1|Page NOTES BY ENG HONS HUB

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ajay Navaria is an important Dalit writer from India,

born in 1972.
His works reflect his experiences with caste
discrimination and focus on the struggles of
marginalized communities.
He is known for his short stories and novels that
explore themes of social injustice, inequality, and
the fight for dignity
His writings have made a significant impact on Dalit
literature and continue to shed light on the issues
faced by Dalits in modern India.
FAMOUS WORKS- "Patkatha Aur Anya Kahaniyan",
"Yes Sir,”, "Udhar Ke Log"etc

2|Page NOTES BY ENG HONS HUB

 NEW CUSTOM BY AJAY
NAVARIA
The man stepped off the bus and
smelled something really bad. He
saw a naked man in the distance
but wasn't sure if they were
connected because the smell was
coming from a different direction.

The bus stop was empty, and it was freezing cold. Despite
wearing a warm coat, the man felt shivers. He tried to
warm his hands in his pockets but ended up adjusting his
rust-colored muffler. Romila had lovingly wrapped it around
his neck before he left, which made him reflect on why he
was always finding faults with her, making him feel down.

He wished to cover his ears with the

muffler for warmth, but he hesitated.
In the city, people might mock him
for wearing it that way. He didn't
want to be teased with names like
"Hey Bihari! Oye Bihari!" as it made
people feel inferior. So, he endured the biting wind rather
than being labeled a muffler-wearing Bihari.

3|Page NOTES BY ENG HONS HUB

It was late morning, but the thick
fog made it feel like night. The
sun was hidden, and only a little
light could get through, making
everything seem sleepy and grey.
The fog was so thick that it
looked like a big, furry animal had
spread out everywhere. Even though spring was supposed
to start soon, winter was still holding on tightly. In fact,
it was the coldest winter in 30 years, and the weather
forecasters had been wrong again

The TV and newspapers were full of news about the cold

weather, but also had many ads trying to sell things to
keep people warm. One ad showed a girl hiding her
boyfriend in a fridge, where he was happy and eating ice
cream because he wore special
warm underwear. Another ad
showed an old man making a young
girl fall in love with him, making
his nephew jealous. There was
also an ad for a special drink that
a newly married couple said made
them feel warm and happy.

The writer thinks that these ads show a problem with how
men think about women, treating them like objects rather
than people. The ads also make men think they are the

4|Page NOTES BY ENG HONS HUB

most important ones, and that they can buy happiness and
warmth with products.

A man went into a shop and the

shopkeeper called him "darbar",
which is a title of respect usually
given to important landlords in
the area. The man was amused
by this and wondered why the
shopkeeper had called him that.
Was it because of his tall height, broad build, or thick
moustache? Or was the shopkeeper just trying to be nice
to get his business?

The man ordered a cup of tea, which surprised him

because the shop was very dirty. He thought to himself,
"How can I drink tea in this filthy place?" He was also
surprised by his own voice, as if he was hearing himself
speak for the first time. This made him think of his wife
Romila, whom he often scolded for
not washing her hands properly
before kneading dough. He
remembered that Romila had
argued back that she had already
washed her hands with soap in the
bathroom sink.

The man is reflecting on how he is being treated with

respect by the shopkeeper, but at the same time, he is

5|Page NOTES BY ENG HONS HUB

also thinking about how he treats his own wife, Romila, and
how he sometimes scolds her for small things. This is
making him think about his own behavior and how he
interacts with others.

The man's mother was sleeping

nearby. The shopkeeper called
him "darbar" again and handed
him a cup of tea. The man looked
at the shopkeeper and saw that
he had a dark face with a red
mark on his forehead, and black
teeth stained from chewing tobacco. The man thought
about how the British had tricked the Chinese into
becoming opium addicts, but the shopkeeper didn't
understand what he meant.

The man asked the shopkeeper how he knew he was a

"darbar" (a title of respect), and the shopkeeper said it
was because of his nice clothes and
confident attitude. The shopkeeper
said he was not a "darbar" himself,
but a humble gardener. The man
started drinking his tea and looked
at the puppies playing outside.

He remembered a conversation with

his father before he left home. His father had said that
money changes everything, but the man disagreed. He

6|Page NOTES BY ENG HONS HUB

thought that people who act like they are better than
others because they are religious or pious are actually just
trying to get rich. He believed that hard work and money
are what really matter.

The man's father had warned him to be careful, but the

man was still thinking about their
disagreement. He was thinking about how
people's values and priorities change when
they move from a village to a city.

A father and son were discussing the

impact of money on their relationship. The son, now grown
and earning a salary, was confident and firm, while the
father felt weakened and accepting of the new dynamic.
The scene then shifts to a man visiting a shop in a village
called Tigaon, where he strikes up a conversation with the
shopkeeper. The shopkeeper shares information about the
village, including its population and history as a former
trading hub. The man is surprised by the village's size and
decline.

