rstood that a whiff has been drawn by the hero." A cock is
offered to Lalbeg at the Dasahra festival. When a man is believed
to have been affected by the evil eye they wave a broom in front of
the sufferer muttering the name of the saint. In the Damoh District
the _guru_ or priest who is the successor of Lalbeg comes from the
Punjab every year or two. He is richly clad and is followed by a
sweeper carrying an umbrella. Other Hindus say that his teaching is
that no one who is not a Lalbegi can go to heaven, but those on whom
the dust raised by a Lalbegi sweeping settles acquire some modicum
of virtue. Similarly Mr. Greeven remarks: [239] "Sweepers by no means
endorse the humble opinion entertained with respect to them; for they
allude to castes such as Kunbis and Chamars as petty (_chhota_),
while a common anecdote is related to the effect that a Lalbegi,
when asked whether Muhammadans could obtain salvation, replied:
'I never heard of it, but perhaps they might slip in behind Lalbeg.'"

16. Adoption of foreign religions

On the whole the religion of the Lalbegis appears to be monotheistic
and of a sufficiently elevated character, resembling that of the
Kabirpanthis and other reforming sects. Its claim to the exclusive
possession of the way of salvation is a method of revolt against the
menial and debased position of the caste. Similarly many sweepers have
become Muhammadans and Sikhs with the same end in view, as stated
by Mr. Greeven: [240] "As may be readily imagined, the scavengers
are merely in name the disciples of Nanak Shah, professing in fact
to be his followers just as they are prepared at a moment's notice
to become Christians or Muhammadans. Their object is, of course,
merely to acquire a status which may elevate them above the utter
degradation of their caste. The acquaintance of most of them with the
doctrines of Nanak Shah is at zero. They know little and care less
about his rules of life, habitually disregarding, for instance, the
prohibitions against smoking and hair-cutting. In fact, a scavenger
at Benares no more becomes a Sikh by taking Nanak Shah's motto than he
becomes a Christian by wearing a round hat and a pair of trousers." It
was probably with a similar leaning towards the more liberal religion
that the Lalbegis, though themselves Hindus, adopted a Muhammadan for
their tutelary saint. In the Punjab Muhammadan sweepers who have given
up eating carrion and refuse to remove night-soil rank