**[txt. l01**]
0020L01 **<*3Nothing but the Truth*0**>
0030L01 ^*I had a feeling that he had a terrific grudge against his father. ^This
0040L01 was brought to light by a very trifling incident. ^The following
0050L01 morning Aditi, content and happy at last told me, 'Will you come
0060L01 here? ^*I want to_ show you something.' ^She took me to the kitchen
0070L01 and pointed to the tiny bundle on a shelf, surrounded by hordes of
0080L01 ants. ^Obviously, the sweets had still not been eaten. $^We never
0090L01 told his father about it, though. ^The old man used to_ visit at
0100L01 regular intervals. ^He would talk to his son, pat him fondly on the
0110L01 back and depart with the money. ^He had brought one of his daughters
0120L01 along on one of his visits. ^*Palan had a long chat with his sister.
0130L01 ^The old man always heaped a lot of advice on the son before he left.
0140L01 ^Once Palan had showed his father his new shirt, dancing with delight.
0150L01 ^How happy he had been to_ have it! $^Yet we were not mourning
0160L01 for him now, we were only concerned for Tukai lest he be taken ill,
0170L01 fretting for his companion. ^Right now, more important thoughts are
0180L01 occupying my mind, such as my visit to the police station. ^What
0190L01 did the \0S.I. have in mind when he asked me to_ come down, I wondered.
0200L01 ^*Aditi must be feeling apprehensive, too, though she did her best
0210L01 not to_ show it. ^But she did forget about cooking, didn*'4t she?
0220L01 ^If Mili*'s mother had not asked us for lunch we would have gone without
0230L01 food. ^But it did not matter really, for I had absolutely no appetite.
0240L01 $^After Mili left I told Aditi 'I think I should consult
0250L01 a lawyer, Sukhen or someone. ^They asked me to_ go to the police station
0260L01 in the afternoon. ^*I must be sure I do not make a fool of
0270L01 myself.'
0280L01 $^*Aditi seemed to_ think it over. '^Didn*'4t father have a lawyer friend,
0290L01 who used to_ live in Keyatola? ^He was a very good advocate.'
0300L01 $^By 'father' she meant my father. ^The advocate she referred to
0310L01 was Parameswar *4babu. ^As a matter of fact I had been wondering about
0320L01 going to him myself. ^*I had no doubt that he would give me all
0330L01 the legal help I needed. ^But he was a busy man. ^Besides, he
0340L01 wouldn*'4t be available before the evening. ^And I had to_ go to the
0350L01 police station before that_. ^Even though the \0S.I. seemed quite
0360L01 a gentleman I didn*'4t trust the police. ^They are well known for
0370L01 their habit of complicating a simple issue. $^After lunch I left
0380L01 the house. ^So many things needed to_ be attended to. ^Where should
0390L01 I start? I must ring up my office first, but keep the reason for my
0400L01 absence a secret. ^*I did not want everybody to_ know. ^I was particularly
0410L01 sceptical of Jatin, one of my colleagues, who has turned into
0420L01 my bitterest enemy since I got a raise. ^But was Jatin the reason,
0430L01 really? ^*I tried to_ analyse myself. ^As a matter of fact I
0440L01 was feeling rather embarrassed and ashamed, and putting the blame squarely
0450L01 on myself. $^Then, I must look for Ganesh, the servant who used
0460L01 to_ work at Mili*'s house. ^*Palan*'s old father must be informed.
0470L01 ^But suppose the old man created trouble? ^Should I inform him
0480L01 now? ^Would that_ be wise? ^Of course I can offer him some money as
0490L01 compensation but where is the guarantee that money will silence him? ^He
0500L01 might want to_ see the dead body, he might ask to_ be taken to the police
0510L01 station. ^If the \0S.I. told him about the marks of injury on the
0520L01 body the old man might think that we had beaten his son to death. ^He
0530L01 must have had a fall the night before, otherwise why should there be
0540L01 bruises and clotted blood on his body? ^No, on second thoughts I
0550L01 decided not to_ look for Ganesh. ^*I could go back and tell Aditi
0560L01 that I did not find him. $^She had jotted down their address somewhere,
0570L01 but couldn*'4t find it. ^It was her suggestion that I find out
0580L01 Ganesh*'s whereabouts. ^Poor man, let him have a last look at his
0590L01 dead son. ^He doesn*'4t have long to_ live, poor thing! $^It was
0600L01 all very well for Aditi to_ indulge in such noble sentiments. ^She
0610L01 couldn*'4t know the consequences. ^But the trouble is I could not very
0620L01 well admit to her that I was afraid, afraid of the man too. ^And
0630L01 I could not bear the thought of going down in her esteem, either.
0640L01 $^*Palan*'s death had aroused all kinds of self-doubt in me. ^Yes, I
0650L01 am inferior. ^*Aditi was genuinely sorry for the old father and her
0660L01 grief for the poor boy is real, whereas I am reluctant even to_ look for
0670L01 Ganesh in case the old man comes and makes trouble. ^He might tell the
0680L01 police that he had left his son in the care of this *4Babu, who should
0690L01 be responsible for the consequences. $^But how can the old man shirk
0700L01 his own responsibility? ^Would it be fair to_ put all the blame on me?
0710L01 all I wanted was a young servant. ^But hadn*'4t this greedy old man
0720L01 given away his own son for twenty rupees a month?
0730L01 ^Didn*'4t he try to_ bribe him by giving him a couple of *4jalebis? ^*I
0740L01 don*'4t pretend to_ sit in judgment on him. ^But is there not a true
0750L01 judge anywhere? ^If there is, then a just enquiry into the death will prove
0760L01 that I am blameless. $^But I must phone my office. ^*I stepped
0770L01 into a chemist*'s shop and asked if I could use their telephone.
0780L01 $^The man shook his head rudely, waving me out. ^There was no alternative
0790L01 but to_ walk up to the post-office. '^Who is speaking? ^*Jaydeep
0800L01 here, yes, Jaydeep, I am in a bit of a soup, *4dada. ^Won*'4t
0810L01 be able to_ come-- yes. ^Did you say Ghose *4Saheb? ^He
0820L01 was asking for me? ^What for?.. ^Oh yes, yes, it is in the left hand
0830L01 drawer. ^Of course I am coming tomorrow. ^Most certainly. ^Please
0840L01 do try to_ manage today. ^Bye now.' $^*I wondered why Ghose
0850L01 was asking for me. ^In the short time that he had been at the office
0860L01 he succeeded in making himself a thorough nuisance. ^Finding fault
0870L01 with others as though he were a paragon of efficiency himself. ^All
0880L01 *3he*0 knows is how to_ hold a spoon and a fork. ^That_*'1s all
0890L01 he is good for. ^Bribes are a part of his daily routine.
0900L01 ^Of course, your ability is judged by the amount of bribes taken. ^Times
0910L01 have changed, but I still value some old-fashioned virtues such as
0920L01 honesty and a hatred for the corrupt. ^But who knows-- in all likelihood
0930L01 I, too, might be forced to_ offer bribes. ^Wouldn*'4t that_
0940L01 be a tragic irony? ^But one has to_ survive. ^It might be my last
0950L01 resort. ^Though the \0SI. did appear to_ be a gentleman.
0960L01 ^I wouldn*'4t even know how to_ offer a bribe. ^Suppose the man I
0970L01 offered money to happened to_ be straight? ^Then the whole thing would
0980L01 turn against me. what would I do then? $^Time was hanging
0990L01 heavy. ^It was still some hours before they expected me at the police
1000L01 station. ^I couldn*'4t think of anywhere to_ go and pass the time.
1010L01 ^*Parameswar *4babu would not be available before early evening.
1020L01 ^It now seemed as though my peace of mind depended on my visiting him.
1030L01 ^He alone would be able to_ put me at ease. $^For a moment I thought
1040L01 of going home. ^But what would I do there? ^*I would be restless.
1050L01 ^*I walked along the footpath till I came to a tea-shop. ^*I
1060L01 asked for a cup of tea and lit a cigarette. ^Absentmindedly, I
1070L01 gazed at the thin line of smoke coming out of my cigarette. ^*I felt
1080L01 vaguely suffocated. ^Suddenly, I noticed the smoke was not floating
1090L01 up, but seemed to_ be dissolving. ^*I realised my hand was shaking
1100L01 . $^Suppose my hands continued to_ shake before the \0S.I.? ^*I
1110L01 began to_ sweat. ^That_ would give him the wrong impression.
1120L01 ^If a man is innocent why should he look scared? ^Oh no, that_ would
1130L01 not do at all. ^On the contrary, I must act in an off-hand, casual
1140L01 manner. ^But there was one other point to_ consider. ^After
1150L01 all, there is a tragic aspect to the whole thing. ^If I make a show
1160L01 of nervousness and grief they might feel sorry for me. ^My face must
1170L01 wear a suitably helpless expression. ^They would probably let go
1180L01 out of pity. $^As it turned out, I had been worrying unnecessarily.
1190L01 ^*I came out of the police station and jumped onto a tram.
1200L01 ^*I was feeling very free. ^Now for Parameswar *4babu at Keyatola.
1210L01 ^*I needed the advice of someone wise and experienced. $^The \0S.I.
1220L01 was not in his office when I went to_ see him. ^He had gone
1230L01 out on some enquiry, I was told. ^Four or five tables filled up the
1240L01 spaces in the room. ^Two people were busy writing. ^*I had to_ repeat
1250L01 my question before one of them looked up. '^Please sit down.
1260L01 ^He will be coming any minute now,' he said absentmindedly. ^*I could
1270L01 overhear the \0O.C. in the next room. ^He was shouting at
1280L01 someone with enough venom in his voice to_ strike terror in the bravest
1290L01 heart. ^The lock-up rooms were on the other side of the door where
1300L01 some people in dirty rags sat huddled together. ^They gazed at the
1310L01 people coming and going with vacant expressions. ^The entire setting
1320L01 was most depressing. $^Presently the \0S.I. hurried back to
1330L01 the station. ^He began to_ relate with relish the amusing enquiry
1340L01 he had just conducted, to his colleagues at the other tables. ^Then
1350L01 he concentrated on putting the files on his table in order. ^While
1360L01 still at it, he spoke to me. '^The body has been sent for post-mortem.
1370L01 ^*I am sure you will want a cremation of some sort. ^Please go
1380L01 and find out tomorrow.' ^He gave me the address. ^After a pause
1390L01 he added, "^Did the child have any relation? could you get in
1400L01 touch with them?". $"^*I am still looking for them," I said which
1410L01 was a lie. ^*I had no desire to_ trace his relations. ^*I must
1420L01 find out from Parameswar *4babu whether the old father would mean more
1430L01 trouble for me or if his coming would be to my advantage. $^*Parameswar
1440L01 *4babu had a trim and modern house in the quiet neighbourhood of
1450L01 Keyatola. ^*I liked both the house and the locality. ^*I had been
1460L01 to this house a couple of times when my father was alive. ^The lawyer
1470L01 used to_ be a good friend, one whom my father held in great regard.
1480L01 $^But I could not locate it at first, because other houses of
1490L01 the same type have come up, giving the place a different look. ^The
1500L01 gulmohar tree next to his house had grown, adding to the unfamiliar effect.
1510L01 ^*I was not convinced till I saw his name-plate on the gate.
1520L01 ^His chamber was to my right as I walked in. ^*I could see him
1530L01 reading in the light of a table lamp; his hair had thinned and turned
1540L01 grey. ^He has a strikingly fair complexion, even the bald patch gave
1550L01 off a pink glow. ^His serge *4kurta was fresh and crisp and buttoned
1560L01 up to the neck. ^A lot of clients crowded the seat facing him.
1570L01 $^*I opened the gate and tip-toed in, trying my best not to_ prevent
1580L01 my shoes from creaking. ^*I did not want to_ desturb him when he was
1590L01 concentrating on complex legal tangles. ^*I stood by silently,
1600L01 hoping to_ catch his eye, but he did not look up. $^*I looked around.
1610L01 ^The clients were clutching impressive-looking files. ^His clerk
1620L01 was typing away with gusto in another part of the room. ^A girl in
1630L01 a dazzling white *4sari with a black border sat by him, her head bent,
1640L01 writing something. ^Her white blouse had a collar like a shirt. ^*I
1640L01 noticed that_.*#
        **[no. of words = 02013**]

        **[txt. l02**]
0020L02 **<*3Trail of Evil**0**> $^*Damodar had recovered enough to_ cover the
0030L02 twin apartment buildings as a salesman of contraband goods. ^His
0040L02 friends would not have recognized him in his special outfit of clothes,
0050L02 turban and heavy moustache. ^He carried a small box on his head, and
0060L02 twirled in his hand a walking stick. ^The stick he explained later,
0070L02 was to_ ward off urchins and other troublesome characters. $^He
0080L02 had carefully watched the activities going on in some of the so-called
0090L02 garages. ^He saw boxes, packed and crated, ready for a voyage by
0100L02 sea. ^He noticed the crates were being wrapped in oil cloth.
0110L02 ^One garage held empty wooden boxes. ^They had been brought with goods
0120L02 in a large truck, covered with oil cloth. ^The watchman, whose palm
0130L02 had been generously greased, described the large crates that_ looked
0140L02 like little rooms. ^When he was asked to whom the goods belonged the
0150L02 man simply raised his eyes to the flats above. $^*Damodar had no
0160L02 difficulty in gaining access to the flats where the watchman had assured
0170L02 him he would find ready customers. ^He was directed to a third floor
0180L02 flat in Shanti Bhavan. ^He carried cosmetics, foreign
0190L02 perfumes, foreign cigarettes and lighters. ^He was eagerly invited
0200L02 into the sitting room where half a dozen teenage girls, fair and pretty,
0210L02 sparsely clad in flimsy robes, began to_ snatch at the aricles.
0220L02 ^The man drew back, alarmed, and the girls laughed. ^He was
0230L02 prepared to_ beat a retreat, but someone from inside rebuked the girls.
0240L02 ^Their merriment subsided. ^One of the girls said loudly,
0250L02 "Kamlajee, it*'1s all right. ^We want money to_ pay the man." $^*Kamlajee,
0260L02 a plump woman in her forties, pleasant of countenance, came
0270L02 out dragging her loose *4saree along, pleating and trying to_ tuck in
0280L02 the folds. ^She looked at the man with alarm in her eyes as her fingers
0290L02 were busy hooking the front of her *4choli. ^The man*'s eyes were modestly
0300L02 averted. ^He was more concerned about his wares, being frightened
0310L02 of the harpies surrounding him. ^The bargaining began, the
0320L02 girls trying to_ beat down the prices. ^The man said he must consult
0330L02 his boss. ^One girl said she would like to_ talk to his boss. ^The
0340L02 man shook his head, but he was careful to_ note the number of the telephone
0350L02 which happened to_ be near by. $^At this point Kamlajee said
0360L02 she would call Meerajee, and ask her to_ come over. ^She might like
0370L02 to_ buy some things for her girls. ^The man had time to_ study
0380L02 the room. ^It was large, and the floor was covered with thick
0390L02 carpets. ^The girls were lolling or siting idly on the carpets which
0400L02 were strewn with pillows and cushions that_ had silk covers. ^There
0410L02 were a few chairs, but nobody seemed to_ be interested in them.
0420L02 $^Soon Meerajee arrived. ^Fair, slender, tall, and looking younger
0430L02 than Kamlajee, she glided in gracefully. ^She smiled all around.
0440L02 ^One of the girls brought a chair for her. "^Thank you, Sita,"
0450L02 she said. $^The merchandise was spread out, and carefully examined.
0460L02 ^*Meerajee agreed with the man that the prices were moderate.
0470L02 ^She wanted to_ buy the whole lot, and asked Kamlajee to_ bring
0480L02 the money. ^Kamlajee quickly brought a large purse, and gave it to
0490L02 Meerajee. ^The total amount was calculated and rounded off to seven
0500L02 hundred rupees, in favour of the seller. ^The money was paid in
0510L02 ten and five rupee notes, most of the notes marked by stains and holes.
0520L02 ^*Damodar did not object. $^*Meerajee said, "Let the man go
0530L02 now. ^*I shall take some of these things." $^The man could not help
0540L02 noting that the girls looked dejected, resigned. ^Nobody presented
0550L02 a picture of health. ^Nobody was bursting with happiness; there
0560L02 was no expectation of sharing in the articles bought. $^So reported
0570L02 Damodar to Major Murthy, after divesting himself of his disguise.
0580L02 ^He appeared in his shirt and pants, but his mind was still in Kamlajee*'s
0590L02 flat. "^What a fate for such young girls! ^Not one of
0600L02 them had any jewels, not even glass bangles. ^*Major, I wish you
0610L02 could do something to_ rescue those unfortunate girls. ^Can*'4t
0620L02 you get them back to their parents?" $"^It is possible for them to_
0630L02 have been abducted. ^Also possible the parents sold them to the highest
0640L02 bidder." ^He paused, trying to_ remember something. "^*I
0650L02 know what you could do. ^*Damodar, forget the girls. ^Perhaps
0660L02 we can bell the cats-- Kamlajee and Meerajee. ^Do you remember
0670L02 their faces? ^*I want you to_ sketch them. ^We need pictures for
0680L02 identification of Kamlajee and Meerajee." $^*Hari carefully took
0690L02 down Damodar*'s report on the twin buildings. ^He put aside the
0700L02 file, and turned to the telephone. ^He had been calling the Gupta*'s
0710L02 residence now and then to_ ask how everybody was. ^Now Baby
0720L02 answered, "^You have not been to_ see us. ^When are you coming?
0730L02 ^We are waiting for Kumar. ^*Priya is depressed, do come." $^He
0740L02 said he would like to_ talk to Priya. ^*Baby called her to the
0750L02 phone, and sitting away, watched her sister*'s face. ^*Baby remarked,
0760L02 "^Blushes, blushes! ^He is proposing to her!" ^*Priya threw
0770L02 a book at her. ^*Baby snorted, "Fairy tales-- all fairy tales,"
0780L02 and ran away. $^*Hari had to_ stop, "^Please excuse me, Priya.
0790L02 ^Inspector D*'3Souza is here, just come in. ^*I will call
0800L02 you later." $^*Hari saw his father taking the Inspector into the
0810L02 study, and he followed them. ^As they settled down in their chairs,
0820L02 he sat at the table, ready with paper and pen.
0830L02 $^The Inspector began, "I*'3m afraid I don*'4t have much information.
0840L02 ^*I realize the cave site is the most important target to_ concentrate
0850L02 on, to_ start with. ^Well, I was able to_ make two trips,
0860L02 one by day and the other by night. ^The police patrol launch,
0870L02 camouflaged of course, was used both times. ^There were three men with
0880L02 me. ^We were all in plain clothes, but armed, and carried our identity
0890L02 cards as well as warrants, in case they were required. ^You never
0900L02 know how situations may develop, and you have to_ be prepared for all
0910L02 emergencies". ^He paused, "^We managed to_ get some photographs".
0920L02 ^Taking them out of his pocket, he spread them in two separate
0930L02 lots on the table for Major Murthy and Hari to_ study. ^He
0940L02 explained, "^This set shows the day pictures; the other lot was taken at
0950L02 night. ^All show the coastal areas north and south of the cave
0960L02 site. ^We have some idea of the distances from Bandra and Mahim
0970L02 Creek." $"^The boats we saw going into the cave operated
0980L02 mostly at high tide, and when the wind was favourable. ^The movement
0990L02 outward was at night. ^At low tide the rocks are bared over large
1000L02 areas. ^There was no fishing going on, nobody was around."
1010L02 $"^All this is for background information. ^Now for our plan,
1020L02 I suggest that armed with arrest warrants we carry out official raids
1030L02 to_ seize the persons behind the racket and confiscate the goods that_
1040L02 are carried in and out. ^We must cover from the top, sides and front;
1050L02 get into the tunnels, and find out what activities are going on there.
1060L02 ^*Priya*'s description of glass jars with foetuses, of screaming
1070L02 girls, rows of beds, smell of spirit and either-- all point to some
1080L02 kind of laboratory work with diabolical intent." $^*Major Murthy
1090L02 said, "Congrats, Inspector, you have explored quite a good bit.
1100L02 ^You have only to_ go ahead with the rest of the plan as you have
1110L02 just outlined." $"^You will be interested to_ know that information
1120L02 collected in town links the cave activities, specially with
1130L02 regard to the white woman; and Sam is somehow in the background too.
1140L02 ^The cave is also linked to a network of illegal activities going on in
1150L02 two high-rise buildings on Malabar Hill. $"^Rumour has it that Sam
1160L02 and his so-called wife, Helen, the white woman in the picture, spend
1170L02 weekends in Juhu, and reside in Marine Drive during the week; also
1180L02 visiting Poona now and then. ^*Sam is Managing Director of 'Moulded
1190L02 Plastics and Chemicals'. ^There is a foreigner, Victor Richardson,
1200L02 a collaborator." $^Inspector D*'3Souza explained his
1210L02 plans. "^*I shall be conferring with police officials in town-- in
1220L02 Greater Bombay-- perhaps Poona as well. ^*I am in no hurry to_
1230L02 bring in Customs. ^The crime of kidnapping has to_ be
1240L02 investigated first." $^They were silent for a while, thinking.
1250L02 $"^*Major Murthy, I would appreciate you giving a little
1260L02 time in explaining to me some of the facts you have collected."
1270L02 $"^Why don*'4t you glance through the files that_ Hari has prepared?
1280L02 ^The material is all there under different categories. ^Can you
1290L02 do it now?" $"^*I can do it now, if I may sit right here,
1300L02 and study the files. ^You go ahead with your own work." $"\0^*Mr
1310L02 Gupta*'s son, Kumar, who rushed home from his studies abroad, has
1320L02 gone to Nagpur to_ see his aunt. ^She is \0Mrs Gupta*'s sister,
1330L02 married to Sam. ^Apparently they are now awaiting Kumar*'s return,
1340L02 hoping his aunt will come with him. $"^By the way, Jimmy, I wish you
1350L02 could get Ganga to_ confess. ^You know she is in police custody.
1360L02 ^She has knowledge of the Nagpur aunt. ^She had told \0Mr Gupta*'s
1370L02 servant that Priya and Baby should take lessons in dancing, that
1380L02 the dance teacher was a white woman." $"^Yes, Major, I
1390L02 shall certainly see about Ganga*'s confession. ^She did have a hand
1400L02 in the Kidnapping. ^She has to_ be told what kind of punishment to_
1410L02 expect for her share in the crime. ^She can be dragged to court to_
1420L02 give evidence. ^Only we don*'4t want publicity till we can get the criminals
1430L02 into our net. $"^You did mention the Bonn business.
1440L02 ^We have to_ know how these foreign characters entered the country.
1450L02 ^Appearently no passport or visa was needed by them." $^*Hari observed.
1460L02 "^They must have been smuggled into the country by sea-- into
1470L02 the cave." $^Inspector D*'3Souza scanned the files, muttering to
1480L02 himself at times. ^He took out his pocket book, and scribbled his notes.
1490L02 after a while he turned to Major Murthy, "^There*'1s something
1500L02 on my mind. ^The party at Blue Heaven." $"^Inspector, I*'3ve
1510L02 got some men to_ cover that_. ^They are trying to_ get the details--
1520L02 date, time, list of guests, host or hosts, food items \0etc. ^*Jimmy,
1530L02 please alert your colleagues. ^We need to_ smuggle in some of our own
1540L02 people. ^*Hari is looking forward to being a waiter, carrying drinks.
1550L02 ^*Ashok, \0Dr Gopal*'s son, will carry a tray of tidbits. ^And
1560L02 Kumar as the young scientist returned from abroad, all with different
1570L02 names, of course, and suitably disguised." $"^What about you and
1580L02 me,Major? ^We must get on to the list of invitees. ^Please telephone
1590L02 me. ^We must get in more of our boys." ^He paused. "^*I won*'4t
1600L02 forget about getting Ganga*'s confession. ^*I*'3ll see to
1610L02 it immediately." $^As the Inspector was about to_ leave the Major
1620L02 asked. "^There must be someone pulling the strings. ^What do you
1630L02 say?" $^When the police raid the residences of the suspects and get
1640L02 some confessions, they usually find a *4dada or two in the background.
1650L02 ^In my investigations I have come across such. ^*I can tell you
1660L02 they are mighty powerful fellows-- and dangerous customers." $^As a
1670L02 result of Inspector D*'3Souza*'s move in the matter, the police officer
1680L02 in charge of the lock-up where Ganga was held telephoned Major Murthy
1690L02 to_ come over. ^When Major Murthy hastened to the place, he was
1700L02 given a paper. ^It was the signed confession of Ganga, attested by
1710L02 two witnesses. $^The confession read: "^My name is Ganga.
1720L02 ^My husband is Tulsi Ram. ^He is cook in Jaswant *4Sahib*'s
1730L02 house in Poona. ^*I was doing *4ayah*'s work in the house. ^About
1740L02 a year ago a foreign woman came on a visit. ^She said *4Memsahib*'s
1750L02 sister had given the Poona address. ^She would come suddenly, and
1760L02 stay on. ^At first she was nice to *4Memsahib and the children.
1770L02 $"^Then she began to_ shout at everybody. *4^*Sahib would be in the
1780L02 office, or in Bombay. ^At night she would call me from my room,
1790L02 and weep.*#
        **[no. of words = 02009**]

