Untouchable by Mulk Raj Anand
Bakha was the son of Lakha. He was eighteen years old.
Lakha the zamindar of all the sweepers in the town and cantonment. He was in charge of the three rows of the public.
Bakha was king in the barracks of a British regiment.
Englishmen treated him with understanding and concern. He mimicked the ways of Englishmen. He enjoyed doing this,
Chota was the leather man’s son. Ram Charan was the son of a washer man. They were friends.
Bakha slept in his day clothes his father Lakha, Brother Rakha and his sister Sohini slept under the blanket.
Bakha was deeply improved with the ways of English men. He wanted to become an English man. He dreamt himself to be a sahib there.
His friends called him, ‘pilpali sahib’. He knew there was nothing English in his life, except his clothes.
He preferred to shiver in the cold rather than covering himself with the Indian quilt.
It was difficult for him to get up in the morning.
But he had to wake up. His father in anger called him to wake up. When his mother was alive, she gave him tea and made him habituated to waking up early.
Finally, he got lost in the memories of his mother.
That day he could not get up. Havildar Charan Singh shouted at him and asked him to clean the latrines.
Charat Singh was a hockey player.
Bakha picked up his brush and basket and went to clean.
Bakha was an honest worker, skilled in his work,
Apart from the castle feeling, Charan Singh offered Bakha a hockey stick.
Hindus came one after another, twisty their sacred thread around their left ear.
Muslims came with their kettle
Bakha kept cleaning the latrines. He felt a cramp in his back. He did not approve the habit of the Hindus bathing and spiliting and gargling in the brook.
He did not approve same habits of the English men who were considered ‘Fashun’.
The habits of Hindus were ‘shameless’. He was thinking of all these events.
Just then Ramananda, the money lender called him to clean the latrines.
The hard and physical work had made him robust. He set fire to the dirt collected. When the entire refuse was consumed, he left. He felt thirsty.
When he returned he felt like taking tea. His father was stive sleeping. His brother Rakha is away. His sister Sohini was trying to light the fire her eyes were filled with tears. The word was damp.
There was no water in the house. She went to fetch it.
Their untouchables were not allowed to take water from the well. Only the Hindus were allowed. The water would get contaminated by the two touch of the untouchable.
The Hindus poured water in their pitches. Thus they depended on the so-called high caste for water. The well used to be surrounded by the Hindus.
When Sohini reached the well, as well as usual it was crowed. Other outcasts were waiting for their turn.
Sohini sensed the thirst of her brother, she was waiting patiently.
Gulabo, the washer man was the mother of Ram Charan. She was beautiful. She considered Sohini a rival because Sohini was also beautiful.
Gulabo was jealous of Sohini. She asked Sohini to go away, as there was a long line.
Wazirao was the weaver’s wife.
Gulabo told wazirao that Sohini was shameless. And that she roamed about without an apron on her head.
She insulted Sohini with abusive language.
When Sohini protested, Gulabo raised her hand to hit her, wazirao intervened and helped her.
Sohini was desperate to take the water as her Brother was thirsty the wanted a cup of tea.
Gulabo was curding Sohini, that day was her laughless marriage. But no one took any notice of her.
They required a so pay to help them. But he did not himself.
Pandit Kalinath was a priest in charge of the temple. He was suffering from constipation. So when the outcaste asked for help, he was ready. He thought the exercise at the well would do good for his stomach.
He was fascinated by Sohini. He asked her to clean his house at the temple.
Sohini was grateful to him. She agreed to claim it.
The rest of them also requested for help.
Each man was a water carrier. He loved Sohini, he was a Brahman.
Sohini returned home. Her father Lakha was hungry. Her brother Bakha was fatigued and thirsty Rakha had gone out to play.
Lakha scolded his children, so as to keep them controlled. He feared they would disregard him.
Sohini was allowed to clean the temple.
Sohini was asked to clean the road of the town. He was very excited and thrilled.
Bakha left for the town. He felt the differences between the warmth of the atmosphere of the town and the out-caste colony.
He was lost in his dreams. But then he stumbled over a stone and realised the reality.
Ram Charan greeted Bakha calling him his brother-in-law.
