Welcome to my shop.
Bhai Lalo's the name. Best carpenter in Iminabad
Business is good as it goes. Has been ever since Guru Nanak came to town last week.
He's on tour
and when a Holy Man rocks up, it's the custom in India, to offer him a place to stay the night.
It's good for him, it's good for us ... and everyone's happy.
But of course, no-one's going to want to stay with me.
There's the whole caste thing, see?
You've got your Brahmins, they're the priests ... and really holy.
... your Kshatriyas or Khatris, who are the toffs ..
Your Vaishyao, who are the middle class, involved in business and all that ..
and then there's the Shudras. That's what I am. We're the working class.
The ones that work with our hands and do all the hard graft.
There's also the Untouchables, but no-one really counts them, more's the pity.
So, I'm a Shudra and Guru Nanak is a Khatri and the upper castes aren't supposed to mix with us, right?
It's like they think they're going to catch something ....
.. so you could've blown me down with a feather when there's a knock on my door
and there's Guru Nanak on the step giving me a big smile.
Of course, I invite him in, sit him down, get him something to eat,
and I'm going on and on about how honoured I feel to have him in my humble gaff.
He stops me and just says, "I'm the one who is honoured by your hospitality".
The next day, I'm setting up shop and I see Malik Bhago coming down the street towards me
He's the local bigshot. Well, he's the manager for the local bigshot ..
.. but he thinks he's the local bigshot. You know the type.
Anyway, he comes and stands outside my shop
not getting too close and holding a hanky up to his nose like I smell or something.
and asks if Guru Nanak is in.
Then, the Guru himself comes out.
Suddenly, Malik is all smiles and he bows and scrapes like he means it.
"Please accept my apologies, Guru ji", he says
"You obviously didn't get the invitation to stay at my house last night".
"I'm so sorry you had to stay at the house of this grubby ****" and he said something I won't repeat.
"Please come and dine with me tonight".
Well, Guru Nanak looks at him up and down and very politely says,
"No thanks, I'm afraid your food wouldn't agree with me".
Malik goes bright red and tells the servant to go and fetch some food for the Guru to try.
So, the Guru turns to me and asks me if he can have a piece of my bread.
By now, we've gathered a bit of a crowd
and Guru Nanak stands there with a piece of Malik's soft, fluffy white bread in his left hand,
and a hunk of my coarse brown bread in his right hand.
Then, he holds them up for all to see ...
.. and squeezes
There's a gasp from the crowd as deep red blood dribbles out of Malik's bread,
like juice from a ripe mango.
Then from my bread, there's a trickle of pure white milk.
Well, I'm as gobsmacked as the next man.
Guru Nanak looks straight at Malik Bhago and says,
"Your bread was made with the blood of all those you cheat and mistreat".
"You didn't even make it yourself".
Then he turns to me. "Your bread was made from the milk of human kindness,
from honest hard work and by your own hand".
I don't mind admitting I got a bit a bit teary at this point.
but Guru Nanak didn't seem to notice.
He turns to the crowd and says,
"All people are equal. Don't judge a man on the caste he comes from."
"Anyone who is honest and hardworking should be treated with respect".
The biggest surprise was to come. Malik falls to his knees and cries like a baby.
He promises there and then to mend his ways.
He was ashamed I thought, being shown up like that, in front of everyone.
But, a bit later, he even apologises to me for being so rude.
He shakes my hand and places an order for a whole new set of furniture.
Even pays me in advance.
And then he sees an Untouchable.
He wouldn't have gone near the bloke before but now...
Blimey, he really had changed.
So, like I say, business is good.
Do you a great deal on a new table!