^^V ^^ ^/S9r- GUJARAT AND THE GUJARATIS. FIRST EDITIOISr. MaiJt bright descriptions of native tome life and cus toms — the author -writes English with remarkable ease. Mr. Mala bari sketches boldly, and has a satirical peu. Apart from the enter tainment -which it furnishes, there is much to be learnt from his book regarding both the merits and demerits of oilr rule in Hin dustan as seen from the native point of view. . . , — Daily ¦ News (London). This sparkling series of sketches of Indian men and manners is a 1-emarkable, though not a great work. The dillerent castes and races are described -vrith a skill and a humour that never fail. The author unlifts the veil from several ugly spots in our Indian Empire, but without even a dash, of ill-humour or race antagonism. . . Oat of his own moral consciousness he evolves a fund of humour and of fun, he points out abuses by no means attributable to the English, and now and then shows up things whicli the rulers Would do well to consider aud take to heart. But the most striking thing about the book is the completeness with which Mr. Malabari sees through the English. The Marwari, the Bora, the Hajam, the Vaqil, he describes from the oatside; but the Englishman, whom he does not set to work to describe, he seems to enter into as if he had been born within tbe sound of Bow Bells. B'or he describes everything in tbo language of the period — a language much of which no one could liave usod or understood fifty years ago — and he rarely makes any mistake. . . . We can recommend this book ns beiii.L; very enter. taining; it is written in.fl kindly, although in a reforming spirit, and it appears to be accurate as to facts. — -V'a-ntt-y Fair (London). This book deserves to be welcomed by all who wish to get an insight into the social and domestic life of the people of India. .... A large amount of quiet and quaint reflections wliieh bespeak a shrewd and intelligent observer of men and manners. Altogether these pictures of Indian life are well worthy a perusal, and show in what direction the thoughts of enlightened natives are' being moved by contact with Western ideas. — London Gorresponde-nt of the Pioneer. Englishmen at home know scarcely anything of the social life of the native population of India. Even Anglo-Indians have but a superficial acquaintance with thoso among whom they pass their days. . . . This being so, a picture, however incomplete, drawn by a native, one who has moved all his life in the society and among the scenes he portrays, necessarily possesses considerable value for those readers who are desirous of gaining an insight into the inner existence of a people with whom Eagland is connected by so strong a tie, and in whose prosperity our own is to so great au extent bound up. The causes of the ignorance of Europeans generally with respect to Indian manners and thought are not far to seek. There are barriers set up between the wbite man and the brown, so far as Hindustan is concerned, that in some cases appear insurmountable. Eirst and foremost lies the severance of religious opinion. So long aa Mahomedan and Hindu ordiuances are followed with the conscien tious obedience that exists at present, free social communion "with the native classes is impossible for Western races. . The difference of language, again, is an inevitable, but hetivy stumbling- block in the way. The number of Englishmen, who can carry on a fiuent conversation with an Indian in Hindustani, is comparatively small. Every one who returns home after a residence of years in India professes to be acquainted with the native vernacular, bnt the acquaintance in the majority of cases extends to a knowledge sufii cient for daily needs, and no more. To gain an insight into the ideas of a man whose words are but imperfectly understood. Is out of the question, and yet this is the extent of the means for acquiring information that has sufficed for treatises on the Indian character. Mr. Behramji Malabari is not unfair in his remarks on these or similar matters. He, in fact, does full juslice to the EngUsh popu- la,tion of India ; but it wouldnot havo been in keeping with a straight forward writer to havo omitted certain matters that lay within his personal experience concerning the treatment of native Indians by ¦ their white semi-compatriots. . . .It must not be supposed that i'lr. Malabari's book is but an attempt to discredit Angle-English men under a thin .veneer of social sketchoa. The remarlss which he makes upon the relations of the two races are few but outspoken, and wiiether the reader agrees with them or not, he cannot disallow the complete honesty aud ingenuousness of the author. Tbe manner in whicii these pictures of Indian life are given is convenient and readable- Every separate topic ia treated under a distinct heading without breaking the continuity of the narrative. Attention ia thus directed to various SubjectSi ih some of which the reader m:iy be specially interested, and he will not be compelled to hunt for the information he desires to attain. The portraits given of local cele- briLiHs ai-e proDnD:y easily reoofrnisable to miny Angle-Indian readers. Some of the names are apparently fictitious, while others are well known even to those who have never been to India. .... It is right to say that natives and Europeans fare alike. Praise and censure are as often bestowed on the one raoa as the other, aud either criticism is as likely to bs infl-uenoed by oiroumstanoes. ... The value of his work is more oa account of the sketches of nature, Ufe, and manners, than for any personal portraits that it ooutains, although the majority of these are likely to be true enough in the main and are in many instances s_upported by facts. These portraits of real characters are dropped as the author proceeds, and the volume becomes more interesting as he tells of the social life of rio'h and poor among his countrymen. The people of various reli gions are treated of ia different chapters. The Parsis, the Hindus, and the Mahomedana are S" differeut in their customs and manner of life generally, that they could not have beeu classed together with advantage. There are few personages mentioned in these sketches, whether by their real names or pseudonyms, who have any reason to complain of the author's treatment. . . . The book gives some original ideas .and some vivid pictures of Indian native life worthy of consideration. There is no doubt whatever that native opinion with regard to public afHair.^ is disregarded to a lamentable extent by many Government officials, aud that the native population, whether rich or poor, are frequently denied the consideration especially due to a subject race from the dominant power. Eaglishmea have been forced, after long experience, to acknowledge this, but they are few and fir between. That Mr. Malabari eipressea the geauins native opinion oa certain questions there is no reason to doabt. Hia words might be-read with advan tage by G-overumont oSh^ials, high and low, engaged in the immense work of administering the affiira of Hindustan — Morn ing Post (London). x This is a kiti'l of book which would do much gool to India if there were more like it. Tho author, who has loag been famous for his spirited style of writing, ha? rua hia eye, as it were, over Indian society, and has seleoted a goo Jly number of typical personages; and these he has described, criticised, and firel his running com ments on with pleasaairy aa 1 freedom. After the production of this book no oae need say that Indians are reticent aa to their social and dom33tic affairs, or in the least shy iu expressing their opinion on their European goveraora. Thero is a charming frankness throughout the whole book which oanaot fail to win the approbation of every reader; aad this is happily acoompauiel by a pleasing witticism which precladea all suspicioa of ill-natured carping. Satire there ia, aad ia abuadaace; but nothing in the nature of spiteful satire. It ia always uaeful to see yourself aa othera see yoa ; a,nd tha reader of this book will find there are even two siJea to the questioa of amelioraciug the coalition of India, Perhaps the moat interesting part of the book ia where the lively authority dissects seriatim the Hindu, Mahomedan, Parsi, and the various traders of Gujarat, ' Home Life in Gujarat' is, also, a thoroughly interesting chapter ; and this is followed by a sketch of the amusements in dulged in at the various holidays and public rejoicings. Mr. Mala bari has produced a very enjoyable book, and he showa a rare com mand of the Engliah language, and a remarkable familiarity with European literature. — Overland Mail (London). The book, which ia an eminently readable one, is full of interest ing details of Indian social and domestic life set forth in clear En glish. It thus deals with topics which only A native of India could hope-to diaouss in detail with any approach to realistic fidelity. Mr. Malabari's lateat production is likely to spread among the Bnglish- readiiig public a more intimate knowledge of that section of the people of India -with which he deals than they at present possess.— The Englishman (Calcutta). A QUAINT and undoubtedly clever book from the pen of a native of India. The volume conaists of a series of short sketches of scenes and geople in Gujarat, which may be regarded as typical of classes of the community, their ways of life and modes of thought. Mr. Malabari's English style is remarkably good, and seldom exhibits any want of ease. His book is of special interest as throwing some light on the real feeling of the natives 'with regard to their Britiah rulers — Dail-y Telegraph (London). It is a British infirmity to love a joke, an idiosyncracy which has many a time caused the grave Oriental to lift his eyebrows in bewilderment. We are at times inclined to quarrel with this gra vity, which we shrewdly suspect to be unreal ; we rate the com mon sense and good qualities of a native gentleman by his apprecia tion of a humorous alluaion, and hail his laughter as a sign that he is coming out of his shell and is ready to meet us on equal terms. There Is, therefore, some reason for congratulation, and perhaps a little for surprise, when a Parsi writer, honom-ably known as a jour nalist of the advanced sort, publishes a coUection of bright and readable sketches, whose notable point is their genuine humour Although he writes with clear and definite aims, it is doubtful whether he thoroughly appreciates the full force of the revelation of certain phases of native life, which show under and through the light fabric of his style. The sincerity which seems inseparable from the gift of humour is the best feature of the sketch es, whose only affectation is a touch of over-smartness, which will doubtless be cured by experience. . . . He possesses, already, an intiniate knowledge of native life, a keen insight which is not to be deceived by appearances, and an amount of reading and general cultivation, which is betrayed by a superfluity of quotations between inveroeu uotnmaa. inese are no smau enaowments, and when to these are added a generaUy unforced vivacity and frankueaa of style, with au unmistakable strain of comic faculty, and sound moral intentiona, it will be seen that good work may some day be expected from him. ... It is from the light thrown on modern native life, by such writers as Mr. Behramji Malabari, that the vast gulf, which separates the sordid and degraded Hinduism of tha preseat day from the antique type, can be justly appreciated, The author has no wish to exag gerate the gloomy shadows that fall over this part of his subject ; but he ia too honest and sound a literary artist to entirely omit them, and he deserves great credit for a moderate and yet- unflinch ing tone of veracity. Nor oan anything but the most resolute and persistent exposure serve to amend the awful plagues that afliicf a class of Her Majesty's subjects, who possess admirable qualities, in spite of the miserable abuses to which they submit. The chapters on the Marwari; on the abominable mystery of iniquity, once exposed to the world in the famous trial of Karson- dass Mulji, and known as Maharaj worship ; the half-humorous commenta on certain dark places in domestic life, fumish an apt commentary ou the sentimental nonsense -with which many writers besprinkle the Aryan, as the guests at a Vurlar are sprinkled with rose-water from -a gulab-pash. No race that cherishes a cancer, so destructive to morals as the Hindu marriage system ; or which permits, like the infatuated Vaishnava, a gross and detestable sensualism to poison the sources of domestic life ; or which binds intelligence and reason in the iron bonds of Caste, can hope for improvement ,from rose-water and fair words. It ia important to know the direction which native intelligence takes when quickened by Western influences, Por a long time, the educated native has been treated as if we were either ashamed of him, or afraid of him. Here is a writer, who&e work is amusing to read, who comes down from the didactic p6r0h oa which many of his kind , love to strut aud plume themselves, and who gossips easily and freely, showing us all that he ha? most at heart. The result, though, English, enough in form, has a fundamental independence, a na tional idiosyncrasy, which is ita beat feature, and is aa characteristic and. piquant as though it had been written in the flexible Gujarati in which Parsis delight. " The fiction, then, that a native of India Iqses his national characteristics by English education, is not true. Nor is it true that his moral sense is blunted. Nor is his affection for the poetry and learning of the Bast in any way lessened, but rather is it intensified. It would be mockery to ask whether the M.'O. L, s., B. 0. L. s,, and D. 0. L. s,,»of our new University, are Hkely to produce anything in Sanscrit Sloka or Persian ode, with half the vitality and direct bearing on the difficulties that beset national development, as this little book possesses. We can only wait in resigned hopelessness. . . .—Civil ^ MiUtar-y Qanette (Lahore) . Tna opinions of Mr. M,ilabari, as an educated native and_ as the Editor of a Bomba,y journal, should not fail to throw some light on many of those difficult questions in which Europeans and natives are • almost equally concerned. Mr. Malabari's essays deserve to be read in no carping spirit. They are evidently the production of a conscientious writer, who reproduce^ with charming simplicity and naivete such thoughts and ideas as suggest theraselves to his mind. . ... On one point the intending reader may feel assured, and^ that is, that both in qnaintness of expression and in characteristic le- marks on politics and social subjects, he will find Mr. Malabari an author not to be met with every day. . . .—'Westminster Review (London). The author's style is very pleasant and readable ; and his descrip tions, or " portraits," are life-like. . . , We are afraid we can not devote very much more space to the work that has so far en grossed our attention. But our review would be incomplete did we omit to present to our readers a specimen of Mr. Mahibari's brilliant descriptive style of writing. There is a peculiarity about it which fascinates the reader, as the snake is entranced by the music of the charmer. . . . — Madras Times. Mb. Maiabaei tells us a great deal abont all sections of the native community, Parsi, Mahomedan, and Hindu, and lets us into their methods of thinking and acting in a way which only a native of the country could do. With singular tact, and a ready flow of wit, he passes in review the chief people in the country, and analyses their - actions and characters with considerable freedom. . . A vein of irony runs throngh the book, which is especially apparent when discussing modern improvements, and the author satirically com ments on the fact that the present interests of the country are being injui'ed, high taxes raised, a,nd the people impoverished, for' the sake of the ' remote future.' . . — Arm-y and Navy Magaz-ine (London) . ' Mk, Malabaki's pictures of men and manners in Gujarat have that greatest of all merits — the merit of being dr,'iwn from the point of view of a candid native. Mr. Malabari writes English fluently and correctly, with just a little foreign air, in the turn of the thought rather than of the sentences. . . He writes, too, impartially, and with a lightness of touch which marks the absence of strong prejudices. Notwithstanding, indeed, some pungent descriptions of the overbearing rudeness in which the Briton in India still occasion ally indulge, or of those law's delays which native suitors, whose motto is l-ather sit bene si sat cito, can never stomach, his gentle sarcasm is ottenei- than not directed mainly against his o-wn coun- tryuion. Tlie native festirals, the essence of which often consists in casting for tlio season all decorum to the winds, the horrible trade ef the Marv.-avi or village usurer, the mendicant, the pedlar, the Hajaam or village b.nrber, the Va'quil or native pleader, and a host of other types, are the subjects of evidently truthful sketches ; while now and then an individual character is drawn more fully and with real power, . Marriages among the Hindoos supply an other very interesting chapter. Altogether, the volume has some what the effect of au album of photographs, nqt always very pleas ing, but, without exception, extremely real,— .British Quarterly Review (London), Me. Malabari's book upon Gujurat and its inhabitants is a useful contribution to our knowledge of the lower phases of native life. The subject is one which could only be satisfactorily treated by an educated native, who is in sympathetic relations with the society to be described, and has sufficient command of English to communi cate the results of his observations to us A carter speats sweetly to his bullock, and we have no idea that the persuasive tones say, " Go on, bullock of my heart, go on thy mother-in- law's darling;" betakes to objurgations, and we cannot guess that he is shouting out, " Will you go on or not, you lazy widower, you son of a widow." Even those of us who are thorough masters of the vernaculars can get very littlo out of si native after a laborious cross-examination. He is generally suspicions of our intentions, and reticent, and, if he happens to be willing to say much, is moi-e concerned to tell the sahib what he thinks will please that mysterious personage than to give what is wanted — a plain state ment of facts. To supply this natural curiosity the educated native should come to our rescue, as Mr. Malabari has done, and from his position behind the scenes explain the nature of the usages which are so puzzling to those who have no clue to guide them. In Mr. Malabari's book this office is performed in a way which shows that the writer has poweis of graphic description and a strong vein of humour. . . The life depicted is no high ideal, but one com posed of many sordid materials, exposed in the book before us with an unsparing " photographic fidelity" which often reminds us of " Pandurang Hari." .... .... Mr. Malabari can, when he chooses, express himself as clearly and plaialy as most English writers. The estimate of ths bright and dark features in Sir Madav Row's administration of Baroda, and the panegyric ou the hero and heroine of the Ramayan (though the effect of the latter is marred by the esaorgerated langu age with which it terminates), are written in language which shows no traces of an un-English origin. The most interesting sketch of the Marwari's life fi-om frolicsome childhood to money-grubbing manhood ia also very clearly written, and ia probably all the truer that some redeeming touches are found to soften the generally repulsive character of this Indian Shylock. The admirable sketch of the business operations of the Marwari shows how cleverly he manages to entangle his unfortunate clients in an inextricable web. ... If space allowed we would like to quote extracts from the account of the Yaishnavas, from the life-like stoi-y of the Mahomedan gentleman reduced to ruin by his extravagance, ... or from the sketch of the typical Gujarat Bora, or, to show that Mr. Malabari's humour is by no means forced, we might quote the description of the operations of the village barber, or the story of the author's case in the Bombay Small Cause Court, or of the trial of the Irish soldier in the Mofussll, with ita very ludicrous termination. We hope that the book will soon pass through its first edition, and re appear free from misprints in au enlarged form. . . . As it is, we can cordially recommend " Gujarat and the Gujaratis" to our readers. — Bombay Gazette. This ia a notable work from the pen of a native Indian writer. The sketches are written with ease aud with a remarkable knowledge of the English language. Moreover, they are notably free from prejudices and admirable in their candour, aud supplemented by bright discussions of native home life and customs, all weU done. Whilst much may be leamed from the volume, its pages are thorough ly entertaining, and we feel sure it -will meet with a well-merited and hearty reception. —Home News (Londou.) ¦" Feom grave to gay, from lively to severe :" there is scarcely any faculty of the mind which the writer of this work does not possess in a more or less eminent degree. . . . The sketches of men and things Gujarati, which form the bulk of the volume, are -vivid life- pictures, full of humour and animation, as fresh as could be. The introduction explains the genesis of the book and its scope. A child of Nature as he is, Mr. Malabari takes the reader into confidence in a manner that will astonish the staid journalist ! The first few chapters'on Surat, Broach, Baroda (the writer's birth-place) and Ahmedabad open -with very saddening reminis cences ; but the essayist's spirit cannot brook the restraint long ; and almost before he is aware he breaks out into the buoyant, rollick ing mood so contagious. Without pretending to be leamed or accurate, the author of "Gujarat" displays an extent of political insight and social and literary aptitude which no other single writer in India has yet displayed The best part comes last. " Home Life in Gujarat " is a masterly study in the writer's happiest style. Herein and in the account of holidays, customs and manners, the writer shines at hia best. His love of truth burns strong in almost every page, the feeling becomes almost a passion when the writer is " intense," to use his^wn word. Few laugiiBn rBauers wm oe ame to unaerscarid how the heart is bteg torn asunder by its intense suffering, while the hand ia busy, mercilessly tearing up the veil from the face of -vice, hypocrisy, and superstition, as exemplified by Caste and its concomitant evils. Some of these scenes, exposed to view, are harrowing, and very low must be the state of society which furnishes such pictures. We should like this "' Gujarat and the Gujaratis " to be placed before the people in the Native garb. Its practical value would be 'then tenfold enhanced. . . Before parting with Mr. Malabari's charming sketches, we cannot but hope that he may by and-bye give us his experiences of the other parts of India he has already visited, He has sufficient insight into nature and Sufficiently rare powers of description to make an admirable historiographer. His high talents could be utilised in this direction by some of our Native States whose modern history lies buried iu obscurity, save for stiff and colourless official reports. — Indian, Mirror (Calcutta). It is, in f aot, a bit of natural history. Sketchy, and even scrappy, it is in many parts ; but the writer speaks of what he has seen in the most familiar way, at home and abroad, as child, youth, and in early manhood. . . . One of the best of tho moral vi-visec- tion chapters in the book is that in which Nyalchund, the Jain- Hindu servant of a respectable Mussalman family, is made to relate the steady decUne into utter poverty of Meer Bakhtawar Khan, the master, and his devoted -wife, the innate refinement of whose charactsr is deftly indicated. . The sufferings incidient to child-marriage, the girl being older than the husband, are indicated in what is at onoe the most skilfully- drawn and curious episode in the work, entitled "An Aryan Idyll." . . . The native writer must be allowed his own way of treating the subject ; and then we think it "will be allowed that the conclud ing passages of the "Aryan Idyll " are instinct with the truest pathos. By the way, this quality of fine and tender insight is observable in the one literary chapter in the book, in the author's enthusiastic ap preciation of the Hindu epic of the Ramayan, and in its influence on the home life of the people. . . . Mr. Malabari bestows ten pages on vivisection of the Marwari. The knife and scalpel are used pitilessly : bnt justice is done. . , Oddly enough, this native -writer avers that the one thing lacking in tho Baroda State is — a supply of missionaries. Perhaps I.i.i>,.-e ,-, uuiierwise inimii/aoie ¦ bentimental Journey' being read in families where morality is the rule of life. Tho por traits that our great artist has labored most upon, and deservedly so, for thoir respective influences on the people, are those of the Maharaj , the Dastoor, the Vaqil and the Marwari. There are, no doubt, many Vaishna,va3, Parsis, Bhatias and Vakeels, who will regard the figures as dr.awn and painted too severely true ; who even may feel offended at them ; but if true to life the too severely true is not only no objection, but is, on the contrary, the best recommen dation of the work to those seeking for information. . . . His (.le,-?i'ription of the Holi, Dassara, Diwali, and Moharam holidays in the mofussil is, as I read it, a masterly essay : fearlessly denounc ing their vices, at the same time, breathing intense sympathy with the Hindu and Mussalman population. The concluding part of the volume consists of some remarkably sublime reflections on Valmiki's immortal epic, the Rainayan ; and upon the copiousness of the Sanskrit language in which it is written " Sir E, Tennent's ' Ceylon,' Colonel Sleeman's ' Reminiscences' and Mr. Malabari's ' Gujarat,' are, I think, for Englishmen three of the moat instructive books in print.'.' GUJARAT AND THE GUJARATIS. GIJJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS: pictures 0f P^it atib Satwers taken fr0m $ift SIBCOlSriD :B3DITIOTsr. BY BEHRAMJI M. MALABARI, ATTTHOE OF " THE INDIAN MUSE IN ENGLISH GABB," PIEASTJEES OE MOEALITT," " WILSON-VIEAH," ETC EDITOE OP THE " INDIAN SPECTATOE " AND OP THE " VOICE OP INDIA," BOMBAY. PRINTED AT THE EDUCATION SOCIETY'S PRESS, BTCT7LLA. 1884. [All rights reserved.] (S:EC03srD ETDXTIOlSr.) ^' " d il AS DISTINGUISHED FROiVl THE FALSE, J JIeSPECTFULLY pEDICATE THESE PAGES, in the hope that, rising above selfishness and insincerity, Young India may always discard error as cheerfully as he cherishes truth, even though " the heart may be torn asunder while the hand is busy lifting the veil from the face of vice and hypocrisy."* BEHRAMJI M. MALABARI. Bombay, February llth, 1884. * I-tidian Mirror (1882) revieiving " Qujardt and the Chijardtis.'* ... 215 The Va'quil ... ... 220 Scenes in a Small Cause Court... ... ... 225 Scenes in a Jorukum Magistrate's Court ... 234 Philanthropic Mill Management ... ... 241 Native Mendicants ... ... 244 The Missionary in the Mofussil ... ... ... 252 xiv CONTENTS. PAGB Native Medicoes ., 258 Nativf Abuses 267 Shett Jamal Gota, Philanthropist 276 Home Life in Gujarat 286 Holidays 338 The Inimitable Ramayan 351 The Baleva 859 The Shrawan Mas 362 The Muktad Z66 The Mo'haeam 371 The Unholy Holi 376 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. page The Orthodox Paesi at Prayer 160 The MaewAri at his Shop 207 The Hajaam at Wore 216 Scene at a Mill Meeting 242 The Aghori 250 Paesi, Hindu, and Mahomedan Ladies at Home . 336 Garba Singing 341 GUJARAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. INTEODUCTION. Permit me, gentle reader, to briefly explain the genesis of this little book. Starting on life's pilgrimage in the too early twilight of youth, I have often stumbled into dry nullahs* — very dry and dismal, and with very steep sides. And in groping my way to reach the other side, I have scratched and cut myself badly. But it is matter for thankfulness to be able to say that in none of my stumbles have I broken any bones. However bad the fall, I have always managed to pick myself up ; and, with the rope thrown down by friendly hands, have struggled up the stony hill-side. These " roughs and tumbles" Empty water-courses. 2 GUJAEAT AND THB GUJAEATIS. of life have become a part of my nature, and I bave often felt a vague sort ol' conviction that life would be scarcely worth living without some prospect of having to rough it. A Poor Beginning. I began life at twelve, giving private lessons. One scarcely feels at ease in coaching his elders. It was a poor beginning, At sixteen I became a regular teacher. I had seen enough of the world before this — the world of Surat, that is. I entered upon my new duties, therefore, with hearty interest. The work did not feel a drud gery for some time ; but two or three years after my migratory instincts again asserted them selves. I felt that I wanted a change. I had taught and studied children long enough, andl thought I must now study " children of a larger growth." A Tempting Offer. At this time I was offered the joint-editorship of a local (English) weekly. I jumped at the offer, and submitted it to a few friends whom I used to consult on matters beyond my management. These gentlemen, each and all, scouted the idea, and strongly advised me to keep where I was. inteoduotion. 3 My Troubles. Here began my troubles. I had already been favourably known as a versifier; and with the overweening confidence of youth, thought I had the right and the power, too, to enlighten the public on political and other topics of the day. There was nothing for it, however, but to bow to friends' decision, once having sought their advice. During the next two years I had the most miserable time of it. They made me a morose, disconsolate verse -monster. I scrib bled English verses by the yard; and after destroying the bulk of them, ventured to publish a few pieces. But uo end of verse-writing could compensate for the glorious chance T had miss ed of becoming a journalist and public censor. However, I received fresh overtures soon after. Struggles of a Cheap Newspaper. It was a cheap weekly, hitherto owned by two partners, cousins, one who had given it money, the other brains. Two more partners were added, my friend N. bringing money, and I supposed as supplying brains. The work was fairly divided — the first proprietor, D., a small clerk, under took business management. N. was to help D., 4 GUJAE-4T AND THE GUJAEATIS. and also to make himself useful to us — my friend P. and myself — in the literary business. For a week or two all went on smoothly ; but we soon felt the necessity of discussing our position. N. was a man of temper, and among other things " compositors " did not take kindly to him. I received frequent complaints as to his harshness; but knowing he had brought us the sinews of war I could do nothing more than appeal to his good sense. On Saturday night Mr. N. was given a" proof" to read. He corrected it; but instead of entering corrections on the mar gins, poked his pen into the body of the " com posed matter.' ' The compositor, of course, could not follow such corrections, and the paper was delayed next morning. On Sunday, when we four proprietors met, I gently asked Mr. N. to be good enough to enter corrections, in future, on the margins of the proof-sheet. N. glared at me for what he took to be an insult, and replied that he had paid 1,000 rupees to be his own raaster — that he would do just what he Hked, and would not be bullied by people who had not contributed a pie. This sneer was passed over by me ; but the co-editor winced under it, and replied hotly to N.'s insinuation, INTRODUCTION. 5 What threatened to be a bad quarrel was, how ever, soon made up ; and we all adjourned to an adjoining hotel to discuss the future of the paper and a substantial breakfast provided for the occasion, 1 forget by whom. Editorial Vagaries. But by-and-bye we two editors could not quite agree between ourselves. I was for treatment of social questions chiefly ; my friend P. aff'ected politics. We settled this difference by confining each to his own /orie. Our ignorance, even in this, was as boundless as was our arrogance. But was it not glorious to criticise and ridicule the highest men in the country ? What a privi lege for too-early-emancipated school-boys ! Nothing could be easier than my share of the literary work : I turned into prose, every week, two of my versified social essays, of which I had a large supply at home. Did poet ever sacri fice his substance as I did, in those days, in the public interests ? My sweet sonorous hexameters surrendered bodily to the manipulations of the dirty P. D. ! No martyr could do more. My friend P. wrote political essays. He was de cidedly better -read than I. Certainly he took b GUJARAT AND THE GUJARATIS. pains with his essays ; but how could a young man of less than twenty overtake topics which baflHo the grasp of practised veterans ? One day, writing, I believe, of the battle of Plevna, P. asked me what was meant by " the Porte." I explained " the Porte " might be the Sultan of Turkey's principal wife. P. thought it was only the European title ofthe Khedive of Egypt. We often thought and wrote in that curious way. Editorial Amenities. This could not last; and one evening P. sug gested, in council, that our capitalist partners should get a few reference-books for the editor's table. Mr. N. refused to pay for our " extra vagance." I submitted, as chairman, that we were neither of us extravagant, and that Mr. N. was wrong. Hereupon he brought definite charges against us. P. replied to the accusa tions and N. retorted, winding up rather sud denly with a demand for his money. P. was dum-foundered, but he soon found courage to ask N. if he meant really to be so "perfidious." N. replied, with equal ferocity, " Return my money this minute." " Very well," coolly said P., tak- introduction. 7 ing up N.'s new turban and throwing it out of the window, desiring its owner to leave instantly, on pain of being sent after the turban by the same means of exit. But N. did nothing of the sort. He took P. by the throat, and deraanded the satisfaction of throwing out his turban. " It is my right, give me my right," he shrieked, "and then I'll leave." Here they closed. They tugged and lugged, tore each other's hair and clothes, and mauled each other very prettily. It was with the utmost dif&culty that the young Tartars could be separated. And the two — once intimate friends and college chums — have never since been on speaking terms. That evening, in the presence of servants and neigh bours, who had come up on hearing of the fracas, the chairman shed tears of anguish, in his editorial and presidential chair, at all his hopes of fame and fortune having vanished so suddenly. One could put up with light in convenience, such as of working as compositor, reader, printer, distributor, manager, editor and so forth, all offices rolled into one. But this exposure — oh it was too too cruel ! But crushing as the disappointment was, it enabled me to cast about for some equally 8 GUJARAT AND THB GUJAEATIS. powerful distraction. I had long cherished the hope of visiting Gujarat and Kattywur with some definite business views, and having, at this juncture, received an offer from a friend, I accepted it thankfully. A Poor Programme. This personal explanation has been given, reader, to warn you against expecting too much from my book. Now that you know me, I know you will not be too exacting. If you are curious to revel in the luxury of deep and learned research, I must frankly refer you to Oriental Memoirs ; to Forbes, Briggs, Ferishta, and such others, with whom my acquaintance is slightest of slight, barely sufficient to make me know my place. If you want to refresh, and at the same time to enlighten your mind, you had better turn to the picturesque details of the gifted padre* Heber. Should you wish to have correct statistics and authenticated accounts of this Presidency, I could safely recommend you to pore over Mr. J. M. Campbell's Bombay Gazetteers, In these prodigious results of editorial labour you * Applied, in India, to Christian missionaries, preachers or priests. introduction. 9 will find a forest of facts and figures whicii you can traverse leisurely, till you become another Dr. Hunter,* a prince of particulars, a very king of quotations. But if you care to have a fresh account of,, perhaps, the least known but most interesting parts of Her Majesty's Indian Empire, of the inner life of an important people, their habits, customs, man ners, the moral and social forces at work among them, then you are welcorae to these pages, such as they are. You will have to be content with rough, hasty sketches, but generally taken on the spot — sketches from real life. I would not promise you much of system and order — because, you see, this is not an Official Report. A number of these sketches appeared, at the time, in the Bombay Revieiu, and are all the better for having received a few touches here and there from the accomplished editor. Not a few of them were, indeed, undertaken at the suggestion of that veteran journalist. t These sketches, and a few more contributed to other * The Hon. W. W, Hunter, Member of the Governor- General's Council, Director-General of Stati.sties to the Gov ernment of India, &c., &c. t Mr. W. Martin Wood, Editor of the Times of Ind-ia, and of the Bomha-y Review, lu GU.JARAT AXD THE GUJARATIS. papers, are here put into shape, intermixed with extracts from letters to friends and the contents of a rough diary — all strung together on a rather slender narrative thread. I do not mind confessing, reader, that this is a poor sort of programme. But it is, perhaps, as well it is so. I may also prepare you for a little exaggerated expression, wherever the writer is " intense." But you will not find cause to question my bonafides. In spite of occasional levity, degenerating at times almost into what may appear to be flippancy, I do assure you that no writer meant to be more serious. If you follow my sketchings in the spirit and the letter, if you read between the lines, you will not find them all mere caricatures. The first edition of Gujarat and the Gujaratis was brought out under serious disadvantages. The MS. had to be sent off" to London unrevised, and revision of proofs was out of the question. An attempt has been made in the present volume to correct misprints, supply omissions, and to check the tendency of some of the observations to appear too sweeping. The glare of paint which disfigured one or two of the " pictures" has made room for sober tints. But INTRODUCTION. 1] though the form has been in some instances modified, the matter is substantially the same. For what defects still remain the critic would do well not to condemn the workraan for the rawness of his materials. Five new chapters have been added to this volume to suit different tastes. These chapters could be easily elaborated for a larger volume. The rough illustrations might serve as " aid" to readers who have never been to India. These are the best that could be obtained on the spot, not, however, without many trials by friends in the profession. The experi ments so far did not justify a more serious effort. In conclusion the author may be allowed to say that, though his book is intended to deal with Gujarat only, many of the larger descrip tions and general observations apply equally well to other parts of the country. 12 GUJARAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. TRAVEL AND STUDY. I am now and then asked by European friends how often I have been to England, and how long I have stayed there altogether. And when I protest that I have never been out of India, my friends shake their heads knowingly. The fact is, I have my own ideas of travel, as more or less of everything else. This may be a misfortune. The first tour I remember having made was, of course, round grandmother's kitchen parlour. Thence I transferred my atten tions to the front-yard ofthe house, thence to the street, the neighbouring street, the whole suburb of Nanpura and the surrounding suburbs; next the Camp and the villages beyond. The climb ing of trees and roofs, in search of paper kites, was another round of useful tours. Next to climbing of trees and roofs, swimming or fording the Tapti, and running over to Bhatha, Rander, TRAVEL AND STUDY. 13 Adajan and other gaums* was also a means of touring. My early local tours were often ex tended to Udna, famous for toddy. My last long tour from Surat was a walking match to Nowsari. From Surat and its districts I have passed on to Gujarat generally, and from Gujarat on to Kattywar and Kutch. I have seen much of India during the last seven years, but Guja rat and Kattywar I know best. Much of these two provinces I have done on foot, and with my eyes open. And a good deal of my experience is the result of hard tramping. I hope one day to finish India from end to end ; and then, who knows that I may not go to Europe, America and the rest ? Less likely things have happened. But whether I go on the grand tour or not, I will never give up my habit. In study, as in travel, it is best to begin at the very beginning and to- proceed by slow stages, gaining some thing at every stage, and that something such as to be of immediate practical use on the next stage. This is the only way of travelling and studying. Your globe-trotter will laugh at my antiquated method, but he cannot deny its * Outlying villages. 14 GUJARAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. advantages. When you travel or study by de grees, every fresh step or item of knowledge is a keen enjoyment. You are prepared to receive it, and thus received, your knowledge will fructify. But when knowledge is thrust upon you with out previous discipline, that is, without your being made fit for it, it will lie inert and un leavened. What is the use of visiting foreign countries when you know nothing of your own ? Wben you go to Europe, ignorant of your own national life, you will miss those thousand points of comparison and contrast, those thou sand shades of difference, those thousand beau ties and blemishes that modern European civi lization presents. At the best, you will hoh at things, not see or see through them. Know ledge is best acquired, take my word for it, by the comparative method. Aud what will you compare your new acquirements with when there are not half a dozen home ideas in that empty head of yours ? You go to see the Windsor Palace and are lost in admiration at the sight. Have you seen Agra ? Had you seen some ofthe architectural glories of your own country, you might, at any rate, have controlled your faculty for admiration. You might have been quite at TRAVEL AND STUDY. 15 liberty to admire the modern structure, but at the same time, you could have seen what beauty it has which the palaces of India do not possess, and vice versd. The same is the case with study. If you learn Greek after learning Sans krit, Persian or Arabic, you will enjoy the pro cess, recognise the advantage of one over another; and though you may admire the European classic as much as you like, you will have no reason to be ashamed of your own. I honour you for your desire to examine the arts, sciences and philosophies of the West, but you cannot do this with advantage to yourself and the world unless you have alreadj made yourself familiar with the national systems. The worst result of this method of travel and study that I am complaining of is, that it gives a man poor ideas of everything in his country in pro portion to the exaggerated notions he imbibes about other countries. This is a charge from which very few of our England-returned men can escape. It makes me sick to hear a man rave about this thing or that 10,000 miles away, when a much better, perhaps the original, thing is lying unnoticed at his very door I 16 GUJARAT AND THE GUJARATIS. SURAT: Its FabIiEd Origin. We left Bombay for Surat — land my old servant' Rasul— on the 13th of March 1878. Rasul's services were lent to me by my esteemed friend, Mr. D. F. Cama, with whom he bad spent many years in pleasant travelling. Surat is as good as my "native land," I having lived there from two to fifteen years of age. Its genus loci has been hallowed to me by association. The bones of a hundred ancestors are this day bleaching in the awful chasms of the Towers of Silence. Memory is besieged by the shadows of a thousand incidents when I find myself in the midst of old haunts, where, for an hour or a day's pleasure, I have passed months or years of bitter privations. I know Surat intimately, from SUEAT. 17 end to end, and, notwithstanding the utmost ingenuity of patriotic bards and encomiasts, and the good-natured credulity of European savants, I do not think we can give Surat a fabled origin, linking her name with the glorious Sou- riishtra of old and making her one of the terri torial galaxy whieh shed lustre on the arms of the valiant Rajput who swayed the destinies of, perhaps, twenty million human beings scattered over an area of more than fifty thousand square miles, and who traced his descent to the early Aryan fathers, the first discontented wanderers frora the cradle-land of our race. Vanity and self-love seek to indentify this town of Surat with the far-famed Sourashtra which has been in ex- istence time out of mind, and which embraced, perhaps, a hundred times the area of Surat. By some curious trickery of nomenclature, that which was known as Sourashtra is now come to be known as the Peninsula of Kattywar, whilst others say that it is Sourashtra on the site of which now stands Junaghar, the capital of the Bdbi Mahomedans. Surat may be a feeble and corrapt imitation of Sourashtra. Taking it any way, Surat was nowhere before the thirteenth century a.d. 18 gujarat and thb gujaeatis. Strange Vicissitudes. It seems to have been built under Mahomedan auspices. It derived its former importance from its maritime situation, which afforded peculiar facilities, not only for a vast sea-borne trade, but for hordes of well-to-do Mahomedan pilgrims sailing for Mecca. Surat has a curious and touching history ; but this is not the time to call up visions of its past glory. Its career reads like that of the beautiful Eastern slave, whom chance leads from one enamoured master to another, till the lovely captive has wellnigh lost her power to please. From the Ahmedabad Mahomedans, probably its first owners, it pass ed into the hands of Akbar, " first in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his countrymen." But the deputies of the Grand Mogul could not retain the prize long; it passed successively into the hands of the mercenary Dutch, the fiery Lusitanian, the marauding Mahratta, till the same chance placed it in the hands of masters who, hailing from the land of the free, claim freedom and justice as the objects of their mis- sion to the East. SUEAT. 19 SuEAT OE To-DAY. Surat was a right jolly place a century ago, though even then it was in the afternoon of its glory. But " something ails it now." Its rapid ruin since can be traced to disastrous fires and floods, to the drying up of the Tapti, and to the rise and prosperity of the island town of Bom bay. Surat of to-day is a shadow of its old self, its stout commercial spirit gone, the well-to-do of its citizens grovelling in indolence or pleasure, its social status decayed and still decaying. The British are doing much to infuse new life into this prostrate capital of their original pos sessions in the Western Presidency. Enlightened and equitable administration of justice, well- worked medical and educational agencies, wise schemes of municipal improvement ; these are all tangible reforms, and have a leavening tendency on the almost deadened national conscience. But the instincts of the people seek repose : it is incompatible with a true Surti* nature to keep pace with the march of progress. The labour ing and agricultural classes have ample security of person and property ; but I doubt if they enjoy that progressive prosperity which is the * Native of Surat. 20 QQJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. true criterion of a settled and enlightened rule. The fact seems to be that the English are dosing India with too much law. The laws are too many and too fine to be equitable in a community of mutually antagonistic classes and conflicting interests, unused to a complex machinery. And worse than the laws themselves is the working of them. Except in this, I do not think the people have any real cause for grumbling ; and I am sure they seldom grumble, my poor, primi tive, peace-loving Surtis. A FEW Honest Geowls. Coming to a class higher, I mean the middle class, what strikes the observer most is this : the rising generation are given every facility and inducement for acquirement of a fairly liberal education. Such education naturally widens their vision and gives play to their innate aspira^ tions. But when they attempt to assert their position as politically and socially the equals of theruhng class, " these natives " are ridiculed for their presumption ! Not only are our educated men so many political pariahs,* but in ordinary social matters they are made to feel * Degraded homeless outcasts. SURAT. 21 their inferiority. Those thousand little social charities, which might, perhaps, reconcile them to standing political disabilities, are withheld from them as a matter of course. In public, as well as in private, the best of natives must "know his place," when in the presence of the white Saheb. It is the old, old story of might being the better of right. It may be allowed that some distinction of the sort is inevitable. But really, it is neither necessary nor expedient to keep up this spirit of exclusiveness. I am painfully aware of the evil effect of Caste ; but beyond a bare suspicion one does not see what Caste has to do directly with the absence of cordiality between natives and Europeans. English society, let us by the way bear in mind, is not free frora Caste prejudices. I am in full accord with writers who trace part of the pre sent state of things to the backwardness of female education among natives. I think too much has been made of the progress of this branch of education in the country — in reality it is not much to speak of. But though it is devoutly to be wished that woman in India soon came up to the level of man, I despair of any improvement in the relations between the two 22 GUJARAT AND THE GU.JARATIS, races from mere social causes. An approach to friendliness is barely possible under social conditions when the native becomes more liberal and the Englishman less exclusive, especially if the latter makes the advance. But even when that happens, the benefit will be skin-deep. For real and lasting good we must look to the politic al advancement of the people of India. The Englishman will never care for the Hindu unless he knows him to be his equal. Nothing can bring about brotherly regard so well as this sense of equality. As it is, the native is looked down upon as an inferior. No wonder, then, that on the social platform, too, the European resents diff'erence of opinion on the part of the native, discounts candour, and lays a premium on servi lity. Under the circumstances I ask if there is any reasonable ground for improvement of rela tions ? With his sense of political superiority the Englishman may be excused for declining to meet the native socially on a footing of equality. As in other matters, so in this, our friends have tried to keep up appearances by expedients. These may serve the purpose for a time— con certs and dinners and cricket look well enough in their way. But there is an end to all such SURAT. 23 make-shifts ; and when the end comes, the races are left, perhaps, further apart than they were. Let the truth be recognised that we are both subjects of the same Sovereign, amenable to the same law and recipients of the same grace. Let this identity of interest be admitted, and equa lity and friendship will come of themselves. I am convinced that the question under discussion is more forthe statesman than the sentiment alist. One more growl whilst I am in this stern preaching mood (I seldom preach) at the levelling policy of our officials. No doubt, there must be one law for rich and poor. This policy is unex ceptionable in the abstract and the higher sphere of affairs. But in practice, in the minor details of life, where the rich can feel and the poor cannot,it would be obvious injustice to make no distinction between the high-born and the low born. This proposition may shock the philo sopher; but as the world goes, I am afraid it holds good as much in Europe as in India. If it is the interest of a wise ruler to see the poor rise, it is equally his interest to see the rich do not fall. Here in Gujarat we know of hun dreds of young men of rank and talent who are 24 GUJARAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. treated by the officials with studied indifference. And what is the result ? The flower of the generation, finding no scope for their talent and no respect for their birth, degenerate, by de grees, into profligates and malcontents. In a country where rank and title are the prizes of life, those who claim a titled ancestry are literally worshipped by the masses. The people them selves are loyal to the core, though much puzzled by sudden and new-fangled adminis trative changes ; but the number of the educated high-born, who feel they are neglected or de spised, is on the increase. Let our Collectors and Judges see to this. I do not wish to meddle with politics here; but this particular complaint is so universal in Gujarat, and indeed through out British India, that a mention of it could not well be avoided. A word to the wise. Local Celebeities. I made a very brief stay this time at Surat, and saw only a few of the local magnates. The most important amongst these may be consi dered the Nawab of Bela and Meer Gulam Bab^ Khan, or as they are popularly called, Bara (big) Saheb and Chota (little) Saheb. I made the SUEAT. 25 latter's acquaintance under somewhat painful circumstances. Travelling together one day, I learnt by accident that my companion was Meer Gulam Baba. There were four of us in the compartment — Meer Gulam, his secretary, a European, and myself. Now, it so happened that the European, not knowing Meer Gulam, went to sleep with his boots in Meer Gulam's lap. The Meer, unwilling to provoke a quarrel, quietly moved further from under the insulting encumbrance. The European hereupon accused him of having disturbed his rest, and fired off a volley of ear-splitting abuses. The poor Meer held his tongue, though I could see from the working of his face that his blood was up. But the European, thus emboldened, took the Meer by the arm and attempted to push him out of the carriage. Here I interfered, and after a good deal of explanation, I got the European to desist from annoying the nobleman. The man went to bed again, muttering " I don't care a hang who he is." I hinted to the Meer that he might have met the bully with more spirit; but he mildly replied in Hindustani, " We have had our day ; these people have their day now, you see ?" After this philosophic 26 GUJARAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. remark, we dropped the unpleasant subject, and became very fast friends for the day. We exchanged some tine oriental compliments at parting, but have never met since. The other Meer, a rival, I never got to know except as a curiosity. He is said to be a good- natured, pleasant-spoken gentleman, much given to what may be called pleasures of the palate. Amongst Parsi celebrities of Surat is Khan Bfthadur Burjorji Merwanji Eraser,* a pleasant old gentleman, who has run through a fortune in a very fashionable way, but not without behaving handsomely in making gifts to his native city, as is duly described in Murray's uew Handbook of India {Bombay), and other records of the time. Shett Burjorji is a Khan Bahadur, let the reader remember. There is another Parsi Khan Bahadur at Surat, whom I have not had the honour of meeting, but who has made himself quite as famous as mortal man could be. Khan Bahadur Mody Davar Rustonji, Esquire, Justice of the Peace, Honorary Magistrate, and the rest, seems to be a character in his way. His one ambition in * Since deceased. SUEAT. 1 - life is to be known as the supreme head of the Parsis throughout India and Persia. With this view he will wait upon the new Collector or Judge with musty old documents proving him the direct descendant of Yezdezard, the last Zoroastrian king of Persia, and by inference, of course, of Zoroaster, Jamshid and others. All this is very fine, and European officials <^enerally pass a pleasant hour in humoring the imiable Mody Saheb. But his enemies, almost the whole Parsi community to a man, spoil the fun by defining the word " Mody" as a grain-supplier. This is cruel; but though the dictionaries are on the side of the enemies, the Mody Saheb knows he has the officials on his side, all except the Hon'ble Mr. Hope who ap pears to have declined, without thanks, all odes, addresses and pious benedictions from the representative of Zoroaster and Jamshid. Per sonally, I think, the Mody of Surat is a worthy soul, and as for his love to trace his family to Zoroaster, that is nothing to my friend Moonshi Lutfullah's genealogy prepared by himself, mod estly taking up his race, by twenty steps, from Lutfullah, Moses, Abraham, up to Adam him self! The only difference is that Lutfullah has 28 GUJARAT AND THB GUJAEATIS. concocted his pedigree to tickle his European readers, while poor Mody religiously believes the story handed down from his fathers. His family name, I believe, is Davar, though he belongs to a younger branch of the Mody family at Bombay. Notable amongst the Hindus is my friend Rao Bahadur Jugjiwandas Khushaldas, the Full Power Magistrate, a sturdy old gentleman, hon est and plain-spoken, a terror to evil-doers. Mr. Jugjiwandas rendered valuable service to the public of Surat during the recent flood. He was amongst the first to organise relief works, and the Central Committee owed much of their success to his guidance. Mr. Jugjiwandas enjoys the confidence of the Government and the peo ple alike. I should not, also, forget the Surat editors, well known throughout India for their connection with the great (License-tax) Riots Case. They appear to be the very embodiment ofthe "mild Hindu" type, but conceal a good deal of energy and determination under a rather unpromising exterior. But my best friends at Surat are the Irish Presbyterian missionaries, Dixon, Wallace, Montgomery, Taylor — alas, they no longer are ! WilHam Dixon, my own revered master, died SUEAT. 29 a young man. One could see at first sight that he was a scholar and a martyr. He elfected much good at Surat ; and though death too soon cut short a career of brilliant promise, his influence is felt even now to be at work. WiUiam Wallace was our Bible teacher — a man of great benevolence and learning. I have never seen a man so gentle in spirit and so unruffled under provocation. His life was a blessed example to us all. Much differing from Mr. Wallace, but actuated by the same motive, was the Rev. Robert Mont gomery. Mr. Montgomery was, I believe, the oldest Presbyterian missionary to Gujarat, and spent the best days of his life there. He died at home, in the fulness of time, at the patriarchal age of three score and ten, leaving behind the memory of a virtuous and well-spent life to be cherished by three generations of men. The deceased was a most successful preacher of the Gospel. He hated all underhand and dubious means ; and rather than fire up the imagination of his audience by the glitter of false hopes and impossible promises, he preferred to reach their conscience by making Christianity a necessity of man's fallen nature. His Christianity was of a 30 GUJARAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. peculiar character, like himself, pleasant, prac tical and conciliatory. Wherever he could, he cheerfully fell in with the views of his opponent ; where he could not, he would not mind puUing Satan himself by the beard, keeping himself and the adversary all the while in the best humour. Anecdotes are current in Gujarat of how the good old man would saUy forth of a Sabbath morning, enter an unknown village, preach against the stone-gods, be set upon by the mob and incarcerated for his audacity : how he would hold forth from his prison — now in muscular Hindustani, reminding the populace of their unlawful conduct and its consequences ; now in suasive Gujarati, laughing at their despicable tactics ; and then suddenly asking for a drink of water, and directly going off" to take his forty winks ; falling to the recital of some quaint but touching prayer on awaking; till at last he would win the hearts of the people, issue forth, all srailes and bows, snap his fingers at the heathen priest who had instigated the rabble, and set out for home, often after a supper of warm milk and bread, escorted by the very men who had, a few_ hours ago, put him into the cow-shed prison I Such was Mr. Montgomery, the missionary. SUEAT. 31 Yet one more. The Rev. Van Someren Taylor. This very day, 27th June 1881, as I am sitting down to record my sense ofhis worth, I hear ofhis sudden death at Edinburgh. I had not the honour of being one of his pupUs. But Mr. Taylor did that for me which he scarcely could have had the opportunity of doing for many others. To him I am indebted for my success as a Gujarati writer. He was my first literary guide and friend. He was the first to approve what had been neglected by many others ; and but for his encouragement, I am not sure if I could at all have ventured to publish my works in the face of general discouragement. Mr. Taylor was essentially a missionary, a devoted and indefatigable worker, a genuine scholar and a genial friend. I believe that the success of the little colony of Christian converts at Borsad* is mainly due to Mr. Taylor's exer tions and influence; at any rate, he is acknow ledged its most faithful friend. To his many other acquirements Mr. Taylor added a very intimate knowledge of the Gujarati vernacular. His Gujarati grammar is the best for students of all classes, and is, I believe, a standard work. * A little town near Ahmedabad. 