Work and Play in India and Kashmir

· 1893 · Public domain (published pre-1930) · archive.org ↗

16 Work and Play in India and Kashmir.

2are the attempts made to' suppress them;

3their modus operandi is pretty much the

4same in all cases; two or three men are

5shown into your office, their case seems good,,

6they are willing to pay a proper fee, they

7retire to get the money or to consult ; one

8of them reappears, and with much circum-

9locution informs you that the disposal of the

10case is in his hands, and what may he expect

11from your honour? When informed that

12" the sahib gives no dusturi," i.e., percent-

13age on the amount of the fee, he smiles an

14evil smile, and marches the would-be clients

15ofE to some less scrupulous market.

16The payment of any gratuity to these

17dalals is a penal offence, but " tell it not in

18Gath,*' thousands batten and fatten upon

19this mode of obtaining a livelihood.

20The truth is, it was a silly mistake ta

21legislate on the subject. If professional

22pride and self-respect are not strong enough

23to keep men from purchasing work in a

24shameless way, it would have been better to

Work and Play in India and Kashmir, p. 19 · Lahore Durbar Foundation