Naulakhi Kothi: Tale Of Past Glory, Lost Grandeur & Partition After-Effects

Naulakhi Kothi's narrative begins in the years leading up to Partition and goes on till the eighties. It's a compelling tale of enmity, revenge, social mobility, past glory, lost grandeur, and the after-effects of partition.

Below is an excerpt from Naulakhi Kothi, written by Ali Akbar Natiq; translated from Urdu to English by Naima Rashid and published by Penguin India.

Not What Meets the Eye

Hailey gently removed a fine cigar from the silver cigar case and brought it close to his nose. He took three deep breaths to inhale the delicious scent of tobacco, then lit it using the flame from the lamp. After that, taking a few short puffs, he looked at William who was sitting on the other side of the table. William was observing Hailey the entire time, taking stock of his character. The lenses in Hailey’s glasses were fine and shiny.

The frames and the chains hanging from them were golden in colour. William couldn’t make out whether they were actually made of gold or were only painted golden. On his blue tie, there was a pattern of small pale flowers. The buttons of his coat were open, so his tie could be seen dangling to his navel. His light blue shirt was made of fine cloth, and it looked rather becoming the way it sat on Hailey’s slight paunch. The coat he wore on top of his shirt was light grey, with big ivory buttons. These buttons were not stitched onto the coat properly but were hanging a little loose so that they could be sewn onto another coat if needed.

Hailey’s moustache was dark black and pointed but not heavy. He was wide-jawed, and his eyes were gleaming almost to an overbearing extent. This kind of personality isn’t particularly attractive in youth, but by the time they reach Hailey’s age, it grows quite appealing, making a formidable impression on others. In his last meeting with Hailey, William had discerned what he thought was a touch of simplicity in Hailey’s face, but his impression was beginning to change this time around. In Hailey’s eyes and his forehead, William saw a sharp craftiness and in his attitude towards him, he sensed a certain disdain towards his junior, which meant that Hailey was about to make the full force of his stature known to William. From observing his father and grandfather in service, William knew what status a deputy commissioner held in a zila. He also knew very well that the British people in civil service in Hindustan suffered from an inferiority complex as compared to their peers in civil service in England.

As a result, they needed to exert their authority forcefully upon every newly recruited officer. They often ended up committing goof-ups in the process. Their conduct was out of place in many situations—at times they would dispense with more advice than was necessary in the situation, sometimes they would scold unnecessarily, and sometimes they would share personal or important information at the wrong time and place. Locals who worked in civil service in Hindustan had no standing in their eyes; even when they were officers, they were considered slaves and, as a result, deferred to the authority of these British officers. The young British officers, on the other hand, behaved as if they were still in their own country and were not obsequious towards their senior officers.

For this reason, older British officers in civil service in Hindustan felt their honour and prestige slighted, which would not have been the case, had they been in England. British officers in England, being in the headquarters, were among the decision-makers and often from among the elite, while the officers who were sent to Hindustan were from a lower social class. The bureaucracy in England knew this very well.

Today, William saw in Hailey an officer suffering from an inferiority complex. This was dangerous for him because an officer who suffers from a sense of inferiority can only wreak havoc. This scared William. He just wanted Hailey to start speaking so he could get to the heart of the matter. He was apprehensive that he would receive a harsh word from Hailey about the law-and-order situation in Jalalabad.

After some time, Hailey broke the silence, ‘Young man, how do you feel now that you are in the field?’

‘Very good, sir. I’m enjoying the work a lot,’ William replied with composure.

‘I have studied all files sent by you to date,’ Hailey said, trying to keep a calm tone for the conversation. ‘William, you are racing ahead of yourself. Those who are meant to be by your side will tire and lose their breath. You yourself might have trouble keeping up with yourself.’ After this, he pressed the beautiful copper bell placed in one corner of the room, following which a Hindu servant came in. ‘Bring me the files for Tehsil Jalalabad.’

The servant left after listening to Hailey’s order. It seemed to William that Hailey had specifically mentioned Jalalabad with the intention of impressing upon him that he himself oversaw all five tehsils of Firozpur, of which Jalalabad was only one, and that between the posts of deputy and assistant commissioners, there was a gap to be respected. William was still lost in these conjectures when he heard Hailey again. ‘I have studied all your files. You are doing very fine work, but we should be careful not to open too many fronts at the same time.’