Chapter 113: The Past (Part 2)

“This is the difference. Both Patel and I have the gift of a spiritual practitioner. This gift is more important than anything else in the world, wealth, status, even marriage. You have to understand that once people have a deep-rooted belief in religion, nothing is more important than religious matters, let alone becoming a central figure in religion. Neither Patil nor I married, and no one ever criticized us. Even my parents were very pleased. I still remember that dinner… When it came to the things that changed his life, Uncle Jonny talked about them as if they were someone else’s story, as if they were nothing.

As mentioned earlier, despite their outstanding talent, and even though Patel was better than Sharma, they were treated differently. Sharma became the most glorious son of God and would go to one of India’s most mysterious temples to practice, where he would receive a great inheritance. Patel, on the other hand, would go to a secret religious academy to practice, which was also top-notch, but compared to Sharma’s inheritance, it was still a bit inferior.

According to the arrangement of the future, Sharma will eventually become the leader of the entire Hindu religion, the top figure, and he will be the mainstay of the Indian practitioner community. Patel’s position will not be too bad either. He will become Sharma’s right-hand man, second only to one person and above ten thousand people…

This is such a bright future. Sharma is happy for himself and for Patel. There is no insincerity in his heart. He thinks that it is a very remarkable thing for a Dalit to achieve such success today.

This is not a slight against Patel. You can’t ignore the long-standing habits of a people. It’s something that goes deep into the soul. Although this habit is ugly, it has taken root in the hearts of the people! This has nothing to do with character or feelings for each other. The caste system has eventually penetrated into Sharma’s heart over the years, and he can’t get rid of it.

It seemed that everyone thought the same way. They looked at Patel with a different kind of respect, but more of a doubt about his caste. Why was he so lucky? There was no shortage of jealous people in the world.

But what does it matter? Sharma was genuinely happy, and this exuberant happiness was particularly evident at the dinner that his parents had organized to see them off. In the face of his parents’ satisfaction, he kept saying that he and his brother would be a credit to them, or were already so.

The only person who was unhappy throughout the dinner was Diya, because her two beloved brothers were leaving her side to embark on a very important study, although she didn’t know what it was.

After the family dinner, Sharma’s father, who was usually serious and reserved, said he wanted to talk to Sharma and Patel separately…

“This dinner was the climax of my life with Patel. After all, we were the children of the powerful, and we were young and successful… But life is not always a climax. Often when you think you have seen everything at the top, you forget to look at your feet. Under the top, there must be a very steep downhill road… It will bring great and different changes to your life. Do you understand? After that dinner, everything began. What can I say?” Uncle Johnny was lost in his memories, squinting and thinking for a long time. “In fact, a lot happened that night. A lot. Do you know? For the first time, the delicate bond that had bound me to Patel began to crack a little.”

The so-called separate conversation was actually different, and Sharma knew this truth that night.

The conversation with Patel was just an excuse to talk to Sharma alone, because they were always together. Patel got some encouraging words and the expectation that he should not forget the family honor, while Sharma got some truth.

“I never thought that an unintentional act of kindness would bring you such a great opportunity. Although I think that the gods must have made a mistake and unintentionally gave Patel such a good talent. I don’t mean to blaspheme the gods. After all, the gods are kind. Maybe they were moved by Patel’s father, a Dalit who, although he was a low-caste, had a brilliant mind.” Sharma’s father was so direct that his first words were so straightforward.

This made Sharma stunned. Although he already understood the difference between himself and Patel, he was not used to his father talking like this. In his heart, although his father was serious and restrained, he was kind after all. At least on the surface, he did not show that he was different from Patel.

At that time, Sharma was young and impetuous, and he said what was on his mind. He said to his father, “No, Dad, how can you say that? Don’t you think that Patel has such a talent, and that it’s even better than mine, that it’s something to be happy about? Although the system prevents us from getting the same treatment, he is still our family, and we should be happy for him to have a good future, not think about any divine mistakes.”

This was the first time Sharma had spoken back to his father, but he thought he was right, and he took it for granted that his kind and wise father would feel sorry for what he had just said.

However, that day he saw a cold smile on his father’s face for the first time. The look in his eyes was one of pity, as if he was laughing at his son’s naivety.