32 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. He wrote excellent Gujard,ti verses, and has pub lished one or two volumes. Besides the fine Christian sentiment running through them, his lines are remarkable for purity, warmth, and simplicity. Many of them I have heard sung with very good effect. In his work as a mis sionary and a citizen, he won confidence and sym pathy wherever he went ; and though very quiet and retiring by nature, he was ever ready to ad vance, by word and by deed, the cause of educa tion and enlightenment. In the case of many a struggling young man, Mr. Taylor's kindly en couragement has been actually the making of a life of usefulness. Another Gujarat missionary of much promise was the Rev. Mr. Wells, who also died at a comparatively early age. He, too, was a good Gujarati scholar, and has written several works in that vernacular, which are not only popular, but are recognised as first-rate school-books. Mr. Wells was a very zealous, active man, and known for his rough practical benevolence. Of European officials, the best remembered men by this generation are Mr. T. C. Hope*, the * Now Public Works Minister and Member of the Gover nor-General's Council. SUEAT. 33 CoUector par excellence, and Mr. H. M. Birdwood — the judge. Surat is greatly indebted to Mr. Hope for numerous practical reforms. Stern and almost overbearing in his official relations, he despised false popularity, and though some times carried away by over-zeal, his honesty of purpose has never been questioned. Though smarting under some of his hasty measures, the Surtis readily acknowledge that " Hope Saheb " has been the second founder of the city. Mr. Birdwood* is popularly known as a model Judge. He is no less a favourite with the official circle than with the public. He is " as good as a native, one of us," the people explain. I know of no greater compliment that could be paid to an official. And this praise is amply justified by Mr. Birdwood's love for the people, and his readiness to identify himself with every movement, private or public, for their ad vancement. I must not forget two other popular officials — a Judge and a Collector again. The former, a native, Mr. Satyendranath Tagore, is one of the ablest civilian judges, and his decisions are * Now Judicial Commissioner in Sind. 34 GUJARAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. remarkable for their soundness and acumen. Coming ofa race of reformers and benefactors, Mr. Tagore very well sustains the traditions of his family. Wherever he goes, he devotes his best endeavours to the enlightenment of his countrymen. He is the idol of the Gujarati people. In private life he is .simple and modest, quite a Sddhil,^ as a friend describes him. Mr. Tagore is, I believe, the first native Civilian who passed the competition in England. Another official is Mr. A. Borradaile. A great deal of energy and good sense has characterised his admimstration of Gujarat. Mr. BorradaUe has read the native character pretty accurately, and he seems to know equally well how to apply his knowledge. The first thing almost that he had to attend to on his arrival at Surat was a formidable conspiracy ofthe grain-dealers to run up prices. It was a sight to see the Collector walk up to the grain-market, button-hole the leading dalals,t and lecture them out of their unholy league. Nothing stronger passed be tween them than friendly remonstrance, but it had its effect ; though the more forward of the brokers freely quoted Bentham, MiU, and other * An ascetic. t Brokers. SUEAT. 35 advocates of Free-Trade. Mr. Borradaile is an out-and-out Anglo-Indian, as was his learned and highly respected father, Harry, of that Uk, who compiled a valuable work on the castes of this province. Let me not omit here Sayed Edroos* of Surat, who is an Honourable and a C.S.I. This Moslem of many titles was in the Governor's Council for some time, but his legislative career was blank as a sheet of blotting-paper — or at best imprinted with the impressions of others. He could not discuss any subject (Ij because he is ignorant of English, and (2) because his ideas of his duty are so very original. He thinks he serves his country best by nodding assent, to whatever falls from the Saheb's lips. Is it strange, then, that the Saheb should love him dearly ? Is it strange, then , that the Collector should try to give Sayed Edroos another lease of life as Councillor to Sir James Fergusson? But this sort of happy-family arrangement will not do in these days at least, I trust, not in the days of Sir James. The Sayed Saheb is an exploded myth. He has ceased tor believe in himself, and even his * Since deceased. 36 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. existence has become a matter of doubt. The, Gujarat pepole, therefore, will have none of him. The Presidency protests against the con templated jobbery of a second term for the Sayed. They say " Let us have anybody else, — Mr. Cumu SuUiman,* or even Ismal Khan, butler to the Collector of Cobblabad ; but no Sayed Edroos" — they have had enough of his name in official reports of " Members present." As worthy a man as the Sayed ist a certain MohlaJ of this province. The Mohlaji or MuUaji is at present in hot water. He is the head of a Mahomedan sect very numerous in Gujarat and Bombay, and is therefore kept in good condition. For a long time he was considered the safest and most liberal banker at Surat ; and people of all classes deemed it a privilege to leave money with the Mohlaji. Many a poor widow disposed of a house or other property, and entrusted the assets to the Mohla. Abouttenyears ago some thing was found wrong with the Mohla's affairs, and creditors flocked to his holiness to withdraw * A wealthy and enterprising upholsterer, and a good friend to impecunious subalterns. t Written six years ago. J A Mussulman leader and priest. SUEAT. 37 their money from under the trust. But this was no easy work. The Mohla begged for a reprieve. After a good deal of bickering, and yielding to threats of exposure, some of the Mohla's friends undertook to wipe off the debt by eight annual instalments. But the creditors allege theyhave not yet been paid back anything to speak of The Mohlaji again asks for time; but the creditors are indignant and threaten to " proceed." Poor old MohM 1 He is so much married ! And that, too, on a set purpose. They say he marries young ladies of fortune, so that he may be enabled to meet his heavy and long accumulating liabilities. But somehow or other the money seldom reaches the creditors. In the meantime, his Reverence keeps up his personal establishment in grand style, though he has just issued orders for shutting up a religious academy hitherto working under his auspices. This is false economy, to be sure; but what can you expect of a poor financier like the Mohla, when the Imperial British Government practises, sometimes, a similar method of retrenchment ? The Mohlaji is looking up and about ; and, with the help of a few friends from Bombay, may again tide over. But there is little chance 4 38 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. of the creditors being paid in full. The Mohlaji and his family are too " civilised " for any such folly. His Holiness, now about eighty, is report ed to have married another " wife" — a buxom widow with thirty-five thousand rupees. I for get if this is the Mohla's eleventh or twelfth wife. But what matters it? So long as there is money, the ery will be, " still they come." Only one more good Surti, my dear and honoured friend, Moonshi Lutfullah Khan.* To my acquaintance with him and his I owe much of my chivalrous respect for the Mahomedan character. Moonshi Lutfullah is "a noticeable man, with large grey eyes." As scholar, linguist and author, Mr. Lutfullah is well-known in these parts, and even in England. t To the latter country he accom panied the late Meer Jaffer Ali Khan of Surat. Over twelve years ago I used to be almost an inmate, now and then, of the Lutfullah family, thanks to an intimacy with his son, Fazal. I have enjoyed some of the happiest hours of my * Died in August 1883. t See his Autobiography, a remarkable political memoir, edited by the eminent Persian scholar, Mr. E. B. East- wick, C.B. ' SUBAT. 39 hfe under his hospitable roof. Moonshi Lut fullah was an old man when I knew him. Sights. There is not much tb be seen at Surat, except, of course, the new Hope Bridge, the Cowasji Jehangir Hospital, the Killdh (castle), the European cemetery, the Park, perhaps the two cotton mills, the Band Stand, the High School, and the Andrews Library. The Tapti Bridge, or as it is popularly named, the Hope Bridge, in honour of that energetic Collector, is a recent construction. It connects Sarat with Rander on the opposite bank. The bridge is a fine massive structure, and is no doubt a great convenience to the people. It cost over seven lakhs. There are many larger bridges in India ; but to the stick-at-home Surtis, their bridge is a marvel of human ingenuity. I am not surprised to be told that some of them worship it and offer milk and flowers to the deity on whose Atlantian shoulders the bridge is supported, the deity aforesaid being, of course, Mr. Theodore Cracroft Hope, the whilom Col lector. The Hospital is an admirable building, due to 40 GUJARAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. the liberality of the late Sir Cowasji Jehangir Readymoney, the well-known Parsi benefactor of Bombay. The Killdh is a glum bit of stone- work, which stands firm as a rock against the violence of the elements. It is a Mahomedan structure. To the building of the fine High School the late Mr. Sorabji Jamsetji Jeejeebhoy contri buted a large sum. Mr. Kharsetji Furdoonji Parakh, too, has one or two charitable institu tions at Surat standing to his credit — the Parakh Dispensary and the Industrial School. The Andrews Library is a very useful insti tution ; but it is badly off for want of funds, I am told. It is a pity that Bombay, knowing this to be so, will not save this institution from ap proaching difficulties. The Band Stand is on a pretty open site, to which gora lolce (white people) drive by one entrance and Jcald loJce (black people) by another, A Season op Plenty. Poor Surat shared the fate of all the neigh., bouring districts during the recent famines, Then again the tvater famine was proving too much for her when Jupiter Pluvius luckilv be^ SUEAT. 41 came more propitious. His cloudy majesty is at present (latter part of 1881) exceedingly obUging. He comes and goes to order. The wise men of Surat wonder if the prospects of the hhedu* could haye been brighter even in the golden age. Everything is cheap, especially rice, ghee, ']' and tarlcdri.l The grain- dealers who, two months ago, entered into a secret compact to starve the poor, and who, only the other week, sat with all the insolence of shop, are fearfuUy down in the mouth. They are now to be observed paring their nails, scratching their heads, and so on, and receive even an ugly customer with elaborate attention. In a word, they enjoy a season of plenty down here; and if my eyes have not deceived me, I saw a well-defined smile lurking in the- countenance of one of the Municipal Commis sioners. When you see that, you raay be sure the creature is in the best of moods ; for in his normal frame of mind you can trace not a sign of emotion in the Commissioner's face, which is aU cheek and chin. Indeed, the plenty is not so plentiful as in the day of the Nabob, when * Cultivator. f Clarified Butter. t Vegetables. 42 QUJAEiiT AND THE GUJAEATIS. my great-uncle used to maintain a family of fourteen, in peace and comfort, on rupees seven a month. And even from this pittance, my good aunt, his wife, was able to buy him a box ful of snuff, a pocket-handkerchief, and a pair of goat-skin shoes every nine months. In those days ghee sold at fifteen pounds a rupee. Those are called " the fifteen-pound days." To-day, even though they look upon it as a very good year, ghee is less than four pounds the rupee. And ghee is everything to the Surti — his present happiness and his future bliss. The Floods and Fires oe Sueat. Surat owes not a little of its decline to floods and fires. " The great fire of Surat," as it is described in official Reports, or " the great fiery havoc," as local bards have sung it, broke out at Machhlipit (centralpart of thetown),on the even ing of 24th AprU 1837, in the house of one of the richest Parsis. Though it was very still about the time, the fire kept spreading, till before mid night it grew terribly in intensity and volume. Clouds of smoke, so the reports say, lit up by flashes of flame, were visible at a distance of 30 miles across the plain. At daybreak, on the SUEAT. 43 25th, sprang up the south-west breeze carry ing the flame over adjoining part.s ; and Kan pit, Jampha and other populous quarters were, in a few short hours, engulphed in ruin. Handsome dwelling houses and mosques of the Borahs were destroyed, and a number of women and children were burnt to death, finding escape from the zenana impossible. The fire raged at its height at 2 p. M. on the 25th. Its strength abated at night ; but it broke out again soon enough, and raged with redoubled fury till the morning of 26th. A number of dead bodies were found under the debris, many in wells and tanks. The exact number of those who perished could not be ascertained, nor would it be easy to estimate the loss in property which must have been incalculable. No less than 9,373 houses were burnt down, covering an extent of 9| mUes ! And all this in spite of prompt assistance by Government officials, by the famous Ardeshar Kotwal Bahadur, by men of the British Army and the Navy, and by brave-hearted Parsis, always to the front in times of calamity. Tbis is, perhaps, the greatest of modern fires in Gujarat. But hundreds of others have occurred at Surat itself within my experience. A fire at Surat 44 GUJARAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. is a common occurrence. In fact, like epidemics, we have a periodic recurrence of fires, which the people call the Fire Season. During thd " season" I have been told of from 3 to 7 fires in a week, and this is not at all to be wondered at. The streets and lanes are dark and nar row j the houses running into each other in an inex tricable mass. Then the habits of the people are none of the safest, and the materials of which the houses are built are by no means fire-proof Then, again, ait the first cry of fire the people are often panic-struck and demoralised. The local Municipality, under some energetical Col^ lectors, has done much towards widening the streets. So fond was a certain well-known Col^ lector of this widening process, that his clerks assured their friends that whenever a fire broke out in a thickly populated and ill-built quarter, the Sstheb rubbed his hands gleefully and smiled at the prospect of widening the street. On such an occasion, when the Collector went to the scene of destruction and atterapted to soothe the whining Bania, who had lost his house or shop, that Bania would glance reproachfully at the Collector, as much as to say, why do you mock me with your sympathy after setting fire to my SUEAT. 45 house ? Indeed, it is believed in some circles that among the CoUector's duties not the least important is that of setting fire to badly-built lanes and gullies in order to introduce long- deferred sanitary reforms ! This must be mere superstition. At any rate, it is not for the chronicler to sift evidence in such a ticklish matter. Not being in the Collector's confidence, I must leave him to his conscience. Surat has suffered more from floods than from fires. The Tapti rose highest, I believe, in 1727, destroying property of the value of rupees two crores and a half, and doing great damage otherwise. The next flood of any im portance occurred in 1776, the river rising 10 feet in a quarter of an hour and carrying off ships at anchor. 1782 witnessed another flood, by which 2,000 of the inhabitants lost their lives, besides immense injury to houses. The 2,000 people drowned had taken refuge on the Isle of Bet in order to escape the exactions of the Mahrattas. The flood of 1810 was as serious as the preceding; that of 1822 not so serious, though the water rose 30 feet above the high tide level. This flood was accompanied by severe storms, The river rose twice in August 46 GUJAEAT AND TSE GUJARATIS. 1837, as much as 37 feet the second time. A greatpart of the city walls fell down, 372 houses were washed away, 1,012 collapsed and 2,539 were more or less injured. Captain Harris, the Naval Officer of the day, reports : — " After the flood was over, along the beach at Dumas pieces of tiraber, reeds, bushes, parts of houses, as well as bodies of animals, deer, cows, bul locks, buffaloes, and an iramense number of snakes, were deposited in a line stretching for more than amile and a half, and in many places piled up to a height of nearly five feet." It was after the occurrence of this flood, I think, that the Varachha Cut was constructed. Several other inundations have taken place since then, in 1872-73-76 and 82. But they were compara tively harmless, thanks to the protective works raised by Mr. Hope. The last great flood happened iu 1883, the waters rising the highest yet recorded. The Government of Bombay was as anxious as could be wished to protect life and to relieve distress among the survivors. Officials on the spot worked zeal ously on the whole, though there appears to have been a good deal of bungling on the part of Municipal servants. The citizens of Bom- SURAT. Al bay coUected about a lakh of rupees for the victiras of the flood, to which fund many other cities of Gujarat contributed handsomely. Help came even from Bengal, from the Honourable Mr. Hope, the Maharaja of Durbhanga, Mr. Manockji Rustomji and others. His Excellency the Governor of Bombay, the Honourable Mr. Peile and a few other officials also subscribed liberally. Bat I do not know if the Govern ment of Bombay did anything in the matter. The official estimate of loss and damage appears to be too moderate. It would be unfair to publish the popular estimate of loss in life and property conse quent on the flood. I wiU not take an alarmist view of the matter, but at the same time it would be wrong to shut one's eyes to presumptive evi dence. The official estimate of the loss in life appears to have been based on the number of dead bodies discovered. The reporter seems to have lost sight of the old and the infirm, the blind, the lame and others — also beggars and low class villagers, the Dublas, Dheds and others, whose lives are of very little account. Now, if it is on this plan that the official Report has been drawn up, I have little to urge against 48 GUJAEAT AND THB GUJAEATIS. the theory of 8 to 12 lives lost after the heavi est flood that has yet swept through the town and districts of Surat. If Government accepts the explanation, that scarcely one life was lost on the collapse of 125 houses, it is no business of mine to disturb their equanimity. Subor dinate officials are afraid of telling unpleasant truth to their superiors on such occasions. To show small expenditure and large receipts is the easiest way of securing promotion and titles. Apart from loss of life, the mischief done to the village coramunities, especiaUy the culti vators, must be immense. They have lost not only their cottages, but their fields with the crops standing on them or the seed sown; not only that, but their reserve food and seed grain, the cattle and implements. The utmost they could do was to betake themselves to trees, and there they could not carry the fields, the pots and pans, the bamboo khatla and the wardrobe of rags. Gold and silver they had none to carry, and I should not wonder if some had to leave women and children and other live encum brances behind ; also if a number of viUagers, who lived in the fields far from human habitation, were swept off at night. 49 BEOACH. We left Surat on the 16th March, my friend Rasul and I, and arrived at Broach after two hours' journey by the B. B. Railway. Close to the station we found the Rustomji Jamsetji Dha- ramsala,* and here we put down ourselves and our baggage. Rustomji Jamsetji Jeejeebhoy. Poor Mr. Rustomji ! His princely progress through Gujarat is stUl remembered by the people, who fervently bless his name for nume rous quiet charities. In spontaneous and hearty good- will towards man he was no way inferior to his sire,t Talk as one may of his " blindly * A resting place ; literally "a house of charity." t Sir Jamsetji Jeejeebhoy, first Baronet, the world- renowned philanthropist. 5 50 GUJAEAT AND THB GUJAEATIS. lavish expenditure " and that sort of cold-blood ed philosophy, one cannot divest oneself of the thought that the unhappy gentleman was shame fully jilted by fortune. What is a matter of more poignant regret to a generous heart is that his own people were far frora grateful to hira in his fallen fortunes. I fail to see the wisdora of the policy ofthe Parsi friends and others when they voted hira a sectarian memorial. To my know ledge several Hindu and Mahomedan friends were ready and anxious, in fact they offered, to mark substantially their sense of admiration for this truly catholic lover of men. But his Parsi friends set themselves resolutely against all such proposals; no one can tell for what reason. It were foolish to conceal what is not a secret, that poor Rustomji Jamsetji had a greater claim on the gratitude of all sections of society than his late laraented and handsoraely endowed Baronet brother. But there is a proverb among us — "AU bow to the rising sun — none to the setting." Rustomji Jamsetji most resembles the late Sir Cowasji Jehangir, with this difference, that the former had little of the cold, at times almost sordid, spirit of calculation which characterised the princely donations of the latter. AU his BROACH. 51 charities were the offspring of generous impulse and an almost reckless disregard of consequen ces. Many " philanthropic " Parsis have died, and many may die hereafter (God have mercy on their souls !), but none probably has died so widely regretted and so long remembered as poor Rustomji. The Rustomji Dharamsala, though a really handsome, weU-divided building, has not a piece of furniture it can call its own — not one single chair or bedding. Could not some Bombay Parsi buy the Dharamsala, say, three hundred rupees' worth of small conveniences ? The Great Man op Little Broach. Seeing that the Dharamsala was merely an enclosure of bare walls, with hard chunam floor ing, I wrote to my friend, Desai KaliEinrai Hu- kumatrai, to help me with a few chairs. Desai Kahanrai is the greatest among the Broach gentry, a Municipal Commissioner, a leading Shett, a public-spirited citizen, and a general favourite with friends. The Desai is a man of taste, and keeps his house and grounds in excel lent order. The worthy Desai came to my help with chairs, tables and beddings, and so kindly 52 GUJARAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. did we take to each other, that I refused to make the acquaintance of others at Broach. My first impressions of Broach are thus recorded : — The Addeess. Broach, thou venerable relic of departed commercial activity, father of far-famed Gujarat, once the proud emporium ofthe trade of Gujarat, Kattywar and Rajputana, cradled by the holy Narbada and sanctified by the presence of the sacred Sukaltirth ; I walk thy dusty, musty, spongy surface with a gentle, gingerly tread ! Hail land of pugilists and prudes, hail hoary dust-town, miniature Cottonopolis, all hail to thee t An Afteenoon Pastime. One cannot help loving this dear old town with all its drawbacks. While a man is there he feels as if he were treading his grandpapa's well-fiUed stomach after tiffin. This is a favourite pastime among natives : their afternoon meal is the most copious of all, after which, feeling a little uneasy on having swallowed about two pounds of rice and the other concomitants, the elders of the family lie flat on the back, and invite the young hopefuls to pommel and prome- BEOACH. 53 nade on their capacious "middle regions." Their version is, that they give that exhilarating- exercise to their progeny out of love (the vener able hypocrites !), but everybody knows it is a sham. Well, then, one feels while walking the streets of Broach that he is hugging a welcome friend, as if he were clasped in the arms of old Father Christmas, with a cloak of dust on his shoulders. Dear old hen-pecked Broach ! Characteristics. Yes, the science of henpechery is carried here to perfection. It is studied universally. The town itself is henpecked by that termagant of a river, the Narbada ; the husbands are henpecked by their better-halves. Even the lower creation share the sarae fate ; the dog, the horse, the bull are tame as— a Turkish pacha ; the other sex is bold, pushing, forward. Nay, even high Govern ment officials do not escape this terrible disci pline ; their mistress, the Bombay Government, rules them with an iron rod. A Prude. I went a-marketing here, once upon a day, in the merry month of May ; I approached 64 GUJARAT AND THE GUJARATIS. a dairy-shop, and seeing a pot of boiling mUk, asked the woman sitting there how much she would take for a ser* of her milk. She glared upon me in answer, got up from her crouching posture— I could see she was a short woman, with a shorter petticoat, and a shorter temper still — she got up, I say, and asked, in gasping tones, "Is it asking for the milk you are after? And asking me! Ar'n't you ashamed? Ask my this.^' Her this, I saw, was her old man, sitting in the inmost recesses of the shop. A Hindu woman will die rather than address or speak ofher husband by his narae; she will say " I say," or " my this." If they are an elderly pair, the wife will describe her husband as "father of my" (naming her eldest born). The husband does the same by her ; and it is delicious to hear these old creatures chatting cosily of an evening, " I say, mother of Rama." " Yes, father of Rama, what is it ? " But to return to the milk-maid. I humbly said, " I only ask if this mUk is to seU." "Don't ask me," she shrieked ; " mUk or no milk. Marry come up, asking a stranger woman ! * About one pound, more or less. BROACH. 55 Ask my this, do you hear? " Her " this " was inside, I said, and there he remained. I listened to her with Socratic patience, and then left her, merely remarking, " Pray thee, good woman, do remove the milk from under thy glance ; it is turning sour." So saying I walked very fast towards my lodgings. I hope there are not many such women at Broach as my sweet- tempered mUk-maid. Sights, Natural and Unnatural. The visitor will be struck here by the number, more so by the noise, of the ginning (cotton- cleaning) factories. There is not much of other business to be noticed. Amongst sights, the best are the river Narbada, the Kabir Bur, some old Dutch tombs, the band- stand, and recreation grounds. Perhaps the most noticeable sight in the streets is the snobbery of men and the pru dery of women, also the happy family relations between the cart driver and his bullock. The animal is kissed, embraced, lashed, and impre cated by turn. " Go on, bullock of my heart, go on, thy mother-in-law's darling " ; " Will you go or not ? you lazy widower, you son of a widow." These are the sounds the ear con- 56 GUJARAT AND THB GUJARATIS. tinually catches, interspersed with whacking sounds, twisting of tails, cutting of flesh, &C. Broach badly wants a Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. But for its ginning factories, mostly under Parsi management — besides the large one of Messrs. Greaves and Co. — Broach would be an unspeakably dull place. Dulness is the prevail ing characteristic of most Gujarat towns-; at least, to one who has lived in Bombay it feels so. Broach was recovering from the effect of the Gujarat famine at this time.* It was piteous to see hundreds of villagers — men, women and children — begging from door to door, and swaUowing anything that came handy. Some of these famished wanderers were, I was told, substantial farmers only a few years ago, but successive failures of crops and the inexorable demand of the 8irkdr'\ had driven them into voluntary exile. In the document I give below, a copy of which I picked up at Broach, and which document must be read between the lines, may be found the views of the CoUector, * 1879-80. t Government. BROACH. 67 the Revenue Commissioner, and the Govern ment, as regards remission of taxes in bad seasons. A Remarkable Official Document. From the Collectoe, , To the Revenue Commissionee, N. D. Sie, Looking at the wide-spread misery of the ryots, their distressing past and hopeless future, I respectfully submit that their arrears be remitted them, or at least the payment deferred till better times. I have the honour to be, Etc. Etc. From the Revenue Commissioneb, N. D., To the Collectoe, . Memo. 2,085 of February 1877. The undersigned has received the Collector's extraordi nary letter, and has done his duty by forwarding the same to head-quarters. Undersigned hopes the Collector will have a suitable reply from His Excellency, which may serve him right.From the Chief Segeetaet to Goveenment, To r- Esq., Collector, . Bemi-official. Sie, Your strange communication, forwarded by the Commissioner of your Division, has excited some amuse ment. Hia Excellency in Council declares that such 58 GUJARAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. unofEcial proceeding on your part is highly repre hensible. But in consideration of your past meritorious services your fault is overlooked this time. Should you, however, repeat it. His Excellency will be forced to make an example of you. If ofiicers are troubled with so much sentiment, why don't they resign ? I am, sir, yours. Etc. Resolution. — Whereas a certain District Revenue Offi cial (name withheld out of consideration for long service) has thought fit to suggest the remission of our just and lawful dues, it is hereby notified for the general information of the Service that His Excellency will visit with his utmost displeasure any such weakness, which may lead at any time, but for the vigilance of the Police, to gross crimes, such as riot, burglary, dacoity, and murder, and ultimately tarnish the fair fame of our rule. Times change, and with thom must we. The people may die, that is the only means to the salvation of this conquered land. They may starve, languish, sell their children, or eat them. That is no concern of high-minded Christian rulers. We -inust looh to the remote future. There we descry hoards of Afghans and Cossacks overrunning the fair fields of Cashmere. (Is not Cashmere our neighbour ? and what is our duty by onr neighbour ?) And would it be Christian of us to rest before we have made a trans-Himalayan tramway, and till we take our formidable future foes home to Afghanistan and Siberia, wash the one and put the other to bed ? Ofiicers are re quested to think over these complications before they talk of remission and this and that remedy. httUAUU. 59 This official memorandum, or, as they call it. Resolution, and the other brief but expressive epistles which accompany it, may not be found on Government records; but they will give to the uninitiated some idea of what we know as demi-semi-official arrangements, in which our newly developed Imperial policy finds occa sional play. The imperial politician always looks to the " remote future," affecting a lofty disregard for the present. A Zealous Official.* I was told the other day of an exceUent young Postmaster in Gujarat. He is the very pink of a Postmaster, and the way he stands on his dignity is stunning. His idea of asserting his authority is to fine the wretched postmen right and left. These men are paid about seven rupees (fourteen shillings) a month, out of which the 'Mabap' Sircar makes it incumbent on each man to buy a red coat a year, a pair of shoes twice a year, turban, trousers, umbrellas, &c. Part of what reraains goes towards the Good Conduct Fund. From the residue the peon has to maintain wife and * Written five years ago. 60 GUJARAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. family, father, mother, children, cousins, aunts, in that irreproachable respectability which befits a servant of the Paternal British Government. 'Hard lines,' you will growl, reader. But I have not done. A peon tells me he is now fined about two rupees a month on an average. So what he earns is five rupees, out of which he has to attend to each one of the duties, private and public, that I have just enumerated. The Postmaster is very likely a good man ; but he overworks his men, and for the slightest error, such as he coraraits a thousand a day, he cuts the poor wretches in the tenderest, and, alas, the slenderest part ! Sir Richard Temple could have raade an exceUent license-tax collector of my friend the Postmaster. He is a typical instance of what we call here ' a zealous official' — the man who, be he Native or European, brings the Governraent into disrepute by resort ing to petty high-handedness like this, very often in order to curry favour with arbitrary and unscrupulous superiors. Such men are, un happily, not few, nor confined to a Umited area. They are scattered over the whole Empire, and do damage to the prestige of the Government wherever they are. 61 BA.EODA. Leaving Broach, nothing loth to leave, we came to Baroda ou 10th March 1878. The capital ofthe GuicowSrs was to me the Mecca of my pilgrimage. The Aposteophb. Land of my birth ! After twenty -four years of forced exile, I fly to thee. For a fourth of a century has my spirit yearned to see thee. For a full fortnight have I tried, on the spot, to conjure up thy past glories. But where are they, Baroda ? Where are thy traditions, thy institutions ? Where are the goody-goody stories which soothed me to slumber and thrilled me into infantile action ? Above all, where are 62 GUJARAT AND THE GUJARATIS. thy great institutions, such as the Sathmari* in which human beings were trarapled under the elephant's foot, where aUeged offenders were buried alive, thrown down steep hills, pinned to the waU, rolled in barrels nailed inside ? Where are thy Holi festivals, during which a hundred hired nymphs frolicked in naked charms in the palace compound, and invited, by a thousand arts, the whizzing liquid of the royal pichkdri ?t Where are the marriages between doves J and the attendant festivals ? Where are the crusades against cats, because one of the feline tribe breakfasted on the feathered bridegroom ? Where is thy bracing fever, thy benignant cho lera, 0 land of ray birth ? Gone, gone are all thy glories, gone for evermore 1 And instead I see the jail and the court-house, parks and palaces, roads and tanks, schools and colleges ; and that monster of a Municipal Commissioner. But enough of interrogatory apostrophes ; they lead to bad blood and bad grammar. * Known to Europeans as elephant fight. t Syringe. Mulhdr Rao Guicowar used to play at this very delectable game. X Khanderao Guicowar celebrated the marriage of his two favourite doves with royal pomp. BARODA. 63 Description of a Duebae.* A Durbar was held last year in honour of the youthful Guicowar having attained a certain age. The Dewan Saheb was absent in the district; his duties therefore devolved on his Parsi coadjutor. Half an hour before the Guicowar arrived, the nawabs, sirdars, and darkdars, and a host of other feudatories flocked to the Nazar Bagh. The court officials received them. On entering the state-room, each looked about to see if he had the right seat reserved for him. Your Spanish snobocracy could not be more puncti lious in their "reserved-seat " etiquette. It was a sight to see old Nawab Squaretoes Sakkar- Missari exchanging fiery glances with young Sirdar Hukka-Chilam Pan Supari. I looked on steadily tiU iny upper lip curled up in contempt and my nose expressed disgust at their silent squabbles. They simultaneously read my thoughts, aud turned upon me with a fierce look which clearly said, "You intruding up start ! What have you to do with our concern ?" That glance chUled me. That day I made up my mind, that if I ever went to a Durbar again, I * A court or political reception ; a sort of levee. 64 GUJARAT and THE GUJAEATIS. should look as grave as a chancery judge, what ever more exalted people did. Soon after came the Guicowar, as intelligent and fine-looking ai young fellow as was ever called upon to grace a gadi* ; as cool and collected as if to this " greatest favourite of fortune of our times " — as Sir Madav Rao aptly describes him — his present life and his life of five years ago made a very little difference. His Highness was shortly after followed by the British Agent and his staffl When the appointment of Mr. Philip Sandys Melvill to Baroda was first announced, it was considered by the Bombay officials especially as rather out-of-the-way, rather a jobbish appoint ment. But the Government have been amply justified in their choice. I know few officers in the whole range of the Indian Civil Service who could discharge the duty of the post with greater tact and delicacy. Mr. Melvill's prin ciple seems to have been never to interfere hastily with the Durbar concerns, and a most healthy principle it is. In private he was as humble as he was amiable in politics. His politeness oppressed me. * The royal cushion. BARODA. 65 Mr. ,MelviU had very little of the petty inter- meddhng spirit which, unfortunately, charac terises the generality of Political Agents ; and being above local prejudices, he discharged his duties of arbiter between the State and its vas sals with a calm impartiality which seldom left room for appeal. Though ready and anxious to help forward the good work inaugurated by Sir Madav Row, he seldom yielded where prin ciples required firmness. But to return to the Durbar. Well, the Resident sat, and with him the whole assembly. And then rose three noticeable personages from the floor on which they had been squatting. Two muddy-complexioned Naikins,* and the bear-leader, that is to say, the music-master. The former ethereal beings I dare not describe ; the latter was a short, healthy Musulman, not much under four hundred pounds avoirdupois. I need not say he is a man of great weight. The dusky songstresses sang a few snatches in a clear, vigorous monotone, accompanied by mstrumental music on half-a-dozen porcelain cups and saucers by the healthy Musulman. * Dancing girls. 66 GUJAEAT AND THB GUJAEATIS. The music was not intended for man ; so I can not judge ofit with justice. It soon ended, to our relief, and was foUowed by the rubbing of atfiir* (which has a sweet sickly odour, and a most tenacious regard for your handkerchief) and distribution of i-iaa and {iupdri.'\ Before the Durbar broke up, a tall, lank courtier stepped forward, and offered his stereotyped good-wishes toHis Highness,the beginning and, in fact, the gist of which I translate verbatim et literatim for the reader : — " Jlay you bathe in mdk, and may you be blessed with sons." Thus ended the Durbar of 1877. The People and the Do as. From prince to people is a natural transition. The capital ofthe Guicowars has a population of two lakhs of folk, consisting of men, women, and children, with a thick sprinkling of pahria dogs. The men may be divided into two classes — the snobbish and the sheepish. The former per petually chew pdn supdri, wear huge turbans, and drive about in the tiniest carriages, dragged * Otto of roses. f Betel leaf and the nut. BARODA. "' along by wee little buUocks, an inch or so smaller in size than our Bombay goats. The more bloated the face, and the smaUer the car riage and bullock, the readier is room made for the owner by the awe-struck pedestrian. Women maybedividedinto three classes— wives, widows, and prudes ; the first rule their husbands, the second rule their shops, the third may have been intended to scare away the small boys and dogs, and generally go about veiled and without shoes. The last are very helpful to the PoUce, in a way, but honest citizens avoid them somehow. The httle boys of Baroda may be described as " sad dogs," and the dogs as "gentlemen at large." These gentlemen seem to enjoy more privileges than their biped brethren. You will see one of them of an evening basking and luxuriating in the sunshine and street dust, his red tongue lolUng out, absolutely refusing to make room for the state carriage, or any other carriage, until he is taken hold of by his sov thern extremity* and flung bodily into the neighbouring basket of sugar cakes. Even under such trying circum stances his serenity is undisturbed. * The tail. 68 GUJARAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. H. H. THE Late Mahaeaja Keandebao. It is said the late lamented Maharaj^ Khan derao Guicowar was very partial to canine philosophers. His late Highness was a genuine "ruler of men," brave as Rustom, and munifi cent as Jamshed, though perhaps not so wise as Soloraon. He had strong likes and dislikes. But his failings were always amiable. One of these was, that he thought hiraself a born Escu- lapius. He had a remedy for all diseases, known and unknown, and used to physic every one about him. He used to experiment on a large scale. The shortest way to his favour was to go and say you had the belly-ache — by far the most common complaint among the Barodaites. AVell, His Highness would straightway repair to his dispensary, and return with a large bowl contain ing some vile mixture, which you must quaff at a draught and without giving the slightest indica tion ofa wry face. On the contrary, unhappy patient, you must sraile while drinking the royal nostrura. If you do not grin in the most approved court fashion, you are a ruined man. W^ell, after you have swallowed the poisonous stuff, make a low bow to the royal physician. BARODA. 6^ and retire to the adjoining room. Going to eject the dose on the sly ? Do not attempt it, deluded wretch, there are two royal eyes gloat ing over thy misery. Go to sleep over the potion, though thy inner man maybe on the fire of h -1 the while. Return in half an hour to report progress ; smile and simper and bow and loudly bepraise the medicating genius of thy mas ter. Then go thy way, thy fortune is made. Disposal or Dogs. But to come to the gentlemen dogs again. I fear they make it too hot for His Highness's other loyal subjects, and must either be banish ed, or the Municipal Commissioner ought to give them a uniform and set them to some " Impe rial " work. The Afghan war has not yet quite ended, and the Zulu war may begin anew. The illustrious Rama had Hanuman's monkey-army to fight his battles with Rawana; why raay not Baroda send to one of the frontiers a contingent of its canine cavalry ? Summing-up. To sum up, Baroda is a good place enough, but it is dull, dull beyond description. There is no living here ; it is a mere humdrum exis- 70 GUJARAT AND THE^ GUJAEATIS. tence. Between the people and the " upper ten thousand " there is no sympathy. You have no such institution as Society. EXHOETATION. How is it there is no missionary here ? I deraand. Import one, ye powers that be ; he is indispensable to progress and enlightenment. Get up popular lectures and street-preaching. "Steady internal progress" on paper, and all that, is very well, but let the people learn to eiijoy life under your adrainistration. In their present state they are almost justified in looking back. Let them forget the past. The past reign of rapine and plunder and degrading su perstition they must be taught to hold in horror. Give them soraething on the strength of which they may fondly look forward. Let the agricul- tural interests of your people claim your deepest consideration. Get up cattle shows, and agri cultural shows, and vegetable shows. Get up, if not fine, at least industrial arts exhibitions. The Viscount, the Sathmaei, and the Popinjay. Attend all ye who, &c., to a soul-stirring account of the Baroda Sathmari, which implies BAEODA. 71 an elephant fight, but really means much more than that. In the year of grace 1879, 12th day of AprU, it pleased my Lord of Hinchinbrook, a Government guest, to ask to be shown the elephant fight. To hear a live lord is to obey ; and instantly were issued thundering despatches from the acting Dewan's department to " all concerned," namely, one parrot, two elephants, eight buffaloes, two rhinoceroses (I am not quite sure if these officials are not called hippopotam uses) twelve rams, and sixteen wrestlers, a superior race of animals, who looked almost men, short and sleek and close-shaven. These doughty champions met at about five on the eventful evening, at a sort of house in the heart ofthe town, variously described to me as a palace, a bakery, and a charnel-house. I believe it was a palace in ancient times, when " horses were kings." At present, it is a skeleton house, ex ceedingly seedy and sensitive, but with an air that reminds one of better days. Adjoining this house of mystery is a spacious compound, the battle scene, that is to say, and surrounding it are the menagerie and stables. The tamdshd* * Public show. 72 GUJARAT AND THE GUJAeItIS. opened with an acrobatic exhibition. A man stood on a rickety frame-work of wood, resting on a table, another man taking somersaults on the arms and shoulders of number one. I do not very well remember this part of the performance, but have a vivid recollection of the concluding part, when the wooden frame-work came to grief, and with it the two jack-pudding snobs. It was a relief to know that both escaped serious injury. Then came the accompUshed parrot, who flourished his miniature sword, with his beak, of course, bent his bow and shot his arrows, and, what is more amazing still, loaded his tiny cannon with gunpowder, lit the touch and — fired! The feathery hero wrought wonders. The skill of a British general is nothing to the versatile genius of this gymnast, archer and artillery soldier. Indeed, that parrot is a genius ! May this simple record iramortaUse thee, 0 Prince of Popinjays ! The rhinoceroses gave each other very warm reception. About this time last year, when His Excellency Harun -Al Raseid* graced the sdth- * Sir Richard Temple. BAEODA. ^3 m^ri, these sulky warriors would not close, though every gentle persuasion— such as poking into their eyes, nose, and other tender parts the long- pointed 6/iaZo*— was exhausted. Lord Hinchin brook was more fortunate. Old Rhinos fought for him, as I said, and fought valiantly and weU. The elephants, too, " went in for it " right cheerfully, and it was a sight to see these black moving hiUs of flesh tugging and lugging and heaving away as earnestly as if, on the issue of their contest, depended the scientific rectification of our frontier. Poor beasts ! And yet why poor beasts ? Are they not considered the para gons of womanly beauty by the Hindus ? " Oh, elephant of my heart," was the tender ex clamation with which our ancient fathers used to greet their beloved when in a frolic mood. Ask Sir Madav Row, who is an authority on Hindu literature, from politics to poetry. And yet your modern Mary Ann would not relish the compliment if her Brown met her behind the kitchen door with, "Hohelephant of my 'art !" The buffaloes and rams butted away beauti fully. Brisk and energetic was the meeting of * Lance. 74 GUJARAT AND THE GUJARATIS. the bovine heroes, and their parting, oh ! so very slow and unwilling. But before finishing this catalogue of intelli gent fighting brutes, the faithful historian should not omit the wrestlers — bless my eyes, how very like me?i they look at times I They first make each other a make-believe bow, then shake each other by the paws, and then close. They rub and scrub and curry-comb each other till both drop on earch, where they go through a process of mutual kneading, and finally they mix, these fat, living butter-barrels, and there you lose their identity; you cannot, for the life of you, say which is which. And here ends my description ofthe Sathmari. But let me just run you off one screed. I was asked last year by a great man, a man of advanced views, what I thought of the fight. I praised the afiair without compromising my conscience, and then gently insinuated, " But don't you think. Sir , it is a somewhat barbarous pastime ? " That insinuation cost me a fine lecture, in the course of which I was told of the great power such exhibitions have to excite our martial instincts. I blushed at my want of enthusiasm. BARODA. 75 Official Dignitaries. In the course of the two visits to Baroda, I was able to make the acquaintance, more or less, of aU the official dignitaries. Sir Madav Row I saw during the first visit, with two or three members ofhis councU. It is impossible, of course, not to be favourably struck with such a man. My visit lasted less than half an hour. At Baroda also I had the honour ofthe acquaint ance of the Resident, Mr. MelviU, and of Major and Mrs. Nutt. As I have caught hold of the Baroda Administration Report for 1877-78, I think it may be best to give, in a few lines, my impressions about these gentlemen individually, in connection with their official work. To begin at the beginning. H. H. Mahaeani Jamnabai, CLE. The widow ofthe Maharaja Khanderao seems to be very popular with her people. Brahmins worship her more fervently than they worship Brahma. According to official reports, she is a bighly intelligent woman, and extremely dhar' mi.* She is, of course, at the head of the palace, * Charitable. 76 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJARATIS, and the palace expenditure, having been left to Her Highness's control, has happily increased about a lakh.* Last year's item stands at sixteen lakhs and odd (£160,000). There are several departments of the palace — the house hold, karkhanas, and dharmadaga being the principal. Each of these costs considerably over six, four, and four lakhs, respectively. With the utmost respect for Her Highness's prudential instincts, I submit the dharmadaga items are too heavy. The karkhanas include the jewel establishment, the elephants, -horses, bullocks, fireworks, sporting establishments, dancing girls, and the athletes, that is, the animals employed in the arena. The dharmadaga is maintained for giving hhichri'f to the poor and gifts to the Brahmins. Looking to the item under this head, I do not wonder at the report that some of the mendicant Brahmins ofthe royal household are millionaires. But next year we are promised wholesale economy. We all re member how Her Highness was invested with the Imperial Order of the Crown of India. That evening Mr. MelviU proposed Her Highness's * A hundred thousand rupees. t Rice and ddl cooked together. BAEODA. '^'^ health at a royal banquet. In returning tbanks the gaUant Dewan broke out into lusty elo quence, likening Her Highness to Venus. But it may be remembered, it was to the Venus of Astro nomy, not of poetry, that the gallant old poet- politician likened his royal mistress. The Maharani is doubtless a remarkable woman — she is firm of hand and strong of will. She is said to be a capital horsewoman, and fond of riding out into the open districts, and all that sort of sport. She is equally fond of music and dancing ; and she is the mother of little Tarabai, married recently to the Sawuntwari Chief. H. H. SlAJIRAO. His Highness the young Maharaja is the ob ject of Rani -lamnabai's instant and constant solicitude. The Agent, the Dewan, and the tutor are agreed in thinking him an exemplary youth of his class. His arithmetic is said to be weak ; but it must be remembered that few of his ancestors had a genius that way. If he had an arithmetical turn of mind, why should he have been reserved for a gadi ? His progress in languages is, however, said to be satisfactory. He is now reading the Children's Friend, a book 78 GUJARAT AND THB GUJARATIS. without an equal. Why should he not read alittie of Chesterfield now and then ? His Highness is also studying Chemistry, PoUtical Economy, and Geography. AU this while his physical develop ment is being taken care of. In the midst of all this good-natured progress-puffery, I am gratified to find Mr. Melvill's sober testimony as to the young Guicowar being hitherto " un tainted in his moral character." It looked almost impossible that a youth, with Sidjirao's private surroundings and his unfortunate physic al precocity, should long remain untainted ; but the official testimony may be accepted. The Maharaja was installed on the gadi of Baro da by His ExceUency the Governor of Bombay with unusual pomp and ceremony. This was in Deceraber 1881 . Sir James Fergusson delivered an admirable address at the tirae, sueh as I have very seldom read on occasions like this. During the long interval between 1878 and 1883 His Highness is reported to have improved in a re markable manner. His character may be said to have been formed. He is now paterfamilias , and has household cares added to the cares of State. I do not envy Maharaja Siajirao, though I should like to have a fraction of his pocket money, now BARODA. 79 and then, for a hundred deserving objects. But His Highness seems to be a " careful" donor. He impresses visitors very favourably by his manners. The Viceroy was much struck with his inteUigence during a recent visit. I had the honour of an interview with His High ness in May 1882. He received rae very cour teously, and appeared to be anxious to learn something new about every topic we traversed. It is clear that he means to rule. But in the case of a sanguine young raan there is always the danger of what Indian bards denounce as abhi- mdna — purse-pride or power-pride. I pray that this danger may be averted, and that he may live to reign for the good of his subjects over whora he has been providentially raised. His Highness is desirous of reforms in many directions, though where an outlay of funds is concerned, his advisers hold back. Among other improvements may be noticed the opening of a cotton Spinning Mill by the Maharaja, which is expected to pay him well, besides finding employment for the poor. His Highness has also a scheme of water supply under considera tion. Perhaps the best reform His Highness has yet attempted is that of pensioning off and 80 GUJARAT AND THE GUJARATIS. otherwise dismissing a number of hereditary hangers on, and setting them to earn an honest livelihood. Baroda boasts of a privileged class — sirdars, darkdars and others. These worthies have hitherto had a very good time of it. They ran into debt with a light heart indulging in every kind of extravagance ; and when hard pressed, demanded relief from the State treasury. On the other hand, they, con sidered themselves above paying their plebeian creditors who could not sue them ! All this nonsense, I am told, is being put a stop to. The Raja Dewan. This veteran administrator is an eleve of the Madras University, a Maratha Brahmin by race, and a Tanjorian by birth. He owes much ofhis early education, I believe, to Christian mission aries. These facts may prove instructive to the cockneys whose feeble wit is never tired of railing at "the benighted laresidency," and at the efforts of foreign padres. I know little of young Madav Row's academic career ; but it must have been far above the common run, to judge from the fact that soon after leaving college he was taken in hand by the Director of Public Instruction, BAEODA. 81 Mr. Evan PoweU. He seems to have started in life as a schoolmaster, and sometime after is found in Government employ. At this stage he attracted the notice of one of the Arbuthnots, at whose recommendation, probably, Mr. Madav Row came to be tutor to the first Prince of Travancore, and ultimately the Dewan. This prince, now Maharajji, is considered an educated and accomplished man, and an enlight ened ruler. This is, no doubt, partly due to the influence of His Highness's tutor. It was for his successful administration of Travancore, I believe, that Sir Madav Row was knighted by the paramount power. He was then invited by the Maharaja Holkar to take charge of his State as Dewan. Here he remained for some years, and managed to secure the esteem and good will of, if not the Mahar dj a, at any rate, the British Government and the people. Sie Madav at Baboda. Early in 1875, on the deportation of Muhlar Rao Guicowar, Governraent cast about for a pilot capable of steering Baroda, a most unsea- worthy vessel, clear of the dangers and difficul ties surrounding it. Their choice fell on Sir 82 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. Madav Row, and it has at least partially been justified. Indeed, it would not be transgressing truth if I said, on his own authority, that in the past three years this able Marathtt minister has worked wonders. He has almost out through formidable rocks of Girasia* and Sirdarf claims, crossed the shoals of internal and external oppo sition, refilled the sands of the almost run-out revenue glass, bridged over boundary chasms, J and spread the light of education where once " reigned and revelled " the gloom of ignorance. The judicial, financial, and sanitary chaos he has reduced to Order, which, Edmund Burke tells you, is " the foundation of all good things." Instead of the army of athletes, who expended their brute force in wrangling with brute crea tures, Sir Madav Row introduced an army of intellectual wrestlers who fight their foes in their several provinces with faithful courage. Mulhar Rao's Baroda was the most uncleanable of Augean stables ; but with their brooms and mops and spades (this is a homely Sanskrit figure) the enlightened lieutenants of the * A vassal, generally a small landed proprietor. t A military vassal. I Boundary disputes between neighbouring S tates. BARODA. 8S Dewan have swept away abuses, and made it all sweet and clean for young Siaji Rao and his little family of eighteen lacs.* Administeation Details. But to come to the particulars of the year under review— 1878. On the outset, I am favourably impressed by the Dewan's endeavours to " conserve the rights and privileges " of his State . These endeavours have culminated in the reduction, to its minimum point, of the active interference of too many British officers (neigh bouring, I believe) in the internal administra tion of the State. This is a great triumph for Baroda, and equally creditable to the persistent representations of the Durbar and the liberal good sense of the paramount power. Oh that other native States of Western India were half so handsomely treated ! And oh that these States deserved to be so treated [ But prayers and appeals are thrown away upon Government officials and native Kdrbhdris.-f In the year under review, the Dewan obtained the loan, from the Bombay Government, of the able * 18,00,000, population of Baroda. t Managers of Native States. 84 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJARATIS. Civilian, Mr. Joshua King, for the settlement of girds disputes. The Minister also confesses to having invested to some extent in municipal dead stock, an arrangement sure to benefit the live stock of Baroda in the end. In the same year were sanctioned or expended Rs. 2,30,000 for medical buildings, of which the New Jamnabai Dispensary cost Rs. 86,000, and is pronounced by Dr. Cody * as " unsurpass ed at least in this country," in its management for the " comfort, convenience, and privacy of the patients." Dr. Cody may be right in his estimate of this gem of a dispensary. But I, too, have seen dispensaries in Kattywar, which are, and wUl remain for a century to come, quite " unsurpassed." An Unsurpassable Dispensary. For instance, there was one at Malia. It was in a nice little hovel, and was conducted on catholic principles ; for, not only was it free to light and rain, but even beasts of the field and birds of the air found free access to it. For some time, I was told, the dispensary had not * Died at Bombay in 1883, deeply lamented. BARODA. 85 been working ; but I found that this assertion could not be borne out; for I myself saw a number of respectable-looking mice experiment ing with the surgical instruments, and a num ber of big stalking spiders surrounding the blue bottles with a fantastic network. Finance. In spite of liberal disbursements under all heads, it is gratifying to see that the Dewan so well kept up his financial position. Soon after the assumption of office, he roughly estimated the normal revenue of Baroda at about 110 lacs, and the normal expenditure at 105 lacs. The receipts for this year (1878), I note, amount to 120 lacs, which is more by 10 lacs than what the Dewan first estimated. The disbursements for this year are 122 lacs, which is more by 17 lacs than the original rough estimate. Both the receipts and the disbursements were, how ever, mainly in6uenced by the bad year on one hand, and the consequent extraordinary expen diture on the other. The amount invested in Government notes stands at one crore and two lacs* at the end of the year under review. * £1,200,000, reckoning Rs. 10 = £1. 8 86 GUJARAT AND THB GUJAEATIS. Altogether the financial position is most satis factory. The report gives promise of curtaUment in several departments, especiaUy the palace and the miUtary. This is a healthy move. But the double marriage* at Baroda has absorbed a fat fraction of Sir Md.dav Row's cherished hoards once basking in the sunshine of 4.^ per cent. interest. The Raja Dewan as a Whole — the Bright Side. The Raja Sir T. Madav Row is an avowed admirer of Anglo-Indian statesmanship, and his administration thus far of one of the largest native States in India has been thoroughly British in character. Whether this administra tion—a most interesting experiment in itself — ¦ has been or is likely to be a complete success, time alone can tell. Sir M£(,dav Row went to Baroda with a reputation for rare political ability, and he has given ample proof, at least, of his industry and perseverance. Sir Dinkar Row and Sir Madav Row were the likeliest men for the coveted prize. Baroda was then bordering on anarchy, thanks to Mulhar Rao's gross mis- * Of the Mdharaj£ and his cousin Tarabai. BAEODA. 