any searchings of heart. They come into the village freely,
and talk and mix with the other people, and Mahar boys often play with
the other children. But when there is a village feast they have, of
course, to sit quite apart.

[Illustration: RAGU, THE NIGHT WATCHMAN.]

There are indications that the village low-caste people are beginning
to retaliate for whatever oppression they may have had to undergo, by
becoming rather insolent to their betters. Some of them are also
using the facilities for education which late years have put within
their reach with good effect, and have gradually risen to positions of
importance in Government and other service.

CHAPTER XI

INDIAN ENTERTAINMENTS

Indian titles. The Inamdar. The _pan supari_ party.
Mohammedan saints. The _nautch_; why objectionable. The
Inamdar's house; its decorations; furniture. Mohammedan
full-dress. The guests; nature of the entertainment. The
guests garlanded; no hostess. General conclusions; not an
occasion for a missionary.

The titles belonging to Indians of real or imaginary importance take
up an astonishing amount of space on paper. I received an invitation
to what is called on the card, a _pan supari_ party. The person who
issues the invitation is, so the card informs me, "Sardar Khanbahadur
Kazi Sayed Azimodin Gulamodin Pirzade Inamdar." His real name is
Azimodin. The rest could be dispensed with. He is the Mohammedan chief
of Yerandawana. Part of the revenue of that village was, at some
distant date, allotted to a mosque in Poona City. It is therefore
called an _Inam_ village, and the holder of the grant is called the
_Inamdar_, the word "inam" meaning "grant." A small percentage of the
Government land tax is paid over to the Inamdar, and he has other
small perquisites, such as the fruit of certain trees. He also has
some privileges connected with the river which flows past Yerandawana;
as, for instance, gravel cannot be taken from it without paying him a
royalty. He also has certain rights over the stone quarries and the
pasturage on some of the hills.

_Pan supari_ is the betel nut wrapped up in a leaf, which is
distributed to guests on festal occasions, and chewed by those who
like it. It is one of the few things which can be accepted and eaten
without prejudice to caste. Just as in England you might be asked to a
"tea" party, so here in India we were asked to a _pan supari_ party;
only, unfortunately