Humiliated by the British

I am a historian, specializing in India during the time of the British Raj. As part of my research, I try to find as many diaries and journals and letters as I can to learn what life was like for the ordinary Indians to counterbalance the narrative that we get from the British. I happened to come across this fascinating letter that was sent to one of the leaders in the Indian Nationalist Movement. I have translated it into English from Hindi, and now present it to you.

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Dear Sir:

My name is Rohit. I am writing to you Sir, because you solicited Indians to send in their experiences of abuse by the British authorities. I am writing my story, not only to tell my story, but to show that even good men can be corrupted by the system.

I grew up in a poor family. My mother and father both worked for the British District Collector as servants in his household. My father tended the garden, and my mother did the washing and cooking for the household. We lived in the servant's quarters on the estate.

The District Collector, Sir Reginald, was a kindly man. He was the youngest son of a rich family back in England, but he had come as a young man as part of the Indian Civil Service many years ago.

Sir Reginald was very generous with our family. He had a son my age. Ronald, and he had the tutors for his son, also tutor me. When his son went back to study in England, he sent me to boarding school in Bombay and paid for my education, including my college. Around the time I entered college, he also gave a generous stipend to my parents for their years of faithful service, which enabled them to move back to their native village and buy some land and a house.

After I graduated college, because of my education, and the improved financial position of my family, I was able to get an arranged marriage to Avanthika, the daughter of a well off distant relative who lived in Delhi.

The wedding was a grand Indian marriage in my parents' village, with all the ceremony. Unfortunately, Sir Reginald, whom we had invited, had pressing engagements with his superiors in the Indian Civil Service, and was not able to attend. Our plans after the wedding were to move to Delhi, where I would start working in my father-in-law's company.

A few days before we were to leave my parents' village for Delhi, we got a message from Sir Reginald. He apologized for missing my wedding, but said that he was back now, and would love to see me and my new bride before we left. As a bonus, he said that his son Ronald was visiting from England, and we could catch up. He invited us to come the next day.

"Avanthika, this will be so exciting. You will be able to meet Sir Reginald and his son Ronald."

"I don't know, Rohit. I have a bad feeling about this. Even when the British are nice to us, they still see us as beneath them."

"I know, others may be like that, but not Sir Reginald. I owe the life I have to him. If it had not been for him, I would have never been able to marry you!"

"Ok, then, Rohit. I believe you. Let's go."

The next day, we got ready to go. My wife wore the red wedding sari. She put on all her jewelry including her gold necklace, her gold armbands, her gold waist chain, and her golden anklets. She looked like the goddess Lakshmi!

We took a rickshaw and made the journey to Sir Reginald's estate.

As we entered the gates of the estate, we were greeted by Sir Reginald himself.

"Greetings, my boy Rohit! So glad you could come and who is this lovely lady here?" he said bowing deeply to my wife as she got off the rickshaw."

"That is my wife Avanthika," I introduced her.

"The pleasure is mine. You and Rohit are a perfect couple. I wish you all the best."

He gave my wife a tour of the grounds as we walked towards the large house.

As we walked in, my wife whispered in my ear, "Rohit, you were right about Sir Reginald."

As we walked inside, I was greeted by Ronald.

"Rohit, so good to see you again," he exclaimed.

"Hi Ronald, good to see you too. This is my wife Avanthika," I introduced.

"Avanthika, it is a pleasure," he remarked.

"Ronald, I didn't realize that you were chummy with the natives." I heard a voice say with a sneer.

I looked up.

There behind Ronald was a tall man, the same age as me and Ronald. He was impeccably dressed in the finest suit. He was handsome, but he had a look of disdain in his eyes.

"This is my schoolmate, Lord Richard. He decided that this would be as good a time as any to visit India, and so he accompanied me on my trip here."

Lord Richard did not even offer his hand. He just nodded at me and my wife, and sniffed. It was clear that he did not see us as his equals. In fact, it seemed he didn't see anyone here as his equals.

He was accompanied by four men: his servants. They were all tall and burly, with faces that looked like they had been in many fights. They eyed my wife with open lust. One of them, stood next to Lord Richard, and looked to be his personal servant, in charge of the others.

Avanthika drew close to me as we walked past them into the courtyard of the house.