87 management. The finances were at a low ebb ; the administration of law and justice was arbi trary and uncertain; and, to be brief, both State and society, were completely demoralised. It required a strong hand to restore the prestige of justice and law, and to check the sirdars, zemin dars, and other hereditary hangers-on in their career of oppression on one hand, and extrava gance on the other. The public, the Maratha people especially, had made up their minds as to the appointment of Sir Dinkar Row. The Government of India, however, nominated Sir Madav Row, who was generally understood to be the more liberal-minded administrator of the two. But somehow this appointment did not please the public of Western India. The atti tude of both Marathas and Gujaratis was rather ominous, and it no doubt damped the spirit of the ardent administrator whose career had hitherto been a series of triumphs. To add to the dis comforts of his position, the Government of Bombay " looked with a severe eye " upon the intruder from the south, whom Holkar had only recently found to be too advanced for his slow- going subjects. But the fiat had gone forth, and Sir Madav alone could rescue Baroda from 88 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. anarchy. He had only a short time previously afforded Lord Northbrook* great pleasure by his astronomical lucubrations. He was general ly allowed to be a man of talent, one of the most educated men in India, with a will and capacity for work. Thus came His Excellency to Baroda, conquering and to conquer. Luckily for him, the Government sent a local Agent and Resident who was well qualified by temperament and training to second His Excellency in every detail of administration. The Dewan of Baroda had, indeed, good cause to be thankful for the appointment of Mr. P. S. Melvill. Sir Madav Row, on setting to work, formed a ministry of some of the ablest native servants of the Government of Bombay. He skilfully dis tributed the work of administration, reserving to himself supreme control of affairs in every department. He requested his subordinates to find him as much money as they eould by honest means. The result was, that within a year the Dew4n was able to show a surplus. Arrears of State dues were recovered, fresh contracts were made on advantageous terms ; sirdars and other * Then Viceroy. BAEODA. 89 idle pensioners were told to shift for themselves ; the Rani-mother (Queen-Dowager) and the Guicowsir elect were inforraed that they must not exceed their already liberal allowances, and that the State would not bd responsible for any extravagance in which they might indulge. Hav ing procured finances, the Dewan entered upon a series of reforms, revenue, judicial, municipal, and educational. A glance at his elaborate annual reports wiU show that Sir Madav Row has done more than was anticipated. He has changed the face of Baroda. He has introduced various reforms, developed industries, and en couraged individual enterprise. Two years ago, in letting offa coUple of marriages, he exhibited the resources of the country and gave to European visitors a taste of Oriental hospitality such as is seldom offered even at the durbars of Rijis* The Shadowy Side, But in spite of all this prosperity. Sir Mddav Row's administration of Baroda is far from popular either with the Marathas or the Gujaratis. Sir Madav Row is not only an avowed admirer of Anglo-Indian statesmanship ; he is a servUe 90 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. imitator of the same. He worships routine and centralization. The result has been disastrous, as it could hardly be otherwise in a State where the masses are yet struggling with poverty and ignorance. What can be more exasperating to the poor illiterate hhedu,* used to direct appeal and rapid decision, than to have to carry his grievance from his village to the town, and thence to the district, and finally to the capital ? Another fault in the Dewan is that he insists on exercis ing direct control over the minutest depart mental detaU, even to the employment or dismissal of a sepoy. His municipal and other reforras are confined to the principal towns. The Mofussilt is a howling wUderness. Roads, irrigation, and all other essentials of material progress are conspicuous by their absence. The people, allGujarfttis ofthe "mild Hindu" type, are coraraitted to the mercy of Maratha officials — men not only unacquainted with the concerns of rural life in Gujarat, but destitute of all sympathy with the people. The sure and short road to popularity at head-quarters is increase of revenue. To the unscrupulous official nothing is impossible in * Cultivator. t Country districts. BARODA. 91 this direction. The Bombay papers have report- ed many instances of oppressive taxation intro duced on frivolous pretexts, and various taxes of the kind are levied, although the nominal reasons for them no longer exist. Sir Madav Row has sense enough to see that, with the people arrayed against his administration, he has no chance of ultimate and perraanent success. Intelligent and beneficent as that administration has been, as compared with the state of things which pre ceded it, there are yet lacking in it, as in its " Imperial " model, many of the quahties essen tial to efficiency. Popular disaffection is already finding vent in newspaper articles and in anonymous pamphlets, in which the writers accuse Sir Madav Row and his co-adjutors of criraes the most repulsive and hateful. These may be all — no doubt many of them are — a tissue of malicious fabrications, but they augur no good to the now very much- embarrassed ministry.* Sir Madav Row resigned office in 1882. Having done so much for Baroda in the way of inaugurating useful reforms, the Dewan no doubt wished to stay long enough to carry some of * Written in 1880. 92 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. them to completion. But his position was made uncomfortable with a shrewd and self-willed prince and with the Durbar and the zenana arrayed against a foreign administration. I believe Sir Madav yielded to his master so far as he consistently could. But when he saw that from the position of the ruler or regent he was about to be reduced to that of a mere agent of a superior will, he discreetly withdrew. I am honestly of opinion that the ministry ought to have continued at Baroda a few years longer. But that was not to be. Sir Madav Row left with three lacs of rupees by way of bahshis, I suppose^ I wish he had given Baroda a fresli water supply with this money. The Raja has now betaken hiraself to serene retirement where in, I trust, he wUl devote his wealth and talents to the good of his countrymen who are proud of the talented Tanjorian. Khan Bahadue Kazi Shahbuddin. This able revenue officer is a Mahomedan, and was once upon a time in British employ as Mam- latdar. I can trace hira only so far back ; his official identity beyond that is to me shrouded in mystery. That he was once a school-boy and so BAllOUA. 93 on, I aUow ; but his personal history must be reserved tiU he retires, or at least becomes a member of the Legislative CouncU. From a maralatdar, Kazi Shahbuddin came to be a Deputy Collector. He then entered the service of His Highness the late Rao of Kutch. Since then, I believe, he has been at Baroda. He can, there fore, be fairly supposed to have a greater know ledge of the ins and outs of Baroda than any other brother officer of his. Kazi Shahbuddin has a remarkably clear head, and his revenue ad ministration of Baroda would do credit to any English Civilian in India. In the dismal history of Mahomedan management cf public affairs in this part of India, K^Czi Shahbuddin's official career is the only shining light. The flourish ing state of Baroda revenues, and the comparative ease with which they are collected, speak much for him. "With a rare mastery of details, he knows and appreciates large principles, and applies them with judicious modifications to the existing state of things. "^ &o says Sir Madav Row, and he ought to know what he says. Kazi Shahbuddin is well known for his pleasant manners and accommodating habits, and during the recent scarcity in Gujarat he discovered a 94 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS, vein of philanthropy as charming as it was ori ginal. He kept under his protection several fa mine refugees, and is said to have been wondrous kind unto them. Kazi Shahbuddin has been Dewan since Sir Madav Row's retirement ; but his position is said to be precarious. Khan Bahadue Pestonji Jehangir. This Parsi official commenced his career, years ago, under the auspices of the British Govern^ ment ; and since his entrance into public service up to this day he has been recognised as, perhaps, the ablest native officer in the depart ment under which he has served. He is best known in this Presidency as Settlement Officer ; and as such he seems to have coraraanded the approval and confidence ofhis Governraent. He went to Baroda, six years ago, with a reputation for ability and independence. His duties at Baroda were of a delicate and coraplex nature, involving the awards of very considerable suras of raoney; but he discharged them with a judi cious care that often entitled his decisions to the respectful acceptance of both parties. Mr. Pestonji has rejoined Government service. BAEODA. 95 Khan Bahadue Cuesbtji Rustomji. This gentleman, a Parsi also, is a protege of the British, under whom he has occupied several judicial posts. He has a very respectable know ledge of EngUsh law, and is a fine Maratha scholar. He is a slow, shrewd, and competent officer, and at present occupies the iraportant office of Chief Justice of Baroda. He pre sides over the Varishta Court, and transacts business in relation to original and appeal suits with much discrimination. Mr. Cursetje Rus tomji is assisted as Puisne Judge by Rao Bahadur Janaeuan Sakhaeam Gadgil, very well known for his power of manipulating figures, in which business he had rendered him self useful to the Dewan. Mr. Gadgil was some years ago connected with Bombay journalism. Under the Varishtd, Court there are, in all, 123 inferior tribunals, with 126 judges, which, to be mathematical, gives the satisfactory ratio of 1"024390 judges to 1 court. Among these finely decimalised administrators of Guicowari law may be mentioned the well-known Mr. Ambalal SakerUl, Mr. Raoji Vittal, and Mr. Gunesh Shitaram Shsistri. The cost ofthe whole judicial 96 GUJARAT AND THE GUJARATIS. organisation for the year (1878) is put down at Rs. 3,73,000, against which there is a set-off of Rs. 2,81,000, in the shape of stamps, fees, fines, &c. Rao Bahadur Vinaybkrow J. Kirtane. This zealous officer I have been industriously looking about for, till T find him sadly mixed up with the Police. Mr. Kirtane is a quadrupal officer, raanaging the Khadgi,* the General, the Educational, and the Police Departments. He seems to be a most efficient and able officer, and has rendered very good service to the Dewtdn in the matter of police organisation and reform during this year. Sir Madav speaks with cor dial approval of " the rare amount of know ledge, thoughtfulness, and sustained though unostentatious energy" which this officer has expended on the discharge of his multifarious duties. The strength of the city police force is represented by 1 superintendent, 8 inspectors, 72 subordinate officers, 245 peons, 20 sowars, t 4 detectives, and 42 men on office establishment. Besides the usual police expenditure of Rs. * Guicowar' s private purse. f Mounted Policemen. BAEODA. 97 95,508, an extraordinary grant of Rs. 13,923 was made this year. Mr. Superintendent Tubak, very well known in Bombay, has been thanked by the Dewan for having guarded grain- shops during the recent scarcity. Me. G. F. H. Hill, C.E. This gentleman is State Engineer at Baroda, and the Department under him has done " very creditable work," to judge from former reports. The total outlay by Mr. Hill's Department during the year is Rs. 6,37,000. His office estabUsh ment has been materially strengthened, and special addition has been made for purposes of account and audit, which will cost annually Rs. 18,000. An additional sum of Rs. 25,000 was also sanctioned for fair weather roads in the Amreily Division. This latter amount, the Dewan Saheb says, was partly spent " usefully," and partly, I should say, " wastefuUy." Sir Madav Row forgets that nothing under the sun is perfect. However, His Excellency is not behind-hand in Oriental compliment. He says, " Mr. Hill may be congratulated on the excellent manner in which several of his subordinates have served the Department ! " So he may. Of these 98 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. subordinates the foremost may be mentioned my friend Mr. Pestanji Dorabji Khandalawala, as good an engineer as he is a linguist and litterateur of promise. Besides Mr. HiU, the State Engineer, Baroda has or had a Special Engineer, Mr. Crosthwait, who seems to have rendered signal service to the State in connection with the water supply and drainage works, and also in devising means to restrain the floods of the Viswamitra — an annually recurring danger. It is satisfactory to learn that the bunds (embankraents) erected by Mr. Crosthwait have proved very useful. Mr. Crosthwait is also reported to have investigated the means of lowering the floods ; and it is to be hoped that his suggestions may prevail. Sir Madav Row's allusion to the durability of the old unscientific bridges is very apt in this con nection. It is a foregone conclusion with all, I presurae, that the old works executed by practi cal native engineers are far better, at least in their usefulness, than the aisthetic " lumps of sugar " we now see springing up in all parts of India. These latter afford an illustration of engineering science run mad. BARODA. 99 Mr. Dinsha Ardeshir Taleyaekhan. A narae very well known as that of an ardent and honest politician. As a journalist Mr. Dinsha has done much good service, at the same time making himself very unpopular with the ultra-patriotic class, whose dictum seems to be, " Let a hundred people die under native misrule, rather than ten of them be saved by British inter ference." Mr. Dinsha's persistent and manly ex posure ofthe mismanagement ofthe Native States of Sucheen, Dharampore, Kattywar, and even Baroda, has resulted in great public good ; and his waging war single-handed upon such fearful odds is, in itself, indicative of the moral stamina he possesses. Besides editingthe Qujardt Mitra, he has written innumerable pamphlets, and I do suspect he has dabbled in blank verse ! But in spite ofthe latter weakness, which comes natural to aU (even Bacon and FrankUn have perpetrated some glum atrocities of the kind), I hardly know of any native journaUst of Western India who is his better in perseverance and devotion, though there have been some capital native journalists, too, in the past generation. Mr. Dinsha coraes of a highly respectable family as his surname implies, for what I 100 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. know, descended from Persian nobility. His fathers were in the service of the Moghuls and more recently of the British Government. My friend has travelled a good deal, and is a man of large views and generous impulses. His ser vices are much esteemed by European officers. Since the assumption of ministerial office by Sir Madav Row, Mr. Dinsha has been working under him as Municipal Commissioner of Baroda, in which capacity he is reported to have rendered a good account of himself. " That officer is full of genuine zeal, and diligently looks after details with care and thoughtfulness. He has made steady approaches to order and system in the operations of his Department. He has overcome, with temper and taet,the natural apathy or positive resistance of the people concerned. Indeed, he may be said to have achieved a certain measure of popu larity for his Department. I have heard expres sions of appreciation and thankfulness from even such citizens as are distinguished for intense conservative ideas. And strangers visiting the city at distant intervals have borne testimony to progressive improvement in terms satisfactory and encouraging. " BARODA. 101 So says Sir Madav Row, and the Agent bears him out. This is another refutation, if needed, of the vulgar prejudice that journalists never make good men of business. Mr. Janar- dan S. Gadgil is another meraber of the fourth estate whose services to Baroda have proved valuable. Rao Bahadur Manibhai Jasabhai. One of the ablest Native administrators on this side is my friend Rao Bahadur Manibhai Jasabhai. He worked at Baroda for three years as Public Works Minister, and gave satisfaction to all who came in contact with him. I believe he had the confidence of the Maharaja, and had many prospects of promotion tiU he rose, per haps, the highest. But having been earnestly invited to rejoin his appointment as Dewan of Cutch, Mr. Manibhai left Baroda in 1883 amidst universal regret. This is not the place in which to dwell upon the career of the valu able " Nagar Mani," as his admirers caU him. Mr. F. a. Elliot, C.S., has been tutor, and latterly chief adviser, to His Highness the young Guicowar. This excellent 102 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. officer has succeeded very well with his delicate, if not arduous, duties. His reports of the pro gress made by his princely pupil are in them selves a certificate of his own abiUties and cha racter. The young Guicowar was fortunate in having secured the services of such a man for his guide, philosopher, and friend. It appears that Mr, Elliot did not pull on weU with Sir Madav Row, though he says he has always kept aloof from Durbar hhatpat. But it is impossible to speak with certainty about what happens behind the curtain. As an outsider I noticed an unpleasant tension, and regretted it. The High School is flourishing as well as it could under Mr. Tait. That officer is highly spoken of for his abiUties and zeal. Mr. Tait has Mr. Harold Littledale for his assistant. The Guicowar Sirhdr has founded several scholarships and prizes, and Kazi Shahbuddin bestows two scholarships on deserving Maho medan students. Not the least noticeable fea ture of State Education in Baroda is the establishment of the Anglo-Indian Institution, for European and Eurasian children. General Watson, Governor- General's Agent at Baroda, every way a worthy successor to Mr. MelviU, BAEODA. 103 has won the gratitude of the Camp inhabitants by starting a Native Girls' School at his expense. The vernacular schools are flourishing under Mr. Bhogilal PranvuUubdas, a weU -known educational officer of extended experience. One of the most useful agencies of the Administration is the Medical Department, vir tually, I presume, under the control of Dr. Bhalchandra, the hero ofthe Cgesarian section.* It is curious to see how kindly Hindus have of late been taking to the medical profession. They seem to be most successful in the line, too ; decidedly more so than the Parsis. That is owing to the fact that they do not become quite bildti j in their treatment. There a.re in all six medical officers in the Baroda territory, among whom Dr. Bhal stands pre-eminent for his rare abilities and tact. "He is speciaUy conspicuous for popularity, and has earned confidence at the Palace," says the Dewan, and this is saying a good deal. The profession ought to be proud of Mr. Bhalchandra. The other officers, too, are * He has performed sixteen operations known by that name. t Europeanised. 104 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. doing much useful work in various sections, espe cially my good friend Mr. Rustomji Hormusji. I do not think I have oraitted any officer except the argus-eyed Appaji Ramchandra, (now retired) whose close grasp on the Guicowar's money-bags is making " itself felt more or less in all Departments." Rao Saheb Appaji was the right man in the right place, and the heads of all Departments stood in awe of him. In him was centred the glory of good works at Baroda. Mr. Motiram Goculdas, too, is a likely man — quite a gem of a Treasurer. Non-Official Magnates. Of the non-official notabilities at Baroda, Gopal Rao Myral, the renowned banker, or his heir, stands first. He is the RothschUd of Baroda, and knows — at least his books could tell you — much more about the Guicowars than anyone else could. Among the »SiVc/av class the Naw^b of Baroda is eminent. The Nawab Saheb is hospitality itself. Some time ago he gave a supper party to the elite of Baroda. Knives, forks, and spoons were introduced for the first time ; and though the guests may be supposed to have handled them freely, those baroda. 105 instruments of torture did grievous mischief to the worthy host and his heirs. Medical aid was immediately required. Let us draw a veil over bleeding tongues and chopped fingers ! The poor Nawab Saheb left " this world of woes " about two years ago. He was a very popular man. 106 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. EN ROUTE TO AHMEDABAD. On the Jst of April 1878 we left for Ahraedabad. The poor famine-stricken people came to us in crowds wherever the train stopped, looking more like apparitions than beings in flesh and blood. About Dakore, Umreth, and other adjoining places, the distress seems to have been very severe and general. Still the prospect that lay before the eye was pleasanter than we had hitherto seen. In the carriage we occupied were a Vakil and a philosophic Shrawak. The Vakil had an opera-glass, which he seemed to mistake for a telescope. He said he espied Ahraedabad through it at the distance of about 60 miles. This the Shrawak said he could not see. Whilst the two were wrangling, the train stopped at an intermediate station, and in carae a Hindu gentleman, a Bania, big and eminently ugly. EN ROVTE TO AHMEDABAD. 107 He had his little son with him, who was the very image of his father — big, bloated, pock-marked face, without any visible eyes, and excessively nosey. The train stopped at a certain station again, and the Bania prepared to aUght. He first handed over his kit to the porter, then that ugly boy of his, so very leisurely, that before he found time to drag his own carcass out, the engine gave the whistle. The Bania' s wife, who had just issued frora one of the third-class carriages, gave a shriek on seeing her lord's danger. The raan turned pale and yellow by turns. Meantirae half a dozen Parsi officials rushed to his assistance. " Corae to my arms," said one fat official to the Bania. But the Bania would not accept the loving invitation. "Stop the train, " he cried hoarsely. At last they got the motion considerably slackened, and that Parsi again said, " Come to my arms." The Bania replied, " Stop it altogether." And stopped it was. The Bania stepped out, and we started. That Bania is a Sowhdr ;* I afterwards ascertained that he was a Desai. f He came from Gandevi. * Money-lender. t Small hereditary dignitaries. 108 gujaeat and the gujaratis. Locust-Desais. This Desai, or the family of Desais rather, are petty officials under the Guicowar, and possess holdings in Nowsari, Gandevi and BiUi- mora. The revenue and other exactions of former Guicowars were hard enough to bear for the poorer people of these parts ; but the Desais, taking advantage of the misrule of later days, ^eem to have added their own taxes and imposts to those already existing. And these iniquitous exactions have, it is said, been levied until now, when the unhappy peasantry and traders are absolutely unable to bear them. It is curious to see how these Desais' imposts were first brought into existence. The Desai, for instance, had, in a prosperous year, a super fluity of grain. He left a few maunds * at the house of each of the villagers, and after a short interval billed them for the grain — at fancy rates. This was sharp practice enough. But it was only the beginning. Next year the Desai forgot to leave the grain for the family, but a sum similar to that paid the year before, when the * A Bombay maund is about 28 lbs. avoirdupois. EN ROUTE TO AHMEDABAD. 109 grain had been left, had to be paid over again ! And thus came the grain-impost into existence. This practice seems as infamous as the robbing of the people by the Turkish village tyrants. As is the case with grain, so with everything else of which the Desai had once a superfluity- The superfluity could not often recur ; but the im position of Rs. 500 to Rs. 600 on each commu nity remains to this day.* After a good deal of clamouring on the part of the more intelligent of the townsmen, the Dewan of Baroda seems to have deputed a Nayeb Suba to investigate the nature of the discontent which had become general throughout the three towns above referred to. This Nayeb Suba, the Gujarat Mitra informs us, made himself and family the guests of the Desai, and it was at the Desai' s place and in his presence, where he could smile or frown at will, that the Sub^ held his court of inquiry. If this be so, nothing could be more reprehensible even in the Guicowar territory. But getting over all these cruel hindrances, the writer has been able to record the following disclosures made in the course of inquiry. The facts may convey some idea of the * Written five years ago. 10 110 GUJARAT AND THE GUJARATIS. desperation to which the poor people have been driven : — Parsi shopkeepers of Gandevi deposed that the Desdi has been, for years, exacting from each Rs. 51 a year. Parsi boat-buUders ofthe sarae place have been paying the Desai Rs. 5 on every craft prepared, besides fuel, timber, &c. Those who pleaded inability were deprived of their tools, and thus left without the means of earning a livelihood. Some Hindus, whose business it is to weigh loads of fuel or other things, were taxed Rs. 40 a year, and are now taxed Rs. 260 a year ! On one bale of tobacco the Desai exacts Rs. 21. From the Mussalman weavers he takes fifty yards of the cloth they weave. Some years ago the Desai had a nautch^ party, and he wanted cloth for a pavilion. That grant of cloth has been made perpetual ! Besides, the poor fellows have to pay something in cash too. Hindu weavers have to supply sixty yards of cloth. The butcher, too, has to contribute Rs. 25 a year towards the Desai's maintenance, as also the dyer in a similar sum. The Vanjarast have to pay a certain sum per bag of grain. All these taxes are alleged * Performance by hired dancing-girls. t Or Banjaris, itinerant grain- carriers. EN ROVTE TO AHMEDABAD. Ill to be the Desai's own, over and above the Guicowar's. The Guicowar Sirhdr has its house tax ; the Des^i has a corollary to it, named the choold tax, or tax on cooking-fire, of Rs. 2-8 a house. Then comes the Marwari, who has to pay the jdjarn or carpet tax ; also the ghee tax. That is, these Shylocks of the viUage had to present to the Desai so much carpet and so much ghee a year. But when the Desai had too much of carpet and ghes, he asks for their equivalent in money. " We paid for some years," depose the epigrammatic Mivwivi. " We don't do so now: our will." That is sturdy comraon sense, and once in a way I sympathise with the sordid miser. The Dheds had to pay hide tax, that is a substitute in coin for the hides of animals they skin from time to time. They now plead inability. The fishermen, too, are not left out of the list, poor miserable creatures, barely able to eke out a breakfast of seeds, fish, or anything that comes handy ! They, too, are utterly un able to oblige the Desai. BiLLIMORA. I have seen BiUimora and the adjoining parts, and ara assured by respectable informants that 112 GUJARAT AND THE GUJARATIS. the account I give above ofthe Desai's exactions is substantially correct. My trip to BiUimora was not quite uneventful. Railway Speed, etc. I left for bunder BiUimora by mail train. The train went at high speed, I am told, which, on ascertaining it, I find to be about twenty miles an hour. Compared with bullock hackeries, Mr. Duxbury's* dragweight is much faster, to be sure. But it is nothing, speaking absolutely ; because I am told that the strain of any greater speed would be too much for the yielding soil. It is, however, to be noted that what is wanted in speed is made up for by the noise. The carriages hobble along with ominous squeaks that indicate chronic rheumatism. The engine seems to be suffering from constipation, and the faint and sickly sobs it now and then gives are heartrending indeed. Then the dust, the clouds of dust that assail one on the line ! Let the authorities take hold of the fattest and the rosiest of the station-masters and rip him open. Thus dissected, the creature will emit such over- * The energetic Traffic Manager of the B. B. and C. I. Railway. .EA^ ROUTE TO AHMEDABAD. 113 whelming volumes of dust as would cover a hundred Duxburys with shame and remorse. Insomnia and dysentery are said to be inspara- ble frora raUway service. And what wonder ? Public Roads and Personal Experience. Imraediately on alighting I entered the town of BUUmora. It was a moonlit night, and I preferred walking. In the mofussil I generally walk, as, in driving, there is a chance of dis lodging the liver. BiUimora dust is no way inferior to that of Broach — it is subtle, Ught, and knee-deep. The read leading into the town is said to be a made road ; it may have been so before it was recently unmade. There is a romance about the road. A few years ago the Minister of the State was driving on it at night, when, by some mishap, the ghari * upturned and deposited His Excellency's whole weight in the dust. That was a great fall. The noise awakened the housewives. The Raja-Dewan, at his time of life, was not able to pick himself up. So when the women came up to the scene of the fall, they saw a well-dressed old stranger grovelling in the dust, with sowars and sepoys * Carriage. 114 GUJARAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. chattering and bowing at a distance, as is their wont. Then said a spinster old, approaching the figure in the dust, " Brother, what are ye about ? " And he replied, " Sister, go thy way ; the night is dark, and I am the Dewan Raja. Think not I have fallen ; I am raerely trying, by personal experience, to see if the road requires repair," Then asked a maid of twenty-three, looking archly at the fallen figure, " Old man, art thou satisfied ? " " Yes, my child," replied the pious Raja, picking himself up by main effort. Before entering the palhi,* the Dew^n turned round and said, " Good people, do not bother me with a petition ; I know you need a good road, and will give you one." This story teaches the value of personal ex perience. How much I wish that a Legisla tive CounciUor had now and then a faU, a Town CouncUlor now and then a shower of dirty Jupiter in the streets, a Police Commissioner set upon by rabid dogs ! How RoADS ARE MadE. This road was first made by H. H. Khunderow. Mad Mulhar Rao, on coming to the gadi, paid a * Palanquin, EN ROUTE TO AHMEDABAD, 115 visit of state to BiUimor^C. Now, Mulh'^r Rad, as we all know, was a man of honour. So he refused to enter the town by the road made by his brother. He ordered a special road to be made for him ina/ew hours. The officers mowed down fields, telling the owners that His Highness the Guicowar was to sanctify the soil by driving through it. Mulhar Rao drove through the road thus improvised, and is said to have paid Rs, 25,000, which went into the officials' pockets, the owners of the fields making the best of the half-destroyed harvest. On this wise are PubUc Works conducted in native states. BiLLiMOEA Proper, Billimor^ belongs mostly to Parsis, who have a Tower of Silence there, and other religious and social institutions. The Parsis here are respectable people, very fat and very prayerful. There are Hindus and Mahomedans too. But the bulk of the population consists of the fisher people, low-class Hindus, dark, thick- skinned, and very poor. I stood on the main road for about two hours one evening to feast mine eyes on the beauties of nature : but it was weary waiting and without avail. BiUimora 116 GUJARAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. does not boast of rural beauties — pariah dogs cannot pass under that title. But fish is cheap, and plentiful, and good. Now and then you can get a pull at the toddy* flagon. But the liquid is too sweet to be the genuine article. BiUimora is under a magistrate, a very good man, a relative of the Suba (Chief Commis sioner). This magistrate is said to be a very strict man, and as he fines people right and left, he might hope to be a Suba very shortly. He is a reforraed Hindu, I am glad to say. Under the magistrate there is a Parsi Foujdar,t an energetic and obUging sort of man, with about fifty police men and 200 street dogs under him. This latter force raay pass under the name of Sir MadavRow's Canine Cavalry. I was told by a local wag that Sir Madav Row offered this cavalry, as well as the gold guns of the Guicowar, to Lord Lytton when the Afgan war was at its height ; and though the Dewan is said to have been in earnest. Lord Lytton took it for a joke. Sir T. M. has ever since been in disgrace. Thus goes the story which the Madras Atheneum may contradict. * The palm juice f Police inspector. 117 IN TO AHMEDABAD. But to return to the train taking us to Ahmed abad. We reached the station late in the evening, and finding a shigram waiting for hire, thrust ourselves and luggage into it. We were driven over excellent roads to the " Karanj," a deUghtfuUy-situated house belonging to Mr. Cowasji Muncherji Karanjwala. I was very kindly received by my host, and passed a very agreeable fortnight under his roof. Mr. Cowasji is noted — as was his good old father before him — for loyaUty and liberality, qualities rare enough in the mofussil. He has always been a friend of the people, and ready to promote every scheme of public usefulness. He is honorary secretary to various public institutions ; and in the con sideration of all public measures his advice and suggestions are often sought by the authorities. 118 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. Every visitor to Ahmedabad returns charmed with Mr. Cowasji 's hospitality and the range of his local knowledge of all conditions of life. Among his many acts of pubUc service, those by which he will be longest remembered, and which ought to have received some substantial recogni tion from Government, are his exertions during the flood at Ahmedabad a few years ago. Those who have read the accounts of his continuous efforts to save life and to support the rescued at considerable personal risk and expense, are of opinion that Ahmedabad could not be sufficiently grateful to its public-spirited Parsi citizen. Mr. Cowasji is, I believe, the most popular man at Ahraedabad, and enjoys the confidence of all sec tions of society. He is most active in matters municipal, and like the zealous Mr. Mahipat- ram Rupram, goes about from ward to ward when cholera and other epidemic diseases rage most. Such men cannot afford always to please the Saheb. And thus they happen to be neglect ed. But they must look to a higher reward. Sights. Next morning my excellent host took me out for sight-seeing. Ahmedabad is rich in sights. IN TO AHMEDABAD. 119 The remains of Mahomedan architectural art are magnificent even in their ruin. The mos ques and mausoleums, tombs and tanks and pleasure-grounds, vie with each other in gran deur and beauty. Nor is the Hindu style of architecture less attractive. For eight days con secutively did I do the town, often with mine host for guide, sometimes with a Mahomedan guide picked up in the streets. Mr. Karanjwala knows Ahmedabad probable as no other living man knows it. So much has been written about the architectural importance of this Mahomedan capital, that I have nothing new to add, and I hate borrowing. Of recent accounts, the best is Mr. T. C. Hope's spirited historical and de scriptive sketch. Making Feiends. This day I had the pleasure of making the personal acquaintance of my friend Rao Saheb Mahipatram Ruprara, Principal of the Gujarat Training College. Mr. Mahipatram remained for over an hour, and along and very interesting talk did we have together. Mahipatram Rupram is a notable man — an educationist, reformer, and patriot, a scholar of much Uterary taste and abUity. More valuable even than Mr.Cowasji's 120 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. services are those of Mr. Mahipatram. Though an official and a Hindu, he stands first in indepen dence and incorruptible public morals. It is a sight to see the righteous little man denouncing error or injustice with his eyes flashing fire and his arras thrown up in despair. He has done and suffered more in the cause of social reform than any Hindu I know of in Gujarat. He is quite earnest in whatever he undertakes, and, for a Hindu, wonderfully persevering. After the death of the heroic Karsandas Mulji, Mahipatram has been perhaps our only Hindu reformer deserving that title. Of lip-reformers there is no lack at Ahmedabad, or in India for that matter ; but the genuine man is only too rarely met with. With a truer educa tion than hitherto, I hope we shall have really earnest workers in the field. May the example of Karsandas's noble life be always before my countrymen! Mr. Mahipatram introduced me to Mr, S. N. Tagore, the well-known Hindu civil servant. Of him I have spoken elsewhere. He was Sessions Judge at Ahmedabad for a pretty long time. The Ahmedabadis speak of him in the highest terms, not only as an official, but as a gentleman and friend. Indeed, I have all IN TO AHMEDABAD. 121 along thought that Satyendra Nd,th Tagore would have still better adorned the Pulpit than the Bench. But as he does credit to both func tions, it would be churlish to repine. Next day came Mr. BhoMnath Sarabhai, a Rao Bahadur, a Sirddr, and an esteemed Government pensioner. Mr. Bholandth is an elderly gentle man, and ranks among the reformers. But age has taught him to be cautious, and I do not wonder that he is not such a favourite with ardent youngsters as with men of his own time. But all the same he is an estimable old gentle man, and if he can do good by word of mouth, he will not be silent. That evening I had the honour of a call from my friend Kh^n Bahadur Cooverji Cowasji Saba- wala, the Deputy-Collector, a sensible practical worker, with a character for independence which few native officials can boast of. Mr. Cooverji is a man of the old school. He hates idle talk. Not given to insincere profession, and too rough- hewn by nature for mere sentimentalism, he is a terror to our civilised dandies. He will gladly shake an honest labourer by the hand, but holds the scented exquisite in horror. Mr. Cooverji bears a high reputation in official circles. 11 122 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJARATIS. Next in order came Rao Bahadur Mukunrai Manirai, the Sub- Judge, avery quiet unobtrusive man. He is seldom heard of in public, but is none the less a useful worker. I believe Mr. Mukunrai is a very studious man. His official career has been blameless, and he is very popular in the profession. Having very little time left on hand now, I gave a hasty call to Rao Bahadur Nuggershet Premabhai Hemabhai. Sett Premabhai is the leading Hindu here, and was a millionaire before the days of the Share Mania of 1864-5. He was once a Member of the Bombay Legislative Council. He showed me several ancient Persian documents, proving that his ancestors were holders of great jagirs* from the Moghul Emperors. Mr. Premabhai is by no means a poor man even in these days. Personally he is a worthy, amiable, asthmatic gentleman. Pro fessionally, he is a Soivcdr, an astute man of business for all his airs of innocent simplicity. Sett Premabhai is a Jain Shrawak by caste ; and a few years ago he more than amused his friends by marrying himself and his eldest son to twin * Lands or revenues assigned by Government. IN TO AHMEDABAD. 123 sisters. It would be interesting to determine the degree of consanguinity between his progeny by the new wife and his son's progeny by her sister and daughter-in-laiv ! I also called upon Mr. Cursetji Manockji, the Small Cause Court Judge, son of the famous Mr. Manockji Cursetji. Mr. Cursetji appeared to be an interesting and intelligent man. But if he were to appear in his usual dress before one of our Dustoors, he would send off His Reverence into hysterics. Mr. Cursetji dresses like a European, and does not cover his head — which is a scandal unto a Parsi. I must not omit Kavi Dalpatram Dayabhai, the blind bard of Gujarat. Kavi Kalpatram is a popular Hindu Gujarati poet, and has written much of the sort of poetry that we can have in the country. He has a great rival in Kavi Narmadashankar Lalshankar of Surat. This latter seems to have raore power, the former more simplicity and grace. The aged Dalpatram gave me a very warm greeting, and would not let me leave him without a forraal benediction. Another leading Hindu at Ahmedabad is Mr. Bechardas Ambaidas, C.S, I. Like Mr Pre mabhai he was for a time member of the Go- 124 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. vernor's Council. He is now old, but can do battle for the people when in good company. Before leaving Ahmedabad I had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of the Rev. ' Mr. Gillespie, of the local mission, to whom I was introduced by my latelamentedfriend Mr. Joseph Taylor. And now enough of acquaintances and friends, and enough, for the nonce, of Ahmed abad too. GujAEAT Politics. As I have hinted before, I do not care to pass for a politician, — certainly not for a profes sional politician. I hate to moralise or dogma tise even on my pet hobbies. But it is neces sary here to scatter a few passing reflections on the political life of Gujarat, though kept on the background of the portrait presented in this volume. In writing about the capital of Gu jarat, I could not well avoid mention of the political activity brought to the surface by Lord Ripon' s beneficent and sympathetic rule. I refer to the experiment of Local Self-'Govern-, ment which has already been tried by the public-spirited citizens of Ahmedabad with marked success. Both the people of Surat and GUJAEAT POLITICS. 125 Ahmedabad have given a good account of them selves in this connection. But like other parts of the country Gujarat is ruled by the CoUector, whom the Amrita Bazar Patrika very aptly describes as the "mother-in-law of the people." Now, for my part, I am sure the Collector means well in raost cases ; but he wants to have every thing his own way. Shut up in his bureau, and surrounded by parasites, the Col lector is impervious to the light of outside opinion. He is too paternal even for a com munity of political orphans, and unless he learns to move not only yor but with the people, I doubt if the district autocrat will ever become popular. At Surat the CoUector seems to have made up his mind to give the people the benefit of electric light and to extend the little public park. Now, the rate-payers have been crying for a supply of pure water and for pressing sanitary reforms. But the CoUector, who is also the Municipal Chairman, assisted by official and officialised members, rough-rides the wishes of the non-official minority. The rate-payers' representatives try appeal, obstruction and agitation in turn, but to little purpose. The 126 GUJARAT AND THB GUJARATIS. Collector-President no doubt believes that he knows what popular wants are more than the people theraselves do. But one cannot blame the people if they urge — " Sir, give us the neces saries of life first and then the costly luxuries of electric light and artistic recreation grounds." Ahmedabad seems to have fared worse than Surat, in spite of two or three very strong advocates ofthe people on the Municipal Board. There too, the officials, enjoying alraost un limited powers of action and control, seem to have spent public moneys on costly, and at times, very questionable works. One of the respon sible subordinates has come in for sharp criti cism. But it is the interest of his superiors to save him further trouble. It may be asked how such things can happen when there are elected members on the board. The explana tion is that the chief executive officers do not care much for this inefficient controlling pre sence, and having a number of other duties to attend to, they allow details to be worked out by irresponsible subordinates. For instance, just see how many powers and responsibilities one single officer is charged with. He is First Class Magistrate, with powers of GUJARAT POLITICS, 127 summary jurisdiction ; Land Inquiry and Sur vey Officer for the City, Government Opium Agent, Abkari Officer and permanent Municipal Chairman. Add to all this the fact that the Collector-President usually sees with the subor dinate's eyes and speaks with the subordinate's mouth, and you cease to wonder how an officer could be guilty of incredible high-handedness. Who could oppose such an officer even if he were to deign to consult his colleagues before tak ing action ? There is another way of looking at the matter. How can we expect smooth and regular working of municipal affairs where the official chairman has so many other duties to distract him ? It is to obviate this difficulty that Lord Ripon insists upon extended non-offi cial co-operation. As for the principle of election, though ac cepted in theory, it is not so easy of practical recognition. In one part of Gujarat the work of election to the Municipal Board is said to have been entrusted by the local authorities principally to cart-drivers, day labourers and petty tradesmen. These enlightened electors (!) were bullied into voting for official favourites, and the result of such election must have been 128 GUJARAT AND THE GUJARATIS. just the reverse of what the authors of the Self- Government scheme anticipated. One Police officer is supposed to have sent for the oil-seUers in town, and to have compelled them to return men of his choice ! Under the circumstances how can the people of Gujarat advance in political education ? Representatives of the people ask to be allowed to manage their own local affairs. Itis possible that at the outset they may mismanage things, and hence Government may be justified in reserving to itself certain powers of check and control. But surely a people who are familiar with the panchayet system, — a time-honoured institution, — maybe expected to work the present scheme with a fair amount of success. If there is fear of partial failure in the beginning, that is no reason why the experiment so famiUar to the rural community should be withheld any longer. The people have been creeping long enough ; now that they have learnt to stand erect under the enlightened British rule, let them walk about and feel their way, I think it is the interest as well as the duty of the official class to make over part of their self-imposed task to educated representatives of the rate-payers. GUJARAT POLITICS. 129 And above all they must allow the public to elect representatives of their own free choice. Here I may as well enter a protest against the manner in which district officers- now and then seek to foster public spirit by the recognition of what has come to be ironically called "loyalty." In a country Uke this it is a great mistake to commend individuals as "loyal," that is more loyal than their neighbours. Besides being a highly impolitic course, it leads to jobbery. The Collector recommends his " loyal " friend, not because the creature is faithful to Gov ernment, but because he truckles to his master. When such a sneak and sycophant has no merits worth mentioning, no example of public spirit to be credited to him, his patron puts him forward as " loyal," This is the secret of three-fourths of "loyal" recommendations, and Government would do well to enquire what has made a particular man more loyal than others before throwing away public honours on him. I have said above that such nominations are impolitic. Look at the result : by making a man Khan Bahadur or some such thing, the Collector fancies he has set an example to the pubhc. Nothing like it. People know the 130 GUJARAT AND THE GUJARATIS. Collector's spy and emissary, and they detest him. His elevation may secure what fidelity the creature is capable of. But at the same time that the Collector has secured one personal friend he has also created a hundred enemies against the State. It is from this point of view that "loyal" nominations are to be condemned as leading to wide-spread discontent. How many honest workers there are in the mofussil spend ing their strength and substance on the good of the people, and thus helping Government in a variety of ways, without being able to "please the Saheb ?" But such men are generaUy neg lected, and instead we see men of straw put forward, men not only defying the code of honour, but destitute of the common decencies of life. These fellows manage to hoodwink the district autocrat and terrorise over the people, obtruding their vulgar "loyalty" whenever called to account. Let public spirit be recog nised by all means. But it is the service ren dered to the State and to Society, not to one or two official patrons, that makes a man "loyal." 131 THE PEOPLE, HINDUS. The Hindus of Gujarat are divided' into several castes, the most considerable, on the whole, being the Vaishnavas, the followers of Vishnu. They are merchants, traders, vakUs (lawyers), and gentlemen at large. As merchants and traders they are even now successful. The vakils, a shrewd race, with some exceptions, are licensed pettifoggers ; the gentlemen at large are easy-going, well preserved individuals, who live and die to themselves. Large num bers, especially Brahmins and Kayasthas, are in Governraent service, and are believed to make excellent servants as a rule both in the judicial and the revenue departments. But education is not so wide spread in Gujarat as in Maharashtra, though female education is in a very satisfactory state, more so in the Ahmedabad centre. The enterprise and 132 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. honesty which once characterised mercantile dealings are unfortunately not so general at the present day. Transactions involving enormous sums used to be carried on in Gujarat verbally; and some of my readers may have heard of the Gujarat Sowcdr who received a large advance of money o« a hair ofhis moustache as a pledge! But those days are gone from Gujarat. To-day the best cultivated beard will not fetch the first Sowcdr a loan of Rs, 10, We see mutual distrust and petty jealousies amongst traders. Commer cial morality is at a low ebb, as in Bombay. Let me give the instance of a Hindu merchant of extensive credit who took the benefit of the Insolvency Act some time ago, and thus ruined hundreds of widows and orphans who had entrusted their little all to his care. When these unlucky wights besought him for some relief as charity, the Soiocdr mildly said to them, "My dear creatures, why do you want money ? You are poor and can beg. Can I beg? And knowing this the Sirkdr (Govern ment) has relieved me of liability to you. But do not, I pray, think that I am happy. No, no ; with your money I have to settle their dowries on my daughters," &c., &o. HINDUS. 133 A very pleasant way of settling dowries, to be sure. But instances of fraudulent insol vency are comraon among all classes. We have insolvents who have taken the benefit of what we call "the white-washing Act," half a dozen times each ; and after each white-washing the insolvent has suddenly come into a fortune, with which he endows his wife or mother or a religious institution ! He often builds houses, opens a new business, or goes in for philanthropic pursuits with the money he has so miraculously obtained soon after having been "whitewashed." He has no thought, even then, of the hundreds whose homes he has made desolate by his refined rascality. But I must not omit to mention that in this respect Bombay city is worse off than the mofussil towns of Gujarat or Maha rashtra where " whitewashing " has not become a fashionable pastime. The Insolvency Act needs revision. The Judge is often handicapped in dealing with a fraudulent debtor and not unoften in granting discharge to the honest but unfortunate man. This merchant is one ofthe Vaishnava sect, to which belong Banias, Bhattias and others. Besides indulging in idolatry, these people 12 134 V GUJARAT AND THE GUJAEItTS. deify the heads of their Church, who are about thirty-seven in number, scattered over Gujarat, Kattywar, and many other parts of India. The deified priest is the Maharaj,* the visible incarna tion of Vishnu-Krishna, to whom every pious Vaishnava dedicates his or her tana, mana, dhana (body, mind, and property), and not only his or her body, mind, and property, but of all those over whom he or she may have control. This is the essence of Maharajism ; and yet, as all the world knows. The Vaishnava Mahaeaj of the Day is a spurious character; for, though he may claim to be the lineal decendant and visible incarnation of the protecting deity, he is sus ceptible, perhaps more than ordinary mortals, to pain, pleasure, love, hatred, and other emo tions. Pinch him, and he will roar ; tickle him, and he will grin ; gratify his desire, and he wiU smile upon you ; baulk him of it, and he will put you out of caste ! He is born a lord of ances tors the Lord knows who, and at a very tender age he lords it over a seraglio of inteUectual ladies whose husbands are men of highly Uberal * Literally, Great King. HINDUS. 135 marital sentiment. It is a wonder to many how the Maharaj lives in such a princely style. It is thus : — The Maharaj has a first-rate taxing imagination. Sir John Strachey* is a mere novice before this accomplished taxing master. The following are supposed to be among the few known imposts the Maharaj derives from his devout followers : — For homage by sight, Rs. 6; lor homage by touch, Rs. 20 ; for the honour of washing the Maharaja's foot, Rs. 35 ; for the credit of swinging him, Rs. 40 ; for the glory of rubbing sweet unguents on his body, Rs. 42 ; for the joy of sitting with hira, Rs. 60; for the bliss of occupying the same room with the Madana Murtif Rs. 50 to 500. For the pleasure of being kicked by the Maharaj or his attendants, Rs. 11 ; for the privilege of being lashed, Rs. 13 ; for the performance of Edsa Kridd,% Rs. 100 to 200 ; for Rasa Kridd performed by proxy, Rs. 50 to 100. For the delight of eating the cud of pdn supdri thrown out by the Maharaj, Rs. 17 ; for drinking the water in which the M^hardj * Late Finance Minister of India. t Madana Murti, the Image of Cupid, as the Mdhdrij is named by fair worshippers. X Literally, the Essence of Pleasure ; the circular dance. 136 GUJARAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. has bathed, or in which his foul linen has been washed, squeezed, and wrung, Rs. 19. He also levies many other minor taxes on the events and necessaries of life, such as birth, marriage, death, cloth, silk, sugar, &c. The late Mr. Anstey* said he would not touch a Maharaj " with a pair of tongs." Quite right ; it would be desecration of the tongs. The Maharaj is a very pious man a week before he dies, and when he dies he goes to where the rest of us do not — that is, to Gaulok. Having described the average head-priest of the Vaishnavas as he is supposed to be, 1 may also give a brief sketch of the career of the late Jivanlalji Maharaj, of Bombay, who is now, they say, a saint in the Vaishnava heaven. The Late Jivanlalji Maharaj. The Vaishnavas of Western India went into mourning the other day, out of respect for the memory of Jivanlalji Maharaj, one of their great lords. Jivanlalji Maharaj died of " some disease," and, so far, it is not satisfactory, I fear, for his numerous devotees to learn that * The renowned barrister. HINDUS. 137 their great lord, the ever-youthful and immort al, should have succumbed, like an ordinary mortal, to mere physical ailment. What the "some disease" was I have no curiosity to know ; but many will guess that it was an accumulation of the after effects of what Eng lishmen in other spheres of society designate gay life- Jivanlalji Maharaj was born 51 years ago. There is a profound raystery always overhanging the personal affairs of the Maharaj. That mystery shrouds his birth, it shrouds his life, and I'U be bound that same mystery shrouds his death. We know that he was born in 1829, visibly of human parents ; but some hundreds of thousands of his worshippers assert, on their solemn oaths, that Jivanlalji Maharaj existed ages before he was born, and that ages before that event did he carry on that amorous traffic with his fair devotees which is essential, in the Vaishnava creed, to the salvation and beatifica tion of the degraded female soul. Thus Jivan lalji was a philanthropist before he was born ; but those earlier " deeds of merit " could not be visible to mortal eye. His life here below and its many exciting incidents are better known. 138 GUJARAT AND THB GUJARATIS. At ten years of age he could tell a maiden from a matron ; at that tender age could this incarna tion of the divine Krishna Chand warm the iciest hearts of his worshippers ; he could toy with their toes in wantonness; he could move even the prude into a smile of ineffable hap piness. The wondrous boy ! What could he not do ? At thirty, Jivanlalji was an old man, and took to studying Sanskrit and patronising feraale education among his people. This was a great triumph for the reform party, who shed tears of joy and wrote odes belauding the Maharaja's liberality of sentiment, and voted him a hand some memorial. This, by the way, irresistibly reminds one of the old rhyme, recounting how, when another notorious pleasure-seeker fell sick, a " monk he would be " ; but how, when he grew weU, " the d 1 a monk was he " ! The Mahardj and his worshippers afterwards found out that they were not quite agreed as to the meaning of "female education," but that mattered little. Jivanlalji Maharaj is spoken of as having been "the best among the brethren." I hope this assertion is meant as a compliment, though I very much fear the being best HINDUS. 139 among Vaishnava Maharajas is at the best a sorry way of spending one's life in these days. But we cannot judge of exalted personages from our own standard. It is enough for us that they die sooner or later; and we are thankful for their thus doing the community the only favour they can. What becomes of them after death it would be idle speculation to enlarge upon ; but if I am to trust Vaishnava traditions, death means to them the departure of the wearied soul to Sivarga, where its sole occupation is — flirting with the spirits of those who were the choicest among female friends on earth. The lover and the beloved there drink delight in each other's possession — they drink delight, and when their ethereal cravings are not quite satisfied therewith, they drink curds and eat cocoanuts. If this be a pleasant life — a life of love, flirting with spirits and browsing on curds and cocoanuts — I wish Jivanlalji Maharaj joy of his new life. Let those envy it who can. AU that I would desire is, that the spirit of this great lord of ladies innumerable, this " friend of female education," this sainted patron of native arts and of Sanskrit, may not, in the other world, where the wronged are righted, encounter 140 GUJARAT AND THB GUJAEATIS. the meek and persecuted spirit of Karsandas Mulji.* Europeans and others may think Mahstrajism a foul superstition, a system of vile sensualism ; but so long as it is sustained by the " odour of sanctity," it will hold in thrall tens of thousands of families in India within its embruted cult. The ritualistic orgies of the Vaishnavas are a proverb of reproach even amongst the super stitious and idolatrous Indians. Every sensible native knows that these priests " pollute their sanctuary," and in the narae of religion desolate hearths and homes, and poison the fountain of domestic happiness. Karsandas Mulji, the truly enlightened Bania reformer, waged war on the tribe of Maharajas twenty years ago. He was fiercely opposed by rich and influential bigots of his own class ; but so well-aimed were his hits, that at last he drew forth the giants of iniquity from their irapregnable stronghold. They drag ged Karsandas to the Court of Law ; but in the course of the trial such fearful disclosures were extorted from the Vaishnavas by the redoubtable Anstey, that the cause of the Maharajas was * The great Hindu reformer of Bombay, who died about 1869. HINDUS. 141 damaged for ever. The highest tribunal in the land and the entire Indian press pronounced Maharajism a sink of iniquities. But Karsandas Mulji died, and with him died that spirit of patient heroism which alone could cope with and triuraph over bigotry, hypocrisy and sin. Our friend the Vaishnava Mahdraj is again relapsing into his old ways. Now and again do we here of the Mahar£[j holding high carnival. His is a very tenacious creed, and until some provident ial visitation overtakes it, it will go on " con ceiving mischief and bringing forth iniquity." Wherever the Maharaja visits he throws his fair worshippers into tumults of joy inducing utter disregard of what is pure and decent in life. To-day a wife, daughter or sister may be as good as could be wished. Let the Maharaja pass by the locality tomorrow, and she will be another thing altogether. The case is worse where the Mah Purush stays to hold communion (!) Then there is such a rush made by males and females together, and such confusion follows owing to the eager desire to have a look at the MaharEija, that the young and the delicate must fall and be trampled upon. And they like it — what will they not suffer for the Madan Murti ? 142 GUJAEAT AND THB GUJAEATIS. Hundreds of men about town become Vaishnavas for the nonce, and mixing in the crowd, take liberties which are incredible. Then may follow a stampede and more trampling and obscenity. The Hitechu gives a very damaging report of the latest ' Communion' at Ahmedabad — six or seven trampled under foot and two said to have died. I thought better arrangements were now- a-days made by the Police — certain number going at a time, first women and then men. But what can the Police do in such places ? Whatever hap pens at the Mandir — outrage or death — the people like it, and there is an end ofit, I suppose. It is unspeakably sad to find men and women, whose lives in other respects are regulated by the best domestic and social virtues, men of keen wits and women of pure habits, becoming so utterly infatuated by a vile tradition — a tissue of fantastic fables and transparent myths. It is a most incomprehensible psychological pheno menon. No husband is more jealous than the Hindu ; no wife values her honour so high as the Hindu wife. And stiU, both make a merit of sacrificing the raost cherished social privilege ! What power of faith is theirs ! But how per verted ! HINDUS. 