Bakha retorted that he would be his, brother-in-law.
Bakha had soft cornor for ram Charans sister.
But then, she was getting married.
They were the better outcaste in a fifty-state. Bkaha did not want to greet them, nor did he wish any greeting from them.
Be cause was one does where there is plenty of lights and happiness for in the lives of this riff-raff the scum of the earth, these dregs of humanity, only silence grim silence, the silence of death fighting for life, prevailed. “(Here we will compare it with one of the poems from Palgrave).
Bakha scolded his brother for not being at home the asked him to go back and clean the latrines. That their father was ill.
His friends insisted Bakha play. But for Bakha duty was first. He was a good player.
The 31st Punjabi has sent a challenge to play a match. Bakha assured them that he would come if his father allowed him.
Just then they saw two white boys coming. Ram Charan told them about the match. He asked for the hockey sticks. He knew they would not give.
The elder brother assured them that he would the hockey stick and ball. He would ask Havildar Charan Singh.
There was the 38 Dogra Boys. Most of the boys of this group were from the untouchables.
The elder brother then told his younger to move to school or else they would be late.
Bakha could see the unwillingness on the boy's face to not go to school.
Bakha himself wanted to go to school. He had the desire to read Wajir Shah’s and Ranjan's. He also wanted to speak the tish-mish-mish which the automated spoke.
The Hindus would not allow the children of the outcaste to learn with their children.
Bakha made a plan. He asked the elder brother to teach him. He was in need of money as his parent would not give him pocket money.
Earlier Bkaha had brought a first primer of English. He learned the alphabet but could not go further. So he made a plan that he would ask the white boy to touch him.
Bakha moved towards the town. He saw a funeral procession. He seem based on what his mother had told him. “ It is lucky to see a dead body when you age out in the streets untouchable.
He saw the ‘Red Lamp’ eigarattes. He gave a coin the shopkeeper sprinkled water on the coin and took it. He throws the ‘Red Lamp’ eigarette to Bakha.
Bakha with a piece of coal lying in the Mohammaden’s Baber’s place.
The market of the town was like the kahied scope of colored so Bakha.
He saw Ganesh Nath, a rude Bama, his father had taken money from him for his mother's funeral.
Bakha was allowed by the sahib suit hanging in the shop.
He saw the rosagullas and ladoos and gulab jamun. They would be costly. So he bought the jalebis. He gave the coin. The confectionery was sprinkled on it. He wrapped the jalebis in paper and threw at him like a cricket ball.
His joy did not last long. A Hindu was contaminated by him. He shouted at Bakha, “Keep to the side of the road, you low caste, Vermin”.
Bkaha was stupid, “He was deaf and dumb. His senses were paralyzed. Only fear glipped his soul, fear and humility and servility”.
Many gathered around, all were in sympathy for the touched man. The crowd took a sort of sadistic delight watching him cower under the abuses and cursing of its spokesman”.
A Moham madan Tonga walah came. All dispersed, expert the touched-Hindu the stayed back. He slapped Bkaha. The jalebis were scattered. Tears rolled down the cheeks of Bakha. The Tonga Walah had sympathy for Bakha. He was also considered to be untouchable by the Hindus.
Bakha moved forward shouting, ‘Posh keep away, Posh sweeper coming sweeper coming’.A shopkeeper abused him and asked him to keep shouting as he went down the streets.
He saw many sorts of scenes that made him nauseated. He saw the belching and seeking bull, skinny and feeble cows, glazing at Brook's side.
Bakha now came to the lane where the bands-men was pleased seeing this sight.
As a child, he liked wearing rings But when he came to know that the Englishmen did not like wearing rings, he also disliked it.
At the temple, there was a large crowd. He had a deep desire to see the images of the gods. They were chanting, ‘Ram Ram Sri Ram Sri Sri Hari Narayan Krishna. But he did not dare to go as the temple would be polluted.
He began shouting, “Posh Posh the sweeper is coming” to disperse the crowd.
He then turned and began to clean the dry leaves and likes around the temple.
But Bakha could not resist. He was pulled by the images enveloped in soft increase. There he saw a priest with his hair tied up on his head. Another was putting loin clothes and another below the conch shell.
