestlessandwithoutfighting,asoldiergrowsweary.Iwishtheywouldletmefixabayonettomyrifle and allow me to march ahead. Then, if I don’t return after killing at least sevenGermans, may I never have the good fortune of bowing my head at the threshold ofDarbarSahab.Seeingourbayonetsandtanks,thesemoronsstartscreamingandbeggingformercy,butassoonasit’sdarktheyfirethirty-poundbombsatus.Thatdaywedidn’t

leaveasingleGermanalivewithinafour-mileradius.WewereorderedtoretreatbyourGeneral,orelse…’

‘Orelsewewouldhave reachedBerlinbynow!Right?’ saidSubedar6HazarSinghwithasmile.‘Warsarenotrunbyjamadarsornaiks.Instead,seniorofficershavetothinkfarahead.The front is threehundredmiles long. Ifwe runaway inonedirection,whatwillhappenthen?’

‘Subedarji, it is true,’ saidLahnaSingh, ‘butwhatshouldwedo?Thecoldhasnowseepedintoourbones.Thesunisneverout,andwatertricklesintoourtrenchfrombothsideslikethestreamsgushingintothebaolis7ofChamba.Anotherattackshouldwarmusupnicely.’

‘Restlessman,getupandaddsomecoaltothebrazier.Vazira,gatherupfourmenanduse these buckets to collect the water and bail it out of the bunker.Maha Singh, it iseveningnow,go and change theguards at the entrance.’While giving theseorders, theSubedarstartedmakinghisroundaroundthebunker.

VaziraSinghwas the jester of theplatoon.Whiledumping thedirtywater from thetrench,hesaid,‘Ihavebecomeapasha.NowpayobeisancetothekingofGermany!’Atthiseveryoneburstoutlaughingandthecloudsofsadnessparted.

LahnaSinghfilledthesecondbucketandsaid,‘Thinkofitaswateringthemelonsinyourfields.Waterlikethis,sorichinnutrients,isnowheretobefoundinallofPunjab.’

‘Yes indeed, this country is a veritable paradise. After the war, I will ask thegovernmenttoallotmetendhuma8oflandheresothatIcanplantmyownfruitorchard.’

‘Willyoucallyourwifehere,too?Orwillyoukeepthatwhitewomanwhogivesyoumilk…’

‘Shutup!Thepeopleherehavenoshame.’

‘Differentcountrieshavedifferentcultures.Tillnow,IhavenotbeenabletomakeherunderstandthatSikhsdonotsmoke.Sheinsistsonofferingmeacigarette,wantstoputitinmymouth,andifImoveaway,shethinksthekingisannoyedandwillnownotfightforhercountry.’

‘OK!HowisBodhaSinghnow?’

‘Heisfine.’

‘AsifIdon’tknowanything.Yougivehimyourblanketandspendthenightbythebrazier.Whenitishisturntokeepwatch,youdohisduty.Youlethimsleeponyourdrywoodenplankwhileyoulieinthemud.Don’tyoufallillnow!Thiswinterisdeathforusandthosewhodieofpneumoniaarenotgrantedanylandbythegovernment.’

‘Youdon’tneedtobeworriedaboutme.IwilldiebythecanalinBulel.Myheadwill

restinthelapofmybrotherKeeratSingh,andtheshadeofthemangotreeIplantedwithmyownhandsinmygardenwillbeoverme.’

Vazira Singh scowled and said, ‘What is with all this talk about death? Let theGermansandtheTurksdie!Whatsay,brothers?’Thenhestartedsinging:

DillisheherteinPishorniyunjaandiay

Karlainalongandabazarmudiay;

Karlainanodaygasaudaaadiay

Oyelaanachatkudaynoon

Kebaanavemaazedargooria

Huunlaanachatkakudaynoon

WhilegoingfromLahoretoPeshawar

Doalittlebusinessofcloves,myboy

Dothebestbusinessthereis,myboy

Putatemperingofclovesinthepumpkin

Seewhatatastypumpkinitis,myboy!

Whowouldhaveknownthatsuchbearded,family-oriented,uptightSikhswouldsingsuchbawdy songs? However, the entire bunker echoed with this song and the soldiers feltrefreshedalloveragain,asthoughtheyhadbeensleepingandhavingfunforthepastfourdays.

Thesecondwatchofthenighthadpassed.Itwasdark.Therewascompletesilence.BodhaSinghwasasleepon threeemptybiscuit tinswith twoofhisblankets spreadoutbelowhimandLahnaSingh’sblanketandovercoatoverhim.LahnaSinghwasonguardduty.One eyewas on the entrance to the bunker and the other onBodhaSingh’s frail body.BodhaSinghmoanedinhissleep.

‘WhatisitBodhabhai?Whatdoyouwant?’

‘Givemesomewater.’

LahnaSinghheldthecupofwatertoBodhaSingh’smouthandasked,‘Howareyoufeeling?’Afterdrinkingthewater,BodhaSinghreplied,‘I’mshivering.Ram-Ram,itfeelslikeanelectricshockisgoingthroughmybody.Myteetharechattering.’

‘Here,takemyjersey.’

‘Whataboutyou?’

‘Ihavethebrazieranditmakesmefeelhot.I’msweating.’

‘No,Iwillnotwearit.Forfourdays,you’vebeen…’

‘Yes,Iremembernow.Ihaveanotherwarmjerseywithme.Itcamejustthismorning.MayGodblessthememsahibswhoareknittingthemandsendingthemoverfromforeigncountries.’Sayingthis,LahnaSinghstartedtakingoffhiscoatandthenhisjersey.

‘Areyoutellingthetruth?’

‘What else? Am I lying?’ Saying so, he made the reluctant Bodha Singh wear hisjersey.Withonlyhiskhakicoatanddenimkurta,LahnaSinghwentandstoodguard.Thatbitaboutthememsahibs’jerseywasmerelyastory,nothingmore.

Half-an-hour passed. Someone called out fromoutside the bunker, ‘SubedarHazaraSingh!’

‘Who’s it? Lieutenant sahab? Yes, sir!’ Saying this, the Subedar saluted his seniorarmyofficerandstoodtoattention.

‘Look,wehavetoattackrightnow.Amileawaytowardstheeasterncorner,thereisaGermanbunker.Therearen’tmorethanfiftyGermansinit.Thereisapathbetweenthetreeshere.Thereare twoor three turnings.Wherever there isa turn, Ihavestationedatleast fifteen soldiers.Leave tenmenhere and take the rest.Seize their bunker and staythereuntilyoureceivefurtherorders.Don’tmove.Iwillstayhere.’

‘Asyoucommand,sir.’

Everyone got dressed quietly. Even Bodha Singh took off the blanket and startedpacingaround.That’swhenLahnaSinghstoppedhim.AssoonasLahnaSinghsteppedtowardsBodhaSingh,BodhaSingh’sfather,theSubedar,pointedtowardshisson.LahnaSingh understood immediately. An argument ensued about which ten men would staybehind.Nobodywantedtobeleftbehind.Afteralotofpersuasion,theSubedarmarchedoffwithhismen.

The Lieutenant stood facing Lahna Singh’s brazier and started smoking a cigarette.After about tenminutes, he held out one towardsLahnaSingh and said, ‘Here, have asmoke.’

Intheblinkofaneye,LahnaSinghunderstoodwhatwasgoingon.Ashetriedtohidehis facial expressions, he said, ‘Give, sir.’ As he extended his hand, he saw theLieutenant’sfaceandhairintheglowofthefire.That’swhenhewasalarmed.Howhadthe Lieutenant’s sideburns vanished in just one day and in its place, how did he haveprisoner-styleclose-croppedhair?

Maybehewasdrunkwhenhedecidedtocuthishair?LahnaSinghdecidedtofindout.TheLieutenanthadbeeninhisregimentforthepastfiveyears.

‘So,sir,whenwillwegobacktoIndia?’

‘Assoonasthewarends.Why,doyounotlikethiscountry?’

‘No,sir,there’snofuninhuntinghere.DoyourememberthattimelastyearwhenwewenthuntingintheJagadharidistrictduringamock-battledrill?’

‘Yes,yes,Iremember.’

‘That’swhenyourodethedonkeyandyourcookAbdullahstayedbacktoofferwateratthelocaltemple.’

‘Ofcourse.Whatajerkthatmanwas!’

‘Andthenanilgai9cameoutofnowhere.My,Ihadneverseenonesohuge!Andthenyoufiredyourbulletanditwentrightthroughitsshoulderandcameoutoftheotherside.Withanofficersuchasyourself,itisapleasuretogohunting.Why,sir,hasthemountedhead of the nilgai come back from Shimla? You had said that you’d hang it in theregiment’smess.’

‘Yes,butIhaditsentbackhome.’

‘Suchhugehorns!Atleasttwofeetlong!’

‘Yes, Lahna Singh. They were two feet and four inches long. Why have you notsmokedyourcigarette?’

‘I’lljusthaveit.Letmefirstgoandgetamatch.’Sayingthis,heenteredthebunker.Henolongerhadanydoubts.Heimmediatelydecidedwhathadtobedone.

LahnaSinghbumpedintosomeonesleepinginthedark.

‘Whoisit?Vazira?’

‘Yes,Lahna.What’stheproblem?Couldn’tyouletmesleepforalittlelonger?’

‘Wakeup!Theendoftheworldishere,andit’sdressedasourLieutenantsahab.’

‘What?’

‘TherealLieutenantiseitherdeadorhe’sbeencaptured.SomeGermaniswearinghisuniform.TheSubedarneversawhisface.Ihaveseenhimandevenspokentohim.HespeaksfluentUrdu,butinabookishmanner.Andheevenofferedmeacigarette!’

‘Whatshouldwedonow?’

‘Nowwe’redead.We’vebeenbetrayed.WhiletheSubedarandhismenarewanderingin the mud, we will face an attack. Get up, go and track down our men, follow theirfootsteps.Theywouldn’thavegoneveryfar.TelltheSubedartoreturnimmediately.It’sallalieabouttheenemybunker.Gofromthebackofourtrench.Makesurethatthatyou

donotmakeasound,notevenatwigshouldsnap.Hurryup!’

‘Buttheorderwastostayhere…’

‘To hell with the order! This ismy order… Jamadar Lahna Singh’s. And I am thehighest-ranking officer here right now. Do as I say while I deal with this Lieutenantsahab.’

‘Butthereareonlyeightofyouhere.’

‘Noteight,buttenlakh.EveryAkaliSikhisequaltoalakhandquartermen.Gonow.’

Lahna Singh went out but stayed near the entrance of the bunker. He saw theLieutenantsahabtakeoutthreeexplosivesthesizeofberriesfromhispocket,pushthemintothewallofthebunkerandconnectthemwithawire.Attheendofthewire,therewasa ball of thread, which he placed near the coal brazier. He was just about to put amatchsticktotheballofthreadwhen…

Withthespeedoflightning,LahnaSinghhittheLieutenantintheelbowwiththebuttofhisrifle.TheLieutenantdroppedthematch.LahnaSinghhithimagain,butthistimeinthe neck. The German cried, ‘Ach mein Gott!’ and fainted. Lahna Singh took theexplosives out of the wall and threw them out of the bunker. He then dragged theLieutenant towards thebrazierandstartedsearchinghispockets.Hefoundthreeorfourenvelopesandadiary,whichhekeptinhisownpocket.TheGerman’smoustachemoved.LahnaSinghstartedlaughingandsaid,‘Well,Lieutenantsahab,howareyoufeelingnow?Today,Ihavelearnedalotofthings.IhavelearnedthatSikhssmoke.IhavelearnedthattherearenilgaiintheJagadharidistrictandthattoowithantlersthataretwofeetandfourincheslong.IhavealsolearnedthataMuslimcookofferswaterinaHindutemple.Andthat theLieutenant sahabonce rode adonkey.But, tellme this,wheredidyou learn tospeak such fluent Urdu? Our Lieutenant sahab could never finish speaking even fivewordswithoututtering“Damn!”atleastonce.’

Lahna Singh had forgotten to check the man’s trouser pockets. The German hadshovedbothhandsintohispocket,asthoughhewascold.

LahnaSinghcontinuedspeaking,‘YouarequitecleverbutI,LahnaofManjha,havespentyearswith theLieutenant sahab.And todefeatLahna, youneed four eyes.Threemonthsago,aTurkishmaulvicametomyvillage.Hewouldhandoutamuletstowomendesperatetohavechildrenandtochildrenhewouldgivemedicines.HeusedtositundertheshadeofChaudhuri’streeandsmokeahookah.HeusedtosaythatGermansareveryknowledgeable.AfterstudyingtheVedasingreatdetail,theyhavelearnedhowtooperateairplanes.Theydon’tbutchercows.AndiftheywereevertoruleIndia,cow-killingwouldcometoastandstill.HeusedtoadvisetheshopkeeperstotakeouttheirsavingsfromthepostofficeandsaythattheBritisharemurderersandcannotbetrusted.EvenPolhuram,thepostmaster,gotscared.Ihadgrabbedthatmullahji’sbeardandthrownhimoutofthevillagesaying,“Ifyoudarestepfootinmyvillageagain,Iwill…”’

ThegunwentofffromtheLieutenantsahab’spocketandthebulletwentstraightintoLahna’sthigh.That’swhenLahnausedhisHenryMartinandfiredtwostraightshotsintotheLieutenant’shead.Hearingthegunshots,everyonecamerunning.

Bodhastartedshouting,‘Whathappened?’

Lahnamadehimgobacktosleepsayingthathehadshotamaddogwhohadenteredthebunker,but to theothershenarratedtheentirestory.Theyallstoodreadywiththeirweapons.Lahnatoreapieceofclothfromhisturbanandtieditaroundhiswound.Itwasafleshwound;thetightbandagestoppedthebleeding.

Meanwhile,seventyGermansinvadedtheirbunker,screamingandshouting.ThefirstattackwasquelledbythegunsfiredbytheSikhs.Thesecond,too,wassomehowstopped.Buttherewereonlyeightmen(andLahnaSinghwasbynowdeadtired)andtheywereseventy. The Germans were climbing over their dead comrades and charging into thebunker.Withinafewmomentstheywould…

Suddenly,avoicecalledout,‘WaheGurujikiFateh!WaheGurujikaKhalsa!’10andashowerofbulletsraineduponthebacksoftheGermans,whofoundthemselvescaughtinacrossfire.SubedarHazarSingh’smenfired fromtheback,whileLahnaSinghandhissoldiersattackedfromthefront.WitheverystepthattheGermanstook,thesoldiersatthebackfiredtwiceasharder.

Afinalbattlecrywasheard:‘Akalisakhiyadifaujaai!WaheGurujikiFateh!WaheGurujikaKhalsa!SatShriAkalPurukh!’11Andthebattlewasover.Sixty-threeGermanswereeitherdeadorwounded.FifteenSikhsweredead.TheSubedar’srightshoulderwasbleeding, a bullet had gone through him. Another bullet had pierced Lahna Singh’sribcage.Hefilleduphiswoundwiththeslushymudofthetrenchandthentiedhisturbantightlyaroundit.NobodyevengottoknowabouttheseriousnessofLahnaSingh’ssecondinjury.

The moon had risen during the fight, a moon that had inspired Sanskrit poets todescribe itaskshaya,orwaning.Abreezeblew,which thepoetBanabhattawouldhavecalleddantvinopadeshacharya.12VaziraSinghwas recallinghow thewetmud from theFrenchfieldhadclungtohisfeetasherantowardstheSubedartowarnhimoftheattack.The Subedarwas praising Lahna Singh for his quick thinking and for taking away thepapersfromthefakeLieutenantandsaying:‘Ifyouweren’there,wewouldallhavebeendeadbynow.’

Thesoundsof thebattlehadreachedabunkerabout threemiles to their right.Theyhad telephoned the base. Two field doctors and two ambulances were sent outimmediately;theyreachedourbunkerinanhour-and-a-half.Thefieldhospitalwascloseby.Theywouldreachbydawn,whichiswhytheybandagedthewoundedandlaidthemdowninonecarandpiledthedeadintheother.TheSubedarwantedaproperbandagetobetiedaroundLahnaSingh’swoundedthigh,butheshruggeditoffsayingitwasasmall

woundandthatitcouldbeseentointhemorning.BodhaSinghwasshiveringwithhighfever.Hewasmade to liedown in theambulance.TheSubedar refused to leaveLahnaSeeing this, Lahna said, ‘I ask you, on Bodha’s life, and on your wife’s, get on thatambulance.’

‘Andyou?’

‘Send theambulancebackformeonceyouget there.And they’llsendacar for thedeadGermansaswell.Myconditionisnotthatbad.Can’tyousee,I’mstanding?Vazirawillstaywithme.’

‘OK,but…’

‘IsBodhaalreadylyingdownintheambulance?Good,youshouldalsogeton.Andlisten,ifyouwritealettertothesubedarni,dosendhermyregardsandtellherI’vedoneasshehadasked.’

Thecarsstarted.AstheSubedarwasgettingon,heheldLahna’shandandsaid,‘Yousaved my life and Bodha’s. What letter? We’ll go home together. You can tell yoursubedarniyourself.Butwhathadshesaid?’

‘Nowgetonthecar.RemembertowritewhatIhavesaid…andsayittoo.’

Assoonastheambulancehadgone,Lahnalaydownandsaid,‘Vazira,getmesomewater.Andpleaseuntiemywaistband;itiscompletelysoaked.’

Momentsbeforedeath,memorybecomescrystal-clear.Alltheeventsthathavetakenplacethroughoutone’slifepresentthemselvesatthattime.Thecoloursofallthescenesarebright.ThedustofTimeiscompletelyremovedfromthem.

LahnaSinghwastwelveyearsold.HehadgonetostaywithhisuncleinAmritsar.Atthecurdseller,thevegetableseller,everywhere,hemeetsaneight-yearoldgirl.Whenheasksher,‘Areyouengaged?’shesays,‘Dhatt!’andrunsaway.Oneday,whenheasksherthesamequestion,shesays,‘Yes,itwasyesterday.Don’tyouseethissilkenembroideredshawl?’Lahnaheardthisandwasinstantlysaddened.Thenangry.Whywasheangry?

‘Vazira,givemesomewater.’

Twenty-fiveyearshavepassed.Now,LahnaSingh isa jamadar in the77Rifles.Hehadnotthoughtofthateight-yearoldgirl.Hecan’tevenrememberifhehadevermetheror not.He took leave for seven days andwent home to appear in a legalmatter.Oncethere,hereceivedaletterfromanofficerinthearmystatingthatwarhasbeendeclaredandhemustreturn todutyatonce.At thesametime,hereceiveda letterfromSubedarHazaraSinghthatheandBodhaSinghwerealsogoingtowar.Ontheway,heshouldgopasttheirhomesotheycanallgotogether.TheSubedar’svillagewasonhiswayandtheSubedarwasveryfondofhim.LahnaSinghreachedtheSubedar’shome.

When itwas time togo, theSubedarcameout fromhishomeandsaid, ‘Lahna, the

subedarniknowsyou;she’scallingforyou.Go,meether.’LahnaSinghwentindoors.Thesubedarni knows me? he wondered. Since when? He had never met anyone from theSubedar’sfamilystayingintheregiment’squarters.Hereachedthedoorandbowed.Heheardtheblessings.LahnaSinghstayedsilent.

‘Doyourecogniseme?’

‘No.’

‘Are you engaged… Dhatt… Yes, it was yesterday. Don’t you see this silkenembroideredshawl?InAmritsar…’

Thetideofemotionscausedaflicker.Hechangedhisside.Thewoundinhisribcagebledout.

‘Vazira,givemesomewater.Shehadsaid.’

Hewasdreaming.Thesubedarniwassaying,‘Irecognisedyouthemomentyoucame.Iamaskingyoutodosomethingforme.Myfateisruined.Thesarkarhasgivenamedalfor bravery and land in Lyallpur. It is time now to show our loyalty. Butwhy has thesarkarnotmadeaplatoonforwomen?ItoowouldhavegonewithSubedarji.Ihaveonlyone son. It’sonlybeenayear sinceheenlisted in thearmy.Fourmoreboyswerebornafterhim,butnoneofthemsurvived.’Andthesubedarnibegantocry.

‘Now both are going off. My fate… Do you remember one day the horse of thetongawallahadrunamucknear thecurdseller’sshop?Thatdayyouhadsavedmylife.Youhadchargedbetweenthehorse’slegs,pickedmeupandputmeontheshop’sstoop.In the same way, you must save these two. This is my request… I am spreading myanchal13beforeyou.’

Andthesubedarniwentinside,crying.LahnaSinghcameoutwipinghistears.

‘Vazira,givemesomewater…Shehadsaid.’

VaziraSinghsitswithLahnaSingh’sheadinhislap.Wheneverheasks,hegiveshimsomewater.Forhalfanhour,LahnaSinghisquiet.Thenhesays,‘Who’sthere?KeeratSingh?’

Partlyunderstanding,Vaziraanswers,‘Yes.’

‘Brother,pullmeup.Putmyheadonyourchest.’Vazirdoesthat.

‘Yes, that’sbetter.Givemesomewater.Thisyear themangowillgrowin therains.Uncleandnephewwillsitunderitsshadeandenjoythefruit.Thismangoisastallasmynephew.Ihadplanteditinthesamemonththathewasborn.’

VaziraSingh’stearsaredripping.

After a few days, people read in the newspapers: France and Belgium… 68thDispatch…Grievouslywoundedinbattle…JamadarLahnaSinghofthe77thSikhRifles.

TranslatedfromHindibyInshaWaziri

10

11

12

13

Ekkaswerehorse-drivencarts,alittlesmallerthantongas.

Sun-drieddumplingsmadefrompoundpulses,cookedasacurrieddish.Papadorpoppadumaresimilarlysun-dried.ThecityofAmritsarisfamousforitsbadiyanandpapad.

Anexclamationtovariouslydenotesurprise,dismay,reproof.Hereitisareproof,butinjest.

Usedvariouslyasaformofgreetingorexclamation;hereitisthelatter,toconveydismay.

UsuallyusedforEnglishwomen,butalsoforanyforeignorWesternisedwomen.

Subedar is a rank belowBritish commissioned officers and above non-commissioned officers. Starting from theentry-levelsepoy,therankswerelancenaik,naik,havildar,havildarmajor,jamadar,subedar,subedarmajor.

Step-wells

MeasureoflandinruralPunjabandHaryana.

NilgaiorbluebullistheAsianantelope.

TheSikhgreetingmeaning,‘PuritybelongstotheLord’and‘VictorybelongstotheLord’,usedasawarcryintimesofbattle.

‘ThearmyofGodhascome’;‘BlessedishewhotakestheLord’sname’.

Itcannotbeestablishedif thisfragmentcanindeedbyascribedtoBanabhatta, theseventh-centurySanskritwriterandpoet.Roughlytranslated,itmeansthe‘thegiveroftheteeth-chatteringmessage’.

Endofashawl,sariordupatta.

TheGreatWarinEuropeandtheRoleoftheHyderabadImperialServiceTroops1

Lt-ColAzmatullahKhan

NawabSalarJungBahadurofHyderabadStatedonatedasumofRs60lakhforthe20thDeccanHorseandHyderabadImperialServiceTroops2 towardstheexpensesin thewareffort. The 20th Deccan Horse was especially singled out for this honour because thisregimenthashadalongassociationwiththeHyderabadContingentandHisHighnesswasanHonoraryColonelinthisregiment.

On14-15October1914,theentireregimentgatheredattheDeolaliCamp.Fromhere,itproceededtowardsBombaytoboardshipatthePrinceDock.TheWomen’sAssociationof Bombay sent boxes of biscuits, sweets and other tinned goods. Colonel Nawab SirAfsar-ulMulkcametotheshiptogivearousingfarewelltotheofficersandsoldierson31October1914.Ontheveryfirstnightatsea, themenlearnt that theSultanateofTurkeyhad announced war against Russia. On 20 November 1914, other armies joined theHyderabad brigade.With three warships acting as escort, the flotilla left the waters ofBombay forAden.On 5November 1914, the hills ofArabiawere spotted for the firsttime.Bynow,tentransportshipshadjoinedourfleet.

On10November1914,thefleetreachedAden,butwewerenotgivenpermissiontoleave ship. The letters we had written with the intention of sending to India weredispatched to the post office through the ship’s captain. Our fleet left Aden in theafternoonof 11November1914, andourwarships engaged inbattlewithShaikhSaid3

neartheshore.Wecapturedfourcanonsand120men,anddestroyedtheArabianfort4ontheislandofPerim.5

Onthenightof16-17November,ourfleetreachedSuez.Weremainedonourshipalldayonthe17thanddidnotgettheopportunitytogoashore.Thenextdaywasspentinoffloading the horses and luggage, which were then transported via rail to Moascar-Ismailia6.Since itwas amilitary station, the train couldnot stop forvery longandourhorsesandluggagecouldnotbetakenoff.Wespentthenightinacamp.Itwasverydark;we could not even see the ground beneath our feet, and compared to the weather inHyderabad,itwasverycoldatnighthere.

Ismailiaisneitherahistoricalnoranancientcity.Infact,afterthecreationoftheSuezCanal, IsmailPasha,7 theKhedive of Egypt, laid its foundation alongmodern lines. Itsroads are wide and cemented. The city is kept neat and clean. A large garden is alsoconstructedwitheveryamenityfor leisureaswellas largeshade-givingtrees.AnofficepertainingtotherunningoftheSuezCanalismanagedbytheFrench.Thismodern-style

city is indeedworth a visit, especially since it is located in the desert. By the timewereachedIsmailia,manyarmiesfromdifferentnationshadconvergedontheSuez,oneofthembeingabrigadeofcamelsfromBikaner.

Withthearrivalofalltheseforces,patrollinghadstartedintheeasternpartofSuez.Inordertogetanexactideaoftheapproachoftheenemy,thepatrollingwouldgoonfor15–20milesdaily.Oneday, localBedouin tribes capturedapatrol,which strengthenedourbeliefthattheenemywascloseby.8Thereafterthepatrolsweregivenstrictinstructionstobeextravigilant.

In Moascar-Ismailia, we began to hear all sorts of rumours. Of these the one thatremained in currency for a long timewas concerning Shaikh Sanosi and his imminentattackonSuezwithaverylargeforce.TheTurkstoohadannouncedthatwithintendaystheywould takecontrolof theSuez fromtheBritish.TheBritish forcewasprepared inevery way to ensure that this does not happen. Approximately three months after ourarrival,theTurksdidindeedattackIsmailia.

Onthefirstdayofthenewyear,in1915,asportsdaywascelebrated,andourbrigadewon three-fourth of all the prizes.While our soldierswere not as tall andwell-built asthosefromPatialaandMysore,theyneverthelesswonatfightingonhorseback.Everyonewassurprisedattheirprowesswhencomparedtothetallandmuscularsoldiersfromtheseotherstates.

In the beginning of 1915, General ArthurWatson gave the news that an attack byGermanandTurkisharmieswasimminentandourforcesshouldbeonhighalert.TherewasalsofearthatenemyspiesmightdestroytherailwaytracksorcausesomedamagetothesweetwatercanalthatconnectsIsmailiaandPortSaidtothecityofSuez.Andso,dayand nightlong patrollingwas done tomake theGeneral sahab believe that the ImperialLancerswereuptothetaskineveryway.

On25January1915,wegot thenews that theenemywasapproachingBerMewak,which isapproximatelyfifteenmileseastofSuez,andhadevenfiredatouraeroplanes.Therefore, a squadron, led byMajorQasimAliKhan,whichwas stationed atAl-KabriSuez,wasdispatchedforpatrollinginthatdirection.Itfacedskirmisheswithsmallpatrolpartiesoftheenemy.

On27January1915,atabout4am,theenemysuddenlyattackedthepostatal-Kabri.9

Everyone at the postwas at theirwatch and the bullets and bombs of the enemywerefallinginourcamp.