143 What is the meaning of Maharaj worship ? The idea originaUy meant to portray the soul's love for its Creator, more intense in yearning than the mother's love for her child, more passionate than the attachment subsisting be tween man and wife, between the two that are but one. This beautiful idea, not confined, I believe, to Hinduism alone, has been gradually materialised by the sect of Valabha till it has become a standing reproach to his modern followers, outraging as it does all sense of decency and order. It is noteworthy that with all his influence over the infatuated Vaishnavas, the Maharaja is an outcast from amongst Brahmins I 144 GUJAEAT AND TEE GUJAEATIS. MAHOMEDANS. The Mahomedans were once lords of Surat, and more or less of Gujarat. But at present, generally speaking, they are probably the poorest as a class. Their aristocracy live without aim or ambition, men crushed by their own pride of birth, men who would borrow rather than earn, and starve rather than beg. They are ever ready tb "grasp the skirts of happy chance." But that chance seldom comes to them. Their life is a round of inane pleasures and idle ceremonials, and the little substance now left to them is being exhausted in playing the king. They are pining for the good old times, and being desperate hopers, they hope away life with astounding patience ; they hope and hope and stUl they hope for " the good times coming." MAHOMEDANS. 145 Some of them finding time hanging heavy on their hands, abandon theraselves to grati fications ofthe sense — feasting and dancing and carousing — in such " fool's paradise " they wile away time. These have a horror of honest work. Poor fellows ! As friends I have always found them faithful and true. Even when in abject poverty, they will keep up some show of gentility — dearer to them than life itself. Latterly I believe this class has been look ing up. Hoping and dreaming has already given way, in sorae notable cases, to more sober, practical views of life. Altogether, I do believe a change is coming over the spirit of their dreams. The younger generation appears to be more earnest. A larger number of boys go to school, though looking at the population this number is insignificant. High education, too, is beginning to be appreciated, andin afewinstances young Islam is really coming up to the front. In the matter of female education the higher order are better off than their sisters in other communities. Their accomplishments make them bright and agreeable companions. But it would be difficult to call them useful members of society. At home the wife is not the honourable equal of 13 146 GUJAEAT AND THB GUJAEATIS. her husband ; but a loved inferior, a cherished plaything, so to say, an ornament of the divan more than anything else. The lower order of Mahomedans are — un speakable. They are generally made up of brag and bluster ; and " truth sticks in their throats." Like their betters they despise work, but unlike them, will beg, borrow, or steal, with the utmost pleasure in life. They live in a world of — wine and woman. Many of them sleep by day, and make the night hideous by their drunken revels. But against all these vices, common to the Mussalman about town, they set off some very fine redeeming traits. As friends and servants they are invaluable ; and if you treat them kindly, they will lay down tbeir life in your service. As a rule they are above that mean ness, that petty intriguing spirit and want of gratitude so common among their neighbours. Mussalmans in the villages around Gujarat pre sent quite another picture. Their manners and habits correspond to those of Hindus of their position, naturally enough, as they were origin ally all Hindus, and have mostly to deal with Hindus even now. There is very little of educa tion among men and women of the lower orders. mahomedans. 147 Meee Bakhtawae Khan. A Romance in Real Life. As an instance how the Mahomedan gentry of Gujarat have sacrificed what remained to them after the loss of their supremacy to their pride of birth, and as explaining how the mean, insinu ating Bania has risen on the ruin of his Moslem master, let me give here a leaf out of the un written autobiography of my Shrdwak friend Nyalchand Nakhodchand of Ahmedabad, Says NyEilchand: — "I entered the service of Meer Bakhtawar Khan in 1840. The Meer was then about nineteen years, and only recently married to the beautiful daughter of the Buxi. Meer Bakhtawar was by nature very reserved, and as he did not agree with his step-mother, his father gave hira, soon after his marriage, a separate establishment. He bestowed upon his only son all the ancestral property he could — including houses, lands, ornaments, books and a little of cash. The doting father also raade over to his son a few disputed clairas against the British Government for compensation. This last doubt ful gift was to be reserved to the last and utilised when there was no source of maintenance left. 148 GUJARAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. Thus prepared, and fortified by a very respect able fortune from the Buxi, his father-in-law, Meer Bakhtawar removed to his new residence with his wife and servants. The day after his removal he formally installed rae his head kdr- bhdri,* presenting me with a valuable dress and the right to full manageraent of all his affairs. He could not, and, if he could, would not, attend to any business — it was beneath him. " The Meer passed his time in the zenana. He so devotedly loved his wife that he never gave her a rival. AU the livelong day they were to gether, this infatuated pair, so absorbed in their new-born happiness. To me, an unmarried Hindu, the Meer's self-abandonment was shock ing. He never left the side of his Bibi — she would not part with him. I had not the entree of the zenana, but learnt from the servants that the master and mistress were inseparable. The Meer stole out of his inner chamber once in a fortnight or so, when he had to ask me for a large sum of money, or to go to the mosque. About seven months passed this way, when one day my master's father and friends paid the family a visit. It was this day I learnt that * Manager. MAHOMEDANS. 149 Meer Bakhtawar expected a son and heir. Great were the rejoicings on this occasion. One day the anxiously-expected heir came to gladden the hearts ofthe parents and, as it seems to me now, to darken their hitherto brilliant course of life. The demands for money became more frequent. I met every demand with a sraile. Sometimes I had myself to go out with money for the purchase ofsorae nick-nack for the mother or the child. At such times I was not slow to use discretion, you may be sure. I had not seen the Meer's beautiful wife up to now, though it was over two years ; but the baby was now and then brought out to peep at the outside world. It was the most lovely child I have ever seen. They said the mother was growing lovelier every day. They talked of her as The Angel. This was her favourite name. I tried many means of obtaining a glimpse of her divine beauty, but it was not to be for years to come. " My position in thehouseholdimproved with the progress of time. The master had implicit faith in me, and I rewarded him by improving my opportunities. Not a rupee passed from my hands out of which I did not withhold a fraction for my own pockets. Not a piece of cloth, not 150 GUJAEAT AND THB GUJAEATIS. an ornament, not a single article of luxury crossed the threshold, of which part was not diverted to my house. Poor men must live, and, if possible, I had determined not only to Uve, but to live to the best purpose, as I could see as early as now, that my master was running out of his fortune very fast. But it was not my business to advise or warn him tiU the worst came. This way we lived for seven years. I had already to teU my master that we had no cash left. We had to part with some ornaments, and were Uving upon the rents of a few shops which we had to mortgage. One of these shojDS was mortgaged to myself unknown to the Meer — it stood in my uncle's name. About this time I myself married. I need not say that my master and mistress paid the expenses — about Rs. 3,000 — of my marriage. They parted with their ornaments — these people seem to rae to part with things as cheerfully as when they buy them — to help me. They thought very highly of my honesty aud diligence ; they also knew that I was very useful in 'raising the wind' and disposing of superfluities. For the Rs. 1,000 my master had to borrow I would bring him 700, part of the rest being considered interest MAHOMEDANS. 151 already deducted, the remaining part going to me. At home, too, not a single day passed when I did not earn something more than the stipulated pay. I had my black-mail upon everything bought or sold, borrowed or mortgaged. " One day the master's son would come behind and ride on my back. In so doing he would do damage to my coat. Well, this coat I would show to the parents, who, to encourage the boy to learn a little of fun and freedom, as they explained, would on no account scold him. But when I cried and said I was a poor man and had a family — I had become quite free with my master— they would laugh at my plight, and present me with a piece of longcloth, saying, by way of apology, that they would give away a thousand pieces of cloth rather than that their darling be checked in the free exercise ofhis faculties ! Another day the little urchin would empty the contents of an ink-bottle on my turban, and straightway would Igo to the drawing-room, dripping with the liquid. The delighted father would clap his hands and describe my misery to the wife inside, who would laughingly order me to buy another turban ! Well, I was nothing loth. Many a time since have I invited the boy 152 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. to play me some such trick, and right hand soraely have I got the parents to pay for it ! " But now Meer Bakhtawar was about Rs. 15,000 in debt. There was scarcely any thing left to pledge or to seU. I prevailed upon him, therefore, to curtaU his expenses. This he did. It was a trial to him not to be able to afford to his wife and child those thousand and one little luxuries they had enjoyed so long. But the wife was perfectly contented with his love and devotion. The boy was too young to notice the difference in their circumstances. But even now our monthly expenses were Rs. 200, my own pay Rs. 40, and we had no visible source of income. I was therefore told to dispose of such things as I could, This I did, carrying most of them to my house, and paying what price I liked. There were some splendidly mounted swords and daggers, sorae exquisite paintings, sorae rare and raagnificently illuminated Persian manuscripts, which I thus transferred to my house. My mistress took her misfortune much to heart ; but her husband was of good cheer. He knew that his father would not last long, and that he would be sure to leave him something. But the old man did not die. MAHOMEDANS. 153 To add to the misery of suspense the son and heir fell sick. The parents' anxiety was terrible. Night and day the Mahomedan doctor remained by the side of the little sufferer, and night and day prayed the priest for his recovery. The parents hovered over the child in agonised sus pense. The raother gave me her last ring, her husband's wedding gift, to sell. But no earthly power could save the child — he sickened and died. The father's life seemed to go out with the son's. The mother Suffered, too, but she had something stUl left to cherish in this life. A servant now carae to ask for money ; I had none to give. My master was too much prostrat ed to think of such things. In this her cruel extremity the mistress came to the door of the room (outside which we servants were assembled) . She asked to see me. This was the first time I saw her. She was in her ' sleeping dress ' ; her beauty of person was truly divine, and recent suffering had hallowed it with that dignified composure before which the most supercilious could not help bending his head. I bowed to her, trembling from a hundred little agitations of the heart. She swept a haughty glance over me, and asked if I could not bring money. I plead- 154 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. ed inability, but promised I would try. Then she whispered, ' See, Nyalchand, you must save your master's honour, so don't go to his father's house. But give my boy a decent burial ; have you nothing, nothing left to sell?' She shut the door before receiving my reply, and I went out for money. I could spare none, nor borrow any ; the only chance was with the old Meer. I went to him with the news of his grandson's death. He was himself sick unto death, but without asking any question he ordered Rs. 100 to be given me. " In two weeks more the old Meer died, leaving property to the extent of about Rs. 20,000 to his unhappy son. My master never recovered from his melancholy. I was given power to dispose of the property just inherited. I realised the value, paid off all standing debts, most of them in my favour, and put about Rs. 4,000 in my master's hands. I further undertook to appeal to the Government on his behalf, but nothing seemed to rouse him. Friends advised my mistress to dispense with her establishment, and to live within her income, but she would not listen to it so long as her ' lord ' lived. She accepted my resignation, agreeing that I should improve MAHOMEDANS. 155 my prospects after so much suffering in their service ! I assured her of my life-long devotion, and my daily prayers for the well-being of her self and her husband. Being a woraan of sing ular abilities and resource, she wrote to the Governor's wife, in Persian, telUng that lady of her misfortunes, and of the claims of her famUy. Her touching story moved the officials who heard of it. The case was not worth looking into, but Government sanctioned an annual grant of Rs. 500 to the Meer for his lifetime. He seems to have entirely forgotten the past. He scarcely recognises me. I am now a rich and highly-respected merchant — so high up in the world that I cannot visit my master any longer. My lady is said to have grown gray-haired ; but neither premature age nor her past sufferings, the gloomy present nor the blank future, can lessen her devotion to her husband. She seems to live for and in him. She is his sole attendant— the servants attend to minor duties. She is charitable even now, and on every Ja'md (Friday) she gives what she can to the needy and suffering. I do not feel quite satisfied with myself when reviewing the past, but then, you see, a jjoor man must live." 156 GUJARAT AND THE GUJARATIS. PAESIS. Gujarat was long the head-quarters of the Parsis, especiaUy so Surat and the adjoining towns ; and it can now boast of some very good families. But the Parsis of Surat have fallen upon evil days. The Shettia class, that is, the aristocracy, seem to have become lazy, listless and gregarious, working for generations in one and the same groove. They do not understand true patriotism, and though charity is the very basis of their grand old faith, they hfive very hazy ideas of that greatest of divine graces. Their notion of charity is the giving away of alms, the distribution of money — their own and anybody else's — to the deserving or undeserving, with some object, often that of earning popularity or official favour. That com- PARSIS. 157 prehensive virtue, which inculcates a spirit of justice, generosity and total forgiveness, they lack the faculty to appreciate. They know not, many of them, the true nature of charity. No doubt our Shetts are loyal to the British Crown ; but to what ruling power have they ever been disloyal ? Loyalty is their policy, their interest. Excepting in this matter, the Parsi Shett of Surat is an honest, peace-loving citizen. He seldom beats his wife, and is otherwise a worthy moral old gentleman, with a few " old- gentlemanly vices," and many old-gentlemanly virtues. The middle class Parsis of the mofus sil are a hardy, industrious race, both males and females. But for want of capital and suitable employment a number of families emigrate to Bombay every year. I doubt if this change does them much good. Already Bombay holds more Parsi families than it can maintain in comfort. There are Parsi Shetts in Bombay, too, much better every way than those at Surat. They hold higher views of life, so to say, but all that does not save them from priestly influence. Five to twelve Parsi Shetts compose what is called a Punchdyet. li 158 gujarat and the gujaratis. Shett Sukabhoy Sektaji. is a prim old individual, well shaven, weU washed, and well scented. This faultlessly white-washed being walks as if he were a basket of newly-laid eggs. He seems to be in dread of progress, of the very motion of life. Sloth is his idea of the fashionable. His limbs move very cautiously and very slowly. He hates action of any kind. He hugs indolence, rejoices in its embrace, and revels in its seductive bosom. When, once in six months, he is re quired to attend to a little public business, he helplessly turns to his steward and asks, broken hearted, " Oh ! what's to do again ? " — as if only an hour ago he had done some tremendous deed of heroism for his country ! Shett Sektaji sits down with a grimace and stands up with a yawn. He is sensitively nervous about his health. He will not get out of his carriage till a few minutes after it has stopped ; this is to avoid any internal agitation which might follow a hasty descent. He cannot go to sleep without a stout cotton pillow tied under his chest. In public our Shett is known to be a very worthy citizen, and a thoroughly loyal subject PAESIS. 159 of the Crown. But he has no strength, no stamina. He can look no man in the face. The Parsi a Hebrew Jew ! There would seem to be pretty good ground for Dr. WUson's startUng theory that the Parsis are one of the lost " Ten Tribes." There are many striking points of simUarity, many com mon weaknesses and common virtues between Hebrews and Parsis. The difference between them to-day seems to be that the Parsi life ia much less intense, that is, less patriotic. A Parsi may be a Hebrew with the vices and weak nesses of the lower class of Hindus. For this deterioration he has to thank climate and mar riage with Hindu women. OuE Foeloen Hopes. It is in the middle ranks of Ufe that we can perceive materials for " a mighty, puissant nation." If this middle class goes on educating itself, it may one day realise the future which has been predicted for it by the ancient seers. Besides keeping abreast of the rapid advance of arts and sciences, the people have to learn patriotism and to abjure priestcraft. Above all, they have to create or organise a new national 160 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJARATIS. church, founded on the simple tradition of good thought, good word, and good deed, bequeathed by Zoroaster. Let them weed their scriptures of its verbiage, and let them defy the threats ofthe levites. Let them see that neither greatness nor happiness is to be achieved by a compromise with conscience. But for true national great ness, sincerity in all we do, and some rational scheme of life, are essential. Unfortunately for him, the Parsi is becoming either insincere or irrational. The Oethodox Parsi at Peater. In the most solemn business of life, at his prayer and devotions, the orthodox Parsi makes a droll figure. To him prayer is as necessary as food, and the time for it recurs oftener than the time for his meals. The minute he is out of bed the orthodox Parsi shakes himself free of all idle reveries, the remnants of the night's dreaming ; and unfolding the triple cord* round his waist, turns his face to where the sun has just risen, and giving the sacred badge three vigorous flaps, he cries out in choice Persian, " Defeat, defeat to Shaitan, " f so that the * The kusti, t Satan. THE ORTHODOX PARSI AT PRAYER, PAESIS. 161 author of evil may not venture, later on, to molest the pious man on his path of duty. Shortly after he takes his bath, and then com mences the regular prayer business. He has his prayer-book in Zend text and Gujarati character, out of which he recites an appropriate prayer or tvvo either before the kitchen fire, before the blazing censer in the drawing-room, before the sacred fire of the neighbouring temple, and even in one of the central fire-temples— this according to his circurastances or the degree of devotion he possesses. At other tiraes he prays before the sun, the moon, the stars, the well, the river, the sea, the plant, the tree, the mountain. He sees nothing wrong in sorae of these improvised keblas,* and I do not see what right I have to make him see otherwise. My business is with the quantity of his devotions. These are five in form, according to five natural divisions of his day. In quality these devotions are good and healthy, but they are hopelessly " raixed." Very often there is a long piece for quiet reading and raeditation, which the pious Zoroastrian drawls out line by line with well-executed ejaculations * Mediums or natural objects facing which the Orientals offer prayers. 162 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. and the approved nasal twang, but without the vaguest notion of what he is doing. This is a sorry exhibition, and to the younger generation it is becoming a farce. An educated person, with power to discriminate between right and wrong, cannot help repudiating idle formularies which consist in mere murabling over an extent of jaw-breaking jargon. And yet there are sensible raen in the coraraunity who cannot understand why a spirit of infidelity, a feeling certainly more dangerous than mere passive indifference, which in itself is ominous enough, should prevail in the Zoroastrian world. The reasons are obvious enough. There is very little element of genuine devotion in the formula as at present gone through. There is no inteUigent appreciation of the recitals. The priest says his prayers for hire. He mumbles a certain quantity of jargon without indicating the least appreciation. There is no solemnity, no dignity, often no decency in the performance of the hireling priest. He knows it all to be humbug, and he gets through it as fast as he can, to see if he can give the benefit of his services to another credulous client soon after. And the devout layman! How does he offer p.'^.rsis. 163 prayers? He recites chapter after chapter of matter which he ought to read once in a way, which contains some excellent moral or philo sophical dissertation, but which has as little of devotional merit as Gulliver's Travels ! He does not understand a word of what he recites, and therefore he does so necessarily without any intelligent appreciation. He wastes from six to eight hours of his day under a mistaken sense of duty. What he wants is to thank his Creator for His raercies, and to beg of Hira to continue these. Not knowing how to do it in language he can understand, he wades through his volume of bewildering phraseology containing learned discourses on matters astronomical, geological, metaphysical, moral, and social ! Morning and evening he is haunted by visions of duty, and however oppressed at the prospect of the dis tasteful task before hira, he gets through it with the patience of a martyr. But the attention, which is never wholly absorbed by such work, is apt to be disturbed and distracted. Hence it is not unfrequent to see the orthodox Parsi at prayer breaking out into abuse of his neighbour, into snatches of conversation or observation, and many other acts besides, which have nothing at 164 GUJAEAT AND THB GUJAEATIS. all to do with the solemn affair in hand. The Zend prayer is always wound up with a personal supplication in Gujarati. The devout gentleraan is considerably relieved when he comes to this part of the edifying business. Here he at last understands what he says. And what does he say ? Why, he thanks, in a sort of way, and as fast as he can, his Creator for his past favours ; and then he asks for future blessings. True to his Asiatic instincts, he has an eye to business, even in this solemn obligation of life. He prays not because it is his duty to do so, but because a prayer opens the way for a request ! So he thinks, and so he acts. Who has not seen the orthodox Parsi of a morning or evening at the sea-shore ? With what arts, what blandishments, he tries to seduce the Will Divine ! How he bows, how he bends, how he kneels, how he promises and coaxes, threatens and bullies Heaven ! How he scratches his nose in repen tance, and holds up his skirt-corner in hope of receiving instantly the good things of life he prays for ! But what decent raan will not be shocked at this senseless travesty ? If devo tional services are a necessary institution for the people, let them be so ; but why this public PAESIS. 165 exhibition which exposes the community to the ridicule of all others ? What presumption that a man should ask Deity to think of him, and him exclusively ! This presumption becomes un pardonable when the supplicant descends to details such as asking God to get him good interest for his money, to provide his son with a suitable berth and his daughter with an eligible husband ! God is asked to be a match-maker and a broker ; he is requested to be engrossed with the supplicant's affairs altogether, as if the Creator and Upholder of this vast and magni ficent universe had nothing better to do than to devote His time to the affairs of an infinitesimal and insignificant worm like man ! The fact is, the average orthodox Parsi has mistaken the scope and spirit of genuine devotion till he has drifted into a callous, selfish, presumptuous creature, unworthy of the name of Zoroastrian. And this is entirely owing to the mystery in which a crafty priesthood has hitherto shrouded his scriptures. The Reeoemed Paesi op the Period. As for the young or, as he is called, the ¦reformed Parsi, I doubt if he is essentially a 166 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. Zoroastrian at all ; he seeras to scorn every thing that requires self-denial. It is often good to be independent, and I would not so much mind if the Parsi youth tried to live independ ently of any human religion, and at the same time to be an hon est, useful man, desirous of leav ing the world the better for his having lived in it. But it is not so with the average young Parsi. How could it be so, poor fellow, whilst he is in the transition period of his national existence, wavering and undecided at every stage of thought and of action ? One raelancholy phase of Parsi life, or for that raatter the life of young Bombay or young India, is the almost certain deterioration that comes over a public raan after he is forty or fifty. I have observed many cases of vigorous manhood declining in the way stated above. Whether it be the fault of nature or of climate, it isa serious blemish in the national character. Let us hope the younger generation may furnish a better example of citizenship. But to return to the reformed Parsi ofthe period. He is generally a sturdy sensible fellow, a trifle too selfish and indolent. I think he wants rous- insr. I don't care much for his reUgion. It js a matter of convenience in some cases, in PAESIS. 167 many cases a matter of coraplete indifference. I once saw a Parsi Graduate of the University, a man of mathematics, flattening his nose against the Agiary* window and raaking sly overtures to Heaven, But being an educated man, he perhaps did not like his friends to catch him at prayer. To my misfortune I caught hira in the act, and having knovvn him a little, suggested that if Heaven is to be propiti ated with prayers, these need not be offered as a secret bribe, as stolen or contraband goods. My friend cheerfully agreed with me at the time ; but I suspect he has since denounced me on my back as an atheist ! This inconsistency is the curse of native society. Hindus and Parsis preach all kinds of reforms glibly enough, but when it comes to practising, they often retire into narrow and arrogant orthodoxy. We aU admire Karsandas Mulji ; how few of us will act and suffer as he did ? Yes, it is easy enough to play the philanthropist in theory ; but when it comes to hard practice, it is another matter altogether. Many of my readers, I dare say, know the Hindu reformer and patriot, Pandit * Fire Temple. 168 GUJARAT AND THE GUJARATIS. Bhuttachore. (Sanskrit Bhuttacharya.) See how eagerly he mounts the platforra, howls and shrieks and throws up his arras and casts his eyes Heavenwards as he denounces idolatry and advocates the worship of The One True God ! See him gushing at private and public gather ings, shedding an ocean of tears as he describes the miseries of early marriage and life-long widowhood. Missionary ladies and gentlemen call him 'almost a Christian'; theRev. Dr. WUson used to pray with Bhuttachore 'for the good of his people.' And yet, what does our Pandit do at home ? They say he shuts hiraself up in his hholi morning and evening, arranges his dirty little metal gods and goddesses on the floor, squats before them, offers them prayers and incense, and dances the circular dance around them! When his daughter or daughter-in-law becoraes a widow, Shri Bhuttachore coops her up in that dreary cage of a kitchen room, with a squalid mattress and mouldy food, her head shaven and her delicate person shrouded in the dirtiest and darkest winding sheet ! Think of this hoary hypocrite, and tell me if you are not tempted to throttle him? Would it be a sin if some one were to sew him up in a gunny-bag, PAESIS. 169 and throw him into the sea? Bhuttachore may have a right to worship stones or dead rats. He may keep his family in the cowyard (if the Health Officer allows it). But then, why should he seem other than he is ? And look at that Parsi reformer, Mr. Ograji. See how he bows his way up the crowded plat form, with his wife and family by his side. See how blandly he explains to thera the meaning of difficult terms when they can't follow the lecturer. And yet, his opposite neighbour will tell you that Ograji calls his wife the most frightful naraes, and threatens her with divorce every tirae his egg is underdone or his brandy not well iced ! He pulls his daughter by the hair if his shoes have not the requisite shine after blacking, or if there is a speck of dirt on his velvet coat when Ograji goes to the garden ! Now where is the harm if you twist that hog's neck of his or pull him by his red volcanic nose ? But you can't do it, my friend ; Society will resent your violence, because Society loves its mountebank and macaroni. The Parsi youth's infidelity is partly due to the Dustoors — the priestly class. The Dustoor is an hereditary functionary, and he thinks it 15 170 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. his interest to keep the people struggling in ignorance and superstition. In so doing the Dustoor, unconsciously perhaps to himself, reraains ignorant and superstitious. The Dustooe at his Worst. [His oeigin ; eise ; decline ; his pall un fathomable ; his WATS op life ; his sympathies, antipathies and miseries ; what to do with him. J The Dustoor may be described as an -bjnis fatuus of the dark ages of religion. Historians of free-thought consider him a myth, whilst the faithful claim for him a direct descent fr.'jm the Magi* of old. If magi is Greek for maggots, then there is much sense in the latter interpre tation, as the Dustoor's creed is, above all, very maggoty. But these interpretations do not at all settle the question of origin. There is much doubt about the priraary meaning of the com pound or hybrid Dustoor. Some say it is a good Persian word meaning " pious leader " {vide Persian dictionary), others assert that * The wise men of Iran and Parthia. parsis. 171 Dusthoor, which is the correct rendering, means literally "the hand of Hoor." Max Muller lets off the Dustoor with the gentle hint that he originally came frora Chinese Tartary. But M. M. is a wag. Probably the most correct inter pretation is that furnished by the broad and eclectic Bombay Review. That worthy reviewer has ascertained, by light of recent researches in Persia, that Dustoor is the father of that dis astrous system of Dustoori * which is eating up the Municipality, the Commissariat, and every other Department of State. This is a hit. It shows how many others, besides the priest- ridden Parsis, are writhing in the cruel grip of the Dustoor. The Municipal Commissioner, the Commissary General, the Railway Agent, the Viceroy, the Secretary of State, all, all are under the baneful influence of this father of Dustoori. Worse still, the Rao Saheb Vish- wanath Narayan Mandlik,t in his great work on Hindu Law, openly says that Dustoor means Custom. Cruel custom has been the ruin of India's social life, and Rao Saheb Vishwanith * Petty but systematic bribery. t -^ scholar, jurist, and prominent citizen of Bombay. 172 GUJAEAT AND THB GUJAEATIS. Narayan Mandlik, C.S.I., F.R.A.S , conclusively proves that the Dustoor is Custom itself ! Truth is stranger than fiction. Such, then, is the origin of our Dustoor. There can be no truth in Darwin's alleged insinuation that the genus Dustoor includes the hedgehog and the porcupine. Indeed, I cannot go so far as to deny that the Dustoor bears a strong resemblance to the " Ferocious Dooly" about which Members of Parliament are supposed to know so much. But Darwin's supposed theory staggers me. When the wave-worn exiles of Ir£(,n* first stood in the kindly presence of Rana Jadava of Gujarat, there was no such thing as a particular Dustoor among them. Up to recently the Dustoor had a shadowy existence. But it waxed into such fierce light by degrees, that the Dustoor made it too hot for any sensible person to stand in his shadow. Then, by the law of action and reaction, as philosophers write, there grew up a new power in Parsidom— the Punchayet. Then came a sudden change, a sort of depression over the spirit of the Dustoor's * Ancient Persia, PAESIS. 173 dream. In its turn the Punchayet, too, has become a thing of the past, making room for another social regenerator, the Rahnumai. But this Mai,* too, is getting too old-motherly, and may have to defer to the pressing demands of the younger generation to have truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth. But even in his declining glory the Dustoor is not a personage to be despised. Far from it. He lives in better style than ever did old Friar Tuck. In eating and drinking he is thoroughly Garagantuan. He has all the animal spirits of a Rabelais without anything ofhis finely-concealed spirituality. They say the Dustoor never speaks while eating. Why should he, when what he eats is enough to make a feast for the gods ? The Dustoor can put on looks of portentous learning, but inside his head all is a Dead Sea, a Desert of Sahara. The most noticeable features of his dress are the muslin petticoat t and the cauliflower pugri.J The Dustoor wUl never eat or drink with the Hindu or Mussalman, though he may take a cup * Mother. t His robe is very much like a huge female garment. t Turban. 174 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. of tea or a glass of ice-cream with a European official. He hates the Hindu or Mussalman, whose shadow is so polluting that the Dustoor has to wash himself with cow urine and water for having crossed such shadow under certain circumstances. The Dustoor Saheb is very pious, and prays day and night for any one who will pay him. He is chief mourner at a funeral, and gets handsomely paid. He is chief actor at wedding and other social parties, and is more handsomely paid. He is a good hand at match-making and match - breaking, and is most handsomely paid. These are his doors of income, or his " windows of income," as he modestly and sorrowfully puts it. To the widow in affliction — that is, with a large property and no heirs — the Dustoor's soul goes forth with resistless ardour. Well endowed young widows are very wild creatures; but between the Dustoor, the doctor, and the lawyer, they are soon tamed into lambs. The Dustoor has a tendency to poking his nose in everybody's concerns ; and every honest man hates your prying, paltering, button-holeing busy-boy. In this respect the Government is a long suffering victim of his persecution. He PAESIS. 175 follows the Governor with odes, elegies, charms, and benedictions, and overhangs the august presence till the thing is " accepted with thanks." This note of acknowledgment the Dustoor may frame in a looking-glass or a mirror. It is said that Sir Philip Wodehouse,* who had a mortal horror of the Dustoor, actually contera- plated an anti-Dustoori Act ; But Mr. Gibbs,t who has a tear for every sinner, interposed, and said a J.P.-shipJ would do as well. I am not quite sure if the Dustoor is yet branded with those terrible letters of fire ; but sooner or later he is sure to be a J.P. That is his kishmet.^ Poor mau ! They have made him a Fellow || already, with the black robe of the Puttavala.^ The Dustoor is affiicted by a fell disease, a most enervating and gangrenous tumour on each of his shoulders. The tumour has a very pleasant exterior, but there is no concealing the fact that it is noxious at the core. The disease is called * Gorernor of Bombay in 1875. t Now Member of the Supreme Council of India. X Justice of the Peace — an honorary office in Bombay. § Fate. II Fellow of the University. % A belted messenger. 176 GUJAEAT AND THB GUJAEATIS. Shettia by social doctors, and threatens to be the death of the poor Dustoor. What to do with the Shett-ridden Dustoor, in order to save the Dustoor-ridden laity, is a serious question. Perhaps the best thing would be to send the Dustoor on a long tour to Europe and Araerica in charge of a capable guide. Such tour is sure to do His Holiness much good, the best of it being that he would know his exact place in the world. The Paesi Peiesthood. It is impossible to write of the Parsi priest without reverence for his past. In his palmy days the Mobed wielded an influence over State and Society next to that of the King. And in many cases, as may well be believed, even the functions of royalty were subordinated by com mon consent to the supreme importance attach ing to the Dustoor's sacred office. In Iran the Mobed-Dustoor was all in all. He was arbiter and ambassador between nations, he declared war and proclaimed peace, he directed research and investigation in the field of science, he patronised art, he adorned the professions of medicine and law. In short, the priestly class PAESIS. 177 monopohsed almost all superior powers, and what is more, made a righteous use of their opportunities. In Iran the priest was a prophet as well as a law-giver. He saw deep into the soul of things spiritual, and effected cures and worked miracles which it is next to impossible in these days of materialism to realise. Why and by what process the modern priesthood has degenerated it would be tedious to describe. The Dustoor in India , was a beneficent power even in Akbar's time. Those who have read of the Meherji Rana need not take the account for a mere rhapsody. There are Mobeds and Dustoors even to-day whose dignified presence awakens interest, and whose readings and recita tions thrill the hearts of the audience. But these are rare exceptions. Neglect, want of faith and mutual jealousy have brought Parsi priesthood of the day into contempt with all sensible men. And nothing can reclaim our priests from this deplorable state so well as acknowledgment of their sacred office and insistence on their devoting themselves to the life to which they have been called. At present the majority of the class are anything but what they ought to be. And those who are so ignoble 178 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. in life and conversation are quite the reverse of being religious guides. Actuated by the love of money, an instinct too gross in the Parsi, the priest will not shirnk from any means whereby he can strengthen his social position. He wiU be a petty contractor, printer, coachman, toddy drawer ; he wiU wait upon ladies and play the buffoon after he has cooked their dainty dishes — and all this while the Mobed clairas the privilege of exercising his sacred functions ! Altogether, the position of our priests, even as levites, is grievously low. It rests with the Parsis as a patriotic people to remove this long standing reproach. They must extend the existing faci lities forthe education of the class. The clergy must have a liberal education, and after that they must be asked to behave themselves. I do not know why the office of High Priest is hereditary among us, and why it could not be made elective in sorae sense. Why may not education of the required sort qualify a layman to be a priest ? Be the reason what it raay, this much is certain, that the Parsi community has no reason to be proud of its priesthood. I well remeraber reading Professor Monier Williaras's article on Zoroastrianism some years ago in the PAESIS. 179 Nineteenth Century. There was not a Dustoor, not a Mobed to attempt a defence of his faith. It is presumptuous of me, besides being too late in the day, to join issue with the learned Bodleian Professor, But a few words may not be amiss from a student who is far from being a servile Zoroastrian, and who, disclaiming complete sympathy with the efforts of irapatient and arrogant '' reforra," yet deplores the deadening indifference that appears to have settled upon his people as to their spiritual well-being. It may be taken for granted that what now passes a3 Zoroastrianism cannot be all ascribed to the great Apostle of Truth. His teachings are a good deal mixed up with the sophistries of his predecessors and successors. This fact ought to be always present to the religious critic, that many material phases of Zoroastrianism, such as it is, are involved in uncertainity. It is quite possible that by the light of advancing phUology, and with the help of impartial comraentators like Professor WiUiams himself, and of sympathetic and ardent truth-seekers like Professor Darme steter the faith of Zoroaster, such as it once was, may be better understood half a century hence. That some such happy future awaits it must be 180 GUJAEIt and THE GCJJAEATIS. admitted by all who have studied the Avesta and followed its history for the last half century or so in all its vicissitudes. A Christian scholar is quite welcome to the consolations of Christi- anity. But he may allow that Christianity has had advantage over the older faiths in point of time, Zoroastrianism proper is not to be des pised by the Christian critic simply because it re veals phases of life and thought not understood, or rather misunderstood by him. It may be no way inferior to Christianity in spiritual grace and dignity. As for the blessing of Salvation ready made to hand, there has existed, and will always exist a difference of opinion regarding its neces sity. To some minds nothing is more degrading than to shift upon another the burden of his own sins. That too much faith in the redeem ing power of the common Saviour of all may lead to utter listlessness in matters of the gravest spiritual importance is a contingency which no partisan can ignore. Many there are in the world who would prefer to work out their own salvation. But this is not my object in briefly referring to Mr. Williams's paper at present. What I propose to him and those similarly minded is, that the mission of Zoroaster as the PAESIS. ^ 181 reformer ofthe earlier creeds, and as the Prophet of Organization, should not be undervalued by comparison with later competitors who have lived and worked under infinitely more favourable circumstances, and who can, in so far alone, if at all, be said to be his superiors. Aee the Paesis deteeioeating ? Dr. Weir's Census Report for Bombay once more raises the old question as to the numeri cal strength of the Parsis and their material condition as a race. There are, as usual, two sides to the question. As usual, again, I do not lean too much to either, and can say my say as an independent observer. Dr Max Muller of Oxford University once expressed the fear that under existing restrictions the Parsi race might some day become extinct. Dr. Weir of Bombay Municipality shows by figures taken on the spot that at least so far as their island home goes, the heirs of Rustom and Zal are not at all likely to die out. That they live and multiply like — well, well, comparisons are odious. Here we have two learned speci alists at loggerheads. And it is not for a lay- is 182 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. man to decide when Doctors disagree. But there is no harm in skimming over the subject — is there ? So, with your leave, my man of facts and figures, — on whose authority do you quote your returns ? Can you swear that your figures are infallible ? Can you prove thera to be so ? When the manufacturer general of census returns told us some years ago that the number of Parsis at Bombay was ever-increasing, I gave him up for a theorist. The same may or may not be my opinion of Dr. Weir's little re turn. Now, I have a real regard for officials generally. They are able and conscientious workers, and are up to every kind of work, from drawing up annual reports to reviewing these same in friendly journals. Honestly, I have not such a poor opinion of officials as many of my educated countrymen have. What I object to is the oracular tone of official reports, the sacred character of their contents, the claim the reporters set up to infallibility, and above all, their boast about expeeience. When a Sir Oracle of the District dograatises on his " direct experience," he may well be asked what he means by that favourite phrase of his. How does the Collector acquire his PAESIS. 183 " experience" of things not under his own, observation? Who are his informants? The Head Clerk, whose duty is to tell hira not what is true, or what the Government and the people would profit by knowing, but often what the Saheb Bahadur would be pleased to be told. Many a Head Clerk's motto i^—'' Master' s please." The Collector's other informants, or informers rather, are the ViUage Patel, the Jemadar, the Chuprasij and^ in some cases, the Aya. When a young Collector reads this, he is sure to call me names and charge me with exaggeration. I beg to anticipate His Honor and to assure His Worship that this ten line comment of mine is no more exaggerated than three-fourths of official reports from the dis tricts. And for this evil the system is more to blame than the men who work under it. The Deputies, the Sub- Judges, the Mamlatdars, the Karkuns, at times, go upon hearsay more or less, and they base their reports on what they know or feel will put " Master" in good humour. Of course, there are many CoUectors who will insist upon the truth and require ocu lar proofs to be convinced. But there may be Collectors, too, who now and then make 184 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJARATIS. their subordinates report what is the reverse of truth. But let us accept Dr. Weir's return as cor rect, as I believe it is. What then ? Why do some of the Parsi writers make such a cackle over it ? If the Parsis have had a tendency to increase in Bombay, has it been ascertained how many families annually come over here from the Mofussil ? Bombay has long been the centre of attraction for Parsis ; few go beyond Bombay, fewer still out of the country. Granted that births outnumber deaths. But after all, what a miserably small proportion the Parsis are of the Hindu population of India, of the Mahomedan population of the world ? The fact is, Parsis should never dream of rival ling other nations by number — their only chance is to shine by the superiority of the heart and the intellect. The position they have hitherto enjoyed is due to their cosmopo litan charity and love of progress ; and these spring more or less from material prosperity. The Parsis of Bombay were its most prosper ous citizens; but they have gone down as a community since the days of the Share Mania, and other coraraunities have risen in proper- PAESIS. 185 tion. Since 1865-66 their progress raaterially seems to have been imperceptible. Bombay owes a great deal to the Parsis. In a sense it once belonged to Parsis. From Malabar HUl down to Colaba, from Mazagon to the Fort, houses and lands were almost exclusively with Parsis. Parsis had a monopoly of the trade of Bombay — from Dubash and Interpreter the Parsi rose to be Broker, Agent and factotum, in the end setting up a firm of his own. The Banajis, the Dadys, the Readymoneys, the Petits, the Patels, the Wadias, the Camas, and others, made money with amazing rapidity. And as they earned, so they spent. Besides their public benefactions, what the private charity of the Parsis has done for Bombay will perhaps never be adequately known. Later on came Jamsetji Jeejeebhoy, not only a raerchant prince and a philanthropist, but a seer, as sorae of his charities now show. Marvellous were his pluck and enterprise; his strokes of business took away the breath of " cautious " competitors. And nobly he made use of his earnings ! In less than twenty years that man gave away over thirty lakhs of Rupees. And how well bestowed raost of the money was I Sir Jamsetji's charities 186 GUJARAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. were truly catholic. But in the more essential! matters he did not forget his own people. Had the first Baronet lived ten years longer he might have given us a Parsi Hospital, a Parsi College, and perhaps a Parsi Colony too. His son, Mr, Rustomji Jamsetji, would have filled his place but for the crash of 1865. Sir Cowasji Jehangir would have done something very like it but for his infirmity, though even from his sick bed he eould bully a hundred so-called merchants into action. All this now reads like a chapter from ancient history, I fear the Parsis are drifting on many sides into difficulties ; they are being squeezed out, so to say. What they want is a leader who could collect the scattered forces and lead them into useful channels. Who eould accomplish this work better than the Parsi Punchayet ? Our wealthy families must come forward — the Petits, the Sethnas and others — to bring about the development of small trades, industries and handicrafts, and to encourage emigration to a small extent. We want a pubUe fund, for which the Parsis are certainly not too poor. Our young men, instead of being huddled to gether like widows in a Hindu zenana, must PAESIS. 187 resume old work long neglected, strike out new paths, and be content with small but rapid profits. Look at the patient Bori, Bhattia, Bania, Memon. You will find few Parsis in trade outside of Bombay. They are all for Government service, hotels or Uquorshops. We Parsis boast too rauch of our female edu- cation. In the presence of Asiatic jealousy such education has not given much of real freedom to our women. Your educated doll raay be good enough to look at. But there ends her useful ness. All our feraale education has not yet produced one lady doctor, or nurse, or sister> of mercy, or zenana teacher. Apart from this public point of view, the educated young lady at home is often felt to be a costly encumbrance. As in England, so here, the young man of the period is becoming a sordid utilitarian, and he looks upon a wife as a doubtful investment. You selfish idiot, why don't you make your wife what you wish her to be ? Why don't you tell her that her duty is to be a true helpmate, that in fact she must con= tribute her share to the general stock of happi ness, over and above presenting her wretched husband with his duplicate every year or two, 188 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. She must cook and wash and sew and stitch, keep shop for her husband and raind his busi ness otherwise, just as the European, Hindu, Mahomedan, or any other sensible wife in the world does, such as even the Irani wife does to-day in Bombay. AU this sickness in the family and the doctor's biUs, the breakage and wastage and bickering, the insolvency and the alimony and the Lord and the lawyers alone know what else, come of idleness at horae. With a hundred rupees a month for your income, how can you afford a wet nurse and a dry nurse, a cook and a hamal ? Your child ren's mother is the cheapest nurse for them and the best cook. And you could raake a tolerable hamal, if you gave up that club of yours with its stale dinner and stinking gossip. Every comraunity has its poor — those who will be poor, do what you like for thera. To their credit be it said that the Parsis do their best for their destitute co-religionists. But organized charity is still wanting. We must have a number of millinery and other shops, where respectable girls may learn their business and thus to maintain their families. We must PAESIS. 189 have flower shows and fancy work exhibitions on hoUdays for the benefit of the poor. Well- to-do young ladies and gentlemen ought to contribute their tirae and money to these objects. When you are besieged of an evening near Vithal Wadi or the Market by boys and girls, with hollow eyes and hungry looks, offering to sell skull-caps and neckties prepared by the busy old mother or the bed-ridden sister — or by the old man who has once seen better days — holding up the woollen socks, prepared " at home " as he tells you with timid confidence — what does it all mean ? Why, it means pinching poverty, want of the daily dole. When you see such sights of a cold dark evening, does not your heart yearn to pay the little waifs ten times the cost of their skull-caps and neckties, and are you not tempted to empty the contents of your purse into the withered trembling hands ? But how long wiU casual help last where there are six bread-eaters and not one bread-winner ? Truly are the Parsis fallen upon evil days — a people whose life excited the admiration of the wisest of Oriental Kings at whose feet* I now jot down * Akbar's tomb at Sekundra in Agra, 190 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. these passing thoughts, — a people on the basis of whose ancient faith Akbar tried to build up a universal religion — seera to be running adrift as a nation, a sraall band of aliens likely to be ex terrainated in the keen cruel struggle that is before them, or to be absorbed into some stronger current in the ocean of humanity. Parsis love to do good. Will they not do good to their own race for javedan ?* My poor people ! For near nine centuries after your flight from over Khorasan, on the wreck of a magnfficent empire, you were at the mercy of the Hindus of Gujarat ; a quiet, inoffensive colony of men living on the sufferance of a cousin race. Like the Jews you outlived this long captivity in patience and infinite trust, helping and serving the Hindu rulers at the risk of life, till the fame of your chivalrous patriotisra and of your spirit of enterprise reached the Grand Moghul. That was the turning point in the national career. You rose rapidly since then under the Mahoraedans and the Portuguese. Then came the English, who raised you again into a nation. From 1750 * Eternity. PAESIS. 191 to 1864-65 was a period of revival. In the monetary crash of 1865 you lost your fortune, and with it part of your social prestige. You are being pressed out on both sides by the Hindu and the Mussalman. Lacking the thrift of the former and the combination of the latter, you may dwindle into a loose isolated atom in the raass of India's motley population. There is no hope for you unless you begin life again. Go into the districts and beyond the borders of the country, and turn over a new leaf. But you want guidance and support. These are the crying wants of the coraraunity. Parsis of the nineteenth century are Uke a flock without a shepherd. To begin with, we must have a National Fund, a National CouncU, and a National Church. 192 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. THE BOEAS OF GUJAEAT. Next to the Parsis are the Boras (voharas — meaning literally, pedlars). They are Maho medans and followers of AU, but were originaUy Hindus. They are scattered over various parts of India, but generally gravitate towards Gujarat. The Boras have their Mohla, as the Parsis have their Dustoor, and the Vaishnava-Hindus their Maharaj. All three people are about equally priest-ridden. As a typical Bor£(., I have much pleasure in introducing my friend Adamji bin * Didamji to the reader. Adamji BIN Didamji. [His descent, attributes, habits, manners; his love of man and fear of God, with many other things besides.] Adamji bin Didamji is a compound product, as * Born of, son of. THE BOEAS OP GUJAEAT. 193 his name implies. He is often found loafing about the outskirts of Gujarat ; but he is by no means a loafer. His forefathers were substantial Hindu farmers, somewhere between Kapadwanj and Viraragaum, what time the followers of the Prophet went from Ahmedabad lower down, with the sword in one hand and the Koran* in the other. As this is not a scientific paper, I shall proceed with a strictly personal history of Adamji, leaving further details of his origin to a learned chronicler. Suffice it to say, for the present purpose, that Adamji comes from remote Hindu ancestry. He resembles the Hindu of Gujarat more in features than any other people. In habits he is milder than the mildest Hindu. He dresses like the Hindu, ex cept in the matter of the pdyjamd f and the pugri, speaks the language of the province with a peculiar accent. Frugality and simplicity are the leading features of Adamji's character. My Adamji. But to give a true picture of his character, it will be best to write of my Adamji bin Didamji. I made his acquaintance about eighteen years * The Mahomedan Bible. t Drawers. 17 194 GUJARAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. ago. He was then a flourishing young man of seventeen, and I was his junior by some years. Though I belonged to quite another race, Adamji took kindly to me from the very begin ning. We met under peculiar circumstances. We were both suffering from a bereavement, and our sympathy was therefore very warm for each Other. Adamji often invited me to dinner. When these dinners were private affairs they were ex tremely frugal. A handful of parched rice was thrown over the sands in which we were sitting, and one by one the individual grains were picked up by us during intervals of discourse. Adamji was, as a rule, my moral preceptor, and his morality was of a very high order when we had to make shift with the parched grain aforesaid. He then talked of Heaven, and said the surest way to go thither was by conciliating the friend ship of the MuUaji.* But it would be pleasanter to begin with marriage than death. One day Adamji brought home his bride from Kapad wanj — his " brand-new wife," as Adamji told me in the pride of his heart. He gave us (rae and other friends) a grand dinner on the occasion. * The Bora's high-priest. THE BOEAS OF GUJAEAT. 195 A young buffalo formed the backbone of the banquet. Good Surat ghee and sweet Bengal sugar lurked in every nook and corner of the buffalo dish, Kabobs and samosds, bhujias and hulwds, roast and stew, sweet bread, and pulow and berian, formed the other concomitants of this wondrous feast. All of us, about twenty mothers' sons, sat down to the repast, each one of the lot eating out ofthe same enorraous dish. The blooming bride came at the end of the dinner to distribute flowers and pdn supdri* to the guests assembled. It is the custom araong Adamji's people that the bride, under the circurastances, must be ogled, This we did with extreme unction. We peeped into Mrs. A.'s pretty face, and ogled with outrageous freedom. She gave back defiant smile for smile, whilst the "happy" bridegroom hung down his head and looked rather foolish under this severe ordeal. But he soon after made up for his temporary humiliation by cold- shouldering us all and walking into his room with the bride and his and her aunts. It was about a week after this that I met Adamji again. * Betel-leaf and nut. 196 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. I had also many occasions to see his Boo,* and though she always kept herself ^Mr(^awas^m,t Mrs. Adamji was not a bit of a prude. She chatted freely, and after the birth of little Adamji she did not hesitate to sit by the side of her husband's friends when he, the husband aforesaid, was near. I had the melancholy satisfaction of seeing old Didamji, Adamji's father, die. He was about sixty years old at the time. He had made his peace with Heaven. Didamji explained to his admiring friends that, though he had not lived an exemplary life, having been only a shopkeeper, still he hoped he had a happy hereafter. He had invited the Mulla for over a dozen times during his lifetime, and had gone to His Holiness about a hundred tiraes ; and just before his death Didamji had paid a large sum of his ill-gotten gains to the holy intercessor, the Mulla, for a note of introduction on behalf of Didamji to the address of the Angel Gabriel. The note is sup posed to have run somewhat on this wise : — ' ' Dear Brother Gabriel, — My old friend Didamji bin Dosa it has been the pleasure of the all- wise * Bora or Mabomedan wife. t Under veil. THE BOEAS OF GUJAEAT. 197 Allah* to call away. I have honoured Didamji with ray friendship for many a long year, and knowing his worth, I beg of you to receive him hospitably, and to introduce hira to the Most High with my respectful compliments." This note of introduction was buried with poor Didamji, and was no doubt taken by the de ceased worthy, on the day of resurrection, to Gabriel. And there can be no sort of doubt that Brother Gabriel did bring Didamji to the favourable notice of Allah, as Mrs. Adamji protested she had seen it all in a dream. Adamji's life is a dead level of honesty, fru gality, and simplicity — and ao much the better for hira. He is the thriftiest trader and shop keeper in Gujarat. He begins life with selling raatches, and generally ends with a substantial little estabUshment. In the beginning he can hardly earn one anna (1 ^d.) a day ; and yet you will find Adamji lives happily, and saves some thing besides. I know of Adamji's countrymen maintaining themselves and their families on two annas a day. But however heavy the expenses, the income is never altogether squandered. * God. 198 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. Adamji is prudent by instinct, but never miserly. In ninety cases out of a hundred he makes a true friend. Though gifted with a keen sense of the power of money, he can make excellent use of it when he lists. Poverty has no sting for Adamji, nor riches an irresistible attraction. He is probably the shrewdest busi ness man of the town ; but in other relations of citizenship his simplicity is truly charming. It is guilelessness pure and simple. But in one thing Adamji bin Didamji differs very materially from every other Gujarati — he has really no taste for poUtics. He is callous as to the political management of the country. He has infinite faith in the Govern ment, next only in intensity to his faith in the Mulla. The strongest political agitation in his country fails to strike a responsive chord in his heart. He is a lover of peace. He will put himself to any amount of inconvenience, he will sacrifice anything, to secure peace. Peace to Adamji is a priceless blessing -, and knowing that a discussion of political questions has a disturb ing tendency, he will always refrain from politics. He neither hates nor loves politics ; it is a ques tion of stolid imperturbable indifference. THE BOEAS OF GUJARAT. 