Saadat Manto - My Name Is Radha

Maujo massaged the maulvi’s legs until he dozed off and then withdrew. Going off to one side, Maujo lit a couple of cow dung cakes, gave his chillum a fresh piece of tobacco, and started smoking the hookah on an empty stomach. But he was happy. He felt that a heavy burden had been lifted off his chest somehow. In his characteristic rustic but sincere manner he thanked God, the Most High, Who had sent along His angel of mercy in the guise of Maulvi Sahib.

Initially he was of a mind to stay by the maulvi, in case he needed some service, but when the man didn’t wake up for quite some time, Maujo went to his field and resumed his work. He didn’t care at all that he was hungry; rather, he was beside himself with happiness because the maulvi had eaten his share of the food, which he considered a great blessing for himself.

When Maujo returned from the field before sundown it pained him to see that Maulvi Sahib was nowhere in sight. He cursed himself roundly for his negligence. Why had he left the maulvi? Why hadn’t he stayed near him? Perhaps the maulvi was displeased and decided to go away. He might even have called down God’s curse upon Maujo. With that thought his simple peasant’s soul began to tremble with fear and tears appeared in his eyes.

Maujo looked for Maulvi Sahib everywhere but couldn’t find him. No trace of him either even after it got quite dark. Maujo gave up exhausted, lamenting and cursing himself. Homeward bound, his head hung low, he saw two harried young men coming along the road. He asked what the matter was. After some hemming and hawing they blurted out the truth: They had dug up a pot of wine stashed in a dirt heap and were about to drink from it when, all of a sudden, an elderly man with the luminous face of a divine being confronted them with wrathful eyes. This was a downright unlawful act. God had forbidden the consumption of intoxicants. They were committing a sin for which there was absolutely no forgiveness. The young men were so intimidated that they couldn’t utter a word and just took to their heels.

Maujo told them that that heavenly figure was in fact a man of God. Then he gave voice to his fear: all this didn’t bode well for the village. No telling what calamity might descend on it now. First he’d acted discourteously by leaving the maulvi alone; now these boys had attempted to imbibe the forbidden drink.

The Chaudhry mumbled, ‘Only God can save us now, my boys, only God,’ and headed home.

He didn’t exchange any words with Jaina, just sat down quietly on the cot and began smoking his hookah. Tumultuous thoughts were swirling around in his head. He was sure that both he and the village were in for some unspeakable calamity.

The evening meal was ready. Jaina had cooked extra for Maulvi Sahib. When he didn’t come, she asked about him. Maujo replied with sorrow, ‘He’s gone. Why would he want to stay among us sinners!’

Jaina felt very sorry because Maulvi Sahib had promised to find a way to bring her mother home. He was gone. Who would find a way to do that now? She sat down quietly on the low wooden stool. The meal started to get cold.

A while later the deorhi came alive with the sound of movement and the two started. Maujo got up and went to the deorhi, returning moments later with Maulvi Sahib. In the dim light of the oil lamp Jaina noticed the maulvi’s unsteady gait and the small earthen pot he held in his hands.

Maujo helped him to the cot. Maulvi Sahib handed the pot over to Maujo and stammered, ‘God put us through the worst ordeal today. We stumbled upon two young men from your village. They had dug up a pot of wine from the earth and were about to drink. The minute they saw us they ran. Their conduct shocked us. So young and on the verge of committing such a grave sin! But then we thought: At their age one does sometimes stray from the straight path. So we entreated God, the Most High, to forgive the boys their sin. And lo, He replied. . Do you know what he said?’

‘No,’ said Maujo, trembling all over.

‘He said, “Do you agree to take their sin upon yourself?” I said, “I do, Sublime Lord.” His voice came, “Well then, drink the whole pot yourself and We will pardon the boys.”’

Maujo drifted off into the world his imagination had conjured up. His hair stood on end. ‘So you drank?’ he asked timidly.

The maulvi’s voice trembled, ‘Yes, I did. I d-d-d-rank. . to assume their sin. . to save them. . to please God Almighty. There is still some left in the pot. I have to drink that too. Put it away carefully. Make sure not a drop disappears.’

Maujo put the pot in a small room, tying a piece of cloth tightly over its mouth. When he returned to the courtyard he saw Maulvi Sahib making Jaina massage his head while he told her, ‘If a man does something good for the sake of others, God, eminent is His glory, is very pleased with such a man. Right now, He is also very pleased with you. So am I.’

As an expression of his pleasure, he made Jaina sit next to him and kissed her forehead. She cringed and hurried to get up, but the maulvi’s grip was firm. He clasped her to his chest and said to Maujo, ‘Chaudhry, fate is smiling on your daughter.’

The Chaudhry was overwhelmed with gratitude. ‘It is all due to your prayer. . your kindness.’

Once again the maulvi pressed the girl to his chest. ‘When God is kind, everyone else is kind too. Jaina, I’ll teach you a prayer. Keep saying it and God will be kind to you.’

The maulvi got up quite late the next morning. Out of deference tinged with a feeling of awe, Maujo hadn’t dared to go to work in his field and had remained beside the maulvi’s cot in the courtyard. When, finally, the man’s sleep broke, Maujo helped him brush his teeth with a twig and wash his hands and face. Then he brought the pot of wine over to him as ordered. The maulvi mumbled some pious words, removed the cloth from the pot, blew into it a few times, and emptied a few bowls. Now he looked at the sky, again mumbled some words, and said in a loud voice, ‘Oh Lord, we will prevail in whatever test you put us to.’ Addressing the Chaudhry, he said, ‘Maujo, we’ve just been ordered to tell you, go right now and bring your wife back! We’ve found a way.’

Maujo was overjoyed. He hurriedly saddled his mare. Promising to return early the next day and advising Jaina to look to the maulvi’s every comfort and not shrink from serving him as best as she could, he left.

Jaina got busy scrubbing the dirty dishes. The maulvi, comfortably settled on the cot, kept staring at her and drinking wine by the bowlful. Eventually he pulled out a string of large beads and started to roll them through his fingers. When Jaina was finished, he said to her, ‘Look here, Jaina, do your wuzu .’ *

‘I don’t know how to, Maulvi Sahib,’ she replied innocently.

He chided her softly, ‘You don’t know how to make wuzu? Tut-tut-tut. How will you face God then?’ He stood up from the cot and taught her to perform wuzu, scouring every last nook and corner of the girl’s body with his eyes as he went over the different acts of ritual washings with her.

This done he asked for the prayer rug. There was none. He chided her again with the same tenderness. He asked her to get a sheet instead, spread it out in an inner room of the house and then latch the main door. When she had done so, he asked her to bring the wine pot and the bowl over. She did that. He drank half a bowlful of wine, set the still half-full bowl down in front of him, closed his eyes and resumed telling his beads. Meanwhile Jaina sat quietly near him.

His remained busy with his beads for a long while. Then he opened his eyes, blew into the half-full bowl three times over and offered it to Jaina. ‘Drink!’

Shaking, Jaina took the bowl with hesitant hands.