On28January1915,oursquadronwascommandedtosecurethepost.Atdaybreak,we setout andafter about amile,weengaged inbattlewith theenemy.After about anhour of constant firing, the enemy retired. One soldier from the enemy’s rank wascaptured.

Until4February,wecontinuedpatrollingwiththeenemyinourmidst.Everydaybigandsmallskirmishestookplace.

On6February,onesquadronfromHyderabad,theSeventhGurkhaRegiment,andonecanon-headweregivenorders to face theenemy.Oursquadronwassent in theadvanceguard formation. We saw some movement among the enemy’s ranks after about fivemiles.Atthattime,GeneralMilescommandedMajorQasimAliKhantotakeonetrooptotheenemy’s left flank toestimate their strength.Theenemyhad takenpositions inverylarge numbers, and when our troops were approximately 200 yards away, they startedfiringuponus.Since therewasnoplace to takecover,perforceour troopswere told toretire in the face of constant firing.One of our horsemenwas hit in the head and diedinstantly.Hisdeathcastapalloverus,foritwasthefirstcasualtyfromoursideatatimewhen our strength was 60,000men in the Suez area.With immense courage,WafadarGulabSinghbroughtthefallenhorsemanbackfromenemylinesinthemidstofconstantfiring.Duringthistime,ourcanonshadkeptupconstantshelling.GeneralMilespraisedthe exemplary courage shown by our squadron and expressed sorrow over our fallenhorseman.

Aroundthistime,wegotnewsthatanextremelylargeenemycontingentwasmovingtowardstheSuezCanal,pasttheSinaiPeninsula.

On the night of 2 February 1915, a 2000-strong force of the enemy attacked sixdifferentpostsalongtheSuezCanal10and18,000mensentbyJamalPashamassednearJebel Khatyaab al-Khail as a backup force. A bitter battle raged for two days. Ourwarships,deployedtopatrolupanddowntheSuezforpreciselysuchaneventuality,nowgotintothefrayandthemachinegunsmountedontheseshipscausedextensivedamagetotheenemy.11

On the night of 3 February 1915, the enemy floated some aluminium boats nearTussum12 (which is about 8 miles from Ismailia) and succeeded in making a pontoonbridge. Some soldiers managed to cross over it, but because they were talking loudlywhilebuildingthisbridge,oursentrieswerealerted,andtheybegantofireontheenemyinthemiddleofthenight.Asaresult,alargepartoftheenemy’sforcecouldnotgetoffthe bridge.Had theyworked in silence, the outcome of that night’s labourwould havebeen altogether praiseworthy. Had 1,000 or 2,000 soldiers from the enemy’s troopscrossedovertoourside,itwouldhavecausedusagreatdealoftroubleanditispossiblethatalongthe25–30miledistance,wheretheenemyhadattackedoursixposts,wewouldhave facedgreater action. It is said that given the importanceof this night’s attack, theTurkishforceshadcodenameditShab-eMeraj”13

On3February,therewasbattlealldayandallnight.Withthehelpofbinoculars,Isawtheentirescenefromthewaterreservoirat Ismailia,whichisat thehighestpoint in thecity.Icouldclearlyseetheactionoftheenemyforcesforupto10–12miles;a100-strong

forcemoving swiftly in different directions, advancing, then falling back, the firing ofmachine guns from different positions, and the reply given by the long-barrel gunsmountedonshipsonthecanal.ThatisasceneIshallalwaysremember.

IntheSinaiPeninsula,wherethereisnowaterandnocropsgrow,norcanthingsbemadeavailable,norismovementeasybecauseofthesanddunes,andwherethewheelsofmachine guns get stuck in the sand, it was commendable that the Turkish force hadbrought30,000menalongwithmachinegunsandarmstocross80milestofaceus.Itwasnothingshortofamilitarymarvel.

On 4 February, our squadron stationed in Ismailia was asked to join the ImperialServiceCavalryBrigadeand face theenemy.Afterwehad travelledapproximately fivemiles,we encountered three Turkish brigades.Once they had established our presence,theybegantoretire.Sinceournumberswerefarless,itwasnotdeemedwisetoengageinbattlewith them.For a long time,wemerely observed the enemy’smovements from avantagepoint.Whenourbrigadier,GeneralWatson,wasconvincedthattheTurkishforcewasindeedretreatingconstantly,bythelateafternoonourforcetoobegantoretire.

UnderMajorMirzaQadirBaig’scommand,asquadronwasdispatchedtoprotecttheleftflank.Itperformeditsdutiesinanexemplaryfashion.

From the Turkish prisoners of war, it was established that it was never the Turks’intentiontoentertheSinaiPeninsulaandafterfacingallmannerofhardships,toattacktheSuezCanal.ButwhentheTurkishSultanategottheimpressionthatEnglandwouldattackGallipoli and that even a fraction of the English forces that were currently engaged inprotecting the Suez Canal would proceed towards Gallipoli, it decided to take all thistroubletopreventsuchaneventuality.Also,GermanywasexertingpressureonTurkeytoattacktheSuezCanalsothatthemovementofarmsandresourcesthatwerecomingfromIndiatoopposeGermanyinEuropecouldbestopped.

TranslatedfromUrdubyRakhshandaJalil

10

11

12

Extract fromTareekh-e-Jung-e-Azeem Europe: Aur Iss Mein Hyderabad Imperial Service Troops Ki Shirkat KeHaalatbyLt-ColMuhammadAzmatullah,Hyderabad,1922,p.18.

The15th(ImperialService)CavalryBrigadewasabrigade-sizedformationthatservedalongsideBritishforcesinthe Sinai and Palestine Campaign during the First World War. Originally called the Imperial Service CavalryBrigade,itwasformedfromImperialServiceTroopsprovidedbytheIndianprincelystatesofHyderabad,Mysore,Patiala,AlwarandJodhpur,eachofwhichprovideda regimentof lancers. InOctober1914, the ImperialServiceCavalryBrigadewasmovedbyseatoEgypttodefendtheSuezCanal.Duringthefirstthreeyearsofthewar,thesoldierswereinvolvedinseveralsmall-scalebattlesconnectedtotheFirstSuezOffensive,butspentmostoftheirtimepatrollingintheSinaiDesertandalongthewestbankofthecanal.ItwasnotuntilNovember1917aspartoftheEgyptianExpeditionary Force that the Imperial ServiceCavalryBrigadewas involved in theThirdBattle ofGaza.Thefollowingyear,thebrigadejoinedthe5thCavalryDivisionwhenitbecamethe15th(ImperialService)CavalryBrigadeandplayedanactiveroleintheBritishvictoryoverTurkishforcesinPalestine.Intotal,eighty-fourofitsmenwerekilledinactionordiedoftheirwoundsand123werewounded.

ArockypeninsulainYemen.

AraidingpartyfromthearmouredcruiserHMSDukeofEdinburghdidindeedcaptureanddestroythisfortthathadservedtoguardthemouthoftheRedSeaduringtheruleoftheOttomanEmpire.

AttheentranceoftheRedSea.

During the First World War, the Moascar Isolation Camp provided the final preparation for entrainment toAlexandriaandtheWesternFront.TheisolationcampsscreenedsoldiersarrivinginEgyptasreinforcementsfortwoweeks,checkingforanyillnessessuchasmeasles,whichcouldbreakoutwhenpeoplearecrowdedtogetherforlongperiods. Ismailia is a city in northeast Egypt, situated on thewest bank of the Suez Canal. During thewar, theAustralianYMCAransoldiers’clubs,etc.,inCairo,Alexandriaandelsewhere.TheyalsopooledtheirresourceswiththeUS,Canada,EnglandandNewZealandtoformtheInternationalHospitalityLeagueandprovidedsocialservicestoallAlliedtroops.

KnownasIsmailtheMagnificent(31December1830–2March1895),IsmailPashawastheKhediveofEgyptandSudanfrom1863to1879,untilhewasremovedatthebehestofGreatBritain.

The first hostilities occurredon20November 1914,when a twenty-manpatrol of theBikanerCamelCorpswasattackedatBirenNuss,twentymileseastofQantara,by200Bedouin.TheBikanerCamelCorpslostmorethanhalftheirpatrol.

TheenemyforcehadmovedtowardstheSuezCanalinthreeechelons;themaingroupalongthecentralroute,withsmallerforcesonthenorthernandsouthernroutes.Thenortherngroupofabout3,000menmovedviaMagdhabatoAl-Arish and thence along the northern route towardsPort Said.The central groupof about 6,000 or 7,000menmovedviathewatercisternsatMoiyaHarabandthewellsatWadiUmMuksheibandJifjafatowardsIsmailia.ThiswasatthemidpointoftheSuezCanalnearthevitalBritishrailwayandwaterpumpingequipment.ThemainforcemarchedfromBeershebathroughElAujaandIbni,betweentheMagharaandYelleghillstoJifjafaandIsmailia.Thethirdgroupofabout3,000movedviaNeklsouthwards towards the townofSuezat thesouthernendof theSuezCanal.Themainforcewasattackedbyaircraftdroppingtwenty-poundbombs.TwosmallerflankingcolumnsofthisOttomanforcemadesecondaryattackson26and27January1915nearQantarainthenorthernsectoroftheSuezCanalandnearthetownofSuezinthesouth.

By2February,slightforwardmovementsoftheattackingforcemadeitclearthemainattackwouldbeonthecentralsector,tothenorthorsouthofLakeTimsah.AnarmouredtrainwithfourplatoonsofNewZealandinfantryandtwoplatoons reinforced the 5th Gurkhas’ post on the east bank. The 22nd (Lucknow) Brigade (the 62nd and 92ndPunjabis and the2/10thGurkhaRifles) fromSector II, the2ndQueenVictoria’sOwnRajputLight Infantry, twoplatoons of the 128th Pioneers from general reserve atMoascar, the 19th Lancashire Battery RFA (four fifteen-pounders),5thBatteryEgyptianArtillery(fourmountaingunsandtwoMaximguns),twosectionsofthe1stFieldCompanyEast LancashireRoyal Engineers and the 137th Indian FieldAmbulancewere in position between theGreatBitterLakeandLakeTimsah.

TheHardingeandRequinopenedfireongroupsofinfantryinthedesertandanOttomantrench200yardssouthofTussumPostwascaughtbyenfiladefirefrommachineguns.

Squads ofmenwere seen by the light of themoon at about 4.20 am on 3 Februarymoving pontoons and raftstowards theSuezCanal.Theywere firedonbyanEgyptianbattery, and the62ndPunjabis alongwith the128th

13

PioneersatPostNo.5stoppedmostattemptstogettheircraftintothewater.Afurtherattemptalongastretchofone-and-a-halfmiles to get pontoons and rafts to the canalwasmade slightly to the north of the first attempt.Threepontoonsloadedwithtroopscrossedthecanalundercoverofmachinegunandriflefirefromthesanddunesontheeastern bank.As they landed on thewestern bankof the canal, all three boatloads of soldierswere attacked andkilled,woundedorcaptured.Asdawnlitthearea,thefailureoftheattempttocrossthecanalwascomplete.

TheNightofAscensionisthenightProphetMohammadissaidtohavetravelledthroughtheskiesuptoheaven.

Unfettered1KaziNazrulIslam

NurulHuda’slettertoMonu(Monuwar)2

KarachiCantonment

21January(Dawn)

Monu,

HowcanIdescribehowunbelievablybeautifulKarachiis lookingtoday?Doyouknowwhathappened?

Afterstrugglingallnightwithrainandstorm,nakednaturebecamecalmandpeacefulassoonasthesunrose.It isasifnature,likeagoodlittlegirl,hadwashedherhairandspreaditoutonherbacktodryinthesun.Itishardtobelievethatthissamegirlwasalittlewhile ago thegoddessofdestruction, turning theworldupsidedown.Now, she islookingatthepinkandblueskywithhersolemnblueeyes.Fromherwethair,afewdropscontinuetodrip,sparklinginthelightofthemorningsunlikethetearsonagirl’scheeks.But, no matter how beautiful she appears, her sombre innocence and effortlessindifferencearesoinconsistentandqueerthatIcannothelpsmiling.Youcanunderstandthesituation—cloudspileduponcloudsandabone-chillingwind.

OldKarachi trembledonthetreelessshoreallnight,andthenowcalmandpeacefulgirlunremittinglypouredvolumesofrainuponhertremblingforehead.Sheterrifiedherwiththeroarofthunder.Shedazzledherwithflashesandlightningandlaughedwithhercompanion,themad,swirlingwind.Then,thismorningsheisaspeacefulandsereneasifsheknowsnothing.Tellme,brother,whowouldnotbeamusedby this? Isn’t it strangeand inconsistent? I remember one or two girls just like this. Specially a youngwomanwhosetantrumswouldsetthevillageonitshead.Suddenly,shebecameasabsent-mindedas a philosopher and,with one jump, added twenty to twenty-five years to her age tobecome a sombrematron.And that is why it has become amatter of discourse for anoutspoken,garrulouspersonlikeme.Idonothavethecouragetocriticisewaywardgirlslikethat.Why?Ihavenotyetseenabride’sface.Infuture,whoknows?TheSanskritpoetsays:

Thebackofloveisagainsttheworld

Whowillrideonit,whoknows?

Thatiswhymydevotionalsongsaboutbeautyandvirtuecometoafullstopatthispoint.Perhaps,bythistimeyouareastonished,listeningtomyrant.Perhapsyouarealsogettingangryasyounormallydo.No?Youshould.This ismynature.Ispeaksomuchrubbish

thatpeoplenotonlygetirritatedbutwouldliketobeatmeup.

Forgetaboutallthatrubbish.WhatwasIsaying?Thepeacefulskyofthemorninghasmademeveryrestlesstoday.Ontopofthat,ourkindbugler,Mr.Gupichandra,playedNoParade—thatis,therewillbenoparadetoday.Itisnaturalthatsuddenlygettingallthisfreetimehasmademyrestlessheartopenuplikethesky.ThatiswhyIgaveGupiallmyblessings withmy four hands and feet. Do youwant to hear the blessing I gave him?‘Ashirbadong shiroshchhedong bongshonashong ashtangey dhabol kushtong pureymorong.’3 Intimidatedbythis terribleblessing,Gupithrewdownhisbugleandfled.Wearereallyenjoyingourselves.

Wealsousedtoenjoyourselveslikethiswhenourschoolclosedduringtherains.Theboyswould shoutandplay in frontof the schoolandsplash in thepuddleson the roadbeforerunningbacktotheirhostel.Theretheywouldgotothehostelsuperintendentanddemandthatonsucharainyday,theybegivenbhunakhichriandkorma.4 They would expound on the benefits of bhuna khichri and korma. Then theywouldlaughforthefunofit.Ah,howhappythosedayswere!Thosehappydaysthatwillneverreturn,nomatterwhatpricewearewillingtopay!Itisonlywhenourschooldaysareoverthatwerealisethattherearenodaysashappyasourschooldays.Andthesweetpainofthememoryofthosehappydaysmanifestsitselfduringone’sunhappyexistence.

Fromearlymorningintheroomnexttomine,afountainofsongshasstartedtospout.People are singing all theMeghMalhar, monsoon songs that they know. Someone issinginglikeanustad, ‘Aajbadaribarikharejhamjham.’(Today therain ispouringdownheavily.) Someone else sings in a classical manner: ‘Bondhu, emon badari dine tumikothaye?’(Myfriend,whereareyouonthisrainyday?)Inthisupside-downworld, it israininginMagh.Andthoughitisquiteclearthatitisn’tBhadra,butMagh,lateJanuary,stillsomeonesings,‘Ebharabadarmahbhadar,shunyamandirmor.’(TheskyiscoveredwithraincloudsinthismonthofBhadraandmytempleisempty.)Aftereveryonefinishes,Havildar Pandey starts singing, ‘Heriye shyamla ghono nil gagane, sajal kajal ankhiparilamone.’ (Seeing thedeepblue sky, I remember thosemoist, kohl-linedeyes.)Thesongseemstotouchsomehiddenpaininme.WhetherHavildarsahabdoeshavesomeonewithdark,kohl-linedeyesorwhetherthedarkcloudsinspiredhimtorememberapairofdark eyes, I do not know.However, it seems that the sad notes of thismonsoonmusicreflectmyownhiddenpain.

Seeingthedeepbluesky

Irememberthosemoist,kohl-linedeyes

Steepedintenderness

Drawninpain

Gazingsilently

Atthetimeofparting

Seeingthedeepbluesky.

Therainfallsintorrents,thelightningflashes

Thewindwhirlsitsmadsongthroughtheforest

Withinmysoul

Somewhereapainarises

Whosethoughtringsout

Inthecornerofmyheart

Seeingthedeepbluesky.

Thesingingcontinues.Acoupleofthosepresentpoundonwhatevertheycangetholdof— table, book, bed — to keep time with the music. Some of them are betalponchobingshati,5blissfullyoutoftune.Andthenacoupleofsoldiers,intoxicatedbythemusic, sing in Golap Ray’s manner, ‘Dada gayi dekse, goru tar kidekhbo; dekhThakurdada’r biye, dhuchni mathaye diye; dada re paetgelo re, sha… tor ki holo re?’(Come,elderbrother,come,lookatthecow.WhyshouldIlookatyourcow?Grandfatheris gettingmarried, a straw hat on his head.O father, I am hungry.Ras…6What is thematterwithyou?)Astheysing,theygesticulatewildlywiththeirheads,hands,feet,faces.Therearecriesof‘Encoreplease,againplease,’andthesongisrepeatedacoupleoftimes.Then, justwhen Samar’s head receives a blow, a loud cry rises above all the differentvoices:‘Degorungadhuiye.’(Washdownthecow.7Letyourson’sfatherdie,brother.Ifyoudie,yourfatherwilldie.)Immediately,thelegsshodinbootsandwrappedinputtiesstartamaddance.Despitethesonglosingmuchofitssweetness,itseemsthisisanotherformofstudentlife.Purejoydanceshereallthetime.Thelaughteronthefacesofthosewhowilldietomorrowisunmixedwithsadnessorpity.

Myearsstillringwiththesong.

Irememberthoseeyes

Steepedintenderness

Drawninpain

Gazingsilently

Atthetimeofparting.

Thatiswhysomewhereinmysoulgriefrises,andthoughtsofsomeoneringinthecornerofmyheart.

Sitting inmy lonely room, Iwonderwhosenoblemessage resonates in this restlesstune so that like me, the thoughts of hundreds of unfortunates and their heartfelt pain

quickenandtakeshapebeforeoureyes?Mydear,whoisthatgreatpoetwhosecoupleofink-scratchedwordshavethepowertoarousehiddenpainintoconsciousness?Thepoetwhodrawsoutfromtheforgottenrecessesofone’smemorythesadrecollectionofone’sbeloved,whichfallsuponthelayersofone’sheartandwritesitoutinwordsoffire?Thepoetwhomakesnewandfreshthehalf-forgotten,half-remembered,oldembarrassedlovemixedwithpassionandanger?Whoishe,mydear?Lethisnoblemessagestampitselfontheworld.Let thenotesofhismusicoverflowtheentireuniverse.Athisfeet,amillionobeisances!8

The silentmemoryof the timeof parting shookmyheart soviolently thatmyeyesgrewwetwithtears.BhaiMonu,thecruelmemoryofthepasthasmademesad.Perhapsthe rainwill again fall in torrents. There is no place large enough to contain this sky-shatteringrain.

Dark clouds come frombehind the hills9 and cover the entire sky. I cannot see thepaper any more, everything has become hazy. Yes, now I must finish the letter. Aftersingingforsometimeinthemorning,Ifeelmuchlighternow.

Theletterhasbecomealittletoolong.WhatcanIdo?WheneverIsittowrite,IonlywishtowritefranklyallthethoughtsofmyheartthatIwouldhesitatetoutteraloud.ButcanIsayeverything?Everythingofmeisinshadows.Mylifeitselfissteepedinhaziness.

Last evening Iwrote a letter toRobiul. I tried to provoke himquite a bit. I cannotreciprocatethewhole-heartedfriendshipthatRobiuldemandsofme.Idonotknowwhy,but truly I feel a humble veneration for him. Still, because I feel he might be hurt, Iexchangeletterslikeafriendwithhim.Doyouknowwhatthetruthis?Heissomewhatlikeamurabbi,anelder.Heisreservedinspeechandmannerandhasbecomeacompletefamilyman.Thin-skinnedpeoplelikemedonotgetalongwithpeoplelikethat.ButwhenthetwoofusstudiedatBankuraCollegiateSchool,10thingswerenotlikethis.

However,themanhasonevirtue—heisextremelystraightforward.IfRobiulhadnotbeenthere,perhapsthecurrentofmylifewouldhaveflowedinsomeunknown,differentdirection. Robu looks upon me as a bosom friend and loving brother — I have notreceivedsuchbeautifulaffectionfromanyoneotherthanRobiul.

EventhoughIhavenooneofmyownintheworld,whenIthinkofRobiul’sfamily,itseemsasifIhaveeveryone—brother,sister,mother.

WhenI thinkofRobiul’s lovingandhonouredmother, thewoundof the lossofmymotherthrobsafresh.Iamveryungrateful,no?Very,very,ungrateful.

Imustendnow,Bhai—Iamfeelingverydepressed.

Yourunfortunate,

NurulHuda

NurulHuda’slettertoBhabhiSaheba(Rabeya)11

KarachiCantonment

15February(Afternoon)

BhabiSaheba,

A million salaams. Received your letter. I don’t have the time or the inclination tounderstandeverythingandthenreplytoyou.Later,ifIdogetthetimeandfeellikeit,Imay,aftermuchintrospection,replytoallyourallegations.However,Imust tellyouallnot to hurt me in this manner again. All humans have weaknesses but only now do Iunderstandthatrevealingthemisitselfagreatweakness.Otherwise,Iwouldn’thavebeenhurt somuch.Youdohave the right to inflict suchhurtand Ihave the responsibility toendure the same,butalas, Idonothave the strength.Thisyoushouldhaveknown.Doforgivemyharshresponsebytryingtoappreciatemystateofmind.

You see, people tend to alleviate pain by applying pressure on the spot that hurts.Similar is the pain that resides deep in one’s heart. So, knowingly or unknowingly, ifsomeone touches the tender spot, it gives an inebriatedpain— fromwhichone cannotdissociateoneself—andonelosestheresolvetoavoidit,soviciousisthistemptation.Idare say though the pain inflicted by you is pleasurable — to me it is heartless andintolerable.Itwillsurelyleadtomyruin.SuccumbingjustalittletothistemptationwillcausemetodriftlikedebrisonthewavesoftheriverPadma—howdevastating!Achillrunsdownmyspine.Ibegofyou,pleasedonotagitatemeinthismanner.Knowingtheveryrootsofmypainfulweaknesses,donotplungeyourbutcher’sknifeonthatveryspot.Saveme—freemefromthebondsofyourlove.TheveryweaknessesthatIhavemyselfrevealedthrashaboutinmyrestlessbreastasifwhippedbytheexecutioner’scat-o’-nine-tails.AsIwritethisletter,mywholebodyconvulsesinrage.Idon’tthinkthereisanotherstupidfoollikemeinthiswholeworld.

Ordersforourmobilisationhavebeenissued.Allaroundpreparationsareafoot.Verysoon, we cross the Arabian Sea and jump into the fires ofMesopotamia,12 so my joyknowsnobounds.Iprayforfire,onlyfireallaround,insidemybeingandoutsideit.

IpraythatImaybeengulfedbythatinfernoasthefireinmyheartragesinitsownmaelstrom,toseewhichfiredevourstheotherintheconflagration.Ifeellikebeheadingallhumanbeingsanddrinkingtheirblood.Maybethatwillslakemyinsatiablebloodlust.Why,ohwhy,doIhavesucharageagainstallhumanity?Whathavehumanbeingsdonetome?Ijustcan’tsay.Iftheyarenotmyenemies,whydoIhavethisburningdesiretodrinktheirblood?Howstrange,whentheslightestgriefof theseverypeoplecausesmyheart to cry out in pain like a parched desert.Why does such rage reside inmy heart?Alas,nooneknows.Thismadnesshasnorighttoexist.Youwillnotunderstandthispain,

Bhabi Saheba, you will not understand the hustle and bustle, the restlessness.Nevertheless, Iwrite quicklywhatever I can. Read the letter twice or thrice and try tounderstandwhatIamsaying.

You havewritten aboutMahbuba.That’s a long story.The time hasn’t yet come torevealeverything.ButthismuchImustsay:Ienjoykillingpeoplebyhurtingthem.ThecruelrageofmineisnotagainsthumansbutagainsttheirCreator.WhoeverthisPowerfulCreator is, I can never forgive Him — never. The Almighty, the All-Powerful, theOmnipotentdoesnothavethepowertoshacklemeevenifHeburntmeinhellahundredthousand timesover. Ihave thepower todevourHis sun,His earthwithmyminusculepower.WhyshouldIfearHimthen?

YouwillcallmeSatan,willbeastonishedatmyaudacity—sobeit!LetthewholeworldaddressmeasTheDevilIncarnate—littlewillthattempermyrage.Indeed,Igetrealjoy.Ah!IwhodonotfeartheCreator,whyshouldIfearhumanityandhidethetruththatresidesinmyheart?AmIthatsmall,thatinsignificant,thatdespicable?Iwillnotletmyheartbeuntruthful.Yes,whatwasIsaying?Iamatraitor—ahangman!Toenticethedoebyplayingthefluteandthenslayingherbyplungingapoisonedswordinherheartorshootingapoisonedarrow—thatgivesmepleasure.Ohwhat joy,BhabiSaheba,whatjoyinthisslaughter!Myhands,feet,breastarestrengthenedlikerollingthunder.

What intoxicates me with rage and the same time what endless wailing from timeimmemorial rents my heart asunder— like unfathomable confusion! I don’t have thestrengthtowriteanymore!Goodbye.

TheDevilIncarnate,

NurulHuda

NurulHuda’sLettertoShahoshika13

Baghdad

23rdChaitra

ShahoshikaDi,

Itakethedustofyourfeetuponmyforehead.Perhapsthisismylastletter.Butittookmeayeartowriteit.Haveyoueverseenaflowerthathas,petrified,turnedtostone?ButIhave…Butnevermind.Ihavenotcometotalkaboutthosematters.Ihavesomenewstogiveyou,soletmedoso.ItisnotthatIhavenofreetime.Infact,Ido.ThefreetimeIhavenowismorethanIneedorwant.AndperhapssomuchofithascollectedthatIfeeltoomiserlytouseit.NowIthinkthatinsteadofwastingmytimewritingletters,Ishouldsit and think about my past. There is greater satisfaction in diving into the sea of

recollections aboutyou all.Thosewhooncewerehumanbeingshave, inmy templeofmeditation, turned into deities. They only accept adoration. They do not talk, they aresilent. Lest they disturbmymeditation, I have turnedmy deities to stone—deities ofwhitemarbleformedofmyfrozentears.

Whatterribleeventstookplacethisyear!Notjustinmylife,butinallcreation.Afterthegreat churning, creation is lifeless,unmoving, soundless. It is as if ithasopened itsaccountbookandischeckingitsprofitsandlosses.Theredinkofdebtsisoverwhelmingthegreeninkofcredits.

Thatwar14 isending.Thearmistice15 ishere.It isas ifafter theGreatFlood,FatherNoahissittinginmeditation,withallcreationawaitingeagerlyathisdoor.Allitisaskingforistheboontoturnitssorrow,wearinessandshameintoaflower.Wealth,wine,womenhavecomeasbeggarstothedoorofthebeggar’shut.Thissceneisunique,strange,isn’tit,Didi?