199 Such is Adamji bin Didamji ; and whoever comes to know him well will agree that Adaraj is, taken all in all, an exemplary man in every respect. As a son and pupil, as a brother or father, as a friend, his life is a lesson to his neighbours. As a citizen he is invaluable — simple, sober, prudent, aud eminently loyal. Long live my friend Adaraji bin Didamji, a worthy exemplar to the " educated " jackanapes of the generation. 200 GUJARAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. MASTEE LALIA PAEAPAE. Besides Hindus, Parsis, Mahomedans, and Boras, there are numerous mixed and aboriginal tribes in Gujar£(.t, such as Dhers, Mahars, Bheels, and so on, of which I shall here introduce only one, the Lalias as we call them. The Lalias or Surtis profess to be Hindus, but are Hindu only in name. They are as pushing and mercurial as the Parsis, and are mostly in the domestic service of Europeans and Parsis. Surat and Nowsari are their head- quarters, butthe more ven turesome emigrate to Bombay every year, where they take kindly to no other calling except to be "boys " (menial servants) with European families. They pick up a smattering of English with the blustering habits of their masters. They are par ticularly in request among bachelor employers, under whom they work, play, drink, cozen, return LALIA PAEAPAE. 201 home, grow fat, and die. Their women are generally fine, sturdy lasses, highly developed in muscle and bone, and " sound in wind and lirab," as they say in disposing of a girl in marriage. The Lallans are brisk, handy crea tures for indoor or outdoor work. They make masterful wives ; and it is, therefore, easy to account for many a droll Rip Van Winkle in Gujarat viUages. Instances are on the records of the police court where an outraged wife has tried " to whip the offending Adam " out of her husband for indulging in heroic love. The Lilians themselves, however, are no votaries of Diana. I have tried to collect a few Lalia songs at the suggestion of a reviewer in the Bombay Gazette. But these village ditties, I find, turn upon very ticklish topics ; I dare not publish them in an English garb unless the reviewer aforesaid takes the responsibility. The fact is, our Lalia Parapar is a creature of infinite love, loving everybody and everything as his wife's brother or sister — mdro hdro or mdri hari. So tender is this feeling, and so comprehensive, that he will '/aaro hdro his father, brother, his European master, or even the village god he worships. 202 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. Each of these he will call his wife's brother in the most easy familiar style. He has an ear for the love song ; but the feUow takes unpardonable liberties. The L^UeC loves discussion, too, but his tongue has a natural tendency to street-arabism. He will never make a Judge of the High Court. But with all his faults Master Lalia Parapar is a joUy useful fellow, and honest after a fashion. Mixed Low Classes. There is quite a legion of mixed low classes in Gujarat, lower than the Shudra class, which is the lowest ofthe four recognised Hindu Castes, and which includes, I suppose, carpenters, smiths and other artisans and handicraftsmen. These never intermarry nor eat together. Far below these Shudras are the Kharw£(.s, Dublas, Pomplas, Mahars, Bheels and others. The Kharwas are a hardy race and make excellent sailors or, what Europeans call, lascars. They are more or less like Lalias in custoras and habits. The Bheels are hill-raen, subsisting on the pursuit of the chase and the hunt. In the interior the Bheels go about nearly naked, and if they are at all clothed in leaves, it is to keep off cold. They live in fastnesses, are guided by a MISED LOW CLASSES. 203 strict code of honour, and will not do harm except when injured or provoked. As a race the Bheels are dying out. The Dublas are very like the Bheels, though more mild in manners. They are inmates of the jungles, and generally corae out to serve at village liquor shops or other manual work where they are often usod very much like bullocks. The Dublas are trying to avail themselves of railway communication ; but the newly devised Abkari and Forest laws tell upon them cruelly. They coraplain of starvation. The Nadas, Poralas or Tiralas are rough iron- smelters and collectors of rags and rubbish. They use carrion — dead fowl or animal or reptile — 'as food. Now be it known that these wretched crea tures, whose very shadow pollutes the lowest of the recognised castes, observe caste distinctions araong theraselves. They will not dine to gether, certainly not interraarry. The lowest of all is the Pariah outcast, hiding himself from public gaze, a thing conscious of hopeless degradation, shunning himself, so to say, as much as he is shunned by others. 0 Caste, thou inexorable tyrant, what hope is there for 204 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. India while thy Jagarnaut wheel is grinding man's best nature out of him ! Ye missionaries of Christ, why don't you save these unhappy tribes from perhaps eternal wrong ? What a rich harvest of souls to save ! In its ethical aspects, the Hindu caste may be divided into the Vedic, the Puranic, the Mantric, the followers of Shiva and the votaries of Devi. The purest form of worship, to my mind, is the Vedic. The Arya Samaj of Dayanand, a son of Gujarat, and the Brahma Samaj of Keshub, have a career which I watch with the keenest interest. I am told of the Tantric sect in Gujarat, a secret society including high class and low class people alike. The distinguishing feature of the rites of these Tantric philosophers are said to be cannibalism and polyandry. I cannot accept this version as quite correct. But though the sect in one sense demolishes Caste, its practical observances strike an out sider more or less as brutal as well as bestial. S05 CHAEACTEES.— THE MAEWAEI. In going through Gujarat the traveller is sure to come across a character who offers much scope for observation and study. Who has not seen the Marwari ? — the professional usurer, so useful and so execrable ! His Infancy. He haUs from Marwar, and is a Jain or Shrawak Hindu. At home, and up to eight years of age, the Marwari is the sprightliest little animal that ever kicked the mother who suckled him. He skips about like a wild kan garoo in the wantonness of unlimited freedom, returning at brief intervals to the warmth of the maternal breast. The little Marwari is kept at the breast till he is eight — till then parental affection is literaUy lavished on him. Eight is said to be his weaning time, figuratively I 18 206 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. suppose ; and with true insight, as soon as he is weaned, he is sent off to these parts in company of an honest acquaintance. His 'Peenticeship. The little suckling is destined to be a mer chant, andto a shopkeeper he is apprenticed at the first start in life. He is bound to serve the Shett for a number of years, to serve his person and his shop, to help at cooking the meals ; he is bound to serve diligently and well, he is bound to keep secrets. If he give satisfac tion for one year, he may expect a salary of eight annas* a month from the beginning of next year. Meantime he looks upon himself as a lucky dog if he can have for his two meals what remains after the master has dined — barely enough to keep body and soul to gether. But the boy who, only a month ago, led the life of an infant epicure, indulging every pleasure and every liberty dear to child hood, repines not at the change that has come over his bright young life. He slaves at his work heroically, bent upon learning the craft by which his master has raised a fortune. This * About a shilling. THE MAEWAEI. 207 alchemy the young apprentice is determined to master, and to that end he strives with incredi ble diligence to ingratiate himself with his employer, and he succeeds. His half rupee pay is increased to Rs. 3 a month. He becoraes the confidential moonim, the factotum, the alter ego of his master, and is entrusted with the sole business when the latter goes home for a holi day. The return of the chief marks a new era in the existence of our Marwftri. He, who was only the other day a thoroughly mercurial being, has now changed into a staid, sober shopkeeper. He opens a shop, on his own account. His earn ings of so many years will suffice for the pur pose ; if not, he can borrow ofhis master, whose interest in him is not nominal. He can borrow from Rs. 50 to Rs. 100. Under more favour able circumstances he can borrow Rs. 600, though he seldom needs so much to start with. The Maewaei his own Master. And now our Marwari has his own shop. He generaUy begins with salt, oil, grain, fuel, or other cheap nick-nacks. The Marwari never deals in anything which will not bring at least cent, per cent, profit. One might ask how he 208 GUJAEAT AJSID THE GUJAEATIS. can have the courage, though his conscience is up to it, to ask double for such articles as oU, rice, fuel, &c. Well, it is thus :— The Marwari buys his articles of the poorest quality at the cheapest market. He buys when things go merely for the asking. He buys in the lump, and charges a heavy discount. He keeps shop in a locality from which the nearest market measures by the mile. He seUs his gpods on credit, and, of course, in retail. He weighs and measures as he likes, and the customer has only to sraile and accept the article held out. His weights and measures are not of the latest make, and he often substitutes pieces of stone for standard weights. It is easy now to see how the Marwari earns cent, per cent, at his shop. His Modus Operandi. The Marwari allows credit to the customers till it has reached, say a rupee ; then begins the interest at two annas a month ; then it becomes a book debt ; then is required a security — an old ring, a few cooking utensils, some wearing apparel, &c. These are lodged with the Marwari till the lodger has drawn upon the THE MARWAEI. 209 shop for about half their value. Fresh security is now required if fresh supplies of rotten grain, adulterated oil, wet fuel, &o., are applied for. On all " reasonable " security he is ready to give, says the Marwari, but the customers must know that he has to meet his own liabiUties. He charges heavy interest for the credit money on the plea that he has to replace the goods disposed of on credit by new supplies for which he has to tell down cash, which he is forced to borrow. Besides, he turns to account the security lodged with him. He lends the ring, the clothes, the utensils, or the furniture to others, and charges for the use. He is not responsible for the wear and tear ; if those who have lodged the articles with him object to their being used, why, they must close the account with him ! He raust live somehow ! and so on, and so on. It is no use arguing with the Marwari, he will circumvent you every where. He lends and you borrow ; it follows he should comraand and you obey. His Mode of Recovbet. The Marwari will lend and sell on credit to the last pie compatible with safety. Infinite is 210 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. his power of lending, so is his power of recover ing. He manages to meet the debtor on pay day, on the very threshold ofhis office. He offers every facUity to the debtor to earn money enough to repay. If the debtor seems to bear the Marwari's exactions with ease, he may be sure he wiU not be out of his debt. But the moment the Marwari finds difficulty in repay ment, he sets about squeezing the last drop out of the unhappy wretch. He removes from the bouse everything worth removing. He appeals to the debtor's employers to give him the month's wages ; he puts himself in coramu nication with the debtor's rich relatives. He appeals to their abru.'^^' He takes the debtor's wife and sisters and daughters in hand. He opens out new avenues of income for them. He sends some of them to factory work, others into domestic service. The Marwari does not scruple to put his victims to the vilest uses, so he can recover what he thinks to be his due. It is suspected that full half of the inmates of Kamatipora are the victims of the Marwari's cruel persecutions, the female friends of the wretch who began his acquaintance with the * Credit, honour. THE MAEWAEI. 211 Marwari with buying a pound of sugar on credit, and has ended that ill-fated acquaintance in the ruin of his manhood. When all this faUs to satisfy the relentless fiend, he resorts to the SmaU Cause Court. He is a great friend of some of the underlings there, and those who know what a sumraary suit is, need not be told that the Marwari has the power to sell by auction everything the debtor may possess. He often buys up everything himself. The Marwari's Victims. The Mttrwari feeds upon the poorer classes of Hindus — our factory hands, house servants, and small handicraftsmen. His policy is the policy ofthe "long rope." He lends and lends till the raan is completely in his power. There are Mussalmans, too, in the Marwari's debt ; aud when he finds it is impossible to get any thing out of a poor beggar, he sets him to steal. There may be many a notorious Mussalman thief who is driven to the trade by the Marwari, who is his instigator and accomplice. The Mar wari is invariably the repository of stolen goods, Parsis and Portuguese, too, the Marwari lays under contribution, especially clerks and me- 212 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. chanics. But these victims are apparently getting used up, so thinks the Marwari, and he scorns to deal with them. Europeans and Eurasians are not without the pale of the Marwari's influence. He wiU lend when the bank fails a poor fellow. When the manager dismisses Augustus Hardup, of the G. I. P. Railway, the Marwari is his refuge. It is with the Marwiiri's money that Augustus applies for another place ; it is with the Marwari's money that Augustus woos and wins the widow Pereira with Rs. 10,000 under trust, left by the ugly old apothecary, her first husband. It is also with the Marwari's money that Augustus goes to Poona, Jubbulpore, and other likely places in search of eraployraent — never to return. But the Mivwkri has security at least in the person of a friend of Augustus decaraped. This worthy, an inmate of the workhouse, generally pays the Marwari with kicks and cuffs. He shakes off the bore once for all, and after that is never troubled by his dun. The Marwari as a Member of Society. Thus lives the Marwari, buying and seUing, lending and recovering, scheming, bullying, and the MAEWARI. 213 going to court. His life is a continued struggle with his better part. But so successfully does he wrestle with himself, that before thirty he has ceased to be a human being. Before thirty he is a money-grubbing machine. He will do any- thing for money, get money from everything. He works greater havoc in the mofussil than in the Presidency towns. More official minutes and reports have been written on the Marwari than on all the wild beasts and venomous reptiles put together. But the Marwari still flourishes. He threatens to be a permanent fixture. The Marwari at Home. Next to money the Marwari loves his home in Marwar, then his mother, then his wife and chUdren, then his national music. The Marwari seldom smiles under Rs. 100, but the loss of a pie will bring tears into his eyes. He has not much religion in him ; and though as an ortho dox Hindu he is bound to visit his teraple, he seldom does so, unless under inducement of a dinner or a loan. He has not much respect for his gods, and will prefer a Queen's coin to the best of them. In all his habits of life, sim^ 214 GUJARAT AND THB GUJAEATIS. plicity, that is, a love of cheapness, is the lead ing trait. He loves his holidays, and during the Holi the Marwari abandons himself to full in dulgence of the senses, but he takes care that the carousals do not cost him much in money. " Anything but money, unless it is /or me " — that is the Marwari's motto. The Marwari makes a good friend so far as his advice goes. He marries late in life, and makes a loving husband and father, so far as love is love with out raoney. He is too fond of hoarding to part with anything unless forced to. A Solemn Warning. There is hope for the wildest scapegrace buried in debt, if he has not gone to the Marwari ; but once in the Marwari's clutches, not the wealth iest and the goutiest uncle can save hira. The man who has escaped the Marwari's grip with a whole coat on has the making of a Finance Minister in him. 215 THE VILLAGE HAJAAM. Another curiosity, by the way, is the village Hajaam, the barber. No native can do without the Hajaam, and as he attends to many other little offices of life besides shaving, it may not be amiss to give an account of his life and labours, in these days of cheap biography. The Hajaam in Gujarat is Hindu by caste ; soraetimes he is Mussalman. There is no Parsi Hajaara. There are several little handicrafts at which the Parsi flatly refuses to work. He may be a professional gambler or thief, but a Hajaam or blacksmith — never. There are religious scruples in the way of his becoming a Hajaam. According to his Shastras* there is sin in paring the nails or picking up, clipping, or shaving the hair. * Scriptures. 216 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJARATIS. How THE Hajaam opeeates on a Hindu. But to return to our Hajaam, and how he operates upon an Aryan brother. The opera tion generally takes place in the forenoon, immediately before tiffin. Patient and opera tor squat before each other, each chewing pan supdri— 2k process which the ignorant might mistake, from a distance, for either making faces at the other. After discussion of the latest news, the Hajaam takes out his tweezers and falls to picking the hair off the patient's fore head. There is torture unutterable in this part of the operation ; but be it said to the credit of both that the more vigorously plies the hand of the Hajaam, the more gratefully grunts the Aryan brother. The object is high polish, and both have set their hearts on that object. As soon as the tonsorial part of the operation is finished, the Hajaam presses the patient's head downwards ; and meek as a lamb, the latter bows till his head is fairly ensconced in the Hajaam's brotherly lap. The water is now appUed for a few seconds, and then is applied the trusty razor. As it moves backwards and forwards, the razor makes a distinct noise — the hajaam. 217 perhaps a wail complaining of the rough surface to which its edge is applied. When much put out, the razor sometimes makes a gash here or there ; but the patient being persuaded that a little blood thus drawn averts apoplexy, sub mits to the razor's vagaries with cheerfulness, encouraging the Hajaara, every time there is a gash, with a vigorous smack of the lips. It takes about an hour to shave a well-developed Aryan. The razor has to glance north to south, east to west, to see all is smooth as an ivory ball. This much ascertained, the Hajaam takes a handful of limejuice and rubs it on the newly- shaven craniura with an air of superiority. The patient sraarts under this operation just for a moment, but, knowing it to be for his own good, he is the last man to complain. The process is not yet complete. Though the head is as smooth and shiny as ivory, there is some thing yet to do. There are the cheek-bones to be similarly treated, the hair on the upper lip to be touched up, the hair in the nose and the ears to be picked out, for, with Oriental charity, every respectable Aryan cultivates hair in both these organs to a considerable extent. After the picking, clipping, and shaving are over, 19 218 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. there is the nail-paring. Then follows the shampooing. Here the Hajaam puts the patient in various positions, and rubs and scrubs and currycombs him with a vigour that would do good to the heart of a veterinary surgeon to witness. After half an hour thus employed, the patient is released, and the Hajaam is paid about a pennyworth of copper on the assurance that the operation will answer for fifteen days.^ His Miscellaneous Duties. Thus plies the Hajaam at his principal work. He is good at many other jobs besides. He is the hereditary torch-bearer af the vUlage, and has the honour of lighting in or out the Collec tor or his young man. The Hajaam is also a good pleader; not a High Court or District Court pleader, please, but a pleader — that is, he pleads the cause of an enamoured youth before his divinity. The village Hajaam is the priest of Hymen, and his wife is the accoucheur- sreneral of the villaa:e. This is a fair division of labour between husband and wife. The village Hajaam is also a good herbalist, and in this respect sometimes a more trust worthy person than the modern L. M. and THE HAJAAM. 219 S.* — he never poisons his patients nor hacks and hews their limbs. The village Hajaam labours under one sad infirmity. He has a very loose tongue. He is an incorrigible gossip. The best use you can make of your enemy's secret is to entrust it to the' Hajaam. If you want the' secret to be most widely known, just say you give it hirn in strict confidence. He wUl rush off to the bazaar t directly he leaves you, and will not rest till the whole village knows the secret, of course with due exaggerations, but in strict confidence. But though the village Hajaam is a great '"spendthrift of his tongue," he never dabbles in politics. He has an idea that the Police Superintendent is the natural enemy of those who discuss politics, and that he has the power of hanging any such person in the back part of the jail at the Collector's comraand. * Bombay Licentiate of Medicine and Surgery — a passed medical man. f Market quarters. 220 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAeItis. THE VA'QUIL. Anothee character, as busy as the Hajaam, and about as popular as the Marwari, is the mofussil Vakeel (Pleader), or, as Persian scholars would call him, the Va'quil. A Va'quil* may be described as a column of vapour issuing from the Ocean of Emptiness. When condensed, after repeated manipulations, by the Professor of Law, and mixed with a strong solution of brass, the Va'quil is rolled up before the Chief Justice, who licks him into shape, generally after tiffin. The exercise is said to be very exhilarating for both parties. As soon as the Chief Justice has licked into shape and breathed life into hiraf the Va'quil starts up as if from a state of Nirvana,^ rubs * He is loquacious and assertive, say his enemies. t The Va'quil gets bis su-nud or diploma from tbe Chief Justice after an examination. X Absorption, the Buddhist theory. the va'quil. 221 his eyes, stretches his arms, and, shuffiing out of the august presence, passes the rest of the day in contemplation. Under cover of night the Va'quil steals homewards, and hiding his guilty head in the bosora of a greasy quilt, he cries for relief. The Va'quil' s Fiest Staet. Next morning the Va'quil is placed in a cage * on a fashionable road, where he can be interviewed from a safe distance, for about Rs. 3. The fee rises from Rs. 3 to Rs. 30, according to circumstances. But it is very seldora that the fee coraes. This process of the Va'quil's profitless exhibition is technically termed " vegetation." In this state he re mains from six to twelve months, when he begins to bud forth into something like a useful being. The Va'quil with the Maewaei. At this stage the Va'quil is taken in hand by a Marwari, or such another worthy recognised by the Court as Daldl f or Muhhtydr. But his existence is not yet generally recognised. He * Shop or Office. f Law broker. 222 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. has more leisure than he cares to have, which he de^^otes to the columns of the Amrita Bazdr PaArika, the pages of Malthus, of the Sana- janih Sabha, or the Theosophist. The Va'quil Dabbles in Politics. The Va'quil is now about thirty, and has already joined several institutions where he can sit cross-legged and read the newspaper and discuss the leading articles with friends. This he does in the evening. OccasionaUy he borrows a Famine Report, on which he pores for nights together. The result of this lucu bration is a lengthy critique on Sir Richard Teraple's adrainistration, especially his faraine and forest policy. At times the Va'quil draws a caricature of the late Governor, and, when he can afiord to do so, he buys cheap photo graphs of hira, Sir John Strachey, and others, which he hangs in his room head downwards. The practice may or may not have a significance. The Va'quil Retires. At forty the Va'quil becomes staid and sober. His youthful exuberance, which found vent in thb va'quil. 223 elocutional antics in obscure reading-rooms, is now exchanged for argumentative criticism of the measures of Government, at public meet ings. Pie also takes to strictly reUgious and patriotic modes of life — disposes of his offspring in marriage, retires to his gaum, encourages in digenous art by using everything that is made in India, and generally dies at the age of sixty. The Va'quil dies, as a rule, in fairly good circurastances, though he does not live so. Forraerly he used to migrate into the mofussil immediately on coming out of the larva state; but the Collector and his brood of assistants having made the districts quite unendurable for him, the Va'quil seldom goes far beyond Poona on one side or Ahmedabad on the other. The Va'quil's Composition, Nature, &o. As a chemical compound, the Va'quil is de scribed by the Collector and the Political Agent, who are, by the bye, his natural enemies, as consisting of butter, brass, and asafoetida. Physiologically, they say, he takes after the kangaroo, and has much of the intellectual force which is believed to be derived from daily indulgence in vegetable marrow. 224 GUJAEAT AND THB GUJARATIS. Official phrenologists are also agreed that the most prominent characteristics ofthe Va'quil are the bumps of combativeness, of secretiveness, and obstructiveness. But whatever the official bahadur may say, the Va'quil is a friend of the people. When this fee-earning fever is gone, the Va'quil be comes a custodian of public interests. He is the backbone of the standing opposition which is so often a thorn in the side of the bureaucrat. The Va'quil defies the maralatdar, the sir- karkun and other knights of the feather ; and even when it comes to a fight with the Collec tor, the Va'quil will not shirk it^nay, he will at tiraes beard the Uon in his den. 225 SCENES IN A SMALL CAUSE COUET, Sweaeing and All. Having described the Pleader or Va'quil, I might as well record here sorae trying personal experiences in the Court of Sraall Causes — ex periences which more than confirm the popular belief as to the glorious uncertainity of law, and which may be of use to sorae unwary simpleton like myself. I once perpetrated a book. It was a wonder ful book that, no two critics agreeing as to its merits ; but it brought in a good deal of money, a good deal of praise, and a good deal of abuse. Amongst the many other things this wondrous book of mine brought me was a Small Cause Court summons. The poets sing of " death and doom." I had a very vivid idea of these 226 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. unwelcome twins when the summons was put into ray hands. I went about my business with my poor knees knocking together; and, though friends assured me that I had nothing to apprehend, I felt a vague foreboding of the goods and chattels at home being sold by auc tion, and myself being sent to jail for at least six months. In those moraents of trouble I did not think well of my poor book. The suit was for recovery of Rs. 200, or something like 60 per cent, of the value of copies sold, for their delivery in town and such other services. I have paid more handsomely for still lighter services, but could not do so this time. It was not a question of wUl, but of power. I and my friends proposed all manner of compro mises, bub the man was obdurate. He had, made up his mind to milk his cow dry. He had retained the services of a Va'quU, and nothing less than Rs. 200 and counsel's fee would satisfy him. In a word, there was nothing for it but to go to Court and contest the claira. So one fine day off I went to Court with a number of friends and followers. At first it felt as if one were going to his own funeral. We paused at the door of the Court, scenes in a small cause court. 227 and, looking round to see if the eye of the public was on us, we rushed in breathless with suppressed exciteraent. Inside we were besieged by a nuraber of daldls offering their services. I had no occasion for such ser vices, as my friends said there was an excellent pleader to plead the cause. But the case was to corae on late in the day ; and as the feeling of horror subsided by degrees, I allowed myself to be taken to various parts of the court-house just to divert my thoughts. At every step almost we encountered a knot of Marwaris en gaged in hasty but animated conversation with the harpy of a daldl. These, we were told, were concocting a story to ruin some poor debtor, False docuraents, false witness, and every other form of perjury were here gone through in open daylight, and almost in the presence of the judge. The Marwari seldom gets a Va'quil to conduct his case. Between himself and the Mooktiar they often hoodwink justice. Summary Suits. From here we moved on to the court of the last judge, a native gentleman. His Honour had just then a case before hira. A house-owner 228 GUJARAT AND THB GUJARATIS. was asking for the removal of his tenant, a poor Goanese. The Bible was given and the oath mumbled. Then asked His Honour of the defendant : " How many months ? " " Seven months, Sor," replied poor Caitan. " How raany rupees a month ? " asked His Honour again. " Foive rupees, Sor," replied Caitan. "Decree for Rs. 35, with costs, time up to the first," drawled His Honour turning to the clerk. " Call next case," continued the Judge, asking for another case to be decided. "But, Sor, rae paid two months' rent regu larly," whined Caitan. " Appeal to FuU Court," drawled His Hon our, turning condescendingly to the man. This was a " sumraary" suit, we were told by our guide. It was. We waited for two other cases. We saw a good deal of swearing by the Book, and a good deal of audacious and easily-detected lying gone through in turn. But except for the Judge's frown, we noticed no other punishraent for false witness. All this was far frora reassuring to rae, and I once SCENES IN A SMALL CAUSE COURT. 229 more requested friends to compromise with my persecutor, as the case would be soon coming on. Negotiations were opened, but now the pleader on the other side told my friends he could not conscientiously advise his client to withdraw. We saw we had to take our chance ; but there was some hope in the Judge, before whora we were presently to stand, being reput ed a patient and irapartial raan. We entered the roora, and on our pleader asking the interpreter where His Honour was, that pompous functionary declared : " The Gourt have gone to water." There was no time to laugh over this interpreter's joke, for the "Court," alleged to have been in such undignified occupation, had already returned. The Judge fell to business at once. The com plainant, my persecutor, was administered the oath. He promised by the life of every one of his 330,000,000 gods to teU the truth, " and nothing but truth." The Judge asked the interpreter if the complainant had been sworn. "Swored, your Honour," vociferated that obliging official. Then the complainant was asked to say what he had done for the defend ant to earn Rs. 200. Hereupon, the man who 20 230 GUJARAT AND THE GUJARATIS. had just a minute ago solemnly pledged hiraself to truth, gave utterance to a nuraber of Ues appalling in their magnitude. I and my friends were astounded. Complainant deposed to having witnesses to corroborate the statement that he had done enough to earn Rs. 200. His Va'quU looked triumphant, raine was quite crest-fallen. I was shivering as if with the ague, and a young friend actually burst in to violent gesticulations at the man perjuring himself with such malignity of purpose. The Judge then asked for a few particulars. Araong these the complainant, unfortunately for himself, stated that he had procured for the defendant a loan of Rs. 100, at 36 per cent. per annum. " Is this to be one of the services entitled to a honorarium of Rs. 200, Mr. ? " asked the Judge, turning, with benevolent surprise, upon the plaintiff's pleader. The game was lost. Client and counsel look ed foolish. Every remark they hazarded after this miscarried. Witnesses for the plaintiff were at last called. Like true men ofthe world, these Aryan gentlemen had already vanished ! Profiting by the turn affairs had taken, all of SCENES IN A SMALL CAUSE COURT. 231 them had bolted except one, and this man in his evidence damaged complainant's case, whispering to him after every pause, " I told you I would tell the truth ; I have to face my Maker." The Judge having done taking his notes, the complainant's counsel opened his speech. This Aryan orator began somewhat in this strain : — " Although my client is confounded here and there, I have reason to believe that he is an honest man ; he is also elderly. The defendant is a mere lad who owes much to my client. He more than once offered to compromise. Why, if his conscience did not prick him ? Having made these general observations, I now leave the matter with your Honour, only remarking in the end that my client has a large family," &c. &c. The defending counsel, knowing full well that in certain cases silence is golden, merely said, " I can do no better than leave the case entirely to your Honour." The Judge awarded the plaintiff about Rs. 30, which, seeing that he had promised a much larger sura to the Va'quil who had picked up his case, was a sore disappointraent. The 232 GUJARAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. Judge passed severe strictures on the com plainant's conduct, and his judgment was received with delight by all save two in the room. But I have not looked upon the issue of the case as a success. What I suffered that day in mind I have not yet forgotten. Even in the hour of triumph I wished I had never gone to Court. What a ruin I had so narrowly escaped ! But for the Judge having been patient and con siderate, for his having that day assumed the double role of judge and counsel, it is impossible to tell where I would have been. And though the visions of bankruptcy and jail were the offspring of my morbid imagination, there is no doubt that, with a hasty and inexperienced judge, I would not have been able to clear myself of the many charges foisted upon me by the baffled fiend. Since then, in the plenitude of my experience, I have warned all from go ing to Court. Suffer any amount of reasonable inconvenience, but do not rush into courts of law. You can never be sure of what may happen. Courts of law are a luxury for the well-to-do, and the nothing-to-do. Audacious lying and deliberate perjury sometimes get the better of SCENES IN A SMALL CAUSE COUET. 233 truth. Where there are men ready to swear away your reputation, your best course is to avoid coining in contact with them. Pay any sraall sum if you chance to stumble upon such persons, but go not to courts of law, especially with a summcury suit, where perjury has the greatest chance of success. 234 GUJARAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. SCENES IN A JOHUKUM* MAGIS- TEATE'S COUET. No mortal thinks himself so happy as the Johuhum Magistrate in India. But there are times when even he, whose smile gives life to the evil-doer, and whose frown annihilates him, feels insecure and uneasy. He does not fear the Collector, the Judge, the Revenue Commissioner, or the Governor hiraself. He meets the requisition of each with nonchalance. But whenever he hears that an English bar rister is engaged to plead for a prisoner before him, or that a European soldier or sailor is defendant in a suit, the Johukum Magistrate loses his appetite and his sleep. He studies his Penal Code as he never studied the most sacred of his shastras. He also reads his * Johukum =^ " As you please," Servile. THE POLICE COUET. 235 Corapendium of EngUsh Grammar and Com position, and on the day the case is to appear, goes to Court after many prayers and supplications to the gods to " preserve his abru."* Poor native suitors know the Majish- tefs weakness, and take all precautions they can to conteract its effects. Some time ago one of these dispensers of justice had to decide a case in which the town barber was plaintiff and a discharged Irish soldier defendant. The soldier seems to have thrashed the barber for reasons best known to himself. Now the barber, who was a man of sense, knew that he could not establish his case against the white raan. So, with grim Oriental humour, he made his mother-in-law plaintiff, in the case, and with the aid of two or three trumpery witnesses, undertook to prove that the soldier had assaulted the " poor defenceless woman" in a field of bajri t hard by, and that the whole town knew of it. The barber had only recently married a fourth wife, with a neat little dowry ; so he said, " As Prabhu | has given me the means, I ara deter mined to set an exaraple." With this purpose * Reputation. f Millet J His god. 236 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. in view, the barber went to the best pleader in his town, a very learned man, who "had once been to Bombay," What better counsel for a righteous cause ? On the day fixed for hearing the Court was crowded by spectators, some of thera Parsi lads on a holiday tour. The Magistrate carae first, looking very mild and anxious. Then came the soldier, looking very cool and careless. Third carae the plaintifi"s pleader, looking very warm and iraportant, and with a robe and high- heeled creaking boots on. Last of all carae the plaintiff, the barber's raother-in-law, with a crowd at her back. She seemed to have rheu matism, paralysis, and many other dreadful ailments besides. "From the tears she shed in the streets," explained the jocular Mussalman constable, "one might think we had rain last night ; at any rate, there will be no need for watering the streets this noon " ! A minute or two after the proceedings were formally opened. I shall only transcribe here the supposed examination of the soldier by the barber's counsel. Va'quil (ivith easy familiarity, and intending THE POLICE COURT. 237 to procure confession for mere asking).— 'Well, my man, why did you do this thing ? Soldier.— What thing? Va'quil. — You know it, is it not? Soldier. — Hanged if I du ! Va'quil. — Don't use vulgar curses; you should not be contemptible towards the Court. Soldier. — What d'ye want, thin ? Va'quil.' — Did you assault this lady, or not ? Soldier (looking at the lady and breaking out into a hoarse laugh). — Did ye see me assault her ? Va'quil. — No, but others did. It was a most indecent and brutal outrage, and you will have at least five years for it. Soldier. — Ye are a d d . Why the dickins should I assault that hag ? Ax her yesel, ye murdhering thafe ! Va'quil (in a dreadful funk, turning to the Magistrate). — I seek your worship's protection of my person and property. Magistrate. — Chhut, chhut, Mr. Ramdas. What do you raean by indecent assault in this case ? That word should not be imported at all; it is not in the original plaint. Va'quil.— By the fifth of 238 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. Maqisteate. — Nonsense, all nonsense ; that applies to cases of murder only. YA'dvih {in sulks). — I will then leave the case to your Worship. I can go to the High Court. SoLDiEE (to the Magistrate). — Why don't ye lave this varmint to me, and ye ax the old woman hersel ? Magistrate. — Mr. Soldier, don't use bad words. Yes, I'll ask the woman. SoLDiEE. — Begorra, ye are a handsome gin tie- man, yar honour. Magistrate {to the barber's mother-in-law), — Here, woman, stand up. Did the sahib assault you? Woman (blubbering). — You are my father and raother ! Magisteate. — You will have to be fined if you don't answer directly. Did the sahib beat you? Woman. — lara a poor widow; ray husband used to shave you, mdbdp ! * Magistrate (losing temper). — Here, Jemadar — now, will you answer or not? Did this sojer beat you at all ? * Mother and father. THE POLICE COURT. 239 Woman. — Mdbdp, beating my son-in-law is beating me! (Va'quil hanging down his head, barber looking daggers at his dear loife's -mother, magistrate tittering and soldier smiling.) The whole town knows it. Magistrate. — Knows what ? Woman. — That I am an honest woraan ! Magistrate. — But, woraan, that is not the question. Woman. — That my Lakhi's father shaved you! Magisteate (turning in disgust to the Va'quil). — Mr. Ramdas, you see the defendant may have assaulted another person. Va'quil (taking up the cue). — Did you assault this gentleman ? (pointing to the barber and ashing the soldier.) SoLDiEE.— Now, say ye so me jewil ! Va'quil (sententiously) , — Weigh your words. Soldier. — How kin I weigh me words ? Va'quil. — Sir, have you come here to brandy words with me ? Soldier. — Do ye think so thin ? Va'quil (furiously). — Now, hold out your tongue. Sir. Pat seized this golden opportunity, and 240 GUJARAT AND THB GUJAEATIS. throwing a world of solemnity into his attitude, held out his tongue — a big, red, lolling thing — to the infinite amusement of the spectators, who knew not why they laughed. The Va'quil was dumb-founded ; the barber looked at him with pity and contempt. The Magistrate was convulsed with laughter; he thrust his silk handkerchief into his mouth till he was nearly suffocated. The case may be taken as dismissed. 241 PHILANTHEOPIC MILL MANAGEMENT. A OEETAIN mill in the mofussil is said to have been very phUanthropic and magnanimous in its principles, no end of interest on limited investments, and absolutely no future "'calls." Even the wide-awake Bania (money-lender) swallowed the bait ; and it is a sight now* to see him hauled up so tight. Matters have gone to the court, and that is no compliment to the management. Wise citizens, who detest every form of investment except lending to impecu nious artisans on the security of their families, are laughing slyly over this contretemps. Scenes at a Mill Meeting, The Directors of the above Company seem determined to ruin the concern. They have Written five years ago. 21 242 GUJAEAT ANO THE GUJAEATIS. agreed to disagree among themselves. The division is unequal, having a majority on one side and a minority (but that with the pre sident) on the other. The bone of contention is a large shareholder whom we shall cal! Veharibhai. This vetran Vehari, more sinned against than sinning, suspected a leetle underhand work, and with the instinct of the lawyer he set about ferreting out the game. He could do this best as a director; so a director he would be, swore Mr. Vehari, and a director luas he after some strenuous opposi tion. Now, our detective director has been putting awkward questions to some of the Aryan managers, who had it all their own way. Well, the Aryans have their own arithmetic, and friend Vehari cannot reckon in it. At a recent meeting he said so, plain and plump. I can well see that firm Mongolian face of his, immovable and unmoved by the loudest vituper ation. He wanted /ac^s; they gave him abuses. He bowed, they kicked their shins against the benches ; he grinned, they roared ; he said ' gentlemen,' they repUed ' r 1' ; and so on and on, tiU the president lost patience. They want him not, but Bhai Vehari does want them. PHILANTHEOPIC MILL MANAGEMENT. 243 Strong are his opponents, leading luminaries of the law. But he minds them not, my brother Vehari. He urges, ' Why spend rupees fifteen on this thing ? I know an old barber* could set it to right for rupees three.' But the answer is merely a cackle of denuncia tion. The end of it all is ' in the womb of futurity,' as Native graduates put it. Suffice to say, that it is a very pretty doraestic quarrel in embryo, and that when the little dragon is born, it may, like the divine Sanishchar,\ devour its own faraily. And that is what the Directors of most Cotton Spinning MiUs want. * Any unskilled workman. t Saturn. 244 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. NATIVE MENDICANTS, Including the Aghoei. One of the most prominent sights, though none of the pleasantest, that the visitor en- counters in Gujarat, is the professional beggar. No people had ever before them higher ideals of charity than the Hindus. As in the new, so in the old world, charity has been the corner stone of the edifice of Faith. But nowhere, not even in Christian Europe, have the subtler and more potent forms of charity been so fully realised as in the land of the Aryas. It is only in these degenerate days that ideas of charity have grown vague and puerile. Charity at present, with many of our well-to-do men, signifies the giving away of superfluous wealth to the worthy or the unworthy, for certain objects, especially what they call NATIVE MENDICANTS. 245 "'personal distinction." It is wise of the Government to recognise public spirit by the grant of titles ; but the indiscriminate shower ing of these empty honours is perverting the popular instinct of charity. No one in these days can indulge the luxury of giving away a few thousand rupees, however earned, with out being overtaken for his folly by the inevit able Khan Bahd,durship or some such " mark of His Excellency's favour," The grand old doctrine of thujking well, speaking well, and ACTING WELL — the triple badge of Oriental charity, is becoming forgotten day by day, and in its stead we have a grocer, an unreal substi tute, the giving to others that which may not be of particular use to oneself. It is hard to con vince some people that there is not the least flavour of charity in the miser leaving his millions to a charitable institution. There is no merit in it. The wretch leaves his hoard ings behind siraply because he cannot take them with him to where both the miser and his money are equally unwelcome. The Mendicant Class. One of the best means, perhaps, to obtain an 246 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. insight into the principle and working of charity in this country—thus far materialised — is by a study of its mendicant class, a nuraerous and potential factor of the great Indian population. A study of their habits and modes of life would be highly interesting. But what I can here do is to briefly characterise each division, aud leave the reader to take the cue for further investigation and comparison. Steeet Pensionees. First araong native mendicants we shall take the street pensioners — a numerous body of men, women, and children, partly diseased but wholly indolent, who infest the streets by day and night, and are content with a morsel of rice for a meal. They are Hindus as well as Maho medans, and are patronised indiscriminately, though not to an equal extent. The Hindus reserve their favours more or less for their own people ; and so do the Mahomedans for their people. The former generally give their pen sioners what reraains of the food after the household have partaken of it. The Mahome dans often do more. They eook a huge quan- native mendicants. 247 tity of rice and dai* on particular holidays, and it is a sight to see the lazy fellows faUing to the godsend, licking their fingers and smacking their lips at short intervals. White Mendicants. Hebrew mendicants are not a rare sight in our streets. They are generally females with a troop of children, tkeir own or borrowed for the occasion. It is not an offensive sight, this group of quietly-clamorous " white " beggars. But it is not a credit to the rich and influential class to which the beggars belong. In this respect, as also in another wherein the insensi bility of the elders is much more reprehensible, our Hebrew brethren might easily imitate the Parsis. A sort of arrangement was, I believe, attempted some years ago, but the people break loose frora it. It also seems that they cannot do without begging and the other vice. In the former avocation, if not in the latter, they have Europeans and Parsis mostly for their patrons. Peivate and Professional Mendicants. But let us return to the mendicant proper to India — the indigenous growth. He appears in * Pulse. 248 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. various guises — the Sain, the Mov)ld,the Fahir, the Sddhu, the Bhata, the Ghdrana, the Gosdin, the Jogi, the Gora — and their females. Some of these are public beggars, the rest being private or professional. They are gentle or violent in their clamours as circumstances war rant. They go from house to house and shop to shop, and adopt various expedients to obtain their " due." They sing, dance, philosophise ; they cry, curse, and raise a storm, in order to move the hard-hearted Bania. They are more powerful than the police, and certainly more numerous. The respectable ones are also professional. For instance, there is the poetic mendicant, with his harp, his veno,* or other ricketty instrument. There is the historical mendicant, with his rag of a Sanskrit or Per sian reference book; there are the astronomical, the medical, the moral mendicants, all with their peculiar hobbies and peculiar twangs, al ways araiable and often instructive. Then there is the friendly mendicant, generally a Maho medan who will button-hole you in the streets, discuss with you a variety of subjects, from polite literature to the rates of salt fish, and * A sort of guitar. NATIVE MENDICANTS. 249 then, just before parting, startle you with the whispered query, " By the bye, do you. Sir, happen to have a loose pie * in your pocket ? " Domestic Mendicants. But the most influential of all is the religious order of mendicants. It begins with the domestic priest, the Guru, and ends with that disturber of social virtue, the Vallabhacharyan Maharaj. The Guru is as meek as he is sleek, and generally a worthy, jovial fellow, who is much, too much, trusted by the ladies of the house. Then there is the temple priest who keeps the idol, and is, in return, kept in the best style by the worshippers. The moorlis f of Maharashtra and their sisters of Bengala are also subjects of great interest. They are fair devotees who profess to have consecrated their virginity to the favourite god. But they are yery obliging creatures ; and their highest merit consists in earning most for the temple. Several daring youths, who once crossed the threshold of the Kali temple near Calcutta, * The smallest copper coin. t Unmarried women supposed to have dedicated them selves to a favourite god or goddess. 250 GUJAEAT AND THE 'GUJAEATIS. are said to have come out of it with recol lections of their one night's adventures which are likely to last them their whole Ufe. The Aghoei. We now come to the Aghori mendicant. The Aghori, as his name implies, is an atrocity. It is a human being who, by a series of exer cises, has achieved the highest pitch of his ambition — the feelings, habits, the very nature of a beast. The Aghori is insensible to all bodily discomforts; in fact he courts them. He has been very rare, but by no means altogether extinct. One has only to see him to realise the loathsome object. Dark, muddy, hirsute, with eyes on fire, the nostrils wide-distended, the nails grown to the length of an inch, diseased in various parts of the body, which is actually being worm-eaten, with vermin in the hair of his head, vermin on his body, and generaUy stark-naked. Such is the Aghori. His look is that of a mad idiot. There are the insane leer, the protruding tongue, the filthy teeth. The Aghori never washes, never dresses. He takes only carrion or putrid food, and drinks foul water. In one hand he carries THE AGHORI. native mendicants. 251 a human skull, in another some hideous instru ment of torture and death. These are his in signia. To complete the picture of this horrible process of brutalisation, it has only to be added that the Aghori besmears himself with filth of every kind. He does not hold human life in the least account. Nothing is too sacred for hira. He can enter any house and ask for anything. The least hesitation makes hira cut hiraself or others frightfully. He delights in the infliction of wanton pain. He is parti cularly fond of huraan fiesh and blood, and the larger the number of his victims, the higher his merit in this life and the other. With the advent of the British the Aghori has almost disappeared. But he still haunts remote villages, and the havoc he works by his mere appearance is incredible. His sight throws women and childern into convulsions, and there are instances of premature and painful births induced by the sight of this atrocious monster. 252 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. THE MISSIONAEY IN THE MOFUSSIL. What he is Like, and How he comes into the World. If the visitor is not altogether unlucky, he raay, in course ofhis tour through these parts, meet with the Missionary. The Missionary is a great soul split up by many pettinesses. A man of infinite trust, but slow to trust the heathen ; of sanguine hope, but always despairing of the world's future ; of boundless charity, and yet very strict in judging of all outside the pale of his little communion. Learned as a book and siraple as a child, too sensitive to grovel in poverty, and yet too proud to renounce it — the Christian Missionary presents a strange paradox in the economy of social life in India. There THE MISSIONAEY IN THE MOPUSSIL. 253 are many theories in circulation amongst the vulgar as to the object of England sending out so many Missionaries to India. The most original and plausible of these is that when an English pair have no children, they pray to their God, just as we pray to our gods here, to grant them at least a son, who, the parents vow, shall devote his life to preaching Christ to the perishing millions of heathendom ; and God being, in popular estimation, a sensible sort of a person, never tires of granting such requests. Infancy and boyhood are a period of severe discipline to the missionary in embryo, and of acute anxiety to the parents who, whatever their means, will not rest till the hopeful is at least an M.A. or B.D. by the time he is twenty- one. Then he comes to India, generaUy in con nection with a school. Immediately on landing he is taken in hand by the Munshi,* the Pandit,t and the Khabardar or informant. He falls to the work of studying the vernaculars with avidity, and the stories ofthe Khabardar, too, he swallows with equal zest. In less than two years thepadre is monarch of all he surveys. He * Persian and Hindustani teacher. f Sanskrit teacher. 254 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJARATIS. bears a charmed life in the village. He is sup posed to be in the Collector's confidence, a favourite with the Collector's worthy dame, or of the Engineer's elder sister, who sometimes keeps house for him. The Munshi and the Pandit have taught the padre just enough to give him the worst possible idea of Mahome danism and Hinduism. Duty being a matter of choice with him, the Missionary never hesi tates to hold forth whenever he can. His Daily Duties. Let us accorapany our friend in his round of daily duties. He begins the day with a short prayer in the little church where all his " people " attend. After the prayer and a few kindly inquiries, the padre re-enters his little shell, frora which he emerges after breakfast. A few visits to the poor, and then two or three hours of literary work. This done, he goes to school, from which he returns for afternoon tea. This is his leisure time, when many an honest inquirer reads the Book with him, and retails to hira his latest spiritual experiences. About 5 o'clock, the padre leaves his neat Uttle cottage on his preaching tour. He walks the missionary. 255 sometimes for miles together, and returns home exhausted. But he never complains — there is the same bright sraile on his face as in the raorning, and the early supper and cup of tea are gone through with much pleasant chit chat. Such is the Missionary in the mofussil. He is not so stif as he used to be, and raany ofhis foibles, too, he is getting under. But the good that is in him would corapensate for weak nesses a hundredfold. He has a pronounced predilection for sermons ; but then, that is his craft, his calling, the very mission of the Missionary. It may be that he sometimes emphasizes " heU," " damnation," and such other words with a sort of frenzy ; but he always means what he says. The Missionaey an Institution. It is ridiculous to expect the Missionary to retire for good. He has taken deep root in the soil. He has a firmer hold on our hearts then any earlier growth. The Collector may go, the Engineer may be turned out, the Go vernor may be recalled, ay, the very Govern ment of the country raay change ; but the Mis- 256 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. sionary will reraain. He will endure to the end of time, a monument to the silent influence ofhis faith. As a friend of all people, adviser of the State, teacher and guide of youth, prea cher of a grand idea, as general leavener of society, the Christian Missionary will always occupy a high and beneficent prominence in India. One standing complaint against the Mission ary is that he reaches the soul through the body. But is that his fault? The Aryan Gentoo, of the lower order especially, has so much of body, and so little of soul, that it is impossible to reach the latter before oiling every nook and corner of the " tabernacle of flesh." The Gentoo is of the flesh, fleshy ; and as curry chowal * has a very soothing effect on the flesh and, through it, on what little of soul he may have in him, the padre says he is justified in his tactics. The Missionary's Wipe. To write of the Missionary and omit his good wife would be a sin. She is his right hands * Rice and Curry. THE MISSIONARY. 257 his real helpmate. A simple, unselfish, devoted woman, of even gentler syrapathies than his ; she often tames him, when under sudden pro vocation he forgets the obligations of his sacred office. To the sick and the starving she is an angel of mercy. She ministers both to the body and the soul, and bestowing her little gifts she seems as if actually receiving them. Truly womanlike, she is the best friend of girlhood, and parents cheerfully acknowledge this. In all the lighter duties she is indispensable — at marriage, birth, baptism ; whilst it would take too loug to tell, what good she does in school work and teaching. 258 GUJARAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. NATIVE MEDICOES. This little essay on the Medical Art as prac tised in Gujarat would be incomplete without a passing notice of the work of indigenous practitioners. In the economy of a native family the grand-mother plays the part of nurse and doctor. This is well known. The grand mother or the great-aunt is credited with having at her fingers' ends all requisite knowledge to cure diseases from cough to cholera. She helps at the birth of the new baby. She puts him in a barrel of cheap brandy to give him warmth after his long confinement. She squirts treacle water down baby's narrow windpipe, and she puts him to bed. She is not like the usual run of cackling busy-bodies, this dear old mother or aunt of the faraily. From birth up to about seven years old baby is her exclusive NATIVE MEDICOES. 259 charge. She tends him in convulsions and whooping cough, in fever and heat; she pulls him through the teething period. She hovers over him all the restless night while the Uttle sufferer lies tossing in bed, ready with her milk and her flannel and her syrups ; her barandin and kolan water and her pankler. She has a thousand recipes for a thousand infantine ail ments. But be it said to her credit, that throughout this period of probation the old lady never experiments on her patient ; and as a natural consequence, she never kills, though she seldom cures. Such is strictly- speaking our family doctor. Though she generally con fines her attention to the baby, she is by no means unmindful of the adults 'of the faraily. With these she stands in the relation of con sulting physician ; and often acts as interpreter between the patient and the outside doctor. Of this latter class there are various species. First is the itinerant lady-doctor. The poor black hill -woraan, herself sickly, ill-clad and carrying a bundle of virtuous herbs on her head, and her little famUy of a boy and a girl in a swing hanging by her arms ; and if she have a more numerous progeny, the elder ones 260 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAeItIS. trotting by her side. This doctor UteraUy carries her dispensary on her head. She has the whole pharmacopcsia by rote, and perambu lates the streets, offering the benefit of her drugs. and her skill to aU and sundry. She hawks aloud her stock of raedicine for fever, for wind, for rheuraatisra, for paralysis, and medicine for all other distempers afflicting the Aryan race. She sells her herbs for a raere trifle, often for a morsel of dalbhat or a handful of uncooked rice. She seldom examines the patient, but contents herself by prescribing. She expects the patient to know what the matter is with hira, and leaves her drug with a few siraple directions. But where the patient seeks an examination of his complaint, she may not refuse. And often may this ragged sibyl be seen going with a stout buUocky fellow into a corner, and twist ing and turning his limbs with vigorous dex terity, handling him in the roughest manner without rauch concern. The woraan is apparent ly no prude. She is too poor to be one. She also possesses sorae occult powers, such as of soothing the turbulent or hysterical to sleep, outstaring the evU-eyed, rubbing the dyspeptic into health, &c. Our itinerant doctor is pre- NATIVE MEDICOES. 