Assistant Collector James Sullivan

Chapter 1

February 1861

Thirty kilometres from the city of Agra , there was a village called Dharampur . The inhabitants of the village believed that a Subedar of the Mughal Kingdom named Raja Dharam Singh laid the foundations of the village . Dharampur , was a big village , the population was estimated to be  around 1400-1500. Communal Harmony , cultural gatherings, the sight of children rushing around the streets , congregation of elderly , women helping out the menfolk in agricultural activities . All these gave the reflection of a balanced society. Under the new rulership of British , Dharampur served as the headquarters of the neighbouring villages too . The change of authority from Mughals to the British had impacts  on the life of citizens all over the country . The British rule was more mechanised in nature and sought heavy revenues . "Tax collection seems to be the sole purpose of these 'Sahebs' , the villagers thought . Dharampur which was in no way less than a Fairyland earlier , now looked dark and gloomy .As if some light , some spark was taken away from this geographical entity.

28th February , Brighton , United Kingdom , 1861

"There's someone at the door , Mother ."
"Ah , who is it on such a busy day ? I'm coming."
As Helen approached the door , she asked who is it ! "Postman Ma'am". The reply came .
"Thank You Lord Almighty "! She opened the door , Postman enquired "Is this James Sullivan's house" ?" Yes it is I'm his mother" .
"Well there's a post for him Mam from the Home Minister's Office ".
Ah , well thank you . The postman handed over the envelope to Helen , took a signature and left . "Good Day Ma'am" .
Helen looking at the envelope , with teary eyes replied , Blessed Day !
After closing the door , Helen went upstairs and entered James's room . "Mother what is it , " James asked . She handed the letter over to his son  . Sitting on his chair facing the window , James glanced over the details of the envelope with a sense of curiosity , he opened the envelope . The letter read :-

James Sullivan by the Order of the Ministry of Home Affair's , you have been posted as an Assistant Collector at the administrative centres of Dharampur , Agra , United Provinces . Your work will start from the month of April . We hope that you shall work in furthering the cause of the Crown and British Empire .

Best Wishes

The Home Minister's Office
2 Marsham Street
London SW1 P4DF
United Kingdom.

After reading the letter , James cheerfully exclaimed "I have been appointed as an Assistant Collector .  "Heartiest congratulations my son ! Where is your first posting ? "India , Mum" James replied arranging his table .
The foresight loneliness ahead gripped Helen . But she maintained her composure and replied.  "Be careful son , they call it the land of Thugs and savages" . James laughed out and said "I promise , I'll take care".

10th March , Brighton
James set out on his journey to India . While greeting his mother at the docks , he asked her to take care of herself . She replied in a precautionary tone , "You too keep yourself safe from diseases , and the  weather over there . Don't try to mingle too much with their kind ". He kissed her , boarded the ship and waved goodbye .
In around a month's time , James reached India . After arriving in Agra , James was introduced to his assistant Iqbal who was a young man around 20 years of age . He was of dark complexion , with rudimentary knowledge of English which helped his case of working with the British.  He had been a servant at the Dharampur Collector's office for five years now. Throughout the journey , Iqbal kept James engaged with his silly and at times witty jokes . Upon arriving in Dharampur , James got out of the bullock cart and was greeted by Mr. Albert Simmons the head collector of the division . James was left mesmerized after seeing the magnificent Raj Bhavan , his new home to be .
"Good Morning Officer, you must be James Sullivan".
Yes Sir , he replied .
"Myself Albert Simmons , from Leicester."
I'm from Brighton Sir . James replied
"Ah , Brighton , love the view down there."
James walked inside the Raj Bhavan , with Mr Simmons . Iqbal with the help of other servants , arranged the luggage .

Raj Bhavan was in no way less than a palace for a man like James , who came from a family of humble origins . Just like any other chap in Britain , James had cracked the civil services examination with the hope of alleviating his status in the society . It took him some time to take in the splendor of the halls , rooms embedded with remarkable calligraphy and paintings . From the balcony of his room one could see the whole of Dharampur village , all its inhabitants looking more or less as miniature characters . Inhaling the fresh air felt refreshing , after  hectic and arduous travelling . From tomorrow, his new journey was about to begin. James went back to his room and laid down to rest.

