Perseverance — Page 129
Part II – My Life as a Muslim 129 grabbed Huzoor’s hand and tried to kiss it. At this point Huzoor’s guards pulled her back and said, “ Nahi, ma ī n a karo. Udhar jao. ” In English this translates to: “No, madam [elderly] do not do that. Go there [where the ladies are]. ” PURCHASE OF BUTTER I went to a village near Rabwah by myself. As I did not know much about the local customs, I tried to mimic what I saw others do. People would constantly argue over the prices of goods in the marketplace and would negotiate fiercely on a daily basis. I also noticed Pathans carried axes with them so I decided to do the same. With my axe at my side, I went to a store to buy some ghee , or butter. However, I did not know how to speak Punjabi. The only words I knew were k ī bao? , which meant what price? I opened the butter tin and stuck my finger in the butter and tasted it. I then asked the store owner, “ K ī bao ?” He responded in Punjabi but I could not understand him. I then said, “ Lah !” I stuck my finger in the butter again and tasted it again and said, “ K ī bao ?” He replied again saying the same thing in Punjabi, and I said, “ Lah !” I stuck my finger in the butter a third time and tasted it again, and said, “ K ī bao ?” He said words again that I could not understand. I then reached in my pocket for money and threw it down on the ground and took the tin of butter. The owner of the store picked up the money and walked after me for about 30 to 40 feet continually saying