261 sumably a married woraan — who is her husband is more than what I can say. But she cares not for a husband's protection after she has managed to have a little family. Poor woman ! For her children she will gladly beg in the streets; and as she cannot borrow, she will not scruple to steal a morsel here and there to lavish on the fatherless bairns. So much for raother's love. Next to her comes the Valand or the village hajaam. He shaves the male population of the viUage, and sometiraes an unfortunate widow. For our present purpose the Valand is useful in three ways. He is a skilful hand at cupping, applying leeches and at surgical operations of sorts. From extracting a thorn to puncturing the most dangerous tumour, the Valand is invaluable. As for sraall troubles, such as piraples, moles and other eruptions, his practice is to shave them off the surface. I have seen many a wealthy and well-fed Aryan writhing in the Valand's grip, whilst the latter cuts away at the fleshy excrescences, regardless of mute agony, and at tiraes obstreperous reraonstrance and abuse. And why do people subrait to this vile treatraent ? Because the 262 GUJARAT AND THE GUJARATIS. homely surgeon of the razor cuts at the root of the disease and heals it with the soothing oil and balms which he carries about with him, the secret ofwhich is only known to the eldest son of the family. And now corae we to the Vaid. He is a Hindu, and deals extensively in drugs. He speaks and writes in a jargon which he says is Sanskrit. His forte lies in pills, decoctions and infusions. He takes pleasure in prescrib ing in large quautities. What physic he gives for one Aryan man or woman is enough to stagger three Ceylon elephants. He also revels in bitters. His potions are poisonous in taste and nauseating in look. But for all that, it cannot well be denied that the Vaid makes an efficient healer. He generally takes time to effect a complete cure. The Vaid is by nature very avaricious. And in order to secure bis ends he will stoop to any unworthy means. He often lives on the superstitious fears of his patient. He dabbles in magic, astrology and other sciences, and is supposed to have spent a life of exemplary devotion and research for the discovery of the elixir of Ufe. This he holds next to his heart, and gives of it to NATIVE MEDICOES. 263 princes and such others under peculiar circum stances and most favourable conditions. The Vaid is a capital hand at Mantras, Tantras, and various other practices by which the patient is sure to profit when all other efforts of the heal ing art have failed. He also deals largely in charras and amulets, and is altogether a man of such multifarious experiences, that it would be rank presumption to say he could not cure any form of human disorder by means of his medical or magical art. The Vaid is also called bhogi, Joshi, &c,, and when at the top of his profession, they call him Kaviraj, which must not be mistaken as meaning a poet. The Kuviraj is a man deeply learned in the shastras and deriving his wonderful power for heaUng the sick from the primal source of health and knowledge, the Vedas. And then comes our friend the Hakim, the Mussalman doctor. He too is a learned raan, knows the Koran by heart and can tell the faithful from the Kufar at a glance. The Hakim is in most respects quite the reverse of the Vaid. He is all sweet in manners and conversation, and sweet in his doses. He generally gives powders, and invariably plea- 264 GUJAEAT AND THB GUJAEATIS. sant. He seldom frightens the patient with those ominous shakes of the head which the Vaid knows so well to practise. The Hakim saheb is bright and pleasant, promising rapid cure and professing the utmost indifference as to pecuniary gains. He does all for Allah; but at the same time he will not object to accepting anything the patient may offer. It is tbe Hakimji's creed that Allah cures fastest those who pay handsomest. His system of medicine is called Unani or Grecian. His doses are not so drastic nor so nauseating as of the Hindu Vaid. Sweet herbs and fruits, dried and pow dered, and sometimes boiled and mixed with sugar, generally suffice for the most chronic disorder. But though thus far unlike the Vaid, the Hakim is quite another Vaid in exercising mysterious influences over the patient. There is a strong mixture of superstition in his pre scriptions. He sometimes cures bj' breath, touch or speech. Sometimes he gives the patient little pieces of paper scribbled upon in raysterious hieroglyphics to be washed in a glass of water and drunk. Various theories have for sometime been afloat as to the signifi- cance of these bits of paper, the most rational. NATIVE MEDICOES. 265 but only plausible, we believe, being that the ink in which the Hakim scribbles his charm is some medicinal juice of potent virtue. Before closing this brief account, I may take the occasion to introduce to European readers the well known Parsi bone -doctor, or as he is popularly called, bone-setter. Bhimji was his name ; and this Bhimji has left a pretty numerous family of Bhimji's who can be seen in various parts of Gujarat ready to restore the broken or dislocated limb. Their skill excites wonder. They will do what the European doctor has given up in despair. The founder of the family, who is said to have acquired the secret of the curious art from a Yogi, used his opportunities with enviable success. In fact, he made a name, and is remembered, long after his death, with gratitude. He is well represent ed ; and the little craft which he ennobled into an art is as much sought after to-day as it used to be in his time. And here ends my description of the various native practitioners of medicine. Each variety is useful in itself, and each has peculiar ad vantages over any other. The Vaids and Hakims are useful to society as before, though 23 266 GUJAEAT AND THB GUJAEATIS. no doubt there is much reason in the cry against them of the English Doctor. But there are quacks in every community, and the Vaids and Hahims form no exception. There are men, however, in this much decried profession, including Parsis, of course, whose insight into the nature of diseases, and whose knowledge of specifics are marveUously correct, and are superior in this respect to the arrogant, ever- experimenting G. G. M, C. or L. M. and S. 267 NATIVE ABUSES: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment thereof. Native abuses are as numerous as the hair on one's head. An English writer thinks they are the exclusive property of the Mahomedan rough. By no means. The writer is not native, to the manner born ; and in his weak ness he errs. The lower order of Mahome dans do abuse, to be sure ; and sometimes they abuse till the ears of the listener split with shame. But to the true Mahomedan an abuse is an abomination, as much as Sharab, which means spirituous drink. According to my experience Hindus and Parsis are the most skilful abusers. This is a revelation ; but it is best to look a violent disease in the face. Native abuses are of endless variety. There is the male and the female abuse, the 268 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. boy or girl imitating his or her parent of either sex. Then there is the moral, social or political abuse ; the professional abuse, the shop abuse, the street abuse, the school abuse, the home abuse. In fact, there is not a phase of life which has not a department of choice abuses all its own. Araong all these the most virulent and the most shocking is the social abuse. The symptoms generally common to all phases are — swelling of the veins, protrud ing of the tongue, glaring of the eyes and hoarseness of the voice. The symptoms are as multifarious as are the causes. But in every case tbe coarseness and the rancour concentrate about the social abuse. The other forms are not so venomous. They are not so atrociously prurient as in the social abuse. The female abuse consists of 'death and disease,' with now and then a gentle hint as to the abused being guUty of bigamy, of being a witch and other impossible things. At this stage the faithful recorder must not forget to record that there is the friendly abuse and the abuse hostile. The parent may reprobate the child and the child may remonstrate with the parent. This la,nguage of reprobation and remonstrance rC' Native abuses. 269 sembles, but is not abuse. The genuine abuse ought to have the eleraent of hostility in it. ' May you or yoUrs have liver, spleen, head ache, heartburn'; ' may you and yours die and go to hell'; these are the specimens when two females exchange unfriendly Words. When the disease has developed, it breaks out in charges of bigamy, abduction, bewitchment, &c. But be it said to the credit of the sex, that on no account and in no circurastance they resort to male abuses. Nature is ever true to herself; and the wise doctor need not wonder at even a degraded and illiterate sex in India refusing t6 court a raoral contamination which is worse than death to her finer, though alas I uncultivat ed feeling. The male abuse has an infinitely wider range and an infinitely nastier ring. To begin with home abuse, the simplest ^form is to call the offender salo, that is wife's brother. To the European reader there may be nothing particularly disagreeable in this familiarity. But he will see that when a raarried man calls another salo with whose sister he has not mar ried, the thing ceases to be a joke. And yet, it is considered a very ordinary and very harm less abuse. It is applied in conversation to the 270 GUJAEAT AND THB GUJAEATIS. greatest warriors and statesmen, as also to the most venial delinquent. Amongst low class Hindus it is applied by the father to the son and by the son to the father. In this sense the word salo, no doubt, means ' rogue.' In a more extended sense it means rascal, vil lain, fool and so forth. The other home abuses are more or less Uke other abuses. Amongst school abuses the select ones are dun- derpate, dolt, mincing idiot, tremendous piece of stone, &c. Afc the shop the customer calls the defaulting shopkeeper ' swindling rascal,' ' the son ofa butcher,' &c., which compliments the shop-keeper repays with 'stony miser,' • ill-omened owl,' * custom-taking-away spectre,' and so forth. But the most dangerous of ali is the social abuse. It is the bane of native society. It poisons infancy, seduces youth, and disgraces age. In variety and vituperation, in rancour and prurience, in revolting obscenity, the native social abuse is unrivalled. No sentiment is too vulgar, no epithet too brutal for the native abuser. He is not content with abusing his enemy himself, but his whole family, his ancestors and his descendants. What is most to be remarked about these wholesale KATIVB ABUSES. 271 denunciations, is that the females of the house, the daughter, sister, aunt, mother, grand mother, form the butt and target of ribald language. It is through the female that the male is abused : the implied dishonour of his feraale relatives is the sweetest revenge a man takes upon his opponent. And in this direction there is no relation of life which is too sacred for the vulgar abuser. There is no moral depravity which the abuser's mind would seem incapable of conceiving; whilst there are some abuses the scope, or even possibility, of which cannot be conceived. Old men of sixty or se venty see no harm in abusing their enemies in the most indecent language in the presence of their wives and daughters and granddaughters, and these latter are in no way surprised at the vagaries of the hoary libertine. They may shiver with inward shame, poor creatures, or leave the room if they dare so far. But as a rule they get used to the thing and take it as a mat ter of course. Little boys of six and seven utter abuses revoking in their exquisite ingenuity. The vulgarest and coarsest expression comes so natural to the precocious abuser, that one would be excused if he thought that native children 272 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJARATIS. sucked the spirit of vituperation at their mothers' breast. They certainly do not know the precise significance ofthe abuse they retail; but what with home influence and the influence of older and more depraved companions, they manage to learn it all too soon. And it is not a very unusal sight to see a little profligate of eight or nine abusing his opponent in the street with such extreme unction that the spectator may not hesitate to conclude that the Uttle boy of eight or nine, on whose wicked lips the mother's milk has scarcely dried, is already initiated into the mysteries of vile animal nature. The effects of such custoras can be iraagined. Hindus and Parsis are equally bad. 1 ara, of course, speaking of the lower state of society. But at the sarae tirae it would be well to say that even in the higher circles both sec tions use language in ordinary conversation which is decidedly objectionable. Your Parsi or Hindu Shett, who is looked upon as sorae what of a witty animal, cracks jokes at his table which have no pleasanter eleraent in thera than of defaraation and dishonour. But, as I said, the worst forms of native abuse are en countered in the street. There the disease is NATIVE ABUSES. 273 uncontrolled. It is worse than cholera or sraallpox, inasrauch as it contarainates genera tion after generation. It is tirae native society were purged of this deadly moral taint. To the timid maiden, the modest wife, the sober matron, it is worse than death to have to listen to words which would 'rend the web of heaven' or ' move the bowels of the earth.' I know of no plague which enjoys sueh unliraited power for evil and at the same time such immunity from our social or civic law. The street boy, the shopkeeper, the cart driver, has each a vocabulary of his own which he reads out now and then to the extreme discomfort of every man or woman of feeling. I fear I have taken up too much space already in describing the disease. The causes are, among others, the following ; — Want of moral tone ; promiscuous living, that is the whole family living in one house and at times in the same room ; want of honest or healthy occupation ; evil custom, backward state of woraan, and fantastic ideas of wit. Of all these perhaps the raost potent cause is the small esteem in which woman is held by the UUterate. Alraost all odious epithets are levelled at her, and that too, for no sin of hers, 274 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJARATIS. Having indicated some of the causes, I now come to the question of treatment. For a social disease, a social remedy would of course be the best. All our clubs and other public places, therefore, would do well to proscribe in decent language in Ught conversation or grave. I believe there are some clubs at which every manner of abuse is rigidly proscribed. But the evil is too widely extended to yield to in dividual or even class interference. Who will prevent the old man using indecent language at his hearth, or the priest indulging in the same luxury in the temple ? These may be left to some future caste legislator. Meantime for the street abuse an appeal to the Penal Code would not certainly come amiss. Nothing less, I fear, can check the disease. The pohceman is no doubt instructed to stop language which would lead to breach of public peace. But how is Baloo Sepoy or Govind Naik, who him self calls his neighbour's sister, mother or daughter all opprobrious names, to see any harm in an enlightened citizen abusing another? The root of the mischief lies here. The native policeman is useless for such delicate duties. And unless he is told that there is a NATIVE ABUSES. 275 great deal of harm in one man abusing another, that it is a public nuisance, that he, the police man, is bound to protect the public from such indecnt exhibitions, he will not move in the matter. 276 GUJARAT AND THB GUJARATIS. SHETT JAMAL GOTA, PHILAN- THEOPIST. In the course of my itinerary through Gujarat I was never so much amused and shocked as when learning the particulars of an extraordi nary character. The history of Khan Bahadur Jamal Gota, J.P., may show, amongst other things, how certain native famiUes have risen under the patronage of the Collector or the Cantonment Magistrate. Shett Jamal Gotd, I must explain, is an extreme case of oddity. How HE. ROSE. Khan Bahadur Jamal Gota is the only son and heir ofhis father by his " own mother," as he proclaims to the world. Jamal Gota pater was an honest liquor-shop keeper at Charub. On Christmas Day he took a bottle of country- SHETT JAMAL GOTA. 277 made mowrd to Colonel Buttercup, Cantonment Magistrate. The Colonel and his wife, Mrs. Millicent Buttercup, were at dinner with Col lector Jalap, when Jamal Gota approached the presence, saldming * repeatedly, with something like a bottle wrapped in a clean white napkin. Making his best bow to the company, Jamal unwrapped the bottle and placed it on the table ; then folding his arms, as the Parsi does before his Kebld, orated to this effect : — " Namdar Sirkar Saheb, it is our custom to lay before such feet as yours (Buttercup had left one of his feet on the field of Assaye) the first fruits of the season. Hence the trouble. Lard S^heb, for which give pardon. General Saheb." Buttercup, who neither relished the allusion to his absent foot nor the bottle in the presence of the strict Jalap, affected to be thunderstruck. After a gasp or two, he found coherent articulation enough to ask, " Are you mad, Parsi ? Who are you ? " Jamal Got^, who had come prepared, hereupon fell to the ground, sobbing as if his heart would break, and whining " Oh, Saheb, you are my mdbdp. Is it not the duty of a son to keep his mabap Khush ? * Bowing obsequiously. 24 278 GUJARAT AND THE GUJAEATIS, Do what you like with it, but don't give me back the bottle. Else I am a disgraced man." But tercup could not resist the force of such reason ing, and that on a Christmas Day. So he nodded to the suppliant, remarking by way of reward, " You old humbug I How can I be your mdbdp? We shaU suppose, for the fun ofit, that I am your bap, but how can you make me out your md? — unless he means you, my dear," whis pered the wicked Buttercup, turning to his spouse. At this sally there was a great laugh. Jamal gathered strength, and offered to serve him ddroo * with his own hands. The request was granted. Jam^l knew he had made his fortune. In less than a week he installed him self head butler. He stuck to his shop, too, but at dinner tirae he would be at the bungalow, with one novelty or other to provoke appetite. It need not be said that Jamal rose rapidly in importance. He was on confidential terms with Mrs. Colonel Buttercup, the people knew. She consulted him upon every concern. When there was cholera, Jamal would advise madam to fly to a distant vUlage with her dear Colonel. And off they would go, leaving everything to * Wine. SHETT JAMAL GOTA. 279 Jarnal. When they returned, Jamal would ex plain how he had burnt or buried the metal, wood, or other utensUs at home, for fear these should retain the germ of the horrid disease. " What is money before your health, Saheb ? " The Buttercups were delighted with Jaraal's deep devotion. They made a contractor of Jamal, who in less than four years rose to be the leading Shett ofthe town. But as he grew in public iraportance he dete riorated in domestic virtues. Jamal found that his marriage with the present Mrs. Jamal Gota was a mistake, that his only son and heir was also a mistake. They tried to humour him every way at home, but Shett Jamd,l was not to be reconciled. At last, " with the advice of friends and patrons," he took to him a second wife. Bigamy was no offence then; but the first Mrs. Jamal, whom, strange to say, her husband treated better after his second mar riage, repaid his kindness by dying within three months. Young Jamal accused his father of having killed the old woman by Jadoo.* This was too much for Shett Jamalji, who swore that he had disinherited the " thief," and * The dark arts. 280 GUJARAT AND THB GUJARATIS, in a fit of passionate upbraiding, was carried off before he could make another wiU, Jamal Gota Fils at Home and in Public. Come we now to the history of Jamal Gota Fils, Justice of the Peace, Khan Bahadur, &c. &c. Young Jamal's first care was to look into the finances of the house. He ascertained that he was master of about five lakhs of rupees. He then counted how much he should spend every month, so as to leave a few thousands for his "brats," as he paternally called bis sons. Having settled this point, he opened his cam paign of luxury, dissipation, and waste. He pulled down house after house and buUt bun galows instead. He organised dinner parties and nautch* parties, and other imraoral enter tainments. He invited the elite pf the town three times a week on one pretence or another. He took a Mehtaf in confidence, only bargain ing that he should he supplied with what he wanted daily, the family to be reared with strict economy. He spent Es. 1,000 one night on a party, and threatened the Mehta with dismissal next morning for aUow- * Dancing. t Accountant. SHETT JAMAL GOTA. 281 ing to the family of eleven members, besides servants, Rs. 2 for bazaar expense. He denied that his family had any claim upon him. " Did they bring this money ? " he asked of re monstrating friends. He kicked his wife and children, and abused them in the presence of his dancing girls. He married his children with great pomp, spending large sums on dinners and other parties, and then put down double those sums against their names, explain ing that each had already received his or her share of the inheritance, and that none should expect anything more. He, however, promised them their two meals a day provided they be haved themselves. The boys, seeing no future, asked to be sent to school, though already fathers themselves. Shett Jamal hereupon complained that they wanted to dishonour him. Why should they go to school like poor people ? Had they not every blessing of life — a generous parent, handsorae wives, and a number of chUdren? Was he not feeding them all? It was no use arguing with the man. The sons then went to the Collector who had made Jamal Gota a Khan Bahadur, and said, "Sir, we are starving ; give us to eat. " The Collector 282 GUJARAT AND THB GUJAEATIS. gave them respectable berths under him, asking them to learn soon to qualify themselves for the posts. When Shett Jamal heard of this he ran up to the Collector, took his turban off his head, put it at the Saheb's feet, unclasped his Khan Bahadur medal, and said, with tears in his eyes, " Sir, you made me Khan Bahadur ; this great honour has given me a chair beside Queen Victoria ; the sun smiles on me, the moon courts my sraUe : all this I owe to you. Now take away tliis honour and kill me. My abru* is all gone, and you, my own patron, have done this by making clerks of my sons. Oh! oh! Why did I live to see this day P What will the Queen say to this ? Oh ! oh ! ungrateful sons ! wicked wife and children ! " " You old brute," replied the infuriated Col lector, " you old vicious, stinking brute ! Had I known you were a drivelling idiot like this ! Talking of Queen and sun and moon, when you have no more sense than my stable-boy ! Here, remove this man ; take him to the Magistrate ; let him be bound over to keep peace towards his unhappy family. Oh, you putrescent carcase," * Reputation. SHETT JAMAL GOTA. 283 broke out the Collector, half laughing and relenting. The butler was iramediately sent with instruc tions to take the " beast " home lest he should die of fright before the Magistrate whom he had so often feted. His Decline and Fall. Khan Bahadur Jamal was do7ie for. He took to his bed. He would see nobody (except his nautch girls). He would eat nothing (except sweetmeats). No, no ; he had done with life, he explained. But he had still about a lakh of rupees left, safely invested by the Mehta. He withdrew this sura, and left it with a Bombay firm which promised 12 per cent, interest. In about six months the firm broke, and it was with imraense difficulty Jamal could get back about 40,000. This, with a couple of bunga lows, is all that is now left to Khan Beihadur Jamal Gota. He leads a retired life, away from his faraily, whom he has altogether discarded. But, indulgent father as he is, he has still " kept his sons' salams — " that is, once a year his sons go to salam him from a distance, in the faint hope of getting a 284 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS, hundred or two from the unnatural wretch. Vain, vain is the hope. The father is a thief and a traitor, developing a degree of selfishness which is absolutely fiendish. And stUl he is an ornament of mofussil society ! He is ever on the alert to catch the eye of the pubUc, He presents a stable-house to the Anjuman,* and his charity is loudly praised. "Leaders of society" crowd at his dinners, caU him a pubUc benefactor, while at the sarae time they know that the imbecUe, whose substance they are eating up like vultures, has a family literaUy starving — the sons going about from office to office for work which they have not been taught to perform, the daughters eking out a pre carious existence by sewing and stitching, and the wife, the " lady of the house," daughter of a true gentleman, is ending her days in sorrow and in suffering, aggravated by the cries of adults and infants of an ever-increasing famUy. And honest editors immortalise the virtues of Jarad,l Gota, Esquire, Justice of the Peace, Khan Bahadur, "our great philanthropist," whom they know to have been an undutiful son, a * Community. SHETT JAMAL GOTA. 285 wicked husband, an unnatural parent, a false friend, so worse than brutal in selfishness, that a very brute would have blushed for him had Jamal Gota been assigned the place in creation which he so well deserves. 286 GUJAEAT AND THB GUJAEATIS. HOME LIFE IN GUJAEAT, A FEW details of doraestic life in Gujarat may not be uninteresting. Let us begin with the beginning — birth. The birth of a child is, of course, an event in the family. Want of issue is felt as a curse and a reproach by the wife as well as the husband. No Hindu can enter Swarga, his heaven, who does not leave a son and heir in the world to perform the post mor tem ceremony named Shrddha. The Parsi is not quite free from this superstition. When conju gal life is unblessed with issue, a thousand means are tried by the poor wife. She is not an honoured wife before she becomes a mother. She appeals to gods and goddesses without number to grant her prayer. Charlatans and impostors are not wanting to take advantage of her ignorance. It would fill a volume to record HOME LIFE IN GUJARAT. 287 the adventures of a Hindu wife in search of offspring. Suffice to say that the uneducated Hindu wife will stop at no means to get at the desired end. She is at peace when once the prize is secured, no matter how. Boyhood. Every care and comfort are lavished on the mother expectant. She who was a few months ago the most despised of the family, even less important than the servants, now finds her self real mistress of the house. As the time of trial aud triumph approaches, a dinner party is given in her honour, at which, besides some insane rites, the poor creature has to put up with raany a rabid joke and ribald song. Three days after the child is born the astro loger prepares its horoscope. The young mother's heart sometiraes "bursts with happi ness " as she listens to the astrologer's glib forecast of the child's career. If ifc is a boy, the baby is taken in hand by the grandparents, who transfer all their affection for their son to the little infant. At an early age the boy has the Janoi* ceremony performed * The sacred thread. 288 GUJARAT AND THE GUJARATIS. upon him, which makes a real and responsible Hindu of him. The Parsi boy likewise has the Kusti* ceremony perforraed on him, and the Mahomedan undergoes Sunnat.'f Girlhood. The girl is a heavy responsibility, and parents are always uneasy about her future. They anxiously look out for a suitable match, and as soon as they can they get rid of the dangerous possession. "A girl is best at her father-in- law's," says the native proverb, " as is the elephant at the R^j^'s." Indeed, every parent looks upon a daughter as a "white elephant." Amongst the Hindus it is often very difficult to find suitable husbands in one caste and suitable wives in another. Marriage among Hindus. Not only is interraarriage between two castes nearest in custoras and rites prohibited, but mar riage between two cousins ofthe remotest degree is sternly looked down upon. Such connection is incest according to Hindu law. How rare a * The triple cord. ¦\ Circumcision. HOME LIFE IN GUJARAT. 289 a really happy marriage is can thus be conceived. And still, curious to say, a Hindu marriage seldom turns out unhappy. The credit of this is mainly due to the Hindu woman. The evils of infant marriage are too nuraerous to be depicted in the course of a brief notice. Such unions often turn out uncongenial when the parties come of age — disparity is only to be expected. This means lifelong misery to one or to both. Then the married boy or girl has to pass through the ordeals of early life ¦ small-pox, measles, and so on, which may leave the patient deformed for life, if they do not carry him off. If it is the boy, his death leads to perpetual widowhood for the child-wife. But even if the world goes well with the little pair, they have to defer to rites and customs by no means compatible with social happi ness. The boy may become a father while he is still struggling at school; he may have to leave school all too soon to eke out a miserable livelihood for himself and family. Hundreds of such cases have come under my notice of schoolboy-fathers looking and feeling old in youth and going down to the grave with the burden of life too heavy to bear. Who is to 25 290 GUJAEAT AND THB GUJAEATIS, take care, in each case, of the widow and the orphans? And the girl-wife fares worse than the boy-husband. She is a mother at 11 and 12. Her beauty of person and strength of mind may fail her at 25, and before 30 she may become old. Paesi Maeeiagb, Parsis, too, cannot marry out of caste ; but there is an incipient revolt at work against this ruling, and several daring youths have taken unto them fair European brides. This, how ever, happens in rare instances, and it is not at all desirable, I believe. But the Parsi can marry his cousin — even first cousins marry. In fact, such alliance is always preferred. To such an extent is this practice of "breeding in and in" carried by certain families, that the results have told dis astrously on the progeny. Eminent medical men have strongly condemned this practice. Of one European doctor, high up in the pro fession, it is said that he was once called to the side of a young Parsi lady in trouble. The new comer was so slow in coming, that the mother's Ufe was at one time despaired of. home LIFE IN GUJAEAT. 291 But at last she came. Her grand-father, a very wealthy merchant, looking at the tiny little girl, small enough to make a morsel for man or beast, asked the doctor very plaint ively how it was that his grandchildren were so very diminutive and often deformed. The doctor is said to have replied, " My dear sir, if you keep up the practice of marrying cousins, I will not be surprised if, ten years hence, you get babies no better than half-formed ourang- outangs " 1 And no mistake. Too much of cousin-marriage has given us not a few ourang- outangs in physique as well as in intellect. The Parsi is a monogamist; not so the Hindu and the Mahomedan. Polygamy ob tains amongst the very highest circles or the very lowest. A friend of mine has a Dhobi (a washerman), s, low class Hindu, who has six wives. Being asked one day what a poor man like he could do with so many connubial luxuries, the man explained, that he had originally married only one wife, of his own caste, that she was his queen-wife, and she attended to his personal wants. The second wife, he explained, he had married for mere convenience, and so also the 292 GUJAEAT AND THE GtlJAEATIS. other four. The first looked after his kitchen, the second and third earned money for the whole family, the fourth was intended for per petuation of his race; she having failed, the fifth was taken in, and the sixth came as her sister ! All save the first were of lower castes than himself, and besides paying him in money for his condescension in marrying them, be sides working for him like slaves, they felt honoured and happy! He did literally no thing, he continued with a horrid leer, except going to customers on pay-day. Not a bad idea ! Maeital Travesties. Marriages, both among Parsis and Hindus, especially the latter, are often very strange per petrations. I read sometime ago a graphic account of a marriage recently perpetrated at Poona. The happy bridegroom had just enter ed on his fifth year when he took to him the blooming bride of two-and-a-half. The parties concerned seemed to have taken the matter very lightly ; so much so, that to the outsider the ceremony seemed to have been performed between the two parents who stood sponsors. home life in GUJAEAT. 293 and to whora the usual query, " Dost thou take him or her as thy lawful," &c., was addressed by the priest. The bridal preparations were complete to a degree — the groom was turned out in all the bravery of the toga virilia and a huge sugar4oaf turban, whilst of the bride nothing could be recognised save the blinking eyes and the cry for milk from under her heap of trousseau. It was a Parsi marriage, and indicates the march of progress character- istic of a highly advanced people. Such " mar riages " are now extremely rare among Parsis. Maebiares among Kudwa Kunbis. Perhaps the strangest form of this kind of "marriage" obtains amongst the Kudwa Kunbis of Gujarat, a well-to-do class of culti vators. The ''season" for marriage among the Kudwas occurs only once in twelve years, when all marriages are settled after consulting Mdtd, the tutelary goddess. Among these are adult marriages, child marriages, infant marri ages, and ma,rriages in the worab. The last- mentioned are highly amusing arrangeraents, in which the mothers expectant undergo the pre liminaries. Many curious results attend these 294 GUJAEAT AND THB GUJAEATIS, marital travesties; but the national instinct is equal to all extraordinary occasions. For in stance, if the "married mothers " both give birth to girls or boys, these are looked upon as sisters or brothers, and the previous marriage is annulled. The marriage is held good only in case of one of the births being a boy, the other a girl. And in this case neither disease nor deformity, nor any physical inadaptability stands in the way of the validity of the marriage con tract. Who will say, after this, that the Hindu mind is not saturated with a sense of rich and grotesque humour ? Of this marriage in embryo, and its results, I have culled an account from several curious manuscripts, in prose and verse, that came to hand during my travels. Many of the quaint incidents recorded in my idyl were witnessed personally by Hindu friends, some of whom have goue through the experi ences. An Aryan Idyl. Motichand Zaver and Kastur Pitamber were merchant princes. They were casteraen, neigh bours, and friends ; each was called the very " nose" of Ahmedabad society. Mrs. Moti and HOME LIFE IN GUJARAT. 295 Mrs. Kastur were also sisters.* Many a friendly chat had the two Shetts t together che-wing pdti, supdri and congratulating each other on the success of the week's operations. Many also were the meetings between the two Sheth^nis,! who went to the Gorji together, and often examined each other's heads to detect vermin (an unfailing sign of bosom friendship). One afternoon, as B^i Devkore was looking into Bai Sharakore's locks, she pinched the latter's cheek and chid her for not having acquainted her " own sister " with an interesting secret she had only then discovered by accident. "Sister," said Devkore, "thy heart is not clear like raine. Did I not tell thee, without asking, that I was six months gone? How far art thou ?" Then replied the modest Shamkore, " Oh, sister Devkore, I was so ashamed, you would go on joking and teasing. You have done it so often — you have four already. I am five months gone, and it wUl be a boy, I know. * In affection 'f Leading wealthy citizens. X Wealthy matrons. 296 GUJARAT AND THE GUJARATIS. "I'U have a girl," replied the impetuous Shamkore. " What say you to a match, sister mine r" '¦ Oh ! sister," replied the younger friend, '"it will be an honour to our faraUy; I'll ask my This (husband)." That night Sharakore's This saw Devkore's This, and in less than a week the mothers- expectant were "married" in right Shrawak fashion. "It is a splendid stroke, my dear," said the uxurious Kastur to his young wife that night, "That hog [his friend Moti] is worth a plum." But unluckily for thera, both gave bii-th to girls. This was a sore disappointment, but it was overcome by tho arrangeraent that the next male birth should wed the proraised bride. It was four years before Mrs. Kastur did present her lord with a thing which the midwife de^ clared would be a boy by-and-bye. Unfeigned were the rejoicings thereupon, not so much at Kastur's house as at Shett Motichand's. Mrs. Moti was wild with joy. " 0 sister mine ! I feel as if I had done it, I so badly want the Uttle rogue ; my poor Mankore (the promised bride) is growing so fast," home LIEB IN GUJARAT. 297 Time flies. Mankore is now sixteen, her boy- husband is nearing twelve. Mankore looks older than her age by at least five years. Dev- chand, her husband, looks nine at most. He is short, dull, consumptive. She is the re verse. But is she not his promised bride ? The families now live away frora each other ; but the wife is inforraed of her husband's rapid progress, physical and mental. Mankore is "bursting" with youth and hope; she is already a mooglida ;* her season of leafage is over; her wise mother has already disclosed to her enraptured gaze the mysteries of wife hood. " Oh, dear, how I long to meet my lord. I am more eager for his company than is the pea-hen for rain drops. Indeed, indeed, I must he married, mother." And married she was. Mankore's heart died within her when, after all these years, she beheld her lord. Her fancy had pictured another form altogether. But she would not repine. Like the true Hindu girl she was she would consecrate her life to rendering his happy. -¦'¦ ^Mature 298 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJARATIS. "He is little, he is ignorant, he is ugly ; but is he not ray wedded lord ? I'U give him my own health, my own knowledge, my own beauty. Bhugwdn* wUl help a virtuous wife, 0 Prabhu ! 0 Parsnath ! make me ugly and ignorant, and give the gifts ye have given me to ray dear lord. I 'U cherish him in my heart, I'll soothe him in my arms, I 'U kiss hira into glorious manhood ; I '11 be a motherly wife unto him." So reasoned Mankore and so she vowed. The wedding ceremonies are over ; the bridal party disperse ; the bridegroom is taken into his room. An hour later the bride follows. All is hushed. With a light step Mankore enters the magnificent apartment, mirrored all round, with the sandalwood bedstead, its silk and satin trappings, it gold and silver posts, its lovely curtains. But she heeds not all these tinsel effects. The "life" of all this beauty is her lord, and he is— snoring! There is no ecstasy of impatience on his part, Devchand sleepeth the sleep of the innocent. Mankore sees this and sighs. But her love for the * God. HOME LIFE" IN GUJAEAT. 299 miserable little creature is supremely un selfish. She feasts her eyes on the object which, under other circurastances, she could not have too strongly loathed. She lays herself down gently on the floor. Oh, the horrors of this bridal night ! " The water of despair extinguishes the ^fire of my love, but I'll ven ture," Gently she nears the bed, and looking- around, all fearful, she touches his feet. They are so clammy ! Then overpowered by an un definable feeling, pity, loneliness, despair, she atterapts to ravish a chaste wifely kiss from the slumbering bridegroom. But unused to oscula- tory exercise, the idiot half awakes and sets up a shriek : " Oh, md ! * oh, bapd! f come, come I some strange woman is biting my Ups ! % oh md ! she is gagging my mouth ! oh, she is a breaking my legs ! oh, oh, oh ! " There is a rush into the roora. The poor fainting bride is removed gently to another room by the mother-in-law. There is wondrous sympathy between these two women. The little Sheth Devchand is soothed to slumber by promise of a long holiday *•. Mother, t Father. % Devchand has forgotten all about the marriage. 300 GUJAIt\T AXD THB GUJAEATIS. from school, and the Bhaiaji * sleeping in his room to prevent further intrusion from the " strange woman." And thus ends ray Aryan Idyl : what fol lowed is only known to the chief actors. The Gorji tried to improve his opportunity. But Mankore is not like others. She can only cry in corners, read Karsandas Mulji's Moral Es says, pray to her "true "God. She is very gently treated; her parents are gone, her hus band is going. He cannot last over a few years more. She waits upon her lord. " I am his handmaid, and I pray that he may live; I am quite happy," she reasons falsely. " Let him only live — he must survive rae. Is he not my lord ? What he can't give me here he '11 give me there, surely — I have learned that much." Poor child, poor child ! What a wealth of faith and hope is thine ! Widow of a living imbecile, amidst trials and temptations, surrounded by sin and sorrow, thou art pure of heart — a virgin imraaculate ! But thou canst not hide it frora thyself that custora and the folly of parents have blighted thy life. May none of thy sisters realise thy fate ! * Gate-keeper. home iifb in gujaeat. 301 Experiences of a Newly-Maeeied Paesi. An odd marriage is not a rarity among Parsis, too, as I have said — it may be odd in various ways Here are the experiences, of a mixed character, of my friend Ookerji. Any Iionest Parsi can vouch for the facts, though I very much doubt if he wUl Uke to be identified as the " happy " bridegroom. Last week I was dined by my mother-in-law. Mother-in-law is a well-endowed widow who keeps her own accounts and her own counsels- I hail from Panch Kaliani, a small possession of Nawab Khuda Bux of Mowlaghar. I was an orphan before I was born ; so one might well doubt my existence. But fact is a stern thing, and so is mother-in-law, to whom at once I must return. Well, the dinner was in honour of my marrying mother-in-law's only daughter. It was an " affair of the heart," — had not mother-in-law set her heart on it? Aud when she sets her heart, or head, or hand, or foot on anything, there is sraall hope of resistance, you may be sure. Our union was arranged for just after the fury of the Share Mania had subsided into bankruptcy and suicide. 26' 302 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. One day father-in-law " was not." So mother- in-law came to Panch Kaliani, a woe-begone widow to all appearance, but with small effects of large value hidden in many odd corners of her capacious motherly person. I distinctly remember this visit. My old aunt received her, and a little girl trotting behind her, at the threshold. I was busy eating my meal of Indian corn, but instinctively made out that the little girl was her daughter and my destiny. They lived with us for about a year, during which time our troths were plighted. Shortly after my poor old aunt died, leaving me and her neat little fortune to mother-in- law's care. We then carae up to Bombay, where mother-in-law at once set up for a rich widow with no desire to become a woman again. She put us both to cheap schools where we were happier than at home. Mother-in-law had a horror of overfeeding us, and whenever we cried from hunger she would remind us of the day when we would be wed ded and free. And, in very sooth, she was making grand preparations for the day, and the repeated threat was, " The wedding once over, I'U lay down my aching bones in peace." HOME LIFE IN GUJAEAT. 303 This was an erapty boast, for, as far as could be gathered from a respectful distance, the doctor was of opinion that her constitution was not predisposed to generating much ossific substance. But I see the reader is looking out for a picture of Mother-in-law. Well, she was no meet subject for a poetic pen. Horizontally and perpendicularly she measured the same. She had a fine head of hair, which grew in rank luxuriance, shooting out their delicate downy germs on the fallow surface of her facial region, notably on her upper lip and chin. In voice and manners she was more mannish than is usual. So much for mother-in-law. As to her daughter, I am not the man to betray what is in my keeping. How THE Maeeiage was managed. Well, mother-in-law worked for a successful wedding business, as I said. She set apart Rs. 5,000 for one day's expenses. She got invitation cards printed in red and blue, com mencing with a brief history of her house, men tioning the names of parties to be married, and concluding with an invitation to the recipient and " all with you" — meaniug your whole faraily 304 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS, including the ayas,* hamals,t and even the next-door neighbour. Those invitation cards mother-in-law got Uberally distributed by Parsi priests, who have not a fow of thera taken leave of their priestly callingv but who make excellent dry-nurses, match-makers, waiters, and errand- boys. Well, well, the day came, and with the crowing of the cock we started for tbe wedding- hall. Three hundred cushioned chairs were scattered over the spacious grounds, whUe the hall inside was being swept and scoured. That day must have cost mother-in-law ten years of her life. She lived in an acute agony of hope and fear. Would tbe day go off well ? One local mag-nate would send word that he could not join because bis wife was ill; and away would go poor mother-in-law to the stubborn dame, coax, cajole, and bribe her into gracing the occasion. In some instances, she says, she positively bought brilliant silk dresses for ladies who did not eare to disgrace their famiUes by appearing in tbe garments their hus bands could afford ! By 4 o'clock visitors com- menced pouring in. We were now asked to go and purify ourselves — myself and the bride. * Women attendants. t Men house-servants. HOME LIFE IN GUJARAT, 305 This is done by repeating sundry prayers said by the priest, drinking a glass of niranga,* and taking an oath. A rupee to the priest had changed the niranga into most palatable eau, de vie. On dressing we were seated side by side, and the high priest approached with a high- and-mighty gait. One of these holy men man aged to tread upon some rotten plantain bark, I dare not describe the result, but that evening another priest had to officiate for Dastur Banameijad, We were soon married, and then mother-in-law carae to wash my feet, according to custom. The five minutes occupied by this ceremony were to me an age, I was in such fear of having the foot disjointed. I was now led to a seat outside between two venerable guests, and took a leisurely survey of the assembly. Most of the guests were Parsis, but there were some Mussalmans, Hindus and Portuguese, How these latter gentlemen came to know our family is still a mystery to me ; but mother-in-law is certain they were repre sentatives of the Government. As far as I could guess, one of them was Dr, De Lucha, the Sonapore apothecary, and the other Mr. * Cow urine. 306 GUJARAT AND THE GUJARATIS. Annunciation, the undertaker. But each had a cocoanut and a nosegay in his hand, and that means they were welcome guests. I have no time to speak of the dresses of ladies and gentlemen, and of the exquisite music the for mer discoursed alternately with the Portuguese band. But here's how we dined on the occasion. The guests sat at table instead of squatting on the floor, each having before him a fresh plan tain leaf. On this leaf the waiter served the dinner — about two doaen little dainties from sugar, ghee and plaintain, up to cake, custard, and cream. It was beautiful to see the liquid ghee meandering through the viands and mak ing friendly overtures to the coat and trousers of the diner, while the oil-lamp was flickering from nervous exhaustion. It was beautiful to see how the dinner was eaten in big rounded balls of mixed viands — the rice ddl and plain- tain first, and then the solids and substantials by way of dessert. The toasting, too, was beautiful to witness. How the health of de ceased ancestors was .first drunk, then the health of remote descendants, and, oftener than was necessary, of the living worthies of the HOME LIFE IN GUJAEAT. 307 community. The toasts were proposed by professional toasters, sometimes by friends of the host and sometiraes by the waiters. Have you seen the dirtiest chimney-sweep of London ? Well, then, the average Parsi waiter beats him. There is not one white speck to relieve the dread darkness of his appearance. A cold shiver runs through your body as you see the waiter stalking out of the kitchen and serving the pudding or custard with his five dirty fingers. His appearance strikes terror into children. The Parsi waiter is only next in harrowing associations to the Parsi corpse-bearer. There is a subtle sympathy between the two wretches which the student of nature can easily account for. Native Singing. The art of singing is highly developed among the Hindus of Gujarat as elsewhere, but it is not " proper " for a lady or gentleman to sing or play in company. Hence it has beeu monopolised by dancing girls and other professional hirelings in whose hands a noble art has degenerated into an ignoble trade. Professional singers are engaged by gentlemen 308 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. during holidays or festivals. Some of these are, no doubt, honest men and women, but as a rule the nautch girl puts her art, as she puts her person, to the basest use. And yet, Hindu gentlemen and ladies, and Parsi and Mahome dan, too, for that matter, see nothing wrong in the hired dance-song. At horae it is incurabent on every Hindu — man or woman — to sing a few snatches of devotional rausic at stated hours. But the singer's heart is not in the song. I have heard sorae beautiful devotional music in Gujarat, especially among the mendicant class, with exquisite accompaniments. In not a few points such natural inusic surpasses the strained European art. Hindu women also sing what we call season songs, at times silting, at times in a circular dance, with rhythmic hand-clapping. There is music to celebrate birth, marriage, &c. Much of it is good and wholesome, tinged with religious ideas, with superstitious, and at times demor alising associations. But whatever the state of music in the province, the Hindu of Gujarat ii? essentiaUy a musical animal. What I'say above of Hindu rausic applies HOME LIFE IN GUJARAT. 309 in a degree to Parsi and Mahomedan music. Parsi women sing very rauch after their Hindu sisters frora whora they have borrowed the raodes as well as the words. But they often make a hash of the whole thing for want of appreciation. To a stranger orthodox Parsi singing sounds a dreary monotone, a a ra, e e re, o o ro, u u ru : ma ra ma a a a a re e e e an endless array of vowels unin telligible save now and then for a glimpse of sense which reveals a curious medley of ideas — ghee, sugar, gold, silver, sun, raoon, flower, and so on. The orthodox Parsi gentleman will not sing or play to save his head — that is, not to please another. He may whistle or hum when the dinner is to his taste, or he may thump a favourite air when he has done a stroke of business, but generally he is content with the bandstand drumming or the gallop of the danc ing girl. The younger generation, boys and girls, are already taking to iraproved raethods, though, to ray raind, they lean too rauch to the European side. Playing on the piano and the organ has passed the stage which the heartless raale critic calls " grinding." But it has to be iraproved a good deal. Schools and clubs can 310 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJARATIS. do much in this direction, but an honest effort has yet to be raade by society. Great credit is due to individual araateurs, notably to Mr. K. N. Kabraji who has given years to the cultivation of the art and to raaking it popular and respectable araong his coraraunity. Like Hindus, Parsis have a rich Uterature of devo tional rausic, but unlike other nations — be it said to the Parsis' sharae — they never sing sacred rausic either at home or at church. Mahomedans, too, indulge more or leas in hired singing. But often in the privacy of domestic life a wife or a mother sings and plays with very rare taste and effect. The group of amateurs — wife, husband and children — make a picture of luxury and ease to be seldom met with in the country ; nor does the music lack the dignity of art. Mussalmans make capital singers and singing masters. The best known on this side is Professor Maula Bux who ought to give me a song next time he meets me, and a song such as I may reproduce for European lovers of the art. Death. Parsis and Hindus make a merit of remov- HOME LIFE IN GUJAEAT. 311 ing the dead for final disposal with the least possible delay. Parsis are not so particular as Hindus, but both realise equally well the value of this excellent sanitary rule. The more orthodox carry the patient to the ground- floor while the "vital spark" is struggling to escape, and after a bath, they administer to him the consolations of his faith. No sight could be more affecting, none more inhuman in some circumstances. No wonder if a delicate sufferer at tiraes goes off in the act of re moval either from exertion or sheer fright. If he survives the bath he is laid upon a bed stead ; otherwise the body is stretched full length on a slab, with a light by its side. The priest is always at hand, so also the " Sag," the watch-dog. This reminds one as a relic of the ancient rite when the most faithful of domestic pets watched by the side of its de ceased master on the mountain's top, till, in good time, it was itself laid to rest. What wonder if the Parsis cherish the dog more than any other nation ? Now follow cereraonies — a posse of priests offering prayers for the spirit just disembodied, female friends surrounding the body on a mattress or a carpet, and male 312 GUJAEAT AND THB GUJAEATIS. friends sitting on benches outside. The principal mourners inside recount, one by one, in a dismal and depressing monotone, the merits of the deceased, his private relations, his successes in life, &c., winding up now and then with a covert hit at an obnoxious sister, or brother, and very often the relations-in-law. The challenge may be taken up by the person thus treated or by her friends, and a retort is averted by friendly intercession. Many of the distant relatives keep up a mournful sing song by way of interlude, I suppose, beating the breast and otherwise exhibiting grief — the refrain of the dirge being "Oh mother mine 0 ! oh sister raine 0 ! oh father mine 0 ! " according to circurastances. There is genuine feeling in what is said and done, but not so in all cases. Outside the roora the bereaved ones are busy arranging for the funeral and bowing friends as they drop in. These raale mourners are the greatest bores — they pass nearly two hours in discussing the latest scan dals, in drinking iced water, taking snuff and otherwise behaving in a most callous manner. The more sensible ones pass the time in silent prayers. Meantime the body is being dressed HOME LIFE IN GUJAEAT. 313 in old linen or new, and placed on the iron bier on which it is to be carried to the Tower of Silence. Two ordained priests now stand up at the threshold and offer prayers, part of them appropriate enough, but the rest mere recitation of sanitary rules. These warnings against the danger of contact with the dead are admirable in their way, though uttered in ancient Zend ; but they are no more of the nature of devotional recitations than are chap ters from our Sanitary Commissioner's Report. After the " prayers " are over, the mourners take their last farewell of the friend, and form theraselves into a procession to follow him to his resting place. The body is removed araidst bursts of grief. Only a few of the mourners follow the dead body carried by pro fessional carriers. The procession, though orderly, is by no means edifying. There are more rites and cereraonies for days, weeks, months, up to the first anniversary. This de pends upon the raeans of the survivors and their guUibUity. Death raay be a rich har vest to the ,Parsi priest, but it often means an unbearably heavy bill to the bereaved. The Hindus foUow more or less the 27 314 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. rites above mentioned. They are more rigid in the observance than are Parsis, They hurry off the dead to the burning ground in cruel haste, be it night or day (Parsis never remove the dead after sunset) and it is terrible to be disturbed of a quiet night by the cries of Bama bolo. The female mourners in this case are more violent, many of them abandoned to grief for the hour, moving in a circle, beating the breast and singing the virtues of the deceased friend or relative. The sight is very pathetic, but because of its being so common, and because the mourning song is gone through in the streets, and because mourners are often hired for the occasion, it has lost much of its weird pathos. The relatives no doubt suffer keenly — the poor widow is worse than dead onthe husband's death. The Hindus have their post mortem ceremonies like all eastern nations — the shradha being the raost important. The shradha is based on a beautiful idea. Nothing could be more touch ing than a son recounting the trials and troubles of a mother, acknowledging his life long obligations to her, and imploring his God to give rest to her spirit for her own good, pure, devoted Ufe, and through his humble HOME LIFE IN GUJARAT. 315 pious intercession. I believe the ceremony is a powerful domestic discipline. But among the unreasoning mass it also leads to extrava gance and ruin. The survivors have to give caste-dinners. And in some cases these dinners cost more than the parties can afford. But being a compulsory institution, no decent man can avoid giving the dinner. It is dread ful to think of an old man giving up his every thing in order to feed the Caste on the death of a beloved son or daughter ! Here we see Caste in the character of a cannibal. The Mahomedans manage a funeral much better. There is no hurry or bustle. The body is carried on friendly shoulders which change every few minutes as passers-by meet the procession and claira the honour of carrying the deceased. Prayers are shouted all the way perhaps more loudly than is necessary. But the rest of the business is as quiet and digni fied as I should like to have at ray funeral. Death — its Effects on the Living, In dealing, though very cursorily, with such a solemn subject as life, it would not be well to omit death, its twin-brother. Death is not a 316 GUJAEAT AKD THE GUJAEATIS, stranger to us ; but he is never a welcome guest. And by none is a visit from him so much dreaded as by the Hindu wife. The death of her husband is a crushing blow to her ; she cannot recover frora its effects. The Hindu widow is dooraed to wearing life-long weeds. The widow is not treated like a human being. Her look is " inauspicious," her touch pollutes everything. Despised, neglected, and often betrayed by the wolves of society, her woman's life often becomes a burden to her. She has nothing for it but either to abandon her pure womanhood to impure customs, or to drag on her raiserable solitary sojourn to the bitter end, often reached long before it is time. I ara here speaking of the young hindu widow — she who has all her life before her. The widow who has the consolation of children left to her is not so completely at the mercy of caste and custom. Indeed, the widow with grown-up boys does not think she is to be so much pitied as her neighbour who has been left " alone." Of such widows my bold but unhappy heroine, Moghi Thakrani,* is a notable instance. Let her speak out in her own way. * Wife of a Bhattia, also of a Rajput prince, HOME LIFE IN GUJAbIt. 317 The Confessions op Moghi Thakeani. A Chapter of Lapses, Relapses, and Collapses. " My father married late in life — after his forty-eighth year. My mother was then about twelve. She looked old for her age, my aunt Kevli tells me. My father was reaUy old, having led a laborious and irregular life; but he had hoarded money, with which he bought my mother. She made a devoted wife. He, too, was kind to her in his own way. Three years after the marriage my mother gave me life and lost hers in the atterapt. My father mourned her truly, but his grief was selfish and arbitrary. What grieved him was not so much her death, as her not having left him a son and heir. My father loved and was very proud of me. He would not part with me under Rs. 50,000, he used to say. That was his love ! I reraember my youth from six years upwards. At this age I was first taken to the Maharaja's Mandir. My aunt and several of my cousins came with me. Up to nine I worshipped the Maharaj at a distance; but after my marriage with an old man I was initiated into the sacred rites of Maharaj worship. My father as well as my 318 GUJARAT AND THB GUJAEATIS. husband did not know, or rather pretended not to know of my dedication to the Source of True BUss. On the day of our visit my aunt decked me out in the best of clothes and rich est of ornaments, murmuring softly all the while, ' Thou lucky little rogue, thy life will be blessed to-day.' And thus fell upon my life the cruelest blight that could befal womanhood. I would not have the heart to wish such a curse to fall upon my deadliest foes. After my dedication T went to Uve with my husband. He was an old man, with many of the infirmi ties of age — he was deaf and colour blind for two things, and raade dreadful mistakes through jealousy, I had scarcely been with him for three months when an undesirable acquaintance sprang up between me and an opposite neighbour. I made very light of the sin, and so we Uved on for about six months. The knowledge no way interfered with my happiness. But soon came its punishment. The Brahmin cook, learning of it, looked bold, and threatened exposure when I disregarded his importunities. It is impossible to deny favours which are asked as a price for secrecy. Next year I presented my husband with an heir, HOME LIFE IN GUJAEAT. 