This silent sneer lasted for a few seconds on his father’s face, and then it turned into a raging anger. The father slammed the table hard and said to Sharma, “I have never told you what I think because I want you to maintain a kind of holiness close to God. But holiness often requires some persistence, not just pity. Otherwise, how can you hold on to your faith? Just as God does not have mercy on the devil, it will only harm the world! Dalits are Dalits. Their dirty blood is a natural, unpardonable sin, just like the difference between human birth and divine birth. Human birth is born with original sin.

“Father, what are you trying to say?” Sharma was so confused. Obviously, such a father was unfamiliar.

“I just want to remind you not to say that you and Patel are brothers. At the dinner party, I didn’t want to embarrass the whole atmosphere, so I couldn’t bear to say it and let my poor and lovely Dya accept some cruelty too early. You just have to remember that a Brahmin is a Brahmin, a spokesman for God, and your talent is a matter of course. A Dalit is just a Dalit, no matter how outstanding his talent is, he can only walk behind you! Do you understand? His talent is a result of God’s occasional mercy for this sinful race, but he still needs the guidance of a Brahmin. How can you say you are a brother to a sinner? Have I failed to educate you for more than ten years, to the point where you can’t even tell right from wrong? Sharma’s father was clearly really angry, and his tone became particularly severe.

Sharma was so uncomfortable with this severity that he could not say anything. Finally, he mustered up the courage to say, “Father, but our feelings are really like brothers. I…”

A loud slap hit Sharma’s face. Sharma’s father could no longer remain calm and composed when talking to Sharma. He almost roared at Sharma and said, “Do you want me to tell you the truth? You are the son of God and will become the only supreme spokesperson for the gods in the future. What is Patel? He can only be your god-worshipper for life, understand? He can only be your god-worshipper! A long time ago, if I said that his adoption was a divine act of kindness, then later, I realized that this child was different from other Dalits. His upbringing was the path I paved for you, because you need a loyal shadow who is always ready to sacrifice his life for you, but is also very capable. Do you understand?

Sharma was completely stunned at this point. He didn’t understand what his father was talking about. Was it all just a conspiracy?

But Sharma’s father was already completely angry at his son’s “ignorant stubbornness.” Perhaps he was blaming himself for hiding it too deeply in his daily life, or perhaps he was annoyed that he thought Sharma was still young and had not had time to instill some “correct” ideas in him, or perhaps he was anxious that there was only one night left and he didn’t know how to make his only son understand all this?

So, whether or not Sharma could accept it at the moment, he simply said everything: “Sharma, do you think I’m wrong? Do you think my kindness is hypocritical? No, never! To adopt a Dalit and give him a name is the greatest kindness. Do you think the gods will adopt a devil? The gods won’t! Do you think religion will criticize me? Let him be your guardian, let you suppress him, that is the decision of religion. They cannot give up such a talent, but they also do not allow a Dalit to hold such power. After all, he has sinful blood flowing in his veins, and he needs a noble Brahmin to guard him. Do you understand?”

Sharma’s head was buzzing at this moment. He felt that his world had been overturned. He looked at his father innocently, not knowing whether he should cry at this moment, crying that something he had always thought was collapsing. He was only slightly comforted by hearing the decision of the religion. He had never thought that religion would make any wrong decisions. That was impossible.

After the outburst, Sharma’s father’s heart may have calmed down a little. He walked over and patted Sharma on the shoulder and said, “Forgive my anger just now, my dear son… I just don’t want you to be ignorant. Remember that original sin is original sin, and it can’t be washed away. I don’t deny that Dalits can also be kind, and even have the talent of a Patel, but they really need the suppression of the Brahmins, otherwise they will go off the rails and will truly be ignited by the evil in their souls. You will understand what a devotee is later. As long as he is a devotee, you can easily suppress him for the rest of your life. This is what the religious people told me. You don’t necessarily need to do this, but you must be prepared for this. My dear son, my greatest hope in this life is that I hope the next time I don’t hear you say such stupid things like you and he are really brothers.

When he left his father’s room, Sharma was in a daze. In the young man’s opinion, his father’s words might be right, but it would take time to accept them. After all, they had grown up together for so many years, and that kind of affection was not false. It was equal.

Why does emotion seem so pale and powerless in the face of religion? Or is this also the original sin of mankind? Didn’t religion say that we should put aside our emotions? Was he wrong all along?

Sharma was depressed, but instead of going back to his room, he walked around the back garden of his house. Here he saw Patel and Zia.