Honesty's Reward: Page 3

When the bullies saw Bajbahadur collapse, they were frightened. They thought he was dead. The boys ran away helter-skelter.

The victorious enemies ran towards Jairam's house. Along the way, the boys scattered and went their different directions. Only three strong boys reached Jairam's house, where they felt somewhat relieved.

Jairam: "I hope he isn't dead. It was my blow."

Jagat Singh: "You should not have hit him on the ribs. He won't survive if his spleen is ruptured."

Jairam: "Yaar, I did not hit him there knowingly; it happened in the heat of the moment. But what do we do now?"

Jagat: "What can we do? Just wait and watch."

Jairam: "You won't ditch me, will you?"

Jagat: "Why should we ditch you? We are all in it together."

Jairam: "If Bajbahadur isn't dead, he will go straight to Munshiji."

Jagat: "Munshiji will skin us alive."

Jairam: "I suggest we don't go to school tomorrow. We could change school, or pretend we are sick and stay at home. After a month or two, when things settle down, we could decide our next move."

Shivram: "What about the exams?"

Jairam: "Oh, yes! I did not think of it. There is only one month for the exams."

Jagat: "You would surely have obtained a scholarship this time."

Jairam: "Yes, I worked hard. But, now what …?"

Jagat: "You will certainly get promoted, but you will lose the scholarship."

Jairam: "It will go to Bajbahadur."

Jagat: "That will be great! The poor fellow suffered a severe thrashing."

The next day, when the school opened, Jagat Singh, Jairam, and Shivram were absent. Wali Mohammed came, but with a bandaged foot and feeling very frightened. The spectators at yesterday's fight felt scared that they also would be punished.

Bajbahadur was busy with his own work. It seemed as though he had forgotten everything about yesterday's incident; he did not broach the subject with anyone. Actually, he seemed happier than his usual self. He was especially friendly towards those who had belonged to the enemy camp yesterday. He wanted them to feel at ease. Bajbahadur had decided on this strategy after giving the matter much thought during the night.

By the time the school ended for the day, Bajbahadur had already received the reward for his openheartedness. His enemies felt ashamed of themselves, and they had now started admiring him.

But the three guilty boys did not show up the next day and not even on the third day. They left home every morning, saying they were going to school but sat under some tree the whole day or played tip-cat, and returned home in the evening. They had discovered by this time that their allies were attending school regularly and that Munshiji had said nothing to them. But even this knowledge did not reduce their fear. They thought Bajbahadur must have revealed everything. Munshiji was waiting to punish them the instant they entered the school, they thought; this fear prevented them from going to school.

On the fourth morning, as the three guilty boys sat considering what they should do on that day, they saw Bajbahadur approaching them. They were surprised, but they also felt some hope.

Even before any of them could speak, Bajbahadur said, "Hello friends, why don't you come to school? You have been absent for three days."

Jagat: "How can we go to school? Munshiji will break every bone in our bodies."

Bajbahadur: "Why so? Wali Mohammed, Durga, and the others come to school; has Munshiji said anything to them?"

Jairam: "You might have excused them. But in our case, you surely want to get more than even."

Bajbahadur: "Come to school today, and check for yourself."

Jagat: "Stop bluffing; it is only a ruse to have us thrashed."

Bajbahadur: "But am I running away anywhere? You punished me for my truthfulness the other day; you may reward me for lying today."

Jairam: "Are you telling the truth; you haven't complained?"

Bajbahadur: "There was nothing to complain about. You hit me, and I hit you. If your blow had not knocked me down, I would not have rested until I had driven all of you away. I don't complain about personal fights."

Jagat: "I want to go to school, but I can't make myself trust you. You are bluffing; you want to have us punished."

Bajbahadur: "You know very well that I don't tell a lie."

Bajbahadur uttered these words with such sincere intensity that it dispelled the misgivings of the three boys.

After Bajbahadur went away, the three discussed the issue for a long time and decided they must go to school.

At 10 a.m. sharp, the three friends were at the school gate. But they still held some doubts and were pale with anxiety.

Munshiji entered the classroom, and the boys greeted him. He looked at the three friends severely and said, "The three of you have been absent for three days. You must copy down the questions for the exams from the others."

Munshiji said nothing more but started teaching the class.

During the 30-minute recess, the three friends and their colleagues came together and talked about Bajbahadur.

Jairam: "We came to school fearing the worst, but Bajbahadur was true to his words."

Wali Mohammed: "I think he is an angel. If I had not seen with my own eyes, I would not have believed it."

Jagat: "This is a true example of noble-mindedness. We have made a grave mistake by misbehaving with him."

Durga: "Let's go to him and say we are sorry."

Jairam: "Yes, you have suggested the right thing. We will go to him today itself."

When the school closed, all the boys, led by Jagat Singh, went up to Bajbahadur. Jagat Singh said, "Brother! All of us are your offenders. We are sorry from the bottom of our hearts for ill-treating you. Forgive us. You are an epitome of nobleness; we are uncivilized, rude, and stupid. Please forgive us."

Bajbahadur's eyes filled up with tears. He said, "I have always regarded you as my brothers and shall continue to do so. Where is the need for brothers' fights to end in apology?"

All the boys hugged Bajbahadur. The news spread in the school, and it was the chief subject of discussion. The entire school praised Bajbahadur; he became the leader and hero in the school. First, he received punishment for his truthfulness; now, he received a reward for his honesty.

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Summary

It takes guts to tell the truth; this is especially true when you know that telling the truth could cause you harm, but you have to reveal it for the general good.

"Honesty's Reward", is a poor translation of "Sachchai ka Uphaar", a story by Munshi Premchand that affirms that honesty is indeed the best policy.

Bhavanisahay, the headmaster of a school, has created a small garden. He takes the help of his pupils to take care of the garden. Most boys enjoy working in the garden, but a few of them think it is beneath their dignity. This group of boys destroys the garden so that they don't have to work there anymore.

Bajbahadur, their classmate, witnesses the destruction. The boys first try to win him over to their side, but Bajbahadur tells them he would tell the truth if Bhavanisahay asked him. The boys threaten that they would beat him if he spills the beans.

Bhavanisahay is angry; he threatens to punish every boy if no one told him the truth. Yet no one dares to open their mouth even though everybody knows who the culprits are. Bhavanisahay asks Bajbahadur, and he tells the truth because, otherwise, the innocent pupils would get punished. The headmaster punishes the guilty boys.

The boys lie in wait for Bajbahadur after school to take their revenge. There is a fight, but it is an unfair fight because Bajbahadur is pitted against three. He is defeated, though not easily.

Bajbahadur does not complain to the headmaster about the fight; it is a personal matter.

Bajbahadur does not even hold a grudge against the boys who beat him. He goes out of his way to make them feel at ease. The whole school lauds Bajbahadur's noble behaviour; the guilty boys feel ashamed of themselves and apologize to Bajbahadur.