Tamas

“Most people have no knowledge of their history. They only live it” 

There is a difference between following in a tradition and knowing the history from which those traditions are derived. The implication is that adhering to a tradition in no way requires the same wisdom that acquiring a working of knowledge of history would. 

“All Indians are quick-tempered. They flair up over trivial things” 

The assumption that anything that angers an Indian is likely to be trivial, may have delayed British intervention in the riots, showing how racial stereotypes can influence policy, as well as personal opinion. 

“In the name of religion they fight one another; in the name of freedom they fight against us” 

Richard is aware that his government restricts the Indian people’s freedom. His view that the whites know what is best for the Indians, even at the expense of their freedom, is indicative of the imperialist perspective that led to India’s colonization. 

“When the people fight among themselves the ruler is safe” 

The British view of their stewardship is contradictory. A ruler is ostensibly concerned with the safety of its subjects, as well as their productivity. But Richard is comforted by the riots because he is not the one under attack. 

“It’s a great weakness of the Hindus that we begin to dig a well only when we are thirsty” 

The characters of Tamas live in a state of constant vigilance as they try to obey their respective religious edicts while not giving offense to their neighbors of different faiths. The Muslims are better prepared for the inevitable religious conflict, while the Hindus are forced to react to attacks. 

“Let the fellow do his worst. You too may do your worst”

Ranvir suggests the possibility of violence, but also gives his permission for violence to occur. In Tamas, no one believes he voluntarily commits violence. Rather, it results from a sense of duty, or as an act of retaliation. In this way, no one has to take personal responsibility for violence. 

“Everything is under your authority, Sahib, if only you want to exercise it” 

By framing Richard’s power to stop the riots as a matter of choice, rather than ability, his failure to stop them can be seen as a desire for the riots to take place. If Indian Independence will diminish Richard’s power over the Indian people, his refusal to intervene in the riots might be understood as a form of punishment for his imminent loss of power. 

“It doesn’t behoove a man to put his legs in two boats”

The British, Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs are defined by what they are not, as much as by what they are. Peace can only be sustained if the groups can entertain each other’s viewpoints, but they constantly remind themselves that they cannot afford to identify with another group too much, in case they lose their sense of identity. 

“The Babu, walking away with his shoulders slumped, seemed to her a slimy creature” 

Liza’s harsh judgment of her servant show her to be no more sophisticated or nuanced than those of the people she condemns as slimy and ferocious. 

“Each community in the town pursued a trade that was exclusive to them” 

Even the realm of commerce is demarcated along religious lines. And yet, the reality that members of all faiths need the same goods, and that they must interact in order to purchase what they need, is proof that Hindus can benefit from Muslim neighbors, and vice versa. But this is a tenuous symbiosis that is always on the brink of dissolving. 

“Richard laughed. ‘It is not a religious occasion; a riot has broken out in the city between the Muslims and Hindus’”

Richard knows that the tolling of the temple bell signals danger. His laughter implies that he finds a riot to be tantamount to a religious activity, and that both are equally ridiculous, worth laughing about.

“Richard was so frail and sensitive, and was surrounded by such ferocious people” 

Richard wields (and exploits) an obscene amount of power over the Indian people, but his wife sees him as harmless. And her disgust with Indians as a whole is nearly as intense as the dislike the various religious communities have for each other. 

“If he had not started running we would not have chased him” 

Even though many of the participants in the riots feel it is their duty to fight for their religious beliefs, their continual justification of the violence seems to imply feelings of uncertainty and guilt. 

“The poor fellow is so utterly alone there”

After breaking a man’s back, Shah Nawhaz feels sorry for him, but in the same way that he might feel bad for a dog with a broken back. The servant he maimed is less than human to him. 

“It is all the result of my doing” 

Even though he killed the pig, Nathu did not plan the resulting riots. He manages to exonerate himself of all guilt, despite taking a job from a known criminal.

“You were tricked into doing it” 

Nathu’s wife serves the same function as many of the women in the book: to help the men forget any guilt or self-doubt they may feel. 

“With your protecting hand over his head, my Lord, how can anyone suffer?” 

It is ironic that the characters of Tamas constantly appeal to their respective Gods to ease their suffering, but it is the differences in their religions that are at the root of their enmity. 

“Now he was no longer an enemy but a friend, not a kafir but a believer” 

After forcing Iqbal to convert to Islam, the Muslims who previously threw rocks at him and mocked him are able to embrace him as a brother. As far as they are concerned, they have literally changed him into something better through force. 

“Damn this country! Damn this life!” 

Richard’s progression in the novel is one of a patient (if patronizing and resentful) overseer into something more like a hateful tyrant. The Indians need his help to quell the riots, but they must appeal to someone who curses their very existence.

“This is not my country, Liza, nor are these my countrymen”

It is impossible not to see Richard’s resentment of the people he is supposed to be caring for.

“You have to use your own energy to wield a sword, whereas with a pistol you only have to press the trigger” 

Violence is a religious duty when a Muslim or Hindu is offended in certain ways. It is such a deeply personal obligation that some of the people in the novel find it distasteful to fight from a distance with a firearm. Personal combat with the enemy is seen as worthier and more sanctified.  

“The peace you are talking about has already been brought about by your British master. It was he who instigated the riots, now it is he who is working for peace” 

Richard wants to take credit for quelling the riots, but he is seen as having started them. The Indians have to behave as if they are grateful for his actions, while knowing that Richard put out a fire that he could have prevented all along.

“Kites shall hover, kites and vultures shall continue to hover for long” 

The pleasant image of a floating kite, juxtaposed with the carrion birds that will soon feast on the bodies of the dead, is a shocking and tragically accurate illustration of the dual realities faced by the Indians.