Notes

This is a story of a school teacher. He was a brahim by caste and his name was prabhat. He wore a scared thread like many upper caste hindus. Prabhat lived in a stone hut. It was situated on a mountains near the tons river. As a brahim, he pulled at his sacred thread and wound it round his ear when he went to answer the call of nature. The untouchable doms also lived in their huts, they also relieved themselves on the ground. Then they went to the river tons for a wash. There was not much difference between prabhat's life and that of the untoUchables. They all lived from hand to mouth. They borrowed money from money lenders. Prabhat had worries of his own. He had to come up to the expectations of the people. At this very time' a boy belonging to a lower caste, Sita ram greeted him. His mother sent him money from a brothel in Delhi for his educations. He had a strong body. He went to school with the sons of brahims and other caste boys. Prabhat gave him tuItion for earning extra money. His coming to Prabhat for special coaching was the cause of bickering in the village. Ram Singh the village head man told prabhat that he was doing a wrong thing by giving special coaching to Sita Ram. Prabhat told him that he had to make both ends meet by earning some extra money. None of the upper caste boys was coming to him that he had to made both ends happy. So he had to teach a low caste boy. The sons of upper class were intersted in vines and women and nothing else. He was not doing anything wrong. He cursed himself for being a brahmin. He could not even relieve himself without hanging a piece pf string from his ear. He suddenly felt a sense of guilt because he was buying food with the earnings of prostitutions. Sita Ram's mother was a prostitute. He was waiting for sita ran to cme and have his lessons. It was past eleven and sita ram had not yet come. prabhat wondered as to what had to happened to sita ram. He thaought of going to the untouchables quarters and calling him. He put on his dress. He wore shirt and coat. His wife gave him his stick. He was about to leave. Just at this time sita ram's elder brother came weeping. pabhat was shocked to know from him that sita ram had been murdered. he felt very angry. Ironically prabhat said that the gods had punished him by taking up the life of the pupil. sita ram elder brother told him that the local representative came to this area that morning. he told that untouchables to break the ban on their entering the temple. He told prabhat that his brother had gone to teach a lessons. he did not want to miss a lesson at any cost. he added that rehlu and his gang caught him near the temple. he placed that he was innocent. but they were cruel. he firther told prabhat that sita ram's dead body was lying on near the temple. the village assembly met on the temple. prabjhat's wife told him to go and do his dutyt. prabhat came to the temple. sita ram's dead body was there covered with a white sheet. the headman began to address the gathering on the murder of sita ram. he said that according to some sita ram had stuck the temple priest. according to thos he was innocent. this was known to all that he was killed by the mob. prabhat said that one of the village sons ahd been killed. there should be justice in this case. the headman asked the gathering if anyone could name the killer. no one said a word because untouchables had the guts to give evidence against rehlu and his gang. the headman wanted to settle the matter to a village custom. prabhat felt suffocated. he wanted the mater to be decidd by the law of the land. he removed his sacred thread and broke it. he threw it on untouchables woman. prabhat was a changed man now. he was twice born without the shackles of caste. the untouchables crowed began to grow bigger. prabhat was going tp organise them to fight for justice. they threw away their traditonal limits.