We all sat down, and began to talk. Ronald told everyone how he had become an artist. He had taken this time during his visit to India to do some paintings.

"See, I will call this exhibit, the 'Hidden Treasures of India'," he proudly announced as he showed his paintings.

They were amazing. They were paintings of birds, and elephants, and even a tiger. I was impressed by the realism. It seems every contour, every color was accurately captured so that it felt like you were staring at the very object itself instead of a painting! He was truly talented.

I saw Sir Reginald beaming at his son.

My wife was also impressed.

"These are amazing. They look so life like," she complimented him.

He blushed. "Thank you so much."

Then he looked down for a moment, and then back at her.

"Avanthika, you are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in India."

Now, my wife blushed.

"It would be my highest honor, if you would allow me to paint your portrait," he requested.

"It would be my honor to be painted by such an artist as yourself," my wife responded. I could tell she was enthralled by his ability.

"Could you sit in this chair," he asked pointing to a large armchair.

My wife sat down in the chair. The chair was richly upholstered, and with her sari and gold, she looked like a queen!

Ronald was surprisingly fast. Thirty minutes later, he announced he was done.

My wife got up and excitedly joined us as we stared at the painting. His paintings looked more realistic than a photograph. He seemed to capture the beauty of my wife.

Everyone, murmured in appreciation of the artist and his model. I looked at my wife, she was beaming!

Even Lord Richard complimented the painting.

"Such an exquisite artist, and such a beautiful subject."

"It is a shame that we can't see more of this beauty. Perhaps you could do a painting with this pulled down some more," he said reaching for the pallu of her sari which was covering her blouse."

My wife reacted instantly, grabbing his reaching arm with one hand, and using the other to slap him hard across the face.

I was proud of my wife for standing up for herself. I quickly moved to stand next to her.

However, I was instantly grabbed by two of Lord Richard's servants, and my arms were forced behind my back.

I watched with horror as Avanthika was also grabbed by one of the other servants.

"What is the meaning of this, Lord Richard," Sir Reginald bellowed.

"This savage has dared to raise her hand and strike the person of an English nobleman. This behavior must be punished!"

"I can't allow you to do this to my guests. Release them at once."

"If you try to stop me from lawfully punishing her, your career is over. I have a lot of powerful friends in London, and they will not take kindly to your preferring these natives over an English Lord. And your son's career, you can forget that."

Sir Reginald seemed taken aback.

"What sort of punishment did you have in mind?" he asked hesitantly.

"Nothing that is cruel and unusual. And nothing that will cause long-lasting damage. You are welcome to accompany me," he stated.

He turned to the men holding us.

"Go take these two to the horse track, and cuff them securely to the hitching rings. Do not molest them in any way. Once they are secure, come back to the house."

The men dragged me and Avanthika to the horse track. There they took handcuffs from their coat pockets and handcuffed me and my wife each to a hitching ring with our arms behind our backs. Once they made sure we were secure, they left.

Avantika was crying, as I tried in vain to comfort her.

After a few minutes, Lord Richard arrived, accompanied by his personal servant who was carrying a large bag, and Sir Reginald.

"Please Sir Reginald, let us go. You know my wife was just instinctively defending her modesty. This is punishment enough for us to be hauled out here like this."

"What are your plans?" asked Sir Reginald.

"You shall see. But first gag him," he ordered his servant.

A handkerchief was tied around my head and over my mouth gagging me.

"Help me with her," he told his servant.

While Lord Richard firmly held her arms, the servant unlocked the cuffs around Avanthika's wrists. Then they each grabbed an arm and dragged her to a tree that was in front of us. They pulled her arms around the tree, and over a low hanging branch and handcuffed her once again.

My wife was now secured to the tree. The branch kept her from sliding her arms down the tree. She was completely helpless.

Once my wife was secured around the tree, Lord Richard turned to Sir Reginald.

"I said, Sir, I would not be cruel and unusual. Now, my good sir, tell me. How do they punish insolent boys in schools back in England."

"Why they cane them, of course. But surely, a cane is too severe for a woman, my Lord"

"Of course. A cane can cause deep bruising and contusions. Much too severe. That is why we will use this."

He nodded to his servant, who fetched a long riding crop from the bag, and handed it to his master.

