When a Governor Is Good
Whilst on the one hand social service work of the kind I have described in the foregoing chapters was being carried out, on the other the work of recording statements of the ryots’ grievances was progressing apace. Thousands of such statements were taken, and they could not but have their effect. The ever-growing number of ryots coming to make their statements increased the planters’ wrath, and they moved heaven and earth to counteract my inquiry.
One day I received a letter from the Bihar Government to the following effect: “Your inquiry has been sufficiently prolonged; should you not now bring it to an end and leave Bihar?” The letter was couched in polite language, but its meaning was obvious.
I wrote in reply that the inquiry was bound to be prolonged, and unless and until it resulted in bringing relief to the people, I had no intention of leaving Bihar. I pointed out that it was open to Government to terminate my inquiry by accepting the ryots’ grievances as genuine and redressing them, or by recognizing that the ryots had made out a prima facie case for an official inquiry which should be immediately instituted.
Sir Edward Gait, the Lieutenant Governor, asked me to see him, expressed his willingness to appoint an inquiry and invited me to be a member of the Committee. I ascertained the names of the other members, and after consultation with my coworkers agreed to serve on the Committee, on condition that I should be free to confer with my coworkers during the progress of the inquiry, that Government should recognize that, by being a member of the Committee, I did not cease to be the ryots’ advocate, and that in case the result of the inquiry failed to