'A Grandfather's Tale: Memoirs being mainly concerned with service in the Indian Army and the Indian Political Service in India and the Persian Gulf from 1932-1947' [‎17v] (34/118)

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ST’ans" successor as Collector and District Magistrate was Francis
Mudie. He was already a fairly senior member of the I.C.S. and destined
for high office. He knew the District well as he had spent 1926-1929 as
Settlement Officer, and he was a grand person to train under. Ian Bowman
and^I were worked hard in the Courts, graduating from third to first class
magistrates as we passed our various law examinations and gained practical
experience. We also toured a great deal with 'HJncle Frank" and rode to
many places well off the beaten track, learning at first hand the problems
of the peasants and dealing with revenue as well as criminal cases. We
learnt that justice could be dispensed just as well sitting under a peepal
tree as it could^be in the stuffy courts of Agra. In the latter I had one
rather^amusing civil case which went on for many days. Unilever, or some
such big English company, brought an action for infringement of copyright
against ^one of their Indian rivals in respect of the wrapping of a popular
brand ox soap. The English variety was known as 535 while the other was
marketted as 553 . To the untutored eye of the average customer who could
pcrbabxy not^even read his own language, let alone English, the two labels
looked exactly the same. After the various lawyers had had a field day, I
eventually found for the Plaintiffs and awarded them substantial damages,
but my court room stank of cheap soap for weeks afterwards.
of TnrH* t ^ S time that the P rovisi °ns of the 1935 Government
the^nit^ P lnt ° f S rCe and a Con S ress Government came into power in
and a a f ° n tile wilo -^ e things seemed to go reasonably well
our 013 ^ 0^1 i ^° Peai1 members of the Administration went, at least at
Ma^istraS ^ little ° Vert P olitical interference. Our City
thf orov^TrTi 1 WaS ^ extremel y able ^ honest Muslim member oof
with er C f l1 Se ^ce, began to have his troubles. Files dealing
some crimSafo^encr 111611 ' C ° n ff* sa PP 0 ^rs, who had allegedly committed
-d w^e so^timerne^rse^r^r P - vinCial MiniSter ° f JuStiCe
channels" nothing seemed to'happen!’ P ^^ries"through the usual
if possible! of communal k v!olence S on W !he a occL!ons f eVent f n ’
whether Hindu or Muslim. In Agra when fh! 6 SI ' ea fesl:i - vals »
hordes of people would come info the Citv fnn ^ Uin procession took P lace ’
200,000 normal population of the city might !ell h C ° Unb 7 ^ ide and the
on duty I remember riding at the head of a Mob d onbled. As a magistrate
my horse, which was a skittish little M , har f am P r °oession, and causing
whenever we came within of u- ^ arS ’ 0 ° play U P and d nnce around
there at the uL! 0 ^ e teLle " Sh ° Uld " pUja " be S° in S
my horse and the procession proceeded without ? 6aSed r ° ring 1 quietened
the Hindu worshippers. Had 'the drums of the Musltmf aU ° Ceed f in f sturbin S
just outside the temple and drown the sound^ It ? allowed to pause
would almost certainly have been a riot d ? ^ WOI-sh:1 - p Wlthi h, there