Chapter 2

The next morning James woke up to the sound of Iqbal knocking at the door . "What is it ", James asked ,  "Saheb , your breakfast is ready" Iqbal stood in the hall adjoining the room . "Well , Thank You , I'll be there in a moment .
At the breakfast table , Mr Simmons was reading his newspaper . 'Good Morning James ', 'Good Morning Sir ', he replied .  Looking outside the window , Simmons remarked , "Serene places these countrysides. Better than those cities of Meerut , Agra and Delhi for instance ." 'Looks like you have been here for a long time.' James asked . "Quite a bit , It's been 8 years now . Have seen it all , as a former East India official  our major advancements , that damned mutiny and our subsequent control over this country". 'An experienced man it seems' , James pointed out . 'You bet' , Mr Simmons chuckled.
After reaching the office Iqbal notified James about the proceedings, looking at the humongous lot of files and documents , James sighed "paperwork"! After getting on with the work , James started looking in to the documents and realised how big revenue source Dharampur was for the government . Huge amounts of money was generated and moved to the centres of Agra and Delhi . After lunch , a visit to the Dharampur village took place .  Iqbal introduced the new official to the various village groups. At the sight of a fierce looking European all the villagers stood in a humble manner , nodding their heads at every command . James was quite surprised to see the antique techniques which people used in their daily living . In the meantime , he noted something peculiar . Under a Banyan tree a group of men were sitting , to his horror all of them were thumbless. Upon seeing a white skinned official approaching them , they all ran away.

 While on his way back to the Bhavan , James asked Iqbal , "Who were those people sitting near the Banyan tree and why did they run away" ? "Oh Saheb ,they used to be the traditional weavers of the village", Iqbal replied . 'Used to be ' and what's the matter with their thumbs ? James demanded , 'Nothing Saheb ,just accident' Iqbal replied hesitantly . 'Do I look like a fool to you , Iqbal ' . "No Saheb , it's just that we don't talk about those things anymore ! 'What things ' ?
"Saheb , when the cloth started coming from the factories of your country , company officials with a view  of eliminating competition ordered to break the thumbs of these specialised weavers ." Iqbal replied apologetically . 'Break what '? 'The thumbs , Saheb ! "Dear lord what's with this madness ".

'Oh nothing Saheb  , we all have accepted our fate and we live according to the terms given to us '.

It was late evening by the time they reached Raj Bhavan . The servants were busy with their task of preparing dinner. James went straight into his room and stood outside his balcony , from their he could view the monotony of Dharampur village . The faces of those weavers were ingrained in his mind . He couldn't even possibly empathise with those people , who were the sheer victims of barbarism and savagery .

Chapter 3

The work went ahead as usual at the Collector's Office . It didn't take much time for James to acclimatize in his new surroundings , the coffers of the Empire saw exponential growth . James  Sullivan wanted to learn the ways of the land , their lifestyle , their culture , something which Mr Simmons never appreciated . "Ah , did I come a thousand miles to learn their primitive and useless ways . No never " . James went on regular visits to Dharampur with Iqbal , seeing a government official so friendly and engaging , villagers sensed something strange.  They took their time to let him become a part of their circle . In subsequent meetings, the elderly greeted him as 'James Babu'. He invited various groups for lunch gatherings on a frequent basis at the Bhavan and even at times he was invited as a guest for various cultural programs.
One day at Raj Bhavan , Mr. Patrick Russell a close friend  of Mr Simmons arrived from Cawnpore.  While dinner was being served , James enquired about the possibility of 'establishing a school'  in Dharampur . Amused by the question Mr Russel asked 'What's your profession , Mr. James' ? 'I'm an Assistant Collector' , James replied . "So for the sake of the government , you better do the job that your assigned to do" .  'Doesn't public service and moral behaviour come under it ', James replied back . "Oh , you don't know this vicious creed" . Patrick commented in a harsh tone. 'Mr. Patrick is right , these people need to be kept at an arm's length' , Mr. Simmons intervened.   'But why so much hostility , Mr Simmons ', James asked . Growing furious with the ongoing conversation . Mr Patrick demanded , "What's your age young man" .' 28 Sir ', James replied .