        **[txt. l03**]
0020L03 **<*3The Isaac Docket*0**>
0030L03 $^It took me a long time to_ find a path... such as it was... but it
0040L03 helped. ^*I trudged up the rain-drenched forest, slipping, grazing
0050L03 my ankles, bumping against trees and over-hanging branches, once dislodging
0060L03 a stone which went crashing down the hill and sent a bird squawking
0070L03 in protest. $^The rain was quite a downpour and it had begun to_
0080L03 soak through my clothes: my collar was drenched and the waist-band of
0090L03 my trousers was soaked with a tiny runnel of cold water trickling into
0100L03 my groin. ^But the homer still beeped steadily and I knew that I was
0110L03 going in the right direction. $^And then I didn*'4t need the homer
0120L03 any more. ^Before me, cutting a swathe across the trees, was a
0130L03 stretch of clearing slicing around the hill. ^And all down the middle-line
0140L03 of the clearing, barring my way, was a barbed-wire fence: four
0150L03 feet high, three feet broad, neatly stretched between two rows of steel
0160L03 posts. ^Every seven meters or so a mercury-vapour lamp threw
0170L03 a glaring light over the entire scene. $^*I had expected something
0180L03 of the sort. ^*I stepped back into the shadow of the trees and
0190L03 began to_ walk through the forest parallel to the illuminated barrier.
0200L03 ^*I was certain that there was a way in: I only hoped I would find
0210L03 it soon, before the cold got to me again. $^*I located it after
0220L03 seventeen minutes. ^The ground had been getting increasingly rocky,
0230L03 rising slightly and the rain was pelting down so heavily that the
0240L03 roar of it on the leaves drowned the sound of the stream. ^If I
0250L03 hadn'4t been keeping my eyes on the ground because of the uncertain terrain,
0260L03 I might have slipped down the ravine and wrenched a muscle.
0270L03 ^As it was I just managed to_ grab onto a tree in time to_ prevent myself
0280L03 from sliding down the bank into the gushing water. $^*I gripped
0290L03 the trunk and looked at the angry rivulet. ^The stream arose somewhere
0300L03 up the hill, well within the estate, and had cut a deep course
0310L03 for itself in its mad race to the valley. ^The fence builders had
0320L03 known that this was one of their weakest points and they had put two
0330L03 of the lamps close together on either side of the stream as it passed
0340L03 under the fence; they had even stretched some strands of wire across the
0350L03 1 1/2 meter gorge the stream had cut for itself under the fence, but
0360L03 they couldn*'4t fence the entire depth of the ravine. ^Below the last
0370L03 strand there was a good 3/4 of a meter of clear space above the foaming
0380L03 water. $^*I didn*'4t wait to_ think. ^*I let go of the tree
0390L03 and leapt into the stream and started slogging up towards the fence
0400L03 before the cold could hit me. ^But that_ didn*'4t take long.
0410L03 ^The water was calf deep but it kept rising as the sides of the gorge got
0420L03 higher and higher and though the lights were bright above, here, in
0430L03 the icy stream, the shadows were deep and, after the glare outside,
0440L03 I found it difficult to_ see where I was going. ^The rocks were
0450L03 slippery underfoot and the force of the water tore at me as it roared down.
0460L03 $^My feet were numb with cold when I paused at the edge of the
0470L03 clearing. ^The rain was a curtain before me, haloed in the brightness
0480L03 of the two lights. ^*I couldn*'4t see beyond the fence and I
0490L03 imagined goons with guns waiting there in the darkness. ^And then
0500L03 I realised that it was my imagination and if I stayed any longer I*'1d
0510L03 be too numb to_ move. $^*I bent my head against the driving
0520L03 rain and trudged across the open stretch, walking knee-deep in foaming
0530L03 water. ^And then I took a deep breath, ducked, and plunging
0540L03 neck-deep into the roaring torrent, crawled crab-fashion under the broad,
0550L03 barbed-wire, fence. $^*I don*'4t know how I got through.
0560L03 ^The water squeezed the air from my lungs like a huge icy fist and the
0570L03 spray flicked frigid slivers at my face and hands. ^*I gasped with the
0580L03 crippling cold and the tearing spray and felt as if the blood had left
0590L03 my body and I was too numb and lifeless even to_ shiver. ^*I began
0600L03 to_ feel sleepy and fought that_ with all the strength I could muster,
0610L03 while the water roared and pounded at me and the spray sliced across
0620L03 my face, blinding with its lacerating chill. $^And then I was
0630L03 through. ^The awful fence was behind me and the violence of the stream
0640L03 had abated as it spread out between sloping banks to_ stretch into a
0650L03 rain-dimpled expanse of marsh. $^*I wanted to_ rest, to_ lie down
0660L03 and sleep in the pouring rain, but I knew I must not give in.
0670L03 ^*I drew the damp air into my tortured, frozen lungs and bending forward
0680L03 forced my legs to_ move, to_ stumble, to_ run awkwardly up the slope
0690L03 away from the revealing fence. $^How long I ran I do not know,
0700L03 or in what direction. ^*I stopped only when my legs couldn*'4t
0710L03 take it any more and my lungs felt as if they were soggy bellows squelching
0720L03 in my throat. ^But feeling had returned and there was even a thin
0730L03 film of sweat mingling with the cold rain on my drenched skin. ^*I
0740L03 leant against the bole of a tree, breathing in great gulps of damp air.
0750L03 $^*I realised then that I was out of condition. ^That_ damned
0760L03 enforced rest that_ the plastic surgeon had imposed on me had made me
0770L03 soft. ^*I thought of the *4Kumbh affair and my insane leap across
0780L03 the howling vortex with the steel cable cutting into my face and my chest
0790L03 and my hands as I slid down it to the vicious Projectile...
0800L03 $^Through the vivid scar of these memories I heard the guard-dogs barking
0810L03 and I shook my head and roused myself. ^Adrenalin pumped into my
0820L03 system releasing the reserves of strength and I began to_ run again:
0830L03 but this time I had the homer to my ear and was directing my feet
0840L03 by its call. $^The rain had slowed to a drizzle and the moon was
0850L03 trying, fitfully, to_ seep through the scudding clouds. ^*I thought
0860L03 only of running and of Sonia and not of my own tiredness or of the cold
0870L03 or the dogs that_ barked somewhere in the darkness. ^Instictively
0880L03 I headed for the stream again and was running along its bank: a memory
0890L03 dredged from my childhood when I hunted pheasant in the Himalayas
0900L03 and streams were the easiest way through the forests. $^The dogs
0910L03 had stopped barking for some time and I thought they had lost my scent
0920L03 when I stepped into another clearing. ^The stream had spread into
0930L03 a rocky pool... an irregular stretch, four meters across with the
0940L03 moon shining down on it... when the man and the two dogs stepped into sight
0950L03 at the other end. $^*I don*'4t know who was more shocked, the
0960L03 gun-carrying guard or I, but the dogs were quick off the mark.
0970L03 ^They growled, barked, and came after me. $^Fear jolted through me
0980L03 again. ^*I spun round and stumbled back the way I had come but I
0990L03 could hear the animals crashing through the undergrowth behind me and the
1000L03 man was blowing his whistle furiously, trying to_ pin me in the beam
1010L03 of his torch. ^The rain had stopped and the moon was bright in the
1020L03 forest but my heart was thudding in my throat and the damned hounds were
1030L03 gaining on me. $^And then I stumbled on a tree root and fell and
1040L03 the lead dog growled once and leapt at me.
1050L03 $^Self-preservation is a matter of reflexes: the fitter you are the quicker
1060L03 the response. ^*I wasn*'4t very fit now but I had honed my reflexes
1070L03 by grinding discipline and so I reacted without thinking. ^*I
1080L03 rolled as the beast growled and it overshot me and landed in the undergrowth
1090L03 ahead and then I was on my feet. ^The stream was a broad *8exe
1100L03 panshere*9... at least four meters across... and it was more instinct
1110L03 than reasoning that_ caused me to_ drag out the sandwiches from the
1120L03 thigh pocket, tear the grease-proof paper so that the aroma of the hamburgers
1130L03 escaped, and fling them as the second hound emerged and the first
1140L03 came crashing back at me. ^And then I turned and plunged into the
1150L03 stream, high-stepping through the ooze and slime at the bottom, urging
1160L03 myself forward. ^The man yelled and then there was the crack of
1170L03 a rifle and something smacked into a tree ahead. ^*I gasped and then
1180L03 my feet touched firm ground again. ^*I threw myself forward on the
1190L03 damp turf and crawled into the concealing dark of the underbrush.
1200L03 $^*I lay there with my face on the wet, loamy-smelling ground, drawing
1210L03 the air into my exhausted lungs, trying to_ stay as quiet as possible.
1220L03 ^My head was swimming and my eyes were heavy but I forced
1230L03 them open and peered through the bush. ^The man had reached his animals
1240L03 and he was shining his torch on them, his voice sharp with annoyance.
1250L03 ^But the dogs... surly mastiffs both of them... were growling and
1260L03 snapping at each other, intent on eating the food I had thrown.
1270L03 $^*I crawled slowly out of sight of the clearing, got to my feet and
1280L03 began to_ run again. ^The homing signals were coming in loud and clear
1290L03 now so I knew Sonia must be close. ^The trees were thinning
1300L03 out too and I got an occasional glimpse of light ahead. ^Somewhere
1310L03 behind me a whistle blew and, sharply, another answered on my left.
1320L03 ^That_ one was close. ^*I slowed to a walk and moved cautiously
1330L03 through the wet, moon-dappled, forest. $^The factory leapt into
1340L03 view very suddenly. ^One moment I was walking through the trees,
1350L03 the next I was looking across a moon-reflecting lake to a spread
1360L03 of white buildings beyond. ^Between me and the lake... a thirty meter
1370L03 wide cement reservoir... there was a vertical fence, three meters high,
1380L03 with twelve tautly-stretched strands of barbed wire. $^If I
1390L03 had more time, or if I was less tired, I would have waited. ^But
1400L03 time was running short and the beep-beep-beep of the homer told me that
1410L03 Sonia was in one of those buildings beyond. ^Besides, the sounds
1420L03 of the whistles and the barking of the dogs was closing in. ^*I
1430L03 made a rough calculation: there couldn*'4t be more than five guards
1440L03 on duty and of these, two were this side of the fence. ^It was a little
1450L03 past four in the morning and the chances were that the rest of the
1460L03 goons were asleep. $^The whistle blew again and its companion answered
1470L03 it and the dogs barked, nearer this time. ^That_ decided it.
1480L03 ^*I reached into the hip pocket of my trousers, pulled out a pair of wire
1490L03 cutters and stepped upto the fence. $^The cutters were good: they
1500L03 worked on an ingenious lever-ratchet system and I had to_ press twice
1510L03 only for the strand to_ snap and go winging back. ^*I could have
1520L03 squeezed through then but I wasn*'4t taking chances. ^*I snipped
1530L03 through a second and a third strand and then I stepped through.
1540L03 $^And I put my foot on a trip wire and the whole damned place began
1550L03 to_ yowl and hoot with blaring sirens. $^The impact after the stillness
1560L03 was shattering. ^One moment my ears were attuned for the crack
1570L03 of a twig, the next they were being battered by the barrage of sound
1580L03 that_ buffeted me from all sides. $^*I crouched and began to_ run
1590L03 round the cemented edge of the lake-reservoir when I saw doors opening
1600L03 and men tumbling out of the nearest building. ^*I had no option.
1610L03 ^*I kicked off my shoes, slipped them into the lake, and let myself
1620L03 slide gently into the water. ^It was warmer than I had expected;
1630L03 probably used for cooling machines in the factory. ^It buoyed
1640L03 me up and soothed me and for a moment I forgot my anxiety in the luxury
1650L03 of the warmth.*#
        **[no. of words = 02021**]

        **[txt. l04**]
0020L04 **<*3SNAPPED*0**> **[leader comment begin**] $*3^Why was the furtive
0030L04 Englishman so keen on photographing a nonentity from India? ^It was
0040L04 a baffling question.*0 **[end leader comment**] $*3^THE*0 first time
0050L04 that_ unknown Englishman took my photograph was in Innsbruck, Austria,
0060L04 where I had gone to_ witness the Winter Olympics. ^*I remember
0070L04 I was skiing down a lonely slope when suddenly a man in a bright red
0080L04 sweater and yellow cap darted out from behind a pine tree, knelt on the snow
0090L04 and focused a camera on me. ^After he had taken a couple of shots
0100L04 he sprang back behind the tree and disappeared into the forest beyond.
0110L04 $^*I shook my head, unable to_ understand this sudden photographic
0120L04 interest in a wobbly, shaky, incompetent skier like myself. ^Possibly
0130L04 the man wanted a human figure to_ complete his picture of the landscape
0140L04 and I just happened along. ^But why this furtiveness? $^My
0150L04 curiosity and perplexity heightened the following morning as I stood on
0160L04 my hotel balcony cleaning and testing my binoculars for use at the Olympics
0170L04 that_ day. ^As I scanned the sprawling alpine valley below, a
0180L04 distant glint caused by the reflection of sunlight on glass disturbed
0190L04 me. ^*I ran my binoculars along the snow and stopped where the figure
0200L04 of a man in a bright red sweater and yellow cap came into view. ^The
0210L04 glint was being caused by a camera fitted, no doubt, with a telephoto
0220L04 lens. ^The camera was focused in the direction of my balcony and
0230L04 the man was clicking away in great haste. ^When he lowered his equipment
0240L04 momentarily I knew for certain that it was the same Englishman who
0250L04 had snapped me the day before on that_ lonely ski slope. $^*I was,
0260L04 to_ say the least, baffled. ^Why on earth was the Englishman so keen
0270L04 to_ get my photograph? ^What was his motive? ^He was certainly
0280L04 taking a lot of trouble to_ snap me, because not only had he managed to_
0290L04 trace the hotel I was staying in, but also the number of my room.
0300L04 ^And he must have stood quite a while in the snow waiting for me to_ make
0310L04 an appearance on my balcony. $^Unable to_ understand the whole thing
0320L04 I slowly turned and entered my room and drew the curtains. ^Through
0330L04 a slight parting I focussed my binoculars on the mysterious Englishman
0340L04 and found him staring intently in the direction of my balcony.
0350L04 ^For the first time I began to_ get a slightly uneasy feeling. $^Was
0360L04 he a member of some intelligence agency or something of the kind?
0370L04 ^But what possible interest could anybody have in a simple, law-abiding
0380L04 and drab Indian like myself who was on a visit to Austria for no other
0390L04 reason than that he had some money to_ spare-- and wanted to_ fulfil
0400L04 a long-standling ambition to witness the Olympics? $^Was the man a Hollywood
0410L04 talent scout on the lookout for potential star material? ^But
0420L04 it was my belief that the only person who found my looks appealing was
0430L04 my wife. ^Perhaps I had the sort of face that_ some Hollywood
0440L04 producer wanted for a particular role... ^Still where was the need for
0450L04 all this surreptitious photographing? ^All he had to_ do was come
0460L04 up with a proposal and I would have signed along the dotted line.
0470L04 $^*I was in for a bigger surprise later that_ day at the venue of the Olympics.
0480L04 ^*I had managed to_ get a ringside seat at the huge ice-skating
0490L04 rink where the world*'s top figure-skaters were competing. ^A
0500L04 few minutes after the competition had begun my attention was diverted towards
0510L04 the \0VIP enclosure where a sudden flurry of activity had erupted.
0520L04 ^As I watched, the Prime Minister of Switzerland was ushered
0530L04 in accompanied by the Shah and Empress of Iran and their three children,
0540L04 the Aga Khan and his Begum, Senator Edward Kennedy and his wife
0550L04 and an unidentifiable middle-aged Englishman. ^It was the sight
0560L04 of this Englishman that_ almost took my breath away-- he was none other
0570L04 than the mysterious photographer who had been taking such pains during
0580L04 the last two days to_ take my picture! $^*I stared hard at him but failed
0590L04 to_ place him. ^There was little doubt, however, that he was a
0600L04 man of consequence. ^This was evident from the august company he was
0610L04 found in. ^It only added to the mystery: why should a man of his
0620L04 importance bother to_ photograph a nonentity from India? ^Once again
0630L04 I shook my head in total bewilderment. ^*I just didn*'4t know what
0640L04 to_ make of the whole thing. $*3^*I WAS*0 to_ run into the Englishman
0650L04 once more before leaving Austria for home. ^*I remember it was
0660L04 my last evening in the country. ^The Olympic meet was over and I
0670L04 was taking a stroll down Innsbruck*'s main street before dinner at my hotel,
0680L04 when I suddenly saw a camera pop up before me through an opening
0690L04 in the crowd of people ahead. ^There was a sudden explosion of a flashbulb.
0700L04 ^*I was blinded momentorily and when I recovered
0701L04 I saw the Englishman striding hurriedly through the crowd
0710L04 , clutching his camera. ^*I rushed after him determined to_ get the
0720L04 bottom of the whole thing, but he was soon swallowed up by the crowd.
0730L04 $^Slowly I made my way back to the hotel. ^*I felt unnerved.
0740L04 ^After all nobody likes to_ be followed and photographed in the middle
0750L04 of a street in a foreign country for no earthly reason. ^But I consoled
0760L04 myself with the thought that I would be leaving for home the next
0770L04 day and that_ would mean the end of the Englishman*'s interest in me.
0780L04 ^In all probability I would never set eyes on him again. $^How wrong
0790L04 I was. $^After leaving Austria the following morning I found
0800L04 myself in Paris. ^*I spent two riotous days in this glorious city,
0810L04 then made for the south of France to_ do a spot of gambling in the
0820L04 casinos of Cannes and Nice, then pushed on to Monaco*'s gaming tables.
0830L04 ^*I made a neat packet which I finished off at Rome before catching
0840L04 the non-stop Air-India flight to Bombay. ^After a brief halt
0850L04 there to_ attend to some business matters, I flew to Delhi and
0860L04 cought the overnight Kalka Mail which finally deposited me at my
0870L04 home in Simla . $*3^AT*0 this point I must digress a bit. ^*I
0880L04 happen to_ belong to one of the former princely families of India, though
0890L04 personally I have never held a title or anything of the kind as
0900L04 I have a deep aversion to all such things. ^It suited me therefore,
0910L04 when all princely privileges were abolished by the Government of India
0920L04 as part of their progressive reforms. ^This spared me the embarrassment
0930L04 of having an unwanted title and all such trappings thrust on
0940L04 me on the passing away of my dear father. ^*I was happy to_ be plain
0950L04 \0Mr Chopra. $^But I could do nothing about the sizeable fortune
0960L04 that_ I had inherited by law. ^This included real estate and other
0970L04 very valuable possessions like tiger skins, elephant tusks, antique
0980L04 furniture, precious paintings, first editions, rare statues, clocks
0990L04 and the kind. ^My father had been a great collector as well as a traveller.
1000L04 $^After his death it became a problem for me to_ care for
1010L04 all the collector*'s items. ^*I hold the view that one should go through
1020L04 life*'s journey as lightly as possible, but for sentimental reasons
1030L04 I did not have the heart to_ sell off the things so lovingly collected
1040L04 by my father. ^*I finally decided to_ allow my children to_ inherit
1050L04 the treasure and do what they pleased with it after I was dead and gone.
1060L04 $^With this in mind I had everything transported to my huge Simla
1070L04 house. ^The entire lot was neately labelled, catalogued and
1080L04 packed into a series of iron safes. ^*I had these safes placed in
1090L04 the attic and once I locked the attic door I swept them out of my mind
1100L04 and, I hoped, out of my life. $^To_ continue with the story, it
1110L04 so happened that soon after my arrival in Simla, I received an urgent
1120L04 call from my apple orchard at Kotgarh, some 75 \0km away. ^It was
1130L04 on the second day of my stay at Kotgarh that I got a lightning trunk call
1140L04 from Simla. ^The caller was a neighbor of mine, a retired Major
1150L04 General of the Indian Army. $"^*I say, \0Mr Chopra," said
1160L04 the General in his gruff voice," you had bettr rush back to Simla.
1170L04 ^Your house was broken into this morning, but your *4chowkidar
1180L04 caught the bloke inside. ^The police chaps would like to_ have you over
1190L04 immediately to_ check if every thing is in order." ^WITHIN
1200L04 an hour I was zooming back to Simla in my sports car. ^A police
1210L04 officer was waiting for me at the gate. ^Two constables stood on the
1220L04 lawn with a young, smart-looking youth, presumably the house-breaker.
1230L04 ^Within minutes I was given the lowdown on what had happened.
1240L04 ^Apparently the young man, who happened to_ be an Anglo-Indian
1250L04 whose name was Michael, had been caught in the early hours of the morning
1260L04 by my Nepali *4chowkidar who, while taking his rounds, had noticed
1270L04 an open window on the ground floor. ^He roused the other servants
1280L04 and together they had nabbed the intruder in the attic. $^*I hurried
1290L04 into the house accompanied by the police officer and my *4chowkidar.
1300L04 ^*I noticed that the attic door had been forced open but everything
1310L04 else seemed to_ be intact. ^*I then strode over to the row of iron safes
1320L04 and tried the door of each one in turn. ^The safe containing my
1330L04 father*'s priceless paintings was open! ^*I looked in and made a quick
1340L04 check with the catalogue. ^Nothing seemed to_ be missing.
1350L04 ^Apparently the thief, Michael, had been surprised soon after he had
1360L04 opened the door. $^But the question that_ arose was: how did Michael
1370L04 get the key to the safe? ^All the keys of the iron safes in the
1380L04 attic were kept in the safe in my bedroom. ^To_ get to them the thief
1390L04 would first have to_ break open my bedroom safe. ^*I hurried down to
1400L04 my bedroom and immediately noticed that the safe door was open! ^My
1410L04 heart gave a big thud because I had placed a substantial amount of money
1420L04 in that_ safe along with all my other documents and securities. $^A
1430L04 quick scrutiny showed that absolutely nothing had been touched here,
1440L04 except that Michael had removed the keys of the safes in the attic.
1450L04 ^That_ could only mean one thing-- that Michael*'s chief aim had been
1460L04 to_ get at the keys to the safes in the attic. ^Otherwise why hadn*'4t
1470L04 he made a clean sweep of the bedroom safe which contained a virtual fortune?
1480L04 $^Another intriguing question arose here: how did Michael
1490L04 get the key to this-- the bedroom safe? ^*I took pains to_ hide the
1500L04 key in what I consider to_ be a perfectly safe and burglar-proof place.
1510L04 ^Between you and me, I always hide this key inside the false heel
1520L04 of a dirty old shoe I keep in my wardrobe. ^It was the last place
1530L04 anybody would dream of searching, unless everything in the bedroom was
1540L04 taken apart and ransacked. ^But not a thing in the bedroom was out of
1550L04 place. ^It was as though Michael had known precisely where the
1560L04 key was to_ be found! $*3^*I WAS*0 in for a greater surprise later
1570L04 that_ day when the results of the police interrogation of the thief were
1580L04 made known to me. ^Apparently Michael was not an Indian citizen
1590L04 but held a British passport. ^He had come from England on a return
1600L04 air ticket the day before and had made a beeline for Simla by hiring
1610L04 a taxi from Delhi. ^Here he had headed straight for my house,
1620L04 fished out my safe key from my old shoe in the wardrobe and gone right up
1630L04 to the attic where he had been caught. ^By the look of things, Michael
1640L04 had come from England with the sole purpose of burgling my attic.
1650L04 ^The police were, to_ put it mildly, considerably mystified by the
1660L04 whole thing.*#
        **[no. od words = 02014**]

        **[txt. l05**]
0020L05 **<*3The Garden*0**> **[leader comment begin**] $*3^How*0 he detested
0030L05 that_ foreign woman with her craze for cats, rogs, lizards and her lush
0040L05 balcony garden!*0 **[end leader comment**] $"*3^I DO*0 not understand,
0050L05 \0Mr Chopra! ^*I simply do not understand!"
0060L05 ^*Lucy Singh stood in the doorway, her green eyes alive with fury, her
0070L05 entire body rigid with barely controlled rage. ^Only the loosely folded
0080L05 newspaper she cradled in her hands seemed to_ restrain her from
0090L05 reaching over and slapping him. $\0^*Mr Chopra surveyed her coldly,
0100L05 a matching anger rising in his chest. ^*Lucy Singh! ^How
0110L05 he detested Lucy Singh! ^He couldn*'4t imagine how Jasbir Singh,
0120L05 with his immense wealth, his huge factories, his family name, could
0130L05 have chosen this foreign woman as his wife. ^Nor how his family
0140L05 could ever have permitted it. ^But he had gone abroad, received a
0150L05 foreign degree and come back with Lucy. ^One might even have put
0160L05 the whole thing down to an unfortunate temptation had Lucy been blonde,
0170L05 voluptuous and alluring. ^But she wasn*'4t. ^*Lucy was thin,
0180L05 brown-haired and-- eccentric! $^He looked at the infuriated woman
0190L05 with her ridiculous newspaper parcel and his head swarmed with absurd images.
0200L05 ^*Lucy talking to her plants, murmuring to the bougainvillaea
0210L05 as she tied it up over the wall. ^*Lucy threatening a neighbouring
0220L05 *4mali with castration if he so much as poked the tip of a pair of
0230L05 hedge clippers through the fence and nipped even a single precious bud.
0240L05 ^*Lucy answering the door with not one, but five cats of various
0250L05 sizes in her arms. $^Even the cats were eccentric. ^Not ordinary
0260L05 cat-type cats such as you see every day on the roadside, but strange
0270L05 elongated creatures with the colouring of *4langurs, weird black faces
0280L05 and paws, cream bodies and turquoise eyes. ^And she loved those
0290L05 cats. ^A dozen times a day, into the late evening he could hear
0300L05 her calling the cats, "Kittyittyittyittyittyitty". ^And every time
0310L05 the faint ululation drifted downstairs, he felt his teeth grind.
0320L05 $*3^AND*0 the frogs! ^To_ be sure, \0Mr Chopra had never actually
0330L05 seen the frogs. ^He was hardly on good enough terms with
0340L05 Lucy to_ be included in her dinner parties or even a casual cocktail
0350L05 evening. ^Not at all. ^So he*'d never actually seen more of her
0360L05 upstairs flat than the front hall. ^But he had heard about the frogs.
0370L05 ^A dozen or so of the horrid things who lived in her balcony
0380L05 garden and, so the story went, came out at night, and merrily hopped
0390L05 through the house. ^His cook had been told by Lucy*'s cook that
0400L05 one fat fellow liked to_ take a nightly bath in the cat*'s water dish
0410L05 and regularly sat there, slowly blinking his bulging eyes and looking
0420L05 every inch a Member of Parliament. ^Eccentric! ^And Jasbir
0430L05 actually tolerated all this nonsense! $^And now Lucy was on another
0440L05 rampage. $"^Just look at it-- just look what they*'3ve done!"
0450L05 ^She swept by him into his drawing-room, pausing only to_ lay the
0460L05 newspaper bundle gently on his dining table and then rushed out on to
0470L05 his balcony. ^Not even a "please" or "pardon, may I?" $\0^*Mr
0480L05 Chopra clenched his fists and took several deep breaths. ^She was,
0490L05 after all, the Director*'s wife.
0491L05 ^Her husband and his family owned the entire building and \0Mr Chopra*'s
0500L05 being given a flat at all was just a company perk to a high-level,
0510L05 but employed, executive. $^He followed her out on to the balcony
0520L05 and looked over at the tree to which she was pointing. ^Several
0530L05 of the large branches had been snapped, mounds of bruised leaves lay in
0540L05 heaps on the grass below and bits of bark, half torn off the trunk,
0550L05 hung in spiralling strips. $"^How could you permit two small girls
0560L05 to_ do so much damage?" $^He began to_ defend his children with,
0570L05 "^But children don*'4t know any better and--", then realised that this
0580L05 argument had been used before and held no authority with Lucy. ^So
0590L05 he stood there and waited for the avalanche of angry words to_ ease up.
0600L05 $^*Lucy moved towards the table and her parcel, but stopped on catching
0610L05 sight of his little prayer room and pointed to it angrily.
0620L05 $"^You, \0Mr Chopra are a religious man. ^You are, I understand,
0630L05 a vegetarian. ^Presumably because you reverence life. ^For
0640L05 me that_ reverence includes life in all forms, botanical as well as zoological.
0650L05 ^*I see God in green living things." ^Her jaw began
0660L05 to_ tremble and she reached over and started to_ unfold the parcel.
0670L05 $"^Do you know why your daughters tore that_ tree to pieces?
0680L05 ^Do you know what they were doing?" ^She paused and said very softly,
0690L05 very fiercely, "^They were *3hunting*0, \0Mr Chopra."
0700L05 $^She folded back the last sheet of newspaper. ^Lying in a bloody stain
0710L05 was a lizard. ^Not the common house *4korkellee but its garden
0720L05 cousin, a larger animal with a body nearly a foot long. ^Its slender
0730L05 tail flipped feebly across the paper and dangled over the edge of the
0740L05 table. ^A deep gash extended along its back and it peered up at
0750L05 Lucy with its odd half-hooded eyes, the pulse in its throat quivering
0760L05 rhythmically. ^Without a word she gently closed the paper over
0770L05 the creature and picked it up. ^Then she turned and walked out.
0780L05 $*3^HE*0 could hear her climbing the stairs to her flat and he realised
0790L05 with horror that she had the ugly wounded reptile with her and would
0800L05 probably put it in her balcony garden to_ recover. ^His rage
0810L05 overcame him. ^He roared for the servant to_ disinfect the table,
0820L05 he seized his cowering daughters from behind the almirah in their room
0830L05 and slapped them both and he firmly closed the doors of his little
0840L05 *4mandir. $^How he hated Lucy Singh. ^And he had to_ just stand
0850L05 there and tak  all the abuse she chose to_ heap upon his head.
0860L05 ^It was too much to_ bear! ^Not only a foreigner but a woman as well.
0870L05 ^Women had no right to_ talk to any man that_ way, no right
0880L05 to_ make a judgement on any man. ^These foreign women had lost all their
0890L05 respect for their men. ^They were loose, immoral. $^And all
0900L05 those parties! ^Nearly every night, the flat above reverberated with
0910L05 gusts of laughter and sudden bursts of conversation and every once in
0920L05 a while, the distinctive, ear-shattering shriek of Lucy. ^And
0930L05 he had the vague uncomfortable feeling of an outsider and suspected that
0940L05 all that_ laughter wasn*'4t directed at Lucy, her frogs, her cats
0950L05 or her humanised bougainvillaea. ^He had nasty visions of Lucy with
0960L05 her clever imitations, reducing him along with half the government officials,
0970L05 bank officers and customs bigwigs to objects of ridicule.
0980L05 ^Loose woman! ^Drunken parties! ^But even as he thought of more
0990L05 derogatory terms, he realised that the mirth upstairs wasn*'4t out of
1000L05 a bottle. ^The only bottles that_ ever clattered into Lucy*'s
1010L05 waste bin were squash and beer bottles. ^A whisky bottle appeared only
1020L05 after a space of months. $^Well she *3was*0 immoral. ^He
1030L05 rememberd what she had told his wife. ^That the sex of a child depends
1040L05 on the *3man*0. ^Can you imagine it? ^And his wife had
1050L05 promptly come and told him that Lucy had said it was quite useless to_
1060L05 drink litres of almond milk, that the sex of the child was already decided
1070L05 from the first day and that it was he, \0Mr Chopra, who had
1080L05 decided it! ^And when the new baby proved to_ be a girl, his third
1090L05 daughter, he could have sworn that Lucy had somehow cursed him.
1100L05 ^Even when he tried to_ push the blame on to his wife for not having
1110L05 consumed enough *4badam milk, the look in her eyes clearly told him
1120L05 that she suspected Lucy might be right. $^Hateful woman.
1130L05 $*3^SO*0 \0Mr Chopra felt a keen sense of relief when he heard several
1140L05 months later that Lucy and Jasbir were leaving for Africa to_
1150L05 set up a new business there. ^Since the Emergency showed no signs
1160L05 of being lifted, everyone expected that their departure would be permanent
1170L05 and that, eventually, the flat upstairs would be sold. ^*Lucy
1180L05 began distributing her crockery and linen to friends, her cats found homes
1190L05 and large steel trunks were brought empty upstairs and then carried
1200L05 down, packed and labelled for Africa. \0^*Mr Chopra watched
1210L05 the departure preparations with considerable satisfaction. $^Then one
1220L05 day, a week or so before she left, Lucy appeared at his door.
1230L05 ^She handed him a key to her flat and told him that he should allow the
1240L05 gardener in every afternoon to_ water her balcony garden. "^The
1250L05 flat will probably be sold, but the garden is unique and it will add
1260L05 a great deal of value to the property", she said. $*3^THE*0
1270L05 garden was unique! ^It, like Lucy, was eccentric. ^Constructed
1280L05 on the large back balcony of her flat, it reputedly had a small lawn,
1290L05 a *4papaya tree, a so-called \0Xmas tree and dozens of full grown
1300L05 bougainvillaea. \0^*Mr
1310L05 Chorpa had never seen the garden from upstairs but he noticed it with
1320L05 distaste almost daily as he drove out of the front gate. $^Vines extended
1330L05 from the roof of the building a good three storeys up, dangled in massive
1340L05 twisted ropes across a wire mesh erected over the garden and then plunged
1350L05 down the building walls to the ground. ^Bougainvillaea surged over
1360L05 the balcony walls and great orange and magenta flowered spikes swung on
1370L05 the ends of incredibly long stems. ^One of the plants drooped a good
1380L05 fifteen feet over the wall and he could see several clusters outside his
1390L05 bedroom window on the floor below. ^He had grown almost to_ hate
1400L05 the little bunches of fiery blooms for no other reason than that Lucy
1410L05 loved them. $^A *4mali had been hired with the instructions to_
1420L05 maintain the lawns downstairs and in the balcony garden, to_ water everything
1430L05 lavishly and not to_ cut a leaf without Lucy*'s permission.
1440L05 ^And Lucy rarely gave permission. ^So the well-watered greenery
1450L05 thrived through the long hot Bombay dry season and grew to jungle
1460L05 dimensions. $^From the back road, the three-storeyed house looked
1470L05 like a huge green box. ^It was ridiculous and the building had become
1480L05 something of a landmark in the community. ^More than once, \0Mr
1490L05 Chopra had overheard directions being clarified with, "two blocks down
1500L05 from that_ house covered with all the vines. ^You can*'4t miss
1510L05 it". ^Even some *(filmwallahs*) had been entranced by the sheer mass
1520L05 of growth and used the house as a backdrop for several street scenes
1530L05 shot on the road behind. $^It was ridiculous and outrageous!
1540L05 $^But realising that he couldn*'4t very well refuse to_ take the key,
1550L05 \0Mr Chopra accepted it, made some mumbled assurances and, as quickly
1560L05 as possible, closed the door. ^He put the key under a pile of his wife's
1570L05 old *4sarees in a rarely opened *4almirah and made a silent prayer that
1580L05 that_ would be the last he would see of Lucy. $^Within a week, Lucy
1590L05 and Jasbir were on their way. ^The flat upstairs seemed strangely
1600L05 silent. ^Gone were the loud, laughing parties, gone were the
1610L05 assortment of cars and scooters sprawled along the road outside, gone
1620L05 too was the incessant "^Kittyittyitty" that_ had so irritased \0Mr
1630L05 Chopra. $^The gardener arrived the day after their departure and
1640L05 asked for the key to the flat. \0^*Mr Chopra told his wife to_
1650L05 come back the next day. ^The next day, he was told to_ come back
1660L05 the following week. ^The following week, he was told that the key
1670L05 had been mislaid and that he should merely attend to the grounds around
1680L05 the house. $*3^THEN*0 one day \0Mr Chopra looked out over his
1690L05 balcony and noticed that the tree in the courtyard had spread out over
1700L05 the lawn and that one of the branches nearly touched the balcony wall.
1710L05 ^It would have to_ go. ^So he called the *4mali and told him
1720L05 that the tree must be trimmed. ^But the gardener, showing a completely
1730L05 unexpected recalcitrance, absolutely refused to_ touch the tree.
1740L05 ^Threats moved him not a bit. ^He had promised the *4memsahib not
1750L05 to_ cut her plants and cut them he would not.*#
        **[no. of words = 02010**]

