A Suitable Boy(111)

‘Cawnpore Leather & Footwear Company.’

‘Oh. So you work in the shoe trade,’ said Pran. ‘That’s a far cry from English literature.’

‘All I am living by is with the awl,’ said Haresh lightly, and offered no more by way of explanation and misquotation.

‘My brother-in-law works in the shoe trade as well,’ said Pran. ‘Perhaps you’ve met him. He’s a trader in the Brahmpur Shoe Mart.’

‘I may have,’ said Haresh, ‘though because of the strike not all the traders have their stalls open. What’s his name?’

‘Kedarnath Tandon.’

‘Kedarnath Tandon! But of course I know him. He’s been showing me around all sorts of places –’ Haresh was very pleased. ‘In fact, it’s because of him in a way that Sunil has lost his shoes. So you’re his sala – sorry, I mean Veena’s brother. Are you the older one or the younger one?’

Sunil Patwardhan had loomed back into the conversation. ‘The elder,’ he said. ‘The younger one – Maan – was invited too, but his evenings nowadays are otherwise occupied.’

‘Well, tell me,’ said Pran, turning determinedly towards Sunil, ‘is there some special occasion for this party? It’s not your birthday, is it?’

‘No it’s not. And you’re not very good at changing the subject. But I’ll let you wriggle out of this one because I have a question for you, Dr Kapoor. One of my best students has been suffering because of you. Why were you so harsh – you and your disciplinary committee – what do they call it? student welfare committee? – with the boys who indulged in a little high spirits over Holi?’

‘A little high spirits?’ exclaimed Pran. ‘Those girls looked like they had been dyed in red and blue ink. It’s lucky they didn’t catch pneumonia. And really, there was a lot of, you know, unnecessary rubbing of colour here and there.’

‘But throwing the boys out of their hostels and threatening them with expulsion?’

‘Do you call that harsh?’ said Pran.

‘Of course. At the time that they’re preparing for their final exams?’

‘They certainly weren’t preparing for their exams on Holi when they decided – it seems that a few of them had even taken bhang – to storm the Women’s Hostel and lock up the warden in the common room.’

‘Oh, that steel-hearted bitch!’ said Sunil dismissively, then burst out laughing at the image of the women’s warden locked up, banging perhaps on the carom board in frustration. The warden was a draconian if rather good-looking woman who kept her charges on a strict leash, wore lots of make-up, and glared at any of the girls who did the same.

‘Come on, Sunil, she’s quite attractive – I think you have a soft spot for her yourself.’

Sunil snorted at the ridiculous idea.

‘I bet she asked for them to be expelled immediately. Or rusticated. Or electrocuted. Like those Russian spies in America the other day. The trouble is that no one remembers their own student days once they are on the other side.’

‘What would you have done in her place?’ asked Pran. ‘Or in our place for that matter? The girls’ parents would have been up in arms if we had taken no action. And, quite apart from the question of such repercussions, I don’t think the punishment was unfair. A couple of members of the committee wanted them expelled.’

‘Who? The Proctor?’

‘Well – a couple of members,’ said Pran.

‘Come on, come on, don’t be secretive, you’re among friends –’ said Sunil, putting a broad arm around Pran’s gangly shoulders.

‘No, really, Sunil, I’ve said too much already.’

‘You, of course, voted for leniency.’

Pran rebutted the friendly sarcasm seriously. ‘As it happens, yes, I did suggest leniency. Besides, I know how things can get out of hand. I thought of what happened when Maan decided to play Holi with Moby-Dick.’ The incident with Professor Mishra was by now notorious throughout the university.

‘Oh, yes,’ said the physicist who had wandered over, ‘What’s happened to your readership?’

Pran sucked in his breath slowly. ‘Nothing,’ he said.

‘But it’s been months that the post has been lying open.’

‘I know,’ said Pran. ‘lt’s even been advertised, but they don’t seem to want to set a date for the selection committee to meet.’

‘It’s not right. I’ll talk to someone at the Brahmpur Chronicle,’ said the young physicist.

‘Yes, yes,’ said Sunil enthusiastically. ‘It has come to our knowledge that despite the chronic understaffing in the English Department of our renowned university and the availability of a more than suitable local candidate for the post of reader which has been lying unfilled now for an unconscionable length of time –’