Chapter 4- A young man named Munoo, who is going from north to south, is enthralled with Bombay and all of its wonders. He finds the city weird and complicated, remembering his early years spent in the hills with his rural buddies. He sees carriages like Victorias and trams, as well as other populations dressed in lovely attire. On the other hand, he thinks it disgusting and depressing that the coolies in Bombay work in such conditions.
Munoo encounters Hari, a coolie at a Bombay cotton industry, and saves a girl from being ran over by speeding cars. He befriends Hari and his spouse, and the two of them collaborate at the plant. Munoo’s work entails manipulating a machine’s handle and tying knots to reattach thread ends when they break. Ratan, a muscular man with a reputation for cruel and unpleasant working conditions, is his instructor.
Hari’s child is hurt one day and is brought to the hospital. Ratan provides them with refuge and assistance. Ratan intervenes to stop Hari from being insulted by the foreman for leaving the room without his consent. After that, Ratan makes Munoo his friend and tells him about his time spent working at the Tata Steel Works in Jamshedpur and taking part in a strike that was successful. Munoo left in disgust after the owners bought some of the leaders of a subsequent workers’ strike.
The foreman’s extortion and greed are the reasons why Munoo receives a lower income than Hari. He manages the money lending company and charges each employee a fee for the gift of a job. The vendors that the underprivileged coolies purchase supplies from also take advantage of them.
The factory events are fast-paced, and Ratan is discharged from service. Some communists form another union and invite workers to go on strike, but they are too timid to do so. A few days later, factory manager Mr. Little announces’short work’, meaning no work during the fourth week of every month and no salary will be paid. This creates resentment among the laborers, leading to a strike for their rights and self-respect.
Following a meeting, the Trade Union agrees to go on strike. While other speakers disagree, outlining a charter of demands that includes the right to work without paying bribes and no arbitrary dismissals or wage reduction, the union president begs for negotiations without going on strike. A riot breaks out as word gets out that Mohammedans are abducting Hindu children.
Munoo is attacked by a Pathan mob and taken very seriously before social activists intervene to save him. After being struck by a car, he is brought to Mrs. Waring’s Simla home, where she names him her page-cum-rickshaw puller.
Chapter 5- Munoo, a young boy, recovers from injuries and starts working as a domestic servant in Mrs. Mainwaring’s house under a Mohammadan khansama. Mrs. Mainwaring is an Anglo-Indian woman who loves the young boy and treats him tenderly. She takes him to English shops in Simla and enjoys the luxuries of India at a low cost. Munoo falls ill with fever and coughs frequently, often spitting blood out of his spittle.
Munoo receives sympathy from Mrs. Mainwaring, who also calls in Mr. Merchant, a physician, who writes prescriptions for him. Munoo receives gentle care in her bunglow during his illness, which results in an illicit liaison between her and the physician. Following his recuperation, Munoo goes back to work, rickshaw-pulling both the doctor and the memsahib. Because of his appreciation for the memsahib, he works voluntarily and refuses to quit, even when other coolies advise him to take time off for his health.
Munoo’s illness gets worse, and he spits and coughs up blood—something he never tells his mistress about. He receives a fruit packet and health improvement from Mohan, a coolie. In an attempt to live, Munoo writes a letter to Ratan, inviting him to Bombay in exchange for a position at the union office. When Munoo coughs up blood in front of Mohan one day, the woman comes to see him. The doctor gives him the order to be kept apart in a hut with two other coolies who have the same illness. Munoo continues to be unwell despite Mohan’s regular visits. For a few days, Munoo experiences another period of good health, which increases his optimism about surviving. He died one night in the early hours of the morning.