ThisyearofminehaspassedinthedesertsofIraq,onthebanksoftheEuphrates,atthefeetofthearid,death-dealingmountains.It’snotthatifIhadwantedto,Icouldnothavewrittenletters.Ididn’twritedeliberately.ThiswholeyearIwasterrifiedthatIwouldgetsomeone’sletter.It’snotthatitdidn’tcome.Andallthoselettersfromyouall!EventodayIhaven’treadmanyofthem.ImyselfdonotknowwhyIamsoweak.Iwasafraidthat bad news and curses were hidden in them. But I didn’t throw the letters away. Ithoughtthatoneday,whenmymindiscalmandatpeaceandwhennooutsidenewscouldhavethepowertoupsetme,onlythen—whenIhadthatfaithinmyself—wouldIopentheletters.

IdonotseetheneedtoopenanymorelettersthantheonesthatIhavereadsofar.Iknow all that I need to know fromwhat I have read. It seems that the accounts ofmyfriends and acquaintances are complete. For the time being,my buying and selling areover.

Achcha,ShahoshikaDi,aren’tmenalittlemoreshort-sightedthanwomen?Itappearseachofthemisshort-sighted.16Withoutanextraeye,theycannotseethingscloseby.Buttheycanseethingsfaraway.IsawSophie—evencloserthanMahbuba—butIdidn’tnoticethebudsofgriefhiddeninsidetheleavesuntilIcameawaythesethousandmiles.Thislong-sightednesshasbecomeacurseforme.

Today when I search deep within myself, I start with fear and amazement. I thinksomeone iswatchingme.Allmy life I firmlybelieved that onlyoneperson’s facewasreflected in my heart. When I saw someone else’s face reflected there, shattering mybeing,even though faraway, Igrewstill in fear,wonder,grief. Ikept thinking that thistime without a cataclysm nothing would take place. If two suns ever rose in the sky,something terriblewould happen. I am sure of this even though it is notwritten in analmanac.

Thatcataclysmhasperhapscomeinmylife,ShahoshikaDi.Onesungiveslight,buttwosons fight.Myheart is aflame— that iswhy todestroypoisonwithpoison Ihavecometothisscorchingdesert.IthoughtthatIwouldcometothisburned-outlandtogetpeace.Today,inthefurnaceofmyheart,Iamtryingtodopenanceformysins.PraythatIamnotunsuccessful.

Iwillnotwriteanymoreletters,tonoone,noteventoyou.Anddonotlookforme.Imagine that for two days you saw something unlucky like a comet17 and cared for it,lovedit.Todayitappearedsuddenlyanddisappearedsuddenly.It is impossible tosee itagain.But if comets followcertain lawsof theuniverse, then Iwill appear again, eventhoughyoumightnotwanttoseemeagain.

IhaveheardthatSophiehasmarried,butthatimmediatelyafterherwedding,shefellvery ill, so ill that shemight not survive.You know the news better than I do. I havereceivedanotherpieceof terriblenews.TheunfortunateMahbubahasbecomeawidow.Heroldhusbandhaspassedaway.Mahbubawrote the letterherself.Shewrote that shehad become the owner of the entire zamindari. She is no longer interested inmaterialmatters.Shewillsoontraveltoholyplaces,toMakkahandMadina.ShehasalsowrittenthatshemightevencometoBaghdad.Ihavenottoldhernotto.Iamnolongerafraidofher.

TheMahbubawhorejectedmylovewithbothherhandslestmyfutureprospectsbedestroyedherselfthrustmeintothejawsofdeath.IfIamafraidofhertoday,Iwillneverbefreeinthislifeorthehereafter,ShahoshikaDi.

Ourbattalionwillbereturning.Soonallofmybrotherswillbegoingbackhome.ButIwillnotbereturning.

Ihavesignedupforanotherthreeyearsinthearmy.EvenifIwishedto,Icouldnotreturnduringthesethreeyears.

Anothersceneofthedramaofmyunfetteredlifehasbeenstaged.WhatisinstoreformeinthefutureonlythemadNatarajaofmylifeknows!

Bless me, all of you, that when I come again to my stage, all my shame, all mysorrowsanddoubtsarewashedawaybymytears,andthatwithcompletepeaceIcanlookintoyoureyes.

Youraccursed,

NurulHuda

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Translated fromBengali by Tanveer ulHaque,AsfaHussain, ShirinHasanat Islam,AyeshaKabir, JackieKabir,SaeedaKarimKhan,ShahrukRahman,andNiazZamanofTheReadingCircle,Dhaka,andpublishedbyNymphea.IthasbeenreproducedherewiththekindpermissionofNiazZaman.

ThefirstextractisfromChapterTwoandwrittenbyNurulHuda(theprotagonist)tohisfriendMonu.

TheBengalihasbeenSanskritisedforhumour.Itmeans,‘Iblessyou.Offwithyourhead.Mayentiregenerationsofyourfamilyperish.Mayallyoureightlimbsdropoffwithleprosy.Burnanddie.’ManyfamiliesinBengalusedtosay ‘Ashirbadong shiroshchhedong pureymorong’, that is, ‘I bless you.Offwith your head. Burn and die.’ TheexplanationwasprovidedbyMrsShireenLutfunnessa.

Normally,withbhunakhichri, a drypreparationof ricemung,MuslimBengali families have a spicymeat curry,ratherthanamildkorma.

ThisisthenameofabookbyIshwarChandraVidyasagar.

ThecompletewordinBengaliwouldbeshala, literallyawife’syoungerbrother.However, it isusedasatermofabuse,equivalenttorascal.

DeGorunGaDhuiyeisasongbyNazrulIslam.PritiK.Mitra,inthearticleTheRebelPoetandtheMahatma:KaziNazrul Islam’sCritiqueofGandhi’sPolitics in the1920s, noteshow, in thispoem,Nazrul Islam ‘ridiculed somepeople’spersistentinterestintherottenideaofavagueswarajandtheirunwillingnesstoacceptthechallengeofwar’(p.54).Mitradatesthepoemcirca1930.However,BondhonHarabeganbeingserialisedinMoslemBharatfrom1Baishakh1327,thatismid-April1920.Thepoem,ortheopeninglineofthepoem,wasalreadyinNazrulIslam’smind.

NazrulIslamseemstobeeulogisingRabindranathTagorehere.

WhilethetopographyofKarachiisgenerallyplain,therearehillslocatedinthenorthofKarachi.Accordingtoanemail receivedfromYasmeenLari,dated22July2012, theplaceknownasQasbaColony,wheremostlyPathansfromtheNorth-WestFrontierProvincereside,isactuallybuiltonahill.

NazrulIslamdidnotstudyatBankuraCollegiateSchool.

Thisletterformstheninthchapterinthebook.

ThereferencehereistotheMesopotamianCampaign,duringtheFirstWorldWar,whichtookplaceintheMiddleEastbetweentheAllies,representedbyGreatBritainanditsallies,andtheCentralPowers,mostlyoftheOttomanEmpire.ThemaintheatreofthewarwasMesopotamia,thelandbetweentheEuphratesandtheTigris,whatisnowpresent-dayIraq.TheBritishtroopsengagedinthewarweremostlyfromtheBritishIndianArmy,consistingoftheIndian6th(Poona)InfantryDivision.Thebeginningofthewarmaybedated6November1914,whentheBritishattacked an old fort at Fao,where the Shatt-el-Arabmeets the PersianGulf. TheBritish enteredBaghdad on 11March.TheArmisticeofMudroswassignedon30October1918.Thewarendedon14November1918.The49thBengalRegimentdidnottakepartinthecampaignbut,inKarachi,NazrulIslamwouldhavebeenverymuchawareofwhatwashappeningintheMiddleEast.

Thisformstheeighteenthchapterinthebook.

TheMesopotamianCampaignendedon14November1918.

TheArmisticeofMudroswassignedon30October1918,butthewarendedafortnightlater.

Nazrul Islamuses theEnglish term ‘short sight’.However, hewas confusinghyperopia or long-sightednesswithmyopia. Inmyopiaor short-sightedness,distantobjects appearblurred. Inhyperopia,nearobjects appearblurred,whereasdistantobjectsareclear.Inthelastsentence,heusesthecorrectterm.

ThenameofthejournalNazrulIslamstartedon11August1922wasDhumketu,meaning‘comet’.

ReactiontoTurkishPolitics1MohamedAli

TheWarandeventsleadingtotheparticipationofTurkeynotonthesamesideasEnglandundid all the good we had expected to follow the friendly deputation of the IndianMusalmanswhichwehad taken towaitonLordHardingeearlier in theyearandwhichhadbeenreceivedbythatviceroywitheveryshowofgoodwill.

FromNovember1914tothetimeofmyconvictionandsentenceofimprisonmentatKarachi sevenyears later, almost toaday,Governmentand Ihavenotbeenable to seethingseyetoeye.Theresultwasthatoncemore,throughtheinstrumentalityofthePressAct,mypresswasforcedtosuspenditsactivitiesontheverydaythatWarwasdeclaredbyEnglandagainstTurkeyandwhen,atRussia’sobviouspressure,theplanstopartitionTurkeyamongtheAllieswerecompleteanditwassettledthatConstantinople,theseatoftheKhilafat,wasat longlast tobecomeTsargradinfulfilmentof theambitionsofPetertheGreat,andwhenearlyinthesummerof1915theforcesofGeneralSirIanHamiltonwerereadytolandontheGallipolipeninsulapreparatorytotheforcingoftheDardanelles,andtheoccupationofConstantinoplewasexpectedatanearlydate,Iwasorderedtobeinterned under theDefence of IndiaAct.MybrotherShaukat,whohad up to that timenevertakenanypartinpoliticsandhad,infact,justretiredwithanextraordinarypensionafter 17 years spent in the public service, was also interned. During all this time, hisactivitiesoutsidehisofficialdutieshadbeenconfinedtoeducation,andparticularlytotheeducationalreformofouroldCollegeatAligarhforwhichhehadsuccessfullyorganisedtheOldBoys’Association.WhentheKingannouncedhisintentionofcomingtoDelhitoholdhisCoronationDurbar,mybrother tookfurloughfor twoyears inorder toassist intheevolutionofthatCollegeintoaMuslimUniversity,whichhesokeenlywantedtobeopenedbyHisMajestyhimself.Hisincessanttouringthroughoutthecountryhadresultedin contributions to the university fund that well exceeded two out of a total of threemillionrupeescollectedforthatpurpose.Butfindingthatevensuchapurelynon-politicalactivity was not immune from being regarded by some officials as questionable, hedecidedtoretirefrompublicserviceanddevotehimselfentirelytocommunalwork.

TheDeendarsandNaiRaushani2

The international development which had resulted in the disintegration of the alreadyenfeebled temporal power of Islam were bound to exercise a great influence on theMusalmans.But few could have prophesied the precise form this reactionwas to take.Western education had thrust, so to speak, a wedge into the ranks of Indian Muslimsociety. The old type of IndianMuslim,whowas either a theologian or still under thetheologian’sinfluence,findingthathewasunabletostoptheprogressofanavalancheof

bedeenior ‘irreligiousness’,had takenwithall thegreaterzeal toa sterile ritualismandshookofffromtheskirtofhisorthodoxgownthedustof‘worldliness’.Fewofthisclasswere any longer wholly ‘unworldly’; but all prided themselves on their ‘other-worldliness’, which consisted chiefly in leaving a world which no longer heeded theirfulminationsandfatwatomanageitsownaffairs,andgotheperditionthattheypredictedfor it. The younger men — the men of the Nai Raushani or ‘New Light’— had thepretensionsnotonlytobemenoflight,butalsomenofleading,dominatedthepubliclifeof their community. For a long time, educational propaganda was the crying need ofMusalmans and educational conferences and touring deputations and lectures wereorganised by the men of ‘New Light’. Latterly they had been encouraged by theGovernment itself to take a more assertive part in politics and had organised politicalpropagandawiththesamezealandenergyforsecuringtheirpropershareofthecommunalrepresentation.AsIhavealreadyindicated,theirzealwasmorecommunalthanreligious;theyknewsolittleoftheirreligionandtheirorthodoxywasmorethansuspect.Theydidnotsneeratreligionbuttheycertainlysneeredatthe‘religious’theirsocial‘reform’hadbegunwithaveryoutspokencriticismoftheancient,time-worncustomsoftheeastandhad ended in their almost complete adoption of western ways. From the so-called‘England-Returned’whowasabarristeroranIndiancivilian,adoctororanengineer,fullofHuxleyandHerbertSpencer,often tookwine,was, in justafewcases,notwithoutapartialityeven forpork,andoccasionallyhadmarriedanEnglishwife, to theclerk inaGovernment office or a ticket collector on a railway,whose acquaintancewith Englishbeganandendedinthelowestformofa‘ZillaSchool’,butwhocouldnotspeakhisownlanguagewithoutintroducingsomeEnglishequivalentsforsomeofthecommonestwordsin the vernacular regardless of their absurd incongruity, andwhowouldwear a coat orwaistcoatmore or less of European cut evenwhen the rest of the costumewas purelyEastern, thereweremanyshadesof the ‘Anglicised’and ‘Europeanised’ IndianMuslim,whosechiefconcernwasthisworldandnotthenext,butwhoborethenameofMuslimwithasmuchprideandgloryasthemostorthodox‘other-worldly’divine.

ViewsoftheReformedThelessintellectualseldomworriedaboutthetheologicaldogmas,evenwhenthetideofasuperficialandforthatreasonallthemoreaggressiverationalismmakeiteasyforthemtobelieve precisely as their fathers had believed, particularly on the subject of thesupernaturalwithwhichlater-dayIslamhadbeenlavishlysuppliedbythemorenumerousbut less learned class of Muslimwaiz or preacher; the line of least resistance, whichreadilylentitselfforsuchpurposeswascheerfullyfollowedandinahazy,undefinedwaytoseparatereligionfromlifejustasmostpeopleseparatethisworldfromthenextanddonotbelievethattheyarerequiredtoargueorthinkaboutsuchthingstoonicely.Themoreintellectual or the more venturesome satisfied their mental cravings by ridiculing themildewedconservatismandliteralinterpretationofsacredtexts,andcontentedthemselveswiththegratifyingbeliefthattheyatleastwereamongthe‘reformed’thoughtheynever

tookthetroubletodefinewhattheir‘reformed’beliefswereandhowtheyfittedinwiththe sacred texts to which, if required, they would have acknowledged their completest[sic]allegianceasunhesitatinglyasthemostorthodox.

Europe’sTemporalAggressionIt was to a society thus constituted that European temporal aggression presented anultimatum.WeinIndiawhohadalreadylostourownEmpireseveralgenerationsifnotawholecenturyago,werenotprobablyexpectedtofeelasacutelyaswedidthelossofourco-religionistsinPersia,inEgyptandinTripoli,andinfar-offMorocco.

ButthetemporallossesofTurkey,whichwewereadvisedbyEuropeto‘cut’,touchedapeculiarchordinoursub-consciousness,thechordofreligion;for,theRulerofTurkeywas the Khalifa or Successor of the Prophet and Amir al-Muminin or Chief of theFaithful, and the Khilafat was as essentially our religious concern as the Quran or theSunna of the Prophet. It needed no alarmist cry of ‘Religion in danger’ to rouse theMusalmansinIndia,ifreligionhadstillanyrealholdonthem.Thatindeedwasthegreattest.WasIslamonlyalabelfortheIndianMusalmansorhaditareallivingconcernwithworldly life? It is idle to speculate nowwhatwould have happened if in such a crisis,IndianMusalmanshadalso reached the stageof indifferentism ifnotpracticalunbelief,that is lamented by the religious among themost civilised and progressive sections ofWesternChristendom.But,nodoubt,manyaprogressiveEuropeanbelievedthatevenifMuslimorthodoxyinIndiacouldnotbebroughtbysucharemarkablesuccessionofthe‘failuresofIslam’toviewitsconservatismandnarrownessdifferently,atleastthosewhohad receivedaWesterneducation, thosewhohad learnt to sneerat the religiosityofanearlierdayandformanyofwhomEurope’smaterialismhadsuchfatalfascination,wouldnowbeweanedofffromsuchremnantsofspiritualityasstilllingeredasaresultoftheirEasternheredityinsomeremotecorneroftheirbeing.These,atleast,theythoughtwouldnowsolidlyvoteforacompleterenunciationofsuchuselessremnantsandfordroppingoff all such hampering impedimenta in their march towards the secularism of Europe,whichhadgivenitsuchacompletevictoryovertheunprogressiveandsuperstitiousEast.

ReligionwithaBriefCreedandNoClergyPerhapsIamanticipatingmyrepositionoftheessentialcharacteristicsofIslam,butitismyfirmbeliefthatwhatpreventedsuchaconsummationwasthefactthatinreality.IslamhadsolittleofdogmawithwhichtooverburdenaMuslim.ChristianityhasbeeninrecenttimessoskilfullyidealisedbythenewschoolofitswritersofApologeticsthatnoneoftheChurch Councils that were held from time to time to regulate Christian belief andanathematisesuccessiveheresiesandschismscouldrecogniseit.Infact,eventothemostlatitudinarian student of religion it is so featureless that it is not easily possible to beidentifiedwith any religion. And yet, except for that large classwhich from abhorringtheologyhascometoabhorreligionitself,eventhisso-calledreligionwithout‘theology’

hasatheologywhichpresentsgreatdifficultiestotheleastcriticalofbelievers,unless,ofcourse, hepermits his beliefs to benumbandparalysehis intellect.TheChurch can filltomeswithitstheology,buteventhebriefestcatechismwouldrequiretheproverbialhalf-sheet of note-paper to contain the truncated dogma of reformed and modernisedChristianity.ButwhenyoucomparethiswithIslamyouwillfindthateventhehalf-sheetissuperfluous,forapostagestampwouldbeampletocoveritscreed.AndIdobelievethepostagestampsofMuslimStatescontaintheKalimaor‘Creed’forMuslims.‘ThereisnoGodbutAllahandMohammadisHisMessenger’isallhisdogmaanditmakesnogreatcall on his powers of thinking or on his credulity.When this great storm overtook theMuslim,hehadnounessentialfreighttothrowoverboardandlightentheship.Hecouldhaveofcourse thrownIslamitselfoverboard,but thathehuggedashis lifebeltandtheworldiswaitingtoseeifhecanthatwayweatherthestorm.Moreover,‘theabsenceofapriestlyideal,ofanytheoryoftheseparatenessofthereligiousteacherfromthecommonbodyofthebelieversorofthenecessityofaspecialconsecrationandauthorisationfortheperformance of religious functions’,which has resulted in Islam in an added feeling ofresponsibility resting on the individual believer and in a general level of uniformity inMuslim societyunknown in communities thatmaintain apriesthood,has also tended tokeepreligionundivorcedfromlifeamongtheMusalmans,andtomakeittheconcernofallalike.ThesetwoessentialcharacteristicsofIslam,asweshallpresentlysee,helpedtheIndiaMuslimtoanswerEurope’sultimatum.

ImpactofInternationalPoliticsonIndianMuslimsThe temporal misfortunes of Islam, therefore, drew theMuslims to their religion as ifinevitablyandthewedgethatWesterneducationhadseemedtoinsertbetweentheranksofthereligious,andofthemenofthe‘NewLight’vanishedasifbymagic.Theorthodoxand theanglicisedweredrawn togetherand,as ina flashof lightning,saw thatafteralltheywere not so unlike each other as they had imagined.Themenof the ‘NewLight’were,asIhavesaid,inasense,themenofleadingaswell,andtheyatanyratehadnotshrunkfromtheaffairsofthisworldliketheirdeendarco-religionists,whohad,almostasifmakingavirtueofnecessity, retired frompublic lifeandbecame recluses,when theyhadgradually lostmostof their formerholdon thepeople.Moreover, theyalonecouldunderstandandexplainwhatpreciselyEuropewasdoingandthreatenedtododirectlytothe temporal powerof Islamand indirectly to its spiritual influence in theworld.TheiroutspokenchampionshipofIslamicstatesintheIndianpressandonthepublicplatform,nogreatlyimpressedthesesemi-recluses,andinformalandtentativeoverturesfrombothsidessoonfollowed.Beitsaidtothecreditoftheulamathattheydidnothesitateatthisjuncturetopockettheirprideandinawayevenaccepttheleadofmenwhomtheyhadbutagenerationagofinallyconsignedtoperdition.But,ifrevengeisawordthatmaybeusedin this connection, they had their fill of it in the transformation that these temporalmisfortunes of Islamwrought in the spiritual temper and tone of ‘themen of light andleading’:Onlythoseoftheulamawhoseconcernseemedtobetheretentionoftheirown

quasi-priestlyauthoritymorethanthemaintenanceoforthodoxystillkeptaloof,andthesefor themostpartexhibitedadeplorablepusillanimitywhen facedwithsomeunpleasantconsequencesofreligiouszeal.Amongtheanglicisedalso,therewasasectionthatsoughtthelimelightforitsowninterestratherthanofthecommunity,andinthehourofdanger,itquietlyslunkaway intodarkcorners.Justas theselfishamong theulamahadsought tocovertheirself-seekingcowardiceunderanextremenarrownessandfanaticismofbigotryandhadanathematisedallothersas involved indifferentdegreesofheresy,so too thesepolitical leaderswho forsook their erstwhile associates in thepress andon theplatformpretended to sneer at the latter’s return to theobscurantismandbigotryof theMullahs.Thus,weandtheulama,whonowbegantoassociatewithusinourcommunalworkwereattackedbytwosectionsofIndianMusalmanswhowerebrothersundertheirskins,fortheopposite faults of being too religious andnot sufficiently religious at one and the sametime.Butneithersectionwassufficientlyconsiderabletoaffectthesituationvitally.OncemoreMuslimsocietyinIndiapresentedalevelofuniformityandthebitterestopponentsofagenerationagostoodshouldertoshoulder,workingtogetherwithgreatzealandwithamutualappreciationofthegoodpointswhicheachlackedhimself,butwhichtheotherpossessed. Ifevenadecadepreviouslyanyonehadventured to foretell sucha result,hewouldhavebeen laughedat for suchasa fantasticprophesy; for itwas little shortof amiracleinanagewhichhadassureditselfthatmiracleswerethingsthatdidnotoccur.

ExtractfromMyLife:AFragmentbyMohamedAli,firstpublishedinJanuary1942.ThebookwasoriginallytitledIslam:KingdomofGod.Itsfirsteditor,AfzalIqbal,gaveitthetitleMyLife:AFragment.

TheMenofFaithandtheNewLight

AcrosstheBlackWaters1MulkRajAnand

AtOrleans,thetwodivisionscampedattheChampsdeCercettes,aparkaboutsixmilesoutof the town.Andhere, almoston theirarrival, theywereequippedwithmechanicalandhorsetransport.

Theweather,whichhadbeenindifferentexceptforlittlespellsofsunshine,tookaturnforthebad.AtthetouchofacoldwindthesparsevegetationontheoutskirtsofOrleansseemedtochangeitscolourfromgreentogoldanddullvermilionandaredcopperyhue.A few menacing clouds gathered from the west and, wandering low over the plains,splashedtheripenedearthwithshowers.

ThesepoyswhohadfeltcoldevenintheequableairoftheSouthofFrancenowbegantoshiver,andtodrinkmoretumblerfulsofthecrudemixtureoftealeaves,hotwater,milkandsugar,whichtheircooksboiledalltogetherincauldronsandcalledtea.TheyhadhadfieldserviceclothingonthewinterscalegiventotheminMarseilles.Mostofthemwerefairlyusedtoextremesofclimate,butinIndia,thetorrentialrainssweptthroughthelandandlefttheearthpregnant,warmandswollen,whilehere,therewasacontinuousdrizzle,soakingthefieldstilltheyweredampandmuddy.

Theexcitementofseeingthemotorlorriesthatwerehandedovertothecorps,superiorto anymotor cars they had seen in India, raised their spirits somewhat. They emergedfrom their tents,burdenedwith theweightofgreyskies, andgathered round thebrand-newvehicleswiththeopeneyesofwonder.Thepolishedsheenofthetrucks,theefficientairofspeedthatseemedtobecontrolledintheircompactbodies,arousedadmirationfromthemenwhoknewtheadvantagesanddisadvantagesofthebullockcart.

‘How could such hugemotors be driven?’DaddyDhanoo asked, turning his blearybulgingeyestohiscompanions.‘Mymeaningis,howcouldtheypassothervehiclesontheroad,foroneofthemwouldoccupythewholewidthoftheroad!’

‘Iwouldliketoseetheengine,’saidLaluadmiringtheskillofthemenwhohadmadethething.

‘Howcouldamachinecontainedinsuchasmalltinsheddragsuchabigbody,ladenwithmenandarms?’UncleKirpusaid,evenhiscynicismvanquishedbythehugebuses.

‘Tobesure,thesesahibscanworkwonders!’saidDaddyDhanoo.

‘Arrestthemovementofthestarsonamap,eh?’saidLalu,mimickingDaddyDhanoo.‘Catchtimeinthehandsofawatch!Harnesselectricityasifitwereamule!’Andhewentandmischievouslypressed thehorn, tillDhanoo,Kirpu and a fewotherswho stoodbyalmostran,startled.

‘Andyouarealldonkeyswhooughttobeharnessedandfloggedsothatsomesensecouldbedrivenintoyourheads!’saidSubah,swaggeringuptooneofthetrucksfromthetentofhis formermateswherehehadcome to showoffhisnewJemadar’soutfit.For,insteadofbeingreprimandedforhispresumptionatMarseilles,hehadreceivedthedirectcommissionofJemadarwhenhewaspresentedtotheColonel.‘Whoblewthathorn?’heasked angrily. Finding the men all ranged in silence against him, he sought to placatethem.‘Thereisnothingverymysteriousabouttrucks!TheyarejustbiggermotorcarsthanthoseyouhaveseeninIndia.Thesurprisingthingtoallusofficers,isthatwehavebeensparedanyatall,because…butImustnottellyou,itisconfidential…’

‘Then don’t,’ said Uncle Kirpu. There is Holdar Lachman Singh and I trust heknows…’

‘Ohenahin, fool, therearecertain thingswhichonly theofficersknow,’saidSubah,eager enough to tell them. ‘Well, it is rumoured that there has been a retreat at a placecalled Mons. The Allied Armies have paid a terrible toll. The Sarkar is faced withdifficultiesinthesupplyofmaterialsandtransportonlandandsea.Youdon’tknowwhatheroicefforts theGeneralStaffandall theBritishofficersaremaking. It isnowknownthattheAngreziSarkarwascompletelyunpreparedforthewar…AndifyouconsiderthattheSarkarhas tomeet thedemandsof thefront forconveyances,weshouldbegratefulthatwehavebeenabletogetthismotortransport.’

Lalu noticed the sudden exaggeration of pride and importance that had come intoSubah’smanner.Hehadalwaysshownoff,ofcourse,buttillyesterdayhisaggressivenesshadbeenrestrainedbythehumiliationofknowinghewasintheranks.Butnow,sincehehadbeenraised to therankofJemadar,hehadbecomeoverbearinglymasterfulandall-knowing.Itwasextraordinaryhowastaronyourshoulderorastripeonthearm,asinthecaseofLokNath,couldmakeyoutalkdowntoeveryone.

‘ItisallduetoLordKitchenerSahib’ssolicitudefortheIndiantroops,’saidSubah.

‘My father, the SubedarMajor Sahib, knows Lord Kitchener…’ he continued, andbegantoembellishthegossiphehadheardintheofficers’quarters.

‘LordKitchenergavenewbarracksandnewcantonmentstotheIndianArmy,JemadarSahib,’ said Lachman Singh, seeking to direct the conversation into less confidentialchannels.‘Hewasagreatofficer.Thereweremanythingshedid,whichwereagainstthecustomoftheSarkar.IrememberthatoneofthethingsthesahibsresentedverymuchwasthereductionofthenumberofBritishpaltans2ineverybrigadefromtwotoone.’