"This will cause enough pain for her to remember, but won't damage like the cane."

He then walked up to my wife, and began to remove her sari.

"What is this, my Lord. I don't care what you do to me, I won't stand by while you ravish her!"

"I am offended, Sir. I am not a savage brute to rape women. I was merely preparing her for her punishment."

He continued.

"Tell me, Sir. On what body part do we apply the cane to insolent boys?"

"On the buttocks, of course. But surely, you would not insult the modesty of this woman in this way."

"My good sir. You are correct. We cane them on the buttocks, because that is made for this purpose by the Good Lord. The buttocks can receive lots of punishment, without causing long-lasting damage."

He continued taking off her sari.

"And it is precisely because we do not wish to cause long-lasting punishment, that we must punish her on her bare bottom. The crop can be a dangerous implement, and unless I am able to see what it is inflicting on her skin, I may cause lacerations. Surely, you understand,Sir Reginald."

To my horror, Sir Reginald, nodded. He was ok with my wife being stripped!

Lord Richard finished taking off her sari, leaving her only in her blouse and petticoat.

Then he began to untie the knot holding my wife's petticoat in place. "Please don't," my wife begged as she struggled to keep him from stripping her, but to no avail. The knot was untied and the petticoat slipped down her hips and thighs leaving her naked below her waist, with her bottom exposed.

Avanthika blushed with shame. I saw her bottom clench in response to the exposure.

"Here you go master," the servant said as he reached into the bag and pulled out a bottle of oil.

"Your wife is about to get a whipping she will remember all her life," the servant informed me.

"Lord Richard is a master at punishing women. He is famous around the brothels in England for being able to light a girl's ass on fire with his crop. But he doesn't like to damage their beauty.. This ointment was made by the most famous apothecary in England. It protects the skin from cuts and tears and bruising, while also making the nerves more sensitive to pain," the servant explained.

"All my master's previous experiences have been with whores he paid to let him crop them. This will be his first time with an entirely unwilling victim. It will be fun to watch!" he finished with a smirk.

My wife squealed with shame as Lord Richard poured the oil onto his hands and began massaging it into her bottom.

"Your woman here has a very nice derriere.. It will be able to take a lot of punishment. Don't worry, I won't leave any ugly marks, just a nice red blush." he said looking at me with a sneer.

"Please, sir, do not beat me," my wife pleaded.

"You must address me as 'my lord'," he replied curtly.

"Please, my lord, do not beat me," my wife repeated, now using the correct appellation.

"Avanthika, are you sorry for hitting me?"

"Yes, my lord."

"Do you promise to be a good girl?"

"Yes, my lord."

"Beg for my forgiveness, then."

"Please, my lord, I beg you to forgive me."

"Ok, I forgive you. However, to strike an English lord, is also an insult to the queen, and this insult must be punished. Besides, the ointment I rubbed on your bottom is very expensive, and it would be a crime to waste it. Avanthika, I will now spank your bottom. You must not clench."

As my wife began sobbing, he pulled back his hand, snapped the riding crop onto my wife's left bottom cheek.

My wife screamed in pain, and I saw a red mark appear, in the shape of the end of the riding crop. Despite the instructions not to do so, she clenched her buttocks in pain.

Lord Richard whipped my wife again, this time on her right cheek, causing her to clench and stomp her feet in pain. Her anklets jangled on her feet.

"Haha, haha. Make her sing and dance, Lord," the servant shouted his encouragement.

"Save me Rohit!" my wife screamed. I tugged in vain at the handcuffs holding me to the hitching ring. But the handcuffs were too tight, and all I did was chafe my wrists. I tried to pull off the ring or break the post, but it was built to hold horses, and I remained securely fastened.

Again there was the sound of leather on flesh, followed by my wife's scream, "Save me, Sir Reginald!"

Sir Reginald said nothing, but just looked on.

Seeing she was at the mercy of Lord Richard, she pleaded with him in earnest.

"Please my lord, Please my lord," she babled, punctuated by screams as the crop struck again and again.

Finally, after ten minutes or so, he stopped whipping her.

She just stood there crying.

The servant handed Lord Richard a bottle of water from the bag. Lord Richard drank half of it. Then he turned to my wife.

