THE HINDOO AT HOME.

Otago Witness, Volume 11, Issue 2159, 11 July 1895, Page 40

THE HINDOO AT HOME.

By Bernard Espinasse.

If yon want to see the Hindoo really at home, you must not look for him in the oities. Ssek him out in the woolly warmth of the Mofussil, or, better still, jump off at some roadside station on the G. I. P. railway route, dive through the juDgle for a mile or so nntil you find yourself in the midst of an Indian village, at the foot of some templetopped hill, and you will stand a good chance of seeing the Hindoo unadorned. He is not over nice when he has taken it into his head to anoint himself with ghi (a species of cooking butter), muoh in the same way as an Esquirno rubs himself over with seal fat — he is far from being in good odour, with the sensitive-nosed visitor at any rate, whatever he may be with his priest). And when he has maddened himself with bhang (a preparation of hemp leaves), he is little worso than English Jack who has taken too much arrack for the first time, which is saying a good deal. He lives in a hut- which is three parts dried mud, the walls Deing in addition plastered over with cow dung. It is the peculiar duty of the Hindoo women to go about on the roads with wicker baskets and gather this stuff, which, when dried into large, fiat cakes by sun-heat, is used as fuel. For this and other reasons the mingled odours circulating about a native habitation are not those of Araby the B est. We shall ammoniate our handkerchiefs and take a peep inside one. We will find that the roof is very low, and that the flooring consists of mother earth. The furnishing presents elements of simplicity. A mat rolled up in one corner will be spread out at night to perform the whole duty of a bed. A few earthenware or copper vessels to cook food in, a lota to hold drinking water, some large green leaves for plates, a metal dish filled with oil for purposes of mild illumination, and a huga complete the inventory. The huga is a water pipe, and he who has once smelt the fumes of huga tobacco will never forgot it as long as he liv« 3. Outside maybe a smoky fire is burning, and the mistress of the establishment is bending over it, preparing the evening meal, which is either dall (boiled pulse) or kabobs (pieces of meat roughly dressed on skewers) or kicheree (which is rice and pulse dressed together, and requires an appetite to appreciate). In costume the Hindoo is aS primitive as the climate justifies. A dhotee, or waistcloth, fulfils all requirements. Finally, picture his black forehead lined in red and white ochre' with the caste marks which bis rel'gious standing prescribes, bis teeth reddened by the incessant chewing of pan, and you have the native Hindoo as lifelike as I can paint him. The f akeer is a peculiarly repulsive representative of the Hindoo at home. I once saw one who bad not washed, cut or combed his hair, or pared his talons — I should say nails — for seven years. The dust, suncaked upon his naked body, was several thicknesses apparent, and bis yellow, matted hair hung down his back like twisted ropeends. Europeanised— that is, acclimatifed to our customs in the cities — he takes mauy shapes. Tuere is the durvvSu, or gatekeeper, who is to the Englishman's bungalow what the concierge is to the Frenchman's house. It is an agreeable legend that the durwilu's duty is to open tho gate when anyone wishes to enter. But as on six occasions out of nine he is asleep on his cbarpoy, and on the other three he is flagrantly intoxicated, this idea comes under the heading of fiction. Morally ; considered, the durwdn is firstly a liar, secondly, he is unacquainted with the truth, except from hearsay ; and thirdly, he is Ananias. , Then there is the Hindoo in domestic aspects] as a khitmu'gir, or house-servant', or as a " boy," or body-valet, who will do every mortal thing for you, and be at your beck and call from dawn till dark for two rupees a month wage. Meeting him under these conditions you will easily come to the superficial conclusion that the Hindoo is the most self-contented specimen of humanity extant. Ha is always smiling. It may be consummate bypocrity, or an instinctive effort at continual propitiation — it would take a lifetime of probing into the inner souls of these wily people to say which. When the Chuprassie with an elaborate salaam wishes the salib "Good morning," he smiles, as with the consciousness of a boa mot. When your dhobee, or washerman, presents you with a bill for about three times as much as he c*n legitimately claim, and you propose to give him half, which is one-third excess, he says, " Woo, Sar I " with a bland smile which is> perfectly beautiful in its apparent simplicity. When your saice, or gharri-boy, has consumated some more than usually brilliant) piece of stupidity, and you are streaking the atmosphere with fervid remarks, ho smiles all through the entertainment. Nothing can extinguish the Hindoo smile. An irascible i European tried it once. His " boy " had I " tidied " his slippers into a fresh place for the thirteenth time (13 is a notoriously unlucky number). After a few observations I which engendered tbe inevitable smile, he knocked him down with a bootjack, jumped on him, walked over his ribs several times, and then threw him out of the window, and watched him roll down the roof — still smiling. At least so he told me. Then there is the Hindoo in general, under no special classification. The coolie has characteristic traits. In common with the Ethiopian and the elephant, his strength lies in his bead. He never uses his arms to carry anything that he can possibly carry on his head. I recollect seeing four Hindoos carrying a piano through a streat in Calcutta balanced on their heads, one at each corner. Once at the Ohitpore dock works the superintendent, thinking to minimise labour, provided all the coolies with wheelbarrows for the carriage of bricks. They hfeld a caucus over this innovation, trying to get the hang of the thing. Thon each man loaded his wheelbarrow with bricks, and gravely hoisted it on top of his head I The Hindoo has few principles, and what he has are rudimentary. This same superintendent told me a case in point. A friend, calling upon him at the works and finding him absent, said jocularly to his khitmutgar, " Look here, I'll give you 10 rupeea if you'll kill Niooll Sahib for me." The man shook '

his head. He was already getting 20 rupees a month, he explained, and if he killed the sahib, who was to pay him his wages ? He offered to compromise the matter for 100 rupees down. Compunction in that case was purely a finanoial consideration. The Hindoo at home is an interesting study, and full of surprises to the student of humanity. He Is treacherous, thievish as a monkey, and not truthful, but makes withal one of the best servants in the world— second only to the Chinese. Bat he requires watching. Of one thing lam convinced : he secretly bates his English master, and would raise another mutiny in India to-morrow if it were not for one thing— his oraven fear of the British fist.