‘Yus,yus,’interruptedSubah,fallingintoEnglishastheabilitytospeakthelanguageofthesahibswasreputedtoincreasehissenseofimportanceamongtheIndianranks.‘Myfather,theSubedarMajorSahib,wasaspecialorderlyofficertoLordKitchenerSahib.’

‘Ohe, what can you remember of that?’ said UncleKirpu, crudely demolishing thebluffthatSubahwasseekingtoimposeonthem.‘Youwereonlyakid,asbigasmylittle

finger,runningabouttheregimentnakedwithyourlittlelooli3,andthecrowsusedtopeckatyourbottom.’

Everyonelaughedatthis.UncleKirpuwaswellknownforhiscausticwitand,asoneofthefirstsepoystojointheregiment,wasallowedtosayanythingtoanyone,whetherBritish officer, Indian officer,NCOor sepoy. Subah joined in the laughter, thoughpaleblushofembarrassmentcoveredhisredfaceandhiseyesglancedfurtivelyfromsidetoside.

‘Myfatherwasasultan,’thefoolissaidtohaveanswered,whentheyaskedhim‘Whoareyou?’KirpuquotedthePersianproverbwithabrokenaccent.

‘Oh,don’trecallhischildhoodtohimnow,’Lalusaid.

‘Don’tbark!’shoutedSubahsuddenly,hisfaceredderthanever.‘IshallpresentyoutotheKarnelSahibifyoucutsuchajokewithmeagain.’

‘IfhereceivesthesametreatmentonbeingpresentedtotheKarnelSahibasyougot,thenpleasetopresentmetoo,’Kirpusaidslowly.‘MyoldshoulderscoulddowithastarandIliketheideaofaShamBrownebelt.’

Everyonelaughedagain,includingSubah,thoughLaluhunghisheadandpaledashemet Jemadar’s stare. ‘Uncle let go, come to your senses, and don’t be a clown,’ saidHavildarLachmanSingh,sidingwiththeJemadarthoughhesympathisedwiththerest.

‘Forgiveme,Subah,’saidLalu,realisinghismistake.

‘I am JemadarSahib, henceforth, remember,’ saidSubah,with a steady glare in hiseyes.‘’Shun!’

UncleKirpuandSepoyLalSinghcame toattention. ‘Bothofyoureport for fatiguedutyeverydayfromtomorrow,’theJemadarordered.Andhewalkedawayinthedirectionoftheofficer’stent,shakingalittle.

The groups of sepoyswho stood byLalu, andKirpu andLachman turned from theshining splendour of the trucks to explore each other’s faces. The excitement, theexhilaration in their eyes subsided amidst the furrows of shame carved by the pasthumiliationsinflictedonthembysuperiorofficersandtheystoodbaffledasthoughstruckbyanelectric shock,because thebullyingof anofficerwhowas their friendadayagoseemed like a fresh wound in the changed circumstances of their lives, among all thestrange things of theWest. They had begun to believe that Vilayat4 was an unrelievedparadiseand,encouragedbyall theprivilegesof journeys inshipsandrailways throughforeignlands,whichtheyhadneverenjoyedbefore,heartenedbythekindnessofpeopleeverywhere, they had grown to the dignity of human beings and forgotten the way inwhich they had always been treated as so much cattle in India. They were beginning,throughcontactwithordinarywhitefolkandthroughtheknowledgethatevencoolieshereseemedtobecooliesonlyduringtheirworkhours,andthensahibsintheirownright,who

putonsuitsandbootsandwalkedoutwiththeirgirlfriends,tolosethefearandabjectnessthat their superior officers had inspired in them in the cantonments of India.And now,theyhadbeensuddenlythrownbacktotherealisationoftheirrealposition.

ThefatiguedutyimposedbyJemadarSubahSinghbecame,infact,avisittoafair.

For, as Lalu and Kirpu came out with a party of sepoys, each of whom had beencondemned for similar offences, to receive thebattalion’s share of horse transport, theyfoundthefields,whichhadbeenconvertedintomarshbytherain,bestrewn,beyondtheshiningsteeltrucksandmotorlorries,withvehiclesofallpossiblekindsandhorsesofallsizesandcolours.

Through the discordant roar of raucous shouts and calls and the neighs and snortswhichrenttheair,theycouldseehundredsofvans;fromthosewhichcouldpresumablybedrawnbytwohorsesandwhichwerecapableofcarryingoneortwotonnes,tosmalldonkeycartslikethosewhichthewashermeninthecantonmentsofIndiausedtotransportdirtylinenfromthelinestotheriver,orsuchastheyhadseenbythevegetablestallsinthesidestreetsofMarseilles,theirraftsonwheelsadjustedtoshaftsmadeofsinglepoles.

‘Arethesethewagonswehavecometoreceive?’

UncleKirpuasked.‘Lookattheharness!Thisonehasnocollarandthatotherhasnoheadorheelropes!’

‘Andwahwah, the horses!’ said youngKharku, the little bugler andmascot of the69th.

‘Fatheroffathers!’saidLalu.‘Thatoneseemsblindofoneeye!’

‘Youcouldn’t take thosevehiclesacrossaMallRoad to saynothingof taking themthrough awar even on theNorthWestern Frontier!’ saidHanumant Singh, a lemurlikeveteranDograsepoywhowasnotwonttosaytoomuch.

‘Well,totellthetruth,Idon’tknowhowthesethingsaregoingtowork,’saidanNCO.

‘Theyaredoingtheirbestforus,asJemadarSubahSinghmightsay,’remarkedLalu.Andhewasgoingtoaddhisquotaofmockery,buthesawtheJemadarcomingupfrombehindandwinced.

‘Comeboys,comeandletusgetbusy,’calledJemadarSubahSingh.Hisroundplumpfacewaswreathed in smilesandhe seemed tohave relented since thequarrel, asmuchperhapsbecausehewasamanofpassionatetemperamentjumpingfromtheextremesofgaiety tosadness, fromwildanger toachildlikedocility,asbecausehewasarousedbywhathesawashecametoinspectthefatiguepartyatwork.

Thesepoyscametoattentionandsalutedassoonashecameabreastofthem,andheraisedhiscanetoacknowledgetheirgreetings.

‘Theyare finehorses,’ theJemadar said,walkingsmartlyupand leading thesepoys

intotheverythickofthefairwhereasnuffling,snorting,tramplingherdgrazedonthethingrassbeforethem.

‘Magnificent!’saidthesycophantSikhNCOChananSingh.

‘And,considering theSarkarhasbeenplunged into thiswarsosuddenly,’continuedtheJemadar,‘andhashadtofacethedifficultiesoffightingtheGermansononesideandofmakingarrangementsforthewelfareofthetroopsontheother,itisawonderthattheyhaveassembledallthesethings.’

‘Theywillhavetofacemanymoredifficultiesrepairingthosevansonthefieldthaninfightingthewar,’saidKirpu,theirrepressible.

‘According to you, uncle, the doomsday has come,’ said Subah, laughing andthumpingKirpuontheback.

‘The drowning Brahmin will take his followers with him,’ said Kirpu fatalistically.‘Therefore,wheretheSarkargoes,huzoor,wehavetofollowlikegooddisciples.’

‘Impudent, incorrigibleuncle!’ remarkedSubah laughing.AndheputhisarmroundKirpuaffectionately,asiftheoldmanhadtouchedsometendernessinhim.

‘As the Jemadar Sahib says, brother,’ put inHavildarChanan Singh toKirpu, ‘onemust not be disrespectful to the Sarkar.’ Lalu looked at Subah, then at Kirpu’s quiet,sardonicvisageandthenatthefacesofChananSinghandtheothersepoyswhowalkedrespectfullybehindtheJemadarSahibandseemedtoaccepteverywordheutteredasthelawofGods.

‘Come yar, Lalu, come, why are you lagging behind?’ said Subah in the friendlymannerofolddays.‘Weshallfindoneofthesahibsoraninterpreterandaskhimwhereourhorsesare.’

Lalu followed a little quicker after this overture of kindliness, and leapt across theshafts ofminiature carts,more fragile than the bullock carts in his village and generalmake-up,past carriageswhich, though theywere improvementson theekkaofGughi’sfatherandmorelikethephaetonsinManabadandthebigcities,wererustywithyearsofdampontheirsprings.

As he came abreast ofUncleKirpu and the other sepoys, he saw thempull up andsaluteMajorPeacockSahiboftheregimentwhostoodaheadofthem.Heclickedhisheelsand tookhishand tohishead thoughhewasnotnoticed.For theMajorSahib, a short,quick-tempered, agileman,was speaking peevishly in a twistedHindustani to JemadarSubahSingh.

‘Francisi logachabandobastnahin!’AndhespokeinEnglish.‘Theyknownothingabouthorses!Look,all theanimalsrunningloose.Muddle!Nooneknowswhichhorsesarewhose!’

Andhepuckeredhisbrowandfrowned,closinghiseyesandlookinground.

‘Weshallwaitforordersthen,huzoor,’saidJemadarSubahSingh.

‘Some of the horses have strayed towards the river there,’ Major Peacock said,pointing with his stick to a line of gleaming silver that flowed through long stalks ofwavinggrass.

‘Getthesepoystocatchthemandbringthemhereforinspection.’

‘Huzoor,’saidSubah,clickinghisheelsandsalutingwithsuchalacritythathisheadandtorsobentforward.Andheturnedtothemen:

‘Comeboys,Ishallgiveyouleavetogototownafterwehavefinishedourwork.Andwhat’smore,Ishalltreatyoutosomesherbet.’

‘Comeboys,ifthesahibspeakssoplainlyaboutthemismanagementoftheFrancisis,’calledKirpu,‘youbesurehewilltellusathingortwoinhisownlanguageifwedon’tlooksharp.’

Apart fromsuchfatiguedutiesaswere imposedbycussedsuperiors, thesepoyshadplentyofleisuretogosightseeing.

DaddyDhanoosqueezedintohimselfwiththecold.UncleKirpuwasnottoofondofpleasure.LalutookpermissionfromHavildarLachmanSinghtogototown.

The boy would not go alone, however, and he hung about Kirpu like a childpersuadinganeldertoaccompanyhim.

‘Oh,comeChacha5,come,’hebegged.

‘Yougoalong,son,youwillmeetothersepoysfromtheregiment. ‘Ahighmetalledhorseneedsnowhipping.’Youwillgoprancingalong.’

‘Buthorsesgoinherds,Chachaji,come,don’tbeadonkey.’

‘Iknowyouwillnotceasepesteringme,’saidKirpuatlast.‘Tellthatcook,Santu,togiveDhanoosomemoreteaandIshallgetready.’

Lalu jumped up, pranced like a horse and shouted to Santu to give Dhanoo atumblerfuloftea.And,coveringtheoldmanwithalltheavailableblankets,theywalkedawayfromthecampthroughtheweaksunshineofacoldautumnalafternoon.

Lalu was full of excitement to be going along to this city. The march throughMarseilleshadbeenmerelya fleetingexpedition, andhewasobsessedwith something,whichstruggledtoburstthroughalltherestraintsandtheembarrassmentoftheunfamiliar,tobreakthroughthefearoftheexaltedlifethattheEuropeanslived,therarehighlifeofwhich he, like all the sepoys, had only had distant glimpses from the holes and thecrevices in the thick hedges outside the sahibs’ bungalows in India.And, as hewalkedunder the shadows of mansions with shuttered windows like those on the houses of

Marseilles,readingthenamesofshopsontheboards,ashewalkedpastvineyardsdappledby the pale sun, past stretches of grassy land,which seemed, from the droves of sheepclusteredonit,tobepasturages,histongueplayedwiththenameofthiscity,Orleans,andtherewasanecho inhismind, from thememoryof something thathadhappenedhere,somethinghecouldnotremember.

‘AquietercitythanMarsels,’UncleKirpusaid.

Indeed,inspiteofthesmokeoffactorychimneysthattrailedacrossthesky,inspiteofthemodernletteringonshopfronts, thedelicategrassylawns, thesmalldetachedhousesandolddoorsofbuildings,therewassomethingfascinatingabouttheplaceanddifferentfromMarseilles.‘Oh!Water!Oh,thereisastream!’shoutedthesepoyswhoseimpetuosityknewnobounds.

Lalurushedupandsawthestreamontheright,flowingslowly,gently,andshouted:‘River!’

‘Everythingissmallintheseparts,’Kirpusaid.‘Lookattheirrivers—notbiggerthanoursmallnullahs.Theirwholelandcanbecrossedinanight’sjourney,whenittakestwonightsanddaysfromthefrontiertomyvillageinthedistrictofKangra.Theirrainislikethepissingofachild.Andtheirstormsareamerebreezeinthetallgrass…’

‘To be sure, they are small, the streams,’ confirmed a PunjabiMuhammadan. ‘Thewidthofsevenofthesewon’tmakethebedoftheJhelumatitsnarrowest.’

‘It isabout the samesizeas the Jhelum inSrinagar,’ saidaDogra fromJammuandKashmir.‘Why,itisjustlikeSrinagar,thiscity,builtontwosidesofariver.Look,thereareboatsonit,too,likethehouseboatsinSrinagar.’Andhepointedtowardstheriver.

‘Ils…Looa…Looa!’aburlyFrenchman inastrawhatsaid, smilingashestopped tolookatthesepoyswatchingtheriverflow.

The sepoys shook their hands to signify that they couldn’t understand and, as theFrenchmanpointed again to the accompanimentof a copious commentary, theynoddedoutofpoliteness.

‘Whatdoeshesay!’askedoneofthesepoys.

‘SomethinginFrancisi,Allahknowswhat,’answeredanother.

AtthattheFrenchmanbowedverypolitely,smiledandwenthisway.

‘Salaamhuzoor,’saidthesepoys,salutingandalmostcomingtoattentioninthefaceof the whiteman. For, all whitemen,military or civil, were to them superior like theEnglishsahibsinIndiawhosurroundedthemselveswithprincelyairs.

‘Look, look, there are two sweepers drinking wine by two Tommies,6 and also awoman!’saidasepoynaively.‘Theyhavelittlereligionorshame!’

‘There are no untouchables in this country,’ said Kirpu firmly. ‘And there is noconsiderationofpollution.’

‘Andifyoucomparethatcafetoourcookhouse,youknowwhatcleanlinessmeans,’said Lalu, enthusiastic and surprised at the change that had come into Uncle Kirpu’soutlook.

‘Son,thatisaquestionofrupees,’saidKirpu.‘Somearerichhereandrunshops,somearepooranddotheworkofsweepers.Ourcooks/shopkeepershavelittlemoneytospendondecorations.Theyare illiterate.Andtheyhavetosell foodcheap.Butoh!Thebreadbakedintheoven!Iwonderwhenweshallhavesomeofthatbreadwithclarifiedbutteronitandagoodpotofmustardspinach!’

Laluagreedweakly.Hehadaspired to thisEuropeas tosomeheavenandsought tojustifyeverythingblighty.

Hewasinclinedtoforgetthegoodthingsathome.‘Thereseemsmoreequalityinthisland,’headded.

‘The sahibs travel first class,’ commentedKirpuwith an air of finality. ‘The Indianofficerssecondclass,Tommies,havildars,naiksandsepoysinthethirdclass—rememberthisanddon’tbeledastray.’

‘Look,look,abridge!’agroupofsepoyscalledtothosebehindthemastheybegantorun, theirheavybootsclatteringon the stonepavements.A fewFrenchmenandwomenscatteredawayattheironrush.

‘Ohe,wildmen,stop,goslowly!’calledKirpuafterthem.

Lalu turnedand saw that itwasaquaint enough structure, thisbridge,with itsninearches.

‘Itiscurious,’hesaidreflectingmoretohimselfthantoKirpu,‘thatmostcitiesoftheworld were originally built near rivers, lakes or springs.’ And without waiting for ananswer,hecontemplatedthetowerofachurchthatprobedtheskyattheoppositeendoftheriver,fromthebaseofanintricatemeshofancientarchitecture,decoratedwithstatues,steeples,minaretsandcrevicesinwhichpigeonsflutteredasinthemonolithictemplesofIndia.SoabsorbedwashethathebarredthewayofafatFrenchwomanwhocameacrossthe bridgewith a basket in her hand.And, as shewas a veritable elephant, she in turnbarredthewayofastreamofmenandwomenbehindher.

‘Ohe,look,ohelook,getaside,’calledKirpu.

AndLalu jumpedawaywitha start, the fatwomanburbledsomething, thenbowed,andtheyoungwomanbehindherlaughedalaugh,whichwassocontagiousthatitcaughtthesepoys,andevenLalu.But,justthen,amotorcamerushingacrossthenarrowroadofthebridgeandsenthimscurryinguptothepavementtillhenearlyfell.

‘Cometoyoursenses,son,’admonishedKirpu.

Smilingathisowndiscomfiture,keepingtotheedgeofthepavementtomakeroomfortheFrenchwomen,LalucaughtupwithKirpu.Andtheybothbegantocarvetheirwaythrough awideweb of streets, crammedwith little shops. All of these had transparentglass windows, like the shops inMarseilles. Some displayed wax effigies of men andwomendressedinsilkendresses,strangelyshapedhatsandcoats,uncannilylikerealmenandwomen,someshowedshiningsilverutensils,watchesandgoldenrings.And,wonderof wonders, even the great big carcasses of cows and goats hanging from hooks inbutchers’shopswerekeptbehindwindows,whileinagrocer’sshop,legsofpig,coveredwithgauze,hungdown,theirfleshbrownandgreenwithwhatseemedlikerot.

‘Letusgo to theother side!’UncleKirpuexclaimedonseeing these.And,withhishandkerchief to his nose to ward off the imaginary smell, he darted across the street,saying,‘Idon’tknowhowmencaneatthem!’

SoabsorbedwasLalu thatwhileKirpu crossed the street, he continuedonhisway,fascinatedbythechocolates,cakesandsweetsarrayedinthewindowofanadjacentshop,andthenbythetablesandchairs,arrayedasifinaroom,andbytheneckties,shirtsandcollars,alltherichestthingshehadeverseenandwhichhewouldneverbeabletobuy,butamongwhichhefelthappytobemovingatleisure.HehadnotfeltfreeatMarseilles,becausehehadbeen toohumble then to stareat this superior life immediatelyafterhisarrival.

Theshadowof thechurchhehadseen fromadistancenow inclined inagreathulkacrossastreet;itshoarysculpturesseemedtobelikesometime-infusedmemorialstothestrange incarnate spirits of thepast, dressed in robeswhichhadno connectionwith thestraight-cut styles of the French of today, saintswhose heads and bodieswere coveredwiththedroppingsofpigeonsandwhoseemedlikecrumblingimagesofaforlornageinthemidstofanewworld.

Lalu’sgazewasstaggeredbytheimpactofthisimmense,ancientstructureandgropedamongtheduskylengthsofitsfloridpillarsforsomemeaning.

He suddenly foundhimself in a square at the endofwhichwas inscribed thenamePlaceduMartin.

Anumberofsepoysstoodherewithelementarystares,roundastatueinthemiddleofan empty space, while some Frenchmen waved with their hands quick and impatientgestures,andrepeated,‘Something…something…Jindac…’intheirsoftbutunintelligiblelingo.Someofthesoldierswalkedawaywithclumsystepsandawkwardmovementsasiftheywerebored.ButLalurushedupandcranedhisnecktoseethefigureofayounggirlwithaswordinherhand,herheadthrustheroicallyforwardandherwholebodyspeakingofsomebravedeedshehadperformed.Jeand’Arc,theinscriptionatthefootofthestatuesaid.Inaflash,thelastcluetoOrleansreturnedtohismemoryfromthestoryofJoanof

Arc in theHighroads of History, which he had read at the ChurchMission School atSherkot.

‘Whoisitsupposedtobe?’onesepoywasasking.

‘Whatagiganticstatue!’anotherexclaimed.

‘Whoisit,anyhow?’queriedUncleKirpu,walkingupwithanaboundingcuriosity.

And the whole place seemed to be in a ferment, the bulging eyes of the sepoysbewilderedbythefigure,whileFrenchwerebewilderedbytheminturn.

Lalu explored the aisles of his memory for details and, supplementing theincomprehensibleexplanationsof thenatives,volunteeredtheinformationtothesepoys,inhisowntongue.

‘Inthefourteenthcentury,therewasaHundredYears’WarinwhichtheEnglishwerefightingtheFrench…’

‘Then,doyoumeantosay,thattheAngrezsahibsandtheFrancisiswereenemiesatonetime?’oneofthesepoysasked,rathershocked.

‘Haan,’ Lalu answered, and continued his narrativewhile awhole group of sepoysclusteredroundhim.

The sepoyswhohadkept turning to the statueof thegirl evenas theyheardLalu’sstorynowcontemplatedthedarkimagewithanaivesenseofaweandwonder.

‘Isthisreallytrue?’onesaid.

‘Couldsuchthingsbe?’putinasecond.

‘AgirlJarnelwhodroveouttheAngreziarmy!’commentedathird.

And themaid seemed to become a heroine like theRani of Jhansi. Lalu felt bloodcoursinginhisveinswiththeambitiontofollowheronthepathofglory.

‘Come,comeletusgotoacafe!’cameSubah’svoicesuddenly,‘youhavesuddenlybecome a very learnedman, come!’And the Jemadar strode up frombehind the statuewithaswaggerandthumpedLaluonthebackwiththeoldheartinessofanequal.

‘Come, come, my hero!’ said Kirpu, noticing that Lalu was getting carried away.‘Come,usfolkhavedifferentwork,wearesepoysoftheSarkarandletusnotforgetthatwhenwetalkbravewords.’

Lalu’seyesfelluponacoupleofFrenchgirls.Hewasfascinatedbytheprofileofoneofthem,astatelygirlofabouttwenty,andstaredhardather.

Shesmiledcoquettishlyandthenturnedherblueeyesaway.

‘Come,’saidJemadarSubahSinghanddraggedhimaway.

Lalufollowedbuttooktheopportunityofturningroundandcaressinginhiseyestheshapelycontoursofthegirl’sbreasts,herhipsandherlegswithahungerthatspreadthepanicofabandoninhisbody.

‘Youwillbecourt-martialledifyoudon’tbehave!’warnedKirpuandpulledhimaway.Lalu strode forward, excited, exultant,yet sadandaloneand frustrated in somecuriousway.

Sittinginacomfortablebasket-chairbyatablelikeasahib,undertheawningsoutsideacafebyabusyboulevard,watchingthecrowdofcasual,courteous,laughingFrenchmenandgailypainted,prettywomen,sittingin thehalfdarkof theevening,wastheutteresthappinessforLalu.

Thedifficultywasthattheydidnotknowthenameofanydrinkwhenthewaitersahibcametogettheirorder,abrisklittlemanasbigasathumb,dressedinacrispwhiteshirtandblackcoat,whichthesahibsworeatnight—averitablejugglerthewayhebalancedatrayfullofglassesandbottlesonthepalmofhislefthand.Subahtriedhardtorememberwhat itwas that he had drunk atMarseilles and looked among the hundreds of bottlesarrayed in the cafe to recognize thewine, in vain, till Lalu suddenly recalled theword‘Graves’andtheJemadarshouted,‘Haan,haan,Graves.’Thewaiterandthecustomersinthecafeseemedamusedattheorder.ButtheFrenchwereindulgentandkindly.TheonlywineUncleKirpuhadeverdrunkwasrum,and,sinceLaluhadfeltwarmerafterarationof this, these twosaid rum,aword thewaiter sahibcouldnotunderstand till aTommy,whosatinagroupnearby,gotupand,tryingtointerprettheword,pointedhisfingertoabottleofMartellCognacinthewindow,ashecouldnotseeanyrum.

‘Cognac!Cognac!’thewaiterrepeatedandranwiththeagilityofaclowntowardsthebar inside the cafe, studded with tall mirrors and huge chandeliers and decorated withplushsofasonwhichsatwell-dressedsuperiorsahibs,eatingwithsilverforksandknivesontablescoveredwithimmaculatewhitecloths.

‘SoeventheTommiesdon’tknowthelanguageoftheFrancisis!’UncleKirpusaid.

‘Whatismore,theyarenotallowedtositwiththebigsahibsandofficersinsidethere!’saidSubah.

‘Youareanofficer—whydon’tyougoandsitinsidethere?’Laluwantedtosay.Butherestrainedhimselfandonlycastafurtiveglanceattherichatmosphereinsideandfeltashamedandinferiorandafraidlesttheintrusionofhisstarebeinterpretedasrudenessbythesahibsthere.For,itwassaidinthecantonmentthatthesahibsdidnotliketheideaofbeingstaredatwhiletheywereeatingintheofficers’messorevendrinkingbythehockeypitchafteramatch.

‘Compared to them, we folk from Punjab are truly like oxen,’ Uncle Kirpu said,movinghisheadasifhewereveryimpressedwiththesplendouroftheplace.‘Ohe,thisisnothingcomparedtowhatIshallshowyouifyoucomewithme,’saidSubah,thumping

Kirpu on the thigh. ‘You wait till the Indian merchant, whose friendship I made thisafternoon,comes.’

‘In every land, even in our own country, it could be like this,’ said Lalu. ‘But ourelderssay,“Itisnotthecustomtodothis,itisnotthecustomtodothat.”Fools!Ifyouareseendrinkingapotofwineyouareautomaticallydeclaredadrunkard,andifyoulookatawomanyouatoncebecomenotoriousasa rogue,apimpandawhoremongerandyourparentstellyouthatyouhavecuttheirnoseinthebrotherhoodandnoonewillgiveyouhisdaughterinmarriage.Burntuppeople!Owls!’

‘Oh!Grave!Grave!Grave!’Subah shouted, recognising thebottleofwhitewinehehaddrunkatMarseillesonthewaiter’stray,andinterruptedLalu’sdiatribe.

Thewaitersahibcamesmiling,brushedthemarbletopofthetable,puthistrayonit,openedabottleandpouredtheirdrinksintoglasses.HebowedandwasretreatingwhentheJemadarliftedhisglassandgulpeddowntheliquidand,recallingthewordforwaiter,shouted,‘Garçon!’Thewaitercameback,smiled,bowedandpouredsomemoreGravesintohisglass.Subahgulpedthattoo.Atthis,thewaiterlaughedandthesahibssittingbystaredattheJemadar.Subah’sfacewasflushedand,foramoment,itseemedhewouldbeangry and resentful at becoming the object of a joke. But some sepoys of the 69th, aBaluchi and two Sikhs, came over to the Jemadar’s table and, in order to ingratiatethemselveswiththeofficer,calledflatteringly,‘Wah!Wah!JemadarSahib.’

‘Comebravemenandsitdownwithme,’Subahshoutedand,turningtotheBaluchi,begantoreciteaPersianverse,‘OSaki,bringthecup…’

Lalusatawaydetached,ashewastoofrightenedafterthecurtmannerinwhichSubahhad,intheprideofhisadvancementtoadirectcommission,condemnedhimandKirpu,hisoldcronies,tofatiguedutytheotherday.Hewashappy,sippingacognac,sippingitgentlywithoutthespitting,spattering,splutteringnoiseswithwhichhewaswonttodrinkmilkorteainIndia,andwithoutgulpingitlikeSubab.Sippingacognachadwarmedhissensestoanindulgenttenderness.Andhemerelywatchedtheflashingoffineformscladinsuperiorsilksandserge,thefloweringofthespiritintheaccentsofFrancisi,aspolishedandgentletotheearaswell-spokenHindustani,andthegorgeousinterplayofcolourandmovementandspeech,whichseemedtohimtheveryessenceoflifehere.

‘Allmeninallcountriesareperhapsthesame,’UncleKirpureflected.‘Atleast,allareequalinthegrave.Andinlifeallmusthavedutiesandresponsibilities.Thesepeoplemusthavefamilies:theyareprobablyfathers,mothers,sons,daughtersandsisters.’