Patrick pointing his finger at James shouted , "Listen , kid you don't get to lecture us about hostility and morality , you don't know these savages a bit , you don't know the sufferings they have caused us , that damned mutiny of theirs , do you even have any idea about what it took to tame these beasts . No,  I know you don't . And never will . That's why you have these silly questions in your mind . I lost my wife and my son at the hands of those bastard sepoys in Cawnpore .But that didn't stop me from doing the God's work. I went on from Cawnpore to Delhi and hanged each and every Indian soul that I saw . Remember we hold this damned race of niggers under our feet , by the command of our Lord ." Mr Patrick's face was boiling with anger . Infuriated by his tone and opinions , James was sitting motionless on his chair he didnt felt the need to share his point of view. James left the dinner table and walked outside.  He felt restless , the thought of treating the natives as mere slaves with the will of God was a preposterous claim , the conversation that took place at the dinner was haunting him . At that moment he rode on his horse all the way to the bridge under which river Yamuna flew . He remembered the horrors that were committed during 1857 , how many British families were slaughtered, how the newspapers and reports from India at the time made people think and act in Britain . 'Vengeance' he thought was on everyone's mind . The suppression of the Mutiny was celebrated he recollected .  It was late night the sight of the full moon and open bare fields gave him much needed tranquility , he asked himself a question ,  "What is vengeance if it means slaughtering those who have no business with you. Isn't that unleashing your beastly nature ? ." James knew that he had answers for these questions but people around him were not ready to see the world in a different light .
The next day after the office work was done , James went on to  the Mango fields with Iqbal . The taste of seasonal mangoes , felt heavenly.  While enjoying the delicacies of the fruit , James asked 'Iqbal , I have never met your family .' Iqbal wiping his face replied , "Oh Saheb , no one to meet , I'm the only one" . 'What about the others' , James asked . Iqbal's face was expressionless , he stood up and looked at the adjoining rice fields .

After a moment's break he said in a low tone , "Saheb  when the Mutiny happened our family was living in our home in Agra . My grandfather was directly associated with the Mughal Court of Delhi , but he was long dead by then . When the British Sahebs repressed the rebellion , someone informed them about my family's link to the Mughals .The company officials broke in and took everyone from the family and burnt down the house. I ran away and looking for a hideout . My father was innocent , he was a Hakim by profession , all his life he helped people. His mercy pleas stood no chance for  what was coming next . Under a Banyan tree , my father , mother and my brother were hanged to death . My brother was just 5 years old . I came out when the officials were gone seeing my family's faces , on that day I died a thousand deaths . As the eldest son, I buried them in an unmarked grave . After that I came back to my ancestral village Dharampur." James after hearing the young man's story couldn't control his emotions . Upon seeing his master cry , Iqbal came rushing and said " Saheb , it's my mistake in the grip of emotions I told my story . I shouldn't have , I beg your pardon . "

"Shut up , not a word more"  , James shouted . He stood up and embraced Iqbal with all his might .

Chapter 4

At the Raj Bhavan , Mr Patrick stayed longer than expected as a guest. He spent most of the time back and forth between Agra , Meerut and Dharampur . He was a decorated former company official who now served as an advisor to the government. After the incident at the dinner , James never really cared about the Scotsman's presence in the house . One evening after returning from the Office , James overheard an argument between Mr. Simmons and Mr Patrick.  They were quarrelling over some 'shipment of workers' that was urgently required . The next day , James was invited as a guest in a cultural program in Dharampur Village. A group of  Elderly people approached James after the event , and they told him about how young boys aged 16 -20 were being taken away by officials from the last few weeks.  "We ask for your help Saheb in this matter , the environment in the village is turning hostile day by day." 'I will look into it ', James replied .

In the night , James stood at the balcony overlooking the village, he was tensed about the situation that he was told about . Suddenly , outside the Raj Bhavan he saw Mr Patrick leaving hurriedly on his horse in the southern direction. Sensing something strange , James went downstairs took his horse and started following Mr Patrick .
After riding for around 4 miles , James found the place which was Mr Patrick's destination . It was a centuries old building which had been abandoned long back , James now could now connect the dots .
' From the quarrel about shipment , to the village young boys being kidnapped . He understood what the so called guest at Raj Bhavan was upto' . He walked inside the building , and saw  Mr Patrick instructing some guards . On his left to his horror he saw a group of young boys from the village , chained up like beasts .