319 who died in a few weeks. The old man himself died soon after," " I now entered on a career of what we call widow's freedom. When inconveniently situat ed, I would organise pilgrimages to holy shrines, whither I would go with half a dozen wives and maidens, accompanied by two or three servants," Let me now give a few instances of the sad results of caste. A man being strictly forbid den to marry out of caste, and eligible girls being very few, he has to pass the best years of his life in low intrigues for the acquirement of money and the gratification of sense. He is often a wreck at the tirae of his marriage, and makes an indifferent guardian for what is his exclusively. After a few years of such marital foolery, the husband dies. What becomes of the young widow, or what she makes of herself, I need scarcely explain. On the other hand, when the wife dies first, leaving a son of, say, ten years, the father gets for him a bride of thirteen or fifteen. There is a double object in view. He cannot marry again if he is a poor man. He will have sooner or later to bring a wife for the son ; so he 220 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. resorts to this stratagem. Such arrangements must be very rare. The re-marriage of widows, and permission to marry one degree out of caste, would do away with practices the infamy of which attaches to many sections of uneducated Hindus. Woes of the Hindu Widow. A case of infanticide at Jetpur was report ed the other day. A "high caste" widow, long suspected by the Police and closely watched, gives birth to a child. The new comer's mouth is immediately stuffed with hot kitchen ashes. Thus " religiously dis posed of" and thrust into a basket of rubbish, his loving grandmother deposits the child into the nearest river. The village Police then come to know about it. A very sirailar case is reported from Veer- amgaum; high caste widow, new-born babe, and hot ashes, though no mention is made of the loving grandmother or the basket of rubbish. Three persons are implicated in the former case. It must be remerabered that the mother is very seldora a party to the " act of merit." After aU, it is her chUd, flesh of her HOME LIFE IN GUJAEAT. 321 flesh. Woman's love shines best under trials. The wife of a thief or murderer will cling to him all the closer the more he is shunned by the world ; the mother of a bastard will love him more intensely, perhaps, to make up for the father's neglect. In the Jetpur widow's case, I may say, she is no raore a murderer than is the head of the local Police, The father of her unclaimed child, whom your humane English law never thinks of calling to account, is the prime mover, with the widow's parents and Caste people as his ac complices. So cleverly is the affair managed that hardly one case out of twenty can be detected. In most cases the child dies before birth. The patient is removed far from her home, on a visit to a friend's or on a pilgrim age, and there she is absolved of tbe burden of sin. She is lucky if she escapes with permanent injury to the system, for the village surgeon is but a clumsy operator. If less lucky, she succumbs under the operation. But least lucky is the widow whose case does not yield to the manipulations of the Dai.* And woe be to her if she belong to a respect- * Midwife. 322 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. able family. Then they get up a ceremony in her honour, what they call a cold Suttee, they serve her with the best of viands, they ply her with sweet intoxicants, aud they cap her last supper on earth with something that will settle the business. The widow is soon a cold Suttee, and is forthwith carried off" to the burning ground (the pious Hindu can't keep a corpse in his house for ten minutes). This cold Suttee means a double raurder. Let us hope it is now out of vogue. But a case is known where the widow suspected foul play in the midst of the nocturnal festivities in her honour. She turned piteously to her mother and asked to be saved, but she was urged in reply some what to this effect : — " Drink, drink my child, driuk to cover thy mother's shame and to keep thy father's abru ; drink it, dear daughter, see I ara doing likewise " ! As for the village policeman, he is too stupid, as a rule, to be of any use. And where he is less stupid than his brother, he makes up by that low cunning and duplicity which make him dangerous to the community. He is open to corruption in any form, and where Caste con flicts with duty, he is to be least trusted. He HOME LIFE IN GUJARAT. 323 bullies the weak and the helpless. With the powerful and the weU-to-do your policeman is always ' reasonable.' But what can the police man do even where he is intelligent as well as honest? The lapse of a widow is no offence in the law ; the Magistrate has no right to inquire how a widow carae to be in the family way. It is only when abortion is feared that a sort of watch is kept upon the widow. The Magis trate receives anonyraous petitions. Many of these he does not atteud to ; but where the petition appears bona fide, the Magistrate for wards it to the Police authorities. But even such a case is not looked upon as a pressing one, and I think wisely. Delays being fre quent, the PoUce are unable to prove five cases of abortions out of a hundred. The only remedy is to dispossess Caste of its power of excommunicating the widow who marries again. Governraent sanctions re-raarri- age and Caste opposes it. What a position for the Government of an Erapire ! It is all very well for English officials to say that the widow and her friends ought to defy Caste. They do not know the terrible effect of the Mahajan's curse. The widow and her husband, and very 324 GUJARAT AND THE GUJARATIS. often her and his famiUes are shunned like pariahs. Thus some forty people may suffer for the courage of two. They sufl'er in life and in death. No casteraan joins them in any domestic ceremony ; none of them can take part in the social affairs of any casteraan. So cruelly rigid is the discipline, that it drew tears of anguish frora that most patient Hindu martyr, Kursandas Mulji. He used to cry helplessly when his wife wanted to know when her family was to be re-admitted into the Caste. Englishmen can have no idea of the bitterness of this social seclusion ; it is worse than the bitterness of death. One result of the per secution is that few remarried couples live happily. They are hunted out of Caste, out of profession, and ifl ara not quite wrong, out of part of their inheritance. And not being suffi ciently educated to take to new modes of life, husband and wife pine away in despair, accuse each other of folly, and under a sense of injury they sometimes take to evil courses. What a triumph for Caste ! That the widow marriage moveraent in India is raaking head in spite of such crushing opposition is a proof of its necessity and its ultimate triuraph. If the HOME LIFE IN GUJAEAT. 325 Government only rules that Caste has no right to prevent re-marriage ; if the Public Prosecutor is instructed to lay heavy damages against the Mahajan for putting a re-married widow out of Caste, the reform will have an easy victory over prejudice. Is there no Englishman to put down this unnatural interference with a movement sanctioned by' the law of God ^ and man ? Is there no Englishwoman to plead for the rights of her voiceless sisters in India ? Government and the Hindu Widow. It is reaUy surprising that the enlightened British Government, which considers it a para mount duty to put down any practice tending to conflict with public interests, should hang back in a matter like the prevention of widow marriage, which leads directly to heinous offen ces against society and against nature, culmi nating in almost daily murders. The Gujarati, which is generally opposed to any form of State interference in the social affairs of the people, is convinced that the evil cannot be put down except by the strong hand of authority. In such matters the orthodox Hindu is as perverse to-day as he was ever before. Of himself he 326 GUJARAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. will effect no reform, however imperative. He has always refused to move with the times, and it can be historically proved that without legis lative interference, either under the Hindu, the Mahomedan or the British Government, Caste would never have made even the little progress that may now be laid to its credit. For in stance, had not Lord Bentinck boldly legislated against Suttee, threatening offenders with capital punishment, that national crime would not have disappeared. He raight have preached against the crime for a thousand years without eff'ect. It is action taken by the authorities that tells upon Hindu society. A howl may be set up now, as it was set up in that case, if Government atterapts interference. But the opposition will not be so fierce as before — which Lord Bentinck' s Governraent stood easily enough. There is greater general en lightenment now ; three-fourths of the Hindu population, if not more, are anxious to see re marriage guaranteed freedom from priestly persecution. And is not Government bound to consult the happiness of the many, even at the risk of offending the few ? It is folly to expect the Hindus to work out the reform for them- HOME LIFE IN GUJAEAT. 327 selves. Where man can exercise his firee will in every concern, and woraan is stigmatised as ' a creature of circumstances,' can we expect justice for woman ? For these and other reasons the Gujarati urges that Government should call upon grown up widows without chUdren, who are not likely to withstand temptations, to show cause why they may not marry and what prevents them doing so. Such an arrangement will have two salutary results ; re-marriage of widows wiU be forced to come into fashion, and infant marriage will be put a stop to. May this be so ! A Brahmin Widow advertising foe a Husband. What will the English reader think of a Brahmin widow advertising for a husband ? In England, where the courting is done all by the young men, except perhaps in the agony columns, such a thing as a Hindu widow offer ing public court to a possible husband may appear incredible. But here is a young and fairly educated Brahmin widow bidding for a partner — a deUverer from life-long misery and worse — with an income of only 50 Rs. a month. 328 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS, As a rule the Hindu maiden never responds to love's appeal except by a shy glance. And here we have a case — well, it won't do to dwell upon it. But what are we to think of the so- caUed " men " of India when its woraen are driven to such straits iu a matter with which the honour and the very growth of the nation is so intimately connected ? What are we to think of the twice-born Brahmins, of our enlightened reformers and patriots ? So long as her fair daughters are at the mercy of a foul' superstition so long will a curse hang upon the country. And will the poor girl find a husband from among the Brahmin class ? I doubt it. There may be B.As. and M.As. and no end of patriotic reformers ready with a speech or a pamphlet on "the regeneration of Aryavrat." But the minute it comes to action, they fly frora the field like timid bulls with their taUs set on fire. Or, there may be enemies in the camp scaring way appUcants by reflections on the character of the widow. But as this widow has gone so far, why won't she go a step further aud accept a suitable Khshatri or Vaishya husband ? A decent Vaishya is better than a home life in GUJARAT. 329 degenerate Brahmin, even though the latter be a B.A., LL.B. The Thraldom op Caste — Its Appeoaching End. Oh Caste ! what havoc hast thou wrought in Gujarat and elsewhere in the name of religion and under the sanction of antiquity ! We have been thy slaves for centuries — and no slaves so abject as we Gujaratis, no tyrant so absolute as thou, cruel, cruel Caste ! But thy days seem to me to be numbered. Yes, the reign of King Caste raust draw to a close. Nature, the sovereign controller of affairs, is already assert ing her supremacy ; and though it may be years, perhaps whole decades, before the rightful sovereign resumes her sway, I doubt not that Caste, in his more hateful aspects, is retreating. Twenty years ago, the re-marriage of a Hindu widow was an event not to be dreamt of. In the course of last year I have recorded fifty such unions. The bold spirits, who defy Caste in order to save their honour and secure the happiness to which instinct tells thera they are entitled, have to put up with bitter persecution, even personal violence from bigots in power; but the eye of an All-wise 330 GUJARAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. Providence watches over the victims. The time is coraing when, sanctified by Him and blessed by all sensible Gujaratis, widow re marriage will grow up an institution of the land. Meantime, the foUowing account of a Caste meeting may afford some cue to the ob servant reader as to the knowledge and power for good of the representatives of Caste, and the attitude of the advocates of reform. The proceedings are conducted in a very primitive manner. But I need not apologise for that, inasmuch as it is my business to place before the reader the real pictures of Ufe and manners — rough, crude, sometimes half-naked, but always natural. A Hindu Caste Meeting. Thae;ae Khokhea, the Shett (smoking opium from his hubble-bubble).—" Brothers, it has come to my ears that some of us here assem- bled are children of the devU." Manhoedas (ardent reformer).— "Yes, father .'" Thakae Khokhea.—" Why should it be so, my son?" Manhoedas.— " Father, if thou wilt forgive thy chhoru (chUd), I 'U speak." A HINDU CASTE MEETING. 331 Rangilkaka (a gay widower). — "Yes, Man- horbhai, tell the truth and shame the " Manhordas. — " Well, then, we are going to the , as Khokhra bapd says, because we would rather follow the than such a Maharaj as Chandoolalji. " Ladubhat (orthodox priest). — " Shut up your mouth, shut up your mouth ; you are to-day a Sudharawalla, (reformer), but did you never worship the M^hapurasha ? " Manhordas. — "Never. " Ladubhat. — " I have myself seen you kissing the sacred foot on the 6th of Vaishak. " (Cries of " Shame ! Sharae I " " The hypocrite ! ") Manhordas. — " It is false. I can prove it false." Khokhra Shett. — " Prove it, young man. " Manhordas. — " Because on the 5th of Vaishak the Mahar£(ja's toe was bitten off by rats whilst he lay exhausted after a frolic. Dr. Bhau Daji* could prove it. " (Hisses and groans and uproar.) Thakar Khokhra (upsetting the hubble-bub ble?). — " You shameless infidel ! I have put you out of caste ! ! " * Our most accomplished Hindu physician and scholar of Bombay — died in 1872. 332 GUJAEAT AND THB GUJAEATIS. Veshadhari (a man who loves "widow -freedom" in private and hates it in public). — " I declare that Manhordas is a Kristan* fellow. He is vutlel (convert). What are these Sudhar^- w£(,llas ? One cheats widows out of their portions ; another keeps a number of widows in his house under show of protection ; a third gambles and becomes a bankrupt : they become Sudharawalla to please the Saheb logves, and that way assume imjjortance. They are the thieves and pirates of society. Sharae upon their birth ! " Manhordas. — " Don't make me speak out, Veshadhari. I know you and the widows of your family." Veshadhari. — " They are your mothers, you rascal ! " Manhordas, — " Ah ! they never heep their children ! " Veshadhari (losing temper). — " Oh, you slan derous murderer ! Is not your widowed sister a witch?" Manhoedas (relapsing into street-arabism). — ''Your daughter, your sister, your mother ! " * Christian. A HINDU CASTE MEETING. 333 Veshadhari. — " Your aunt, your grand mother — were they not Mahoraedans ? " Manhoedas. — " And can you swear who is your father ? " Veshadhaei. — " Yes, and I can also swear who your real father is. Now, will you fight it out, you malicious liar ? " Thakae Khokhea (waking from his nap and falling bach upon the hubble-bubble). — " Is the business before the meeting over ? " Manhoedas. — " No ; you must listen to me. " Khokhea Shett (strihing his belly). — " I will listen to this first. I have put you out of caste, also all your family and friends, unless you dq the proper penance in time, and give three caste dinners of ghee and raango juice. So long as I Uve I will trample upon Sudhdrd. I am not such a fool as to pretend to be wiser than my fathers. Return horae in peace, my children, and may the blessing of the Mahapurusha be with the faithful!" Spoets and Plays, Nothing could be a fairer index to the social character of a people than the sports and games tbat obtain among them; and nothing could 334 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS, afford greater scope for comparison than the plays common to two nations. There are a good many popular sports in Gujarat, indoor and outdoor, which one reads of in English books on the subject, though, as is to be expect ed, we in India have no record of our own — no sporting literature to speak of. As this is not meant to be a learned essay, I must hurry on to the plays and garaes sacred to Gujarat. Kite-fly ing is perhaps the raost popular araong these. It is in favour with all classes. Frora boys of seven to elderly youths of seventy, the Gujaratis enjoy the pleasures of kite-flying. Paper kites are made of raany shapes and sizes, sometiraes so big that a child, holding the string, may be carried away by the force of the fragile aeronaut frisking in the air. During the kite-flying season there is a rage after the sport, and it gives rise to bets and wagers ad libitum. Of the two or raore prize-fighters he who flies his kite the highest wins. At times there are regular kite fights ; the two combatants in the skies are brought into contact after a good deal of military manoeuvre, one taking the offensive and the other standing on defence, and that which is torn, broken, pinned to a roof or SPOETS AND PLAYS. 335 drowned into a well or pond, or otherwise damaged, is set upon by the street boys from whom the owner will exert his utmost to save his kite. The sport is very keenly followed, and the kite that has lost the day has poor chance of escape from the street urchins who give it a hot chase and finally capture it to carry off as a trophy to the enemy's camp. The scramble leads to accidents at times, boys in pursuit tumbling down roofs and galleries. But in spite of such mishaps kite-flying is looked upon as a jolly good sport. It is an aid to the sight, steadies the hand and sharpens the pre sence of mind. Next in vogue is Giliddndd, something like cricket, which has now almost entirely supersed ed the indigenous sport. So much for your wicked English rule 1 Then there are the run ning, jumping (leapfrog) swiraraing, riding (the hobby horse) and clirabing sports ; also racing, especially in bullock carts. There is the Ghor- Kotwal (Thief and Magistrate), Nasogoso (Blind- man's buff) and a number of athletic sports. There are the marble and the top for small boys, and night plays, one set for the dark half of the month, another set for moonlit nights, for 'i3G GUJARAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. grown up youths. Araong doraestic games we have cards and dice often played for heavy stakes, frora the player's money, house, up to his wife. Breaking of sugar-canes on the wrist and striking of two eggs against each other are among plays reserved for the wet weather. Woraen have their special indoor amusements besides some of the games abovenamed, the favourites being swinging, Garbd singing, story- .telling aud examining one another's hair. There are no outdoor games, of course, for women. Arts and Industries. In the matter of arts and industries Gujarat .has lost much of its former importance by reason of the general poverty of the people, want of encouragement, and the competition of cheap machine-made articles. Still, there lare a few kinds of loom-raade cotton cloth, excellent in design and texture, which the outturn of the European factory can scarce ly rival. Gujarat can also show silk and erabroldered work — Kinhhob for instance — more or less in the hands of Mahomedans and Hindus — for which the province has always been famous. You may see good pottery ARTS AND INDUSTRIES. 337 work in some parts, rough soap, glass, beads, &c. There is some slight business in the cutting and setting of precious stones, too. Among the more curious little crafts is Kusti- weaving by Parsi women, in which they may defy the deftest seamstress in Europe. Surat has a brisk trade in what are popularly known as " work boxes " and other elegant nicknacks in sandal wood, ivory, &c. The work turned out by Mr. Bhamgara is in much request, and is sent out to various parts of India, and I am told, to Europe and America. This is a very meagre account I have given ; but as a rule the spirit is being crushed out of Native arts and industries in Gujarat, and one scarcely feels reconciled enough to cheap iraitations and degenerate originals to go into raptures. To the European visitor to Surat I may recomraend a taste of its barfi and khutai, of its cream cheese and real butter-biscuit, not the lumps of clay we get in Bombay. The khutai prepared by old Nusserwanji Shaer, as good an innkeeper as was ever born, had something in it to tempt the most capricious appetite. 29 338 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. HOLIDAYS. A HASTY glance at some of the national holidays of GujarJtt may not be an unfitting conclusion to our itinerary. Chief among Hindu holidays is, of course, the far-famed DlWALI. No description of Diwali would be complete that did not extend from nine days before Dasara to fifteen days after Diwali proper. The holiday preceding Dasara is called nava rdtri, "nine nights," which in vulgar parlance has come to be called nortd. These nine nights are sacred to garbds, popular songs sung in the streets of Gujarat. A few oU-lamps are placed on a lampholder in the centre of an area, close to which are placed a virgin pair — " a bonny youth and HOLIDAYS. 339 maiden fair." About these a bevy of from twen ty to sixty women of all ages circle round and round, taking up a refrain, and often repeating in chorus a verse sung by one and, at times, two women, keeping tirae to the clap of hands. These garbds are evanescent scintillations of the genius of Dayarara, the Byron of Gujarat, The hero of the songs is mostly Krishna, the lord of 16,000 gopihds,* who are maddened by love of him, who are drawn to the " nourisher of our souls " by the enchanting tones of his murli t in the by-lanes of Brindaban, and who fly to him at early moru' — ^one "slipping from her husband's side," another " leaving the morning duties undone," and a third without " suck ling her babe," all with tumultuous delight, pan ting, perspiring, and half naked ! There, in the wilderness of unbought love, they meet him, the " soul-subduer," and in converse with him their souls " drink delight." Tbis legend is assert ed to be no more than a poetical portraiture of the passionate yearning the soul feels towards her Maker — a feeUng that surpasses in intense ness the love we feel for cHldern or parents, even that selfish and vehement longing we * Cowherdesses t Flute. holidays. 341 dow, her neck like the swan's, her breast like the dove's, her waist like a liquid jet, her feet like moonbeams playing at hide-and-seek, and her dance must be like the peacock's ! Her laugh must be a shower of mogras,* her voice sweet but varied, now simmering like the soft undulat ing bubbles in a bowl of Cyprian wine, then roaring and splashing like the giant Niagara, now warbling like the silver flute of a Circassian houri, then thundering like the war-drum of a fierce Amazon ! For months and months was the pure virgin soul saturated with sweet, silly, domestic legends, and thus prepared to take part in the garbds. But those scenes are now, happily, visions of the past. In place of the lovely, sylph-like Hinduanif— the maiden who blushes as she srailes at her heart's happiness in having been allowed to join the street song, and whose guile less glance enthrals a crowd of gay butterflies — you have now the substantial raatron, with her brown little progeny pulling at her skirts, whose voice is formed all for gutturals, and whose charms are only for the meek husband to admire. * Jasmine flowers. •}• Hindu lady. 342 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEItIS. Gaebas sung by Males. In other places, especially in temples, you have raales keeping up the garbds — Banias and Bhathias swaying backwards and forwards their fat inelastic carcases, ogling one another, and making night hideous with their voci ferous howls and hand-clapping. I know seve ral influential Hindu merchants, Government officials, and even ministers of Native States, joining in the incongruous buffoonery. At Bombay you have little of street garbds, except those sung by the gipsies for hire. These are wanton wanderers of the lowest order, going about from street to street and asking the housewives, " WUl you have the garbo sung, ladies ?" The songs are rude, disjoined snatches stolen frora here and there — a sort of patchwork poetry, sacred to Ambu Bhawani,.* The Dasara. At the end of Navardtri you have the Da sara. This is a grand national hoUday, com memorating the event of the mighty heroes, * The Mahratta type of the dread goddess Kali. HOLIDAYS. 343 the Pandavas,* having girded their loins against their cousins, the Kaurawas."* But the Dasara, and, in fact, the whole range of days from Navardtri to Kdrtihi Purnimd, is more a social than a religious holiday. It is the national harvest holiday. Pity such an interesting holiday has not yet been immortal ised by any local bard. Dasara is a most auspicious day for sending children to school, for generals marching against the enemy, &c. The housewife gets up that morning before the cock crows, cleans and sweeps and scours the house, chanting a siraple hymn the same time in subdued tones, lest that sluggard of her husband be disturbed in his slumbers. She is assisted by her daughter, if the doraestic circle is blessed with any such " phantora of delight." There is nothing more beautiful in the home life of the Hindu than the love be tween mother and daughter. Through thick and thin, through good report and evil report, the two cling to each other at every and any sacrifice. As soon as the master of the house * The heroes of the Mahabharata. 344 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. gets up, there is uproarious bustle all around. The metal gods and ornaments are furbished up, the domestic pets are fondled and decor ated with flowers, and the horse is presented with a new harness. Later on in the day the father performs the havana ceremony, feeding the fire with ghee and grain, and, with his children, goes to a tree called shami or sompatra, worships it, picks or purchases a leaf of it, goes to his friends, embraces them and gets erabraced (a regular bear-hug), returns horae, partakes of holiday dainties, raaking a sly compliment now and then to the poor drudge of a wife who waits upon her " lord" while at dinner, and then goes to bed. Dhana Teeasa and Kali Chaoodasa. Twenty days after Dasara is DiwEili. It cora mences on the 12th of the dark part of the month. That day is Vaigha Barasa or Guru Dwddashi. The day after Barasa is Dhan Teras or Dhan Trayodashi, when the merchant brings together his hoards- into one room, and after gloating over the heap, offers prayers to it, sprinkles it with red ochre, and kneeling, requests the presiding deity not to take unto holidays. 345 her wings. The deity presiding over wealth is Lakshrai. Then comes Kdli Chaoodasa or Narka Ghaturdashi, observed in honour of Vishnu's victory over Narakasura. Tbe raost effective illuraination is on this or the follow ing day. The housewife gets up early in the morning, sets a larap burning in each nook and corner of the house, rubs herself and child ren, and even her lord, with ointraent, and per- forras hot-water ablutions. The hotter the liquid the greater the efficacy of the prayer following. No little urchin in the house can escape a good smothering bath, and happy he whose skin does not peel off under the opera tion. The mistress of the house then performs arti with a lamp in a brass plate in her hand, and receives various presents. DiwIli Pbopee. Next day is Diwali proper. The day is sacred to Saraswati, goddess of learning, when all the shop papers are solemnly worshipped. The worship is called Vahipuja. The family priest, a " little round fat oily man of God," requests Saraswati Mata on this day not to desert his client. The merchant opens new accounts, new 346 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. branches of his firm, and new business on the auspicious day. These are public cereraonies ; there are private doings, too, on these occasions, drinking, garabling, and revelling. In these garaes the Hindu is joined heartily by the Parsi and the Mahoraedan. Diwali illuminations are enjoyed by all classes, young and old, rich and poor. The vast raultitude of a hundred nation alities surging up the thoroughfares, like the waves of the ocean, in all colours of the rainbow, each heart bent upon enjoying the present, and each face bearaing with the enjoyraent, must be a magnificent sight indeed. No one feature of the night is perhaps more attractive than the different head-gears — the Parsi " surgar-loaf," the European " chimney-pot," and the Mahratta " cart-wheel." The glory of Diwali holidays is now almost gone. But even in these degene rate days the Hindu merchant is able to show you a decidedly larger margin on Diwali than the Parsi or the Mahomedan. And this, not because the Hindu has greater sagacity or enterprise, but because the Parsi or Mahomedan knows not what a large revenue parsimony is to the merchant. Next to her marriage day and the day on holidays. 347 which she becomes a mother, Diwali is the most welcome occasion to the Hindu female. The poor weary heart has then sorae glimpses of sunshine ; it is full of song and sweetness, and of the thousand little charities peculiar to the sex. Two days after the Diwali is the Bhaubij day, a holiday reminding you of patri archal times and custoras. On this day all members of the faraily are drawn towards the warmth of the family hearth; brothers gone to other towns on business, sisters gone to their husbands', uncles, nephews, aunts, nieces, all meet at horae. The wife is nowhere this day. She must make roora for her husband's sister, who cooks his food and serves him with it. In return she gets presents from him before returning to her husband's. The Kaetiki Puenima — a Tremendous God- fight. The last of the holidays is Kdrtiki Purnimd. It celebrates the victory of Shiva over the demon Tripurasura. The monster once upon a time grew so unmanageable that Brahma and the other gods, whom he had driven out of Swarga, were obliged to seek redress of Shiva the 343 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. Destroyer. Shiva received this deputation of deities with courtesy, and proraised to raake short work of their coraraon foe. One fine raorn ing the raighty Destroyer sallied forth. No one can say that our warrior went ill-equipped. The Earth was his chariot, with the Sun and the Moon as its wheels. No less a god than Brahma was made his Jehu, the Hiraalaya raountain served hira as his bow, the Serpent King as his bowstring, and Vishnu hiraself as his quiver ! Tripurasura fought Shiva raanfuUy, but even he could not long cope with the Destroyer thus equipped. The worshippers of Shiva promote a splendid fair on the anniversary of this renown ed pre-historic battle. At Bombay the fair is held at Walkeshwar. At Surat you have it at Ashwinikumar, a neighbouring village. The Khials of Sueat. The Surat fair was enlivened by the singing of Khials, rhymed romances and philosophical or polemic songs. There are two schools of Khials, the Turrawalds and the Kalgiwalas. The first worship the male essence as the prime cause, the second the female power. This is the bone of contention. The founders of the two holidays. 349 schools are said to have been Tukangir and AUabux. Both claim divine origin and divine inspiration. Both had miraculous powers, such as bringing down rain, causing eclipses, and even reviving the dead. This used to be cen turies ago, and we had better not be too in quisitive about such miraculous doings. About fifty years ago the two schools were re presented by Bahadursing and AUibhai. The former was a Pardesi,* the latter a Bora. Both were illiterate. The first served as gate keeper for Rs. 7 a month, the second eked out a precarious existence by patching up old gunny-bags. What would Carlyle have said to this ? Men who could answer, in impromptu verse, the most intricate questions of meta physics, who could thus hold forth at public meetings for a week and a fortnight : illiterate, ill-favoured men " building the lofty rhyme " with the rapidity with which fairies build enchanted castles ! Few know of the struggles of these heroic souls, the "mute inglorious Mil tons " of India — men like Kabir f and * North-India man, or stranger. f The great Sikh Reformer. 30 350 GUJARAT AND THE GUJAeAtIS. Nanak,* Sahajanand,t Tuk£Cram,| and BahMur- sing and AUibhai. The Kalagiwalas were remarkable for their "' linked sweetness," a lively fancy, and all thos© lovable little arts whieh suit and adorn the sex. The Turrawalas, on the other hand, were known for the vigour and soiUdity of their productions. From their lips flowed "wisdom married to im mortal verse." Both schools have now sunk in obscurity, and thus one great charm of the Diwali holidays has fled Gujarat. * Founder of the Sikh faith. t The great Gujardt Reformer. I The great Mahratta Poet and Reformer. 351 THE INIMITABLE RAMAYAN. Rama, Sita, Lasaman. Anothee attractive feature of the Diwali holiday is the recitation of the epic of Ramayan. j had the most enjoyable time of it at Baroda when listening, for a few hours every eveningj to recitations from the Ramayan. I have read the Ramayan, the Iliad, the Shahnameh, and other masterpieces of human thought, but none in the original. I never advanced much in the learned languages, though I attempted all by turn. I remember having taken up my friend Professor Bhandarkar*s First Booh of Sanshrit to keep off" the awful sensation one feels when conscious, for the first time, of having a baby at home. But baby was obstinate that night in mistaking me 352 gujaeIt and the gujaratis. for the mother. I loved Sanskrit, and I loved baby, too, in a sort of way. What was I to do ? Oh, happy thought ! I put baby on the table, and tried to soothe it to slumber with exceUent Sanskrit conjugations. But it was no use — baby conjugated with me in chorus. Now came the time to decide, and I foolishly decided to give up Sanskrit. You do enough for one man if you can manage a new baby. It is a terrible task, especiaUy for absent-minded students. Tou take the little being up with a shiver of anxiety lest it should melt in your hands, or lest it should slip through your fingers; or lest, in deep brown study, mistaking it for a plaything, you should throw it out of the window. Then, again, you have the presence of the mother to disturb your peace of mind — the mother who sleeps with one eye eternally open. Oh, it is a sad dening thing ! But one must do one's duty. Babies take very kindly to me, except when I am hungry, at which time they avoid me with that instinct of self-preservation which is the first law of our nature. Well, then, if I gave up Sanskrit, you see it was not on a flimsy pretext. THE eamayan. 353 PoPULAE Recitations of the National Epic. But to return to the recitation of the Ram ayan at Baroda. These popular recitals from the Rdmayan are done into Gujarati in easy, flowing narrative verse. I have often listened to thera, and always with increasing interest. I think the Gujarati rendering is by Prema- nand, the sweetest of our bards, and an inhabitant of Baroda. It is read out by an intelligent Brahmin to a mixed audience of all classes and both sexes. It has a perceptible influence on the Hindu character. I believe the reraarkable freedom from infidelity whicii is to be seen in most Hindu families, in spite of their strange gregarious habits, can be traced to that influence. And little wonder. Every true lover of poetry knows what the Ramayan is. It is a work for all times, for all men. I have read poetry of various ages and of various climes, and it is my deliberate opinion that in the field of ancient literature, so rich in imperishable prose and verse, the RfCmayan stands pre-erainent. It appears to me to be the greatest of intellectual efforts of ita kind, inasrauch as it has moulded the character of perhaps .the mightiest nation of antiquity. 354 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. One can hardly beUeve it to be the work of a mortal. I have faith in the efficacy of life long prayer and contemplation — contemplation of the eternal God, the Source of all Know ledge. And thus I can see nothing unnatural in Valmiki * having been inspired by Heaven, after such a life of contemplation, to write the Ramayan, a work which has been the raost pre cious and the most cherished heritage of the Aryas, though the Mahabharat is a greater favourite in Gujarat. William Gladstone, the greatest Englishman of our day, has done much to enlighten the student on the life and times of his favourite author. Had he studied the Eamayan, he, and Europe with him, would have known infinitely more of India in every way than at present. Yet Horace Wilson, William Jones, and others too many to name and too distinguished to need being named, have rendered conspicuous service to this branch of Hindu Uterature ; and the Hindus wiU cherish their meraory to the latest hour of their national life. The records of ancient Uter ature give evidence of the wondrous energy of thought and expression the old masters com- * Supposed author of the epic. THB eamItan. 355 manded ; but none equals VJilmiki in depicting those soft little domestic charities which are equally powerful to heal the wounds and bruises of severe misfortune and to soothe the wrink les of every-day care. Works there are in India to which the human intellect owes much of its refined culture ; but none so imbues, so possesses the mind with deep, calm, abiding affection, as the Ramayan. Heeo and Heeoine. Look at the principal characters. There is Laxaman, lesser of the brother heroes of the solar dynasty. His generous heart recoils at the thought of living in ease and corafort when his elder brother is threatened with exile. He is indignant with the step-mother for her arts and machinations; but, obedient to his brother, he suppresses his wrath, and vows henceforth to renounce the world, and follow the brother and his bride in their forced banishment, humble as a slave, dutiful as a son unto both. Laxaman's bearing towards her he honours with the name of " mother " is extreme ly touching. Look at Rama. The loving, dutiful son, the faithful brother, the tender 356 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. protecting husband, the devoted friend, the magnanimous foe, in every relation of Ufe he realises our ideal of man, while his character as sovereign, " a ruler of men," transcends all his private virtues. The picture drawn by the immortal poet is faultless, absolutely faultless in detail as in the aggregate. And Sita ? Mistress of a thousand womanly graces — the fond, faithful wife, twice transplanted by relentless fate from the bosom where she had learnt but yesterday to nestle so close — suspected and repudiated, scorned of the foul-mouthed rabble, left alone by the husband in the trackless desert to the mercy of the fierce beasts and the fiercer elements, leading an aimless, hopeless life; now exhausted by reason of her loneliness, now cheered by the thought of her precious burden, the pledge of her short-lived union — whose unselfish soul rises superior to all personal discomforts, and who, in the midst of insup portable misery, even in the agonies of travail, has no thought but of her Rama, " the beloved of my heart, my true, my tender, my eternal lover, who has deserted me because he thought fit " I THE EAMAYAN. 357 Happy the nation who can claim Rama and Sita for their ideal. Blessed the hearth at which are offered tributes of national homage to this peerless pair, when the simple children of toil — the rough old artisan, his matter-of- fact danae, and the sweet, simple, romantic girl — mingle tears as the family priest recites some favourite passage out of the sacred volume ! And blessed, thrice blessed the man (if only man he was) whose genius could soar up to the very fount of diyine inspiration ; and who could create two beings of such exquisite grace, before whose realistic and ever-enduring nature the works of such literary giants as Homer and Firdousi sometimes look mean and distorted. With all its varied brilliancy, an Indian stud ent may be pardoned for saying, that European genius pales before the fire of Oriental genius, even as the wan and sickly queen of night pales before the glorious lord of day. The Sanskeit Language. Sanskrit is a wonderful language ; almost each word of it has a double meaning, the esoteric and the exoteric. In this respect, as in others, it is the most capable of the world's languages. 358 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. And when such a poet as Valmiki writes in such a language as Sanskrit, the outcome of his labours must, of course, be inimitable. Each verse of the Ramayan has a world of hidden meaning. Each simple line, which looks commonplace at first sight, discovers, when carefully studied, an unbroken scene of beauty, under the surface, a glorious panorama of sweetness and light, where the reader, drinking his fill of the freshest and healthiest sentiment, forgets hiraself in the conteraplation of the genius that conjures up a creation so perfect in symmetry and proportion. At such times his first thought is to forswear his own naraby-pamby puerilities and be content in life with a loving study of the master. 359 THE BALEVA, Anothee popular Hindu holiday is the Baleva, or Ndliari Punema, what the Europeans are pleased to call the Cocoanut Day. On this fuUraoon day (in August) the violence of the monsoon is supposed to have come to an end, and Father Neptune is supposed to be ready, on the customary propitiations, to allow ships to have a safe voyage. In writing of the Cocoanut holiday, it would not perhaps be amiss to describe the scope and significance of this peculiarly Aryan fruit in shell. What of all other nuts it most resembles in form is the human head. It is indispensable on every religious occasion. Its water is considered holy nectar. The hairy surface of its coating goes to make miniature coir purses, bags, &c. The coating or husk itself makes excellent 360 GUJAEAT AND THB GUJAEATIS. hukds or hubble-bubbles. For this purpose the kernel is removed through the " eye " of the nut, which is otherwise kept intact. When broken into two the shell makes good handy curry or liquor cups and oil vessels. When burnt to cinders and mixed with vinegar or lime, the coating is very good for ringworm and other cutaneous eruptions. If burnt by a certain process, the coating yields an oil, which is said to be peculiarly efficacious for the above purpose. Thus far the shell. Its kernel is good for children. Taken with date or mol asses, it is excellent food for travellers. It enters into the composition of a hundred dishes, and is much relished alike by Hindus and Ma homedans. Its milk makes a very good hair restorer, and one may often see Mahomedan and other lads buy a piece of the kernel, chew it, take the fluid in the hollow of the hand, apply it to the hair, and eat the remainder ! Co coanut oil is used in cooking. The oil is also a mild, pleasant burner. But at religious per formances the nut is indispensable. It makes the ambrosia of the gods if mixed with ghee and sugar. When given to strangers, it means welcome; onthe other hand the phrase " to the baleva.. 361 give the cocoanut" means a peremptory and ignominious dismissal, used ironically. The Cocoanut holiday is a great day in Bombay. Your Gujarati servants generally become Ul a fortnight before the day. You have to grant them leave, or they wiU stay away without any thought of the future. But this is not because of the cocoanut day ; the whole month of Shrawan is a prolonged feast-day ; there is a little fair every day of it at Walkesh war. The Mondays are sacred to the goddess of revelry and song. The Vaishnava Maharajas have the jolliest time of it all through the month. At Bombay the Esplanade and Back Bay, and of late years Mody Bay, are worth a visit on Baleva day. The fair commences after three, and is kept up till very late. Merchants and traders first go to the sea, propitiate the deity with a cocoanut and some flowers duly con secrated, The merchant then receives the Brah man's blessing, with a thread on his wrist, and wends his way homewards through the slow- moving mob, picking up cheap things here and there from the stalls and booths erected on the Esplanade. Some people take a short cruise on 31 .362 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. the sea by way of first trial ; others do the house- warming, and others still have the nautch per forraed. But on the whole, compared with other national festivals, Baleva is a tame affair, as could be guessed. The show is mostly held on the sea-shore, aud therefore affords a pic turesque spectacle for griffins* and up-country Anglo-Indians. The most comprehensive of Hindu holidajs, so to speak, is the Shea WAN Mas. In this holy Shrawan Mds Hindus of all castes, and of all parts of the country, keep their high carnival. The whole month is a prolonged holiday, with the four Mondays as special red-letter days. To the stranger the Shrawan festival is the most innocent and least grotesque ofthe numerous popular festivals. It reserables the Christraas raore than any other Hindu holiday. Members of a family who may have left the domestic hearth on various purposes meet again ; old quarrels are made up, the sacred thread is changed, the new dress is put * Fresh-arrived Europeans. THE SHEA WAN MAS. 363 on (in too many cases the only new dress of the year), flower and fruit offerings are placed before the gods. Taking your morning consti tutional by the Queen's Road (Bombay) you are sure to encounter, during these days, bevies of Hindu maids and matrons, tripping by, singing softly to themselves, and discussing the kindness of their respective husbands and mothers-in-law. For, be it reraerabered, that in this holy season the heart even of the mother- in-law is too joyous to seek quarrels. Here you see aMarathin, lissome of figure, passing demurely by, with downcast eyes and a gentle cautious tread. She is very lightly, but still always becomingly dressed, this fair daughter of Maharashtra. Her national sari and choli sit £esthetically on her graceful person — grace beyond the reach of art. Her raven-black hair is gathered up into a knot at the back of the head, which knot is adorned by a pretty little gold ornament, or a prettier flower of the season. A few paces behind her is the robustious Mar- waran, shuffling past in her cumbrous petticoat. She is a big strapping body, and the tread of her bejewelled foot is extremely assertive. 364 GUJAEAT AND THB GUJAEATIS. She, or perhaps her lord, has peculiar notions of personal adornment. She throws her sari around, or, rather, shrouds herself in her sari, till every vestige of her face is invisible. She wears ivory bangles or rings on her arms — both arms are literally covered by these ponderous articles. The palms of her hands and the nails the Marwaran dyes red, and the lips and teeth black ! Her swathing petticoat she wears so far down as her ancle, and below she has ornaments, silver and brass, or both. The Marwaran is more parsimonious than her lord, and though she is constrained to take some cheap offering to the gods once or twice in the year, she does not scruple to bring part ofit back, thus cheat ing deity itself. The Marwaran is a rare phe nomenon in Native society. She is purchased by the husband at a fearful cost. The Marwari does not marry till late in life. He comes to Hindustan, or the Deccan, only with his dhoti* and his loti.-f After ten years or so he goes home to see his mother. As long as a relative is alive, the Marwari does not care for a wife. But when he has accumulated "a sura," and when he sees he is waxing old, he invests a * Waist garment. f A small brass ewer. THB SHEAWAN MAS. 365 good slice of his fortune in a wife. But she is a luxury in the buying only. As soon as that is over, the husband never repents hira of the bargain. For, whatever mathematicians might think of it, it is a well-known fact that the Mar wari and the Marwaran between them spend exactly a half of what the Marwari used to spend singly. This may be a lesson to Miss Susie Trots, the railway-guard's wife. The Marwaran is not visible to the vulgar gaze, except during the Holi holidays. She is then in her element. She squirts paint and water on the gallants that serenade her, and gives them back joke for joke with the keenest relish. But all this while her face is veiled. In fact, few young Marwarans are seen unveiled. But by no fair Hindudni are the joys of the Shrdwan Mds drunk with such avidity as by your Vaishnava lasses — the Bhattia and Bania females. To thera it is a month of love and liberty. And, thanks to the pious Maha rajas, the month passes as swiftly as a dream. Wife, widow, and maiden, each has the jolliest time ofit in Shrdwan. There are the dances to be danced before the Maharaj, plays to be play ed, songs to be sung; his Holiness to be washed 366 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. and dressed and fed. Oh, the joys of SJirdican! — to the Vaishnavas. The beauteous Shrdwan Mds, when the days are devoted to singing and when the fair Radha* is fluttered by a whirlwind of love. "All fair sisters go to the Jarana for holy ablutions, their foreheads adorned with Kesari,'\ and their graceful feet coloured. The fair ones worship Gowri, with wreaths and flowers in one hand, in the other hand the box of Kiuikun colour, and the name of Shri Gopal on their lips. Four poho- rasX the lovely ones devote to singing songs, forsaking sleep; the night is short, and the sports are long. Oh, I tremble lest the en vious morn soon breaks in upon our joys ! " So sings the fair Gujaratan. The Paesi has many holidays, but none of such reUgious import as the Hindus, unless it be the Muktad. The Muktad Holidays. Muktad reads like a Zend word, closely allied to Sanskrit, and means the " saved," or " re- * The beloved of Krishna, t Saffron. f PoJiora equals three hours. THE MUKTAD. 367 leased." It aUudes to what the Occidentals caU " emancipated spirits." Dosld is a prd- krit Hindu term, and means, if anything, " the old fellows," what EngUsh newspapers call " the venerable departed worthies." This is the origin; Muktad is of Pagan growth, no way belonging to Zoroastrianism pure and siraple. Zoroastrians in Iran, over twelve hundred years ago, had between five and ten days set apart every year for prayers and fasting, as ex piation for their own sins, and more as offerings for repose of the souls of their relatives. But all this is changed in India. The praying is changed at times into gambling, and the fasting into feasting. The simple ceremonial seems to have sunk into a gross and debasing pagan rite. Twenty years ago (the Parsis have since im proved) this was the explanation of the Dosld holidays : — Those of our departed relatives who had behaved themselves on earth, and therefore were admitted to Heaven, were allowed every year a long holiday for eighteen days to return to earth and live with their earthly friends. There are proofs positive of these " spirits " having visited our grandmothers and raothers-in- law (in their dreams, of course), and having told 368 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJAEATIS. them what good things of earth they would like to have for their creature comforts during their holiday sojourn here below. Their wants were often unconfined. But generally they consisted of the following: — Brand-new clothes, various dishes of fowl, fish, and fruit; good country wine and toddy, and, in short, all those things they had a relish for during their earthly existence. They also required things for amusement, such as paper kites, tops, packs of cards, &c. This is how the dear ones were received : The best room in the house was reserved for them ; it was washed, scoured, and furnished with pictures. In the centre was placed a many-branched iron frame ; on the top of the frame was placed a tray of choicest flowers (the only redeeming feature in this heathen show), along with the flowers there were fruits. On all sides of the frame were placed metal pots filled with crystal water, and by virgins, female and raale. Sur rounding the frarae, on the floor, were arranged steaming dishes of edibles and rows of favourite playthings. The priest conse crated the food and other things, and took a mouthful from every dish (a full distended THE MUKTAD. 369 priestly mouth seldom measures under 3 inches by 4), he then declared the feast open to the enjoyraent of the spirits visitant. These entered the room unperceived, except by the priest and the grandmother or mother-in-law ; they washed themselves with the water, and fell to. This degrading farce was carried on for eighteen days, three times a day. Many Parsi farailies have got rid of the superstitious part of the cereraony, but still it lingers on. The whole thing is intended for the good of two, the priest and the cook. The eighteen days are a carnival to these fellows. To the paterfamilias, and his son, who is an un- eraployed graduate of the University, they are the worst days in the year. The old gentleman has to spend his cash without stint, and the young gentleman has to subrait every now and then to the bitter reproaches of his progenitor, who turns fiercely upon hira and says : " See, you idle unskilful vagabond ! Look at that bar ber* of a cook; we have to pay him Rs. 30 for eighteen days, and he knows not how to make an omelet. And you, sirrah, you are what they call a B.A., and M.A., andyour education alone * An utterly useless fellow. 370 GUJARAT AND THB GUJARATIS. has cost rae Rs. 5,000. And what do you earn ? Nothing. Oh, why did not your mother re-marry before you were born ! " The old raan is justified in complaining, though the logic of his concluding reraark is too Hibernian. And who can help pitying the poor " B.A. and M.A.? " But look at the rotund Mobed. How busy he is ! What a roaring trade he drives ! Though he visits a dozen houses in swift suc cession, there is only one room for hira at every house, and that is the well-stocked prayer- room, "the Mecca of his appetite." He lives in " a paradise of pies and puddings." He prays, eats, and sleeps ; sleeps, eats, and prays. While muttering the meaningless prayer, his eyes are on the solids — " the substantials. Sir Giles, the substantials." The jargon he mutters is dry, "so he moistens his words in his cups." And when, with his inner man thus fortified, he proceeds to prayers, " his words are of marrow, unctuous, dropping fatness." He is a droll fellow, this Parsi levite, and laughs over the folly of those on whose substance he fattens. He has materials in him of a good divine and a scholar, but he is born in an atmosphere of THE MUKTAD. 371 hollow iraposture and sham, and lives and dies a cheat and a charlatan. To this man is due the invention of the haze of superstition which envelops the pure and simple form of worship bequeathed to us by the Prophet-Priest of Iran.* The Mahomedan holiday of the year, if holi day it may be called, is the Mo'harara. The Mo'haram. " Hai Hassan, Hai Hussein," are the wails of genuine grief that pierce the air of Irad,mba,ra on Mo'harara night. " Hai Hassan, Hai Hus sein, " form the interlude to the touching na tional elegy, recited to the echo of frantic breast- beating, by sturdy, hard-favoured Moguls and Seedies (African Mussalmans), who abandon themselves for the nonce to uncontrollable woe. It is the last night of the Passion week through out Islam, when the Sheha Moslem enacts his Passion Play, and the Sooni Mahomedan keeps up his high carnival. In the month of Mo'haram, " holiest ofthe holy," eight days are sacred to the memory of Hassan and Hussein, * Zoroaster. 372 GUJAEAT AND THB GUJAEATIS. grandsons of the Prophet by his beloved daugh ter Fatima, and his no less beloved disciple AU. The youthful heroes are said to have fallen victims to partisan fury. The Shehas, by all accounts the true believers, who acknowledge Ali as heir and successor to the Founder of Islam, spend the early part of the week in erect ing the taboot, the paper mausoleum which is supposed to hold the murdered hopes of the Prophet's house, in reading the fdthid, the initial verses of the Koran, before it, and in other religious rites. On a raised seat squats the venerable Mohla, surrounded by the Hadjees and other dignitaries and elders of the Moslem Church; and at a distance squat crowds of the faithful. To the breath less audience the voice of the Mohla is " more than the miraculous harp." In tones of intense anguish does he recite the tale of woe — how one of the heroes was poisoned by the foul assassin at Yezd, how the other was slaughtered by the dastard soldiery of Damascus, on the field of Kerbala. In the course of the recital the High Priest lays solemn emphasis on an incident here and there, swaying his portly person back ward and forward. At such times his deep- THE mo'haeam. 373 drawn sigh generally makes itself heard at a distance — a sigh that seeras " to shatter his bulk." This prolonged inspiration is taken up by the audience, converted into a loud sob, a united but discordant groan, decidedly more striking to the ear than harmonious. Here the agonised spirit finds vent in moans of " Hai Hassan ! Hai Hussein !" Here ply the brawny hands on the livid breast — a cruel torture uufelt, owing to the self-abandonment of the hour — though to the onlooker the breast is a piece of raw flesh besprinkled with the vital fluid. Then supervenes a simultaneous hush as the Mohla's Ups are observed quivering in a painful effort to speak. The sigh is subdued, the pain endured in silence. The grief surging up the breast empties itself at the eyes. It is not the hired lip-homage of the Hindu mourner, this Marsia song- of the Moslem. The cold phUoso phy of the fatalist is nowhere this evening. His emotion has' usurped the seat of reason. Here are no external " trappings and suits of woe " — the grief is genuine, of and in the heart. Given the tirae, the place, the frantic eiithusi- asra of the Moslem nature, and the awfulness ofthe tale of murder and assassination, and the S2 374 GUJARAT AND THB GUJAEATIS. veriest day-drudge will develop into a hero and a patriot, the most arrant coward will raise himself into a sympathising martyr. Wonder ful is the influence of Islam on the believer's mind; and a faith that has such ahold on men's minds will endure with the sun. It was years ago I first witnessed the Marsia, and in other place than the Imambara of Bombay. It was in Gujarat, and in early youth, but the impres sion still remains, in spite of the assertion of the half- true poet, that "youth holds no fel lowship with woe." The Soonis, that is, the Indian converts to Islam, get up a frightful caricature of the proceeding. They look upon Hassan and Hussein (Anglice, Hobson, Dobson) as pre tenders. If you speak to a Sooni of the prema ture death of the brother-heroes, he will reply in mock sympathy " Pity they died not earlier." This is mortal offence to the parties concerned, but as the dead feel no resentment, their friends, the Moguls and other Shehas, take up the cudgels for them. Hence bleeding noses, broken pates and other paraphernalia of carnage. The hatred the two sects bear each other is imperishable. The Sooni's idea of the THE imo'haram. 