‘Onlytheircustomsaredifferent,’Lalusaid,withatraceofbitternessinhisvoiceatKirpu’sreferencetothefamily.

‘Lifewouldn’tbeworth living,myson,without thespiritof servicewhich is in themembersofafamily,’saidUncleKirpuvaguely.

‘Butthespiritofserviceoughtnottobecomeawayofextractingpainoutofpeopleintheguiseofduties,’saidLalu,raisinghisvoicealittlesothathesoundedpriggishinhisdenunciation. ‘Youmust always put on amiserable expression and remain quiet in thepresenceofyourelders,thatisrespect.And,ofcourse,youmustnevercommitthecrimeofbeinghappy!Alwaysfollowcustom!’

‘Ohe!Leavesuchtalk,comedrinkupandletushavesomemore,andletusgoandbehappy,’saidSubah,boisterouslythumpingthetablebeforehim.Andhebegantosing.

‘Wah!Wah!JemadarSahib!’saidtheBaluchisepoy.

‘Sonofalion!’flatteredtheSikh,impressedtoseetheSubedarMajor’ssondrinkingasonlyapeasantcould.

Thewaitersahibwho,incredibleasitseemedtothesepoys,wastheirservantforthewhile,mistookSubah’sthumpforagesturedemandinghisservicesandcamesmilinguptothetablewithapolite,‘VeeMusia?’

‘Hancore!’ Subah said, pointing to his glass and then thinking that brandywas thedrinkofthoselowerordersofthehumanspecies,sepoysandthelike,raisedfourfingersabove the glasses of cognac with an exaggerated flourish of his hand, so that theneighbourswho,apartfromanoccasionalstare,hadtakentheIndiansforgranted,laughedaffectionately. Then the Jemadar’s eyes fell upon a young girl who had joined in thelaughter.Hebreathedadeepsighas ifhishearthadbeensuddenlypunctured,and thenburstinthehighest-pitchedPunjabi:‘Hai!MayIdieforyou!MayIbecomeasacrificeforyourlaughter!Hai!MayItakeyouinmyarms!’

‘Ohe,ohe,son,havesomeshame,havesomerespectforyourselfbeforethesesepoysandbeforeeveryoneelse!’saidUncleKirpu.

‘Don’tyoucareforthelimplord!’saidSubah,loudly.

‘WearenowinthefairlandofFranceandinthisland,asLalusays,thereiscompleteliberty.Lookatthatmankissingagirlinthecorner.’

‘ButsomeBritishofficermayseeyouandreportus,’saidKirpu.

‘Idon’tcare,Idon’tcare,’sangSubahinaboisteroussing-song,hisfaceflushed.

Kirpusatasidefrightenedandanxious.

Lalu felt that if Kirpu persisted in his admonitions, Subah might lose his headaltogether, and, anyhow, as he looked into himself, he felt very much like Subah andthoughtthathewasonlyrestrainedfromconfessinghisadmirationforFrenchgirlsbyhisinferiorstatusasasepoy:hewishedhecouldagainseethatgirlwiththebronzedovalfacewhohadfascinatedhimnearthestatue…Andbelenthimselftothesubtle,indefinableairwhichbubbled like the frothonopenbottles, trailedalong the talk, along thinwispsofcurling smoke and drifted among the shadows; which mingled with waves from the

quickenedheartbeatsofallmenandwomen, the strivingsof theirwills in the irregular,irrelevantmovementsof theirgestures.Lifehadbecomeaction.Hewasno longerhalf-deadasathomeinthevillage.

ThewaitersahibbroughtthedrinksandSubahputabundleofnotesonthetablefromwhichthegarconchoseone,sayingsomethinglike,‘Fron,fron.’

‘Come then,brothers, comeandgulp itdown,’ saidSubah. ‘And then letusgoandmeet theHindustanimerchant. He said hewould be near the statue, and he knows allaboutthesecretlifehere.’

Beforetheyhadgulpeddowntheirdrinks,however,theIndianmerchantarrived.WiththeeffusiveheartinessthatmarkedhimoutasaPunjabi,thoughhecouldotherwisehavepassed for a Frenchman with his little pointed beard and his affectation of the outerbearing of the· natives of his country, he embraced Subah, shouting the while: ‘Ah,JemadarSahib,soyoucanseethatIneverbreakapromise.’

‘Come,come,whatwillyouhavetodrink?’Subahsaid,glowingwithenthusiasm.

‘Nowlisten,’themerchantsaid,raisinghisfinger,‘Idon’tmeetacountrymanofminefordays,sometimesformonthsandyears,soyouaretobemyguests.’

‘No,takethis,’saidSubah,andbegantopoursomeofhisGravesintohisownglassforhisfriend.

‘What is this? Oh no, thank you very much, but I would like you to order someabsintheformeifyoureallymustinsistontreatingme.’Andhecalledthegarcon,whohappenedtobestandingby,andsaidsomethingtohiminFrench.

‘Weareveryhappy tomeetyou in this foreign land,’ saidKirpuwith characteristicIndian informality. ‘What is your respectedname andwhat kindof business doyoudohere?’

‘They call your servant DiwanAmarNath,’ themerchant repliedwith a calculatedpoliteness,whichtwistedhispadded,pockmarkedface,withthethicklipsandbeadyeyes,intoapatentlyclearexpressionoffeignedhumility.Andhecontinuedwithanexaltedair:‘Idoallkindsofthings.Ihavesolddiamondsandjewelsinmytime.AndIhavesuppliedcarpetsandrugstotheprincesofEurope.Ihavedonemanythings…Iknowsomeoftherichestmeninthiscountryand,tobesure,theyareineverywayabovetherabble,fortheyhonourusandourancientcountry.’

ThesepoysgapedatDiwanAmarNathadmiringly,asifhewerenolessapersonthantheAgaKhanwho,theyhadheard,alsolivedinthesepartsandwasfriendlywithkingsandqueensandnoblemen,andwhohadrecentlyofferedhimselfasthefirstrecruittotheSarkar.

‘Itisverygraciousofyoutodeigntositwithus,’saidKirpufaintlyironical.

ThewaiterbroughtadrinkandputitbeforetheDiwan.

‘Oh,youaremycountrymen,ofcourse,andyoucomeonmyheadandIgotoyourfeet,’the Diwan began apologetically after a sip. Then he continued in a voice, whichmade everyword strike like the note of a gong. ‘But theseEuropeans— I know theminside out. I have had several personal friends here among the barons and baronesses,countsandcountesses,whoareaboutthesamestatusasourrajasandranisinIndia.Someofthemostaristocraticladieshaveofferedmetheirdaughters,whileoneinvitedmetoteaand beggedme to marry her. But, brothers, I havemy own dignity to keep and thesepeoplerespectyouifyouaresternwiththem.Onlylastyear,aprincessfellinlovewithme.ShecametomyshopinParisandaskedmetoacceptherhome,herjewelsandherservantsasmyown.ButIsaidtoher,“Madam,IamaHinduandanhonourableman;youhavegotyourhusbandand thoughhe isanoldmanand is incapable,he isnice toyoubecausehehas givenyouhiswealth… I amaHindu and a respectableman.”And shewept and cried and imploredme to accept her, but as one of the greatest of our sages,Kabir,hassaid,“Ifabusinessmanbuildshishomeinawoman’seyes,hisbusinesswillberuined”.’

‘Oh,youshouldhaveyielded!’saidSubah,warmingtotheDiwan’slasciviousness.

‘Brother, sin in the soul is like fire in the chaff,’ saidKirpu pretending to take theDiwan’spointofview.

‘Tobesure,youdotherighttalk,’saidtheDiwan,inclinedtowintheshrewdUncleKirpuover.‘Onehastobepureasunsmokedsugar.’

Lalucouldn’treconcilethebombastofhispreviousmannerwiththesaintlyviewstheDiwanwasnowexpressing.Andifhewasarichman,whywashegoingaboutfromplaceto place? From the assumed smile on his face, there seemed to be something crookedabouthim.ItwascurioushowSubahhadpickedhimup.

‘Now,youarenotgoingtotalkofunsmokedsugar?’SubahsaidtotheDiwan.‘Ihavebeentellingtheselustyswinethatyouwilltakeustosomeplace…’

‘Come, come, for the sake of you brothers, I could go to hell, not to say awhorehouse,’saidtheDiwan.

‘Comethen,weareready,’Subahsaidthumpinghisshoulder.‘Icanhardlyholdhimdown.’

ThesepoyslaughedattheJemadar’swordswithsuchabruptboisterousnessthattheybecamethecentreofattentionofthewholecafe,theirshiningfacesglowinganexultant,intoxicatedbrown,curiouslybeautifulyetmenacingthroughthetressesofsmoke,whichdriftedupfromtheircigarettesintothequickeningshadowsofthestreetoutside.

‘Have you any money?’ the Diwan asked Subah in a whisper, leaning over to theJemadar’schair.‘Ihaveforgottenmywalletathome.’

‘Don’tyoucareforthelimplord,’theJemadarsaid,andtakingawadofnotesfromhispocket,heldthembeforehisfriend.

‘Thatwon’tbeenough,’saidtheDiwanwithagrimace,whichmadehispaddedfacecontractsomewhat.‘YouhadbettergivethattomeandIshallnegotiatethebusinessforyou.’

‘Withgreathappiness,’saidSubah.‘Now,letusgo.’And,thrustingthemoneyintotheDiwan’shand,hethrewuphisarmslikeachild.

TheDiwangotupwithcasualself-assuranceandwalkedahead,whileSubahandthesepoysfollowed,blushingastheysalutedthesmilingpeopleinthecafe.

Astheyemergedintothestreet,UncleKirpustoppedshortandsaid:‘Iwillbegoingback to camp,boys.’And then, turning to themerchant, he continued: ‘Diwan sahib, itwasgoodtomeetyou.’

‘I shallcomewithyou,Uncle,’ saidLaluoutofmere fellow-feeling, thoughhewasreallyfullofcuriosityaboutthesecretlifetheyweregoingtosee.

‘Oh come,Uncle, come, don’t be such a killjoy,’ begged Subah. ‘I didn’t refuse tocomethroughtheprostitutes’bazaarinthecantonmentwithyouwhenyouusedtofetchmebackfromschool.ComeLalu,comeandseethefun.’

‘Someonemayreportus,’saidUncleKirpu.‘Youyoungstersareallright,butitwillbringshameonmygreyhairs.’

‘Ohcome,Ishallsee thatnotahairofyourhead is touched,’saidSubah,and then,pullinghimselftohisfullheight,thumpedhischestwithhishandanddeclared,‘IamnotaJemadarfornothing.’

‘No,’UncleKirpusaidemphaticallyandturnedaway.

SubahputhisarmsroundLaluandproceededtocatchuptheDiwanwhohadalreadywalkedaheadwiththeBaluchiandSikhs.

Stumbling, blundering, nervous and eager, the group of heart-squanderers walkedthroughasidestreet,pastafewshopsdisplayingstringsofdirtybrownsausagesandothercookedmeatsintheirwindows,upadarklaneoffthemainsquareintheshadowofthechurch.

‘Thatmeatisafunnyshape,’saidSubahandgiggledlewdly.

‘Aboutthesamesizetoo,’saidtheDiwan.‘IamaNorthIndian,’saidtheBaluchi.

‘Youcan’tcompetewithusSikhs,’saidoneoftheSikhs.

‘Youareapackofshamelessfools,’saidLalu,thoughhewasonedgewithexpectancyandcouldhearhiseardrumsthrumming.

Notasoulwasinsightinthethickeningshadows,anditseemeduncannythatafew

yardsawayfromtheglitteringstreetthereshouldbethestillnessofagloominwhichhecould hear the echo of each heartbeat. Only the tall houses, shuttered with woodenwindows,stoodsolemnlyagainstthecoldthatpermeatedthroughthethinmistspreadingfromthecornersofthechurch.

‘There’s a house up there,’ said theDiwan in a hoarse, half-suppressed tone, as helookedthissideandthat,‘whereawomanrunswhatshecallsaMassageHindu.’Andhelaughedandrepeated,‘HinduMassage.’

‘Whatdoesthatmean?’enquiredSubah,tensewithemotionnowsothathisdrunken,hotbreathcameandwentinshort,sharpgasps.

‘Shesaysthatarajahoncevisitedherandtaughtherthat,’theDiwansaid.‘Youcomeandsee.’

‘Letusgoandsee thisMassageHindu!’Subahsaid,dragging theDiwanaheadandencouragingtheotherswithhisenthusiasm.

‘But there isone thing,’ theDiwansaid. ‘Shewillwantmoremoney thanyougaveme.’

‘Thereisnotalkofthat,’saidSubah.‘Wewillgiveyouallwehave.’Andheturnedtothesepoysevenasheplungedhishandintohisownpockets:‘Howmuchhaveyougot,brothers?LetusgiveDiwanAmarNathallthatshemaywant.Thisisthehappiestdayofourlives.WearehavingtherealpleasuresofVilayat.’

The sepoys dug into their pockets and handed over the littlemoney they had. TheBaluchi handed over a fifty-franc note, saying: ‘Inmy religion it is legal to gowith aChristiangirl;theProphethimselfsaidso.’

Laluwishedhehadhadmoremoneytogive,forhefeltquiterecklessnow.Hewantedtogoandseethingsonceinhislife.HehadcheatedhimselfofthisexperienceinSherkotandManabadallthistimeforfearhemightbringdisgraceonhisfamilyifhewereseengoing anywhere near the forbidden quarters. And he had heard that the women in theFerozepurcantonmentwerediseasedandgaveyoueitheragoldmedalorasilvermedalforyourmoney.Andyet,passingthroughanybigtowninIndia,hehadseenprostitutessitting in their windows and he had often felt like breaking the limits of his modesty,though the difficulty was how to run up the stairs without being seen by someacquaintanceorother.And,thenhehadpretendedthathewasdisgustedbytheloadsofimitation jewellery these prostituteswore and the tinselly splendour of the clotheswithwhichtheydeckedthemselves.Butthetruthwasthathehadneverhadthecourage.Thistimehewouldgo.Hewasbentonit.Thisman,theDiwan,seemedtoknow,thoughtherewas somethingoddabouthim.And itwasuncannyhow theairof twistingand turningmadethisdesolatestreetlooklikeabadIndiangulley.ItwasfunnyalsohowtheDiwansaid,‘Hindumassage!’Andthatarajahhadbeenhere.

‘What is this Hindu massage, Diwan Sahib?’ a Sikh sepoy asked, snatching thequestionalmostoutofLalu’smouth.

‘Youhaveto…’theDiwanhaltedandwhispered,‘youhavetotakeyourclothesoff.Andthenthegirlyouchoosecomesandwashesyourhorseandhermare,and…’

‘Oh,comealong,hurry,’Subahcalled.

TheDiwan beckoned, looked around to see if therewere any strangers.And, then,walkinguptoahugedoor,hepulledaknoboutofthewallandletitgo.

A tense second passed during which everyone’s breath seemed to be suspended.AnothersecondduringwhichSubahcamestampingback.Athird,andthegroupexploredeachother’sfaces,smilingandembarrassedwhentheireyesmet.Andthentheysuddenlysuppressedtheirnervousnessandbreatheddeeplyfromtheirhugechests.Nothingseemedtohappen.TheDiwanturnedpolitelyroundandpulledtheknobagain,twoorthreetimes,andlookedup.

Just then, however the huge door opened, and a heavy woman’s voice shoutedsomethinginFrench.

TheDiwansaidsomethinglike,‘Noosoonce.’

Then, through the cavernous space beyond the door, a small window opened inanother door and the heavy red face of a middle-aged woman stared out into theblackness.Shewhispered.Andshenoddedwithoutrelaxingthefrown,whichwasvisibleonherfaceundertheshadowofthehanginglampbehindher.

DiwanAmarNathmotionedtohisfriendstoenter.

As they pushed forward on their heavy boots, almost falling over each other in thedark,thedoorclosedbehindthemofitsownaccordandtheinnerdooropened.

‘Comeon,’Subahurged.

But the sepoyswere all too shy to push through the crowdat thedoor, through thequerulous air of a hiccuppingmusic, into the boisterous atmospherewhere a crowd ofunblushingmenandwomenwereswayingaboutinswiftpushingmovements,likethosewhichthesepoyshadheardthesahibsinIndiaperformedwithmemsatdancesinclubs.Subah rushed upwith characteristic bravado, craned his neck over the shoulders of thecrowd and clapped with his hands to the rhythm of the music. But the sepoys wererelievedthatthecrowddidnotturnroundandstareatthemandlaugh,fortheyknewthatwiththeirturbansanduniformstheylookedstrangeenough.

Then theDiwancame, ledby theelephantinewomanwhohadopened thedoorandwhosefacenowrevealedafearsomemustachioandabeardlikethatofawitch.

Asif thecrowdatthedoorhadsensedtheapproachofmajesty,itmadewayfortheprocession.

‘Oh, where have we got entangled?’ said Lalu with an embarrassed laugh as hefollowedwithabentheadandnervousmien.

‘Walk along now,’ Subah urged as he dragged Lalu, brushing past the wall,precariouslynear thehappy,hoarse,hilariousdancingcouples, throughacorridor intoaroomwheretherewereafewtablesandchairs,as inacafe.Itwasonlyabout tenstepsfromthehall,buttheredhotwavesofshame,whichswirledthroughhisforehead,behindhiseyes,eagertolookatthedancersandyetbentinshame,madethesestepsaperspiringordeal.

Hedrewhishandkerchieffromthepocketofhisbreechesand,sinkingsidewaysintoachair by his companions, began to mop the sweat off his face and neck, affecting adeliberatecasualnessasheglancedopen eyedaroundthebarewalls,seekingtounderstandthemeaningofitall.

‘Whatwillyouhave?’ theDiwansaid turningawayfromMadame, theshe-elephantwho stood hulking by the table with an enigmatic smile on her face. ‘You must havesomething to drinkhere. Itwill be a little dearer per bottle, but it is the custom tobuysomefromherifyouwanttogetgirlslater.’

Thesepoys remainedsilentas thepriceofpleasure seemed tobe increasingbeyondthelimitsoftheirpurses.‘Getanythingyoulike!’Subahsaidwithanervoussmile.

‘Youhavegotsomemoney,haven’tyou?’theDiwanasked.‘Ihaveonlyfivefrancsleftafterpayingtheentrancefee.’

‘Moneyisdirt,’saidSubah,jerkinghisheadandwavinghisarms.‘Letushavesomefun.’AndheemptiedthecontentsofhissecondpocketintotheDiwan’shands.

TheDiwanspoketothewomanwhofrownedalittleassheedgedaway.

LaluandSubahlookedateachotherforamomentandsmiledshylyasifseekingtorecognise each other. For, in this pursuit of happiness, they seemed to have becomedisconnected,detached,asiftheyhadlostcontactwiththefamiliarpersonsineachother,the darkness of night coveredLalu’s soul. The daylight seemed to disappear.His heartthrobbed.

At that instant, a French boy came in a stampede across the corridor behind ashrinking,heavy-bodiedgirland,inspiredbyherlaughterandshrieks,caughtherfromthewaist,swungherroundinawildabandonandthenbentthewholeweightofhistorsoonherbosomandkissedher.

‘Wah!Wah!Sonofyourfather,kissheragain!’shoutedtheBaluchiandsmackedhislips.

‘Shabash!’theSikhsroared.

‘MayIdieforyou!Thefunhasbegun!’saidSubah.

‘Thisisnothing,youwaitandsee,’saidtheDiwan.

‘They kiss on themouth then here?’ asked Lalu, blushingwith amodesty that hadreceivedashockandathrillatthesametime.

Theothersepoysalsoturnedtoeachotherastheyrealisedthattheyhadseenamouthkiss, because they had always kissed theirwives on the cheeks and foreheads in India.Theywere eager to taste this new sensation, but even as theywaxed enthusiastic, theywererestrainedbythehumilityoftheirpositionassepoyswhohadneverdaredtolookata white womanwith the eyes of desire. And the sense of the poverty of their pocketsthreatenedtoputallthesepleasuresbeyondtheirreach.

Another boy and girl came in and, embracing each other, sat down in a corner andbegantokiss.

TheIndianswerewatchingthecouplewiththeirrudimentarystareswhentheDiwansuddenlytouchedLalu’sshoulderwithhishandandsaid:‘Look,thereinthecorridor!’

As they lifted their eyes to thecorridor, they sawa seriesofgirls followedbyboyspassingintotheinnerrecessesofthehousewithcleannewtowelsandchunksofsoapintheirhands.

‘Shallweremaindry, then?saidSubahtotheDiwan,fidgetinginhischair.‘Goandbringsomegirls!’

‘Costssomemoney,’saidtheDiwanwithamock-seriousexpressiononhisface.

‘Thereisnoshortageofmoney,’saidSubah.‘Icanhardlyholditdown…’

‘LettheMadamecome,’answeredDiwan.

There was no sign of Madame, but a bovine young woman with a treble chin,fashioned in the image of Madame, came, a bottle in her hand. And, lifting her skirtwantonlytoshowhernakedthigh,andholdingupthebottle,movedherheadasiftoask,whichwillyouhave?

Subahjumpedupandcatchingholdofher,triedtoemulatetheboywhohadkissedagirlfullonthemouthinthedoorway.

‘Non, non,’ the girl shrieked challengingly. And, finding it difficult to secure herreleasefromSubah’shardembrace,slappedhimfullontheface.

Subahlethergoandtriedtolaughawayhischagrin,thoughthepalloronhisexcitedfacebetrayedhishurtpride.

Putting the bottle on the table she laughed and, inclining her head in blandishment,saidsomethingtotheDiwaninFrench.

‘Shesaysitcostsmoneytodothat,’saidtheDiwan.

‘Oh,shecanhaveasmuchofthatasshewants,’saidSubah.And,plunginghishand

intohispocket,heemptiedallthechangeonthetablebeforehim.

‘Thatwillpayonlyforthewine,’saidtheDiwan,countingthecoins.

Seeing the injuredexpressiononSubah’s face, thegirl laughedanartificial,woodenlaughand,withpoutinglips,cametositintheJemadar’slap.

Subah’sfacewassavedandthesepoyslaughedatthis.

Whereupon thegirl lifted theedgeofher skirt to show thenaked fleshbetweenherlegsand,then,withadeliberate‘Ooh’droppeditagain.

The sepoys began to talk to her, the Diwan interpreting, while Subah explored herformimpatientlyforitscontent.

Insteadof laughingorsmilingas theothersdid,Lalufoundhimselfcontracting intohisownskin,tillhefelthimselfreducedtoanemptinessfromthecentreofwhichhistwoeyes seemed to see this world as an enormous enclosure, crowded by hordes of hard,gigantic shapes, which were oppressing him. In order not to sit aside, apart from hiscompanions,he tried topersuadehimself thathewashappy,ashappyasSubahand theBaluchi.Andhetriedtoputonasmileandthoughtofsayingsomething.ButhiseyesmetSubah’sandthedeliberatesmileonhisfacebrokeupintotheedgesofanervouslaugh,whichsuddenlystoppedshortandgaveplacetoagrim,setexpression.

Atthatinstant,anothergirlcameintotheroomandseeingSubah’sflushedfaceandacolleagueonhisknee,purredwiththesimulationofpleasureandrubbedherformfelinelyagainsthimandbrushedhischeekswithherhand.

SubahputhisarmsaroundherandbegantoholdaconversationwithherinthefewFrenchphrasesheknew.

‘Thereisnotalk,’saidtheBaluchi,‘solongastheyarekindtooneofus.’

Lalulookedatthescenenowquitedetachedlyasifhewereacreatureofsomeotherworld,who,however,understoodthemeaningofthis.Thegirlsseemedtobelaughingatall of them in spite of all the blandishmentswhich theywere practising. Theirwantonobscenity was somuch in excess of the coyness they affected to titillate themen intopassion that they looked like spoiled and grimy dolls oozing with the smell of theirstuffing.Theywereoriginallyperhapsmerelyignorant,poorgirlswhofellapreytotheadviceofsomeonewhotoldthemofawaytoearneasymoneyandwereluredbythelifeofthesenses,tilltheywerefouledandusedandcouldn’tgetbacktoordinarylife.But,asin India, perhaps prostitutes were meant to show the young the various ways of love -making.Thebarrierof languagepreventedany real contactbetween thesegirls and thesepoys.HefeltsadforSubahbecausetheattemptatconversationhadbrokendownandtheJemadarseemedataloss.

ButjustasLaluwasexcitinghiswillonSubah’sbehalf,hesawhimcatchathirdgirl

whowascomingtowardsthegroupanditseemedhewasquitecapableofdealingwiththelotofthem.

‘ComeDiwan,arrange it forme,’Subahsaid,asanothergirlcameup tohim.‘Withthisfaironewhoistallandisstrokingmycheeks.’

‘They like the Jemadar Sahib,’ the Baluchi said, respectfully submitting to themonopolyofthegirlsbythesuperiorofficer.‘Buthuzoor,letushaveaturnafteryou.’

ThetallgirlwhohadcomelastsaidsomethingtotheDiwanand,extricatingherselffrom Subah’s grasp suddenly came and sat on Lalu’s knee, stroking his chin to theaccompaniment of short, pitying sounds, while the boy looked at her thickly painted,small, irregular face and blushed.Lalu lifted his eyes to her and he contemplated for amoment the lonelinessbehind themockeryofoutraged innocence inhereyes, lustrelessand dullwith cynicism as if they had seen toomuch, known toomuch, andwere nowemptyanddidn’tknowanythingatall.Andyet,hefelthappytobenearher.

ThetwoothergirlsalsogotupandcameroundLalu,talkingamongeachotherallthewhile,evenastheybrushedthecrumpledshinysatindresseswhichtheywore.

‘Whatarethesesisters-in-lawsayingtoeachotherintheirowntongue?’saidSubah,insistentandangry.‘Andwhydon’tyouarrangeoneforme?’

‘Howmuchmoneyhaveyougot?’askedtheDiwan,‘forthefirstmoneyyougavemeisfinished.’

Subahfumbledinthepocketsofhistrouserswhereuponthefatgirl,whowashewninthe image ofMadame, jumped on to his lap affecting an air of rapedmodesty, crying,‘Oooi…Oooi…lala…’

‘ThereisnoquestionofmoneybecauseIcangiveyousometomorrow,’saidSubah,findinghispocketsempty.

‘Iamafraidyoucan’thaveanythingin thisplacefor less thanfiftyfrancs,’said theDiwaninabored,impersonalvoice.

Subahglaredathimforamomentfromtheliquidofhisblearyeyes.Thenheshottwosunarrowsofhardglancesathimand,kickinghimontheshinsfuriously,shouted:‘Sonofapimp!Thief!Dog!Illegallybegotten!WhereisthemoneyIhavegivenyoualready!Thievingsonofadog,fleecingmewithyourtalesandsoftwords!’

Andhegot up and struck theDiwan right and left, slaps, fisticuffs, kicks, and thenrushed at himwith the ferocity of amadman. The girls ran shrieking, crying, shoutingwiththemostpiercingvoices.

TheBaluchiseparatedSubahfromtheDiwan,counselinghimthewhile:‘Cooldown!Becalm!Jemadarsahib!Leavetherogue!Leavetherascal!’

But theMadamecame rushing, shouting and flingingher arms in the air, uttering a

floodofinvectives,whichsoundeddoublypowerfulinherhoarse,querulousvoice.

Beforethesepoysknewwheretheywere,theyandtheJemadarwerebeingcollared,pushed,draggedandpulled,andkickedanddrivenoutofthebrothelintotheabyssofthenight.

The corps practiced route-marching during the next fewdays, first in full service orderwithall transports, thenonasmall scale, thecompaniesof thevarious regiments in theDivisionbeingtakenoutundertheirrespectivecompanycommanders.