        **[txt. l06**]
0010L06 **<*3The Silver Knife*0**>
0020L06 $*3^SHE*0 had come to India in her bridal year, full of the idealism
0030L06 of youth. ^Everything, including her own domestic world, had
0040L06 been new and strange-- the huge old bungalow with high ceilings, its
0050L06 windows shuttered against the intolerable heat; the long absences of
0060L06 her husband as he toured the vast area of his district; perhaps hardest
0070L06 of all to_ accept, the necessity of servants. $^Servitude had shocked
0080L06 her deeply. ^Coming from a family of modest income she had been
0090L06 accustomed to housework from her earliest years, and to_ sit idle while
0100L06 others cooked, washed and scrubbed for her was not an easily acquired
0110L06 discipline. ^She felt abashed at the care and solicitude lavished
0120L06 upon her by these people who were complete strangers to her. ^In
0130L06 her enthusiastic way she determined to_ do her best for them. ^She
0140L06 would be a *4memsahib above all *4memsahibs, known for her loving
0150L06 concern for her houshold. ^As they were faithful to her, so would
0160L06 she prove solicitous in return. $^The first year passed uneventfully
0170L06 enough. ^She had succeeded in making the house her own.
0180L06 ^Each wedding gift stood in its rightful place, the brass and copper ornaments
0190L06 were burnished to perfection, the marble-chip floors shone with
0200L06 a lustre acquired only from daily scouring. $^Her dinner parties
0210L06 were renowned for their elegance. ^The brilliance of her wit and youthful
0220L06 gaiety were rivalled only by the sparkle of her table where each crystal
0230L06 glass and silver spoon reflected the willing cooperation of her domestic
0240L06 staff. ^Her friends congratulated her on her happy adjustment
0250L06 to this totally foreign way of life. $^If the chief cook,
0260L06 Bhopal Singh, had not been such an unscrupulous rogue, or perhaps if
0270L06 his mistress had not discovered him to_ be unscrupulous, her naive trust
0280L06 would have remained unchallenged. $*3^*BHOPAL*0 Singh came from
0290L06 a long line of cooks. ^His family had served under the British
0300L06 *4Raj and had acquired a reputation for faithfulness. ^But
0310L06 Bhopal Singh, himself a proud nationalist who hated servitude, was of
0320L06 a different generation and was determined that his children should not
0330L06 serve foreigners in free India. ^Although he waited on his mistress
0340L06 with all the charm and attention to detail demanded of the polished
0350L06 servant, beneath the impassive face he was full of cunning and each
0360L06 week he contrived some new way of cheating in his accounts.
0370L06 $^Month by month the bills rose higher, and small saleable articles, such
0380L06 as newspapers and tins, were not to_ be found in the house. ^At length
0390L06 he asked for, and received, from the *4memsahib (her husband was absent
0400L06 at the time) a "loan" of several hundred rupees for an allegedly sick
0410L06 relative back in his village. ^But his luck was not to_ last.
0420L06 $^Strangely enough, it was her best friends who planted the
0430L06 tiny seed of distrust. ^They had always gossiped together about
0440L06 their servants and, indeed, it often seemed to_ be their chief topic of
0450L06 conversation. ^She had always felt, as her friends endlessly bemoaned
0460L06 the shortcomings and wiles of their various domestics, that she was
0470L06 so fortunate in having Bhopal Singh. $"^Why not inquire in
0480L06 the *4bazar?" her friends prompted. "^See if he has paid all your
0490L06 bills up to date." $^No, she would not, and indeed could not.
0500L06 ^Why should she, when the man was so patently honest? $^But
0510L06 the tiny seed of suspicion grew, and during the long days and longer nights
0520L06 spent alone, previously unrelataed incidents began to_ form a pattern
0530L06 in her mind. ^Had she not seen one day, quite by chance,
0540L06 the vegetable-seller give a whole armful of apples to_ Bhopal Singh*'s
0550L06 children-- apples, in this season, much too expensive for servants.
0560L06 ^One day she mislaid her fountain-pen; and a few weeks later a ten-rupee
0570L06 note, left absent-mindedly in a vase, was no longer there.
0580L06 $^Her husband was too preoccupied with his affairs to_ take these trivial
0590L06 matters seriously. ^He would kiss her cheek lightly and murmur,
0600L06 "^My dear, servants are all the same none better or worse than any other.
0610L06 ^Their morals are different from ours. ^You must
0620L06 not take them too seriously." ^But her suspicions continued to_
0630L06 grow. $*3^IT*0 was one dull, humid morning in the early monsoon
0640L06 when she accidently discovered the absence of the silver knife.
0650L06 ^The silver knife was one of her greatest treasures. ^It was a carving
0660L06 knife with a richly decorated silver handle which had been in her
0670L06 family for many generations. ^Her father had presented it to her
0680L06 on her wedding day and since her arrival in India it had been used only
0690L06 on the most important of occasions. $^With trembling
0700L06 hands she emptied the contents of the silverware drawer on to the table
0710L06 . ^It was undoubtedly gone. ^Feverishly she searched the
0720L06 rest of the house and then with pounding heart approached the kitchen
0730L06 . ^*Bhopal Singh was intent upon making bread and did not discern
0740L06 the pent-up emotion in her face. "^*Bhopal Singh, I
0750L06 wish to_ see your house at once." ^There was no mistaking her
0760L06 tone. ^This was an order. ^*Bhopal Singh*'s
0770L06 black eyes flickered momentarily, then without a word he wiped the dough
0780L06 from his hands and followed her to the servants*' quarters. $^His
0790L06 room was small, dark and unspeakably dirty. ^Just inside the
0800L06 door hung one of her best towels and her eyes found it immediately.
0810L06 ^It was as if the monsoon storm had broken within her suddenly, stripping
0820L06 her with one lightening shaft of all self-restraint. ^Panting
0830L06 with anticipation and the sudden release of weeks of suppressed suspicion
0840L06 she tore his room to pieces. $^Unbelievably there it was
0850L06 the silver knife, falling with a clatter to the grimy floor among all
0860L06 his other pitifully meagre and worthless possessions. $^*Bhopal
0870L06 Singh*'s mask fell momentarily. ^He snatched up the knife
0880L06 and with an obscene oath flung it at the wall, barely missing her head.
0890L06 ^The next moment he was gone. $*3^THE*0 silver knife
0900L06 was returned to its place in the dining room, but the house was not
0910L06 the same. ^A succession of cooks came and went, some of them efficient,
0920L06 some merely mediocre, but none of them deserving the blatant
0930L06 distrust which burned in the *4memsahib*'s eyes. $^She was a
0940L06 changed creature. ^Her whole day was filled with a strict routine
0950L06 for the protections of her possessions. ^Everything possible
0960L06 was put behind locked cupboard doors and each morning she meticulously
0970L06 weighed and measured the necessary food stuffs in the kitchen for the day.
0980L06 ^At her waist she wore a heavy ring of keys which she clutched
0990L06 tightly to herself in sleep. $^Her husband looked on with pain in his eyes,
1000L06 hoping that the end of her pregnancy would terminate this strange neurosis,
1010L06 and that the arrival of their child would permit her normally affectionate
1020L06 and happy nature to_ find outward expression once again. ^Her
1030L06 friends began to_ find her company embarrassing and emotionally exhausting,
1040L06 as she could think and talk of nothing but her servants and their
1050L06 deceitfulness, while her whole energy was directed towards possible ways
1060L06 of outwitting them at their own game. ^She was completely obsessed,
1070L06 a prisoner in her own personal domestic hell. $*3^WITH*0
1080L06 September and the last of the monsoon showers came another new cook,
1090L06 Kishan Lal. ^He was not an experienced cook, but his limited
1100L06 references were good and his sunny smile and happy disposition were
1110L06 in themselves beyond price. ^He lacked the polish and the easy graces
1120L06 of older men trained in British households, but he was young and
1130L06 eager to_ please. ^He was extremely grateful to_ obtain work as his
1140L06 young wife, after several miscarriages, had just given birth to their
1150L06 first child, a son. ^He considered himself blessed indeed,
1160L06 and with the prospect of several years of steady work ahead of him he could
1170L06 provide well for the child who, he fervently hoped, would thrive
1180L06 and grow strong, and be his father*'s support in later years. $^But
1190L06 the new *4memsahib would obviously be difficult to_ please. ^He
1200L06 had seen from the first that there was no tenderness or trust in her cold
1210L06 eyes. ^He determined to_ work with all his ability to_ please
1220L06 her. $^Each day Kishan Lal thought out new ways to_ win her
1230L06 approval. ^When the vases were empty he hunted the jungle undergrowth
1240L06 for wild flowers. ^Every morning he rose conscientiously
1250L06 at five so that he would be early enough to_ polish the woodwork and
1260L06 clean the brass before breakfast. ^He carved the butter into
1270L06 crisp white rosebuds and moulded the mashed potatoes into lotus blossoms.
1280L06 ^With each week her bills grew conspicuously less as he haggled
1290L06 doggedly with the *4bazar vendors. ^His one desire was to_
1300L06 please and to_ be accepted. $*3^HER*0 friends all insisted that
1310L06 she had at last found a gem, truly fine servant, but she, feeling nothing
1320L06 of their assurance, her eyes still blinded by suspicion, badgered
1330L06 him mercilesslly. ^Each tiny error on his part became for
1340L06 her the battleground of a major war. ^He spent his days in terror
1350L06 of making a false move and of bringing down the force of her anger on
1360L06 his head. ^At nights he tossed uneasily, unable to_ relax for
1370L06 fear of oversleeping and perhaps losing the coveted position. ^She had
1380L06 been known to_ dismiss servants for the most paltry of reasons. ^He
1390L06 lived frugally and at the end of the first month, with great pride and
1400L06 contentment, was able to_ send a substantial sum of money to his wife
1410L06 and baby son. $^During the second month, however, news came
1420L06 from his village that his son was ill. ^He was quite overcome with
1430L06 anxiety and hurried at once to_ ask the *4memsahib for leave. ^It
1440L06 had not occurred to his simple, honest mind to_ doubt that leave would
1450L06 not be granted, and her unqualified refusal left him, at the time, speechless.
1460L06 ^Howerver, he tried again to_ impress upon her in his slow,
1470L06 guileless manner the urgency of the situation and the necessity of
1480L06 taking the child to a hospital as soon as possible. $^Nervously, but
1490L06 with determination, he looked straight at the *4memsaheb*'s face.
1500L06 ^Her strangely foreign and, to him, colourless eyes were completely without
1510L06 expressions. ^She scarcely seemed to_ hear what he was saying.
1520L06 ^She looked detached, as if she had heard his pleadings a
1530L06 thousand times before. ^Her "no" was quite final and nothing he
1540L06 could say would move her. $*3^THREE*0 days dragged by with
1550L06 Kishan Lal in an agony of indecision. ^At last, in desperation,
1560L06 he went back to the *4memsahib. ^Would she, from the kindness
1570L06 of her woman*'s heart, lend him a small sum of money so that his
1580L06 wife and child could travel by bus to the nearest hospital.
1590L06 ^Surely this she could not refuse. ^Since his boyhood he had heard
1600L06 of the unpredictable deeds of the foreign *4memsahibs but he had also
1610L06 known them to_ be scrupulously fair in their dealings. ^Surely
1620L06 his was the most worthy and pressing of causes. ^But her fortress
1630L06 of suspicion was by now quite impregnable. ^When she refused
1640L06 even this request he felt the sudden impact of physical pain as if
1650L06 his fists had battered themselves against a brick wall. ^His decision
1660L06 now was plain. ^He must leave his position, find some money-lender
1670L06 still willing to_ advance him a small sum and leave for his village
1680L06 as soon as possible. ^With a heavy but still humble heart Kishan
1690L06 Lal returned to his lonely room. $^Inside the great bungalow
1700L06 the young *4memsahib retired early, as was her custom when the *4sahib
1710L06 was away from home. ^Once alone she flung herself on her bed and
1720L06 let the tears come. ^The ability to_ cry came as an immense relief
1730L06 after months of dry-eyed tension. ^Her true disposition gradually
1740L06 began to_ re-emerge and as she relaxed between bouts of uncontrollable
1750L06 sobbing she felt her child kick against her body with insistent staccato
1760L06 beats. $"^*I have been dying" she told herself incredulously.
1770L06 "^*I have been slowly killing myself with suspicion and hate. ^What
1780L06 if this man is telling the truth and his baby is seriously ill? ^He is
1790L06 part of my household and I am responsible for him.*#
        **[no. of words = 02018**]

        **[txt. l07**]
0020L07 **<*3Shalimar*0**> $^THERE have been two tragedies in my life.
0030L07 ^Convulsions might be the right word. ^The first was within
0040L07 a day or two of my twelfth birthday. ^The second only a few months
0050L07 ago. $^For my birthday, my father had given me a single pearl for
0060L07 a present, a pearl as large as a match-head, perfectly round and with
0070L07 a dull, off-white sheen. "^It is for what they call add-a-pearl
0080L07 necklace," he told me. "^*I*'3ll give you one for each birthday
0090L07 and then an extra one every now and then for being a good daughter, dutiful
0100L07 daughter, clever daughter and things like that_." $^And then
0110L07 it happened. $^*I was a day student in \0St Joseph*'s Convent
0120L07 in Rangoon, but that_ day I had been kept back from school.
0130L07 ^Presently a police car had come and in it I was taken to the morgue behind
0140L07 the New General Hospital to_ identify my father*'s body.
0150L07 $^*I knew it was my father*'s body that_ lay on the low table, covered
0160L07 with a dirty white rubber sheet. ^My mother had been crying her
0170L07 heart out all morning and I had seen the screaming headlines in the morning*'s
0180L07 *3Rangoon Times: $*<*ROBBER SHOT DEAD ALERT GUARD FOILS
0190L07 BANK ROBBERY*> $^*I had not known that my father was a burglar,
0200L07 but somehow I was not surprised. ^There was a mystery about
0210L07 how he earned his living and I was old enough to_ know that he did not
0220L07 have a regular job like the fathers of other girls at school. ^But
0230L07 I respected him, as most children respect their fathers, and I suppose
0240L07 I was a little infatuated with him, as most girls of my age were
0250L07 supposed to_ be with their fathers. ^He spoilt me shamelessly, never
0260L07 scolded me and I loved him more than anyone else in the world.
0270L07 $^Suddenly he was reduced to a thing under a rubber sheet, lying in
0280L07 a small pool of yellow ooze. $^FOR days my mother and I did
0290L07 not stir out of the house and for weeks only ventured out to the market
0300L07 when it became dark. ^We had no friends and the people with whom
0310L07 we had been on visiting terms shunned us. ^Our only visitors seemed
0320L07 police officers, who came at all odd hours to_ ask questions.
0330L07 $^Late one evening, the door bell rang. ^On the steps stood a man
0340L07 dressed in holy robes and a sort of skullcap: a large man with an ample
0350L07 beard and an air of serenity. ^His shoulders were slightly bent,
0360L07 as though carrying an invisible burden, and his large eyes gave the
0370L07 impression that they were cavities covered with blue glass. ^It was
0380L07 only later that I discovered they gave that_ impression of depth becasue
0390L07 he could not see very well. $"^*I*'3m \0Dr Dubari," he
0400L07 announced, as though expecting that I should have known who he was.
0410L07 "^Please go and tell your mother that Uncle Dubari has come."
0420L07 $^*I had never known I had an uncle and never inquired whether he was
0430L07 related to my mother or to my father. ^But Mother seemed to_ know
0440L07 the name. ^Even at the time I suspected that, relative or not,
0450L07 he was an accomplice of my father*'s. ^Later I became convinced
0460L07 that he and my father must have made some sort of a pact: whoever survived
0470L07 would look after the other*'s dependants. $^He came in and installed
0480L07 himself in the spare room and after that_ things began to_ happen.
0490L07 ^The policemen*'s visits ceased suddenly. ^He had a few influential
0500L07 friends who only came to_ see him at night. ^Between them they
0510L07 managed to_ sell our car to a General in the Burmese Army and the
0520L07 house to a discredited Minister of the Government, both at a good
0530L07 profit. ^He even managed to_ get a certificate from the Reverend
0540L07 Mother at \0St Joseph*'s that Sheila Enders, who had been studying
0550L07 in the fourth form and was one of the most promising students in the
0560L07 class, was leaving school because her family was going to India.
0570L07 $^That_ was how I learned that we were going to India. $^Leaving
0580L07 Burma was easy enough; almost anyone who wanted to_ could go.
0590L07 ^But no one was allowed to_ take any money out. ^How Uncle Dubari
0600L07 managed to_ send out our money to India I shall never know.
0610L07 ^The fact is that when we reached our destination in India, which
0620L07 was the small hill-resort of Panchgani, Mother already had a nice little
0630L07 nest-egg which was invested in shares and fixed deposits. ^There
0640L07 was enough coming in every month to_ enable the two of us to_ live
0650L07 in modest comfort in the cottage that_ had been bought for us on Cliff
0660L07 View Road. $^*Uncle Dubari, who had accompanied us, had arranged
0670L07 that I should go to school and had already seen the Reverend Mother
0680L07 of \0St Joseph*'s Convent. $"^There*'1s not even a change
0690L07 in the name of the school," he told me. "\0St Joseph*'s Convent
0700L07 in Rangoon, \0St Joseph's here." $^*I had no words to_
0710L07 tell him what I felt. ^I went up to him and hugged him close, and
0720L07 he touched the top of my head gently, as though in blessing. $^When
0730L07 I returned from school that_ evening, I found him gone; gone just
0740L07 as mysteriously as he had come. ^But, luckily, not gone out of
0750L07 my life, even though I did not know it till my next birthday, my thirteenth.
0760L07 ^*Jhaveri Brothers from Bombay sent me a single pearl which
0770L07 was the exact twin to the one my father had given me. ^With it there
0780L07 was a card which read: BLESSINGS FROM UNCLE DUBARI. $^After
0790L07 that_ the pearl came every year. ^*I now have exactly a dozen.
0800L07 ^Another six, and perhaps there will be enough for a necklace.
0810L07 ^And yet I know I shall never have them strung. ^*I am superstitious.
0820L07 ^Because the man who began my necklace had died, I am obsessed
0830L07 by the fear that this other man who has gone on adding to my necklace
0840L07 will not survive its completion. $^*I PASSED my teens in the
0850L07 house of Cliff View road in Panchgani in which my mother still lives,
0860L07 but which I never learned to_ think of as home. ^*I suppose
0870L07 there must be something of my father in me, which rejects the humdrum,
0880L07 the conventional. ^*I could not bring myself to_ conform to my
0890L07 mother*'s ever-narrowing middle-class morality. ^*I longed to_ be on
0900L07 my own, without anyone in authority to_ tell me what to_ do and what
0910L07 to_ wear; live in my own room, carry my own latchkey. $^*I passed
0920L07 Matric and after that_ the Senior Cambridge examination, and my
0930L07 mother made me enrol for a course of nursing in the Panchgani Hospital.
0940L07 ^*I did not want to_ be a nurse. ^*I had no wish to_ become
0950L07 trapped in the discipline of a profession. ^But it was better than
0960L07 sitting at home, listening to Mother grumbling. $^Just as I
0961L07 was due to_ finish the course, I heard that the Cama Nursing Home
0970L07 in Poona needed a receptionist. ^The receptionist had to_ live on
0980L07 the premises and feed in the nursing home canteen. ^The salary wasn*'4t
0990L07 much but I slipped away to Poona for the interview one morning
1000L07 and was back before dark. $^On the day I was twenty years old,
1010L07 I broke the news to my mother that I had found myself a job-- and walked
1020L07 out of her house. ^After that_, oddly enough, our relationship
1030L07 became much more amicable. ^*I visited her at least once every
1040L07 month and telephoned every Sunday. $^*Poona, I soon discovered,
1050L07 was something of a bachelor girl*'s dream town, with literally hundreds
1060L07 of well-placed and unattached young men to_ pick from; right from
1070L07 teenaged youths in the Armed Forces Academy to up-and-coming, smart
1080L07 young doctors in the Armed Forces Medical College. ^But if you
1090L07 did not want to_ get tied down to anyone for more than a couple of dates,
1100L07 there were military officers constantly coming to_ attend courses which
1110L07 did not last for more than a couple of months or so. $^*I had
1120L07 three free evenings every week and I was never without a date. ^It
1130L07 was a gay and carefree life, lived from one mess dance to another.
1140L07 ^*I never went out with the same man more than a couple of times.
1150L07 $^UNTIL I met Kumar. $^And that_ brings me to the second tragedy
1160L07 of my young life. $^*I fell in love with Kumar the moment I set
1170L07 eyes on him. ^It took me nearly a whole year to_ fall out of love.
1180L07 ^Between falling in and falling out of love was that_ dream-like interlude
1190L07 of being in love, blindly, ecstatically, which lasted for nearly
1200L07 two years. ^*I should have known, known it as an immutable lesson in
1210L07 life, that it was too good to last. $^If there is one man I know--
1220L07 knew-- with whom it would be almost unnatural for a girl not to_ fall
1230L07 in love, it is Kumar. ^Six feet tall and built like a Greek god,
1240L07 with not an extra ounce of flesh but not muscle-bound either, more
1250L07 like an athlete, really, with the easy fluidity of movement that_ I have
1260L07 privately associated with racehorses. ^And the face... but
1270L07 how can one describe the face of a man one has loved, covered with
1280L07 countless kisses? ^*I had gone to a dance at the \0RSI, which is
1290L07 what they called the Services*' Club in Poona. ^We were a party
1300L07 of four, the other two being an artillery officer and his fiancee.
1310L07 $^We had a table on the lawn well away from the dance floor where the light
1320L07 was very dim. $^The man I had gone with, Major Samson, was
1330L07 telling the gunner about some new-fangled missile. ^He was not drunk
1340L07 or anything, nor was he talking very loudly, but in his normal voice.
1350L07 ^*I remember he had said something like: "Oh, the \0SE2 is the
1360L07 perfect answer to *3SAM*0.
1370L07 ^*I saw the trials. ^We can search
1380L07 out the sights and blow them to bits. ^There*'1s a homing device
1390L07 and a proximity fuse. ^You do need launch pads though, but they
1400L07 can be forty miles from the target". $^That_ was when this man who
1410L07 had been sitting at an adjoining table had come up. "^Ah, Kumar!"
1420L07 Major Samson said as he rose to_ greet him. ^They shook hands
1430L07 and, as Indians who have met after a long time often do, put their arms
1440L07 round each other*'s shoulders. $^And the next moment Major Samson
1450L07 was being gently lowered into his chair as though he had dropped off
1460L07 to sleep. $"^My name is Kumar," the newcomer introduced himself.
1470L07 "^Captain Kumar. ^Shall we dance?" $^*God, the nerve,
1480L07 I thought. "^Having knocked out..." I began. "^Oh, but he was
1490L07 asking for it," he said. "^Anyway, I didn*'4t knock him out...
1500L07 nothing so crude. ^Well, just put him to sleep... you might say."
1510L07 "^Just because he was talking about \0SAM?" "^*Sam happens
1520L07 to_ be the name of our Army chief," he explained, very solemnly,
1530L07 and that_ had made me laugh. "^Your ex-chief," I corrected.
1540L07 ^After we had circled the floor once, I said, "\0SAM happens to_
1550L07 be the abbreviation for the surface-to-air-missile, doesn*'4t it?"
1560L07 $"^*I see that you*'3re very well versed in services*' lore. ^Our
1570L07 security is not very tight, is it?" $"^That_*'1s no reason to_ hold
1580L07 *3me so tight," I countered. $^Without saying anything, he relaxed
1590L07 his hold. $"^You mean, you can... put someone to sleep just like
1600L07 that_?" ^*I had to_ ask. $"^Um-hum. ^It*'1s a trick, really.
1610L07 ^You press a nerve. ^Nothing to it if you know the exact spot.
1620L07 ^Want me to_ try it on you?" $"^Not on your life!" ^*I
1630L07 said, and pushed myself away a little. $^*CAPTAIN *KUMAR had come
1640L07 to_ do a course in the Intelligence School. ^He wore a parachute
1650L07 badge and a single medal ribbon, which his best friend, Squadron-Leader
1660L07 Devdas, told me was the *5Veer Chakra. ^They had both just finished
1670L07 a commando training course and Devdas seemed to_ regard him with
1680L07 a mixture of envy and admiration.*#
        **[no. of words = 02016**]