The shopkeeper showed the man various types of chips and

offered him mineral water. He was
eager to chat, as it was cold and he
had no other customers. The man
mentioned he was there for a wedding,
and the shopkeeper asked whose
wedding it was. When the man said it

7|Page NOTES BY ENG HONS HUB

was Dharm Singhji's wedding, the shopkeeper pretended to
be surprised and said he hadn't
known about it.

The shopkeeper then started

complaining about his wife,
saying she was lazy and only
ate, slept, and complained,
while he worked hard to earn a
living. He claimed that when
Dharm Singhji's elder daughter got married, he worked
very hard and even gave generous gifts, including cots and
copper pots, and slept on the ground for five days. He
said he did all this because the daughter's honor was
important to the whole village.

The shopkeeper seemed to be bragging about his past

generosity and was trying to impress the man with his
stories. He was enjoying the conversation and didn't want
it to end, likely because he was bored and had no other
customers.

The man was trying to ignore the

shopkeeper's chatter and focus
on the TV. The shopkeeper
continued talking about the
importance of following village
rules and customs. When the man
mentioned Dharm Singhji's son's

8|Page NOTES BY ENG HONS HUB

wedding, the shopkeeper was surprised and said Dharm
Singhji only had daughters. The man insisted it was the
son's wedding and mentioned the wedding party was going
to Jivangarh the next day.

The shopkeeper was convinced he was right and said there

must be a mix-up. The man asked if
Dharm Singhji worked in the water-
works department, and the
shopkeeper realized the mistake -
the man was actually talking about
Dharma Harijan, the operator. The
shopkeeper was rude and dismissive,
saying he knew the entire village and would have known
about any wedding.

The man, noticing the shopkeeper's tone had changed,

asked how much he owed and handed over a hundred-rupee
note. The shopkeeper told him it was three rupees and
rudely asked him to wash the glass before leaving.

The conversation ended with a sense

of misunderstanding and annoyance
between the two men. The
shopkeeper was upset that the man
had mistaken Dharm Singhji for
someone else, and the man was
frustrated with the shopkeeper's
rude behavior.

9|Page NOTES BY ENG HONS HUB

 The shopkeeper yelled at the man,
saying he should have known about
the village custom of using separate
glasses for certain people. The man
felt embarrassed and humiliated,
like he was being stripped naked in
front of everyone. Some people gathered around, curious
about the commotion.

The shopkeeper told the crowd that he had served the

man tea without knowing his true identity, implying that
the man was somehow impure. The man tried to defend
himself, but the shopkeeper insulted him further, saying
he would have been sinful if he hadn't spoken up. The
shopkeeper and the crowd pressured the man to wash the
glass, citing village customs.

The man refused, feeling offended and angry. Someone in

the crowd suggested that he would get beaten up for not
following the custom. The shopkeeper joined in, saying the
man would get thrashed. The man, his jaw clenched in
anger, asked how much he owed for the glass, wanting to
leave the situation.

The scene is tense and humiliating

for the man, who is being shamed
and ostracized by the shopkeeper and
the crowd for not knowing or
following their customs. The passage

10 | P a g e NOTES BY ENG HONS HUB

highlights issues of caste, class, and social hierarchy in
the village.

The man asked the shopkeeper how

much he owed, and the shopkeeper,
surprised, quoted an inflated price of
twenty rupees. The man handed over
a hundred-rupee note, and the
shopkeeper quickly took it. The man demanded change, and
after receiving it, he pocketed the money.

In a sudden act of defiance, the man picked up the glass

and smashed it against the platform, shattering it into
pieces. The loud noise startled the mother dog and the
naked man, who sat up. The man then bent down, picked
up his suitcase, and started walking towards the village.

The shopkeeper, who had been

rude and discriminatory towards
the man, now had a smile on his
face, similar to Mahatma Gandhi's
smile on the hundred-rupee note.
The smile suggested that the
shopkeeper was pleased with
himself, feeling he had won the argument and asserted his
dominance.

The man's act of smashing the glass was a bold statement

against the shopkeeper's discriminatory behavior and the

11 | P a g e NOTES BY ENG HONS HUB

village's unfair customs. By doing so, he refused to be
humiliated and asserted his own dignity.

THEMES
1. CASTE DISCRIMINATION:

Theme: The story highlights the persistent issue of caste-

based discrimination in Indian society.

Example: The protagonist faces discrimination because of

his Dalit identity, even as he tries to break free from
traditional roles and expectations.

2. SOCIAL CHANGE:

Theme: The narrative reflects the slow but ongoing social

change in India, where marginalized communities are
beginning to assert their rights.

Example: By rejecting the old customs, the protagonist

symbolizes the gradual empowerment and rising awareness
among Dalits about their rights and dignity.

3. RESISTANCE TO OPPRESSION:

Theme: The story showcases the protagonist's resistance

against the oppressive practices that have been imposed on
his community for generations.

12 | P a g e NOTES BY ENG HONS HUB

Example: The protagonist's decision to defy the upper-
caste villagers by rejecting the traditional duties signifies
his resistance against long-standing oppression.

13 | P a g e NOTES BY ENG HONS HUB