QUEST FOR JUSTICE
-6. The Three Demands

“Thank you so much, O Sage!  Pray tell me who you are!”  Shubam asked the sage with veneration. 

“I am Sadanand, my child.  I was passing through your rajya to go to the neighbouring kingdom of Aravalli where my guru is going to perform an important yagna for the benefit of mankind.  On the way, I found those Brahmins attacking you with stones and came to your rescue.” 

Sadanand accompanied Shubam till his village and then decided to take his leave, “Okay, my child!  I am getting late for the yagna.  Since you have reached your village, I suppose that you are now out of danger!” 

Shubam told Sadanand what he intended to do, to which the sage gave his approbation.    After Shubam took his blessings, the sage bid him adieu.

Shubam came to his house and was relaxing for a few moments when some of his villagers came to meet him.  “Why did you do this, Shubam?  Ultimately, you are being made to do what we had planned yesterday – to leave this village.”  one of the villagers argued. 

“Let’s leave all these talks behind and concentrate on what we have to do now.”  Shubam acquainted them with his meeting with Sage Sadanand and what his immediate plan for the future was.  However, none of the villagers appeared impressed.  “Agreed that the sage spoke in our better interests but meeting the King once again would be a waste, Shubam!  We now know how noble he is and how much he cares for us!”  said one of them.  The others agreed with him, which enraged Shubam.  “So all of you are not going to side with me?  I had my apprehensions about this but felt that since Sage Sudanand had himself asked us to meet the King and press him for meeting our demands, you will join me!  But this is not the case! Allright!  I will do it alone!  Please leave my house, all of you!” 

The villagers went away.  Shubam sat in meditation till evening praying to the Lord about the success of his mission.  As dusk fell, he left his village holding a mat in his hand and with a firm mission in mind.  On the way he found many of his villagers walking with a plate in their hands, hitting it hard with a stick and shouting that they were shudras coming along.  More than this sight the fact that his villagers had lost the will to fight against injustice aggrieved the heart of Shubam.  As he was himself not openly proclaiming his caste like his fellow villagers were doing, Shubam was lucky to not have come across any Brahmin which might have resulted in another altercation. 

It was by midnight that Shubam reached his destination.  He looked around for a few moments.  King Rajneesh’s palace was only a few miles away.  A wide road began from the entrance of the palace, which was surrounded by trees on either side.  Shubam laid his mat below one of these trees, which was a little far away from the palace, and lay on it.   One of the guards who stood on vigil near the King’s palace saw him from afar and went up to him, “Why are you lying down here?” 

“I want to meet the King.  Since it is very late in the night, I suppose that he must be asleep.  So, I prefer to rest here till morning and then go and see him.” 

“But why should you rest here?  There is a visitor’s chamber specifically made for people like you.  Why not go there and rest?” the guard reasoned. 

“No!  I am comfortable here!  Early morning I will go and see the King.”  Shubam insisted.  The guard did not say anything further and went away. 

Shubam slept and woke up in the morning when the first rays of the sun gently touched his eyes. He folded his mat and went up to the palace.  On learning that he had come to meet the King, one of the guards instantly led him inside.  They reached the King’s chamber and Shubam was asked to wait outside.  The guard went in and returned after a few moments.  “You can go in now!” he said and went away.  Shubam entered in.  The King, who was seated in his throne, looked at the youth.  Rajneesh, at once, felt that he had seen him somewhere before but could not recollect anything.  “Who are you?  Why do you want to see me?”  the King asked. 

Shubham refreshed the King’s memory by mentioning their previous meeting.  Thereafter, he went on to narrate all that happened after that meeting.  Shubam even told him about his meeting with Sage Sadanand and also about what the sage felt about the King.  At this stage of Shubam’s narration, the King’s face clearly showed that he was feeling uncomfortable.  Finally, Shubam concluded, “….Maharaj, as I told you, my villagers were so confident that you will do justice to us.  And you left everything to the Panchayat!  We had told you that one of the members of the Panchayat was not even ready to listen to our grievances.  Then, how did you feel that such a Panchayat would do justice to our cause?”  Shubam paused and the King did not respond to his query.  “Maharaj!  I have come here with three demands and will not return to my village till you fulfill all of them.  I will undertake a fast unto death if these demands of mine are not met!”  As the King raised his eyebrows alarmed at what he had just heard, the boy put forward his demands one by one, “Foremost, since that pond is supposed to be a common one of the village, all of us should be allowed to use it at any time of our choice.  Secondly, this decision of the Panchayat to compel us to move around hitting a plate and shouting that we are shudras should be repealed.  Thirdly, the people of my community should get an equal status in society.  Let us not be treated like inferiors by this high-caste people but with dignity.  Besides, if any one of us want to come up in life by getting education or by our talent, our caste should never come in the way.” 

The King sat stunned in his throne for some moments after hearing these demands from Shubam.  Then, he faltered, “I n…need some t…time to come to a decision, Shubam.” 

“Alright, Maharaj!  You take your time and I will sit under that tree near your palace where I had rested for the night and wait for your decision.”  So saying, Shubam went away leaving the King in a tense frame of mind.