        **[txt.l08**]
0020L08 **<*3Open Season**> $"^Now? ^We could easily go and collect
0030L08 it". $^She shook her head. "^Not now. ^Now we*'3ll have
0040L08 to_ hurry. ^But could you bring it when you come to_ call for me?
0050L08 ^*I*'1d like to_ read them myself first, to_ see if they are really suitable
0060L08 for American children." $^It seemed that \0Mr. Webber
0070L08 had gone to Chicago on business, and it was the maid*'s night out, being
0080L08 Saturday. \0^*Mrs. Webber, who was active in politics,
0090L08 had to_ attend a dinner in town that_ the Republican party was giving for
0100L08 Governor Walker, and the chauffeur was driving her over. $^As soon
0110L08 as they had finished their coffee and donuts, they had driven to the
0120L08 Webber house. ^And then it had happened, right on the Webber doorstep.
0130L08 ^Just as she was about to_ press the doorbell, Kate had
0131L08 turned back and kissed him on the cheek. ^She had
0140L08 done it with so little self-consciousness, as though it was the most natural
0150L08 thing in the world to_ have done, that he was totally unprepared for
0160L08 it. ^And then, just before the door opened she had said: $"^Don*'4t
0170L08 forget to_ bring the fairytale book!" $^He had felt a little
0180L08 dazed, and it took him some time to_ recover. ^But afterwards,
0190L08 he felt light and gay, as though with that_ first kiss, he had surmounted
0200L08 some invisible barrier. ^The feel of the kiss lingered against
0210L08 his cheek, creating a little glow of its own; and there was a
0220L08 pleasurable, tingling sensation all over his body. $^He paused in
0230L08 the doorway for a long time, looking at the opulent house. ^Then
0240L08 he got into his car and drove away, singing to himself.
0250L08 **[song**] $^He had barely come out of the drive on to Millbank
0260L08 Lane when he saw a women on the road, bundled up in a raincoat and
0270L08 wearing a pulled-down hat, carrying a heavy suitcase. ^She was
0280L08 waving frantically for him to_ stop. ^*Jaikumar pulled up the car
0290L08 . $"^*I*'3m Nancy, the Webber*'s maid, from down there", she
0300L08 panted. "^Could you give me a ride down the road-- I missed the bus".
0310L08 $^She had a pleasant, somewhat bovine face, but her voice
0320L08 was hard, almost metallic. ^She looked about thirty, and had a trim,
0330L08 if sturdy figure, and she wore some heavy cloying perfume.
0340L08 $"^Certainly," Jaikumar said, opening the door for her, "I am going
0350L08 down to the campus-- drop you anywhere you like". $"^Bless you,
0360L08 dear," she said with relief. ^She climbed into the seat beside him
0370L08 and pulled her bag after her. "^If you could just pull up beside the
0380L08 bridge the other end of Garden Reach, Bert-- that_*'1s my young man,
0390L08 said he*'1d wait there for me. ^Then if you could drop both of us
0400L08 at the bus-stop at the end of Nassan street... if you don*'4t mind".
0410L08 $"^Not at all", Jaikumar assured her, releasing the clutch. $"^Bless
0420L08 you", Nancy said again. $^The road went straight for more than
0430L08 a mile, and right enough, the moment he had passed the small bridge,
0440L08 he saw a man standing under one of the trees, smoking a cigarette.
0450L08 ^A tall and broad-shouldered man wearing a fur-collared overcoat and a turned-down
0460L08 hat. "^There*'1s Bert," the woman beside him beamed.
0470L08 "^Just where he said he would be." $^*Jaikumar pulled the car to
0480L08 the right and stopped. ^The man threw away his still-burning cigarette
0490L08 and came up to them. $"^Hi, Bert" Nancy called out to him
0500L08 in a high-pitched voice. $"^It*'1s me, honey. ^Get in; the young
0510L08 gentleman is taking us to the bus stop." $"^Why, thanks," Bert
0520L08 said. "^Much obliged." $"^You*'3re welcome," Jaikumar told
0530L08 him. "^One of you will have to_ get in at the back." $"^*I*'3ll
0540L08 go over," Nancy offered. ^She climbed nimbly over the back of
0550L08 the front seat and sat at the back showing a lot of her legs. ^*Bert
0560L08 handed her her suitcase and then came and sat in the front seat beside
0570L08 Jaikumar. "^Nice little bus, this," he commented, as he shut the
0580L08 door. $^*Jaikumar started the car going before he spoke.
0590L08 $"^She*'1s all right." ^He patted the side of the car fondly. $"^*I
0600L08 had a Rambler myself, one time," the man said. $"^Good cars,"
0610L08 Jaikumar said. "^This one belonged to an African." $^As the
0620L08 man bent forward, Jaikumar thought that he had seen him before,
0630L08 "^Say, aren*'4t you the man I nearly ran over the other evening?" he
0640L08 asked. $^*Bert shook his head vigorously. "^Oh, no!" $"^You
0650L08 sure? ^*I could have sworn... hey, what*'1s come over you!" $^The
0660L08 man had suddenly turned in the seat and was pressing down with both hands
0670L08 on his shoulders, and pushing him against the seat. "^Slow down,
0680L08 willya," he ordered, "and bring her to a stop... steady, now...
0690L08 gently..." $"^Are you... you some kind of a nut or something! ^Stop pushing..."
0700L08 $"^You heard me! ^Pull her to one side and stop.
0710L08 ^*I*'3m taking over," the man rasped. $"^This is a hold-up, Mac,"
0720L08 the woman said from behind." "^And what I*'3m pressing into your
0730L08 neck is the little old Colt-- automatic. ^You*'d better do as
0740L08 Bert says." $^He suddenly realized that besides Bert*'s hands gripping
0750L08 his shoulders, there was another point of pressure behind his collar.
0760L08 ^His limbs felt weak from the sudden rush of cold sweat all over
0770L08 him, and his heart thumped. ^He took his foot off the accelerator
0780L08 and applied the brake. ^The car came to a jerky halt. $"^Move
0790L08 over, willya," Bert ordered. $"^Stop shoving," Jaikumar protested.
0800L08 "^Is this a joke of some kind?" $"^You*'3ll find out, soon
0810L08 enough, dear," the lady called Nancy said, very gently. $"^But
0820L08 aren*'4t you... aren*'4t you the Webbers*' maid?" $^*Nancy laughed."
0830L08 ^Gwan with ya! ^*I*'3m no maid, but I hope to_ take good
0840L08 care of the child, ha, ha. ^And don*'4t do anything foolish, Bert*'2s
0850L08 got a knife." $^He glanced down and saw the flash of the blade
0860L08 that_ had suddenly appeared in Bert*'s hand, and even as he was staring
0870L08 at it, he felt his face being violently pushed back and the pressure
0880L08 of a silk scarf being tightly pulled around his mouth and nose,
0890L08 drawing tighter and tighter. $"^Don*'4t strangle him honey," he heard
0900L08 Bert warn. "^We have to_ keep his vocal chords working."
0910L08 $"^Just to_ make sure he won*'4t go hollering," Nancy told him. ^She
0920L08 tied the knot of the scarf behind his head. "^Now put your hands behind
0930L08 your back, will you; no, no; help him Bert, please; ah, that_*'1s
0940L08 right; hold it, with the wrists crossed; please hold still so you
0950L08 don*'4t get hurt... there." $^His eyes were open, and he could
0960L08 see. ^He could see the headlights of the cars passing them on the road,
0970L08 hear the distant swish becoming an angry roar and then recede, and
0980L08 the lights become swallowed up by the darkness. ^In the distance he
0990L08 could see the faint glow in the sky cast by the lights of the town,
1000L08 and the red and green neon signs winking into the night. ^He wanted
1010L08 to_ lash out at Bert with his legs and feet, but the thought of the
1020L08 knife he held and also the Colt that_ Nancy carried made him change his
1030L08 mind. $^*Bert opened the door and pushed Jaikumar to one side
1040L08 and got into the driver*'s seat. ^He had obviously driven a Rambleer
1050L08 before, for he was fully at home with the controls. ^The wheels began
1060L08 to roll gently at first, and then with a steady swish. ^At the
1070L08 first crossing, he took a smooth U turn, and began to_ amble back along
1080L08 the road they had come. ^When they reached the gates of the Webber
1090L08 house, he halted the car and put out the lights but kept the engine running.
1100L08 $"^Over there," Bert said to Nancy. "^*I cased it the
1110L08 other day. ^If you would just walk in front and guide me." $^*Nancy
1120L08 got out and went looking behind the trees. ^Then she came back and
1130L08 spoke to Bert. $"^You are right. ^There*'1s room to_ park
1140L08 there behind that_ elm." $^*Bert put on the parking lights and followed
1150L08 Nancy*'s stockinged legs which led them behind the trees. ^The car
1160L08 went bump-bump-bump over the uneven grass, and then stopped. ^From
1170L08 where they were, they could see the open gate of the Webber house and
1180L08 driveway going in. ^And at the end, the house itself, lonely and
1190L08 vulnerable. $^*Bert and Nancy lit cigarettes. ^She had a
1200L08 fancy cigarette lighter with a gas flame which was like a fountain pen,
1210L08 only shorter. ^For a time, they sat smoking, and then Bert said:
1220L08 "^You tell him, Nancy." $"^Listen," nancy began. "^No harm
1230L08 will come to you if you only listen carefully and do what you are
1240L08 told." $"^But you*'3ll be shot through the head, if you make a false
1250L08 move," Bert added. "^You want to_ be shot through the head?"
1260L08 $^*Jaikumar shook his head vigorously. $"^Then listen,"
1270L08 Nancy said. "^We*'3ll go in just as soon as we find the coast is clear.
1280L08 ^When the woman drives off, we know that the Harding girl is
1290L08 the only one in the house, besides the brat. ^We know you take out
1300L08 the girl. ^She knows your car and is expecting you. ^So she can
1310L08 look out **[sic**] the window and know it*'1s you come back..."
1320L08 $"^With your book of bedtime stories," Bert taunted.
1330L08 $^He found himself tensing, straining at the tight bandages. ^So they
1340L08 had been following Kate and him earlier in the evening, listening
1350L08 to them and observing them. ^It gave him a feeling of intense disgust
1360L08 to_ think that their friendly talk should have been overheard by this
1370L08 vile pair. $"^Then we go and wait at the door, all three of us,"
1380L08 Nancy was saying. $"^*I*'3ll be holding the knife sticking
1390L08 against your throat, and Nancy will have the gun pressed into your back,"
1400L08 Bert added. $"^And your hands will be still tied-- and so
1410L08 will your legs. ^*I shall press the bell and wait. ^When she
1420L08 comes down the stairs-- we know the bedrooms are upstairs-- if she opens
1430L08 the door, you have nothing to do. ^If she doesn*'4t, Bert will
1440L08 tell you to_ call out to her. ^Just say it*'1s you Jake-- we know
1450L08 what she calls you. ^Get her to_ open the door, that_*'1s all."
1460L08 $"^She must open the door. ^You see to that_... understood!"
1470L08 $^*Jaikumar remained rigid, then he shook his head: negative.
1480L08 ^He flinched as he saw the blow coming. ^*Bert brought the back of
1490L08 his hand across his face. "^You bastard... sonofabitch!" he hissed,
1500L08 and then he began to_ slap him alternately on both cheeks so that
1510L08 his head lolled from side to side with the impact of Bert*'s hand.
1520L08 $"^Easy Bert!" the woman snapped. "^You don*'4t want him knocked
1530L08 senseless. ^Let me handle this. ^She took out her pistol
1540L08 and held its barrel between the first and second fingers of Jaikumar*'s
1550L08 hand. ^Then she began to_ press his fingers together, tighter and
1560L08 tighter, watching his face all the while. "^No harm is going to_ come to
1570L08 you or the girl, understand?" she was saying very softly. "^But you
1580L08 gotta call her out-- get her to_ open the door if she doesn*'4t do it on
1590L08 her own. ^Yes." $^Again Jaikumar shook his head. $^The
1600L08 pressure on his fingers increased. ^The pain was excruciating and
1610L08 his body squirmed with it and his limbs began to_ sweat. "^Now do
1620L08 you understand, dear." ^*Nancy was whispering in his ear. "^Yes?
1630L08 ^Yes?" $^He nodded his head, this time up and down, and the
1640L08 pressure instantly relaxed. ^He felt faint with pain. ^He took
1650L08 a deep breath, filling his lungs, trying to_ drive out the giddiness
1660L08 with gasps of fresh air. ^The pain had been so acute that he went
1670L08 on nodding, so that it should not come back, even though he now realized
1680L08 what they were going to_ do. ^The headlines he had seen in the
1690L08 papers on his first Sunday in Princeton flashed through his mind.
1700L08 "^Killers still at large! ^*Svenson kidnappers get away with
1710L08 fortune!" $^In the dark, he tried to_ peer at their faces.
1720L08 ^So they were the Svenson kidnappers. ^The man and woman called
1730L08 Bert and Nancy had kidnapped a five year old girl and held her to ransom
1740L08 and then, having collected the ransom, had murdered her.*#
        **[no. of words = 02036**]

        **[txt. l09**]
0020L09 **<*3The Traumatic Bite**>
0030L09 $*<*3CHAPTER *=20*0*> $*<3Revisiting Melody*0*> $^When Bees
0040L09 Hop finally got acclimatised to the inebriated and high strung hysteria
0050L09 of Inspector Roy*'s voice he held the telephone more tightly; his
0060L09 own face became loose with surprise until he presented a portrait of
0070L09 slack jawed wonder. ^It was morning, a grey dull morning, a sorry
0080L09 transition from the soggy darkness of night. ^*Calcutta has a nominal
0090L09 division of the hours into night and day, but day makes little
0100L09 difference to the moods of men and animals. ^The malevolence of sordid
0110L09 nights lingers far into the day, and if there is any real change,
0120L09 it exists on the tarred road surfaces, which having had an uneasy respite
0130L09 from trams, trucks and carts are now subjected to the bone crushing madness
0140L09 of morning traffic. ^The roads in Calcutta are the most weary
0150L09 in the world. ^Neglected, undernourished and unrested, they groan
0160L09 not merely with the infirmity that_ has been inflicted on them, but also
0170L09 from the gashes, cuts and festering sores that_ they have to_ bear,
0180L09 the gaping wounds which receive no treatment. $^On finally replacing
0190L09 the receiver, Bees Hop*'s eyes were shining, like a dog with rabies.
0200L09 ^He went out of the flat and picked up the newspaper, lying there
0210L09 mimicking a flabby fish. ^Returning in haste to the room he settled
0220L09 down in the manner of a man about to_ relish *8hors d*'3oevers*9,
0230L09 and went quickly through Lyar*'s news story, punctuating the activity
0240L09 with a series of sharp hyena like howls of derision. ^When he finished
0250L09 he was bending over doubled up like a man with stomach cramps, gasping
0260L09 soundlessly in feverish amusement, and the others who*'d been awakened
0270L09 by his animal yells were staring at him with a mixture of exasperation
0280L09 and curiosity. ^*Dass looked swollen eyed. $^Synchronicity.
0290L09 ^Between the arrival of the hearse at the hospital and a false preliminary
0300L09 dawn lightening the sky, turning dullness to slate shades.
0310L09 ^Medical orderlies, dirty and disgruntled, resenting everything that_
0320L09 stole their sleep, carried the body into a side room and forgot all about
0330L09 it. ^In the cafe upstairs nurses drank coffee to_ keep themselves
0340L09 from crying. ^The third floor was full of young interns relivening
0350L09 the tedium of post operative vacuums by injecting minor doses of government
0360L09 controlled cocaine into each other*'s veins. ^Pathologists,
0370L09 notorious everywhere for their hatred of the absolute, took refuge in sleep
0380L09 and the body forgotten, continued its metaphysical process of sublime
0390L09 change, undisturbed by the chill interference of surgeons*' scalpels,
0400L09 pathologists*' microscopes. $^No one appears concerned about
0410L09 anything inside a hospital. ^Three horse bite cases were neighing,
0420L09 having contracted a mutation of equestrian rabies. ^Rootless non
0430L09 entities poured from an endless vat. ^The reek of unreality overwhelms
0440L09 any visitor entering at night. ^At four in the morning while
0450L09 Simmer and the others were drowned in groggy exhaustion at \0APV*'s
0460L09 flat, a thin miserable orderly wheeled the body into an adjoining, room
0470L09 where a largish and rotund man, \0FRCS, with horn rimmed glasses
0480L09 sat eating a big green apple. ^Slowly, from other entrances, auxiliary
0490L09 pathologists, lawyers and policemen filtered in crisply, careful
0500L09 to_ preserve their identity in this room where death would expose its
0510L09 inner putrefaction. ^The pathologist got to his feet and sighed--
0520L09 routine behaviour for a routine job to_ make the interns feel more at home
0530L09 a dash of role distance, a process of demystification, a job like any
0540L09 other boring and dead. $^The horn rimmed dissector applied the
0550L09 scalpel lightly to the skin below \0APV*'s breast bone, and an assertive
0560L09 trickle of blood pulsed out, its passage in exact concord with the
0570L09 doctor*'s look of horrified and amazed stupefaction. ^Frozen as if
0580L09 by an attack of encephalitis lethargica, the pathologist, in concert
0590L09 with the other spectators, watched as \0APV*'s body underwent a sinous
0600L09 tremor, his throat emitted a groan of satisfaction and his eyes opened
0610L09 with a delicate flutter. ^He paused, once again motionless and then,
0620L09 like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon, shook himself to his feet and
0630L09 looked around only a trifle dazedly, a slight smile in his chin, completely
0640L09 in control of his faculties. $^Agitated pandemonium, intense
0650L09 yet played down, broke loose as the constable fell into a faint (two
0660L09 hours later he died without once recovering consciousness).
0670L09 ^*Sub Inspector Guha too had fainted and the others were looking at \0APV
0680L09 as at a unique building or beauty-- as at a miracle. ^In that_
0690L09 atmosphere of tension \0APV laughed, unconsciously sinister cynicism,
0700L09 causing the two nurses to_ jump on to the constable*'s inert body.
0710L09 ^In the excitement, people hurrying here and there, scurrying like live
0720L09 rats, the luckless policeman (poor but named *5Dhani Ram*6) was forgotten,
0730L09 trampled, mauled crushed and pulped to death. ^For him there
0740L09 was no reprieve. ^Only the pathologist, a man deadened by years
0750L09 of repetition remained unaffected. ^He picked up his fast oxidising
0760L09 apple and dug his fangs into it, reminding Nurse Periera a nervous
0770L09 young lass, of a vampire manufacturing the living dead. ^His rotting
0780L09 teeth left big blood stains on the flesh of the fruit. ^Shuddering
0790L09 deliciously with self induced fear, she stepped back sending the
0800L09 long stem of her high heel grinding into the motionless cop*'s neck.
0810L09 $"^Well gentlemen," announced \0APV cockily, "Why was I disturbed
0820L09 during my yoga? ^Who brought me here thus unceremoniously, and
0830L09 why this cut on my chest? ^Nurse!" he roared, "Some tincture of iodine--
0840L09 the devilish work of my apple eating friend hurts." ^He looked
0850L09 around in the manner of a man who has drunk too much wine and perceives
0860L09 everything differently, with audacity and confidence. ^A commotion
0870L09 started up in the passageway and Inspector Roy arrived in the \0path.
0880L09 \0lab. glaring without comprehension at \0APV who, naked under a
0890L09 sheet *7toga was gazing around him with the complacence of a glutton.
0900L09 $"^What is this?" ^*Inspector Roy splutterred mechanically.
0910L09 $"^Precisely my question," rejoined \0APV suavely, a schoolboy
0920L09 enjoying hugely the discomfiture of his despicable teachers. $"^But
0930L09 you... you... you were dead," expostulated the harassed Inspector.
0940L09 $"^Be so good as to_ correct yourself on points of minor importance Inspector.
0950L09 ^As you see, I*'3m not dead-- and logically speaking, that_
0960L09 implies I never was dead. ^Right? ^Unless you think of course
0970L09 that I was dead but am alive now, which would be a theological debate
0980L09 of rather limited relevance. ^That_ resurrection business belongs strictly
0990L09 to the Bible. ^The only other alternative is that I was
1000L09 dead and am dead now-- but that_ really does seem a bit far fetched Inspector,
1010L09 you won*'4t get me to_ believe it, lovely though it sounds."
1020L09 $^The stream flew past Roy, but it served to_ give the Inspector
1030L09 his bearings. ^He became once again rational and sensible, the
1040L09 model police officer, "^How was it," he wondered aloud, "that you*'d
1050L09 stopped breathing for so long? ^The doctors could detect no heart
1060L09 beat, no pulse, no sign of life whatsoever. ^What happened?
1070L09 ^Do you know how it took place?" $"^*Inspector, Inspector," cooed
1080L09 \0APV chidingly, "there are mysteries too deep for mortal man to_
1090L09 fathom. ^Tricks like levitation and akinesia are regarded with
1100L09 total disbelief. ^Phenomenon of this order then, as you*'3ve just witnessed,
1110L09 are far beyond human understanding. ^Your criminal training
1120L09 renders you unfit for comprehending mysterious processes. ^Perhaps only
1130L09 a physicist can really know. ^But I must get home now, what
1140L09 time is it? ^Four forty four? ^That_*'1s about five and a half
1150L09 hours hmnn... an improvement of over an hour. ^Excellent. ^And
1160L09 if that_ scalpel hadn*'4t cut me it might have lasted longer. ^Induced
1170L09 catatonia doc, maybe you*'3ll understand that_ huh? ^Now!
1180L09 ^What about my clothes? ^*I don*'4t want to_ be picked up for exhibitionism
1190L09 at this odd hour of day ha hah." ^He was in high spirits.
1200L09 $"^Excuse me sir" almost lisped Roy, "I*'3m afraid you*'3ll
1210L09 have to_ come to the police station and clear up all this business.
1220L09 ^*I*'3m sorry to_ harass you at this critical point, but it*'1s essential
1230L09 to_ expunge the entire episode from our files-- well, not expunge but
1240L09 clear up. ^You know..." he ended weakly. "^Certainly, certainly,"
1250L09 agreed \0APV expansively, "certainly I*'3ll come.
1260L09 ^But lend me a pair of *7togs if you*'3ve already burnt mine. ^*I don*'4t
1270L09 fancy this third rate Roman costume. ^How could Cicero make his
1280L09 speeches in such ridiculous accoutrement? ^Ha ha anyway let*'3s hurry
1290L09 before they pronounce me dead. ^Oh ho I see a reporter trying
1300L09 for a *7toga shot. ^Well well I may as well oblige you young chap.
1310L09 ^You*'3re struggling and when you get big, these days of struggle
1320L09 will surface and make you a malicious reporter. ^Only the easy road
1330L09 to fame can change that_, possibly by killing you altogether take the
1340L09 picture... another pose? ^What*'1s your name? ^Let*'3s go
1350L09 Inspector, I*'1d like to_ get home and do my *4asanas of reentry into
1360L09 the phenomenal world". $^They went off in a jeep rather needlessly
1370L09 wailing its siren. ^In the police station they conversed on various
1380L09 matters of minor importance. Roy*'s mystification was complete.
1390L09 ^Never before had such an extraordinary case come before him.
1400L09 ^Later when reporters questioned him he would say that \0APV was the
1410L09 sanest and most responsible of men he*'d ever met. $\0^*APV was brilliant--
1420L09 he charmed, laughed, conversed, with an elegance and lack of
1430L09 condescension which overwhelmed the level headed Inspector, used to
1440L09 interaction with the harder elements of humanity. ^The Inspetor would
1450L09 never plumb \0APV*'s careful act, to what an extent the entire
1460L09 show was planned, \0APV*'s subtle command of psychology. ^He would
1470L09 never know how \0APV mastered chess, his abstract intelligence
1480L09 and the moves he*'d stored anticipating far in advance the effect and
1490L09 reactions to his crafty wielding of pawns. ^Two tight hours, the
1500L09 prevention of an official press release. \0^*APV was playing his
1510L09 hand close, a desperado with nothing to_ lose, a daredevil scheme.
1520L09 ^The tension in him manifested itself through razor sharp alertness,
1530L09 the taut sensitivity he displayed which so impressed Roy. $^At
1540L09 half past six when a constable brought in the papers, \0APV leaped
1550L09 like a hungry beast-- yet he did this with dignity and restraint, the
1560L09 acrobatics were internal while a watching eye would have seen a causal and
1570L09 mechanical gesture to a familiar stimulus. ^With eyes devouring
1580L09 the words and heart thumping, he raced through Lyar*'s story, relaxing
1590L09 completely only at the last word. ^He fell back with a smile exulting
1600L09 like a sprinter who has just won a race prepared for months.
1610L09 "^Here, read this Inspector," he murmured, "and then call up Simmer
1620L09 if you think he*'1s still at my apartment". $^*Inspector Roy had
1630L09 dialled \0APV*'s number and agitatedly, confusedly, garbled out an
1640L09 account of the night*'s events to Bees Hop. $^For minutes after
1650L09 he hung up Bees Hop stumbled around the room, choking with laughter.
1660L09 ^And then he couldn*'4t reconcile the ludicrous combination of reality
1670L09 and Lyar*'s article. ^It epitomized the huge, beer swilling
1680L09 smoky press clubs. ^Only in the post shock of comedy, did incredulity
1690L09 filter through, ciderlike. ^Mirrored by the crew as he related
1700L09 the tale, their stunned nerves communicated with him. ^He perceived
1710L09 the fantastic in the sequence. ^The truth was beyond; \0APV's
1720L09 manouevres, each one of which had been planned diabolically, masterstrokes
1730L09 of gaming. $^*Dass and Simmer were talking rapidly, their
1740L09 amazement expressed in physiological terms, a perfect picture of connections.
1750L09 ^The General in his own martial way was invaded by auditory
1760L09 hallucinations. ^He felt unreal, nothing in the room seemed familiar;
1770L09 momentarily he wondered if it was fatigue or the news that_ induced
1780L09 this febrile miasma. ^He was groping for support, turning to
1790L09 history, the precedent for everything. ^A stilted film sequence began
1800L09 sputtering within him, a college of battle scenes, other wonders wrapped
1810L09 in a dreamlike sensibility. ^Things of beauty and grace, overpowering
1820L09 in their aura of superhuman splendour. ^Ah those mystics
1830L09 in Baltistan, controlling lizards, commanding snakes. ^Single glances
1840L09 withering leaves on trees, turning stone to dust. $^In the midst
1850L09 of a silence \0APV walked in. $"^*I*'3ll tell you some awkward
1860L09 facts for Lyar. ^In reviewing his pivotal and ridiculous story
1870L09 how often is the important absurd!*#
        **[no. of words = 02004**]

        **[txt. l10**]
0020L10 **<*3The Ecstatic Embrace*0**> $*<6*> $*<*3Villages Don*'4t
0030L10 Burn*0*> $*3^IT HAD*0 moved zig-zagging through his belly,
0040L10 then rested within a coin-like spot between his eyes, tickling gently
0050L10 at first and then settling into a honeyed, glowing ecstasy, where
0060L10 all energy was whistling in a regular indescribable sound. $^*Nids
0070L10 left Siddiqui*'s hideout early one morning, a few days after Parasarananda
0080L10 and Surichi had departed. ^One of the visitors to the
0090L10 house had informed him of a new 'Treat Yourself' happening which was
0100L10 being held on the outskirts of the city. ^The details had left Nids
0110L10 bewildered. $"^All who want to_ attend must get there, and
0120L10 post a letter. ^In that letter must be written clearly what one wants.
0130L10 ^Then one must post the letter in one of the post houses within
0140L10 the boundaries of the happening. ^And without doubt, one will get
0150L10 whatever one has wished for in the letter." ^The visitor, whose credentials
0160L10 Nids had not gathered had departed after giving him the information
0170L10 needed to_ get there. $^He left the meadows behind, and
0180L10 turned towards a rail track which appeared to_ move in the 'right' direction.
0190L10 ^He dozed a while and was woken by the sound of a train passing
0200L10 him by. ^He leapt up and gave chase to it. $^The train, a brown
0210L10 sluggishly elegant machine moved smoothly on. ^It made no sound
0220L10 whatever, and there appeared to_ be no people in it. ^How was it running?
0230L10 ^*Nids had little time for irrelevant queries; he knew what
0240L10 he wanted to_ do and did it. $^He ran beside the train attempting
0250L10 to_ gain purchase, on one of the doors or windows all of which were
0260L10 flung open; he was not getting tired. ^Yet the train seemed to_ be
0270L10 moving just a bit faster than what could be considered a 'safe' speed
0280L10 for boarding it. ^Then to his agony, it began imperceptibly moving
0290L10 faster than him and after a while he was chasing behind it on the tracks
0300L10 themselves. $^When all hope had evanesced the train slowed and he
0310L10 was able to_ heave himself onto the guard*'s van which like the rest
0320L10 of the train was empty. ^The country he was traversing was covered
0330L10 with huge billowy meadows, across which oceans of wind would impetuously
0340L10 burst cleaving floraic clouds of pollinated spray, which smashed explosively
0350L10 upwards, held still, and then crashed down all around him.
0360L10 ^The train moved smoothly on. $^He slept, and was woken by the
0370L10 sight of another train which ran parallel to the one he was riding.
0380L10 ^He noticed that it had no engine and that it comprised three small
0390L10 bogeys which ran speedily by themselves. $^The people in it were
0400L10 seated facing across each other, and the bogeys had no sides.
0410L10 ^In the pleasantly sultry weather of the afternoon it seemed so much pleasanter
0420L10 to_ be in. ^*Nids shook himself up and then leaned over until
0430L10 his right leg touched the engineless train. ^Both his hands and his
0440L10 left leg were still on the guard*'s van. ^He rode that_ way for some
0450L10 distance. ^Then he moved into the 'autonomous bogeys'.
0460L10 $^The train he had departed from increased its speed and soon chugged out
0470L10 of vision. ^The afternoon sun glinted upon the tracks as they whizzed
0480L10 on. ^Comfortably ensconced, Nids looked around him. ^One
0490L10 of the ladies who sat next to him had a slim body that_ 'faded out' at the
0500L10 neck, and this gave her a headless appearnce. ^She was dressed
0510L10 in a red shirt and a checked skirt. ^The lady*'s body comprised only
0520L10 two legs which were draped over the seat and wore shoes and gray stockings.
0530L10 $^There was one man across him who consisted of an outline
0540L10 which had a bluish hue; the rest of him appeared to_ have been 'cut out'.
0550L10 ^*Nids could see the meadows right through him. ^Beyond this
0560L10 person was another gentleman whose sole signifier was a tuft of
0561L10 untidy hair, which floated as if a whole body rested securely under it.
0570L10 $^*Nids, while keen on conversing, and finding out whether he was nearing
0580L10 his destination, felt that these entities would have to_ be approached
0590L10 concretely. ^The abstractions of 'everyday conversation' would
0600L10 not suffice. $^*Nidhagha spoke: $"*3^*I*'3m not very sure $that
0610L10 you*'3re there, $^Can*'4t conjecture $whether you breathe air,
0620L10 $^*I don*'4t know if I am alone..."*0 $^The 'cut out' man replied:
0630L10 $"*3^If he knew $that he thought he was sure, $^Then he would know
0640L10 $that he thought he was sure. $^Then he would know he would never
0650L10 know, $ever again $what it meant $to_ think he knew what he was $sure
0660L10 he didn*'4t know, $for sure, $but thought he did $not very surely."*0
0670L10 $^The bogeys soon approached country bizarrely different from
0680L10 the kind they had been moving through: the land had turned sandy and swamps
0690L10 were clearly visible. ^*Nids climbed the roof of the carriage
0700L10 and looked. ^The rail tracks were descending straight into the midst
0710L10 of a horrific quagmire about a mile off from where they rolled.
0720L10 $^There was little choice. ^He looked out for a place to_ leap off
0730L10 on. ^Then he ran, pulled the chain, and as the carriages slowed he
0740L10 grabbed a walking stick that_ lay near him and jumped. ^He landed upon
0750L10 a bit of land that_ gurgled, and swayed but held till he had crossed
0760L10 over into a dusty path. $^He turned and saw the carriages go smoothly
0770L10 till where the tracks ended and then they rose into the air, and continued
0780L10 their journey about four feet off the ground. $^He proceeded
0790L10 along the dusty path and found himself traversing a route which wound ever
0800L10 upwards. ^The weather grew cooler, and the sun seemed to_ have stood
0810L10 stationary overhead. $^Having crested the hilly path he sat himself
0820L10 upon a rock and rested. ^When he looked beside he saw Ribudh.
0830L10 "^Let*'3s move on," said Ribudh, "it*'3ll be evening soon."
0840L10 $^Around them were incredible mountains catching the sun in their collective
0850L10 bosom. ^The path they followed led into a cobbled street which
0860L10 inclined downwards sharply. ^As they walked they heard the tread
0870L10 of steps behind them. ^An old man and his half-grown son were following
0880L10 them. ^They stood aside. ^As they passed the old man said,
0890L10 "The country is being overrun by longhaired hooligans." ^The remark
0900L10 was obviously directed at them. $^The path cut into an incredibly
0910L10 steep hillside and soon became a ribbon. ^Traversing it required
0920L10 great presence of being. ^Then it widened once again and shot downwards
0930L10 becoming cobbled with white stones. ^It ran in and out the houses
0940L10 of people, who had now hostilely lined up at their windows and were
0950L10 staring at them pass by. $^Across the houses the path ran into a
0960L10 disused graveyard, which had jungle written all over it. ^One of its
0970L10 tall bounding walls had a hole. ^They went towards it and looked
0980L10 through. ^Huge luscious meadows spread out afore them. ^Beneath
0990L10 a tree sat a man dressed in saffron with two women in jeans in front of
1000L10 him. $^The man in saffron picked up a metal ball and threw it.
1010L10 ^It sailed smoothly and fell a huge distance away. ^They crept through
1020L10 the hole. $^The women in jeans looked their way. ^*Ribudh
1030L10 ran over and gathered the metal ball and hurled it out of sight, into
1040L10 the air. "^Don*'4t worry," he told the women, "it won*'4t come down."
1050L10 $^They left the trio in the fields and hired a scooter-rickshaw
1060L10 to_ take them into town. ^They drove along a narrow but clean path,
1070L10 which had been tarmaced. ^They stopped as they were intercepted
1080L10 by a prayer procession. $^Amidst the procession was a tulip-like
1090L10 woman who glanced straight at Nids and smiled. ^He felt himself being
1100L10 sucked in by the void, whorling, zigzigging, then coming back.
1110L10 ^When he looked a second time she had gone. ^Later a woman in white
1120L10 invited them to_ spend the night at her house. $^They entered her
1130L10 house, which was built along medieval Mogul lines, and were ushered
1140L10 to a table that_ had been laid for the family. ^As the table filled
1150L10 Nids noticed that the woman he had seen earlier in the evening was
1160L10 present. ^She did not look at him. ^They ate the food, which was
1170L10 not extraordinary, then retired to the room that_ had been assigned to
1180L10 them. ^It was on the roof, and well ventilated. $^Being tired
1190L10 they slept. ^Later Nids heared a noise, but dismissed it as unimportant.
1200L10 ^Then someone beckoned to him in a dream. ^He opened
1210L10 his eyes and saw the woman in a flowing nightgown calling to him.
1220L10 ^Moving out of bed he went up to her. $"^Look," she said pointing
1230L10 out to the sky. ^A huge propellered plane was slogging its way beneath
1240L10 the stars. ^Suddenly its constant drone turned upon itself and
1250L10 became a piteous whine. ^A flame shot out into the heavens and the
1260L10 plane came straight towards the roof they stood upon, wreathed in luminescent
1270L10 glory. ^Then as they thought it would shoot them it overbalanced
1280L10 dashing a hundred yards ahead of the turrets on the roof.
1290L10 ^It fell apart and Nids ducked to_ evade the splinters from the kamaic
1300L10 splurge that_ followed instantly. $^Dawn was breaking, and the
1310L10 woman looked Nids in the eye once again, sending him reeling into the
1320L10 depths of ecstasy. ^Then she was gone. ^*Ribudh had rushed
1330L10 off to_ help evacuate the people caught in the accident. ^He dressed
1340L10 and hitched a ride on some army vehicles convoying down an endless tarmac
1350L10 road. ^There were no drivers, no occupants. ^The convoy stopped
1360L10 at midday and Nids saw two men hail a taxi, near a railway crossing.
1370L10 ^The hills had been left behind and they were back among the sweltering
1380L10 plains. ^Clutching his white cloth hat upon his head Nids
1390L10 followed a sign; then he knew he was there. ^The 'Treat Yourself'
1400L10 happening was somewhat deserted. ^Clearly very few had believed
1410L10 that their wishes would come true: they could not imagine such a thing.
1420L10 ^It was 'impossible,' they felt. $^*Nids pulled out a letter
1430L10 form and wrote his wish; then moved towards a post box and slid it
1440L10 in. ^Behind him a queue had sprung up. ^Then he moved sultrily
1450L10 around waiting for his dreams to_ materialize. ^As he gave hope up
1460L10 **[sic**] and abandoned desire, he saw by the wayside a stick.
1470L10 ^Picking it up he smacked stones with it. ^A man walked up to
1480L10 him. "^Look, my friend says I*'3ve got a fixation. ^*I*'3ve
1490L10 been coming to_ see you too often." ^It was Kalki who had recaptured
1500L10 Kesini. ^She stood in the distance. $"^*I*'3ve never
1510L10 met you before. ^Explain that_ to her. ^Tell her it*'1s okay."
1520L10 ^With that_ Kalki sped away. ^*Nids walked to Kesini.
1530L10 "^Are those called clothes?" he said looking at her bra and panties.
1540L10 $"^They*'3re still after me," she said. $^They went into
1550L10 a bungalow and Kesini introduced Nids to her new-found friends among
1560L10 whom were the people who had travelled with him earlier in the bogeys.
1570L10 $"^*I can see through you" said the 'cut out' man. $"^Let*'3s
1580L10 play footer," said a voice above the stockinged shoes. $"^Impeccable
1590L10 taste," said Nids looking at Kesini. $^The 'man' with
1600L10 the tuft of hair floating over his 'body' spoke. "^Let*'3s go," he
1610L10 said. ^Moving towards the centre of the room he lifted open a trapdoor.
1620L10 ^They spiralled downwards upon the gilded stairway endlessly,
1630L10 until they emerged next to the three bogeys Nids had travelled upon
1640L10 earlier. $"^Race you to the seat," said the 'boy' with stockinged
1650L10 feet. $"^Feel me," said the headless woman, "touch my aspiration."
1660L10 $^*Nids watched as the bogeys began to_ move away smoothly.
1670L10 ^He yelled: $"*3^Are you, you? $^Am I, I? $^Are we, we?
1680L10 $^Is he, he?"*0 $^The 'cut out' man said. $"*3^As you wish,
1690L10 $it is."*0 $*<7*> $*<*3Gyrations in a Lacerated Landscape*0*>
1700L10 $*3^IT HAD*0 come in chortling with delight as if, for once,
1710L10 the world was just right. ^An unusual luxury. $^*Kalki, wearied
1720L10 of journeying the charts set out by his ontology walked down the seedy
1730L10 stairway gazing deeply at the grains. ^Across two doors, round
1740L10 one corner, knock at the door; wait for an answer; step in.*#
        **[no. of words = 02012**]