"Illegal slave trade" James shouted , turning around Mr Patrick saw James Sullivan standing at the entrance . 'You have no purpose to be here Mr Sullivan' , he declared .
"You bloody bastard , is this your so called God's will that you are carrying out " . 'Oh you don't see through the business  perspective , these niggers they are meant for hard work , they fetch us a good fortune' .
Suddenly a bullet was fired from one of the men  standing left to Mr Patrick , but he missed it . James sliding to his left  , unchained all the boys and ordered them to run towards the north . In the pitch darkness , he stealth fully entered the building from the backside.  He killed one of the guards in combat , and the other dropped dead with a bullet in his head . Russell moved towards James and shouted . 'You made a mistake  for which you will pay dearly', before he could use his gun , James fired a bullet that went straight into his body piercing the liver .
Patrick Russell fell to the ground gasping for breath . James knelt to the ground and whispered in his ear " I feel bad for you Mr Russell ,  you will never meet your wife and your son  . For you are doomed to perish in the depths of hell ".
James hurriedly went back to Raj Bhavan , he didn't trust Simmons a bit . He  packed his belongings and left for Agra to meet the higher government officials.  Upon reaching Agra , James narrated the whole incident to Mr Albert Routledge  , the lieutenant general of the Northern Army Division.  After the meeting , James was asked to wait in the guest room . Some moments later , Mr Routledge entered the room  reading aloud a notice "Mr James Sullivan , you have been charged with the murder of Mr Patrick Russell , you are stripped off from your post effective immediately.  A tribunal will be set up for further enquiry ." Before he could make sense of what has happened , James was handcuffed and taken into custody .

The tribunal was a close affair , Mr Simmons testified against James and cried that he had killed Patrick Russell out of seeking 'vengeance' . James was distraught , in his defence he pointed out that After discovering about the illegal slave trade , I had to stop it whatsoever.  I killed Mr Russell not out of any personal issue , but more because the situation demanded so . The village where I was posted is named Dharampur , quite literally I was just doing what my 'Dharam’( the duty) asked me to do.  I have no doubt that even Mr Simmons was a part of this slave trading business , given his close relationship with Patrick Russell ”, he shot back .
Given the sensitiveness of the issue The Tribunal court wanted to keep the matter low profiled . They understood the volatile nature of James Sullivan and how he could unravel the whole facade . The court  pronounced the verdict as :
" After going through all the proceedings , and the barbarity of crimes committed , the  court hereby sentences DEATH PENALTY to the guilty". Upon hearing the Verdict , James shouted :

" So this is what I get for not playing by your Rules Gentleman . Fine , I have no shame or fear of what I did . I thank God that I am not as morally corrupt , as vicious as you all are . Ever since I got my offer letter , everyone told me multitude of things about this land the Thugs , the primitiveness , the dark and inferior race , their savage nature . But I ask you who is the Thug ? , we the mighty ones who tax them to death . Who are the savages  ? We who don't even care to look at them with dignity . These people are just a means for us to channel our inner demons by torturing , maiming and killing the helpless .”

1st July , Central Jail , Agra  1861

For a week , James Sullivan was lodged in a prison cell , he was designated as 'Prisoner Number 56' . One day Iqbal visited James in the prison and asked him

" Saheb what is happening I can't make  any sense of it .”

" Oh don't worry Iqbal it's just some false charges that they have levelled against me" , James said in a calm manner .
While leaving Iqbal asked James "When would I see you again Saheb ". James with a smile on his face replied .
"Pretty Soon ,Iqbal Pretty Soon .....

On 2nd July 1861 , at 6.00 A.M. James Sullivan was hanged till death , the young man from Brighton had a smile on his face till the last moment.  His body was handed over to the villagers of Dharampur, the whole village mourned his death for a week . Iqbal who arranged for the burial stood in a state of shock . At  20 years of age Iqbal had now laid to rest three people whom he regarded as family .

The epitah read :-

                            Assistant Collector
                               James Sullivan

****

*** It's through this fictional story that the writer wishes to express his gratitude to the many Englishmen who worked towards building bridges amongst communities . Who tried their best to understand Hindustan as it was and not merely as a colonial state.***