The morning ‘Aarti’ had begun. He unconsciously joined his hands and bowed before the unknown gods.
A priest saw him. He started shouting, polluted. Bakha was speechless. They reprimanded him. He feared the crime he had came. The Temple needed to be purified.
Bakha saw his sister Sohini. She had come to clean the Temple.
Sohini was sobbing, full of tears. She told him now Pandit Kalinath tried to molest her, and her Bakha was moral with anger. He was burning with revenge. Now could anyone touch his sister?
He could not think of her being brutalised by anyone even by her husband married to her according to the sister of the religion. Bakha and Sohini walked towards the colony.
Bakha was a superb human. He could not pass the conventions that his superiors had built. The slave in him over- powered his manliness.
He asked Sohini to go home and he went to get the food. He moved on shouting to clear the road.
The lane was dask. He could not climb the stairs. He had to show, ‘Bread for Sweeps’ Mother bread for sweepers. He repeated loudly. No one heard him. he was tired his legs were aching, he was no more fascinated by the charm of the town. He was feeling sleepy in his sleep, he had dreams of fantasy. The women threw bread from the top of the houses.
He had only two chapatis. What would he tell his father? His father always found fault in his own children. He would not believe against the priest.
He saw his family sitting in the sun. Sohini was in the kitchen. She could not keep the kitchen clean. The kitchen was not hygienic.
His father was waiting for something spicey. but he had nothing to give, Rakha had gone to the langar to bring some food.
Lakha advised his son to be familiar with the high-caste Hindus. He recalled his days when he used to get rich foods from the high and Hindu.
He was cold his that after his death. He had to work for them. Bakha disliked his own home, profession and life the wanted to work in the barracks the wanted his world of fancy.
Lakha not the sadness and grief on his son's face, the inquired (enquired) about the Bakha. Bakha hesitated the narrated his day experience and how the priest misbehaved with Sohini. He refused to go to the town the burst into tears.
Lakha saw a resigned cynicism on his boy's face. He knew his son was grieved and hurt and angry.
He narrated a nasty experience when Bakha was a child.
Bakha had taken seriously ill. Lakha had gone to Hakim Bhagwan Das for medicine. He was not allowed to go in. he pleaded to each and every one to inform Hakim. But no one cared for him. Bakha's condition was deteriorating. Lakha entered the dispensary. He was reprimanded for this, saying he had contaminated the dispensary.
Lakha told the Hakim that, “the meaning of my life is my child, ‘The Hakim felt sorry the gave him the medicine. He also visited Lakha’s place to see his son. The Hakim told that some Hindus are kind-hearted and generous.
Just then Rakha came. They all sat together to have food. Something sticky touched his hands. Bakha reeled how some sahibs wash their in the plastic on the soft over. And then they gave the same to the outcaste they felt like omitting. He left the food.
Lakha asked him as to up, He was leaving the food.
Bakha made an excuse that he had to go to Ram Charan’s place to see his sister’s marriage.
On the opposite Rakha seemed to be a true child of the out-caste colony. He was a dirty child friend of mosquitoes and flies.
Bakha was in no mood to go to Ram Charan's place, But at the same time, he did not even to stay at home.
And then he remembered how as a child of eight years they used to play the ‘Marriage game’, Ram Charan's sister acted as his wife.
Now she was fourteen years of age. She was getting married to a young washer men at the 31st Punjabi regiment Gulabo her mother had taken 200 rupees from the boy's side. He started dreaming of having a relationship with her. Soon he cured himself for cherishing such dirty dreams.
He wandered here and there. He remember how Ram Charan had told him that he was a Hindu and Bakha an outcaste the realized that there were different sections of our caste and he was the lowest of all.
Ram Charan was not seen anywhere. Bakha saw Chota, They sent a message to Ram Charan the came to them with the ladoos. His mother told him not to go. He did not listen and ran away to his friends.
Bakha had not overcome his shock, “He was feeling detached from the human world swatted in a sort of unadulterated melancholy”.
The scene of nature the Bulashah hills trees and glasses filled him with pleasures. He felt soothed and comforted. He wanted to forget the ugliness and the noise of the outcaste”.