        **[txt. l11**]
0020L11 **<*3The Case of the Caddie*'s Ring*0**>
0030L11 $^My first major case took place in Mahabaleshwar. ^It came to_
0040L11 be known as the Case of the Caddie*'s Ring. $^*Abdul Rahman
0050L11 was a fine old caddie and a more unique person than his name conveys,
0060L11 for Abdul Rahman is a very common name in India and indeed in all
0070L11 the East. ^What was obviously unusual about him at first sight was
0080L11 that he wore a large red fez. ^Now the fashion of wearing a fez has
0090L11 faded in most Eastern countries but Abdul Rahman wore it with the
0100L11 same quaint individuality that_ marks out a man who still affects a solar
0110L11 *4topee. $^*Abdul Rahman was a dark, polite, toothless man who
0120L11 somehow always managed to_ have a grizzled face. ^The stubble on his
0130L11 chin was white, of course, and it seemed as if he never shaved, though
0140L11 a bit of grizzly stubble can hardly be called a beard. ^He dressed in baggy
0150L11 clothes, not by choice but by necessity. ^They were usually
0160L11 old coats and trousers given to him as parting gifts by golfers who had
0170L11 stayed in the Mahabaleshwar Club. $^It was outside this sedate institution
0180L11 that he could be seen most often, that_ is when he wasn*'4t
0190L11 out on the links teaching someone to_ play or behaving generally like
0200L11 the best caddie this side of Bombay. $^The family and I saw him
0210L11 almost every day, and we would often stop to_ talk. ^He was a little
0220L11 afraid of me but that_ was because he sometimes watched me at my training
0230L11 exercises and regarded me with a mixture of respect and awe.
0240L11 ^He didn*'4t realise how much I liked him. ^He was kind and good
0250L11 and gentle and he was courteous in all his conversations with Woof.
0260L11 $^Being a detective dog, it had become second nature to me now to_
0270L11 observe and sniff as many people as I could. ^*Abdul Rahman smelt
0280L11 of *4beedies-- of which he smoked a vast number-- and slightly damp warm
0290L11 clothes, with a touch of coconut hair oil, a dash of the scent of leather
0300L11 from the handles of golf clubs, with a pinch of garlic and the faintest
0310L11 aroma of spiced meat and salted cucumber. ^There was more to
0320L11 the smell of Abdul Rahman but suffice it to_ say that I could identify
0330L11 him with my eyes shut from among the numerous other caddies who stood
0340L11 around by the road waiting for the tourist or visitor who might wish
0350L11 to_ play. $^But, as I said, even at first sight, he stood out.
0360L11 ^And that_ is probably why he made a little more money than the
0370L11 others and was able, by scrimping and saving, to_ put by five hundred
0380L11 *4rupees for the marriage of his only daughter. ^He was a trusting,
0390L11 talkative man and as the wedding day approached everyone knew that he went
0400L11 about with all his savings in the pocket of his baggy coat. $^Then
0410L11 one afternoon he was assaulted and robbed and left for dead on the golf
0420L11 course. $^Most people on holiday take a little nap after lunch.
0430L11 ^The sun is hottest at that_ time and only a sports fanatic would
0440L11 think of golfing at that_ hour. ^So it was that_ afternoon, and
0450L11 Abdul Rahman, being free, had taken the opportunity of going down to
0460L11 the links, by the fifth hole, near the old cemetery, to_ find a ball
0470L11 that_ had been lost. ^The tee is up on a wooded hillock and the cemetery
0480L11 sprawls in the clearing below along the nearer edge of the green.
0490L11 $^*I knew this place well, as indeed I knew the entire golf course,
0500L11 for I had often been sent out by Woof to_ help old Abdul Rahman
0510L11 and his *4agewallahs. *4^Agewallahs mean **[sic**] literally
0520L11 "forward men" and perhaps the term is unique to Mahabaleshwar for it
0530L11 signifies the three or four men who stand to the fore watching where the
0540L11 ball has gone. ^The golf course is an adventurous one with all sorts
0550L11 of obstacles and difficult terrain. ^Two or three balls are lost
0560L11 on each round. ^And, of course, whoever finds them later stands
0570L11 to_ gain. ^So the caddies and the *4agewallahs scrounge the
0580L11 terrain each afternoon for the balls that_ were declared lost in the morning.
0590L11 ^And that_ is what Abdul Rahman was about that_ afternoon.
0600L11 $^He was thrashing the undergrowth with a putter hoping the ball
0610L11 would pop out, when someone with a bandage wrapped all over his face
0620L11 and only a slit left open for his eyes, stepped from behind a tree and
0630L11 swung at Abdul Rahman with a stick. $^The old man was quick enough
0640L11 to_ duck but he was so shocked by the sight of the masked face that
0650L11 he failed to_ avoid the second blow. ^It struck the centre of his
0660L11 fez. ^That_ probably softened the blow but it was enough to_ knock
0670L11 him unconscious. ^When he revived, he found himself bleeding from
0680L11 a gash in the head. ^His money was gone and along with it his watch,
0690L11 his hardly-usable pen and his ring. ^The ring was not precious
0700L11 and it was not much of an ornament, either. ^He had bought it
0710L11 in place of his wedding ring which he had sold many years before.
0720L11 ^This cheap ring which he had now taken to wearing was like hundreds of
0730L11 others sold in the *4bazar; and it had a red stone that_ could have passed
0740L11 for a ruby. ^*Abdul Rehman*'s watch, too, had been an inexpensive
0750L11 one that_ hardly ever kept correct time. ^He felt nothing for the loss
0760L11 of these things but the loss of the money was a disaster. ^He almost
0770L11 died of heart failure as the thought came to him that his daughter*'s
0780L11 marriage might not now take place. ^Most of the money was to_ have
0790L11 been her dowry. ^The tailor from Bombay who was the groom had sent
0800L11 his uncle to_ say that he would not be satisfied with anything less than
0810L11 three hundred rupees. ^The rest of the money would have gone in the
0820L11 celebrations and a big meal for the relatives. ^By other people *'s
0830L11 standards it may not have been a large amount but to Abdul Rahman it
0840L11 was a fortune. $^Now he cried and bled and struggled painfully up
0850L11 the hillside. $^It was his eldest son, Mohammed, who came to the
0860L11 house and informed Woof. ^*Abdul Rehman had asked for help.
0870L11 ^He had some sort of faith in me. ^He wanted me to_ be brought
0880L11 there to_ track the attacker. $^You must not think that I am some
0890L11 sort of genius among dogs and that I understood at once all that_ had
0900L11 happened. ^Oh no, I had to_ piece the whole thing together, bit
0910L11 by bit, and what I have related already I came to_ know only gradually
0920L11 by reconstruction from all that_ I heard and saw and smelt.
0930L11 ^All that_ was immediately clear to me was that Mohammed had arrived and
0940L11 spoken to my master and I was being put in the harness. ^Now, for
0950L11 the first time, I was going into the proper tracking harness.
0960L11 ^At last I was big enough for it. ^*I knew already, though, that
0970L11 straps going loosely round my belly and neck meant that I was about to_
0980L11 track. ^It excited me. ^*I was rested and fresh. ^*I was ready.
0990L11 ^*I was eager. $^When we arrived at the spot, I knew it was
1000L11 Abdul Rahman*'s blood I smelt. ^He had been taken to the doctor,
1010L11 but I immediately understood that Abdul Rahman had been struck.
1020L11 ^As I sniffed around, I knew he had been struck with the stick, the
1030L11 stick that_ lay there on the ground. $"^Have you informed the police
1040L11 yet?" Woof asked. $^*Mohammed said, "My father would rather
1050L11 not till we are sure who the culprit is. ^You see, he suspects a
1060L11 distant cousin of his, a man called Suleiman who sells strawberries.
1070L11 ^*Suleiman wanted to_ marry his own daughter to the tailor from
1080L11 Bombay. ^My father suspects that Suleiman got someone to_ do this
1090L11 so that the wedding of my sister would be called off." $"^But that*'1s
1100L11 no reason not to_ go to the police. ^He can*'4t shield a criminal
1110L11 simply because he is a cousin." $"^That_*'1s not it, *4sahib.
1120L11 ^You see, if my father goes to the police he will have to_ state his
1130L11 suspicions. ^Then they will question my uncle and if, after all
1140L11 that_, my uncle turns out to_ be innocent, it will leave a terrible rift
1150L11 in the family. ^My father doesn*'4t wish to_ go to the police till
1160L11 he is sure it isn*'4t his cousin. ^It would be a public scandal,
1170L11 you see. ^That_*'1s why I haven*'4t been allowed to_ tell anyone
1180L11 else about this yet. ^My brothers would go and beat up my uncle and,
1190L11 after all, he*'1s an old man, too. ^We are only wanting to_
1200L11 know if the trail of the attacker leadsa o my uncle*'s hut and farm.
1210L11 ^If that_ is so, then we know that the attacker went back to him to_
1220L11 report." $"^All right," Woof said. "let*'3s go."
1230L11 $^Then he had a second thought. ^He said, "But others must have
1240L11 seen your father bleeding and hurt." $"^Yes," said Mohammed, "but
1250L11 he told them he fell down the hillside and gashed his head on a gravestone."
1260L11 $^*Woof said, "All right," again and holding my nose to
1270L11 the stick he said, "Ranjha, scent, track, catch!" $^The smell
1280L11 on the stick was clear. ^If I subtracted the smell of the wood itself
1290L11 and the sugary sap in it, for this part of the branch had obviously
1300L11 been hacked recently from a tree, I arrived at the undiluted smell of
1310L11 the man who had wielded it. ^The man*'s smell was quite intricate and
1320L11 carried within it the essence of aniseed, beetlenut, lime, tobacco, toddy,
1330L11 perspiration, old clothes, pickled mango, stale *4chappatis, onions
1340L11 and, most dominant of all, the odour of the fleece of sheep. ^The
1350L11 trail was as forceful as a mountain stream; it went straight down the
1360L11 hill in a panic. ^The man must have slithered down, holding on to the
1370L11 trunks of trees, grasping at branches, stumbling on immoveable rocks.
1380L11 ^On the ground, his scent was compounded with that_ of the odours
1390L11 on his footwear and the old hide of which it was made. ^He was obviously
1400L11 wearing a common type of lace-less shoes known as *4mojris.
1410L11 $^All the way down the hillock the trail held good, for the scent
1420L11 was caught in the windless woods and held by the leaves and shrubbery.
1430L11 ^On the green, too, the trail remained clear. ^*I had only to_
1440L11 subtract the smells of the different types of grass. ^Sometimes I
1450L11 would pause and take a second sniff at one spot, just to_ be sure, and
1460L11 then I would become aware again of Woof*'s gentle encouragement and
1470L11 his holding on to the long lead, and Mohammed standing keenly behind
1480L11 him. ^But much of the time I was absorbed in my own calculations.
1490L11 $^Two miles later we were crossing a cart-track of rubble when I
1500L11 went straight ahead and almost lost the trail. ^*I doubled back a few
1510L11 yards and examined the ground air again. ^Ah, he took the left fork;
1520L11 he had decided to_ stick to the rubble road. ^He must have been
1530L11 running for though the body scent hung clear, pushed slightly to the
1540L11 side by the wind, the ground scent lay in sporadic breaks. ^He was
1550L11 a man with a big stride. $^The trail led down to the lake.
1560L11 ^Then the man had clambered up the hillside by the public park and walked
1570L11 casually down the tarred main road. ^At the toll post, with its
1580L11 crowds of holidaymakers, honeymooners, hawkers, vegetable sellers and
1590L11 curio vendors, the trail became disturbed and hazy. ^*I lost it a number
1600L11 of times and found it again. ^Some people were quite rude.
1610L11 ^They shouted at Woof to mind his dog and not let it get in the way.
1620L11 ^*Woof and Mohammed, both absorbed in the tracking, answered them
1630L11 as best they could and we continued.*#
1640L11 **[no. of worrds = 02011**]

        **[txt. l12**]
0010L12 **<^THE AVENGER**>
0020L12 $^The Madathipathi, the powerful head of a *4Mutt, which controlled
0030L12 a number of South Indian temples, was pacing restlessly in
0040L12 his room. ^That_ room, meant as it was for the public, was
0050L12 deliberately made to_ look simple. ^But behind it were several secret
0060L12 chambers which would have been the envy of Maharajas. $^The
0070L12 Madathipathi stopped abruptly and, looking at the man guarding the
0080L12 entrance, ordered, "Call Nagappan." ^Within a few minutes, a
0090L12 tall, fat, dark man in his forties entered and bowed before the Madathipathi.
0100L12 "^*Nagappan," said the Madathipathi, "has everything
0110L12 been arranged for our visit to Kumbakonam for the Mamangam festival?"
0120L12 $"^Yes, Swami...." Nagappan hesitated and looked around.
0130L12 $"^Yes..." prompted the Madathipathi. $"^A special team had
0140L12 been put on the job to_ trap any unwary girl". $"^Not any girl, you
0150L12 fool," the Madathipathi exploded. $"^Of course not... I know
0160L12 that_ Swami is very selective... ^Only the beautiful will be picked
0170L12 up... but...." $"^But what?" $"^The local stuff may not be
0180L12 available." $"^Why not?" $"^Hee-hee." ^*Nagappan scratched his
0190L12 head. "^Our reputation there is such that no local beauty will stir out
0200L12 of her house during our stay there." $"^Who cares... ^Warn your
0210L12 men to_ be alert." ^The Madathipathi waved his hand to_ signify
0220L12 that the interview was over. $^The Madathipathi smiled cynically
0230L12 as he thought of the religious lecture he had to_ deliver that_ evening.
0240L12 ^The topic was Morality as envisaged in our *4Puranas. ^He went
0250L12 into his study to_ jot down a few points on that_ exalted subject.
0260L12 $^That_ evening the Madathipathi was thundering at the crowd.
0270L12 "^Life is impermanent," he exhorted them. "^So, give up all sensual
0280L12 pleasures and surrender yourself unconditionally at the lotus feet of
0290L12 the Almighty. ^It is desires that_ cloud the pristine glory
0300L12 of the immortal soul and detachment alone can pave the way to spiritual
0310L12 salvation. ^Our country, our religion, our traditions are the
0320L12 first to_ recognise the greatness of celibacy. *4^*Bramacharya
0330L12 helps to_ awaken the most potent *5kundalini shakti*6 which
0340L12 would be otherwise lying dormant at the base of the spine..."
0350L12 ^He went on and on like that_ and the people nodded their heads in
0360L12 appreciation of his masterly oratory.
0370L12 $^That_ same evening, in distant Madras, lovely Deepa was dressing her
0380L12 self to_ receive Arvind, her young and handsome husband. ^It
0390L12 was only three months since their marriage. ^Every evening, while
0400L12 returning from the office, Arvind would buy flowers for his beautiful
0410L12 wife. $^That_ day also he had brought flowers for her. ^But
0420L12 when he extended his hand to_ place the fragrant white Jasmine on her
0430L12 head, she withdrew from him and pretended to_ be angry. $"^Why is
0440L12 my gossamer-lovely-sweety angry with me?" ^He said. "^Ah... now I
0450L12 know. ^Is it because I haven*'4t agreed to_ take you to Kumbakonam
0460L12 for the Mamangam festival? ^But Deepa it will be very crowded there
0470L12 and..." $"^We*'3re not children to_ get lost" she intervened.
0480L12 "^It is the same excuse that_ my parents also gave last time when they
0490L12 went to Kumbakonam, leaving me at home. ^This festival comes only
0500L12 once in twelve years and we may not get another opportunity". $"^All
0510L12 right," Arvind conceded reluctantly. "^*I*'3ll make arrangements
0520L12 for our stay there." $^Then only did she allow him to_ place the
0530L12 flowers on her head. ^He then tried to_ kiss her.
0540L12 $"^Ishhh..." ^She restrained him, pointing to the open door. $^As
0550L12 soon as they alighted from the bus, Arvind commented sourly, "You
0560L12 were so adamant about visiting Kumbakonam. ^Now look at the crowds...
0570L12 ^That_*'1s why I had warned you..." $"^But this festival
0580L12 comes only once in twelve years," Deepa tried to_ pacify him.
0590L12 "^No wonder everyone is eager to_ see it." $^As they were leaving
0600L12 for their lodge, Nagappan pointed out Deepa to his henchmen and whispered,
0610L12 "Mark that_ girl in the red sari. ^Follow her and somehow
0620L12 manage to_ bring her to our place." $^Even on normal days Kumbakonam
0630L12 cannot be described as a clean town. ^The buses and lorries
0640L12 that_ frequently ply there billow up great choking clouds of dust. ^Layer
0650L12 after layer of finely filtered dust settles on your clothes and gets
0660L12 into nostrils. ^And on that_ festival day when *4lakhs of people
0670L12 had thronged there the town was overflowing with filth and grime.
0680L12 $^As they were walking towards the temple, Deepa felt disillusioned and
0690L12 uneasy. ^She couldn*'4t get into the festive mood. ^Though she
0700L12 had spoken bravely to Arvind, the crowds made her nervous. ^While
0710L12 they were being jostled by the unmanageable crowds, Nagappan*'s
0720L12 men were closely following them. ^Suddenly two of them feigned a
0730L12 brawl and in the melee that_ followed, Deepa was carefully separated
0740L12 from Arvind. $"^*Arvind, Arvind..." Deepa wailed, but the
0750L12 crowd pushed her farther and farther away from him. $^As Deepa
0760L12 was pathetically wringing her hands not knowing what to_ do, an
0770L12 old woman gently patted her on her shoulder and smiled at her.
0780L12 $"^My child," said the old woman, "have you lost your way?" $"^Yes
0790L12 *4patti, I*'3ve been separated from my husband..." ^With great difficulty
0800L12 Deepa tried to_ restrain her tears. $"^Oh, poor child...
0810L12 don*'4t worry. ^Tell me where you*'3re staying." $"^In the
0820L12 K-Lodge." $"^*I know that_ place. ^*I*'3ll take you there.
0830L12 ^Your husband is bound to_ come there after searching for you."
0840L12 $"^Please do..." $^The old woman took her through narrow lanes.
0850L12 $"^But *4patti," Deepa said, "I*'3m afraid this is not the way we
0860L12 came by..." $"^Don*'4t worry," the old woman assured her.
0870L12 "^This is the shortest route to your lodge. ^*I*'3ve been in Kumbakonam
0880L12 for the last forty years. ^*I should know better." $^As
0890L12 they were going through a deserted lane, a car stealthily approached them
0900L12 from behind. ^Before Deepa knew what was happening two men jumped
0910L12 out of the vehicle, gagged her and pushed her into the car. ^With
0920L12 a triumphant smile, the old woman also got into the car. $^*Nagappan
0930L12 dragged Deepa into the Madathipathi*'s well-furnished bedroom. ^The
0940L12 Madathipathi bolted the door from inside after Nagappan*'s departure.
0950L12 ^He then ungagged Deepa. ^Despite his ochre cloth and three
0960L12 stripes of *4vibhuthi and a large mark of *4kumkum on his forehead,
0970L12 his face and eyes betrayed the raging lust within him. ^To Deepa,
0980L12 he looked like the Rudraksha cat of the fables. $"^Who are you?...
0990L12 ^And why have they brought me here?" ^*Deepa asked weakly. $^The
1000L12 Madathipathi didn*'4t bother to_ reply. ^He sprang at her and started
1010L12 to_ pull off her *4sari. ^*Deepa shrieked and defended herself.
1020L12 ^She scratched his face with her nails ^But that_ only infuriated
1030L12 him and made him attack her with renewed vigour. ^Finally, the
1040L12 Madathipathi managed to_ pin her down to the cot and brutally raped her.
1050L12 $"^You will pay for it... ^My husband will avenge this..." ^*Deepa mumbled
1060L12 while sobbing and adjusting her dress. $^The Madathipathi
1070L12 greeted her threat with blood-curdling laughter. "^Look here," he
1080L12 said in a harsh tone, "^*I*'3ve a soft corner for you. ^That_*'1s why
1090L12 I*'3m allowing you to_ go out alive. ^Many other girls were not that_ fortunate.
1100L12 ^And if you tell anyone about what happened here, your husband
1110L12 will pay for it with his life. ^And don*'4t think the police will help
1120L12 you. ^They are on our payrolls." $^Observing Deepa*'s
1130L12 stunned silence he continued. "^Apart from endangering your husband*'s
1140L12 life, you will also force him to_ throw you out into the streets when
1150L12 he learns that you have been ravished. ^So be a good girl and keep
1160L12 mum. ^The old woman will take you to the lodge. ^If you don*'4t
1170L12 divulge anything to anyone, no harm will come to you or to your husband."
1180L12 $^The Madathipathi*'s words were ringing harshly in her ears
1190L12 as the car carrying her was speeding towards her lodge. ^Her whole body
1200L12 was aching from the savage treatement she had received at the hands of
1210L12 the Madathipathi. ^But her mental agony was much more than her physical
1220L12 pain. ^She wished that she had heeded Arvind*'s advice and
1230L12 not come to Kumbakonam. ^She had now become polluted-- a moral untouchable.
1240L12 ^It would be impossible for her to_ carry on with the gay and
1250L12 innocent life she had so far led with Arvind. ^In her despair,
1260L12 she even contemplated suicide by flinging herself out of the speeding
1270L12 car. ^Yet, somehow, she couldn*'4t bring herself to_ do it.
1280L12 ^Again and again she asked herself whether she should tell the truth to
1290L12 Arvind. ^Finally, the fears of her husband*'s safety and her own fate
1300L12 if the facts were disclosed made her decide to_ keep the incident a
1310L12 secret. ^The car dropped Deepa and the old woman near the lodge.
1320L12 $^As soon as he saw Deepa, Arvind heaved a sigh of relief and hugged
1330L12 her. ^*Deepa wept. $"^*Deepa, how did you manage to_ reach the
1340L12 lodge? ^And who is this old woman?" ^*Arvind asked. "^It*'1s
1350L12 this *4patti who helped me to_ locate the lodge." ^*Deepa replied.
1360L12 "^But for her I would have been lost." $^*Arvind thanked the old
1370L12 woman and sent her away with a ten-*4rupee note. $^After their return
1380L12 to Madras, things seemed to_ get to normal except that Deepa was
1390L12 feeling morose, guilty and nervous. ^Under one pretext or other she
1400L12 tried to_ avoid Arvind*'s advances. ^She would yield to him only
1410L12 when she thought that she would be mentally hurting him by offering any
1420L12 more resistance. $^*Arvind didn*'4t fail to_ notice the change in
1430L12 her. ^He was perplexed by her frigidity and sullenness. ^He finally
1440L12 decided to_ ask her about it. $"^*Deepa," he asked one day,
1450L12 "^*I*'3ve been observing you for some time. ^Why is it that you*'3re
1460L12 not your old sprightly self?" $"^Oh, nothing... ^*I*'3m feeling
1470L12 a bit bored. ^That_*'1s all..." ^She gave an evasive reply. ^From
1480L12 that_ day onwards she was more careful in hiding her feelings. ^She
1490L12 pretended to_ be jovial whenever Arvind was home. ^During his absence,
1500L12 she wept. $^Soon afterwards, Deepa developed some rash on
1510L12 her skin. ^As the affliction persisted, Arvind took her to a doctor.
1520L12 $^After examining her, the doctor handed over a note to Arvind
1530L12 and said. "^Please have these tests done in a lab and bring the test
1540L12 report." $^As Arvind had some urgent work in his office, he
1550L12 couldn*'4t accompany Deepa when she took the test report to the doctor.$^The
1560L12 doctor looked glum as he studied the report. ^After some hesitation
1570L12 he said. "\0^*Mrs. Arvind, I*'3m sorry... I*'3ve some bad
1580L12 news for you... ^You are ... er... you are suffering from \0VD."
1590L12 $^*Deepa sat stunned. $"^Don*'4t worry," the doctor tried to_ console
1600L12 her. "^It*'1s curable. ^You must have got it from your husband.
1610L12 ^As I have to_ check him also will you please ask him to_ see
1620L12 me at the earliest." $^*Deepa mechanically nodded her head and
1630L12 left the clinic. ^She was still in a dazed condition when she reached
1640L12 home. ^Though the doctor had put the blame on Arvind for her disease,
1650L12 she knew that he was innocent. ^Yet she couldn*'4t defend him before
1660L12 the doctor as that_ would have exposed her. ^She was sure that
1670L12 she must have contracted the disease from the man who had ravished her.
1680L12 ^She had thought that she could hide the facts from Arvind.
1690L12 $^*Arvind would demand an explanation from her and then the truth would
1700L12 be out. ^He would react violently when he realised that but for the
1710L12 chance occurrence of the disease he would have been completely kept in
1720L12 the dark about the whole affair. ^Perhaps he would have treated her
1730L12 magnanimously if she had then itself told him everything. but now
1740L12 it was too late she had no right to_ expect any mercy from him.
1750L12 ^*Deepa feared that Arvind would drive her out. ^Tears rolled down her
1760L12 cheeks and she shuddered when she thought about the shame and ignominy
1770L12 if the world came to_ know the truth. ^The more she thought about
1780L12 her predicament, the more desperate she became. $^As usual Arvind
1790L12 had brought flowers for Deepa. ^He was surprised not to_ find her
1800L12 at the entrance though the door was not locked. ^So far she had
1810L12 never failed to_ receive him with her bewitching smile. ^What was
1820L12 wrong today? ^He called her several times, but there was no respone.*#**[no.
        of words = 02010**]