Andthentherewasaconstantdrilling,whichbrokethesepoysup,as theconditionsforhardtraininginthecampatOrleanswerefarfromsatisfactory.Thisrigorousworkleftverylittletimeforpleasure.Indeed,apartfromthefactthatparadeskeptthemwarminthefast-gatheringcold, the intensive routine seemed to the sepoys theharbingerofarduoustimestocome.For,itwasrumouredthattheGermans hadmade a big attack and driven theAllied armies back, inflicting greatlossesontheSarkar,andthattheCommanderoftheIndianCorpshadbeensummonedtotheGeneralHeadquartersassoonashelandedatMarseillesandthathehadbeentoldbySir JohnFrench that theBritishArmywas tobe transferred toFlanders, and the Indiancorpswastohurryandjoinit.

Theywaitedanxiously,therefore,stealingasmuchrestfromtheirdutiesastheycould,makingoccasionalexpeditionstothecafesnearthecampastheywerebeginningnowtoacquirethetasteofcafeoleandcaneandFrenchcigarettes.

But,afterdaysofthis,theybegantogrowmoreandmoretenseandexpectantfortheorders,whichweresoontocome.

Atlengthontheeveningof17October,orderscamefortheLahoreDivisiontoentrainthenextday,whiletheMeerutDivision,withtheSecunderabadCavalryBrigadeandtheJodhpurLancers,weretostaybehindandfollowatshortintervalslater.

Therewerefeveredpreparationsforthedeparture.LalSinghwasharnessedtofatigueduty since, after the scene at the brothel, JemadarSubahSingh seemeddispleased and,whatwasremarkableaftertheirpreviousuncordiality,verymuch‘YouwhisperinmyearandIwhisperinyours’withLance-NaikLokNath.Theonlyconsolationwasthateveryothermanintheregimentseemedtobeonfatiguedutyofonekindoranotheronthedayof departure, packing his kitbag and giving a comrade a hand if not doing any heavierwork.And thecampwasbusyasananthill:here,asepoysittingbya lineofunpackedluggage, wondering how to fit all the things into his kitbag, while a pair of boots layoutsidebesideapanandawaterbottle;there,someofthemensatonammunitionboxes,shouting for an NCO to ask what to do with themselves; next, horses of the artilleryneighingandcoughingandstampingnervouslywhiletheirriderspolishedtheskinoftheir

flanks; and there were orders, shouts, cries and laughter and the babble of an armyspeakingahundreddifferenttongues.

Uncle Kirpu and Daddy Dhanoo had been sent to pack the kit on general servicewagons.Theseweretobeloadedonthetrain.

Laluhadbeenwithapartyset to rolling tents,whichwere tobehandedover to theOrdnancedepartment,andhewasjustfinishingthisjob.

Ashetightenedtheropesroundthepolesandstrainedtopullthefabricintoshape,hesweated and sat back, contemplating the empty ground fromwhich the tents had beenremovedasifheweresadtoleavetheplacewherehehadfirstbeguntofeelthepulseoftheland,andwherehehadbeguntotastethelifeofFrance.Helingeredforamomentasif he were preoccupied by a superstition and looked at the bare space, cleaned ofeverything except the camp smell, amixture of wood-smoke, chapatis, leather, oil andhorsedung,whichseemedtohanginthicklayersoverthechillyairbeforethejaundicedeyeoftheautumnsun.

AnNCOfromNo.4companyputhiminchargeofapartycarryingtwodays’cookedrations,whichweretobetakenforthemeninsupplywagonsonthetrain.Asthecooksracedagainsttimeservingthemealsandpreparingextrafoodforthejourney,Lalugavethemahelpinghand.

Seeing that he and the other sepoyswere going freely about the kitchenswith theirbootsofcowhideskinsandleatherbelts,andhandlingfoodwithoutwashingtheirhands,he thought that if Dhanoo andKirpu needed anymore proof of the spoliation of theirreligion,theycouldseeithere.Buteveryonewentaboutcasually,andhemarvelledattheeasewithwhichthemenwereforgettingtheircustoms.PerhapsitwasaconcessiontothedifficultiesofcookingIndianfoodinastrangecountry,buthehopedthatitwastheairandwaterofFranceville.

Therewasnotmuchtimeforidlereflection,however,asthemulecartswerealmostready,loadedwiththecookedfood,andthecontingentwithwhichLaluwasgoingtothestationwasready.Afterthelongandwearisomeactivitiesofthewholemorning,theboywashappytobeoff,thoughhewouldhavetocomebackanddoanotherround.

ThesunwasshiningatransparentwhiteasLalurodeawaybythesideofadarkSouthIndianSapper,andtherewasamelancholicbreezeinthecopper-colouredbranchesofthetrees,whichhadshedaprofusionofpinkleavesonthewaysideandexcitedthemulesinthelongcaravan.Hefeltstrangeridingpastcivilians,whostoodtostareandsmile.

Wherewasthewar?Howwasitbeingfoughtandwhatwouldthesepoysbeaskedtodo?Thequestionsflashedthroughhiseagermind.Buttherewasnoanswer.And,astherewasadreadaboutthefuture,hesoughttodrownthistrainofthoughtsinamelody.Thethoughts seemed to return, however. If only there was not this discreet veil of silencedrawnoverthemovementsofthetroopsbytheSarkar,whichlefteverythingtorumours

andlegends!

Astheygottothestation,thescenewasoneofcompleteturmoil.Someofthesepoysonfatiguedutywerehaulingthingsintothesupplywagons,shoutingandswearingastheystrainedtolifttheweights,andbeingshoutedandswornatbytheNCOsSomestoodbysacks and rifles and others sat on collections of kitbags, apparentlywaiting for orders.Everywhere there was the wild confusion of loud talk and furious gesticulation, therustlingofclothes, themovementof forms.But therewasaglowofwarmthamong thesepoys, a strange sense of fellowship, as if they felt that they ought to hang togetherbecausetheyweregoingfartherintotheUnknown.Hefelthewasnothingwithoutthem.

TheNCOinchargeofthefoodstuffcamewithagroupofsepoyswhoweretounloadthecartsbeforetheyreturnedtocampforthesecondcontingent.

And now he suddenly felt isolated from his cronies. So, he took advantage of thetemporaryrespitetoslinkoffinsearchofKirpuandDhanoo.Hemadehiswaythroughthe helter-skelter of the crowd, pretending to be doing something very important. Theyhadoriginallybeenputondutyathelpingtoremovetheluggageintheofficers’mess.Butit seemed hopeless to find them among the uniformly dressed sepoys of even his ownregiment,whileherethemenweremixedupanyhow.

Hewentbackandhelpedtounloadthewagons,tosharethelabour.

Hewastiredanddidnotwanttogobacktothecampwiththecartsforthenextround.But he felt guilty like a criminal, hovering around aimlessly, thinking of an excuse toavoidthereturnjourney.Ashewasprocrastinating,hecaughtsightofBabuKhusiRam,thesmall,beady-eyed,button-nosedheadclerkoftheregiment,supervisingtheloadingoftheofficechestsintoawagon.Herantogreethim.ButtheBabuwastoopreoccupiedandflurriedtoacceptorrejectcourtesies.

‘Comeandhelpwiththoseboxes,don’tstandstaringatme,son,’hesaidtoLalu.

Theboy felt guilty about not belonging andwent to the aid of an orderlywhowasheavingaboxfulofdocumentsuptothemenstandinginthewagon.

‘Ohfalling,falling,ohsave,someone,helpDhanoo!’Kirpustoodshoutingatthedoorofthewagon.

‘Don’tyouworry,’saidLalu,ashetooktheweightofftheshakingheadofoldDhanooandpushedittoUncleKirpu’sfeet.

DaddyDhanoo stood back, his face uplifted toLalu like that of a bullockwhohadbeenrelievedoftheweightofaploughonhisneck.

‘Whereareyou?What?’askedKirputensely,inapanicofpleasureatseeingtheboy.

‘Whereareyou?’Laluasked.‘Iamlost.’

‘We have already occupied places in the train there,’Dhanoo saidwith the air of a

child,pointingtowardstheoutlyingplatforms.‘Wehavekeptaplacesecureforyou.’

‘Ohe, you can talk later, get on with the job in hand,’ said Babu Khushi Ramimpatiently.‘Liftthosethreelastboxesandthenyoucanrenouncethisworld.’

LaluhurriedandhelpedDhanoo.HeguessedthattheBabuhadgiventhemthiseasyjobtosavethemfrommorearduousfatigue.And,sincehadorderedLalutogiveahandhere,Lalucraftilythoughtthathehadagoodexcusetoevadehisotherduty.IfLokNathcametoknow,Laluwouldhavehelltopay,buttheboylookedround,becamebusyanddrownedallthoughtsofthefutureinthefatigueroutine.

‘Good!’DaddyDhanoowassayingasLalu liftedthenextboxontohisback,whiletheoldmanjustheldtheropebytheside.

And,afterLaluhadthrownitatKirpu’sfeet,hestoodbackandsawDhanoostaringathimwithadmirationinhisbigeyes.

‘Youareahero,son!’theoldmanexclaimed.

Lalu thumpedDhanoo’s back and smiled at him.Hewas radiantwith happiness atbeingwithhiscomradesagain,almostlikeanorphanwhohadfoundtheparentshehadlost.

They waited in the oppressive dark of the unlit cattle truck, which was theircompartment, for the train to start, some dozing, some half-asleep, some shaking orshuffling uncomfortably.They had gone off to the outer fringes of the town after dark,walked round and bought cigarettes and drunk coffee mixed with brandy to warmthemselves,andtheyhadbeenwaitingforthehourofeleven-thirtywhenthetrainwasduetostart.Andnow, thehundredsof lights that illuminatedthecityhadbeenextinguishedandtheystaredwithsleepyeyesattheredandgreenlampsofthesignalsandthesilversheenoftherails,asifthesecouldtellthemwhenthetrainwouldmove.Forthemostpart,thedoorsof thecompartmentswereclosed,and theywerestewing in thesweatof theirbodies,packedalmoston topofeachother, so that therewasno roomtomovean inchwithout treading on someone’s foot. The smoke of endless cigarettes had made theatmospheredenseandhotandsuffocating.

‘Theraperofhissister,thistrain,itisworsethanthetrainfromAmritsartoPathankotduring Diwali fair,’ said Uncle Kirpu, coughing after several vigorous puffs at hiscigarette.

‘You have never been to the Kumbh fair at Hardwar,’ Daddy Dhanoo ‘burrburred’fromwherehelay,mindlessoftheheat.Heseemedtobeabletodozeoffanywhere.

‘You should be happy at your good fortune,’ said Lalu with a certain impatience,whichgained intensity fromtheheatof the truck. ‘Someregimentson theothersidingsareloadedinopencattletrucks.’

‘I’dratherbeintheopentrucks,’saidUncleKirpupeevishly,fanninghimselfwitharag.

The bitterness in Kirpu’s remark seemed to express the general mood. And, for amoment,everythingwasstill.Then,hoarsechattercouldbeheardfromtheplatformandtheconfusedwhispersofthesepoyssunkintheapathyofall-pervadinggloom.

Lalureclinedinacorner.Hecouldhearhisheartbeatingasakindofundertonetothebroodinglayersofheatthatstreamedoutfromthetense,tight-stretchedsensesofmen,ininvisible,intangiblemassesofclouds,whichhoveredbeforetheheavy-liddedeyesofthecoopedupsepoys,thunderyandelectric.

‘A strange fair,’ the boy muttered. ‘Havildar Lachman Singh!’ interrupted anauthoritative voice, the stern ring ofwhichwas one of Lalu’s earliestmemories of thearmy.

‘Hehasalreadygonetothefair,’Laluwhispered.

‘Of course, it is a fairwe are going to,’ saidLokNath, the tall, lanky, tyrant lancecorporal,enteringthetruck.

‘SomeofuseatthesaltoftheSarkarandarenotevenpreparedtodoalittlefatigueforit.Whoisthiswhining?’AndhecranedtolooksothattheprominentAdam’sappleofhislongneckmovedupanddown.

‘Noone,noone,HavildarLachmanSinghisnothere,’Kirpuintervenedtoaverttheunpleasantnesswhichheanticipated.

Lalufelttheimperceptibleshudderofawarmhorrorarisefromthebackofhishead.HeknewthatLokNathhadbeenwaitingfordaysforanopportunitytogetathim.HavingbeentransferredtoanotherplatoonbySubedarMajorSahib’sorders,becauseArbelSinghwantedhisownson togetadirectcommissionandsupersedeallotherclaimants in theDograCompany, theLance-Naikhadnodirect contactwithhisoldplatoon,whichwasunderLachmanSingh.Lalu,whohadoncebeentheobjectofLokNath’sspite,felt thatthecorporalwasinsinuatingallthataboutbetrayingsaltforhisbenefit.Hehopedthatthebitaboutfatiguedutywasnotareferencetohisdefaulttodaywhenhehadsuddenlyleftthefoodwagonsandhelpedtogetofficechestsintothetrain.

‘Would you like a pull atmy cigrut, Holdara?’ Kirpu said in a tone that sought todisguisetheinexpressiblemockeryofhismannerinexaggeratedcourtesy.

‘Ohe,stopsmoking,’saidBabuKhushiRampeevishly.‘Itwillcreatemoresmokeinthestagnantair.’

‘Thereisnotalkofthat,’saidKirpu.‘LetusentertaintheLance-Naik.Heis,afterall,ourofficerandcomessoseldomtoourplatoon.’

‘No, Iwill not have a cigrut,’LokNath said, ‘butKirpu is right.Officers andmen

belong to one family. In the English regiments, they play their games together, worktogether and share all the discomforts together. The difficulty with our Hindustaniregiments is that the ranks lose all sense of respect for their superiors as soon as theofficersbegintomixwiththem.Ilearntdrillinstructionfromasergeant-majorsahibinaGoraregiment,andthethingwhichimpressedmewasthedevotedandfatherlycareeveryEnglishofficer,fromthesecondlieutenanttotheKarnelsahib,hadforallthemenunderhischarge. Just father-mother.And from the fact that theyareall equallywhite, eat thesamefoodinthesamewaywithforksandknives,youmightthinkthattheTommiesdonot respect their officers. But, this was a revelation for me for which I was hardlyprepared.Theydid.Theyalwaysrecognisedthestatusofanofficer.Theymaylooksmalland insignificant, but they know how to observe discipline: they click their heels andsaluteasiftheyweremachines.Oursepoysarelazyandinefficientanddisrespectful.’

‘TheFrenchsoldiersseemlikeus,’youngKharkusaidfromsomewhereinthedark.

‘That’swhyIhavebeenhardonyouattimeswhenyouwererecruits,’saidLokNath.‘Ilearntagooddealfromthatsergeant-major,HudsonSahibhisnamewas.AndIdon’tmindtellingyouthathesometimesslappedmyface.Ofcourse,IdidnotgetangrylikeourrecruitsbecauseIknewitwasformygood,Ihavealwaysrespectedastrong-handedmanwhowillmakeamanofyouandteachyouhowtofight…’

At that stage,HavildarLachmanSingh cameup, shouting,‘Ohewhere are you,oheKirpu,oheBapu,oheLalSingha?’

‘Hereweare,’themenshoutedinachorus.‘HereHoldara…’

‘Subedar Major Sahib wants to see you,’ said Lok Nath, standing up as HavildarLachmanSinghcamein.

‘Ihavebeentoseehim,’Lachmansaid.

‘God,whatisthetime,Lachman?Wearedyingofthiscongestion!’exclaimedBabuKhushiRam,puffingandblowingtoexpresshisangeratLokNath’sblusterings.

‘Ican’tunderstandthissansar7!Whenisthewar?’murmuredDaddyDhanoo.‘Whendoesthistrainstart?’

‘Whatisthetime,Holdara?’askedLalu.

‘NowIcan’tansweryouall,’HavildarLachmanSinghsaid.‘Makeroomforme.Icanhardlyseeyou.’Andhestumbledalittle.

Uponthis,LokNathsaid:‘Ishallbegoing.’Andhebegantocarvehiswayout.

‘Itisgettingonfortwoo’clockinthemorning,’saidHavildarLachmanSingh.‘Andthetrainisabouttostart.’Hestruggledtositdown,rathersurprisedthatthelancecorporalshouldhavebeenamongmenwhomhedespised.WhenhefeltthatLokNathwasoutofaudibledistance,hesaidinawhisper:‘Wantsmyrecommendationtogetpromotionnow!’

‘Oh, is thatwhat thematter iswithhim?’askedKirpu. ‘Iwonderedwhyhewas sonicetoussittinghere.’

‘I thinkhe is frightenedof thewar,’ saidBabuKhushiRam, ‘andhemayhave feltlonely.’

‘Butheseemed togive the impression thathewonall thewars for theSarkar,’ saidLalu.

‘Oh,heputsonairs,theillegallybegotten!’saidKirpu.

‘Iunderstandhim,butwhatIcan’tunderstandiswhythistrainwon’tmove.’

Justthen,however,theenginespatalotofsteamintothenight,madeanoiseliketheprotractedneighingofahundredhorses,whistledaheart-rending,agonisedshriekasifitwereunwillingtocarryitsloadoforphanstothejawsofdeath,butatlastbegantomove.

‘Ram!Ram!Thanksbetoyou!’exclaimedDaddyDhanoo.‘LokNathisgone,ishe?Godisonourside.’

‘Forgetthatbastard,thereisnooneofhisnamehere,’Kharkusaid.

Thesepoyslaughedatthisambiguousreference.

‘TheKarnelSahibwasveryworried,’HavildarLachmansaid, leaningover toBabuKhushiRam.

Lalu knew that Havildar Lachman Singh’s ‘worried’meant a littlemore thanmereanxiety.Was there any special reasonwhy the trainwas so late inmoving?Whatwashappening?ApartfromHavildarLachmanSingh,noonewhohadastripe,orastarwouldtellthemanything.Notevenwheretheyweregoing.

A soft breezewas coming in like the breath of heaven itself and the names ofGodmultipliedonthelipsofthesepoys.

Lalushuffledhimselfintoarestfulpositionandwonderedwhatwasup.

The following extract comprisesChapterTwo from thenovelAcross theBlackWaters byMulkRajAnand, firstpublishedin1940.ThisbookwassketchedoutinaroughdraftinBarcelona-MadridduringJanuaryandApril1937,andentirelyrewritteninChinnor,Oxon,betweenJulyandDecember1939.Thebookisdedicatedtothememoryoftheauthor’sfatherSubedarLalChandAnand,M.S.M.(late2/17thDogra).

Platoons

Slangforpenis.

Foreignland

Uncle

UsedforEnglishsoldiers

Meaningworld

JangnamaEuropeRamanSinghChhina

Jangnama, a genre of historical poetic writing, which documents the events of a war,enteredPunjabinthelatesixteenthcenturyasaliteraryresponsetothePersianepics.ItfoundpatronageinthehandsofPunjabiMuslimpoetssuchasMaulviRukundin,HamidandShahjahanMuqbal,whohonedthiscraftcommemoratingtheseventh-centuryIslamicwarsofKarbala,BadrandUhud.

Afghaninvasions,thecrumblingMughalEmpireandriseoftheSikhpowerinthelateeighteenthcenturycreatedanotherperiodofgreat turmoil andconquest inPunjab.Thisbroughtwar as a tangible phenomenon to the Punjabi poet and led to a renaissance injangnamaliterature.Itshiftedfromreligiousmetaphoricalstyletoahistoricallyaccuratepoeticdescriptionofwaraswitnessedbycontemporarypoets.

NandSingh,an Indianpoetandsoldierwhowitnessed theFirstWorldWar fightingundertheBritishinAden,openshiscollectionofpoemstitledJangnamaEuropewiththeassassinationoftheshehzadaoftheAustro-HungarianEmpirebytheSerbians.HispoemthengoesontotalkabouttheeventsthatledtotheGermaninvasionofBelgiumandhow‘the compassionate British Government stood with Belgium and France against thearrogantGermanywhobrokealltheagreements’.

NandSingh’sworkandotherjangnamasoftheBritishperiodinPunjabarevaluableliteraryandhistoricalnarrativesproviding rare subalternperspectivesabout thecolonialwarsandconflicts.EvenpriortotheFirstWorldWar,PunjabisoldiershadfoughtunderBritish officers in the SecondAnglo-AfghanWar, theAnglo-Egyptianwar, the SecondOpiumWar, the Boxer Rebellion in China and multiple campaigns in the North-WestFrontier. There was very little documentation of these many wars spread almost twocenturies‘frombelow’,andofthislimitedhistoriography,jangnamapoetryholdsavitalbutlargelyforgottenposition.NandSinghfinishedhisJangnamaEuropeon7June1919;it is arguably the first work in Punjabi discussing the European and Middle Easternpeople,empiresandpolitics.

ThemagnumopusofthisgenreisaboutthefinalwaroftheSikhempireofPunjab—JangnamaHindPunjab,orSinghanFiranghian(SikhsandBritish)asitisvariouslytitled,wascomposedbyShahMuhammad,aPunjabiMuslimfromGurdaspurincentralPunjab.ItchroniclestheeventsthatleduptotheFirstAnglo-SikhWarin1845,fromthedeathofMaharajaRanjitSingh,thetreacheryandpoliticsthatfollowedinhiscourtandfinallythebattletheSikhslost.

IntheBritishRaj,specificallyduringtheSepoyMutinyof1857,defeatedSikhchiefsheralded theBritish call to ‘retrieve their characters’by takingup service in theBritish

Indian Army. Most of those who signed up subsequently served in the North-WestFrontier, which remained the constant theatre of war under the British. The bleak,bloodthirsty high mountain passes inspired a great deal of poetry, ranging from theromanticised ballads of Rudyard Kipling to the folk Pashto legends of Malalai ofMaiwand,whodiedrallyingtheAfghanGhazistofightthe‘Britishinfidels’intheBattleofMaiwandduringtheSecondAnglo-AfghanWar.Atleasthalfadozenjangnamaswerecomposedinthisperiod;themostnotablearetheonesaboutthesiegeofDelhiduringtheMutiny and the expeditions to Chitral, Tirah andMalakand in theNorth-West Frontierduringthelastdecadeofthe19thcentury.

TheearliestPunjabi jangnama about theFirstWorldWar seems to be theGermanyJung or The German War by Hakim Ishar Singh Kooner of Riyasat, Patiala. It waspublished in 1914 and the author is not aware of the further spread of the war in theBalkansandtheEasternFront.Moreover,Koonerwasnotasoldierandthushisaccountisnotthatofaneyewitness;itmerelyimaginativelyexpressesthewarofSerbia,Belgium,Britain,FranceandRussiaagainstGermany.

Asthewarprogressed,anumberofworkswereproducedinPunjab.Somewerepartof folk culture such as mahiye and tappe sung by Punjabi women; others includedgovernmentsponsoredposters,gramophonerecordings,songsandbooks.OnesuchshortbookwasKarzaMaddat Jang byKavisharWariamSingh, printed by the orders of theLieutenant Governor of Punjab along with a series of another media to encouragecontributiontowardsthewarloanbytheIndianpopulation.

ExceptforNandSingh’sJangnamaEurope,mostotherworksareofveryshortlengthand seldom have any details covering multiple fronts or the events back in Punjab.JangnamaEuropeisavoluminousworkandprefixed‘Vadda’meaninglargertoindicatethe same.HavildarNand Singh,who composed JangnamaEurope giving an empiricalaccountof theFirstWorldWar,wasasergeant intheMalayStateGuides.Hisregimentwas raised in 1896with its headquarters in Taiping,Malaysia. It had its origins in thePerakSikhpoliceforceandcomposedmainlyofPunjabiSikhandMuslimsoldiers.TheGuideshadofferedoverseas servicemultiple times,but itwasnotuntil theFirstWorldWarthattheregimentwasbaptisedbybloodinYemen.OnSeptember261915,theyleftTaipingtojointheAdenFieldForce.Afteropeningtheversewiththetraditionalodetogods and deities,Nand Singh lucidly articulates the tragedy of Europe in juxtapositionwiththefactualandmythicaltragediespopularinPunjabatthetimeasfollows:

ThewrathofdestinyhasfallenuponmankindsinceagesOverthrowingcivilizations,Hindustanhasoftenseentherages

ShamsTabrezandMansurhaveseenitsspleen,onAn-al-Haq’slifeithasfallenuponLookhowitendureduponHassanandHussain,onAliWali’swealthithasfallenuponBrahma,VishnuandShivathegreatdeities,onKrishan’sbeingithasfallenupon

RamChandra,LakshmanandSitawentthroughgreatpains,onoldandyoungithas

fallenuponJasrath,theKingofPalacesandwealth,onhismagnanimityithasfallenuponRememberhowitfinishedKhalil,asasawonZakriyaithasfallenupon

ThegreatsaintsofPrahladandPooran,thesavioursofVedandPuranithasfallenuponYousufandZulaikhathefamed,asblindsoldinbazaarithasfallenupon

JaimalandFatta,thewarriorsofChittor,themenofthisworldithasfallenuponDullahadtodie,onJeonaMorh’sprideithasfallenupon

Ranjha,HeerandSohniallfaceditsfury,onSahibathebeautifulithasfallenuponSassidiedofthirstlookingforBaloch,onMirza’sbowsandarrowsithasfallenuponThecountryofEuropenowfacestheinevitable,darkcloudsintheskyithasfallenuponNoonecanstopthewrathofthedestiny,NandSinghsaysonbattlefieldthewarhasfallen

upon.

NandSinghgoesontotalkabouttherecruitment:howeveryonefromtheweaver,thebardto the teacher, theclerkandevenPunditsandMaulvisweredraftedinto theserviceandtrained in digging bunkers, shooting rifles and saluting officers. Early in the war,recruitmentwasseenasacauseforexcitementamongthemenasitopenedupthechancesofgettingauniform,ofseeingtheworldandif,perchance,theyweretosurvive,itofferedtheopportunity to earn constantwages even after thewar until itwas time for them toretire.

Theyoungmanwasfinallyofsomeworth,therecruitmentopened!Theweakandthepoormanhadfinallysomevalueofhisbeing!

However, as the war progressed, and the British government pressed local officials tofulfill the recruitment quotas, it turned into a nightmare in some places. The poetrepeatedlyreturnstotalkaboutthemiseryandlongingofthewomenleftbehindintheirhomes.Forthem,bothlocalofficialsandGermansturnvillainous, theylamentthelocalpoliceconstablewho threatened theirsonswithfalseaccusations to force themtoenlistandloathethezaildar1andvillageheadswhotooktheirsons,brothersandhusbandsawayfrom them.With the progress of war, they start receivingmessages of soldier’s deathsfrom regimental stations and theymoanandwail atGermany for its cruelty, for killingtheirsonsintheunheardlandsofFranceandBasra.

Thefirstladysaystothesecond,IhavelostallappetiteasIcan’tseemylovedsonanymore

Secondonesays,OhmyfriendIhavethesamegrief;itpainsmyhearttoeventhinkaboutit

Thirdonesays,cursestothepoliceconstablewhomadeafalsechargeandforcedmysonFourthsays,deathtothevillagehead;whowithallhismenchargedintoourhome

Fifthoneloathesthezaildar,IhavelosttheeldersonandtheyoungeroneisleftbehindSixthsays,Ican’tforgetthelastmomentofmyson,touchingmyfeethesaid‘Mother’and

left!

Although the regiments had strict class compositions, with the increased demand forrecruitment,thelistformartialclasseswasexpandedinadditiontorecruitmentoutsidetheclasses. Itopenednewdoors forbothprogressaswellas fearsamong the fresh recruitsand their familiesabout thecasteismtheycouldfacewhileawayfromhomealongwithmercilessbattlefields.