He wanted the silence and solitude of nature. He recalled how as a child they played games as the health they yearned to go back to those days. But he could not the was bounded by the shackles of slavery.
RamCharan and Chota noticed the sadness on Bakha's face. Bakha did not take the ladoos from Ram Charan's hands the asked to throw them as they belonged to the higher caste. They were shorted to hear this.
They asked him as to why, Bakha was behaving in such a way. Bakha narrated the whole story. They assured me they would take revenge. They changed the topic and reminded him of the hockey match. They all departed, and Bakha went to fetch the hockey stick from Havildar chart Singh.
Bakha was full of joy when Charan Singh asked him to fill his, Bubble-Bubbke pot with coal. He asked Bakha to call his cook also and to tell him about a brand new hockey stick.
Bakha was over whole with the kindness of Charan Singh, “he was grateful, grateful, haltingly, grateful did not know how he could walk the ten years to the corner to be out of sight his benevolent and generous host”.
Moving further he saw the younger son coming out of his house eating sweets. He was not selected for the 31st Punjabi team.
The match between the 31st Punjabi and the 38th Dogra began. Bakha scored a goal. The goalkeeper of the 38th Dogra struck a blow on Bakha’s leg. The match turned into a quarrel. A stone hit on the head of the younger boy. Blood began to trickle through the fell unconscious Bakha lifted him and ran to hell.
Instead of being obliged, the mother started abusing Bakha. She said he had contaminated her son. Bakha felt miserable. He walked away silently.
Lakha scalded him for beings, so responsible the asked him to clean the latrines. Bakha again left to clean the latrines. The experience of the day was beyond tolerance the detested and desolate, “ unlucky, imlucky day what have I done to deserve all this? He asked himself the sat under the people's tree.
He thought as to why his father forced him to work. His father was knowing everything and even then he did not sympathy him.
Colony Hutchison was the chief of the local Salvation Army. He lived near the outcaste colony. He tried to convince the natives to accept Christianity. He carried Hindustani of the gospel. He gave it to the natives.
He spoke to Bkaha in Hindustani, “Tum Udas are you sad? He put his hand on Bakha's shoulder Bakha was deeply impressed by the colonel's affection. He greeted him, salam sahib. He invited Bakha to the church. Bakha did not want to change his religion.
The colonel's wife called him for tea. Bakha left the place. He saw a leper, he saw the beggars on the grand trunk road, they were not getting any Bkaha felt a sadistic delight in the low state of the poor beggars…
He saw a huge crowd in the playground near Golbagh. As the train reached the platform, the crowd shouted, “Mahatma Gandhi ki jai and The mahatma has come the mahatma has come.
Bakha was in a hurry. He touched the people But at that time no one bothered about the untoward able. A crowd of people belonging to different caste religions gathered to welcome the Mahatma. The crowd seemed to forget everything. They stood with the mahatma to achieve all that Gandhi stood for .,
Mahatma Gandhi had become a legend a tradition of an oracle, The Mahatma did not speak anything against the government. He addressed the untouchable as Harijans – the men of god, that they were also Hindus and not separate from Hinduism.
The Mahatma said, “I regard untouchability as the greatest plot on Hinduism… “he said that people should get rid of their bad habits. They should accept wells temples and schools. The untouchable should get equal liberty and rights.
Bakha thought Bashir denounced Gandhi the called him a ‘fool’ and a Hyposite. He boasted his knowledge of Ram seeing Hobbes, Bentham and John start a mill.
A young poet Iqbal nath sarchar editor of Navyug (Now Era) interrupted Bashir for Iqbal, “Gandhi was by far the greatest liberating force of our age the admire Gandhi grew on untouchability and social justice.
The introduction of machine the flush system would free the sweepers from cleaning the dirty. He said, “Then the sweepers can be free from the stigma of untouchability and assume the dignity of status that is their right as useful members of a casteless society”.
Bakha could not forget the morning bitterness. But he was deeply touched by Gandhi’s words.
Stars began to twinkle in the sky. He left for home. He had to tell everyone, everything about Gandhi and untouchability and machines that would clean the dirt.
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