        **[txt. l13**]
0010L13 **<*3Lal Mahal**> $*3^RAJA*0 Ram Charan*'s Lal Mahal was hers
0030L13 at last. ^The High Court had passed the decree in her favour after a mammoth
0040L13 battle lasting for over fifteen years. ^There were tears of joy
0050L13 in Sumitra*'s eyes as she walked through the spacious courtyard garden
0060L13 of the Lal Mahal. ^Today the Mahal showed signs of decay and neglect.
0070L13 ^This very Mahal had been a luxurious palace in the good old days when
0080L13 her father had been ruling the State. $^*Sumitra had been a little
0090L13 girl then. ^She used to_ spend hours in the *4zenana balcony overlooking
0100L13 the courtyard, watching wide eyed with intense interest, all the
0110L13 happenings there. ^Her father used to_ leave at eleven every morning
0120L13 to_ attend the *4durbar. ^*Moti, the elephant, used to_ be draped with
0130L13 the most expensive of gold cloth and decorated with ceremonial
0140L13 trappings. ^*Moti*'s forehead and trunk
0150L13 used to_ be adorned with intricate designs in sandalwood. ^The Raja
0160L13 looked so regal, sitting in the silver *4howdah behind the *4mahout.
0170L13 ^Thereafter the courtyard used to_ be cleared of all males and the
0180L13 Rani and other ladies of the household used to_ come down to_ pray to
0190L13 Lord Shiva in the family temple, which was built of sparkling white marble
0200L13 in one corner of the courtyard. $^The temple was still there, but
0210L13 the white marble was covered with a green, slimy moss. ^No one had
0220L13 bothered to_ pray at the family shrine for years now, after the Raja*'s
0230L13 demise. ^The family *4pujari had informed Sumitra that the
0240L13 Raja had returned to the Mahal as a king cobra after his death. ^He
0250L13 had himself seen the cobra wrapped around the Shiva Linga. ^*Sumitra
0260L13 had laughed away the *4pujari*'s talk, but now she wondered if he
0270L13 had been telling her the truth. ^Hadn*'4t he told her that good would
0280L13 triumph over evil in the end and she would get back the Lal Mahal?
0290L13 ^He had been right after all. ^It was a pity that he had not lived
0300L13 to_ see her victory. $^*Sumitra was reminded of her wedding day.
0310L13 ^It was over thirtyfive years ago that she had been a bride. ^A
0320L13 lifetime had passed by, but she could still remember the crowded events
0330L13 of that_ day in minute detail. ^The Mahal had been decorated for
0340L13 a fortnight with thousands of marigold and mango leaf garlands. ^At
0350L13 night these garlands used to_ be replaced with garlands of twinkling lights
0360L13 of various colours. ^A portion of the huge courtyard had been converted
0370L13 into an open air kitchen. ^A host of cooks had laboured day
0380L13 and night to_ prepare mountains of delicious sweetmeats... *4laddus,
0390L13 *4jalebis, *4barfi and *4halwa of various types. $^On the wedding
0400L13 day, they had prepared delicious *4rabdi. ^The guests and relatives
0410L13 had feasted for over a week. ^At night the lush green lawns of the
0420L13 Mahal had glittered with and resounded to the sparkle and explosions
0430L13 of fireworks specially ordered from abroad for the occasion. $^*Sumitra*'s
0440L13 trousseau was laid out in a large room on the first floor of the
0450L13 Mahal for all the guests to_ see. ^There were *4sarees galore with
0460L13 heavy gold borders and sequin work in gold and silver, jewellery of every
0470L13 dazzling variety and household goods of every conceivable type.
0480L13 ^The Raja had provided his only child with everything. ^Everyone envied
0490L13 the good fortune of Sumitra. ^*Devendranath, Sumitra*'s husband
0500L13 to_ be, was a handsome Army officer. ^He was a captain in the cavalry
0510L13 and was posted at Ahmednager near Pune. ^His grandmother was
0520L13 a descendant of the royal family of Jodhpur and they were a well-known
0530L13 family of Bombay. $^The wedding was celebrated in royal style.
0540L13 ^The traditional rites were held late at night, and the next day, a huge
0550L13 banquet was held for the distinguished guests which included the Rajas
0560L13 from various neighbouring states, the Viceroy*'s special representative
0570L13 from Delhi, the British Resident and other important foreign and
0580L13 Indian guests. ^A number of Devendranath*'s friends and fellow officers
0590L13 from the Army were also present and there was a lot of boisterous
0600L13 fun and frolic. $^After the wedding, Sumitra and Devendranath left
0610L13 for Bombay, where Devendranath*'s parents lived. ^It really
0620L13 broke Sumitra*'s heart to_ leave her father and the Lal Mahal. ^After
0630L13 her mother*'s death, the Raja had been both father and mother to
0640L13 her and the Lal Mahal had been like a cradle to her. ^The Raja wept
0650L13 like a child when Sumitra left in the traditional *4doli. ^*Sumitra
0660L13 was very dear to him and parting from her was a sorrow he had dreaded
0670L13 all the time, but how long could he keep her with him? ^A daughter
0680L13 was after all a borrowed pleasure and one couldn*'4t afford to_ live in
0690L13 debt for long, even if one was a Raja. ^The sooner the debt was paid
0700L13 back the better it was. $^Still the Raja had held on to Sumitra
0710L13 for far too long a time. ^He had encouraged her to_ study and, whenever
0720L13 the question of her marriage was brought up by anyone, he had shrugged
0730L13 it away by saying that she had to_ graduate first. ^Thus, when
0740L13 he began looking for suitable matches for Sumirta, he found that all
0750L13 the eligible boys from royal families had already been betrothed.
0760L13 ^The Raja did not consider Devendranath inferior in any manner to_ wed
0770L13 his daughter, but he did feel pangs of sorrer when he thought that Devendranath
0780L13 was not a prince from a royal family. ^To_ appease his own
0790L13 conscience and to_ keep the babbling tongues of his relatives from wagging,
0800L13 he always referred to Devendranath as the grandson of Rajkumari
0810L13 Neela Devi of Jodhpur. $^*Sumitra got a rude shock when she entered
0820L13 her father-in-law*'s flat at Bombay. ^If not a *4mahal like her
0830L13 fathers*'s she had expected at least a rambling bungalow like the ones in
0840L13 which her father*'s courtiers lived. ^A three-bedroom flat overlooking
0850L13 a busy thoroughfare in the heart of the city was a far cry from the
0860L13 Lal Mahal that_ she had been used to. ^She experienced a feeling
0870L13 of claustrophobia in the flat. $^The Bombay stay was mercifully short
0880L13 and Sumitra and Devendranath soon left for Ahmednagar, where they
0890L13 settled down to a peaceful, gracious and happy life in a sprawling bungalow
0900L13 in the cantonment area. ^*Sumitra had a host of servants at her
0910L13 beck and call and she was soon visiting the wives of Devendranath*'s collegues
0920L13 for the inevitable morning coffee sessions. ^She made friends
0930L13 fast and was soon an established member of the ladies*' club. ^Her
0940L13 princess status drew the ladies to her and she was soon taught how
0950L13 to_ play rummy, bridge and mah-jong, the absolute essentials of an Army
0960L13 officers*'s wife*'s training. $^*Devendranath*'s pay was not very
0970L13 much but they never had any dearth of spending money thanks to the Raja*'s
0980L13 generous cheques that_ arrived unfailingly before the numerous Hindu
0990L13 religious festivals. ^In addition to these, the Raja sent huge
1000L13 hampers of sweetmeats, dried fruit, whisky bottles and other goodies
1010L13 every month for his daughter and son-in-law. ^*Sumitra and Devendranath
1020L13 entertained regularly and their parties were always big hits because
1030L13 of the lavish flow of drinks and good food. ^*Sumitra soon discarded
1040L13 her heavy *4sarees and jewellery and took to wearing cool French chiffons
1050L13 and pearls for parties. $^Then Sumitra became pregnant.
1060L13 ^When she informed the Raja, he sent her a message that she was to_ return
1070L13 to the Lal Mahal forthwith. ^*Sumitra was not keen on leaving
1080L13 Devendranath alone, but she could*'4t also deny her father the pleasure
1090L13 of spoiling and looking after her during her period of confinement.
1100L13 ^The six months that_ she spent at the Mahal were a dream. ^*Devendranath
1110L13 came down on leave for a month and there was a lot of wining and
1120L13 dining. ^*Sumitra delivered a son and the Raja was overjoyed. ^He
1130L13 lavished money and food on friends and *4Brahmins alike. ^He celrbrated
1140L13 the event as if he had himself begotton a son and heir. $^The
1150L13 fact that he had no son was a big void in his life. ^His family had
1160L13 descended from the Sun God and it was a pity that it would end with
1170L13 him. ^His State would be annexed by the Britishers after his death.
1180L13 ^The Raja*'s numerous requests to the Viceroy to_ allow him to_
1190L13 adopt a son were all turned down. ^He tried heaping expensive presents
1200L13 on the British Resident in the hope that he would put up his case favourably
1210L13 to the Viceroy, but it had all been in vain. ^His State
1220L13 was his till his death. ^Thereafter his saffron flag, with the rising
1230L13 sun embroidered on it with gold thread, would be hauled down and the Union
1240L13 Jack would take its place. $^After the naming ceremony of Sumitra*'s
1250L13 son was over, Sumitra had to_ go and spend a fortnight with her
1260L13 in-laws in Bombay. ^It was a miserable fortnight, Sumitra felt
1270L13 like a caged bird after her life of freedom in the Ahmednagar cantonment
1280L13 and in the Lal Mahal. $^Days passed into years. ^*Sumitra
1290L13 and Devendranath*'s family grew. ^They now had three children.
1300L13 ^The Second World War had begun. ^*Devendranath had been sent to_
1310L13 fight on the Burma front. ^*Sumitra and the children had gone to_
1320L13 live with the Raja in the Lal Mahal. ^Those had been very trying
1330L13 days with the tension of war all around them. ^*Sumitra used to_
1340L13 wait for the occasional and terribly delayed letters from Devendranath.
1350L13 ^The Raja spent his time listening to the war news on the radio.
1360L13 $^*Sumitra*'s children just loved the Lal Mahal. ^They spent their
1370L13 time looking for buried treasure in the grounds of the Mahal!
1380L13 ^The Raja*'s retinue of servants regaled them with stories of ghosts that_
1390L13 were supposed to_ haunt the Mahal. ^*Sumitra prayed every morning
1400L13 and evening in the family shrine for Devendranath*'s safety. ^The
1410L13 Raja contributed generously to the Government*'s War Fund. ^He
1420L13 was amply rewarded by the government with a string of titles. ^The war
1430L13 had made him give up quite a few of his lavish ways and become austere.
1440L13 ^He hated doing this and cursed the Japanese and the Germans.
1450L13 $^Then one day, the war was over and Devendranath returned home in glory
1460L13 as a war hero. ^The Raja got an opportunity to_ throw a lavish
1470L13 party. ^It was like old times again. ^Then the independence movement
1480L13 began. ^Before the Raja could realise what had happened, India
1490L13 was granted independence and he had to_ give up his State in return
1500L13 for a modest privy purse. ^The Raja was shocked... ^How could this
1510L13 have happened? ^He rushed to Delhi and took an active part in the
1520L13 meetings of the Princes. ^However, nothing much was achieved by this
1530L13 and the Raja returned to the Lal Mahal a broken-hearted and lonely
1540L13 man. ^All the pomp and glory were literally lost overnight.
1550L13 $^*Devendrnath was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel a year
1560L13 after independence. ^He had benefited from the country*'s independence,
1570L13 Sumitra was happy for her husband but sad for her father. ^The
1580L13 Raja began keeping indifferent health and he wouldn*'4t listen to anyone
1590L13 in the Mahal. ^One day he visited Sumitra in Pune for a few hours
1600L13 on his way to Bombay. ^He had to_ go and consult his solicitors regarding
1610L13 some monetary settlements on account of his estates that_ had been
1620L13 handed over to the Governemnt. ^*Sumitra was shocked to_ see the
1630L13 condition of her father. ^She tried to_ persuade him to_ consult a
1640L13 good doctor in Bombay, but it was of no avail. $^As the years went
1650L13 by presents from the Raja became rare. ^The needs of Sumitra*'s family
1660L13 grew and there was not enough money coming in. ^For the first
1670L13 time in her life Sumitra had to_ economise and deprive her family
1680L13 and herself of luxuries in order to_ be able to_ make both ends meet.
1690L13 ^Even her entourage of servants had to_ be reduced to a bare minimum
1700L13 of two, a sweeper and a cook-cum-bearer. ^*Sumitra found herself spending
1710L13 a lot of her time in the kitchen. ^The Sumitra who had grown up
1720L13 in the lap of luxury was now like any other Army officer*'s
1730L13 wife.*#
        **[no. of words = 02016**]

        **[txt. l14**]
0010L14 **<*3TRAPPED*0**>
0020L14 $^*I worked in a department store owned by Navneet Tandon. ^He was
0030L14 a very rich man becuase his father had left him a tidy packet when he
0040L14 died. ^*Navneet and I had been in the same college and we were in
0050L14 Inter Commerce when news came of his father*'s death in Hong Kong.
0060L14 $^*I thought the event would come as a shock to young Navneet, but contrary
0070L14 to expectations he resigned himself at once to the loss and left
0080L14 college to_ manage the family business. ^He asked me to_ join him assuring
0081L14 me of a job in his establishment.
0090L14 ^But I pursued my studies at the insistence of my old father
0100L14 who believed that the only lasting asset in the world was a good education.
0110L14 $^After I finished my *(0B. Com.*) with a First Class,
0120L14 Navneet renewed his offer. ^My father wanted me to_ become a Chartered
0130L14 Accountant because that_ would give me more scope. ^But I was
0140L14 having none of it. ^*I was sick of studies and the past few months
0150L14 had been gruelling. ^Besides, I felt that with a foothold in a big
0160L14 organisation like Navneet*'s I would rise to the top through sheer dint
0170L14 of hard work. $^My father had his own reservations about my accepting
0180L14 the assignment and he voiced them to me now. ^He was dead set
0190L14 against the idea of working under either close relations or extremely good
0200L14 friends. ^He felt this fouled up the relationship. $"^Are you
0210L14 implying that Navneet will treat me shabbily?" ^*I cried incensed.
0220L14 $"^Not at all", said my father puffing at his *4bidi. "^But
0230L14 just remember the relationship between an employer and his employee is
0240L14 quite different from that_ between two close friends. ^What*'1s more
0250L14 here*'1s no meeting ground between the two. ^However, you*'3ll find
0260L14 that_ out for yourself." $^*Navneet had a shop in Hong Kong and another
0270L14 one in Bombay. ^He stocked everything from pounded spices
0280L14 to exotic silk *4sarees, and did roaring business by the looks of it.
0290L14 ^He had two Indian cars and a chauffeur-driven Mercedes Benz.
0300L14 ^The day I joined, he shook hands warmly and talked nostalgically of our
0310L14 college days. $"^*I thought you*'1d ditch me, old fellow," he said.
0320L14 $"^How could you ever imagine that_," I cried, "after our close
0330L14 association all these years?" $"^You never know," he said "Friends
0340L14 change." $"^Not I," I said. "^Anyway what kind of job
0350L14 did you have in mind for me?" $"^Selling bras," he said. ^Then,
0360L14 when I looked startled he laughed and slapped my back. "^What did
0370L14 you think I*'1d give you, some ramby pamby salesman*'s work? ^*I want
0380L14 you to_ take complete charge of the Bombay department store, because
0390L14 I*'3ll have to_ keep hopping between here and Hong Kong. $"^You
0400L14 mean," I began suddenly afraid of the immense responsibility. $"^Don*'4t
0410L14 be afraid, Chander," he said. "^*I know how brilliant you
0420L14 are! ^It will take you just a couple of months to_ pick up the work.
0430L14 ^There*'1s a middle aged man looking after the show. ^*Pritam
0440L14 Sinha is his name. ^But I detest that_ man. ^As soon as you learn
0450L14 the ropes from him, out he goes," $^*I was wary. "^No, Navneet,"
0460L14 I said. "^*I*'1d feel terrible if I deprived a man of his
0470L14 job. ^He must have a wife and children... commitments... responsibilities."
0480L14 $"^What does it matter to you, old chap?" he asked. "^You
0490L14 will be getting a fabulous salary of 2000 *4rupees. ^Are you going
0500L14 to_ throw that_ away for some seedy looking accountant with one foot in
0510L14 the grave?" $^*I was silent. ^Two thousand *4rupees was a lot of
0520L14 money. ^Nothing to_ be sneezed at. $"^All right," said Navneet.
0530L14 "^If you feel so badly about it, I*'3ll keep him on too for
0540L14 as long as you like. ^A few years more hardly matter. ^During this
0550L14 time you will learn the ropes and also the confidence to_ shoulder so
0560L14 much responsibility." $^*I went home, telling myself it was all
0570L14 right. ^The fact that Navnnet had agreed to_ keep on Pritam Sinha
0580L14 for as long as I liked was balm to my uneasy conscience. ^But when
0590L14 I told my father what had happened he said: "^You better look out.
0600L14 ^*I don*'4t like the sly tactics of your stinking-rich friend."
0610L14 $"^Father!" I almost shouted. "^*I won*'4t have you slander Navneet.
0620L14 ^He*'1s a fine man. ^*I*'3ve known him all these years...."
0630L14 $"^All right, all right," he said. "^Please yourself. ^*I
0640L14 only wonder what your mother would have said, had she been alive."
0650L14 $^*I didn*'4t reply. ^Mother had been a God fearing soul, with an
0660L14 even more sensitive conscience than my father*'s. ^*I remembered the
0670L14 time she had stopped father from accepting a bribe, even when father told
0680L14 her you couldn*'4t escape this sort of thing in the police force.
0690L14 ^Perhaps he remembered the event too. ^He puffed on his *4bidi more
0700L14 violently, no doubt recalling his hectic days in the police force.
0710L14 $^*I was relieved he didn*'4t try to_ stop me **[sic **] accepting employment
0720L14 with Navneet, but I had a thousand qualms when I went to_ meet
0730L14 Pritam Sinha in the department store on my first day of work. ^He
0740L14 was younger than I had imagined. ^When Navneet had spoken of a doddering
0750L14 old man with one foot in the grave, I had been led to_ expect
0760L14 a greying man with a slight stoop and spectacles. ^On the contrary,
0770L14 I stood face to face with a hefty, broad shouldered man, whose hair
0780L14 was jet black and whose face exuded warmth and virility. $^As we shook
0790L14 hands, I said: "^*I thought you*'1d be much older, Sir." $"^Who
0800L14 told you that_?" he asked, "The boss?" $"^Yes" I confessed.
0810L14 $"^Well, any man on the wrong side of forty must look so to a youthful
0820L14 boy in his twenties." $"^Are you forty, Sir ?" ^*I asked
0830L14 amazed. $"^Forty-two to_ be exact. ^And don*'4t call me Sir,
0840L14 please. ^It sounds... ^*I don*'4t know... so formal. ^Call me Pritam.
0850L14 ^We*'3re all one big family here." $"^Yes Sir," I
0860L14 said involuntarily. ^We both laughed and that_ kind of laughter broke
0870L14 the ice between us. $^The shop had several departments selling varied
0880L14 items grouped under different categories-- electrical goods, furniture,
0890L14 hosiery, *4sarees, furnishings, toilet articles and perfumes. ^At
0900L14 the end of the day, bills from all the different sources totalled up on
0910L14 the cash register and we had to_ tally the cash in the drawer with the
0920L14 grand total. ^It seemed quite easy to me. ^When I told Pritam
0930L14 Sinha this, he laughed and said cryptically, "that_*'1s what you think
0940L14 now." $"^You mean there*'1s more?" ^*I asked. $"^You bet,"he
0950L14 said. $^After the late shoppers had departed and the department store
0960L14 was about to_ close, two rough looking men came in with a bulging bag.
0970L14 $"^How much is it?" asked Pritam Sinha. $"^Four thousand
0980L14 and sixty two," said the man, with the scarf knotted round his head.
0990L14 $"^Right," said Pritam. "^Close the doors and dump it on
1000L14 the table." $^The men did as they were told. ^*I had never seen
1010L14 so much cash in my life. ^It was in ten-*4rupee, five-*4rupee, two-*4rupee
1020L14 and one-*4rupee notes and some loose change. ^There were
1030L14 a few hundred-*4rupee notes but they were negligible. ^*I helped Pritam
1040L14 Sinha count the cash while the two men looked on. ^It took us a
1050L14 long time to_ do it. $^When we had finished strapping notes of each denomination
1060L14 separately in neat bundles with rubber bands, Pritam Sinha gave
1070L14 the two men hundred *4rupees each and they went off. $"^Don*'4t we
1080L14 have to_ tally this with the bills?" ^*I asked. $"^There are no
1090L14 bills for these," said Pritam with a wry smile. $"^Why,"?
1100L14 $"^Becuase this stuff is sold on the pavements," $"^Oh, but isn*'4t that_
1110L14 illegal?" $"^A lot of things go on around the city that_ are against
1120L14 the law, but that_ doesn*'4t mean people stop doing them." $"^*I
1130L14 don*'4t like it," ^*I said. $"^You*'3ll like the reward that_
1140L14 comes at the end of it," he said. ^*I thought he meant the pay
1150L14 I*'1d get from Navneet at the end of the month. ^But he handed me
1160L14 ten ten-*4rupee notes like he had done to the two men. $"^What*'1s this?"
1170L14 ^*I asked. "^Your cut," he said. "^After all if you
1180L14 stay here till ten o'*3clock counting currency notes you*'3re entitled
1190L14 to_ be paid for it," $"^*I don*'4t like it," I said. $"^Please yourself,"
1200L14 he replied. "^But believe me, you*'1d be a damn fool to_
1210L14 refuse." $"^Does Navneet know what*'1s going on?" $"^Of course,"
1220L14 he said. "^Everything*'1s done under his instructions."
1230L14 $"^How long has this been going on?" $"^For donkey*'s years. ^Here,
1240L14 dump this black money in a separate place, inside the panelling in
1250L14 the hosiery section. ^We don*'4t want trouble with the audit."
1260L14 $^When, I went home with the hundred rupees, father asked, "Well
1270L14 how was the first day and why are you so late?" $"^We had a celebration,"
1280L14 I lied. $"^Oh, then I suppose you*'3re not going to_ have
1290L14 any dinner?" $"^No," I had to_ say. ^*I had no other alternative.
1300L14 $^That_ night I could*'4t sleep. ^It may have been my hunger
1310L14 or it may have been my conscience. ^*I decided to_ talk to Navneet
1320L14 about it the next day. ^The idea of deception bored holes in
1330L14 my conscience. ^*I kept the hundred *4rupees in a safe place in a box
1340L14 in the kitchen loft where I was sure father wouldn*'4t find it.
1350L14 ^As I stepped off the stool, I upset some utensils which rolled helter
1360L14 skelter on the floor. ^The noise was deafening becuase it was an unearthyly
1370L14 hour of the night and everything was dead still. ^Father came
1380L14 into the kitchen and switched on the light. ^Fortunately I had
1390L14 put the stool back in its place under the window so he was not wise to my
1400L14 tricks. $"^What the hell are you doing?" he cried, "I got the start
1410L14 of my life imagining thieves had broken in." $"^*I wanted to_ drink
1420L14 some water," I lied. $"^For God*'s sake why didn*'4t you switch
1430L14 on the light, instead of groping in the dark?" $"^*I didn*'4t want
1440L14 to_ wake you, father," I said. ^He grunted and said with some
1450L14 sarcasm. "^Well you woke me anyway." ^Then he turned away from
1460L14 me and hobbled off to bed. $^*I went back and lay down in bed.
1470L14 ^That_ was when I had the strangest feeling. ^*I felt mother*'s spirit
1480L14 hovering near in an almost diaphanous state. ^*I sat up at once but
1490L14 it vanished. ^*I felt sure she had come to_ warn me about something.
1500L14 ^Surprisingly I was not afraid. ^The living now posed more
1510L14 danger to me than the dead. $^The first thing I did the next morning
1520L14 was go to Navneet*'s air conditioned cabin. ^He looked up and smiled.
1530L14 $"^Oh, hello, Chander," he said. "^You*'3re right on time.
1540L14 ^*I want you to_ meet Lila. "^She turned round in her chair. ^*I
1550L14 found myself looking into the quiet grey eyes of the most beautiful girl
1560L14 I had seen. $"^*I*'3ve told Lila so much about you," Navneet
1570L14 went on, "that she feels she*'2s known you for ages. ^Don*'4t you
1580L14 Lila?" $"^Hello," said Lila, sticking out her hand for a greeting
1590L14 as they did abroad. "^*I*'3m Navneet*'s sister," $"^Just back
1600L14 from finishing school in Switzerland," he said. "^Do you find
1610L14 her finished, Chander? "I*'3ve been telling her she still looks a trifle
1620L14 under-baked." $"^Oh go on," said Lila "^Don*'4t be a tease."
1630L14 $"^She*'3ll soon get right under a hot tropical sun," I said
1640L14 with a smile. ^*I was thinking how much more becoming her beauty would
1650L14 look if she were draped in a russet *4saree with a *4bindi on her forehead
1660L14 and her hands folded in a politely coy *4namaste. ^She had an
1670L14 affected mannerism about her which needed Indian modes of behaviour to_
1680L14 round off. ^Her two piece suit and white blouse made her look like
1690L14 a mannequin from the pages of Vogue. ^Her hair was long and coiled
1700L14 into a coiffure on the nape of her neck. $^Her eyes had an innocence
1710L14 about them and an unguarded chasteness.*#
        **[no. of words = 02000**]