"Here Avanthika, I don't want you to be dehydrated. Drink this," he ordered bringing the water bottle to her lips.

My wife was thirsty from the crying and screaming, and she drank the water from his bottle.

Lord Richard then addressed her again.

"Have you learned your lesson, Avanthika?"

"Yes, my lord. I am sorry, my lord."

"Have you been punished enough."

"Yes, my lord. Please let me go. I will be good. I can't take anymore."

"You mean your bottom can't take any more punishment?"

"Yes, my lord."

"Let's see how your bottom is doing after that spanking, shall we," Lord Richard remarked as he began rubbing and feeling her bottom.

He squeezed and prodded her bottom for a minute. My wife just stood there in shame and let him freely molest her.

He finally stopped.

"Well, Avanthika. I have good news for you."

"Yes, my lord," my wife replied hopefully.

"I think you have been punished enough for striking me."

"Thank you my, lord," my wife responded with relief.

"However, you have lied to me."

"How, my lord?" my wife asked, suddenly nervous.

"You told me that your bottom could not take any more punishment. After inspecting it, it is apparent to me that it can take quite a bit more."

"Please, have mercy, my lord," she pleaded.

"Also, when I was spanking you, you were clenching your bottom against my orders. So for this next round, we are going to fig you."

Neither my wife nor I knew what 'fig' meant. But we would soon find out.

"Sir Reginald, have you not heard of miscreants being figged, as part of their punishment, prior to being caned."

"Yes, I have. But I have never seen it," Sir Reginald replied.

"So, you are agreed it is not cruel and unusual."

SIr Reginald said nothing.

The servant pulled out a large ginger root from the bag. He then pulled out a small knife and began to peel it, carefully removing all the skin. He then whittled it into the shape of a large finger and cut a small notch in it near the end.

My wife during this time was frantically trying to see what was happening behind her, but was unable to. I was gagged so there was no way I could warn my wife what was going on.

Lord Richard nodded at his servant..

"This is my favorite part," the servant looked at me and laughed.

The servant walked up to my wife's exposed bottom, and took the peeled finger of ginger, placed it between the cheeks of my wife's bottom.

"Please, no, no, no!" my wife howled.

Grinning, the servant slowly began pushing it further in, up into her anus.

My wife screeched and stood up on her tiptoes, trying to prevent further penetration, but to no avail.

I watched in horror as the servant pushed the ginger finger in further and further into the crevice of her bottom.

Finally he stopped. He had pushed it in up to the notch he had cut earlier, and my wife's anus had closed around the notch, holding the ginger in place.

"Now the fun starts in a few moments," the servant said to me with a smile as he walked back towards me.

Sure enough, in a few moments, my wife began to wiggle her bottom. "It burns. It burns," she moaned.

"Please take it out, my lord," she begged.

"Ok, we will take it out. After your punishment."

With that he pulled the crop back, and gave her a vicious whack right across the middle of her bottom.

She screamed and instinctively clenched her bottom from the pain.

That was a mistake. No sooner had she done that, than she began shrieking in pain, shaking her bottom vigorously.

The three men burst into laughing, even Sir Reginald.

"I must say, Sir Reginald, your kitchen has some of the finest, most potent ginger I have ever come across, in all my travels," Lord Richard observed.

He then turned to my wife.

"Avanthika, as you saw, this ginger will burn a lot more if you clench your bottom. I hope, for your sake, you keep your bottom relaxed."

He then began to whip her again with the crop. I noticed he was hitting her even harder than last time. My wife struggled to keep her bottom relaxed. This made her bottom jiggle and wiggle with every blow.

There was no pleading or begging from my wife. She did not have the mental energy for words. There was only a continuous wail of despair. Every once in a while, a particularly hard blow, would make her involuntarily clench her bottom. This was invariable followed by shrieks of pain as the ginger oil burned her anus. During these times she would shake and gyrate her bottom lewdly, trying to relieve the burning, which caused her golden anklets and the golden chain around her waist to jangle. This would cause the other men watching to laugh loudly at my wife's misery.

As the whipping continued, my wife's trashing got less and less. Towards the end, she just hung limply from the tree, moaning and whimpering, as the blows fell.

Lord Richard whipped her in this state for a few more minutes. Then he stopped.