Noorisays,O!ListentomeGama,IpleadinQuran’sname;leaveyournameoffthelist!Wetheweaversaresuitedforourjobs,amongtheJatsyouwillsuffer.

Wholedayandnightthereisnothingbutvolleysofbulletsandbombardment,Godforbid,ifsomethinghappens,howwillIfacetheworld?

In contrast to most other jangnamas of this period, Nand Singh’s tone is not one offlattery;forexample,heusesthewordsahibonceonlyforLordKitchener.However,herecurrently stresses namak halali whether it be of the 14th Sikh Regiment who foughtalmosttotheirlastmanatGallipoliorasavirtuefornewrecruitstouphold.Hisworkthusprovidesameasuredoutlook to thewarandan insight intowhat regimentalhonourandloyaltymeanttothenativesoldiers.

Adulation is more frequent in British-sponsored works such as Qasim Ali’sZafarnama-i-Kabul, which is considered a poetic rendering of the First Afghan War,which favours the British to counter the popular jangnamas of this war composed byHamidKashmiriandMohammadGholamGholami.Similarly,thejangnamaofChitral,inwhichSubedarWadhawaSinghofthe23rdSikhPioneersRegimentsketchesthedramaticmurderoftherulerofChitralbyhisbrotherAmir-ulMulk,thesiegeofthefortandthenfinallyreliefunderMajorGeneralSirRobertLow,alsohasapronouncedeulogisingoftheBritish.ItwaspresentedbythepoettohisColonelS.V.Gordonin1896andseemstohavethenbeenusedasaninstrumenttofurtherstrengthenthefidelityofthenativetroops.

Coming back to JangnamaEurope, Nand Singh discusses multiple theatres of warrangingfromGallipoli,Kut-al-AmaraandBaghdadtotheBattleofVerdunontheWesternFront.Hevividlydescribeshisownregiment’smultipleconfrontationsinandnearAdenand their bravery, which won them a Military Cross, an Indian Order of Merit, eightIndianDistinguishedServiceMedalsandpraiseandappreciationfromMajorGeneralJ.M.Stewart,theGeneralOfficercommandingtheAdenFieldForce.

Eventhewar’senddidnotbringreliefforNandSinghandhisfellowsoldiers.Whenthegunsandartilleryweresilenced,theycontinuedtolosetheirlivesastheywerestruckdownby the influenzaepidemic,whicheventuallyclaimed the livesof anestimated14millionIndians(notjustsoldiers).NandSinghwrites:

Withthetelegraphsofarmistice,nemesischangeditsface

Thedeadlyfeverspread,ittakesaman’slifefasterthanthebullet’space.

In1914,theMalayStateGuideshadinitiallyrefusedtomobilise.Thereasonshavebeen

variously linked to the seditiousGhadarite influence, theKomagataMaru incident, andsympathyofMuslimsoldierswiththeKhilafatMovement.Althoughtheydideventuallyrenew their offer, the British were ever mindful of this reluctance and disbanded theregiment in1919.The soldierswereeither absorbed intoother regimentsor returned toPunjab with gratuity and pensions. Nand Singh most probably returned home havingprovedhisnamakhalali,butironicallywithaseditiouslabel.

Thebeautyofthejangnamanarrativeisthatitrevealsthesoldiers’courageinitsmostnaked form, celebrating their ability to brave fear and continue against all odds. NandSinghsustainsthistraditionandwrites:

Deathholdsnofearforus,whathonourisittofallabaftholdingthesaberfine?AfterraisingtheSarkar’srifle,whathonourisittofrightandwhine?

Diethyselforkillthyenemy,whathonourisittowarwithoutallthymight?Afterenlistingontherolls,whathonourisittofeardeathorevenitssight?

Seekingtoproveloyalty,whathonourisitholdbackfromthebattlefield?Neverkeepthetrader’sheart,whathonourisittoblamefateandyield?

Alandlord

PunjabiFolkSongsonWorldWarI1

AmarjitChandan

Don’tgo,don’tgo

Stayback,myfriend

Crazypeoplearepackingup

Flowersarewitheringandfriendshipsarebreaking

Stayback,myfriend

Allahgivesbreadandwork

Youwouldn’tfindsoothingshadesanywhereelse

Don’tgo,myfriend,don’tgo.

—Punjabifolksongoftheearlytwentiethcentury

By helping the British colonialists in suppressing the Revolt of 1857, the Punjab SikhchiefsandsoldiershadsavedtheEmpire.TheSikhsoldiersweretakeninthearmyfirstin1846.During1855–56theycrushedtheSanthalrebellionintheGangavalley.In1860,theLoodhiaah [Ludhiana] Regiment conqueredHongKong and Peking. For half-a-centurySikh soldiers of the Queen were instrumental in suppressing revolts by Pathans in theNorth-West Frontier Province. They were also involved in the overseas campaigns inAbyssinia(1867),Malaya,Egypt(1882–1885),Burma(1885),Afghanistan(1878–1880),EastandCentralAfrica(1891–1898),andSouthAfrica.

Asongsheetpublishedin1898byFrancisDay&Huntergivesapictureofhow,bytheendofthecentury,theIndiansoldierhadmorethanredeemedhimselfintheeyesoftheBritishpublic.Thesong,HowIndiaKeptHerWord,whichwassungontheLondonstage by Leo Dryden, included a reference to the ultimate bravery award, the VictoriaCross,andcontainedthefollowinglines:

Thoughmutineerssomeofthemmighthavebeen,

TheywerenottrustedsoldiersoftheQueen…

Britannia,donotblame,Ibegofyou,

Theloyalmanyforthetrait’rousfew;

Whenonceagainthestarofpeacehasbeamed,

ThenIndia’spledgetoyouwillberedeemed.

Theyonlypleadforonereward,

Repayingeveryloss,

TherighttowearlikeBritain’ssons,

ThegreatVictorianCross.

India’sreplyinthedaysgoneby,

Toothernationsmayhavebeenabsurd,

ButwhenBritain’sflagunfurl’d,

Theyprov’dtoalltheworld,

HowtheSonsofIndiakepttheirword.

Bytheturnofthecentury,PunjabwasthemostprosperousagriculturalprovinceinIndia,but at the same time, the most in debt. The peasant movement of 1906-07 in Punjabenlisted the sympathy and limited participation of ex-servicemen pensioners and a fewactivearmypersonnel in certainPunjabi regiments.The situationdrove thepeasants—Jats (cultivatingcaste) andartisans— towards seekingothermeansof subsistence.ThecolonialstateonitspartwasimpelledbyitsownstrategicandsecurityconsiderationstonarrowitsrecruitingbasemainlytoPunjab.ThebestIndianmaterialfortheBritisharmy,toquoteSirMichaelO’Dwyer,theGovernorofPunjab,wasfoundmainlyintheprovinceunder thecoverofasociobiological ideologyofmartialraces.Thus,PunjabbecametheswordarmofIndia.

Agramophonerecord,cutinPunjabibyBhaiChhailaPatialewalaandplayedonthenewmagicmachine,becameverypopular.BhaiChhailawasapopularsingerofthetime.ItwasoneoftheearliestrecordingsinIndiaandcertainlythefirst-everarmyrecruitmentpropaganda piece in the subcontinent. It would have been played in village fairs andrecruitmentgatherings.

Therecruitsareatyourdoorstep.

Hereyoueatdriedroti

Thereyou’lleatfruit

Hereyouareintatters

Thereyou’llwearasuit

Hereyouwearwornoutshoes

Thereyou’llwearboot(s)…

At the outbreak of the FirstWorldWar, one half of the IndianArmywas drawn from

Punjab. The idea that Indian troopswere to fight against European foe on thewesternfronthadbeenusedbycivilauthoritiesthroughruralmenofinfluence.Thesemenwerereligious leaders like Muslim pirs, the Bedis,2 rajas, nawabs, big landlords, district tovillage-level authorities likedeputycommissioners, and soon.Theyweregivenquotas.Themoretheycontributedthemorerewardstheygot.Therewasmuchcoercionused.Myfather used to tellme that the youthwould hide from the authorities lest theybe takenaway,andduringthewartherewerecondolencecallsineveryotherhousehold.Morethan60,000Punjabis—Muslims,SikhsandHindus—werekilledinactionintheFirstWorldWar.

Table1:NumberofIndiansServinginAllAreasoftheWar,1914–1918

Countriessentto

CombatantsIndianofficers&warrantofficers

CombatantsIndianotherranks

Non-Combatants Total

France 1,911 82,974 47,611 132,496

EastAfrica 826 33,633 12,477 46,906

Mesopotamia 7,812 287,753 293,152 588,717

Egypt 1,889 94,596 19,674 116,159

Gallipoli 90 3,003 1,335 4,428

Salonika 31 3,643 1,264 4,938

Aden 343 15,655 4,245 20,243

PersianGulf 615 17,537 11,305 29,457

Total 13,517 538,794 391,003 943,344

IndiaOfficeRecords:L/Mil/17/5/2383:IndianContributiontotheGreatWar,Calcutta1923(pp.96–97)

Everyeffortwasmadetobringhometothepeoplethatthewarwastheirwar—oneforthe‘defenceoftheirhearthsandhomes’.Throughouthistory,thePunjabiswereexposedto invasions, so fighting Britain’s wars was not an unimaginable thought. The mosteffective of all inducementswas the 180,000 acres of valuable, canal-irrigated land forallotmentlatertoIndianofficersandmenwhowouldservewithspecialdistinctioninthefield.

Some15,000acreswerealsosetasideforrewardgrantstothosewhowouldgivemosteffectivehelp.Inpublicdurbarsormeetingsofvarioustribesandcastes,O’Dwyermadethestrongestappealtotheirizzatorhonour.

TheIndianNationalCongress,undertheleadershipofMahatmaGandhi,supportedtheBritish war efforts in the hope of attaining dominion status. He actively encouragedIndianstoenlistinthearmyandcontributetothewarfund.Ontheotherhand,theGhadarParty’s open call for non-cooperation and armed revolt against the British colonialists

went unheeded. After the end of the war, Indians were paid back with the unpopularRowlattAct.Themassunrest against theactculminated in themassacre inAmritsar in1919 and peaceful Sikh agitations in Jaitu and Guru ka Bagh during the early 1920s,followedbyindividual terroristmovementsoftheBabbarAkalis intheDoabaregionofJalandhar,HoshiarpurandKapurthalaprincelystate.

After thewar, the rewards bestowedwere numerous: titles of honour from raja andnawab to raisahib and khansahib, robes of honour, swords of honour, guns, revolvers,complimentary sanads (warrants or deeds), testimonials, cash rewards, grants ofgovernment land as well as revenue-free land to individuals and communities, andremission of taxation. Four lakh and twenty thousand acres of land were distributedamongviceroy’scommissionedofficersandotherrankingofficers.

Over40,000peoplereceivedjangiinamorwargratuities—specialpensionsfortwolives, for the pensioner and the next generation after his death. One can imagine theeconomicandsocialimpactoftheseawardsinPunjab.

Atthebeginningofthewar,thestrengthofPunjabisinthearmywas100,000.Duringthewar,380,000morewereadded.Apartfrommen,Punjabgaverupeestwocrore[Rs20million]towarfundsand‘invested’rupeestencrore[Rs1billion]inwarloans.Itsetoutto provide seven aeroplanes andprovidedmore than seven times seven. InPunjab, oneman in twenty-eightwasmobilised in thewar,while the corresponding figure for Indiawasonein150.Outofapopulationof2.5million,theSikhssupplied90,000combatantrecruits. During the war, one in fourteen of the Sikh population in Punjab served, aproportiontentimesgreaterthanthatcontributedbythepopulationasawhole.Thepricewashigh:61,041dead,and67,771wounded.

LordHardinge,thethenViceroyofIndia,wroteinhismemoir:‘Withinsixmonthsofthe outbreak ofwar, seven divisions of infantry and two divisions and two brigades ofcavalryweresentfromIndiaoverseas.But inadditiontotheseorganisedforces,nolessthantwentybatteriesofartilleryandthirty-twobattalionsofBritishinfantry,1,000-strongandmoreweresenttoEngland.Altogether80,000Britishofficersandtroopsand210,000IndianofficersandmenweresentfromIndiaoverseasduringthefirstsixmonthsofthewar…It is a fact that for severalweeksbefore thearrivalof someuntrainedTerritorialbattalions from England, the total British garrison in India, a country bigger thanEurope…wasreducedtoless than15,000vigorousprotestsof theCommander-in-Chiefand some of the European community, as I trusted the people of India in the greatemergencythathadarisen,andItoldthemsoandmyconfidencewasnotmisplaced.’

TwoWorldWars and the partition of Punjab have been the most traumatic events forPunjabis.While folklorists have recorded a few folk songs on theWorldWars, there ishardly any folksong on the Partition, maybe because of the collective sense of guilt.

Historicalrecordsoftragiceventscanneverreflectthesuffering,painandgriefofpeopleasfolksongcan,thoughtheinadequacyoflanguageremainseveninasong.Afolksong,unlikeapropagandapiece,isleastmanipulated;itremainsvulnerableevenafterlapsesoftimesinceitwasconceivedandsungtooneselforinagroupofpeople.

War isbasicallyanarmedconflictaboutpower,whichbreedsdestructionanddeath;itsessenceneverchanges,onlyitsmeansdo.Platosaid:Onlythedeadhaveseentheendofwar.

The poetic creative process sets in only after the event has taken place. It is like aprivate journal sharing a collective fate. It documents human response in the face of acatastrophe.Everywordutteredagainstwarandforpeaceisatalismanofsurvival.

A folk songby itsnature isacollectivepursuitof the toilingmasses initiatedbyanindividual.Itisanepigram.Itisrarelyrhetorical;itisunderstated,subdued,truthfulandhonest.Folk songs arevoiceoversof recordofhistorical events.Now, the songson thewarslieprintedonpaper.Nobodysingsthem.Nobodyevertalksaboutthem.

The maximum number of men — 120,000 in all — were recruited from theRawalpindiDivisionandthemajorityofthemwereMuslims.TheDhan-PothoharregionoftheDivisionproducedmostofthefolksongsonthetwoWorldWars.TherewashardlyahouseholdinPothoharthatwasunaffectedbythem.

Inthesongs,womenfolk—mothers,sistersandwives—aretheprotagonists.Theyshow total frustration, despair, but a faint ray of hope keeps them alive. The wifepersuadesthemannottoleavehomeforthefront:Stayback,Ipromise,I’llnevergotoseemyparents.Shetauntshimforgoingtothejobforafewbobs.Sheanticipatesthepainofseparation.[Ineverypartingthereisanimageofdeath.ThuswroteGeorgeEliot].Theprotagonist in the folk songs curses the firangis for the suffering. She hates war andwarmongers,whethertheBritishortheGermans.Shewishesandpraysforthesafereturnofherman.Nowhereisthereahintofmartyrdominthesesongs.ThewomenknowtheirmenaremercenariesandnotfightersintheSikhorRajputorjihaditraditions.

Themanleavingislostforwords.Nosongshowstheanguishofthefatherwhosesonhas gone to the front.All available photographs of Indian soldiers in theBritishArmyshowsternfaceswithcoldsadlooks.

ItisnotacoincidencethatPunjabipoetryoftheearly1950sPeaceMovementgreatlyresembles, in form and content, the folk songs composed half-a-century earlier. Inretrospect,itappearslessgenuine,asitwasnotexperiential.

Here are some Punjabi folk songs on the FirstWorldWar, mostly referring to theBattleofBasra,translatedinEnglish.TheFrenchwordl’armeisusedforthewaraslãmincommonPunjabiparlance.

Myhusband,andhistwobrothers

Allhavegonetolãm

HearingthenewsofthewarLeavesoftreesgotburnt

Wardestroystownsandports,itdestroyshutsIshedtears,comeandspeaktomeAllbirds,allsmileshavevanished

AndtheboatssunkGravesdevourourfleshandblood

HewearsatussershirtOtrain,moveslowly

YouhaveapassengerboundforBasra

ThesandishotinthecauldronGermanystopthewarWedonotneedit

TreesbytheroadsideWickedGermany,stopthewar

Therearewidowsineveryhousehold

PotholesontheroadsPoorpeople’ssonswerekilledinBasra.

InthemorningIsaddledthehorseFortheBasraexpedition

Alas,Icouldn’ttalktohimtomyheart’scontentThestringflewwiththekiteMayGodforgiveme.

GermanyisontheoffensiveTheEnglishwouldn’tbeabletodoanything

MayGodforgiveme.

Mothers’sonshavegonetothelãmintheforeignlandsMayAllahendthelãm,mychildren

MaytheFiveSoulsoftheProphet’sfamilyguardyou

MayAllahbringyoubackhomesafe.

Sources

S.S.Bedi,Punjabdaloksahit(‘FolkLiteratureofthePunjab’),

Navyug,1968

AvtarSinghDa-ler,PunjabiLokGeet:BantarteVikas(‘PunjabiFolkSongs:CreationandDevelopment’),NewBookCompany,1971

AlanHarfield,TheIndianArmyoftheEmpress,1861-1903,

Spellmount.1990

MushtaqKanwal,Bolian,PunjabiPublishers,Lahore,1976

BhagwanJosh,CommunistMovementinPunjab,Anupama,1979

DevendraSatyarthi,PunjabiLokgeetanvichSainik(‘TheSoldierinPunjabiFolksongs’),PunjabiUniversity,1970

NaharSingh,MalweydeTappey(‘FolkEpigramsofMalwa’),AkalSahitPrakshan.1985

NandSinghHavildar,VaddaJungEurope,GurditSinghGajjan

Singh,Ludhiana,1934Reprint

—FolksongsandpoetrytranslatedbytheauthorwithAminMughalandNaseerSheikh.

Notes:

1. CensoredletterswritteninPunjabiandUrdubyPunjabisoldiersfromabroadduringtheFirstWorldWararekeptinIndiaOfficeRecordsintheBritishLibrary,London.FileNo.L/Mil/5/826.

2. VanKoski,Susan,‘LettersHome,1915–1916:PunjabiSoldiersReflectonWarandLifeinEuropeandtheirMeaningsforHomeandSelf,’InternationalJournalofPunjabStudies,Vol2.1(January-June1995),SAGE:NewDelhi,London.

PresentedatAcrosstheBlackWatersOne-DaySymposiumattheImperialWarMuseum,London,on7November1998;theSouthAsianExperienceoftheWorldWars:NewEvidenceandNewApproaches,InternationalWorkshop(Berlin), at German Historical Institute (London), 26 May 2009; Zentrum Moderne Orient (Centre for ModernOrientalStudies),Berlin,28May2013;andSOAS(London),14September2014.

Asub-casteoftheKhatris,theytracetheirlineagefromKush,thesonofLordRam.

Poetry

TheGiftofIndia1SarojiniNaidu

Isthereoughtyouneedthatmyhandswithhold,Richgiftsofraimentorgrainorgold?Lo!IhaveflungtotheEastandWestPricelesstreasurestornfrommybreast,

AndyieldedthesonsofmystrickenwombTothedrum-beatsofduty,thesabresofdoom.

GatheredlikepearlsintheiraliengravesSilenttheysleepbythePersianwaves,ScatteredlikeshellsonEgyptiansands,

Theyliewithpalebrowsandbrave,brokenhands,TheyarestrewnlikeblossomsmowndownbychanceOntheblood-brownmeadowsofFlandersandFrance.

CanyemeasurethegriefofthetearsIweepOrcompassthewoeofthewatchIkeep?

Orthepridethatthrillsthro’myheart’sdespairAndthehopethatcomfortstheanguishofprayer?

AndthefarsadgloriousvisionIseeOfthetornredbannersofVictory?

WhentheterrorandthetumultofhateshallceaseAndlifeberefashionedonanvilsofpeace,Andyourloveshalloffermemorialthanks

Tothecomradeswhofoughtinyourdauntlessranks,Andyouhonourthedeedsofthedeathlessones,Rememberthebloodofthymartyredsons!

Writtenin1915.

Jang-eEuropeaurHindustani1ShibliNomani

EkGermannemujhsekahaazrah-eghuroor

‘Asaannahihaifatahtodushwarbhinahin

Bartaniakifaujhaiduslakhsebhikum

Aurisspelutfyehhaiketayyarbhinahin

BaquiirahaFrancetowohrind-elamyazal

Aainshanaas-eshewa-epaikaarbhinahin’

Mainekahaghalathaiteradawa-eghuroor

Diwanatonahihaituhoshiyarbhinahin

Humlogahl-eHindhainGermansedusguneh

Tukhkotameez-eandak-obisiarbhinahin

Suntarahawohghaursemerakalaamaur

Phirwohkahajolaiq-eizhaarbhinahin

‘IsssaadgipekaunnamarjaayeaiKhuda

Larhtehainaurhaathmeintalwarbhinahin!’

AwarrantofarrestwasissuedagainstShibliNomaniforwritingthispoem;however,hediedon18November1914beforethewarrantcouldbeimplemented.

TheWarinEuropeandIndians1

ShibliNomani

Consumedwithpride,aGermansaidtome:

‘Victoryisnoteasybutitisn’timpossibleeither

ThearmyofBritanniaislessthantenlakh

Andnotevenpreparedontopofthat

AsforFrance,theyareabunchofdrunks

Andnotevenfamiliarwiththeartofwarfare’

Isaidyourarrogantclaimisallwrong

Ifnotmadyouarecertainlynotwise

WethepeopleofHindaretentimestheGermans

Clearyyoucannottellbigfromsmall

HelistenedcarefullytowhatIhadtosay

Thenhesaidsomethingthatcan’tbedescribed

‘ByGod,anyonewilllaydowntheirlifeforsuchsimplicity

Youarewillingtofightbutwithoutevenaswordinyourhand!’

AllworkshavebeentranslatedfromtheoriginalbyRakshandaJalilforthisvolume.

WatankaRaag1BrijNarainChakbast

ZaminHindkirutbemeinarsh-e-aalahai

YehHomeRulekiummidkaujalahai

MrsBesantneisaarzukopaalahai

Faqirqaumkehainauryeraagmaalahai

Talabfuzoolhaikantekiphoolkebadle

NaleinbahishtbhihumHomeRulekebadle

Watan-parastshahidonkikhaaklaenge

Humapniaankhkasurmauseybanaenge

Gharibmaankeliyedard-dukhuthaenge

Yahipayam-e-wafaqaumkosunaenge

Talabfuzoolhaikantekiphoolkebadle

NaleinbahishtbhihumHomeRulekebadle

Hamarewaastezanjir-o-tauqgahnahai

WafakeshauqmeinGandhinejiskopahnahai

Samajhliyakihameinranj-o-dardsahnahai

Magarzabansekahengewahijokahnahai

Talabfuzoolhaikantekiphoolkebadle

NaleinbahishtbhihumHomeRulekebadle

Pahnanewaaleagarbediyanpahnaenge

Khushiseqaidkegoshekohumbasaenge

Josantaridar-e-zindankebhisojaenge

Yehraaggaakeunheinniindsejagaenge

Talabfuzoolhaikantekiphoolkebadle

NaleinbahishtbhihumHomeRulekebadle

Zabankobandkiyahaiyeg.hafilonkohainaaz

Zararagonmenlahukabhidekhleinandaz

Rahegajaankehum-rahdilkasoz-o-gudaz

Chitaseaaegimarnekebaadyehawaaz

Talabfuzoolhaikantekiphoolkebadle

NaleinbahishtbhihumHomeRulekebadle

Yahiduahaiwatankeshikastahalonki

Yahiumangjavanikenaunihalonki

Jorahnumahaimohabbatpemitnewalonki

Humeinqasamhaiusikesafedbalonki

Talabfuzoolhaikantekiphoolkebadle

NaleinbahishtbhihumHomeRulekebadle

Yahipayamhaikoyalkabaaghkeandar

IsihawameinhaiGangakazoraath-pahr

Hilal-e-Eidnediihaiyahidilonkokhabar

PukartahaiHimalaseabruthuthkar

Talabfuzoolhaikantekiphoolkebadle

NaleinbahishtbhihumHomeRulekebadle

Baseyhuehainmohabbatsejinkiqaumkeghar

Watankapaashaiunkosuhagsebadhkar

Joshir-kharhainHindostankelaqht-e-jigar

Yehmakedoodhselikkhahaiunkesiinepar

Talabfuzoolhaikantekiphoolkebadle

NaleinbahishtbhihumHomeRulekebadle

Writtenin1917.

TheSongoftheHomelandBrijNarainChakbast

ThelandofHindishigherinrankthanthehighestskies

AllbecauseofthelightofhopebroughtforthbyHomeRule1

ThishopehasbeennurturedbyMrsBesant2

Iamamendicantofthislandandthisismysong

It’sfutiletowishforthethorninsteadoftheflower

WeshallnotacceptevenparadiseinsteadofHomeRule

Weshallbringtheashesofpatrioticmartyrs

Andweshallwearitassurmainoureyes

WeshallbearallmannerofhardshipforourpoorMother

Andweshallgivethimessageoffidelitytothepeople

It’sfutiletowishforthethorninsteadoftheflower

WeshallnotacceptevenparadiseinsteadofHomeRule

Foruschainsandfettersarelikeornaments

Gandhihaswornthemasabadgeofcommitment

Wehaveunderstoodthatwehavetoenduresuffering

Butwillonlyspeakthatwhichhastobesaid

It’sfutiletowishforthethorninsteadoftheflower

WeshallnotacceptevenparadiseinsteadofHomeRule

Ifthosewhowishtomakeuswearchainsweretodoso

Weshallhappilyinhabitthecellsofprisonhouses

Andifthesentriesattheprisongatesweretofallasleep

Weshallrousethemfromslumberwithoursong

It’sfutiletowishforthethorninsteadoftheflower

WeshallnotacceptevenparadiseinsteadofHomeRule

Theobliviousarepleasedtheyhavesilencedourtongue

Letthemseethebloodracingthroughourveins

Theheart’sanguishwillremainafellowtraveller

Andfromourpyrethiscallwillbeheard

It’sfutiletowishforthethorninsteadoftheflower

WeshallnotacceptevenparadiseinsteadofHomeRule

Thisistheprayerofthebrokenanddestituteofthishomeland

Andthisisthepassionofthetoddlersandyoungalike

Theleaderswhoareteachingustodieforourlove

Weswearbythewhitehairontheirhead

It’sfutiletowishforthethorninsteadoftheflower

WeshallnotacceptevenparadiseinsteadofHomeRule

Thisisthemessageofthekoelinthegarden

AndthewatersoftheGangathatflowceaselessly

ThisisthenewsbroughtbythecrescentofEid

ThisisthecallofthewatersgushingdowntheHimalayas

It’sfutiletowishforthethorninsteadoftheflower

WeshallnotacceptevenparadiseinsteadofHomeRule

Thenationsthathavesettledtheirhabitationsonlove

Havegreaterregardfortheirhomelandthanawife’sloveforherman

TheinfantsofHindustanwhoareherdarlingchildren

Havethiswrittenontheirbreastswiththeirmother’smilk

It’sfutiletowishforthethorninsteadoftheflower

WeshallnotacceptevenparadiseinsteadofHomeRule

InspiredbytheIrishHomeRuleMovementofthelatenineteenthandearlytwentiethcenturies,severalnationalistleadersbanded together in1916under the leadershipofAnnieBesant tovoiceademandforself-governanceandobtain the status of a dominion within the British Empire as enjoyed by Australia, Canada, South Africa, NewZealand,andNewFoundlandat thetime.Whileitenjoyedconsiderablepopularityforsomeyears, itsgrowthandactivitywerestalledbytheriseofMahatmaGandhi,hissatyagrahaandCivilDisobedienceMovementdemandingcompleteindependence.

