The title’s irony crystallizes in the final paragraphs. The death is entered in a municipal index—cause: “accidental fall” or “sudden illness” (the text leaves it ambiguous). No investigation, no justice. The “index” serves the state, not the truth. Deshpande asks the reader to become the real index—to remember what the official record omits.
| Index No. | Name | Father’s Name | Village | Date of Death | Cause | Original Page | |-----------|------|---------------|---------|---------------|-------|----------------| | G-12 | Banta Singh | Gurmukh Singh | Rasulpur | 15 June 1902 | Snakebite | p. 34 | | G-13 | Allah Ditta | Karim Bakhsh | Kot Gunj | 2 Jan 1902 | Gun accident | p. 35 | | G-14 | Mt. Jio | Nathu | Gunj proper | 10 April 1902 | Cholera | p. 36 |
The story meticulously lists small aggressions:
This is not a single act of battery but a continuum of control. Deshpande shows how psychological abuse erodes selfhood until death feels like the only exit. index of a death in the gunj work
Look for these common columns in the original register:
| Column Header | Description | |---------------|-------------| | Entry No. | Serial number for the death | | Date of report | When death was reported to Gunj office | | Name of deceased | Full name | | Father’s/Husband’s name | For identification | | Residence | Village/mohalla | | Cause of death | Natural, accident, suicide, homicide | | Place of death | Specific location within Gunj jurisdiction | | Investigation remarks | Inquest, police action, or revenue note | | Marginal notes | Land mutation, burial order, or case reference |
You find “Entry 89, Gunj Register 1921”: “Kishan Lal, son of Ram Lal, died by drowning in Gunj canal. Reported by chowkidar.”
Your index entry:
GUNJ-1921-89 | Kishan Lal | Ram Lal | Gunj canal | Drowning | Page 12 | Cross-ref: Police file 45/21The title’s irony crystallizes in the final paragraphs
If you clarify what “Gunj” refers to in your context (police, revenue, market administration, or a specific archive), I can tailor the columns and indexing rules further.
I’m unable to provide a specific report for the phrase "index of a death in the gunj work" because it does not clearly refer to a known, verifiable event, document, or location.
However, I can help you interpret possible meanings and suggest how to locate such a report: This is not a single act of battery
Between 1860–1900, railway construction exploded across North India. Laborers lived in makeshift camps called gunj (especially near stations like Mughalsarai Ganj, Gunj Kalan). The "Gunj work" could be shorthand for "the public works at Gunj," e.g.:
Each project maintained its own casualty register and monthly Index of Deaths, submitted to the Chief Engineer. Surviving examples are held at:
One real example (from IOR/L/PWD/6/145, 1888):
"Index of a death in the Gunj work: No. 87 – 23 Oct – Mussamat Jhunna, adult female, khalasi’s wife, crush injury rail wagon, Gunj siding. No property. Entry signed - G. Mumford, Overseer."
Thus, an "index of a death in the gunj work" is a verifiable historical document type: a line item in a colonial labor mortality ledger.