The Courage to Face Challenges

In November 1987, a nilgai (blue bull) wandered into a sugarcane field. A local Muslim named Jhannu, a tailor by profession, wanted it hunted. He told a man from the nearby village of Makhdoompur, who owned a gun. The man came, fired, and wounded the animal. Had the nilgai died instantly, no problem would have arisen. But since it fled, leaving a trail of blood, the Hindus became upset. When they learned that Jhannu had encouraged the shooting, they called a village council (panchayat). Jhannu was summoned, and the decision was made: he must pay a fine of one thousand rupees. In that village, there was no shallow leader to mislead Jhunnu the tailor, nor was there any Muslim influence strong enough to deceive him in the name of communal pride. So, nature itself guided Jhunnu the tailor. He stood before the people and said: “I accept the decision of the panchayat. I am a poor man; I do not have ready cash. But I will sell the belongings of my house and pay it.” Three days later, the Hindus’ conscience was stirred. They called another panchayat and said among themselves: “Here Muslims are very few and weak. If outsiders hear that we collected a fine from them, they will look down on us. People will say we oppressed them simply because they were weak. This will bring us dishonour.” By unanimous agreement, they decided that Jhannu’s fine should be canceled. And so it was.