Britishsocialist,theosophist,women’srightsactivist,writerandoratorAnnieBesantneeWood(1847-1933)wasanardentsupporterofIrishandIndianself-rule.In1907,shebecamepresidentoftheTheosophicalSociety,Madras,andsomeyearslater,shejoinedtheIndianNationalCongress.DuringtheWaryears,echoingtheIrishnationalistslogan,Besanthaddeclared,‘England’sneedisIndia’sopportunity.’

MontaguReforms1HasratMohani

Kisdarjafareibsehaimamlu

Tajweesreform-eMontagu

Mashhoorzamanahaimussalam

Dastoorkehisb-ezeilpahlu

Qanoonpeikhtiyarkaamil

Amaalpezor,zarpeqabu

Innmeinsejabnahoeikkibhi

Gulhaireformmeinkahinbu

Kaaghazkesamjhiyephoolinnko

Jinnmeinnahinnaamkobhikhushbu

Madraskedoctorkayehqaul

Kisdarjahaidilpazeeronaiku

Maqsoodhaisirfyehketaa-jung

Humsabraheinsirfai‘tagapu’

AiHindisaadadilkhabardar

Hargiznachaletujhpejadu

Kyapaayegakhaakphirjabinse

Isswaqtbhikuchhnalesakatu

InthefaceofgrowingdemandfromIndiansforthecolonialgovernmenttoprovidegreaterautonomyandself-ruleinreturn for the assistance India had rendered in the war effort, the British government agreed to introduce somereforms inaphasedmanner.EdwinSamuelMontagu,whobecameSecretaryofState for India in June1917,putbeforetheBritishCabinetaproposedstatementregardinghisintentiontoworktowardsthegradualdevelopmentoffreeinstitutionsinIndiawiththeultimateviewofself-governance.Thereforms,knownastheMontagu–ChelmsfordReformsorMont-FordReforms,werenamedafterMontaguandLordChelmsford, theViceroyof Indiabetween1916and1921.

MontaguReformsHasratMohani

Howrepletewithdeceptionitis

ThisschemeofreformbyMontagu

Inthewholewideworlditisknown

ThattheseaspectsoftheConstitutionspell

Completecontroloverlegislation

Forceoveractions,powerovermoney

Whenthere’snotevenawhiffofthese

Inthisflowerofreform

Thenconsiderthemmerelypaperflowers

Withnotatraceoffragrance

TheDoctorfromMadras1believes

Howpleasingandgoodwasthisplan

Tokeepusbusytilltheendofthewar

OsimplepeopleofHindbeware

Don’tletthisspellworkonyou

Ifyoucouldn’ttakeanythingfromthem2now

You’renotlikelytogetanythingatall

DrS.SubramaniaIyer(1842-1924)wasanIndianlawyer,juristandfreedomfighterwho,alongwithAnnieBesant,founded theHomeRuleMovement.He served as the first IndianChief Justiceof theMadrasHighCourt beforeretiring in 1907. He wrote a letter to the American President Woodrow Wilson in 1917 seeking AmericaninterventioningainingfreedomforIndiafromBritishrule.

MeaningtheBritish.

Shikast-eZindaankaKhwaabJoshMalihabadi

KyaHindkazindaankaanprahahaiguunjrahihaintakbiren

Uktaehainshayadkuchhqaidiaurtorhrahehainzanjiren

Divaronkenicheaaaakaryuunjamahuehainzindani

Sinonmeintalatumbijlikaankhonmeinjhalaktishamshiren

Bhukonkinazarmeinbijlihaitoponkedahanethandehain

Taqdirkelabkojumbishhaidamtorhrahihaintadbiren

Ankhonmeingadakisurkhihaibe-noorhaichehrasultanka

Takhribneparchamkholahaisajdemeinparhihaintaamiren

Kyaunkokhabarthhizer-o-zabarrakhtethhejoruh-e-millatko

Ublengezaminsemar-e-siyahbarsengifalakseshamshiren

Kyaunkokhabarthhisinonsejokhuunchurayakartethhe

Ikrozisibe-rangisejhalkeingihazarontaswiren

Kyaunkokhabarthhihontonparjoquftlagayakartethhe

Ikrozeiskhamoshisetapkeingidehaktitaqrirein

Sambhlokiwohzindaanguunjuthajhaptokiwohqaidichhutgae

Utthokiwohbaithindiwarendaudokiwohtuutizanjiren

TheDreamofaDefeatedPrisonJoshMalihabadi

HowtheprisonofHindistremblingandthecriesofGod’sgreatnessareechoing

Perhapssomeprisonershavegotfedupandarebreakingtheirchains

Theprisonershavegatheredbeneaththewallsoftheprisonswith

Astormofthunderintheirbreastsandswordsreflectedintheeyes

Thehungrycarrythunderintheirglancesandthemawsofcanonsarecold

Thelipsoffatetrembleandallstrategiesareprovingtobeuseless

Eyeshavetherednessofabeggar’sandtheSultan’sfaceispallid

Devastationhasunfurleditsflagandallmagnificentedificeslieinprostration

Littledidthekeepersofthecommunityknowhowtopsyturvytheworldwouldget

Onedayblackserpentswouldspitforthfromthelandandswordswouldraindownfromtheskies

Littledidthosewhostolebloodfromthebreastsknow

Onedayathousandpictureswouldberevealedfromthiscolourlessness

Littledidthosewhoputlocksontheirlipsknow

Onedayrousingspeecheswoulddripdownfromthissilence

Beware,forthatprisonisresounding,pounceforthatprisonerhasescaped

Riseforthosewallshavefallen,runforthosechainshavebroken

FromtheKulliyat1AkbarAllahabadi

CheezeinwohhainjobaneinEuropemein

BaatwohhaijoPioneermeinchhapey

Europemeinhaijojungkiquwwatbarhihuwi

Lekinfuzoonhaiusssetijaratbarhihuwi

Mumkinnahinlagasakeinwohtopeharjagah

DekhomagarPearskahaisoapharjagah

ThisisafragmentfromalongramblingpoeminAkbarAllahabadi’sKulliyat,VolII,p.62-63.

AFragmentfromtheCollectedWorksAkbarAllahabadi

RealgoodsarethosethataremadeinEurope

RealmatteristhatwhichisprintedinthePioneer

ThoughEuropehasgreatcapabilitytodowar

Greaterstillisherpowertodobusiness

Theycannotinstallacanoneverywhere

ButthesoapmadebyPearsiseverywhere

Tasveer-eDard1MuhammadIqbal

RulatahaitiranazaraaiHindostanmujhko

Kiibrat-khezhaiterafasanasabfasanonmein

Diyaronamujheaisakisabkuchhdediyagoya

Likhakhalk-e-azalnemujhkoterenauha-khvanonmein

Nishan-e-barg-e-gultakbhinachhodusbaaġhmeingulchin

Tiriqismatserazm-araiyanhainbaġhbanonmein

Chhupakarastinmeinbijliyanrakkhihaingardunne

Anadilbaaġhkeġhafilnabaithenashiyanonmein

Watankifikrkarnadanmusibataanevaalihai

Tiribarbadiyonkemashvarehainasmanonmein

Zaradekhuskojokuchhhorahahaihonevaalahai

Dharakyahaibhalaahd-e-kuhankidastanonmein

NasamjhogetomitjaogeaiHindostanvaalo

Tumharidastantakbhinahogidastanonmein

Thisisanextractfromthemuchlongerpoemofthesametitle.

APictureofPainMuhammadIqbal

Thesightofyoumakesmecry,OHindustan

Foryourtaleismostadmonishingamongalltales

Thetearsyouhavegivenareallyouhavebequeathed

Thepenofdestinyhasplacedmeamongthosewhomournyou

Ogardenerdonotleaveevenatraceofrosepetalsinthisgarden

Byyourmisfortunepreparationsareafootforwarinmanygardens

Theskyhasconcealedmanyathunderboltinitssleeves

Letthenightingalesinthegardennotslumberintheirnests

Worryforyourhomeland,Oinnocents,troubleisbrewing

Theportentsofthedisasterawaitingyouarewrittenintheskies

Look,watchwhatishappening,seewhatisabouttohappen

There’snothingtobegainedfromthestoriesofpastglories

Ifyoustilldon’tunderstandyouwillbeerasedOpeopleofHindustan

Evenyourtaleswillberemovedfromtheannalsofworldhistory

AngreziZehnkiTeziAhmaqPhaphoondvi1

Kistarahbapahoonhungameaapasmeinhokyunkarkhunaraizi

Haikhataminheinschemonmainangrezizehnkisabtezi

Yeqatl-okhoonyejung-ojadal,yezor-ositamyebajuz-ohasad

Baquiihiiraheingemulkmeinsab,baquihaiagarrajangrezi

Gulzar-e-watanikbanjarhaiyakhaakhaiabyasarsarhai

Kyaphoolyahanaurkaisephoolkyashadabikyazarkhezi

Harsuhaibapahangama-ekhoon,harsimthaidheiriklashonka

EdDyerO’Dyer2kedamseqayamhainishan-echangezi

Shuddhi3haikahintableegh4kahinnaqooskahintakbir5kahin

Yehbeechnahotomushkilhaidambharkeliyerajangrezi

HisrealnamewasHakimMuhammadMustafaKhan‘Maddah’.

SirMichaelFrancisO’Dwyer(18641940)wasLieutenantGovernorofPunjabfrom1912to1919.PunjabwasontheboilevenbeforetheJallianwalaBaghmassacreof1919.

Shuddhireferstothesocio-politicalmovementderivedfromtheancientriteofshuddhikaranorpurification,startedbytheAryaSamaj,itsfounderSwamiDayanandSaraswatiandhisfollowerslikeSwamiShraddhanand.Thelatteralsoworkedonsangathanor consolidationaspectofHinduism, inNorth India, especiallyPunjab, from theearly1900s.

TableeghreferstothepracticeofspreadingtheIslamicfaiththroughproselytising.

Naara-e-TakbirreferstothecallofAllahhuAkbar,meaningGodisGreat.

TheClevernessoftheEnglishMindAhmaqPhaphoondvi

Lookattheturmoilandthebloodshedamongourpeople

TheclevernessoftheEnglishmindisusedupinallsuchschemes

Thismurder’nmayhem,wars’nbattles,cruelties’nmalice

Thecountry’sgardenisbarren,withnothingbutdustanddesolation

Therearenoflowersherenoranyfreshnessorfertility

Thereisbloodshedineverydirectionandpilesofcorpses

TyrantslikeDyerandO’DwyerruleinthemannerofChangez

ShuddhiandTableeghmovementshere,conchandcallsthere

HadthesenotbeeninourmidsttheBritishRulewouldhavebeendifficult

AzaadikaBigulZafarAliKhan

Badlihaizamanekihawatumbhibadaljao

Haathaanahisaktahaiwaqtkyasambhaljao

Harkatmagarisdarjarahekhoonmeinkemausam

Garbarafkesaanchemeinbhidaaletopighaljaaye

Mehnatkebalaakhezsamandarkenahangon

Sarmayakimachhlikosamochahinigaljao

Azadi-ekaamilkaalamhaathmeinlekar

Maidanmeinbajatehuweimaankabiguljao

Bartaniakimeizsekuchhrezegirehain

Aitoadiyonchunnetuminnhepeetkebaljao

TheBugleofFreedomZafarAliKhan

Theworldhaschanged,somustyou

Beware,forthetimepastwon’treturn

Buttheheatandflowofyourbloodmustbeso

Thatitshouldmeltevenamouldofice

Themonstersinthecalamitousseaofhardwork

Shouldswallowupentirelythefishofwealth

Holdingalofttheflagofcompletefreedom

Goforthplayingthebugleofbelief

SomecrumbshavefallenfromthetableofBritannia

OToadies,gocrawlingonyourbelliestopickthem

ShukriyaEuropeAghaHasharKashmiri

Aizameen-eEurope,aimuqraz-epairahannawaz

Aihareef-eAsia,aishola-eGermannawaz

Chaarasaziteribuniyadafgankashanahai

Teredamseduniyaaajeikmaatamkhanahai

Aikhasratzasechashm-ehurriyatnamnakhai

Khoonchakaroodadaqwaamgarebanchaakhai

Sirftasneef-esitamhaifalsafadaniteri

Aadmiyatsozhaitehzeeb-ehaiwaniteri

Azmat-edaireenanaalahaiterebartaose

Dhulgayahusn-eqadamatkhoonkechhirhkaose

Jalwagahshaukat-emashriqkosoonakardiya

Jannat-eduniyakodozakhkanamunakardiya

Utthrahahaishorghamkhakistarpaamaalse

KehrahahaiAsiarokarzaban-ehaalse

Barmazar-emagharibannechiraghenegule

Nepareparwanesozonesada-ebulbule

ThankYouEuropeAghaHasharKashmiri

OearthofEurope,Ocherisherofouterraiments

OrivalofAsia,Oloverofthesparkintheharvest

Yourideaofhealingisthrowingouteverything

Becauseofyoutheworldisaplaceofmourning

Theeyesoffreedomaredampwiththetearsoflonging

Thetaleisblood-drenchedandpeoplearedestitute

YourphilosophyiscontainedinyourBookofOppression

Humanityisthepassionofyourcivilisedbarbarity

Ancientgreatnesslamentsyourrecentbehaviour

Youroldbeautyhasbeenwashedawaybysplashesofblood

Youhaveturnedthedignifiedtheatreoftheeastintoawilderness

Youhaveturnedheavenonearthintoamodelofhell

Ashoutisrisingfromthedustofthedowntrodden

Asiaiscryingoutandtellingtheworldatlarge

Onmypoorgravethereareneitherlampsnorflowers

Andnotthewingofthemothorthesadsongofthenightingale

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AbouttheContributorsRABINDRANATHTAGORE(1861–1941)

A poet and musician from Bengal, better known by his sobriquet Gurudev, Tagore iscreditedwithreshapingnotonlyBengaliliteratureandtheartsbutimbuingIndianculturewith a new, modern sensibility. The first non-European to win the Nobel Prize forLiterature in 1913 for his collection of poemsGitanjali, he expanded the ashram-likeShantiniketan setupbyhis father and transformed it intoamodel ‘schoolof ideals’.Aperipatetic travellerwhohadvisited 30 countries across five continents,Tagore infusednewideasofnationalismandidentityintothemodernIndiandiscourse.

ABDULLAHHUSSEIN(1931–2015)

The Pakistani novelist received early recognition for his epic novel Udaas Naslein,published in 1963, for which he received the Adamjee Literary Award The novel washailedasaliterarymasterpieceandenteredthecanonofmodernUrduliterature.In1999,HusseintranslatedtheseminalnovelintoEnglishhimselfasTheWearyGenerations.Hisother works include Baagh (Garden), Nadaar Log (Poor People), Raat (Night), Qaid(Imprisonment),twocollectionsofshortstoriestitledNashaib(Slope)andFareib(Deceit)aswellasanEnglishnovel,EmigreJourneys,whichwasadaptedintoafilmbyBBC2asBrothersinTrouble.

CHANDRADHARSHARMAGULERI(1883–1922)

ThewriterandscholarofHindi,Sanskrit,PrakritandPalifromJaipurtookthenameofhis ancestral villageGuler inHimachal Pradesh as his nom de plume. From his variedliteraryoutputofpoems,shortstoriesandessays,heisbestrememberedastheauthorofUsneKahaTha,firstpublishedin1915.ItissaidtobethefirstshortstoryinHindi,onethathascometoberecognisedasadefinitivestoryaboutIndiansduringtheGreatWar.Guleri is also remembered for his efforts to preserve the JantarMantar observatory inJaipur.

AZMATULLAHKHAN

Khan served in the Imperial Service Lancers from 1914 to 1920. For his exemplaryconductincommandinghisregiment,hewaspraisedbytheBritishArmyandtheNizamofHyderabadandgiventheOrderofBritishIndiaandOrderoftheNile.Khanwasalsoapoetwhowrote in themoderniststyleandwasastaunchcampaigneragainst theghazalstyleofUrdupoetry.

KAZINAZRULISLAM(1899–1976)

The poet, writer, musician and revolutionary from Bengal is the national poet ofBangladesh.PopularlyknownasNazrul,heproduceda largebodyofpoetryandmusic

with themes that included religious devotion and spiritual rebellion against fascism andoppression.NazrulIslam’sactivismforpoliticalandsocialjusticeearnedhimthetitleofBidrohiKobi,or theRebelPoet.Hiscompositionsformtheavant-gardegenreofNazrulSangeet (MusicofNazrul).Nazrul Islamandhisworks are equally commemorated andcelebratedinBangladeshandIndia,particularlyinIndia’sBengali-speakingstatessuchasWest Bengal, parts of Assam and Tripura. His writings explore themes such as love,freedom,humanityandrevolution.

MOHAMEDALI(1878–1931)

Better known by his full name, Maulana Mohamed Ali Jauhar, Mohamed Ali was anIndianpoliticalleader,activist,journalist,scholarandpoet.HestudiedattheDarulUloomandM.A.O.College inAligarh, and in 1898went toLincolnCollege,Oxford to studymodern history. He and his brother Shaukat Ali, together known as the Ali Brothers,launchedtheKhilafatMovementwiththesupportofGandhi.In1921,heforgedabroadcoalitionwithMuslimnationalists likeShaukatAli,MaulanaAzad,HakimAjmalKhanandMukhtarAhmedAnsariaswellasMahatmaGandhi,whoenlistedthesupportoftheIndian National Congress and thousands of Hindus, who joined the Muslims in ademonstration of unity against the British government. Mohamed Ali also supportedGandhi’scall foranationalcivil resistancemovementand inspiredhundredsofprotestsandstrikesallover India.Hewasarrestedby theBritishauthoritiesand imprisoned fortwo years for what was termed as a seditious speech at the meeting of the KhilafatConference.

MULKRAJANAND(1905–2004)

One of the earliest Indianwriters towrite inEnglish and a founder-member of theAllIndiaProgressiveWriters’Association,Anand isknownforhisdepictionof the livesofthe poorer castes in traditional Indian society.Oneof the pioneers of IndianWriting inEnglish,togetherwithR.K.Narayan,AhmadAliandRajaRao,hewasoneofthefirsttogainaninternationalreadership.Anandisadmiredforhisnovelsandshortstories,whichare considered classic works of modern Indian English literature and notable for theirinsightintothelivesoftheoppressedandtheiranalysisofimpoverishment,exploitationand misfortune. Anand is also among the first writers to incorporate Punjabi andHindustaniidiomsintoEnglish.HewasawardedthePadmaBhushanin1967.

RAMANSINGHCHHINA(1994–)

Chhina is a graduate Economics student at the University of Edinburgh with a stronginterestinMilitaryHistoryespeciallyinthecolonialconflictsandthetwoWorldWars.

AMARJITCHANDAN(1946–)

AnotedPunjabipoetandwriter,Chandanhaseightcollectionsofpoetry, fivebooksofessaysinPunjabiandtwobilingualcollections—SonataforFourHandsandTheParrot,theHorse&theMan—tohiscredit.HispoetryhasbeenpublishedinArabic,Assamese,

Bengali, Brazilian-Portuguese, Greek, Hindi, Italian, Marathi, Romanian, Slovenian,Telugu,TurkishandUrdu.Chandanhaseditedandtranslatedmorethan30anthologiesofpoetry, fictionandcreativenon-fictionbynotable authors suchasBertoltBrecht,PabloNeruda, Yianni Ritsos, Nazim Hikmet, Ernesto Cardenal, John Berger and more toPunjabi.HisPunjabiwritingshavebeenpublishedinLahoreinFarsiandpoemsvariouslyanthologisednotablyinAllThatMightyHeart:LondonPoems,editedbyLisaRusSpaar.

SAROJININAIDU(1879–1949)

Knownforposterityas theNightingaleof India,Naiduwasapoet, freedomfighterandpolitical leader. Born in Hyderabad, she was educated in Chennai, London andCambridge. Shewas a part of theNationalMovement, became a follower ofMahatmaGandhi, joined him in the famous Salt Satyagraha and fought for Swaraj. Naidu wasnamedPresidentoftheIndianNationalCongressin1925andlaterappointedasthefirstGovernoroftheUnitedProvinces,nowUttarPradesh.Herfirstcollectionofpoems,TheGoldenThreshold,was published fromLondon in 1905. Shewrote poems on children,nature,patriotism,loveanddeath.

SHIBLINOMANI(1857–1914)

A poet, teacher, traveller and renowned scholar of theology, philosophy, Sufism andliterature, Nomani taught Persian and Arabic at theM.A.O. College in Aligarh for 16years. Here, he met British orientalist Thomas Arnold and other British scholars fromwhomhelearnedatfirst-handmodernWesternideasandthoughts.HealsotravelledwithArnold to Syria, Egypt, Turkey and otherMiddle Eastern countries to experience theirsocieties.Nomaniwroteatwo-volumebiographyofthelifeofProphetMohammad,Sirat-unNabi, and set up the Shibli National College in 1883 and the DarulMussanifin orHouseofWritersinAzamgarh.

BRIJNARAINCHAKBAST(1882–1926)

BornintoaKashmiriPanditfamilyinAwadh,ChakbastiscreditedasbeingtheexponentofanewstyleofUrdupoetry,whichexhortedapureandsublimeloveforthemotherland.AnactiveproponentofHomeRule,hewroteseveralpoemsontheoverarchingthemeofpatriotism.InpoemssuchasKhak-e-Watan,heruedthefactthathubb-e-watan(loveforthecountry)wasnomore,thoughkhak-e-watan(dustofthecountry)remainedthesame.

HASRATMOHANI(1875–1951)

Afirebrandrevolutionary,ethicaldissenter,maverick,romanticpoetintheclassicghazaltradition, journalist, politician, parliamentarian and freedom fighter,Mohaniwas deeplyimpressedbytheRussianRevolutionandcarrieditsimprintonallhiswritings.Adeeplyreligiousman(hewentonthehajj13times),hesawnocontradictionbetweenbeingpan-Islamist, nationalist and a CommunistMuslim.Mohani served as the Chairman of theReceptionCommitteeat thefoundingof theCommunistPartyofIndiaon25December1925andwasamemberofthepartyuntil1927.AlongwithAzadSobhani,hesetupthe

Muslim Independent Party in July 1932, but later joined theMuslim League in 1937.Mohani remained in India after thePartition, as an independent-minded, liberal, devoutMuslim.He first recorded in prose, and later used as a rallying cry at a labour rally inCalcuttain1928thesloganInquilabZindabad!HeeditedthejournalUrdu-e-Moalla.

JOSHMALIHABADI(1898–1982)

BorninafeudalfamilyofAwadh,Joshalwayshadrebelliousviewsandwrotefierybutextravagantly lyrical poetry.While his first collection,Rooh-e-Adab (1921), establishedhimas apoetofyouthandvigour, lateryears sawhimbecome theundisputedShair-e-Inquilab, or the poet of revolt and rebellion.Devoted to the cause of nationalism, Joshdrewhisreaderstowardstheheadyideaoffreedomlikenoelsehithertohad,usingablendof suggestion and forthrightness, seduction and sermonising, extravagance and subtlety.Producing a number of collections of poetry, each more lyrical, more rousing, morestirring, Josh’s oeuvre has piles upon piles of colourful images tumbling out of akaleidoscope, dazzling his readers with their astonishing and seemingly inexhaustiblevariety.

AKBARALLAHABADI(1846–1921)

Employed as a naib tehsildar, Akbar quickly rose to first become a lawyer and thenmunsif,sessionsjudge,districtjudgeandfinallyKhanBahadurin1894.Afterretirement,he devoted himself to poetry and a passionate engagementwith the political and socialissues of his age. Using the metaphor of Buddhu Miyan for the Indian Muslim (aconfused, none-too-smart sort of little fellow) in some places and Shaikh (a pompousEnglishstooge,occasionallyaparodyofSirSyed)elsewhere,Akbar’spoetryreflectsallthecontradictionsofhisage.

MUHAMMADIQBAL(1877–1938)

Poet, thinker and visionary, Iqbal drew on the best resources of a liberal Westerneducation, having graduated from the prestigious Government College, Lahore, thenstudying philosophy at Trinity College, Cambridge, in Heidelberg and Munich inGermany, and also Bar-at-Law. Although he returned to teach for two years beforequittinggovernmentservicealtogether,heearnednomorethanamodestlivelihoodasalawyerandchose todevotehimself entirely to readingandwriting.Givenhis trenchantcriticism of the imperial government, he surprisingly enough accepted a knighthood in1922.In1927,hewaselectedtothePunjabLegislativeCouncil.In1931,heattendedtheRoundTableConferenceinLondonasamemberoftheIndianMuslimdelegationledbytheAgaKhan.Hisprodigiouspoetryiscontainedindiversecollections.

AHMAQ PHAPHOONDVI AKA MUHAMMAD MUSTAFA KHAN MADDAH(1895–1957)

Born in Phaphoond in the Etawah District of Uttar Pradesh, Phaphoondvi studied inTibbiya College in Delhi, but before he could set up his practice after completing his

educationinmedicine,hejoinedtheNon-CooperationMovementagainstBritishrule.Hetook an active part in India’s freedommovement for which he suffered imprisonment.Phaphoondvi is considered tobeoneof themost importantpoetsofhumourand satire,choosingsocial,politicalandculturalissuesasobjectsofhissatire.Healsowroteghazalsand nazms, many of which are patriotic and raise the voice of protest against Britishdomination. Apart from writing poetry, Phaphoondvi also compiled an Urdu-Hindidictionary,whichwaspublishedby theUttarPradeshgovernmentasUrdu-HindiShabdKosh.

ZAFARALIKHAN(1873–1956)

Thewriter,poet,translator,freedomfighter,politicalactivistandjournalistwastheeditorof the influential newspaper Zamindar, which played an important role in spreadingawarenessabouttheevilsofcolonialruleamongIndians.Khanisgenerallyconsideredtobe the fatherofUrdu journalism.Clearlyopposed toMahatmaGandhi’spolicyofnon-violence,hebelievedindirectconfrontationwiththeBritish.Anardentsupporterof theKhilafatMovement, he also had to serve a prison termof five years for his role in thefreedommovement. ForKhan, poetrywas amode of sociopolitical resistance.Most ofwhathewroterepresentscontemporaryhistoryinliteraryterms.HiscollectionsofpoemsincludeBaharistan,NigaristanandChamanistan.

AGHAHASHARKASHMIRI(1879–1935)

A prolific Urdu poet, playwright and dramatist, Kashmiri went on to attain great fameafterseveralofhisplayswereturnedintofilms.ThemostnotableamongthemareYahudikiLadki,Rustom-oSohrabandLaila-Majnu.He’salsocreditedwithtranslatinganumberof Shakespeare’s plays for Hindustani audiences, such as SafedKhoon (White Blood)based on King Lear and Khwab-e Hasti (A Dream of Existence), loosely based onMacbeth. Kashmiri was married toMukhtar Begum, a renowned classical singer fromCalcuttaandtheeldersisterofFaridaKhanum,thePakistanisinger.

Translators

INSHAWAZIRI is an undergraduate student of Philosophy andPsychology at Jesus&MaryCollege,UniversityofDelhi.

RAKHSHANDAJALILisawriter,translatorandliteraryhistorian.SherunsHindustaniAwaazandlivesinDelhi.

DEBJANI SENGUPTA’s translations fromBengali have been published inTheOxfordAnthologyofBengaliLiterature(Vol.2)andEssentialTagore(HarvardUniversityPress).She has translated works by Taslima Nasreen, Selina Hossain, Tilottama Majumdar,Rabindranath Tagore andKaziNazrul Islam.Her edited volumeMapmaking: PartitionStories fromTwoBengals containher translationsof short fictionasdoes theanthologyLookingBack:The1947PartitionofIndia70YearsOn,whichsheco-edited.Senguptaisthe author ofThePartition of Bengal: Fragile Borders andNew Identities (Cambridge

UniversityPress,2015).SheteachesEnglishatIndraprasthaCollegeforWomeninNewDelhi.