village of Muslims, they were considered important and given respect because they were both moneylenders and shopkeepers. Sant Raja Singh was respected and trusted by the villagers of Saintha. This is how Bir Bahadur had described it when he had spoken to me earlier: The Musalmaans used to believe in us, trusted us so much . . . if a money order came for someone, no one would go to their homes to deliver it . . . [The post office] was in Thoa Khalsa and the postman would not reach people’s mail to them or get money orders to them. That was why when Musalmaans went away to work from their
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