News from Suvarnapur:

The Guilty Son of the Karbhari Every good political institution must have a preventive operation as well as a remedial. It ought to have a natural tendency to exclude bad men from government, and not to trust for the safety of the state to subsequent punishment alone: punishment, which has ever been tardy and uncertain; and which, when power is suffered in bad hands, may chance to fall rather on the injured than the criminal.  —Edmund Burke The day that he had become the Karbhari of Suvarnapur, Buddhidhan had asked himself: what if people of his own faction and family were to turn tyrannical? Who would the people of Suvarnapur carry their woes to? Would they also face the predicament that had been his lot for so long? Who would be responsible for the sins of misrule? What if Pramaddhan or someone else in the intoxication of power were to begin oppressing the people? Would he, the Karbhari, be open to complaints against his own confidantes? These questions had troubled Buddhidhan the day he had assumed the powers of the Karbhari.⁶¹ But at that time he had no inkling that soon this question would arise in his house, and that his own son would be the accused. And that let alone Krishna Kalika’s husband, even his dear Kumud Sundari would not be able to put a charge on his son but, in fact, would herself stand accused. Such events awaken the conscience of karbharis and other officials—if indeed they do have a conscience— who soar high with the support of son, brother, friend and other close relatives. Not just that, if a conscientious official who is aware of his responsibilities were to take pride in the belief that he has the capacity to punish an old friend or a close relative, such instances expose their weakness and belittle their pride. As he gathered more information regarding Pramaddhan’s doings, Buddhidhan was both shocked and greatly humbled. He could see shades of similarity between Shathrai who acted through his son Dushtarai, and himself who tolerated Pramaddhan’s activities. This comparison pained him. He looked for strength that would enable him to remove the cause of that pain. Within just few days after assuming the Karbhar, Buddhidhan was perturbed by questions like: Am I any different from Shathrai? Will I be instrumental in inflicting the same pain on others which it was once my lot to suffer? Events unfolded in quick succession which caused him immeasurable agony. Even before Navinchandra’s departure, Vanleela shared some stories about Pramaddhan’s doings with Saubhagya Devi and Alak Kishori, who in turn appraised Buddhidhan. We know that at the time of Navinchandra’s departure, Buddhidhan was perturbed. What followed was much more painful. On the day of Kumud Sundari’s departure, Vanleela spoke at length to Saubhagya Devi and Alak Kishori about Krishna Kalika and Pramaddhan. Mother and sister called Pramaddhan and without revealing their source or the details of his misdeeds, they reprimanded him for misdeeds