        **[txt. l15**]
0020L15 **<*3The Secret Door*0**> $^*I*'3M STANDING in front of a strange
0030L15 mansion. ^Empty handed. ^Uncertain. ^Like a ruined stranger. ^Who
0040L15 may have returned, after a lifetime of wandering around, to where
0050L15 his village used to_ be. ^Ages ago. ^Perhaps. ^Swathed in sun
0060L15 and dust. ^Self-absorbed. ^Uncertain. ^Like me. $^*I fling
0070L15 my withered arms out. ^In imitation of the outstretched wings of
0080L15 the ancient mansion. ^Like an idle urchin mimicking a crazy old woman.
0090L15 ^So that she may curse him. ^So that he may amuse himself by
0100L15 spitting and throwing stones at her. $^*I fold my arms. ^Now I
0110L15 look like an old eagle. ^Perhaps. ^For whom flying has become
0120L15 impossible. ^Almost. ^Or improper. ^Or unnecessary. ^More
0130L15 or less. $^Now I*'3m standing headbent. ^Like a culprit.
0140L15 ^Who may have returned, after a lifetime of running around, to where his
0150L15 home used to_ be. ^Ages ago. ^Perhaps. ^Lost in filth and
0160L15 darkness. ^Like a ruined tomb. ^Surrounded by few broken huts.
0170L15 ^Whose doors are swinging loose. ^Like the jowls of sick or senseless
0180L15 old people. ^Whose mudwalls sport stains of dungcakes.
0190L15 $^*I raise my eyes and see dirty patches all over the facade of the mansion.
0200L15 ^Like thin dungcakes. ^Plastered ineptly by a bride. ^In
0210L15 homesickness and anger. ^Perhaps. $^*I*'3ve an old and deep
0220L15 familiarity with dungcakes. ^It has survived years of estrangement
0230L15 and distance. ^Like a memory. ^Like a scar. $^*I wonder why
0240L15 this mansion seems so friendly. ^Despite its strangeness. ^To
0250L15 me. ^To whom for ages nothing has seemed friendly. ^Perhaps it
0260L15 is because of the light. ^Which is pouring down like rain. ^In which
0270L15 even I may seem friendly. ^Perhaps. ^Despite my strangeness.
0280L15 $^Perhaps it is also because of the light that_ the mansion seems
0290L15 to_ be still and soaring. ^Simultaneously. ^Like a remote mountain.
0300L15 ^Or a cloud. ^Drenched in light. ^Uncertain. ^Like
0310L15 me. $^*I wonder about the mansion. ^Standing still and soaring.
0320L15 ^Simultaneously. ^In this luminous desert. ^Its arms outstretched.
0330L15 ^Its innumerable doors all closed. ^Apparently.
0340L15 ^Looking more like a reflection or an enormous sketch of a mansion than
0350L15 a mansion. $^Perhaps it is empty. ^Empty or not it can*'4t
0360L15 be real. ^Real or not it is there. ^Or seems to_ be. ^And
0370L15 I*'3m standing in front of it. ^Uncertain. ^Like a meek monk.
0380L15 ^Gaping. ^Through eyes not his own. ^With curiosity not his
0390L15 own. ^Wondering about the mansion. ^Wondering. $^*I*'3m wondering
0400L15 what I*'3m doing here. ^Standing in this light. ^In front
0410L15 of this strange but friendly mansion. ^*I*'3m wondering what I
0420L15 did and where before coming to_ stand here. I*'3m wondering whether
0430L15 I*'3m standing here on my own or under orders, whether I*'3ll be able
0440L15 to_ move away from here on my own. ^*I*'3m wondering why I*'3m
0450L15 wondering about all this. $^*I*'3m afraid if I don*'4t stop
0460L15 wondering this spell will break. ^And so may I. ^*I*'3m afraid
0470L15 I can*'4t stop wondering. $^*I think I should keep standing here.
0480L15 ^Waiting for a sign. ^Or a change of light. ^Uncertain but
0490L15 open. $^If this mansion is real, these doors too are real. ^Perhaps
0500L15 one of them at least is open. ^Or will be opened. ^Or
0510L15 can be opened. ^Or will open. ^Of itself. ^But why only one?
0520L15 $^Had this mansion been real, it wouldn*'4t have had so many doors.
0530L15 ^It wouldn*'4t be standing in this desolate silence in this
0540L15 luminous desert. $^*I*'3m afraid if I don*'4t stop thinking this
0550L15 light will change into darkness, this silence into screams, this mansion
0560L15 into a desire for this mansion. ^And I into restless dust.
0570L15 ^Doomed once again to another lifetime of wandering around. ^*I
0580L15 want to_ stop thinking. $^*I raise my eyes again and see two eyes
0590L15 studded in each of the innumerable doors. ^Like two luminous hornets.
0600L15 ^Like a magic trick for children. ^*I want to_ shout what
0610L15 is going on! ^*I*'3m afraid I won*'4t be able to_ produce a sound.
0620L15 $^*I blink my eyes and look again. ^Now I see a wall of dark
0630L15 doors. ^The mansion has changed into this wall. ^Another magic
0640L15 trick. ^*I*'3m amazed and angry. $^*I fly over to one of the
0650L15 innumerable doors in front of me. ^There in no lock or keyhole anywhere.
0660L15 ^*I try to_ push it open. ^It is like pushing a wall.
0670L15 ^*I knock without producing a sound. ^*I shout. ^Nothing but air
0680L15 issues out of my mouth. ^*I put my forehead against the door and close
0690L15 my eyes. ^Like a child. ^Who is sobbing. ^Because his mother
0700L15 is dying behind that_ door. ^Or giving birth to another child.
0710L15 ^Perhaps. $^*I see my entire dark past narrowed to a point.
0720L15 ^Beneath my closed eyes. ^Twinkling. ^Like pain. ^Acute enough
0730L15 to_ kill me. ^Body and soul. ^*I see myself dancing to that_
0740L15 twinkling point of pain. ^For a long time. ^Then I see myself falling
0750L15 asleep. ^Or dying. ^Perhaps. $^*I straighten myself with
0760L15 a start. ^Like a puppet. ^Who doesn*'4t know he is one. ^Who
0770L15 doesn*'4t know anything. ^Who hopes to_ be rewarded for his total ignorance.
0780L15 ^By the closed door in front of him. ^Or by an angel or
0790L15 a demon behind it. ^Who is unaware of his existence. $^*I sit
0800L15 down and close my eyes again. ^The mansion is empty. ^But if it
0810L15 is, why all these doors? ^It is not real. ^But if it is not,
0820L15 what is it that_ I see? $^*I can*'4t think any further without
0830L15 assuming that this mansion is real. ^That these doors are real.
0840L15 ^That I*'3m not being tricked by a master mason or painter. ^*I*'3ve
0850L15 assumed this. ^So that I can concentrate on these doors.
0860L15 $^Because the door in front of me is closed, I assume all the rest are
0870L15 also closed. ^Because I*'3ve failed in opening this, I assume
0880L15 I*'3ll fail in opening all the rest. ^But even if it had turned
0890L15 out to_ be open, or had opened, I might have assumed all the rest
0900L15 would be closed, that I*'1d fail in opening them. ^Or I might have
0910L15 assumed that many, or several, of them would be closed and many, or
0920L15 several, would be open or would open under my pressure. ^*I*'3ll
0930L15 not be sure before I*'3ve made all possible attempts at opening all
0940L15 the doors. ^I haven*'4t made all possible attempts to_ open the
0950L15 one in front of me. ^That_*'1s why I assume I won*'4t be able
0960L15 to_ make all possible attempts at opening all the rest. ^It will be
0970L15 impossible to_ make all possible attempts. ^That_*'1s why I feel
0980L15 I shouldn*'4t make any. ^It will be impossible for me not to_ make
0990L15 any. ^That_*'1s why I think I should get up, walk up to each
1000L15 door, push it, knock on it, shout even if I fail to_ produce any sound,
1010L15 and see if I can open one or find one open or opened. ^But such
1020L15 half-hearted attempts won*'4t satisfy me. ^*I shouldn*'4t desire satisfaction
1030L15 but I do. ^*I*'3m thankful my desire for satisfaction
1040L15 is not strong enough to_ push me into a reckless battering of all these
1050L15 doors. ^Perhaps that_*'1s why I imagine that if I persist this
1060L15 session of silly thoughts will change into a trance. ^Sooner or
1070L15 later. ^And then I*'1d be rid of the desire to_ open any door, or
1080L15 to_ find it open. ^But then I remember I*'3ve tried to_ induce these
1090L15 trances before. ^By sitting in silence with my eyes firmly closed.
1100L15 ^And I remember how every time as soon as I opened my eyes
1110L15 I was pounced upon by all my suspended desires. ^That_*'1s why
1120L15 I think this session too will be futile. ^Then I remind myself that
1130L15 never before have I sat in front of mansion so strange and friendly
1140L15 as this, in a light so strong and ceaseless as this, confronted by doors
1150L15 as numerous as these. ^And I begin to_ think that if I succeed
1160L15 in opening even one of these innumerable doors, or in finding it open,
1170L15 I*'3ll rush into this mansion without a thought about the rest of
1180L15 them and spend my remaining life in roaming and rummaging about in this
1190L15 ancient mansion. ^But then I think I won*'4t be able to_ resist
1200L15 the temptation or the challenge of the other doors. ^Particularly
1210L15 if the door that I succeed in opening, or finding open, opens
1220L15 a mystery or a monster or a radiance or a rot or a terror or a void
1230L15 whose refuge is unacceptable to me. ^No refuge will be acceptable
1240L15 to me for ever. ^That_*'1s why I think I*'3ll not be satisfied
1250L15 until I have tried all the doors. ^That_ is why I think I*'3ll
1260L15 never be satisfied. ^Not even if I succeed in opening all the
1270L15 doors, or in finding all of them open or opened. ^Not even if
1280L15 all of them open on the same terror of treasure or whatever. ^Not
1290L15 even if all of them open on revelations that_ are entirely different from
1300L15 one another. ^*I will never be satisfied. ^*I should have no
1310L15 desire for any satisfaction. ^For even if I come upon a rare glory
1320L15 or gift behind each door I*'3ll wonder whether that_ glory or gift is
1330L15 the ultimate end of my quest. ^And even if I try all the doors and
1340L15 fail in opening even one, or in finding even one open or opened, I*'3ll
1350L15 wonder if I missed one or many. ^Then I*'3ll have to_ start
1360L15 all over in search of the one or many I might have missed. ^And I
1370L15 won*'4t be sure I didn*'4t miss one or many in the second round.
1380L15 ^And I*'3ll detect innumerable defects in each attempt. ^And I*'3ll
1390L15 discover innumerable flaws in each attempt to_ remove each defect.
1400L15 ^And I*'3ll imagine perhaps each door responds to a pre-determined
1410L15 pressure or a call or a concentration. ^And I*'3ll imagine perhaps
1420L15 the intensity of each pressure or call or concentration is also pre-determined.
1430L15 ^And I*'3ll imagine perhaps the intensity of each pressure
1440L15 or call or concentration is also subject to change every moment according
1450L15 to a pattern also pre-determined. ^And I*'3ll conclude that
1460L15 if all this is true I*'3ll never succeed in opening any door that I
1470L15 am not pre-determined to_ open. ^And I*'3ll of course discover innumerable
1480L15 cracks in this conclusion. ^And I*'3ll conclude that if all
1490L15 this is true I*'3ll never succeed in opening any door that I am not
1500L15 pre-determined to_ open. ^And I*'3ll of course discover innumerable
1510L15 cracks in this conclusion. ^And I*'3ll feel like shouting: ^Who is
1520L15 responsible for all this pre-determination? ^And I*'3ll wonder if shouting
1530L15 is forbidden. ^And I*'3ll feel like shouting: ^Who is the
1540L15 forbidder? ^And I*'3ll wonder if this question is forbidden. ^And
1550L15 I*'3ll think perhaps thinking too is forbidden. ^And I*'3ll feel
1560L15 like inquiring if it is. ^And I*'3ll inquire without producing a sound.
1570L15 ^And I*'3ll think perhaps I can*'4t hear my own voice. ^And
1580L15 I*'3ll conclude I won*'4t be able to_ hear any answer even if I get
1590L15 one. ^And I*'3ll wonder if.... $^And then I can*'4t say when or
1600L15 how my thinking comes to an end. $^*I close my eyes a little
1610L15 more firmly. ^And I see a human being standing on either side of
1620L15 each door. ^Torn between dread and desire. ^Expectant and hopelss.
1630L15 $^*I close my eyes a little more firmly. ^And I
1640L15 see an endless line of human beings standing on either side of each door.
1650L15 ^Torn between dread and desire. ^Expectant and hopeless.
1660L15 $^*I close my eyes a little more firmly. ^And I see that the eyes
1670L15 of each human being in each line are wide open but blind. ^Oblivious
1680L15 of other human beings in the same line. ^Oblivious of all other
1690L15 human beings in all other lines. $^*I close my eyes a little more
1700L15 firmly. ^And I see myself reflected in all other human beings standing
1710L15 in every line on either side of each of the innumerable doors.
1720L15 ^Torn between dread and desire. ^Expectant and hopeless.*#
        **[no. of words = 01970**]

        **[txt. l16**]
0001L16 **<*3THE RED SUITCASE*0**> **[leader comment
0010L16 begin**] ^They were told to_ keep a watch for the murderer, but had they
0020L16 caught the wrong guy? **[end leader commment**] $*3ON*0 Sunday
0030L16 morning, Shamsher Bahadur*'s headless body was found. ^His
0040L16 was the fifth murder in Dehra Dun district, and each time, the murderer
0050L16 took away the victim*'s head with him, leaving behind the headless
0060L16 body. ^The police had convinced themselves that only a madman could
0070L16 be responsible for such gruesome acts. ^All the murders took place
0080L16 within a radius of five or seven miles from Dehra Dun. ^A
0090L16 reward was announced-- \0*4Rs. 10,000-- for the murderer, dead or alive.
0100L16 $^Seven miles west from Dehra Dun,in the Premnagar suburb,
0110L16 Vir Bahadur*'s wife Sheelprabha was saying as she closed the
0120L16 front door of her small restaurant, "What luck if the criminal comes
0130L16 this way and we catch him. ^*I*'3m tired of washing the filthy cups
0140L16 and saucers day in and day out. ^With \0*4Rs. 10,000 we could go
0150L16 back to our village and live in bliss." $^*Vir Bahadur was busy
0160L16 with the day*'s accounts. ^Irritably he said, "Heck, we could, but
0170L16 right now open the door, will you, for I can hear someone knocking."
0180L16 $^*Sheel went towards the door. ^Opening it, she saw a man
0190L16 standing outside, drenched to the skin in the rain. ^In his hand were
0200L16 two small suitcases, one red and the other black. ^The red suitcase
0210L16 drew Sheel*'s attention at once because it was circular in shape.
0220L16 ^It was ideal to_keep a hat in, or somebody*'s head! ^A wave
0230L16 of flutering excitement ran through Sheel*'s body. $^The man came
0240L16 inside and lowered himself into a chair. ^Keeping both the suitcases
0250L16 beside the chair, he said, "Rum? ^It*'1s cold." $"^Yes, yes,
0260L16 certainly," replied Sheel, collecting herself. $"^Bring it quick.
0270L16 ^*I*'3m in a bit of a hurry." $^On her way towards the drinks
0280L16 cabinet, Sheel paused by Vir Bahadur*'s table and whispered, "have
0290L16 you seen the red suitcase?" $"^Well?" he asked. $"^You fool,
0300L16 it*'1s ideal for carrying a severed head." $^*Vir Bahadur spoke
0310L16 stiffly, "That_ reward has turned your head. ^Give him rum and
0320L16 hurry." $^*Sheel kept the rum bottle and soda on a tray and havingcarried
0330L16 it to the customer*'s table, returned to her husband*'s side.
0340L16 $"^Why don*4't you do a bit of thinking? ^At this time, and in this
0350L16 rain, that_ man could only have come from the direction of the jungle.
0360L16 ^*Shamsher Bahadur*'s head must surely be in that_ suitcase. ^Let
0370L16 us ask him to_ allow us to_ look into that_ suitcase. ^If it is empty--
0380L16 well and good. ^Otherwise, the \0*4Rs. 10,000 are ours."
0390L16 $"^Why do you insist on talking like an idiot?" $"^You*'3ve got
0400L16 your gun under the table, just near your legs. ^You show him the
0410L16 gun and I*'3ll look through the suitcase. ^Simple." $"^Rifling
0420L16 through a customer*'s belongings could get us into trouble." $"^No
0430L16 trouble at all, and then the \0*4Rs. 10,000!" $"^*I think we should
0440L16 summon Thakur Singh from the police *4thana nearby." $"^Silly,
0450L16 we would have to_ part with half the reward. ^You wait, I*'3ll
0460L16 do the asking." $^*Sheel went up to the stranger and asked, "^Can I
0470L16 bring you anything more?" $"^No nothing else." ^He took out
0480L16 \0*4Rs. 2 and placed them on the table. $"^Something to_ eat, perhaps?"
0490L16 ^*Sheel cast an entreating glance towards her husband.
0500L16 $"^No, I am in a bit of a hurry." ^He bent down to_ pick up the
0510L16 suitcases, but stopped midway in straightening up because Vir Bahadur
0520L16 was standing in front with his gun cocked. $^*Vir Bahadur had
0530L16 picked up the gun and in trembling tones said, "^Sir! ^Kindly open
0540L16 that_ red suitcase." $^The stranger looked at Vir Bahadur, then at
0550L16 Sheelprabha, and asked scathingly, "Is this a robber*'s den which
0560L16 robs customers?" $^"Vir Bahadur, who was faltering anyway, replied,
0570L16 "No sir, do not misunderstand us. ^We merely wish to_ see what
0580L16 you have in that_ red suitcase." $"^This suitcase contains nothing
0590L16 besides my clothes," retorted the stranger, lifting the suitcase from
0600L16 the floor. $^*Vir Bahadur thought he detected a hardness in the
0610L16 stranger*'s tone. ^He said, "If it contains nothing besides clothing,
0620L16 what holds you from showing us its contents?" $^The man answered
0630L16 with finality, "I will not open this suitcase." $^These words were
0640L16 hardly out when the room reverbated to a gun shot, and with the sound
0650L16 the suitcase he was holding fell from the man*'s hand. ^A second later,
0660L16 the man also toppled to the ground. ^*Vir Bahadur did not know
0670L16 how it came about, but he now saw that the gun*'s trigger was pulled
0680L16 back-- perhaps he had thought the man was going to_ make a run for it.
0690L16 ^Perhaps it was something else. $^*Vir Bahadur was shocked.
0700L16 ^What had he done? ^*Sheel meanwhile had picked up the red suitcase
0710L16 and put it on the table. "^Quick," she said, "fetch me a knife--
0720L16 the suitcase will have to_ be slit open." $"^*I have murdered this
0730L16 man--" $"^Bring the knife quickly." $"^But I did not pull
0740L16 the trigger at all--" $"^Oh, forget it, for heaven*'s sake!
0750L16 ^There is sure to_ be a head inside this. ^There can*'4t possibly
0760L16 be anything else," Sheel kept muttering as she struggled to_ open
0770L16 the suitcase. $^The suitcase fastener flew open with a snap, Vir Bahadur
0780L16 too came and stood by. ^In the suitcase were some clothes and
0790L16 a pair of shoes and below them, a bag. ^The bag contained some
0800L16 gold biscuits. $"^The poor guy must have been smuggling them. ^That_
0810L16 is why he was scared of showing us the contents. ^He must have
0820L16 thought we would rob him of this gold and he wouldn*4't even be able to_
0830L16 report it to the police." $^*Sheelprabha was now standing in a
0840L16 state of shock. ^But as their precarious position struck her, she
0850L16 gathered herself and ran to_ lock the door and pull down the shutters.
0860L16 ^She switched off all the lights, leaving only one. $"^There*'1s
0870L16 no need to_ be nervous," she said. "^Let us take advantage of
0880L16 the stillness of the night and leave the body on the roadside. ^So many
0890L16 murders are taking place, this will be just one added to the list."
0900L16 $"^We should report the matter to the police." $"^Don*'4t be stupid.
0910L16 ^What will you say?" ^Sheel put back the clothes and the shoes into the
0920L16 suitcase, but hesitated over the gold. "^Don*'4t you dare," Vir
0930L16 Bahadur thundered. "^Robbing a dead man-- aren*'4t you ashamed?"
0940L16 $^*Sheel shut the suitcase and said, "let us go and leave him a little
0950L16 distance up the road. ^If anybody makes enquiries we shall just
0960L16 have to_ say that we don*'4t know anything." "^Why not tell the police
0970L16 the truth?" ^*Vir Bahadur suggested, "that it was an accident,
0980L16 that we had no intention of killing him?" $"^You talk like a child;
0990L16 once the police have you in their clutches, you will have to_ sell
1000L16 your house and home to_ get away." $^Frantically, they half carried,
1010L16 half dragged the dead body up the road to where a path branched
1020L16 off into the jungle. ^Both the suitcases they placed besides the corpse.
1030L16 ^*Vir Bahadur carefully removed any traces of the corpse being
1040L16 dragged. ^Coming back to the room he scrubbed the floor equally
1050L16 carefully and then they both went to_ sleep. $^They couldn*'4t have
1060L16 got much sleep, because a little before dawn, there was a banging on
1070L16 the door. ^They both looked at each other. ^*Sheel got up and
1080L16 looking scared, opened the door. $^*Thakur Singh was standing
1090L16 outside in plain clothes. "^There is a body lying down the road,"
1100L16 said the constable, "You will have to_ come with me and see the body,
1110L16 for you may be able to_ tell us if that_ man had any food or drinks at
1120L16 your restaurant." $^They both accompanied him, ^Seeing the body set
1130L16 them both trembling. "^What is the matter, why are you two so nervous?"
1140L16 $"^No, no," replied Sheel. "^Anybody would be nervous looking
1150L16 down at a murdered man." ^After a slight pause, she said: "We
1160L16 haven*'4t seen this man before. ^Never, in fact. ^Isn*'4t that_ correct,
1170L16 Vir Bahadur?" $^*Vir Bahadur merely shook his head. $"^Are
1180L16 you sure neither of you have seen this man before" $"^Absolutely
1190L16 sure," they both answered together. $^Turning to_ leave, Thakur
1200L16 Singh said, "That_ is a good thing because I warrant that before
1210L16 the morning is through a dozen people will be saying that they killed
1220L16 him and will claim a part of the reward." $^Started, Sheel said:
1230L16 "Reward? $^What sort of reward?" $"^Of \0*4Rs. 10,000" replied
1240L16 Thakur Singh. "^There are two suitcases with this body and the
1250L16 black suitcase contains the head of that_ Shamsher Bahadur who was murdered
1260L16 yesterday. ^So now I shall receive the \0*4Rs. 10,000 for
1270L16 apprehending the murderer." $^After remaining silent awhile, he
1280L16 said, "It was an old dream of mine, that I leave the police service
1290L16 and go back to my farm. ^Now that_ dream looks like coming true--
1300L16 now I shall get the reward." ^And he walked away slowly, leaving
1310L16 Vir Bahadur and his wife Sheelprabha glued to the spot.
1320L16 $**<*3BUS ENCOUNTER*0**> $"*3*HE*'1S*0 a super person," Sujata
1330L16 said happily. "^*I know you*'3ll like him. ^We*'3re planning to_
1340L16 get married soon." ^*Priya smiled. ^*Sujata hadn*'4t changed much in
1350L16 the two years since they*'d left college. ^Bumping into her on Janpath
1360L16 took Priya right back to evenings in the hostel. ^*Sujata bubbled
1370L16 over with joy at the chance meeting and with eager questions about what
1380L16 Priya was doing. ^*Priya smiled and told her all about her job and
1390L16 her trials of fighting her way on to the crowded Delhi buses and the
1400L16 horrible lecherous men she had to_ contend with on the buses. "^But
1410L16 it*'1s worth it," she smiled, "^*I*'3m enjoying every minute of my job."
1420L16 ^She turned to Sujata with a quick shake of her head, "^But now
1430L16 tell me what you*'3re doing." $^*Sujata smiled widely. "^Cooking
1440L16 classes," she said. "^We*'3re planning to_ get married next year as
1450L16 soon as my fiancee finishes college and gets a job." $"^We must
1460L16 get together sometime," Priya said, with an anxious glance at her
1470L16 watch. "^Got a bus to_ catch," she murmured. ^She hitched her bag
1480L16 more firmly onto her shoulder and prepared to_ leave. $"^No don*'4t
1490L16 be so vague," Sujata said. "^Let*'3s have lunch together. ^*I haven*'4t
1500L16 seen you for so long. ^How about tomorrow at the Parlour?"
1510L16 $^*Priya nodded. "^See you tomorrow. ^Around one?" ^And she hurried
1520L16 off to_ get her bus. $^It was past five o*'3clock and the bus stop
1530L16 was already crowded. ^*Priya joined the queue and bought an evening
1540L16 paper. ^Behind her the queue grew longer and longer, snaking back and
1550L16 forth on the arleady crowded pavement. ^*Priya felt the familiar
1560L16 irritation rise. ^How she hated the bus queues and the people in them.
1570L16 ^She glanced at the clotted spit on the ground and the weary faces
1580L16 around her, and the irritation grew. $^The bus arrived with its cloud
1590L16 of smelly diesel. ^The queue surged forward, coins clinking in
1600L16 sweaty fists. $^*Priya bought her ticket from the conductor at the
1610L16 door and went to the front of the bus. ^A sudden flicker of joy rose
1620L16 to_ meet the empty seat that_ lay in front of her. ^She sank down
1630L16 oblivious of the person sitting at the window seat. $^With its
1640L16 usual roar and shudder, the bus started off. *^Priya stared out of the
1650L16 window, past the man beside her. ^As the trees swirled by, she noticed
1660L16 the man*'s hands on the railing in front of them. ^Nice-shaped fingers,
1670L16 and with a sigh of relief, she saw the clean fingernails, cut short.
1680L16 ^This one was unlikely to_ be a lecherous swine, she decided.
1690L16 ^She relaxed, and pulled a book out of her bag to_ read. $^The conductor
1700L16 came by. ^*Priya*'s companion reached into his pocket, pressing
1710L16 against her in his attempt to_ get to his change. ^*Priya shifted
1720L16 slightly and continued to_ read. ^It wasn*'4t deliberate, Priya
1730L16 said to herself, trying to_ concentrate on her book. $^The man
1740L16 got to his change and reached over Priya to_ hand it to the conductor.*#

