Second Writing Prize Winner –
Winter 2018 – 2019
is
SOHAN LAL SHARMA
of Jaswantgarh, Nagaur, Rajasthan – INDIA
“THE HONESTY”
Gopal was a married young son of an aged father living in a calm and serene village. Like every young boy; he too desired to go distant places for earning.
There was a progressive town about sixty miles away from his village, where a reputed Jain family lived. The seven brothers of the family had a flourishing jute business in the Eastern States of India and they were exporters of raw jute to Britain. Besides exports, they were suppliers to many jute mills situated on the bank of the Hugaly River.
Since the last ten years; two senior uncles Gopal had been serving in those Jain brothers company, namely the “Puglia Jute Company” and thus with their recommendation, Gopal received a confirmed service in that company located at Sahebganj city, in the Bihar State of India. The family of Gopal congratulated him as the company provided free lodging and foodings to all the workers.
Since he would leave for a distant place to execute the new responsibilities of the company, he had a lengthy gossip with friends and spent one hour with his old teachers in the school yesterday. Also, he visited his cattle shade and paid a loving gaze towards his camel and cow. He talked with his mother and received her blessings and leaving behind his pregnant wife, entrained at Jaipur station. After a two day journey, Gopal reached the destination and assumed his new responsibility.
It was Gopal’s seventh month of service when he received a letter from home informing that his wife gave birth to a male baby. Gopal became happy and he distributed the Langra variety of mango to his friends there.
The British Indigo planters had abandoned the indigo cultivation in India and all were busy in jute trade since there was a huge demand for Indian jute in Britain. Export of jute picked up. Gopal had earned experience in the commodity. The jute growing belt of India received plenty of rain that year and the estimation of the jute crop was high. It was the month of September and more than one year had passed since Gopal joined the duty. He was indisposed since morning. He was sluggish. The local kaviraj prescribed some indigenous herbal liquor. The thermometer indicated fever. He was diagnosed with Typhoid fever by another medical practitioner who started treatment. When Gopal’s parents heard of his illness, they asked him to come back to the village for better treatment and rest.
Page 2
Gopal put his garments in his old iron box, he was little pleased that he would meet his family within two days. The employees of the company, along with the owner, Babu Dharm Chand Puglia, came to the station and accorded a cordial send-off for Gopal. The owner awarded him for his loyalty, presented new clothing to him, and a tiffin containing foods for the journey. At Gopal’s request, the owner also gave him rupees seven hundred as a loan, to be adjusted in his salary after his re-arrival and rejoining the duty. Gopal’s salary was rupees sixty per month. and a loan of rupees seven hundred, which was really a big amount for him. He put the money safely in his box. The train, ‘Upper India Express’ reached Delhi the next day evening, and there he changed the train for his native village.
The two-day train journey was very tiresome and tedious for him as the locomotive engines were steam coal fed those days. The co-passengers amicably helped him in the train and Gopal, anyhow, reached his native village in the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan, India.
Gopal’s family became very happy to see him after an interval of fifteen months. The fatigue and the physical exertion were clearly visible on his face. Gopal could see his infant son from a distance but he could not talk with his wife due to extreme weakness.
He again had a fever in the night and the Ayurvedic doctor confirmed the re-visit of Typhoid fever. All sorts of medicines, Ayurvedic, Allopathic and Homeopathic were administered to him one after another.
The family was extremely nervous since his condition deteriorated further. In such a miserable situation, the seniors of the family unfailingly inquired about the last wish of the patient. Gopal’s father put his hand on the head
Page 3
of the dying son and inquired the son to disclose his last wish. The dying son, with a feeble tone, spoke that he owed rupees seven hundred to his company, which he had borrowed from them.
The father assured that he would honestly manage to return that due amount by his physical duty in the godowns since the family had no reserve cash money. The father consoled the only son not to worry for what he did owe.
And with this fatherly assurance, Gopal’s eyes sunk and after a few minutes, he breathed his last, leaving behind a bitter lamentation in the family. The sad news of his demise spread in the village as a shock and the kith and kin assembled in the house. His body was carried to the crematorium and following the Hindu rituals, consigned to flames before a huge gathering.
Gopal’s urn was worshiped and saluted on the bank of the holy Ganga River. At the time of immersion of the ashes, the old father with tearful eyes reassured the departed soul that he would pay the loan standing in the books of the company. Gopal’s widow, with her son in the arms, was also present on the bank of the holy perennial river at Haridwar.
The next day, having performed all rituals, they returned to their native village. The domestic atmosphere was still full of melancholy. After one month, the father decided to leave the home to go to the office of the Puglia Jute Company.
The tearful old father put the traditional Rajput turban on his head and with a heavy but determined heart, entrained and reached the office of the
Page 4
company. He saluted to the owner and introduced himself as the father of the deceased Gopal, and assured him to clear the due left by his son. The father said that he had no ready money and he would perform the physical duty in the godowns.
The keys of the rooms and godowns were handed over to him. The untimely death of the young son made him more responsible. Many festivals passed but the joy in his heart was absent. Sometimes, responsibility gives a new lease of life. He worked honestly with submission to God, and the loan left by the son was cleared by the father’s labour. The company happily gave an increment of rupees ten in his salary, although his salary being an old man was less than his deceased son.
In his solitary room, he used to sing hymns with indigenous musical instruments in the Marwari language to lessen his depression. He had been living away for two years and his mission was now completed and he readied to go home.
Puglia Jute Co. accorded a heart-touching farewell, calling him an honest citizen, reaching. Reaching his native village he first paid a visit to worship Lord Hanuman at Salasar City. He met with several familiar villagers and as a prudent philosopher, he entered his house and raising his hand in the air, uttered: “I have paid the dead son’s loan.”