375 holiday is to make merry at his rival's ex pense. He keeps up mad revels all these days exactly in proportion to the intensity of the Sheha's mourning. He will becorae a monkey, a bear, a tiger, an old hag, a mock Mohla, a pious dust-begrimed Darvish, a street dancer, anything and everything, in fact, except a respectable human being. If he is well-to-do he enters on a career of indiscriminate hospi tality, where the invitation to the guest is in the golden language of the ancients, " Drink or depart." I need not say many prefer the former alternative. When he comes out into the street with his very much mixed following, he looks, "a king of shreds and patches." Altogether, the Sooni makes a discreditable figure during the sacred season which he con verts into a saturnalia. But he is little to blame, poor fellow. Government don't seem so anxious to dispel his mental fog, his own people won't wash and clean him. There is no Jamsetjee Jejibhoy institution for him. He won't respect law, because he looks upon law as a hocus-pocus. Who interprets the law to him ? It is rather unjust, therefore, to think Kasam is always rife for treason. Why, he 8 76 GUJAEAT AND THE GUJARATIS. cannot commit treason even if he wished, be- cause he has no soul. I am quoting political philosophy. And as for judgment, why, Sir, Kasara has not the judgment of a malt horse. Sir, he has not so much as " a thought in his belly," so utterly barren he is. He will chat and strut bravely. I allow he will pluck the moon out of her sphere if she let him. Perhaps the most popular, though certainly not at all reputable, of Gujarat holidays, is the Unholy Holi, Holi is not a holy institution wholly, but it is a jolly old holiday nevertheless. It is the season of free love and free language, not only among the Vaishnavas, but tbe lower castes of Gujarat, the saturnalia of indecent song, the carni val of mad carousal. Itis the season otrang and rdg, which two innocent-looking monosyllables the High Court Translator may translate as " red paint and music," but which, in reaUty, mean the luxuries of love's embrace, the sport ing of Kama* and Rati.'f The origin of Holi * Cupid. t His partner, TUB UNHOLY HULL 377 has been a subject of ardent speculation by Native philologists. It ought to be credited with divine beginning, if Hindu antiquaries are to be believed. But as Hindu antiquaries aro far too mystic and imaginative for this age, it would be better to be content with a more rational genesis. It is this : Once upon a time, when civilisation was not, there lived in a certain nagri* a great Bania sowcar — a mer chant prince opulent as Croesus. This great sowcar, we are told, had an iraraense lot of goods and chattels, an immense lot of servants ' and slaves, an immense lot of wives and handmaids. But he had no heir to perpetuate his name. By dint of prayers and penances he, however, prevailed upon the gods to give him issue. This was promised to be a son; but the sowcar happening to offend one ofthe deities, he got at last only a daughter. But he was content; Why, he thought, the gods could have given me anything or nothing ! Their will be done. That brings me to the sowcar with an only daughter. She was a lovely thing, became lovelier as she grew, and at the age of thirteen she was absolutely bewitching. She sat at the . * Town. 378 GUJAEAt AND THE GUJAEATIS. window every cool evening dressed handsomer than Cleopatra, chewing pdn supdri and slyly squirting tho red nectar amongst the enthralled crowd below. The marble forehead, the silken tresses, the swan-like neck, those rainbow brows, and those coral lips, set the gallants raving. But who could openly aspire to her hand ? Every prodigal son of an impoverished race (and of such are your gallants) was the sowcar's debtor. With what face could he ask for the hand of the sowcar's only daughter, when he had not been able to return a paltry loan of money to the sowcar ! Hulika (that was her name) grew in loveliness and loneliness, till one moonlit night she espied a lovable Rajput youth, deep in her father's debt. They looked at each other, their eyes met, their hearts; went out to each other, &c. &c. Hulika directly sent her ddsi*, her " dearer than mother," after the youth. A meeting was arranged, and the outlook discussed. Their troths were plighted on the spot. But it was hopeless to win the father over, in whose iron safe was locked up the lover's destiny, in the shape of promissory notes and such other docu- * Female attendant. THB UNHOLY HOLI. 379 ments of high interest. Elopement was the only way, and that the lover proposed. At first Hulika shrank from the proposal ; but, Uke a wise young woraan she was, in less than five minutes she suoourabed to the arts of the sweet enchanter. But Hulika was a virtuous Helen , look you ; and she therefore took the ddsi (old nurse) with them. She left a note for dear papa, stating she was carried away against her wishes, but that she could not survive this vile treatment for a week ; however, she had the old maid-servant with her, and that she hoped she would shortly become suttee if her honour were not saved. They took a good many valuable nicknacks with them, and with rare temerity took lodgings in the same street. The town was in an uproar in the morning, and the old sowcar instituted a rigorous search in the neighbouring cities. Hulika ascertained that day that in spite of the innocent little note she had left behind, the women of the town took her to be a party to a scandalous amour. Her virtuous instincts were outraged, and from the depths of her woman's resources she at once evolved a plan by which her reputa tion should be saved. She got up at the dead 380 GUJARAT AND THE GUJARATIS. of night, locked the old woman, who was asleep, in the room, locked all ddors save one from inside, and coolly set fire to the house in various parts. When she saw no human efforts could save the house, she dressed herself as a Yogini,* getting her astonished lover to do Ukewise. And locking the remaining door frora outside, this daughter of Gujarat left the town. A few minutes later the house was found to be on fire. Efforts were made to save it; but before dayUght it was all a wreck. In the morning they found the sowcar's old ddsi burnt to death, but easy of recognition. Then it was that the wise women of the town pro claimed that Hulika the virtuous had com mitted suttee, and that the immortal gods had taken her up from the grasp of the cruel but baffled seducer. Hulika henceforward carae to be recognised as one of the saints; and there was no one, not even the old ddsi, thanks to Hulika's precaution, to contradict the general belief. This is one version of Holi, given by the blind bard of Gujarat, but which I, for my part, cannot quite accept. The Holi of the day is supposed to be the * A female ascetic. THE UNHOLY HOLI. 361 annual celebration of this suttee aff'air. It is a national hoUday, and has a wonderful power for demoralisation over the infatuated Vaishnava, the sturdy Maratha (the lower order only, I believe), and the stingy Marwari. You can in Bombay see Holi in full swing in two places, the Maharaja's Mandir aud the Marwari Bazar. In the former could be witnessed, for days together, a promiscuous assemblage of worship pers, without distinction of age, sex, or social position, revelling in orgies such as the western. reader could hardly realise. Modest young: women are submitted to showers of coloured water and clouds of red paint. They are han dled to a degree of indecent farailiarity incredi ble to the outside public. At one exhibition like this hundreds of young woraen are liable to go astray frora the inborn modesty of their nature. It is a wonder how, with such social customs as these, the Vaishnavas lead such happy, con tented, and respectable lives. But these malign associations of Holi are happily dying out. In the streets you may still encouter respectable Vaishnava merchants pelting each other with coloured curd, cow-dung, mud, and such other delectable missiles. But to have a vivid idea 382 GUJAEAT AND THB GUJAEATIS. of the wild delirium excited by this holiday one has (in Bombay) to stand for an hour in the Marwari Bazar at Mumbadevi. He can there see what extraordinary social antics the usually sober, money-grubbing Marwari is capable of. How a crowd of these 6Aa«^*-intoxicated bac chanals will besiege a neighbour's zenana, by way ofa serenade, I suppose, and shout their rude amorous ditties with significant gestures and attitudes. The filthy epithets, the wanton glances, the obscene gestures, defy description ; but these are rewarded, on the part of the Marwaran, by equally shameless retorts and the squirting of red paint. This is the only holiday the stingy sojourner in GujarJit enjoys, according to his lights. Never is the morose Marwari more free, more frolicsome, more abandoned, than on this occasion. * Hemp-juice. INDEX A PAGB Ahmedabad, En movte to 106 Locust Desais 108 BiUimora Ill Railway Speed, &c 112 Public Roads and Personal Experience 113 How Roads are made 114 BiUimora Proper 115 Ahmedabad, In TO 117 Sights 118 Making Friends 119 Gujarat Politics 124 B Baboda 61 The Apostrophe 61 Description of a Durbar 63 The People and the Dogs 66 H. H. the Late Maharaja EZhanderao 68 Disposal of Dogs 69 Summing-up 69 Exhortation 70 The Viscount, the Sathmari, and the Popinjay. 70 Official Dignitaries 75 H. H. Maharani Jamnabai, C. L E 75 H. H. Maharaja Siajirao ., 77 The Raja Dewan 80 384 INDEX. PAGB Sir Madav at Baroda 81 Details of Administration 83 An Unsurpassable Dispensary 84 Finance 85 The Raja Dewan as a Whole— The Bright Side. 86 The Shadowy Side 89 Khan Bahadur Kazi Shahbuddin 92 Khan Bahadur Pestonji Jehangir 94 Khan Bahadur Cursetji Rustomji 95 Rao Bahadur Janardan Sakharam Gadgil 95 Rao Bahadur Vinayekrao Kirtane 96 Mr. G.F. H.Hill, C. E 97 Mr. Crosthwait 98 Mr. Dinsha Ardeshir Taleyarkhan 99 Rao Bahadur Manibhai Jasabhai 101 Mr. F. A. Elliot, C. S 101 Non-Official Magnates 104 BOEAS 01? GujAEAT, The 192 Adamji bin Didamji 192 My Adamji 193 Beoach 49 Mr. Rustomji Jamsetji Jeejeebhoy 49 The Great Man of Little Broach 51 The Address 52 An Afternoon Pastime 52 Characteristics 53 A Prude 53 Sights, Natural and Unnatural 55 A Remarkable Official Document 57 A Zealous Official 59 INDEX. 385 H PAGE Hajaam, The Village 215 How the Hajaam operates on a Hindu 216 His Miscellaneous Duties 213 Hindus 131 The Vaishnava Maharaj of the Day 134 The Late Jiwanlalji Maharaj 133 Holidays 3.38 The Diwali 338 The Garbas of Gujarat 342 Dasara 342 Dhana Terasa and Kali Chaoodasa 344 Diwali Proper 345 The Kartiki Purnima — A Tremendous god-fight 347 The Khials of Surat 348 The Inimitable, Ramayan 351 Rama, Sita, Laxaman 351 Popular Recitations of the National Epic 353 The Hero and the Heroine 355 The Sanskrit Language 357 The Baleva 359 The Shrawan Mas 362 The Muktad Holidays 356 The Mo'haram 371 The Unholy Holi 376 Home Life in Gujarat 283 Boyhood 287 Girlhood 288 Marriage among Hindus 288 Parsi Marriage •• 290 33 386 INDEX. PAGE Marital Travesties 292 Marriages among Kudwa Kunbis 293 An Aryan Idyl 294 Experiences of a Newly -married Parsi 301 How the Marriage was managed 303 Native Singing 307 Death 310 Death — Its Effects on the Living 315 The Confessions of iloghi Thakrani (A Chapter of Lap.?es, Belapses, and Collapses) 317 Woes of the Hindu Widow 320 Government and the Hindu Widow 325 A Brahmin Widow advertising for a Husband. 327 The Thraldom of Caste — Its approaching End. 329 A Hindu Caste Meeting 330 Sports and Plays 333 Arts and Industries 336 I Introduction 1 A Poor Beginning 2 A Tempting Offer 2 My Troubles 3 Struggles of a Chief Newspaper 3 Editorial Vagaries 5 Editorial Amenities 6 A Poor Programme 8 L LiLii Pae.apak, Master 200 Mixed Low Classes 202 INDEX. 387 M PAGE Mahomedans ^^^ Meer Bakhtawar Khan (a Boma-nce in Real Life) 147 Maewaei, The OQT, His Infancy 205 His 'Prenticeship 206 The Marwari his own Master 207 'E.is Modus Operandi 208 His Mode of Recovery 209 The Marwari's Victims 211 The Marwari as a Member of Society 212 The Marwari at Home 213 A Solemn Warning 214 MiSSIONABT in the Mofussil, The 252 What he is liko and how he comes into the World 252 His Daily Duties 254 The Missionary an Institution 255 The Missionary's Wife 256 N Native Abuses 267 Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment thereof ... 267 Native Medicoes 258 Native Mendicants including the Aghori 244 The Mendicant Class 245 Street Pensioners 246 White Mendicants 247 Private and Professional Mendicants 247 Domestic Mendicants 249 The Aghori ,... 250 888 INDEX. p PAGE Paesis 156 Shett Sukabhoy Sektaji 158 The Parsi a Hebrew Jew ! 1*50 Our Forlorn Hopes 159 The Orthodox Parsi at Prayer 160 The Reformed Parsi of the Period 1C5 The Dustoor at his Worst 170 The Parsi Priesthood 176 Are the Parsis deteriorating ? 181 Philanthropic Mill Management 241 Scenes at a Mill Meeting 241 S Scenes in a /oB^ETxraf Magisteate's Couet 234 Scenes in a Small Cause Couet 225 Summary Suits 227 Shett Jamal Gota, Philantheopist 276 How he rose 276 Jamal Gota Fils at Home and in Public 280 His Decline and Fan 283 Sueat 16 Its Fabled Origin 16 Strange Vicissitudes 18 Surat of Today 19 A Few Honest Growls 20 Local Celebrities 24 Sights 39 A Season of Plenty 40 The Floods and Fires of Surat 42 INDEX. 389 PAGB T Travel and Study 12 V Va'quil, The 220 The Va'quil's First Start 221 The Va'quU with the Marwari 221 The Va'quU dabbles in Politics 222 The Va'quU retires 222 The Va'quil's Composition, Nature, &c 223 WORKS-ENGLISH AND CU^ BY THE SAME AUTHOR. The Indian Muse in English Garb, and other Poems. THE LATE REV. DR. JOHN WILSON. .... These lines display an uncommonly intimate knowledge of the English language on the part of the young author, and seem to me to be the outcome of a gifted mind; trained to habits of deep meditation and fresh and felicitous expression. — Octobe-r 2Srd, 187 5.\ PROFESSOR F.MAX MULLER. It is certainly highly creditable to you to be able to write English verso. Torae also English is an acquired language,' but I have never attenipted more than English p:(0se. However, whether we write English verse or English prose, let ns never forget that the best service we can render is to express our truest Indian and Gemian thoughts "in EngHsh, and thus to aot as "honest interpreters between nations that ought to understand each other mtich better than they do at present ^ ' .... Dependuponit, the English public, atleast thebetter part of it, likes a man who is, what he, ia. The very secret of the excellence of English literature lies in the independence, the originality aud truthfulness of English writers. It is in the verses where you feel and speak like a true Indian that you seem to me to speak most like a true poet. — July 30ft, 1878. MISS NIGHTINGALE. I WAS touched and pleased by your kindness in sending me ypur " Indian Muse in English Garb." Pray accept my hearty thanks for it. " To the Missionaries of Faith," with its appended note, — the note on Zoroaster, p. 94—1 have read with the greatest interest. The "Sketch" or Memoir is very striking; so are the "Stages of a Hindu Female life." The dedication to Miss Carpenter, the allusions to Dr. Wilson, who loved your and our fellow-country aud its races so 4eell, are very touching. May God bless your labours! May the Eternal Father bless India, bless England, and bring us together as one family, doing each other good. May the fire of His love, the sunshine of His countenance, inspire us all ! — ISfh Deci-niber 1878. • THE EARL OF SHAFTESBURY. .... Yon have such a cloud of witnesses to the excellence of the Work, the high character of its Poetry and its sentiments, and to the proof of singular ability, in such a mastery by a Foreigner, of the English language, that any favourable opinion of mine would be but a drop in the ocean. Yott may well be pleased by the approbation of a man like Dr. Wilson —India has never known a more true or noble friend to all her people and to all her interests. — Febma/r-y 26th, 1879. ' Isle o:f Wight, May 16th, 1878. Mt pEAE SlK, I retum my best thanks for your " Indian Muse in English Garb." It is interesting, and more than interesting, to see how well you have managed in your English garb. I wish I could read the poems which you have written in your own vernacular ; fbr, I doubt not they deserve all the praise bestowed upon them. Believe me Your far-away but sincere friend, A. TENNYSON. THB LATE E. B. EASTWICK, ESQ. AtTee the letters you have received from such men as Alfred Tennyson and Max Muller, I feel diiBdent in expressing an opinion ; but it is a gr.atifioation to myself, which I cannot forego , to hail the appearance of a true poet and master-mind in India. I am astonished at the extraordinary "command of the English language which you display, while I admire the reiined sentiment which breathes iu your verses. ..... But the place you have taken in journalism is even more important than that which you hold iu literature. To point out to your countrymen their real interests, and to assist ,in building np an attachment betweeu the people of England and of India, is a rdle of which any statesman miglrt be proud ; and I wish every success to your efforts and to the able journal you conduct. BARON KNESEBECK. H. R. H. The Grand-Duchess of Hesse has ordered me to express Her Royal Highness' most sincere thanks for the copy of your " Indian Muse.'l Her Royal Highness has read a part of the poems with deep interest ; and it afforded Her Eoyal Highness great pleasure to see a foreigner write English with so much taste and feeling, and the expression of such loyal sentiments. Her Royal Highness equally appreciates the motives which prompted you to dedicate to Miss Carpenter the work which Her Royal Highness accepts with the greatest pleasure. — May 19th, 1878. .... A BEAUTiFtrt sonnet from the pen of Mr. Behramji M. Malabari, a gifted young Parsi. The sonnet was written in memory of the late Princess Alice, and it breathes a pathos and sympathy very warm and deep. There are, we think, some indicatioris in it of the imtaaturity of the writer's powers ; but we cannot but admire the noble picture he has drawn of what seems to be his ideal of woman ly excellence. Mr. Malabari sent a copy of this and other sonnets to H. M. the Queen-Empress, from whom he has received two very appreciative acknowledgments. One comes from General Ponson by to Miss Manning of London, through frhom the sonnets were Bent. The General says that " they were presented to the Queen, who was much pleased with them, . and has directed her thanks to be returned to Mr. Malabari of Bombay." The other acknowledg ment came direct to Mr. Malabari, wliich is as follows : — .... Her Majesty sincerely appreciates the very kind expression of sympathy conveyed in Mr. Malabari's letter and thanks him for his condolence on the death of her dear daughter, the Princess Alice, Grand-Duchess of Hesse. This is a great compliment to a young Parsi author, aud will prove a stimulus to him to assiduously cultivate the great talent which ^ he undoubtedly possesses, and strive to achieve greater triumphs. — Bomia-y Gazette, Sth March 1879. The death of the late Princess Alice seems to be m<*e widely lamented tha,n is , generally believed. Among her many i noble qualities was one which led her to cherish and encourage literary merit. About a year since Mr. Behramji M. Malabari sent for Her Eoyal Highness' acceptance a copy of his English work, entitled " The Indian Muse," and in response he received a warm and appre ciative letter frora the Princess. This gracious kindness made such an impression on the youthful poet, that on the death of H. R. H. he forthwith wrote a trinity of English sonnets, elevated in sentiment and clear and graceful in expression. A copy of the sonnets Mr. Malabari.sent to H. M. the Qeee'n, who seems to have been moved by the novel occurrence of a native of India thus spon- taineoiisly condoling with her in pure and touching English verse. Mr. Malabari appears to be a man of great individuality of character and talent, and endowed with keen poetical instincts. His com mand over English is very remarkable, and his verses in that ,, language are said, by renowned literary authorities, to be the best - as yet written by a native of India. — Madras Atheneeum a-nd DailAf /News, 15th March 1879. .... He evidently possesses considerable original power. It would be hard to overestimate the difficulties which throng around the native writer wto endeavours to adapt his thoughts to the rigid and circumscribed requirements of English prosody, with its poverty in rhymes, and all the refined niceties of its metrical forms, which, while they help real genius, are stumbling-stones in the path of the ungifted. In his poetical tribute to the memory of the Princess Alice, our poet has poured his thoughts into the daintiest, as it is the most artificial, of all our lyrical moulds. ... . . One of his testimonials describes him as an enthusiastic admirer of Wordsworth— an excellent characteristic of a young poet. .... Let him "stir up the gift that is iu him " by drinking deeply at the fount of poetic inspiration in company with Robert Browning, the nineteenth century poet A hint furnished' to Mr. Malabari, in the sympathetic letter which bears the signa ture of "F. Max Muller," is so suggestive, in its application to any possible poets among native youths that .... It comes from the great Orientalist, with peculiar grace and force That it may be Mr. Malabari's privilege to add sonae original offering of the kind hinted at to the priceless possessions of Enghsh poesy, is our best and highest, wish ou his behalf ; and that this is no unreasonable hope, his early efforts prove. — Madras. Mail, .22nd March 1879. J f " Lines suggested by a Photograph " show considerable command of EnglishVersification and a good ear for rhythm. The language is chaste, the epithets appropriate, and the rhythm fairly successful. In this respect they offer a pleasing contrast not only to the effusions of other Indian versifiers, but to the strained or stilted verses of many English poetasters, who obtain prominent notice froin time to time. — T-imes of India, 27th March 1879. .... Me. Malabari seems to be a born poet, having commeuoed his career at a very early age with a volume of verse said to hava been written in chaste and classical Giizerati, a literary feat never before achieved by a Parsi scholar. He is also, we understand, a constant contributor to English newspapers and periodicals ; and his writings are characterised by great felicity of diction and vigour of expression. He takes keen interest in the moral and social progress of his opunttymen ; and his eariiest and manly endeavours in that direction, as also in faithfully interpreting the relations of India to England, ought to beiapprspiatedby both countries. Such men ai-e all too few in this country. — UngUsh-man, April, Sth, 1879. * . * * , His poeras prove that he is animated by noble aspirations, and that he has a desire to discriminate truly between what is worthy aud unworthy in life, aud a power of enthusiastic' admiration and friendship. All this forins, a good basis for the exercise of poetic art. He appears also to havo a sympathetic and lively fancy, aud a facility in versi fication ' ' ' I ' What he writes has a genuine character. His command of the language is wonderful, and there are probably few poems written ¦ by an Indian equal to thoso before ug. Mr. Malabari writes with intense admiration of Wcfrdsworth, and compares hira to Zoroaster. — 'Editor, Journal of the Nat-ional I^d-ia-n Associatio-n, May, 1878. On this (social) subject he ig moved to great vigour of writing, and the display of much genuine huuiour besides. The independence he exhibits can hardly be relished by the narrow and orthodox people among whom he mixes, and his expQSUre of the senseless prejudices which he sees environ. Native Society in general is calculated to effect much good. — Bo'mba-y. Gazette, 24th January 1879. , , .... AYe knew Mr. Malabari by fame as author of " Indian Muse IN English Gaeb " and as Editor of the Indian Spectator. The poems seemed to us a ' wonderful production, written as they were by only a Parsi, and, a Parsi of only twenty-one. His command over the English language is simply incredible, and we oan person ally testify to his high intelligenee, disinterested patriotism and •; auselfish devotion. — Amrita Bazar PdtriTca. Niti-Vinod or Pleasures of Morality. The Late Rev. Dr. John Wilson.—. . . The versification is remarkably good, while the ideas expressed in the different pieces indicate the possession of poetical imagination and expression. — 1874. . . . To infuse into the Eastern mind something of the lofty tone of thought aud feeling which distinguishes the most approved literary productions of the West, ie what the clever young author, Mr. B. M. Malabari, has attempted in these pages. . . . Regarded as the production of a Parsi scholar, whose own vernacular does not bear the slightest resemblance to the language of his verses, the volume in question displays an astonishing amount of proficiency in the leamed tongue of GujarSt. — Times of India, May 22nd, 1875. .... These verses display, to great advantage, the author's wonder ful command over pure Hindu Gujarati. But that is not their only merit. They evince considerable originality and reflect a lofty tone of moral teaching * * — Times of India, May 23rd, 1876. The author ig a young gentleman of taste and learning in the vernacular literature of the country. . : . The poems are divided into the didactic, the humorous and the pathetic ; and in each of these classes, Mr. MalabSri seems to be at home. The plan and ex- eoutioh of the work are original and bold. There is one thing in the book which is to be noticed, and that is that the young poet has displayed an amount of observation which is seldom to be found in works of native authors — Bomba-y Gazette, March 18th, 1876. Wilson-Virah. .... His readers are not only loving Parsis, but admiring Hin dus. Aud no wonder. For, Mr. Malabari's language is not only pure, it is purest of the pure. . . ^ .At the mention of Dr. ' Wilson's name we doubted the possibility of treating poetically the life of such illustrious and eminent a man ; but a perusal of the work on the table dismissed our misgivings There is need of the divine essence in judging of such a delicate subject as poetry. . . . Again the purposes of poetry are not answered by attending to metrical rules, or by attempting at perfect rhymes ; nor is the character of poetry to be entirely testified to by its harmony. That indeed is true poetry which moves the mind and the faculties, : which sharpens the fancy, and brings before the eye, dressed in beautiful language, a knowledge of the universe and an appreciation of Nature and of Nature's God;, and which, in short, raises man to the highest and most exalted state. Such poetry Mr. Malabari's works undoubtedly contain. His language is entirely pure : but when we read his noble sentiments and liis keen appreciation of Nature, it certainly makes us think very highly of him. Even his prose partakes of the nature of poetry; as a specimen we can mention the dedicatory epistle in his " Wilsou-virah ". . . . Q-ujarat Mitra, February 3rd, 1878, "v The author attempts to embalm in harmonious verse the memory of some of the more especial incidents in the career of the late Dr. Wilson. It opens with a pathetic lament of " Saraswati," and its interest is throughout sustained with great power. Under the head ing " Satishironiani " is given a, picture of the amiable and accom plished wife, Margaret Wilson. He then tenderly touches the period of Dr. Wilson's marriage, and recounts the united efforts of Dr. and Mrs. Wilson for the good of the people. Much of what follows is taken up by a spirited description of Dr. Wilson's services to Bom bay, his visit to Scotland, his return, illness, and death. Then follows a series of eulogistic verses devoted to the enumeration of Dr. Wilson's erudition and personal merits. Altogether, " Wilson- Virah" is a remarkable work of its kind ; and we hope that the setting forth of this great man's life in a captivating form and iu the author's own vernacular may not be lost upon all who may read it; — Bomba-y Gazette. . Bombay does not seem yet to have forgotten the noted mis sionary who, during the past generation, was one of its greatest benefactors and brightest ornaments. The discharge of, perhaps, the last debt of gratitude to Dr. Wilson's memory seems to have been reserved for a youthful Parsi poet, Mr. Behramji M. Malabari. He has recently published a m'etrical work in Gujarati, giving a sketch of the life and labours of, the revered Scotch missionary. As divine, savant, and philanthropist, the poet describes his hero in eulogistic terms, but in artistic stylet The lines evince great mastery of language The langtlage is melodious, and the narrative is enriched with similes, metaphors , and other poetic characteristics.' — Indian Daily News. .... The authorseems to have enjoyed the privilege ofthe great Dr. Wilson's friendship. He feelingly acknowledges in the course of some more general remarks, " I owe all I am to him." In singing of such a frii3nd, therefore, the best emotions of the poet's heart have been called into play ; and fFilson-virah, to judge from some translations before us, is one of the very few books which deserve to be considered the oriiaments of vernacular literature. — Beacon, October 24th, 1878. Sarod-i-Ettefak. The best harmony and the best poetical spirit When it is seen that many of these verses were written some fifteen years ago, it will be granted that Mr. Malabari was born , with all the powers of a first-rate poet. The fire of Religion, the aspirations of Love, the strengthening of Virtue, the yearning after Friendship, and contempt of this'Jfalse World these subjects have been, treated in spontaneous language and in metres that could be render- • ed into music .... What heart will not overflow with enthusiasm and delight by a perusal of the dramatic romance, PaT;daman (Lady Chastity) and Sftaft, Nargesh (Prince Narcisus)? . . , The lines on Fortune may adorn the Musician's art and may breathe hope into those who are discontented with their lot. Bioga Bilap and Prabbu Prarthna will prove refreshing to two intoxicated soulS' — ^the love-intoxicated and the faith-intoxicated ,. . ... . These noble lines will vrork powerfully upon the singer as 'well as the hearer . . In shoi-t the highest forms of poetry abound in these verses, and they are sure to fascinate the student, of Nature with their deep meditative spirit like that of Wordsworth or Milton. The work is got up in the best style, contains the highest thoughts and the finest poetic expressions, is dedicated to some' excellent friend " Jehangir " — an admirable work altogether, tending to do credit to the author and to strengthen the powers of Friendship. — The Qvjarati, January 15th, 1882. We can well foresee the future of a poet who, at such early age, displays the highest powers • ... It is evident tbat this successful poet possesses as intimate a knowledge of Persian- Gujarati as of Sanskrit-Gujarati — his originality is equal in .bothJ The chief merits of the work are spontaneity and facility of appro priate expression Some of the poems are as finished as a beautiful picture Many of them being songs, will be a cherished treasure to the Ipver of Music. " An Address to the Dasturs " shows genuine faith and high powers of exhortation. . . The description beginning with page 11 is so life-like, that it ¦excites terror ; but the writer seems to have used consammate art in mana;ging Ms language The portrait of beauty is very pure aud- vivid. Almost all the pieces evince deep love of Nature and her Maker ; whilst some of the verses hide such a depth of meaning as could be fathomed only by a reader gifted with poetic instincts. Manly dignity, grace ancl melody, these are the peculiar merits of our young poet. He writes with reckless freedom,; but like a true poet, keeps, within bounds. In the treatment of religious subjects, he, evinces an intensely devout and meditative spirit. There are faults too in the work— immaturity, haste and abrupt terminations. But these blemishes are apt to escape the general reader. We must also remember that several of these poems were written at a very early age ; also that our poet is a very hard- worked scholar . . . . — Boremay Chronicle, 22nd January 1882. -. . . . Oe all works of Gujarati Poetry written by Parsis that we have seen we prefer Mr. Malabari's Songs of Association. This capital production ought to make an ornament of the rich man's table, a welcome treasure to friends, and an arppropriate present to students at aimual exhibitions — Urdu Inst/ructor. Translations info Sanskrit and five principal Vernaculars of India of Prof. Max Mutter's Hibbert Lectures on Religion as illustrated ' by the Religions of India. Prom a letter to Mr. Malabari's address, dated 23rd October 1882,, from His Excellency the Governor of Bombay (quoted with kind permission) : — ',' . . . . . . His Excellency fully appreciates the iinportance and excellence of the great work you have in hand, and cordially wishes your undertaking all success " The Hon. W. W. Hunter, President of the Education Commission, in the course of a public address at the Convocation Hall, Boihbay, ' on the 31st October, thus -referred to Mr. Malabari's scheme of Vernacular translations : — But notwithstanding some brilliant exceptions, a modem vernacular literatare has yet to be created for Bombay. I was much interested last winter by a litersiry tour through , Bengal made by one of your fellow citizens, liimself a distinguished man of letters. Among other things he told me hS was translating certain of Pro fessor Max Miiller's works into the vernacular languages of Western India. I believe that gentleman to be adiuirably, qualifled for., the task, and I believe that no class of Work is more exactly suited to the intellectual wants of this country at present. When I inquired into the prospects of the undertaking on my arrival in Bombay, I fouud it had been arrested, not by aiiy fault of the author or trans lator, but simply for want of funds. Gentlemen, I am one of those who believe that literature should be self-supporting. But I am also one of those who donot believe that the time has yet come, 'when literature of the higher class, can possibly be self-sup porting in India. When, however, I look around me and see the magnificent educational structures which private munificence has here created iu iron and granite, I feel assured tliat a similar munificence ' will not be wanting for those npble crea.tions of litera ture which ar6 more lasting than marble or brass., (Loud cheers.). Addressing another public meeting later on at ' Ahmedabad, Dr. Hunter spoke as follows : — I should Wke to dArect th^ attention of the .Society to the admirable rendering of Max Miiller's Hibbert Lectures by Mr. Malabari. Mere is a -w'orlc ofthe highest i-mportance being done by a single scholar, and I t-rust he -will receive from t'he Gujarati a-nd other vernacular societies the support which his sche-nf,e for translating' professor Mofi MUUer's works undoubtedly merits. {Gheers.) The memorial of the Ahmeda- bad Association enforces the views of the Gujarati society, by show ing that, while in primary education Gujarat is more advanced thari other ^arts of the Presidency, it lags iu higher education behind the Deccan districts. Not only is there no adequate supply of men to convey Western knowledge through the vehicle of the vernacular to the masses, but the supply is insufficient even to recruit the higihisr posts of the administration. After noticing Dr. Hunter's remarks, the Hindoo Patriot observes : — Nobly said ! It will be shame to India if Mr. Malabari's grand project falls through frora want of funds. From tie Hon. Mr. JAMBS GIBBS, 0. S. L, ^c. ^c, Member of the Sttpreme Government. . 52/2, Park Street, Calcutta, 15th March 1882. Mt Dear Malabari, I ara much interested in what you tell me about the translations of Max Miiller's Lectures, and I think that their reproduction, in the various languages of India will be productive of good to the edu- , cated classes. , I should think it a work quite worthy of the patronage of those Chiefs who are sufficiently interested iu educational and literary subjects to be able to appreciate the Lectures, and who would, I think, find themselves honoured by supporting the publication. Your Gujarati version vrill form a basis from which some ofthe other translations could be made, and doubtless it would be a source of much assistance in this way to all. I am glad to hear that Dr. Rajendralala Mitra has taken up the matter so warmly. He is in himself a tower of strength, and I feel sure can give yon more assistance on this side of India than any body. Believe me, Yours very sincerely, J. GIBBS. Lilly Cottage ; Upper Ciecdlae Road, 2Sth March 1882. My Dear Mr. Malabari, In the present state of my, health I am not equal to any work, or I would have answered your letter earlier. I fully appreciate thp importance of your undertaking, and wish you every success. For Professor Max Miiller himself I cherish the highest personal regard, while his remarkable writings on Oriental literature and theology commend themselves as a connecting link between Western and Eastern minds. By translating his Hibbert Lectures ^apd other works, as you propose to do, into the Indian Vernaculars, and ©specially into Saaskrit, you will, no doubt, confer a great benefit on the country and earn the gratitude of the people. I sincerely trust that the undertaking, which is sure to entail on you considerable labour and expense, vrill meet with adequate public patronage. I hope it will enlist the interest and support of Native Princes and Chiefs in different parts of the country.' Surely, the scheme ia worthy of extended patronage, and, among the educated and thought ful classes generally it ought to find cordial and substantial encouragement. Yours sincerely, KESHUB OHUNDER SEN.' No. 8, Maniktollah, lit?!. April 1882. My dear Mb. Malabari, Max Miiller's Hibbert Lectures mark a new era in the history of Religion, and their vernacular versions will be valuable accession to our literatm'e. I look upon your undertaking, therefore, as in every way laudable arid worthy of every encouragement. You will have, I know, 1(0 surmount serious difficulties, both literary and pecuniary ; but I have no doubt your untiring energy, varied talents and unfail- , ing perseverance will overcome them all. I cordially wish you every success. Your Isincerely, RAJENDRALALA MITRA. Mk. Behramji Malabari is a young Parsi gentleman of consider able talents an^ abiUties, a scholar- and a poet, and has been equally successful asilf'wTiter iuiEnglish and Gujarati. He is the Editorof the Indian Spectator of Bpntbay, the racy paragraphs of which we always read with pleasure. He also helps in raising the tone and character of the Vernacular Press of the Wesitern Presidency. He has lately come to our city with a view to secure support for his laudable project of publishing translations pf the Hibbert Lectures of Max Miiller " on the origin and growth of religion as illustrated by the religions of India," into six Indian languages. Mr. Malabari has "himself translated the lectures into Gujarati, arid has arranged for translations into Sanskrit, Bengali, Marathi, Hindi, and Tamil. The Bengali translation, we are informed, has been placed in the hands of Babu Rojonikant Gupta. Mr. Malabari thus explains his objects in setting his scheme on foot: " My own objeots are, first, the cultivation and enrichment of the national vernacular literaijure ; and I second, the direct enlightenment of a vast majority of my country men, in the subject dearest to theheart of the nation, by the great , Orientalist whom they have leamt to look upon as their ' guide, philosopher, and friend,' reposing as they do generally the most entire confidence in the results of his life-long and loving study of the religions literature of their fatherland." These are laudable objeots, which have our hearty sympathy. We hops our countrymen iu all parts of the, country wiU co-operate with Mr, Malabari in promulgating in the six principal languages of India the splendid Hibbert Lectures of Professor Max Miiller, the greatest tpacher of Comparative Religibn at the present time.— Hindoo Patriot, March 20th, 1882. We are glad to welcome Mr. Behramji M. Malabari of Bombay to our province. Aa poet, journalist, and litterateur, Mr. Malabari occupies a distinguished position. As a writer of English, both prose and poetry, he has an extensive reputation. He is the Jlditor and Proprietor of that admirable joumal, the Indian Spectator of Bombay, so largely and so frequently quoted in these parts. Mr. Malabari is a public man, a most advanced Parsi ; and if proof of this were'neeided, we could not point to better proof than to his noble scheme of vernacular translations of Max Miiller's Lectures. — Indian Mirror, March 23rd, 1882. We have now among us another public man from Bombay, Mr. B. M. Malabari. Mr. Malabari is not only a public man, but a first class poet. His vernacular poetry has passed into the classical literature of the Westem Presidency. His English poems are the delight aud wonder of English poets and scholars. In both of these his ambition is to express himself as a genuine Indian thinker. And thug he is a true literary genius, withoilt, perhaps, an equal. But his reputation is best founded on the Indian Spectatfyr. In wit, humour, and satire, and in the complete mastery of the English language, our.oontemporary stands pre-eminenfri His smart and playful sayings, so full of meaning, pass current in the country. Week after week the columns of our contemporary are filled with the treasures of a rich and versatile mind. But perhaps the highest compliment which we can pay Mr. Malabari is that he is a thorough Hindu in feelings aud habits. We have known few who are so ready to spend their strength and substance on what they deem to be the good of the people. Mr. Malabari's present enterprise is a com prehensive scheme of translation of Max, Miiller's universally es teemed Hibbert Lectures ou the Religion of India. These lectures are aptly called, the flowers of Max Miiller's life. It is the religious duty of the friends'; of India to support this project so useful for purposes of religion and literature alike. Bengal itself ought to supply Mr. Malabari the funds he requires. — Amrita Bhzar Patrika, March 23rd, 1882. Me. Beheamji M. MAlabart, whose Gujarati translation of Max Miiller's Hibbert Lectures has been so favourably received, has,,'- we' see, undertaken to have the same work translated into the other' more important languages of India at his own risk. Sanskrit, Ben gali, Marathi, Hindi, and Tamil versions have already been put in hand, and some of them are far advanced. The work, which is one of considerable difficulty, involves no sligjit pecuniary- expense, and it argues great disinterestedness and spirit of enterprise that Mr. Malabari should have engaged in it. — English-man. Mr. Malabari's project of translating into the Indian Vernaculars the well-known Hibbert Lectures of Professor. Max MUller has met with general support from Indian scholars. When we consider tho nature pf the enterprise, this is perhaps not to bo wondered at. What surprises us is that a work of this ;kind was not undertaken before. Proposals were indeed made, we believe, to this effect, to several Indian scholars : but the magnitude of the task, pr the venture, seems to have deterred them from attempting to undertake the work- Mr. Behramji MerWanji Malabari is a , Parsi gentleman well known for his natural gifts, his culture, and, above all, for hia zeal iu using the Vernacular languages of India as a vehicle for spreading the products of Western thoughit and learning among the cultivated classes of India. It is diffioult to over-estimate the benefits this scheme of translating the lectures of Sudh a man as Max Miiller is likely to confer upon the study of Indian classics in India. They must tend, and greatly, to strengthen vernacular literature, and to rouse a spirit of just and intelligent curiosity araongst the more cultivated classes as to the intellectual achieve ments of the early Indian sages. We dp not think we exaggerate the iinportance of this undertaking when we say that it ' is one of the most promising movements in connection with vernacular literature we have yet noticed in Iudia..-^-Indian Daily News, March 30th, 1882. No language has a nobler destiny than thd Anglo- Saxon, But it is beginning to be felt that to inake English the national language of India is a dream of the visionary. This dream can never be realised ; and iu the true interests of the people it is not a consum mation tobe wished. India must have her own national literature; properly speaking, each province must have its own distinct dialect, as it has its own distinct adrainistration, each dialect likewise depend ing on Sanskrit, as each provincial Governriaent depends upon the central authority. This condition of things, of course, imposes restrictions more or less ine'vitable, and the only way to obyiate these is to make free importations from the literary riiarts, of the West. We are not aware that auy large organisation exists in this country for such purposed But Mr. Behramji M. Malabari haa shown that what society fails to do for its benefit can be accom plished, by an individual. Mr. Malabari's scheme of translations from Hibbert Lectures of Professor Max Miiller is a national enterprise, the beneficial results of which canriot be over-estimated. It wUl enrich the vernacular literature of the country, and, place before the people, cut off from the light of modem culture, in the most accept able form, a, correct interpretation of the national faith. The object is of great importance, and it speaks vastly to the credit of this able Parsi poet, scholar, and journalist, that in the' midst of multifarious and harassing duties he finds time f or^ a task of this magnitude. The success of Mr. Malabari's own translation of the lectures into the Gujarati is. a fair augury. It is very pleasing to see that his gifts of ¦ poesy and scholarship, which have won him distinction ia his own, aa ¦well as foreign lands, have been thus made sflbservieHt to the highest purposes. Such devotion entails heavy sacrifices ; but it is to be hoped that both the public and the autho rities in India will appreciate these labours. — Statesman, March 30th, 1882. Mr. Malabari, the distinguished Bombay poet and journalist, has arrived in Calcutta, to popularise his great scheme of translations of Prpfessor Max Miiller's Hibbert Lectures. Mr. Malabari, we hear, expects to extend his tour to other parts. We shall be delighted t<> welcome him to the capital of the Punjab. He is one of our busiest of working bees, possessing the resottrces of a true reformer and leader ^f society. The work he has undertaken is the most formid able that could be conceived. But nothing is impossible to Mr. Malabari*^ perseverance and his powers of organisation. We ave happy to see that, some of the leading men of Calcutta have already extended the hand of hearty fellowship to this shining light from Bombay, who is in every respect an example to our anglicised (Dollege youths. — Lahore Trib%me, April 1st, 1882. We cannot sufficiently admire the enterprise, public spirit, and devotedness of Mr. Malabari. In this grilling weaiherhe sumuioned courage to go to Cossim Bazar and present himself to Maharani Shumomoye for her generous patronage. The Maharani, as is her- wont, gave him a cordial reception, and has subscribed Rs. 1,000 in aid of his project. We hope the noble example of the Maharani will induce other munificent patrons of literature to open their purse- strings. , The very fact that a Parsi gentleman has come forward to enrich the Indian languages is itself of no mean significance, and. when we know who that Parsi gentleman is, we need hardly say that he deserves every encouragement. We hope Mr. Malabari will not , be allowed to return from Bengal without receiving substantial sup port for his laudable project. — Hindoo Patriot, April 10th, 1882. A WORK FOE THE NATION. — Although Mr. Malabari's project of translations is better calculated for the general appreciation of the ¦future generation than of the present, still 'we had hoped that the more advanced men of our times, whose pride it is to foster indi genous literature and facilitate an interchange of ideas between the nations of the West and the East, would not only help forward this initial experiment, but accelerate the establishment of the Literary Association on which the pirojeotor has set his heart. But we have received discouraging reports from Bombay of late, aud a letter from our friend himself confirms the gloomy accounts. No mau is a prophet in his own country. We have little doubt that his project, will be duly appreciated, but siioh appreciation must flrst come from without. Mr. Malabari must not suffer himself to be consumed by his anxiety. Friends are trying in these parts to rouse the public. At the same time may we appeal to the Government of India to consider why they may not accord some support to this great mational project ? We dan conceive no work to better satisfy , thuir earnest desire for the encouragement of indigenous literature and priro.ary education. One way to account for the indifference of Native Chiefs may be thatthe gifted publicist is kept at arm's length by the Political officers. Such a spirit would be scarcely creditable to those cherishing it, though it is natural. But Lord Eipon' s Government, with whom the brilliant journalist is no stranger, can do much in a quiet way to smooth his path. The ardent" reformer seems to be chafing under his trouble, aud we humbly suggest that he may be assured of the sympathy of a Liberal Govemment. This is all the more necessary under the anomalous position of our Native States. As for these latter, need we plead with them for the relief of the pajtriot poet who is dedicating his gracious manhood to the cause of the people, and whose health, we are grieved to hear, is breaking dpwn under an accumulation of bitter trials in the prose^ cution of more than one self-imposed duties ? We know of rio man at this moment who deserves so well of the country as Behramji Malabari — Indiom Mirror, September 28th, 1882. We hear from India that Mr, Malabari's scheme of translations of Prof. Max Miiller's Hibbert Lectures ou Religion into Sanskrit and five other Indian vernaculars has evoked much interest from the educated classes of that country. The task is a formidable one; but judging from the translator's antecedents and the success of his Gujarati translation of the same Leotm-es, there is reason to believe that the entire scheme will be no less sucoQSsful. Mr. Malabari ia well kno^wn as a poet, and as a scholar who adds to his natural ad vantages an intimate acquaintance with modern thought both in Europe and his own country. — (The London) Academy, June 10th, 1882. T'he promoter of this enterprise, Mr. Behramji M. Mala bari, has himaelf translated the Lectures in question into Gujarati, and he has arranged for their translations into Sanskrit, Bengali,' Marathi, Hindi and Tamil. Prof. Max Miiller, in the course of a letter to Mr. Malabari, highly applauds the undertaking. A great many papers have noticed Mr. Malabari's scheme in terms highly favour able at onoe to its idea and Mr. Malabari's qualifications for carrying it out.— The Pioneer, March Sth, 1882. The pecuhar importance of Mr. Malabari's scheme ia that it will place his countrymen iu possession of the facts connected with; the true historical value of their ancient religion. Professor Max Miiller discusses the subject from a purely historical . point of view, and prominent Indian thinkers of different schools, like Keshub Chunder?; Sen and Raj endra Lala Mittra., have had no difficulty in cordially taking up the project. As our columns have from time to time testified, Mr. Malabari has also beeri successful in securing the hearty sympathy of many other eminent native and European scholars. Should the present scherae supoeed, Mr. Malabari intends to form an association for the purpose of publishing translations from and into vernaculars. The idea is no doubt an ambitious one, but if the cnlighteried princes and chiefs of the cpuntry support it, as they ought to do, we do not see why it should not succeed. We are glad to hear' that the Bombay Government has set them a good example by favouring the projector ¦with its cordial support. Mr. Malabari's zeal and enthusiasm for, the ¦work he has undertaken are deserving of all, praise, and it is to be hoped that , his dis interested labours will not be crippled for want of assistance. — Times of India, June 1882. The task which Mr. Behramji M. Malabari has imposed upon himself is noble and deserves the enlighten,ed support of all, high or low. The translations will do much towards increiising our verna cular literature and helping our people to know the views European Sanscritists hold about Jndiau religions. We must say this self- ' imposed task will not cost Mr. Malabari a little both in money and in health, and we wish, therefbre, that all our princes and chiefs do help him substantially. — -Native Opinion, June 1882. Professor DASMBSTETER.of Paris contributes a leading article to the Revue Critique of Sth February 1883, of which the following is a translation :¦=— Mr. Behramji M. Malabari is well kno^wn at Bombay, where he represents the most advanced eleraent of Parseeisra. Brought up, we understand, among Christians, whose life had on him more influence than (their) doctrine, and which inspired him with a profound sentiment of sympathy for Christianism, but without revealing to him anything , of the nature to make him adopt its dogiriag, he next studied Hinduism, ' then Islamism, and h as con cluded (with) what is worth reraaining in the religion of ^Zoroaster, to an extreme point rather than to the centre. Mr. Malabari seems to have found ^eace in a deism, vague and inoffensive, which inclines very' ¦well towards tolerance. But Mr. Malabari's originality proper is especially literary. He has thought of being the interpreter of civilisation and modern ideas among his compatriots, and- worked at it from very early times — his first poems date from the age of ten years, he is now twenty-eight — under very many forms — verse and prose, transla tions and newspapers, English and Gujarati. About two years ago, he started a weekly journal, the Indian Spectator, which has rapidly assumed a foremost place in the Native Presa, and which is not wanting in interest for a European reader ; its language remarkable for its brilliant strokes, its vigour and pungency of style ia very idiomatic, — a little too much sometimea. But Mr. Malabari is, above all, a poet: the Indian Press has unanimously recognised iu him not only ¦the first Parsi poet — but the first Gujarati poet of the day. Mr. Malabari has cultivated the Muse in two languages — English and Gujarati : Hinc cui Barbaries, illinc Mttsa -i/ifdica plaudit.. His first pbema, Niti-vinod (Pleaanres of Morality) , published in ' 1874, won for him the suffrages of the Rev. Dr. Wilson, the famous missionary of Bombay, andof other competeni^ judges who keenly, appreciated the purity of his style and his perfect knowledge of the rules of prosody. In the year following Mr. Malabari published a collection of, English jDoems (The Indian Muse in English Garb), which was very well received by the Eurasians aaid the Indophiles of Lpndon. We have (before us) a specimen of the poetic talent of the author in a piece dedicated to the memory of Lady Fergusson, vvife of the Governor of Bombay, whose sudden death in the beginmng of last year created a sorrowful sensation among the English and Native population of the Presidency. Mr. Malabari here also shows a remarkable knowledge of prosody; the sentiments expressed aro very noble, and there is in the ideas and expressions a certain simplicity of youtlifulness ¦which is not without charm. Mr., Malabari, tries to follow the elegant simplicity of Tennyson, and the profoundness of sentiment of Wordsworth, who ia his favourite poet, and whom he has somewhere, ¦with much of originality, com pared to Zoroaster. In the course of the last two years, Mr. Malabi^ri has undertaken a task for which the faith aud courage of an a,postle are necessary, and in which he is full way of sucpess. He has undertaken (the task of) penetrating, in the current of Hindu idea, by translations into popular dialects, those principal syntheses for which religious ' studies in India haye made room in Europe. In order to awaken interest in the Indian public, Mr. Malabari made a tour from one end of the Peninsula to the other, expounding his plan and object; and his indefatigable zeal and ardour have been recompensed beyond all expectation : the whole Indian Press has wajrmly encouraged the undertaking : Keshub Chunder Sen and Rajendralal Mitra have given it the authority of their names, Maharani Surnomoye has oontribuiied Ra. 1,000, and th^ expenses of the Gujarati translation have been paid in a great part from subscrip tions in Bolnbay. There is in this an indication of interesting opinion, and it is not impoaaible that thia effort will tend towards the transformation of popular dialects iuto languages capable of sustaining the expi;ession of abstract and scientific ideas ; the living dialects would thus discharge the high functions hitherto reserved for Sanskrit, a dead language, and for English, a foreign language. JAMBS DARMESTETER. We notice in the Bombay papers that Mr. Malabari's Marathi translation of the Hibbert Lectures is just out. It has been dedi cated to His Highness the Gaekwar, Maharaja of Baroda. Mr. Malabari has written His Highnlesa a beautiful dedicatory epistle. As a Baroda subject, the gifted Parsi author haa done his duty in ^ ."splendid manner. And we have every hope that H. H. the Maharaja will now enable him to carry out his highly laudable prPjeot. — Am-rita Bazar Patrilca, Calcutta, August 3rd, 1883. ' We congratulate Mr. Malabari on his publication of the Marathi translation of the Hibbert Lectures of Professor Max Muller. The book is neatly got up, and contains a photographic likeness of the eminent Sariskritist. The translation has been rendered by Mr. Govind Wasudeo Kanitkar, B. A., LL.B., Pleader, High Court, Bombay. It has been appropriately dedicated to the first Maha- ratha Prince in India, His Highness the Gaekwar of Baroda. Mr. Malabari, addressing His Highness, says : — May it be the pri-vilege of these pages to strengthen your High ness's ideas of Law and Order, to help you to a clearer conception of the Infinite and the Eternal, and by leading you toa study of your o^wn true Self, may they bring you face to face ¦with the Highest, the Universal Self, inspiring a life of unselfish usefuLness. - — Hindoo Patriot, Calcutta, September 3rd, 1883. The Marathi translation of Professor Max Miiller's world- reno^wned Hibbert Lectures on the Religions of India has been pub lished by Mr. Behramji M. Malabdri, and ded/cated, in most grace ful language, to the first Maratha Prince in India, His Highness the Maharajah of Baroda. Mr. Malabari happens to have been born at Baroda, and has, therefore, with his usual generosity, presented this splendid volume to the Maharajah Gaekwar, Baroda ought to be proud of the gift as well as the giver. , We hope and pray that the labours of Mr. Malabari will be allowed to rest here by a sub stantial grant from the Maharajah's Tj?easury to carry out his project. — Indian Mirror, Calcutta, September 4th, 1883. That indefatigable traveller, Mr. Malabari, has scarcely re covered from his indisposition when he again leaves Bombay, this time for Central India, An esteemed correspondent says — "Mr. Malabari has run through Indore, Dhar, and Rutlam, He was pressed to remain at the capitals as a royal gueat, but respectfully declined the honour, urging that he must be in Bombay before the 20th." We sincerely trust that their Highnesses -will fully reward Mr. Malabari's patriotic zeal. Professor Max Miiller is truly fortunate in his interpreter. Is^there no one at Bombay to relieve Mr. Malabari of his manifold duties for some six months altogether ? These hurried trips must be very expensive. Besides, the very thought of travelling iu Central India in June frightens stay-at- home people ! But no strain seems to be too much, for Mr. Malabari's iron constitution. Under those bright, happy-go-lucky notes signed "Atha " few oan fathom the depth pf heroic devotidn to an idea once formed. Would there were more Malabaris in India. Our circle of literary workers ia a very narro^v^ one, and these few workers are cruelly over -worked. — Hindoo Patriot, Calcutta, June 25th, 1883. __^ From the Private Secretary to His Highness the Maharaja of Dhar, Dhar Palace, ISft June 1883. Dear Sib, I am directed by His Highness the Maharaja to say that, owing to many calls having this year been made upon his purse, he deeply regrets that he cannot adequately support your noble and highly patriotic undertaking. However, seeing to what trouble and expense yon have put yourself iu this disinterested task. His Highness cannot help just now contributing the small sum of Rs. (500) five-hundred towards the Maharathi translation and subscribing for 25 copies of the same. His Highness hopes to take another occasion of forwarding this work of extreme usefulness, and he prays that it may be fully supported by his brother Chiefs and others who take an interest in the regeneration of their country. I remain, dear Sir, Yom'S very faithfully, V. M. YADBKAR, Private Secretary to H. H. Maharaja of Dhar. The INDIAN SPECTATOR, a Weekly Journal. published at Bombay. Subscription for India Rs. 10 per annum in advance, for England £. 7. .... A considerable portion of the English Press of India is written ,by natives; and many of these so-called Anglo- Native papers are written with great ability and in excellent idiomatic English. Such are the Indian Spectator ,of Bombay, the Hindoo Patriot and the Indda/n Mirror of Calcutta. — The (Londori) Times. .... An influential organ of Native Public Opinion. — (London) Daily News. .... A paper, of which, from our own knowledge, we are able to speak favourably. . . . An accomplished writer of English.^ Tfte Acadermj. . A Bombay Native paper of conspicuous ability. . , . One of the best of the Anglo-Indian joumals. . . . That clever and well- informed Anglo-Indian paper. A journal representing iu the high est degree not only the intelligence but also the moderation and - liberality of the educated natives of Bombay. — ^(London) Allen's Indian Mail. .... The V leading Native paper in the Bombay Presidency .- (Lahore) Civil cmd Military Gazette. .... The ablest Native paper in the Bombay Presidency. . . . oi of the advanced thinkers. — The Pioneer. . . . One of the best Native ¦pa.T^erB.-^Madras Mail, ' .... Himself a scholar of eminence, and is well-known as tliei Editor of an ably-conducted paper, The Indian Spectator, — EngUsh man, .... The Indian Spectator is written in idiomatic English and in a bold, trenchant st-yle,— Englishman's Weelcly Notes. .... 4- Native paper published at Bombay, aud conducted -with unusual' ability and tact .... An impartial exponent of public opinion. It often gives a sketch of some typical class or caate, which by reason of the special information it affords, as well as by its piquant style, is alone worth the small subscription to the paper the whole year. — Indian DaUy News, .... Writing of . . . . we may take the opportunity of referring to his joumal, the Indnam Spectator, which, in point of ability and independence, and the display of singular literary merit, is generally considered the best native paper in India. — Calcutta Statesman. .... That admirable little joumal, the /MtJiamSyectotor of Bombay, so largely and so frequently quoted in these parts. . . . Those brilliant aud pithy paragraphs for which the l-adian Spectator is unsurpassed. — Indiam, Mirror. .... One of ,the very best native papers. . . . The most charm ingly written Anglo-Native paper in India. — The (Lahore) Tribune, The editor is peculiarly fitted for being a trustworthy interpreter between rulers and rul&d, between the indigenous and immigrant branches of this great Aryan race. It is easy to see that he thoroughly understands the mental and moral characteris tics of those two great di^visions of the Indian community, not only as presented in Bombay, buf( in other provinces iu India. We have always felt confidence in the sincerity and independence of its editor. .... A young journalist full of energy and hopefulness, whom we know to be possessed of very considerable literary talent Affording invaluable information on the customs, habits and idiosyncrasies of the people Than whom we know not of a greater friend of Native States. — Bombay Revieio. We know very well that there is not another editor or journalist among the Natives who could stand a moment's comjDari- son with him in point of ability. Besides, the amount of interest he tates in the discussion of public questions is shown by very few others.— G-ajarati. ^Hkm 3 9002 02404 3201