Clash of Egos

© Writers Pouch

The train was booked, and a coach was reserved for the Raja of Tamkuhi [1] and his staff. It had been a busy day, and everyone was eager to reach Tamkuhi. Raja Sahib, along with Babu Kodai Roy [6], Lallan Babu [7] and a retinue of staff, had left the councillor’s residence and were on the way to the railway station. 

On the way, Raja Sahib was informed by his private secretary, Lallan Babu, that only one coach was booked, and it was set to change at one place in between. Given that Raja Sahib was a Member of the Legislative Council and an important zamindar [2] of the province, protocol was followed and staff of the railway department escorted him to the coach. 

It was a busy day, and there were more people at the railway station than usual. The steam from the engines and the smoke from the coal added in, making the atmosphere around the platform hot. Among the staff were the khansamas [3], tahloos [4], pahalwans [5], the driver, and a few more people. Raja Sahib had an entire cabin for himself where he had already started to come into relaxation mode. Babu Kodai Roy and Lallan Babu were in another cabin, and the other cabins were occupied by the staff along with the luggage. 

While Raja Sahib was resting, there was a commotion at the entrance of the Tamkuhi coach. Staff of another entourage, that of Raja M Chand, were having an argument with Raja Sahib’s staff. They wanted to enter the coach reserved for the Tamkuhi party and claim seats for their Raja M Chand, an influential zamindar of Benares. 

The argument continued for a while before Raja M Chand himself arrived, along with a police constable. Noticing this was getting out of hand, Tamkuhi staff informed Lallan Babu and Babu Kodai Roy about the situation. 

Lallan Babu and Babu Kodai Roy came rushing to greet Raja M Chand before trying to explain very politely that the coach had been reserved for the Raja of Tamkuhi. Their discussion continued for a while, and after overhearing the continuous discussion, Raja Sahib came out. 

The Rajas greeted each other, and by this point, a big crowd had gathered. Raja M Chand, who looked tired and perplexed, told Raja Sahib that his men were undisciplined and needed controlling. This complaint annoyed Raja Sahib to such a degree that he visibly showed displeasure. Raja M Chand smirked and made a passing comment about Tamkuhi being a rogue zamindari, to which everyone was shocked. For a moment, everything was silent, and suddenly, a pistol was pointing in the face of Raja M Chand. 

Raja Sahib Tamkuhi, in a rage, took out his pistol and pointed it at Raja M Chand’s face. In the meantime, the station master and other senior police officers arrived, noticing the huge crowd. Before anything untoward could happen, Raja Sahib was dissuaded and calmed down. Raja M Chand was given a place in another coach, and the train started. 

A couple of days later, the commissioner of Gorakhpur invited Raja Sahib for tea. When they met, the commissioner started talking about the train incident and casually informed Raja Sahib that Raja M Chand was making a formal complaint, and the governor was also made aware of this decision because of which the commissioner had to bring up this conversation. It turns out that Raja M Chand wanted the Raja Sahib to apologise by coming to Benares. Raja Sahib listened patiently, thanked the commissioner for tea and without responding to the pistol episode, left the commissioner’s residence. 

After much persuasion, Raja Sahib was ready for a compromise but on the condition that the other party should come to Tamkuhi. It was a clash of egos which had now been inflated. For a while, no solution could be reached until the commissioner came up with an idea. He proposed to invite both parties to Gorakhpur for a compromise. Since Raja Sahib was adamant about not going to Benares since it could reflect on him being submissive, the commissioner told Raja Sahib, “You are the biggest landlord of the district, and by virtue of that, Raja M Chand is coming here.” 

On the other hand, he sent a message to Raja M Chand that the meeting would be held in Gorakhpur and not Tamkuhi. Since this decision was a middle path, both of them accepted it. A day was fixed when all parties met, and a compromise was made, thus ending the clash of egos.

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Footnotes

1. Raja Indrajit Pratap Bahadur Sahi: One of the longest-serving Rajas of Tamkuhi, who has greatly impacted the people of Raj Tamkuhi. He was a very upright man with a broad vision for the development of the Raj. He served in different public capacities as a Member of the Legislative Council, District Board chairman, and member of many committees. He was politically active and affiliated with the All-India Hindu Mahasabha. He established hospitals, schools and places of religious importance for the public. In order to provide employment, he founded two indigo factories on his estate. A visionary, he made primary education compulsory and free in Raj by providing midday meals. During his reign, Tamkuhi developed as a cultural centre in the district of Gorakhpur. He was a good horse rider, hunter, and football player. He promoted musicians, poets, artists, wrestlers and writers in his kingdom. He died in June 1945.

2. Zamindar: A landowner, especially one who leases his land to tenant farmers.

3. Khansamas: A male cook, who often also assumes the role of house steward.

4. Tahloos: A manager of household concerns, a servant.

5. Pahalwans: Wrestlers

6. Babu Kodai Roy was amongst those who could be considered the gems of Tamkuhi Darbar. He served not just as a private secretary to the Raja, but was also one of the settlement officers of the Raj.

7. B N Singh, alias Lallan Babu, was Raja Sahib's personal assistant.

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Credits

This contribution is reviewed by R. S. Chintalapati, edited by Edlyn D’souza & cover offered by Vaidurya Pratap Sahi.

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This micro-fiction is a part of an anthology titled "Sahis' Anecdotes". Get a copy if you liked the story.

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