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At the Society's Chambers
Professor : Gentlemen, I believe we are here in full strength. It is gratifying to find so much enthusiasm still abroad for the dispassionate acquisition of knowledge. I trust it is not a short-lived fervour; I trust we shall not soon have to declare our society extinct from constitutional inability to form a quorum. Jurist : I believe this is a society for the discussion of all things discussable and the discovery of all things discoverable. Am I right in my supposition? Professor : Your definition is rather wide, but it may pass. What then? Jurist : In that case I suggest that the first subject we should discuss is whether this society should come into existence at all and should not rather adjourn its birth sine die. A silence Professor : Gentlemen, I think we should not be damped. Even this should not damp us. I believe it is nothing worse than the Indian spirit of scepticism — not malaria, not inertia, not even spiritual cramp. Courage, let us not shirk even this dangerous inquiry. Jurist : Let me explain. My suggestion is dictated not by the spirit of academical doubt, but by the more mundane love of safety. Have you reflected, Professor, that there are other dangers abroad besides the chance of automatic dissolution ? Is it not conceivable that we may be dissolved as an association for unlawful objects or arrested as a gang of dacoits? Professor : Good Heavens! My dear sir! And yet — I don't know. As a member of a society pledged to regard truth from all possible directions, I cannot rule it out as an impossibility. But if we have none but unobjectionable members — Jurist : Pardon me, Professor. How do you know who is an unobjectionable member or who is objectionable? As a Professor you are acquainted with hundreds of students. It is possible one of them might stray in here of an evening. He might be
Page – 468 arrested. He might turn approver. And what would his statement be ? Why, that Prof. So-and-So was leader of a gang of political dacoits, that the Society met at such a number in Harrison Road, that they were accustomed to arrange their nefarious enterprises there under cover of intellectual conversation and that you were the receiver of the booty. And then there would be the Andamans where you would probably get more physical exercise in one week than you have done in all your life, Professor. There are other joys, Professor, the whipping triangle, handcuffs, laphsy.¹ Is it worth while? The Professor gazes in horrified silence at the Jurist, then with a flash of hope : He might recant. Jurist : That is only an off chance. I would not rely on it. You see he would be laying himself open to an unanswerable accusation of perjury, while, if he persisted in his story, he would be perfectly safe. Professor : But surely some corroboration, some documentary evidence — Jurist : Certainly; why not? He would point out your house; it would be proved that it was your house. He would identify these rooms, it would be proved that we all met here. Then, Professor, do you never use the word kāj in your letters? Do you scrupulously avoid any reference to bibāha? Professor : It is quite possible I may use both. Jurist : And yet you say, where is the documentary evidence ? One such letter coinciding with your absence from Calcutta! The Andamans, Professor, the Andamans! Professor : I will scrupulously avoid both in future. Jurist : There are other words in the Bengali language. In any case, if you escaped any special charge, you would be sure to be rearrested on the general charge of conspiracy? Professor (exasperated) : Proofs, sir, the proofs! Jurist : Quite easy. We shall merely have to prove association. Have you no student who may be either mixed up or liable to be suspected of being mixed up in a dacoity or a conspiracy ? Professor : Association for a criminal object, sir! Jurist : That could be assumed from the closeness of your
¹A broth served to prisoners in varied forms.
Page – 469 intimacy. The burden of proving your association innocent would then fall upon you. I challenge you to prove your association even with me innocent. All you can prove is that your other acquaintances did not know its criminal object. Professor : I shall keep a diary of all my words and actions. Jurist : It could easily be shown that it was kept with an eye to this contingency. Do not do it, Professor. You might put in things unknown to you which would be damning evidence against you in the hands of a skilful lawyer. If many names of suspects occurred in it, it would be itself the basis of his case and the key-stone of his theory. The Professor collapses Jurist : In any case you would have a year or more in hājut. Do you know what hājut is like, Professor? There would be laphsy there too; there would be the joys of solitary confinement; you would have to sit for hours on your haunches, to which you are not accustomed; there would be parades of various kinds; warders with boots to whom you are supposed, I believe, to salaam; daily physical researches on yourself in a nude condition. To the last rapture I do not object; but you, Professor, are constitutionally modest. A silence Jurist : Gentlemen, allow me again. I seem to have disconcerted and appalled this nascent society. It was far from my intention. The case I have put is an extreme and highly hypothetical one. My object is to put you on your mettle and induce you to adopt all reasonable precautions. The Practical Man : We can be careful to exclude detectives. Jurist : My dear sir! The very way to invite suspicion. The police would first learn the existence of a society. On inquiry they would find out that special care was taken to exclude detectives. We would have only ourselves to thank for the house-search and arrests that would follow. Professor (reviving) : I would recommend paying a member of C.I.D. to attend our meetings. The Extremist (scornfully) : Why only one, Professor? Why not the whole damned department?
Page – 470 Professor : My dear Biren, pray take care of your words. They are highly irregular and seditious and may bring about your forfeiture under the Press Act. No, not all. There is such a thing as moderation. Besides, your proposal is as extravagant as your expressions. Do you realise that it would amount to subsidising one third of the literate population of India ? Jurist : Such an extraordinary procedure would attract suspicion. It might be thought you were a particularly adroit, ingenious and hardened conspirator using this apparent frankness to cover up your nefarious secret operations. What are the declared objects of the Society? Professor : Self-improvement — Jurist : A very dangerous term. Pray drop it. Professor : The discovery of truth — Scientist : I object. Truth is a highly explosive substance. I am not sure that the police would not be justified in carrying it away as an incriminatory document along with the Gita and Seeley's Expansion of England. Professor : And discussion and question on all questionable things, subjects or persons. Extremist (unpleasantly) : Take care! That is obviously an innuendo, reference, allusion or metaphor intended or calculated to bring the Government into contempt or hatred. Professor (innocently) : Good Lord, so it is! (in despair) We'll have to give it up. Jurist : Why not add a second object, to present and offer addresses of loyalty and depute congratulatory deputations to high officials on every occasion possible or impossible ? That, I think, would cure everything. He sits back triumphantly and invites admiration. Applause. Professor : A very attractive proposal. Dear me, this is very attractive. Extremist (wrathfully) : There is such a thing as truth and self-respect. Professor (warmly) : Truth ? Are we not loyal ? Do you dare to say we are Anarchists? Extremist : I decline membership. Professor : Well, Biren, well! Perhaps you had better. But
Page – 471 you can drop in and have a cup of tea whenever we meet. What do you say? I think I too should have made my mark as a political leader! He beams seraphically on the society, which breaks up with shouts of Rule, Britannia!
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