Why the peshgi account falls apart at season end
The argument is never about the amount; it is about memory. Written daily, the last day is only addition.
At season end the account is settled with workers and thekedars: peshgi given, kharchi taken, and what pathai and nikasi earned.
The argument almost always starts in the same place — one amount that never made it into the book. Five hundred rupees handed over from a pocket, or a week left to be reckoned later. Six months on, the two memories differ, and both people are honest.
The fix belongs to the daily routine, not the last day. Every peshgi recorded the day it is given, and the worker told there and then what has been earned and what has been deducted.
Two things follow. Season end becomes addition. And a worker who can see their position every week is a worker who stays.