Banwari Bania Author: Dr. K.S. Kang

Banwari Bania

Author: Dr. K.S. Kang

Banwari Lal owned a shop in the village. Perhaps his grandfather or great grandfather came to this village and saw how villagers struggled to get provisions from the town. He saw the opportunity of earning his livelihood easily here and decided to open the shop though he declared that he is opening the shop for the convenience of the villagers and he wants to help the people of the village. Earlier he saw his grand father bringing goods in a bullock cart from the nearby town then he saw his father bringing things on his bicycle and trolley and now he just gave orders to the wholesalers sitting in the town and their mini truck or loading tempo delivers the things to his shop in the village. With time Banwari’s family not only settled easily in the village but they had created property by diversifying their business and his father constructed the only completely pucca house in the village just behind his shop. Though his name was Banwari Lal Mittal but he was so much used to be called Banwari Bania by the villagers that he had nearly forgotten his surname nor anybody in the village seemed to remember that he had a surname too.

It was not that Banwari carried on his business in an honest and upright manner as he believed that it is not possible even to survive on honesty let alone thrive. Nor was it that he gor pure and original things from the wholesalers sitting in the town. So whenever villagers complained of Papaya seeds in black pepper, small white stone in rice or mashed boiled potato in Desi Ghee, he used to fairly put blame on the wholesalers of the town and used to tell the villagers that he does not own a Papaya orchard or a potato farm to do these thing he is giving the villagers whatever he is receiving from the wholesalers of the town. Besides him, only his faithful assistant Lakha knew that how Banwari Lal instructs him at night to mix white small stones in rice and other cereals like pulses and papaya seeds in Black Pepper.

However it is the benefit of rural environment that conscience does not die. Banwari had made arrangements for that too. He had an image of a holy and pious person in the village as he was away from every vice like booze, smoking, gambling and the like. It was not that he was a really pious person at heart but his lifestyle and the tradition of his family taught him to lead the life economically even to the extent of the miserliness and these things cost money and his ancestors have never taught to squander his hard earned profit even on his personal comforts. He actively participated in the religious festivals and activities of the village and used to donate things quite liberally according to his standard as he considered these donations to be investment as they gave him publicity and help in maintaining his image of a religious and pious man. As Banwari had to tell lies and commit other small sins in his daily business so he took the help of the local priest of the temple, who was also actually a business man in the garb of a priest as he had also inherited the priesthood from his ancestors. Priest was getting richer day by day by playing on the superstitious nature of the villagers, including Banwari while Banwari was thriving by playing on the ignorance of the villagers. So on one hand while these two were thriving day by day by visibly doing nothing while on the other had the peasants, even after sweating, toiling, labouring whole day in their fields were finding it hard even to procure two meals a day for their family.