        **[txt. l17**]
0020L17 **<*3FEAR*0**> $*3^IT*0 was a routine with Ram Singh to_
0030L17 get up in the darkness before dawn and, chewing one end of an acacia or
0040L17 margosa twig to_ brush his teeth, go into the bushes across the village.
0050L17 ^Back home later, chanting the morning prayer, he would pour
0060L17 water over his body from a bucket with a round-bottomed waisted brass
0070L17 jug before going on to the *4gurdwara. $^This morning he took his
0080L17 bath as usaual, but then wandered over to the outhouse and lay down on
0090L17 a stringbed. ^His intent eyes, fastened on a crossbeam, seemed
0100L17 to_ stare right through the timber and ceiling out into the open sky.
0110L17 $^Two days back, Ram Singh*'s wife had died, and to his utter grief he
0120L17 discovered that prayers and hymn-singing held no solace. ^Years
0130L17 ago he had turned to the *4Granth-- the Holy Book-- and found it to_
0140L17 be a fountain head of joy. ^At his baptism as a Khalsa he had sipped
0150L17 in humility the prescribed sanctified sugared water. ^He had come
0160L17 to_ recognise death as an opportunity to_ attain absolute bliss in the
0170L17 Lord. ^Whenever anyone passed away in the neighbourhood, Ram Singh
0180L17 was called upon to_ recite *5Kirtan Sohila*6-- the bedtime prayer-- over
0190L17 the pyre before it was lit. ^He would quote generously from the scriptures
0200L17 to the kinsfolk who sat crosslegged on the ground away from the consuming
0210L17 flames; and later also, on the way back along the fields to
0220L17 the village, and at nights at the house of the deceased when the assemblage
0230L17 sat on *4Durries spread on the floor, he would comfort the bereaved.
0240L17 $^Death was, he would say, a bridge which led man to the Supreme
0250L17 Being. ^He had not been afraid of death-- till today.
0260L17 $*3^Until*0 a fortnight ago when his wife, Bachint Kaur, was taken ill--
0270L17 although not seriously as to_ cause alarm-- death had been to him
0280L17 no more than a plaything. ^He was not perturbed even when it seemed
0290L17 her end was near. ^As she sank into stupor, Ram Singh sat reciting
0300L17 prayers by her head with dry eyes. ^At the sound of the rattle
0310L17 in her throat, he hurried to_ put a spoonful of consecrated water from
0320L17 the *4gurdwara between her lips; it trickled out along her cheek.
0330L17 $^Cool-headed even then, he spoke in an even voice to his nephews sitting
0340L17 by the bedside: "^Look here, boys, I think your aunt is no more."
0350L17 $^The boys burst into loud wails, the neighbours rushed over, but Ram
0360L17 Singh sat composed by the deathbed urging them all to_ keep quiet, declaiming:
0370L17 $*5^Jo aiya so chalsi...*6 $^All that_ are born $Shall
0380L17 depart $When it is their turn. $^*Ram Singh himself said the
0390L17 prayers when the logs had been piled on the pyre and lit it with a steady
0400L17 hand. ^Back home, he set a large pan on the hearth and cooked a
0410L17 batter of flour, sugar and clarified butter. ^He distributed portions
0420L17 of it as a token of divine blessings among the mourners who had accompanied
0430L17 him from the cremation ground. $^At night when the men came
0440L17 again and sat with him on the floor, he launched into an exposition of
0450L17 passages from the scriptures which deal with our transitory existence.
0460L17 ^He quoted: $*5^Chinta taki kijiye...*6 $^Grieve not for what
0470L17 is commonplace. $^This is the way of the world; $Sayeth Nanak
0480L17 nothing lasts. $^Neverthless, lying dazedly on his cot in the outhouse
0490L17 in the morning two nights later, Ram Singh realised how he had been
0500L17 fooling himself all along. ^Death had, obviously, more to it than
0510L17 what had met his eye. ^The day before yesterday and the better part
0520L17 of the following night had passed in the kindly company of his friends
0530L17 and relatives who had come to_ condole him. ^Later, he had fallen
0540L17 into an exhausted sleep. ^He woke up in the small hours though, the
0550L17 next morning. ^After the bath, he ceremonially lifted the wrapped up
0560L17 *5Adi Granth*6 to his head from its overnight resting place in the prayer
0570L17 room, placed it on cushions on a low cot under an awning, opened and
0580L17 draped it. ^He continued to_ read the Holy Book till it was noon.
0590L17 ^Discourse with the callers took up the rest of the day. $^But
0600L17 at night, when he was left alone, he could not sleep well. ^It was
0610L17 a troubled and fitful sleep. ^*Bachint Kaur appeared to him in his
0620L17 dreams. ^He saw her standing quietly by his cot or soaring away into
0630L17 the vast open sky. ^He could almost feel her tangible presence beside
0640L17 him; next moment, flames engulfed her and instantly reduced her to a
0650L17 heapful of ashes. ^A wind scattered the ashes..... $^The dream
0660L17 recurred, and every time a shaken Ram Singh turned on his side mumbling
0670L17 *5Wahiguru! Wahiguru!*6 ^Hail the Wondrous Teacher.
0680L17 $^The day had dawned early today with its insufferable burden. ^He
0690L17 lay on the cot quietly but his mind was in turmoil. ^He wished desperately
0700L17 to_ blank out all memories. ^But his mind lingered on page after
0710L17 page of the book of his past. $*3^*Ram*0 Singh had tilled his
0720L17 joint family holding in the vigorous years of his youth. ^Religiously
0730L17 inclined, he sought to_ be initiated a Khalsa within years of his marriage.
0740L17 ^Given his devotion to the Word of the *4Gurus, his advancing
0750L17 years and the fact that_ no child was born to him ever, it was natural
0760L17 that he should begin to_ question himself as to why and for whom he should
0770L17 slog like a bull. $^He reckoned he could lease out his part of
0780L17 the land, after he had talked his brothers and nephews into separating,,
0790L17 to a sharecropper and he and his wife could live adequately on the
0800L17 just levies. ^Consequently, he quit farming. $^*Ram Singh now
0810L17 devoted his days to the service of the Lord. ^Up and about while it
0820L17 would still be dark, he bathed reciting the morning prayer, ate his breakfast
0830L17 which Bachint Kaur would have prepared meanwhile, and went
0840L17 to the *4Gurdwara for the rest of the morning. ^He returned home at
0850L17 mealtime. $^Afternoons, he read out to Bachint Kaur stories from
0860L17 the *3Janamsakhi*0-- biography of Guru Nanak-- or passages from
0870L17 some religious text or the Sikh history. $^Towards evening, before
0880L17 the sunset, he walked over to his fields for a little exercise;
0890L17 he could thereby keep an eye on his crops to_ boot. ^On reaching home,
0900L17 he washed up, said his evening prayer, and sat down with his wife for
0910L17 a chat before they turned in for the night. $^They had known neither
0920L17 any great sorrow nor exceptional pleasure. ^Day followed night,
0930L17 and between these two banks their contented life flowed on calmly,
0940L17 without any rush or roar. $^*Ram Singh had read in the scriptures
0950L17 that all living creatures had to_ suffer the cycle of rebirth through the
0960L17 eighty-four *4lakh forms, and of these man was the culmination. ^After
0970L17 man had sojourned for the ordained period on earth, his spirit left its
0980L17 confines to_ mingle in the Lord. ^He had learnt to_ detach himself from
0990L17 all things worldly. ^Neither cloying love nor blistering hate
1000L17 had the power to_ touch him. $^In the evening of his life, he had almost
1010L17 stopped visiting his relatives, although they were always welcome
1020L17 in his home and none of them had ever disappointed him in his hour of
1030L17 need. ^His world had shrunken now to_ contain only the two of them.
1040L17 $^*Ram Singh*'s eyes hazed over, and the beam overhead blurred.
1050L17 ^He rubbed his eyes with his thumb and middle finger, and two teardrops
1060L17 oozed out to_ stain his fingertips. ^He shut his eyes tight and blinked
1070L17 them open. $^He got up and splashed water into his face. ^He
1080L17 washed his hands and feet and went into the prayer room. ^He sat down
1090L17 by the Holy Book and willed himself to_ read it. ^He had hardly
1100L17 read two or three pages when he reached out his hands to the drape
1110L17 folded back and tucked under the Book, spread it again in position, and
1120L17 dragged himself out. $*3^In*0 another room, Ram Singh came upon
1130L17 his wife*'s reading glasses on a shelf. ^In spite of himself, he removed
1140L17 the pair of glasses from the metal case, wiped the lenses with his
1150L17 shirtfront, and put them back in the case before returning it to its place.
1160L17 $^On the shelf also stood, next to the reading glasses, a smallbottle
1170L17 of powdered black pepper and sugar. ^Whenever Bachint Kaur
1180L17 had a coughing attack, she would take a pinch of the powder on her palm
1190L17 and lick it. ^On a stool nearby were the other medicine bottles,
1200L17 still partly full, which had done Bachint Kaur little good.
1210L17 $^*Bachint Kaur*'s clothes still hung on the opposite wall. ^Some two
1220L17 months ago, she had spread cattle dung paste in a rectangle low down on
1230L17 the right-hand wall and ornamented it with drawings of nondescript plants
1240L17 and creepers above a legend in *3Gurmukhi, Satnam Wahiguruji
1250L17 Maharaj*0 hail the True and Wondrous Teacher and Great Emperor--
1260L17 carefully done in her pious but unlearned hand. $^Looking at it now,
1270L17 Ram Singh had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. ^He
1280L17 reminded himself though that whatever happened was the will of the Lord,
1290L17 and walked back to his cot. ^With a heavy heart, he tried to_ sing
1300L17 aloud. $*5^Jis marne te jag dare...*6 $^Death mankind fears
1310L17 $Fills me with joy; $Through it alone $One attains absolute bliss.
1320L17 $^But Ram Singh could not go on; words stuck in his parched
1330L17 throat. ^He cleared it and, unawares, struck on another hymn: $*5^Jis
1340L17 piyare seo neh...*6 $^*'3Tis better to_ die $Before the beloved;
1350L17 $Life is an unremitting woe $When bereaved. $^Some time later,
1360L17 Ram Singh washed his face and went out into the street. $^Everyone
1370L17 in his brothers*' joint family got worried when Ram Singh did
1380L17 not return for his midday meal. ^When the elder son in the family went
1390L17 looking for him, he found that his uncle had not been to the *4gurdwara
1400L17 at all. $^It then occurred to him that he might have gone to the
1410L17 cremation ground. ^He strode past a pit overhung with *4peepul branches,up
1420L17 and past the plum trees-- and there he saw Ram Singh lying face down
1430L17 by the spot where the pyre had stood two days before, his fists clenched
1440L17 round his wife*'s ashes.
1450L17 $**<*3THE APPEASEMENT OF *4RAHU*0**>
1451L17 $*3^THE WOMAN*0 sat, her eyes fixed to the man*'s face; her
1460L17 whole stance one of deep interest. ^Her body was taut with expectation
1470L17 and hope, she was oblivious to the rush of people around her in the
1480L17 temple where she sat. ^She was a middle aged woman, not too old, and not
1490L17 too poor. ^The wife of a clerk. ^A housewife, herself, who had
1500L17 once taught in a small private school. $^Her voice, when she spoke,
1510L17 was strident and clear. "^For the past month I have been plagued
1520L17 by theft," she said, making the statement for the third time. "^Tell me
1530L17 why." $^The man, dressed in a spotless *4dhoti and shirt, his hair
1540L17 well oiled, sat cross-legged before her. ^He had been looking at the
1550L17 woman, taking stock of her capacity, her stature. ^Now he turned
1560L17 his eyes downward, and peered shortsightedly into the book before
1570L17 him. ^The woman waited, expectant. ^Slowly, with ponderous care and
1580L17 deliberation, the man drew a few lines, and wrote some figures. ^Then
1590L17 he looked into the distance again, long and steadily. ^At last he spoke.
1600L17 $"^Your time is bad," he said. "*4^*Shani is strong, *4Rahu is
1610L17 against you. ^This is why you are losing money." $^The woman chimed
1620L17 in, her voice sharp with excitement and impatience. "^*I lost money twice
1630L17 this week. ^Once I had kept thirty *4rupees in my tin box and it disappeared.
1640L17 ^Yestereday I had a five *4rupee note in my purse. ^This
1650L17 morning, nothing. ^Who is the thief?" $^The man wavered. "^The thief?"
1660L17 he repeated, "what does it matter who the thief is, all your loss
1670L17 is but an expression of *4Rahu*'s anger." $"^But tell me the thief,
1680L17 and I will get my money from the person," the woman insisted.*#
        **[no. of words = 02012**]

        **[txt. l18**]
0020L18 **<*3TERESA*0**>
0030L18 $^*I WAS very much in love with Teresa. ^*I met Teresa in
0040L18 the month of June. ^And like the lovely June rose, she grew into my
0050L18 life, becoming a vital part of it. $^The very first time I met Teresa
0060L18 was at the grave-yard. ^Rather peculiar, but true all the same.
0070L18 ^It was my father*'s second death anniversary, and I had gone to_
0080L18 place some flowers upon his grave. ^*I stood there, my mind working
0090L18 into the past, when Dad had been so full of fun and merriment; a kind of
0100L18 living power in the house, upon whom we all leaned. ^Always understanding,
0110L18 never harsh; always gentle and full of love, and ready
0120L18 to_ come down to our level in any matter. ^How a sudden, sinister illness
0130L18 had eaten him up; even those last days, when he had smiled cheerfully
0140L18 at us inspite of knowing that life was slowly dribbling away from him,
0150L18 and the end was pretty close. ^How a sudden cloud had fallen upon
0160L18 our house when Dad left us quietly one morning. $^As I stood
0170L18 there reminiscing and living the past over again, I felt something brush
0180L18 past my back, like a gust of gentle breeze and turning, I saw a dark
0190L18 girl in a green dress go past me, amongst the graves towards the right
0200L18 corner of the yard. ^She stood there near one of the graves for a long
0210L18 while, in deep thought; and I continued to_ stand near Dad*'s grave,
0220L18 watching her dark back against the green of her dress, tapering into
0230L18 a slim, pretty waist. $^When after a while, she turned to_ go as suddenly
0240L18 and abruptly as she had come, I gasped. ^She had one of the
0250L18 most beautiful faces I had ever seen. ^Her dark skin had the soft lusciousness
0260L18 of dyed sueds, her features chiselled to perfection, her eyebrows
0270L18 finely arched, her lips a shade darker than the face, with a softness
0280L18 all their own. ^The big almond eyes reminded me of a gazelle. ^Her
0290L18 silky brown hair, parted in the middle of her forehead, framed her heart-shaped
0300L18 face and fell loosely over her shoulders and back. ^This is
0310L18 the first picture of Teresa and this same image is, even today, chiselled
0320L18 in my memory. ^We stared at each other for just a split of a second
0330L18 and then as I cleared the path for her, she went past me, on her
0340L18 way out flitting away like a pretty little butterfly. $^After this meeting,
0350L18 I went to the grave-yard almost everyday, just to_ get a glimpse
0360L18 of this marvellous girl. ^Poor Dad-- he must have thought me a real
0370L18 dutiful son; but I knew it was not duty that_ drove me to the grave-yard
0380L18 everyday. ^It was Teresa. ^By the end of the first month we
0390L18 were already courting, and very much in love. $^WE were courting
0400L18 each other for nearly three months now. ^It was the end of August.
0410L18 ^My mother was very keen to_ meet Teresa. ^She wanted to_ see
0420L18 me happily settled by the end of the next year, by which time I would have
0430L18 finished my final exams, in college, and would be doing some suitable
0440L18 job. ^But Teresa refused to_ meet her. $"^No," she would say,
0450L18 almost uneasily. $"^Not now. ^Such affairs often fizzle out into
0460L18 nothing. ^*I don*'4t want to_ get involved with too many of your
0470L18 people. ^First let us know each other and make sure about ourselves."
0480L18 $^*I reassured her quite often that I loved her, and my intentions
0490L18 were honest. ^But it required much effort to_ convince her. ^This
0500L18 was one peculiar point about Teresa that_ often troubled me. ^Whenever
0510L18 I so much as mentioned my family, or even my friends, she always
0520L18 looked upset and even suspicious. ^This was something about her which
0530L18 I just could not understand. $^*I naturally wanted to_ show her
0540L18 off to my other friends, to_ introduce her to them as my future wife,
0550L18 for God knows I loved her and wanted to_ marry her. ^But Teresa could
0560L18 not be persuaded. ^The only places we ever went were a corner
0570L18 of the park, the sandy coves by the seaside, and sometimes if these two
0580L18 places were crowded according to Teresa*'s standards, then the small bench
0590L18 in the grave-yard. ^She hated crowds. ^She hated people.
0600L18 she hated noise. ^Initially I felt it was natural that she wanted
0610L18 to_ be alone with me in some quiet, place she being timid and diffident
0620L18 and very much in love. ^In fact it was her lack of showiness and her
0630L18 timidity which also much attracted me.
0640L18 $"^Why are you so uncertain about me?" ^*I asked her one day.
0650L18 "^Why do you think I may leave you some day and go away?" $^We were
0660L18 sitting by the seashore, she with her head against my shoulder, so I could
0670L18 not see her face; but I felt the distinct shiver that_ travelled down
0680L18 her body. $"^Why do you ask me such things?" she asked me, turning
0690L18 suddenly to_ face me. $"^It upsets me sometimes," I told
0700L18 her in a troubled voice. "^It upsets me to_ know that you need so much
0710L18 reassurance all the time. ^Why don*'4t you believe me when I tell
0720L18 you?" $"^Because I am unsure." ^She kept chewing her underlip
0730L18 contorting her face. "^*I don*'4t know how soon it will be that you
0740L18 will leave me!" $"^*Teresa!" ^My voice was pained, and she sensed
0750L18 it. ^The next moment she was in my arms, tears raining down her face
0760L18 and I was caressing her, soothing her, kissing her, like you would
0770L18 a small child. $^This was how it was. ^Moments of extreme joy...
0780L18 heights of ecstasy... pits of despair. ^And yet I relished every
0790L18 moment of it becuase she was one of the most wonderful things that_ had
0800L18 happened to me. $^SOON the year was over and I was preparing
0810L18 for my exams in March. ^Even at the end of this long period I knew
0820L18 very little about her. ^She had a brother called Brian, who worked
0830L18 at the garage down Ballary Street. ^She herself was working in some
0840L18 company as a receptionist, but where, she did not tell me. $"^You
0850L18 will meet my brother one day," she promised me; "but not now."
0860L18 $^We met everyday at the park in the evenings, and I left her at
0870L18 the 252 bus route from where she took a bus home. ^But where she got
0871L18 off she never told me.
0880L18 ^And I had learnt not to_ ask. ^Becasue questions about herself always
0890L18 upset her. $^The place where she loved to_ go to was the seaside.
0900L18 ^One day we were sitting there upon the sands, holding hands.
0910L18 ^The sun was setting and the sky had turned a pretty orange. ^The
0920L18 shadow of the dipping sun was falling upon the waters, turning them a
0930L18 brilliant gold. $"^*Teresa," I whispered her name softly, and the
0940L18 breeze carried it off my lips across the sea. ^She sat gazing at the
0950L18 sea, her head against my knees. "^*Teresa, we must get married soon."
0960L18 ^The urgency in my voice startled her and she sat up suddenly.
0970L18 $"^Why must you spoil these beautiful moments by such statements!"
0980L18 she exclaimed with some annoyance. $"^This is the present; let*'3s
0990L18 enjoy it," her lips moved angrily. "^Why do you keep talking of
1000L18 things which are a long way off?" $"^But isn*'4t our future important?"
1010L18 ^*I protested, now feeling quite angry myself. $"^*I can*'4t
1020L18 understand you, Teresa; don*'4t you want the security of marriage?
1030L18 ^Don*'4t you want to_ be known as my wife? ^Why do you always jump
1040L18 out of your skin when I talk of marriage?" $"^But why must you always
1050L18 talk of marriage? ^Leave me in peace for the moment. ^Love
1060L18 me..." she suddenly clung to me like a hungry child. "^Love me... love
1070L18 me as much as you can... now..." and as I looked into her eyes I found
1080L18 they bespoke some great tragedy.... ^And I kept quiet pulling her
1090L18 close to me, my mind very disturbed. $^My exams came and went.
1100L18 ^*I could not put in all the hard work I had intended to_ do. ^*I asked
1110L18 Teresa to_ come and meet me outside the college after the exams everyday
1120L18 that_ week. ^But she declined. $"^Not there," she told
1130L18 me flatly. "^We will meet at the usual place." ^*I did not argue.
1140L18 ^But I was worried. ^How long could this sort of a hide-and-seek
1150L18 game last. $^After the results my uncle helped me secure a fairly
1160L18 good job in a firm of one of his friends. ^*I began to_ work, doing
1170L18 my post-graduation course alongside. ^*I worked for three months...
1180L18 July, August, September. $^By this time my mother and my brothers
1190L18 were naturally anxious to_ meet Teresa. ^Mother was getting old,
1200L18 and not keeping good health, and I knew she wanted to_ see Teresa very
1210L18 much. ^And I was at the end of my tether... ^*I had to_ speak
1220L18 to Teresa once again about it, however much she may dislike it.
1230L18 $^IT was a cool evening, and we were sitting in the park. $"^*Teresa,"
1240L18 I took her hand in mine. "^*Teresa, mother wants to_ meet
1250L18 you very much," I came straight to the point. ^Once again I
1260L18 felt that_ shiver sweep through her body. ^Her face suddenly became
1270L18 livid. $"^Why must you torment me!" she shouted in my face, flinging
1280L18 my hand away breathing heavily. $"^Stop screaming," I cried
1290L18 in a loud voice unable to_ control myself any more. "^What*'1s so
1300L18 terrible about meeting my mother?" ^*I tried to_ pull her down on the
1310L18 bench beside me, but she would not sit down. ^Her eyes were fuming,
1320L18 her face flaming with anger, as she stood before me. ^She stared at
1330L18 me for a moment, and then suddenly turned on her heel and walked away.
1340L18 $"^*Teresa!" ^*I called hoarsely, "don*'4t be mad!" but to no
1350L18 avail. ^She did not even once turn round and look at me. ^She
1360L18 simply walked out on me. ^*I only found a number of heads turned in
1370L18 my direction. ^Somehow I was glued to my seat. ^*I do not know
1380L18 why I did not get up and go after her. ^*I just sat there; feeling
1390L18 very weary. $^*I never saw Teresa again. ^Like a crazed man,
1400L18 I walked the park, the grave-yard, the sandy sea-shore, the familiar
1410L18 coves, the 252 bus stop. ^But Teresa was not to_ be found anywhere.
1420L18 I knew nothing about her. ^In desperation I remembered one
1430L18 thing: her brother Brian worked at the garage down Ballary Street.
1440L18 $^It was close to eight in the evening as I walked down to the garage.
1450L18 ^Nobody was in sight. ^As I went nearer, I saw a man bent near
1460L18 the side door, as if he was searching for something. ^On hearing my
1470L18 step he straightened. ^He was a rough sort of chap, the kind you would
1480L18 find amongst mechanics at a cheap shop. "^What do you want?"
1490L18 he asked me in a deep, guttural voice. $"^*I*'3ve come to_ see a man
1500L18 called Brian." ^*I said, "Brian Sherwood." $"^Yes," he replied,
1510L18 "I am Sherwood; what do you want?". $"^OH," I said, taken aback.
1520L18 ^The dissimilarity between brother and sister was so shocking, that
1530L18 I could not get myself to_ say anything besides "oh". $"^What do you
1540L18 want?" he repeated, his narrow eyes moving up and down my face.
1550L18 $"^Are you Teresa*'s brother?" ^*I asked, my voice hoarse at the mention
1560L18 of Teresa*'s name. $^He suddenly looked at me more severely
1570L18 and his face sort of closed up into a very bland appearance. $"^Yes,
1580L18 I am" he replied, his tone making me uneasy. "^What has that_
1590L18 got to_ do with you? $^*I looked at him steadily now. "^*I want
1600L18 to_ know about Teresa," I said. $^He laughed showing all his dirty,
1610L18 stained teeth. "^What do you want to_ know about her?" his voice
1620L18 was harsh and uncanny. "^Where is she?" ^*I asked simply.
1630L18 $"^Listen young man," he was very serious now, and his eyes narrowed into
1640L18 slits as he focussed them rigidly on my face, "Teresa*'1s dead and
1650L18 gone now, since long."*#
        **[no. of words = 02014**]

        **[txt. l19**]
0010L19 **<*3the VOW**>
0020L19 $*3^THOSE*0 of us who are not familiar with the intricacies of
0030L19 the post-office may not be aware that slightly higher in rank than the
0040L19 post-master, is a busy-body known as the Inspector of post-offices.
0050L19 ^The very nature of his work demands that he should meddle in and among
0060L19 the post-offices within his jurisdiction. ^He has a free access to
0070L19 all the records of the little and not so little post-offices. ^He
0080L19 also has the duties to_ check the cash and stamps in every post-office he
0090L19 goes to, just in case the post-master had not been able to_ resist the
0100L19 temptation and, started treating postal cash as his own. ^The post-masters
0110L19 did not resent this intrusion into their territories, in fact especially
0120L19 in rural areas the Inspector*'s visit was looked forward to with
0130L19 eagerness. ^*Inspectors were usually in touch with everyone else in
0140L19 the division and were able to_ fill the isolated *(0P. M.*) with the
0150L19 latest gossip going on, about what type of a man the new superintendent
0160L19 was, \0etc. $^*Ramasamy was the post-master at Karatadipalay
0170L19 a little town, in south Tamil Nadu. ^He had been there for four
0180L19 years now, and hopefully looked forward to being there for at least three
0190L19 years more. ^He was a hopelessly inefficient little post-master.
0200L19 ^It was with grave doubts that his Superintendent had set him in
0210L19 independent charge of a single-handed post office. ^It was only because
0220L19 Ramasamy*'s innate honesty was well known that it was thought that
0230L19 no great harm would come of sending him to this remote little town.
0240L19 ^Of course Ramasamy made quite a few blunders. ^Every second day his
0250L19 cash did not tally. ^Every other day he found three to four *4rupees
0260L19 missing which he had to_ make good from his own pocket.
0270L19 $*3^RAMASAMY*0 was so absent minded that he was quite capable of shelling
0280L19 out ten *4rupees to a savings bank account holder, instead of the
0290L19 five *4rupees asked for. ^If the account holder was thus inclined he
0300L19 would point out Ramasamy*'s mistake and restore the extra cash.
0310L19 ^But more often than not, the village people were not that_ way inclined.
0320L19 ^Probably, they considered the extra payment their due for being
0330L19 made to_ wait so long. (^For Ramasamy was also maddeningly slow).
0340L19 ^Umpteen complaints had gone from the towns-folk to the inspector,
0350L19 to the superintendent, both who in their hearts of hearts had a secret
0360L19 liking for this little man who tried so hard. ^What they did when
0370L19 any particularly vituperative complaint was received, was to_ scratch their
0380L19 heads, say "Oh God, not again!" and forget about the whole
0390L19 matter.
0400L19 $^*Ramasamy was also a man who was financially very hard-pressed.
0410L19 ^It was to_ be expected that a man who in his work, could be so incompetent,
0420L19 would also make a mess of his personal financial affairs. ^*I
0430L19 stress on the 'financial' aspect, because Ramasamy*'s personal life
0440L19 otherwise was close to perfect. ^He had a wife who loved him very
0450L19 much. ^Her husband*'s haphazard ways, his inability to_ provide either
0460L19 her or their sons, with anything but the bare essentials of living
0470L19 didn*'4t bother her a jot. ^She brought up their little boy, solemn
0480L19 little Balaji, (his name), to_ respect his small bespectacled father,
0490L19 who in return adored both of them openly and unashamedly. $*3^IT*0
0500L19 was in the month of December, that the incident I wish to_ relate
0510L19 occurred. ^At first, it had all the aspects of a major and catastrophic
0520L19 disaster. ^The little Post Office at Karatadipalaya was inspected
0530L19 once every year, in December. ^*Ramasamy was a great crony
0540L19 of the inspector. ^The day the inspector was due to_ come, \0Mrs.
0550L19 Ramasamy made a special visit to the market. ^A special lunch
0560L19 was prepared, with *4payasam at the end of it. ^It must be mentioned
0570L19 at this juncture that all the trouble for the Inspector*'s sake
0580L19 was not taken in the hope that the Inspector would overlook the innumerable
0590L19 mistakes that_ Ramasamy had made. $^It was typical of Ramasamy*'s
0600L19 character that such an idea had never entered his mind. ^It had,
0610L19 however, entered t38 minds of the various inspecting officers, who at the
0620L19 start of their acquaintance with Ramasamy, had viewed the hospitality
0630L19 with suspicion, especially in the light of Ramasamy*'s notorious
0640L19 incompetence. ^But gradually the suspicion had died down as it became
0650L19 clear, that Ramasamy was putting himself out for no ulterior reason
0660L19 whatsoever. $^During the four years of Ramasamy*'s tenture at Karatadipalaya
0670L19 his inspector had been a fat jovial, easy going youngster
0680L19 named Jaganathan, whom Ramasamy and his wife now familiarly referred
0690L19 to as Jaggu, and little Balaji as *4mama. $^Then early in December
0700L19 Ramasamy received a phone call, from the divisional head-quarters.
0710L19 ^That it was not the Superintendent*'s office, that_ was calling never
0720L19 occurred to Ramasamy. ^Why should it? ^His was not a suspicious
0730L19 nature. ^The voice over the phone told him concisely that
0740L19 Jaganathan, Inspector of post-offices has since been transferred, and
0750L19 one Manoraj was taking his place. ^*Manoraj would be taking up the
0760L19 inspection of Ramasamy*'s office tomorrow, so would Ramasamy keep all
0770L19 the records in order. $*3^IT*0 did not even occur to Ramasamy
0780L19 to_ question. ^It did not even occur to him to_ ask how he would know
0790L19 this new man. ^All he did was to_ say "Yes sir, yes sir," and
0800L19 scuttle around in worried circles afterwards, wondering where on earth
0810L19 he had placed the previous sub-office account. ^And also hope that
0820L19 the new man would be as easy-going as Jaggu had been. $^It would
0830L19 not have occurred to Ramasamy in a million years that he had been selected,
0840L19 for a clever and cruel hoax. $^The call he had received, had
0850L19 not been from the divisional office. ^*Jaganathan far from having been
0860L19 transferred was on long leave, due to a intense bout of flu.
0870L19 ^The man who had called him was Jaganathan*'s elder brother, Ranganathan.
0880L19 ^*Ranganathan was as serious as Jaganathan was merry; as hardworking
0890L19 as Jaganathan was carefree; as loving of his young wife and child
0900L19 as Jaganathan was neglectful of his family*'s welfare. ^*Jaganathan
0910L19 had three robust sons and two noisy daughters; Ranganathan had after
0920L19 ten and a half years of marriage, a little girl born to him. ^His
0930L19 wife in her late thirties, had had to_ undergo a caesarian operation.
0940L19 ^The child now only three months old was ailing. ^The doctor had
0950L19 said that something was the matter with her liver. ^*Ranganathan
0960L19 had become desperate. ^He had grown to_ love with desperation the
0970L19 little scrap that_ had come into his life. ^He also knew that if anything
0980L19 untoward should happen to the child, Sheela would lose her mind.
0990L19 ^As it was she had become so emotional, so unbalanced.
1000L19 $*3^THEY*0 tried everything within their means. ^*Ranganathan had
1010L19 always been a careful spender. ^Now he used his savings to_ take his
1020L19 daughter from doctor to doctor, hospital to hospital. ^Nothing seemed
1030L19 to_ work. ^Nobody could cure her. ^Only God, said Sheela,
1040L19 "it is in His hands now." ^Always a religious woman, she now
1050L19 grew fanatical. ^*Ranganathan watched her with deep compassion,
1060L19 for he had long since resigned himself to losing his little daughter.
1070L19 ^His only question was why had she been born at all? ^The unfairness
1080L19 of it used to_ gnaw at him. ^Such a small thing, so much suffering...
1100L19 $^One day, Sheela broke her new habitual silence to_ inform him in quite
1110L19 measured tones that she had taken a vow. ^He was silent.
1120L19 ^He had realised that it was far better not to_ attempt to_ reason with
1130L19 Sheela anymore. ^She tended to_ get hysterical if thwarted in the
1140L19 smallest degree where the little one was concerned. ^He personally
1150L19 did not believe in vows and considered them nothing but sordid bargaining.
1160L19 ^But now, like Sheela he was ready to_ try anything.
1170L19 ^But when he heard what the vow was to_ be, he blanched. ^*Sheela
1180L19 had promised Lord Venkateswara two gold sovereigns. ^*In return
1190L19 he was to_ make the child well. $^*Ranganathan was shocked. ^He
1200L19 had absolutely no money left. ^How could she be so irresponsible?
1210L19 ^But as he looked at her, the words of protest died on his lips.
1220L19 ^With a sense of shock he realised that he would be blamed, if the vow
1230L19 was not fulfilled. ^Without a word she made it clear that by thus
1240L19 failing, their marriage too would be at an end.
1250L19 $^Overwhelmed by grief and despair he had journeyed to Jaganathan*'s
1260L19 home, 20 kilometers away. ^With futile hopes he asked his younger
1270L19 brother for the money. ^*Jagoo*'s reply was a snort of laughter,
1280L19 which turned into a racking cough. "^Damn this fever," roared Jaganathan,
1290L19 now I*'3ll be behind in all my inspections, "I wonder what
1300L19 kind of a mess that_ fool Ramasamy will make by the time I get to_
1310L19 take up his inspection!" $*3^DISINTERESTEDLY,*0 Ranganathan
1320L19 asked, "^Who is Ramasamy?" $"^*I have mentioned him to you," said
1330L19 Jagoo. "^The most innocent gullible fool in the world; it*'1s a wonder
1340L19 he has managed to_ get along these four years without losing too
1350L19 much of money. ^When I think of the amount coming into that_ Post
1360L19 Office everyday, I shudder." ^*Ranganathan raised his head.
1370L19 "^He is at Karatadipalaya, is he not? ^How can there be lot of
1380L19 money, when the town is so small?" $"^There are no banks there" explained
1390L19 Jagoo, and especially now that it is harvest time the Office
1400L19 must be having its maximum balances." $"^How much is that_?" asked
1410L19 Ranganathan casually. ^*Jagoo yawned "5000/- or so", he said "God,
1420L19 I feel ill." ^*Ranganathan got up "I better be going" he said.
1430L19 ^*Jagoo waved him farewell. "^Don*'4t worry about the child. ^You
1440L19 can always have another," and laughing at his own joke he went to_
1450L19 sleep. $^*Ranganathan went to a public park and sat down in the sun.
1460L19 ^My child and my wife are the most important things in the world
1470L19 to me. ^What I am planning to_ do is evil; no doubt I shall be punished
1480L19 in my next birth. ^But at least in this life I shall be happy.
1490L19 ^My wife has faith in Lord Venkateswara. ^If I fulfil her
1500L19 vow perhaps he will reward her, and spare the child. ^Today is
1510L19 the last day. ^Tomorrow the week will be over. $^His mind made
1520L19 up, he arose. ^He found a public phone booth and made his call to
1530L19 the little Post-master, who seemed every bit as gullible as Jaganathan
1540L19 had said he was. ^Within half an hour he was at the Post-Office.
1550L19 ^A small man with a worried expression came out. ^*Ranganathan
1560L19 had from his brother picked up a smattering of postal terms. ^But even
1570L19 if he hadn*'4t there would have been no problem. ^The little fellow
1580L19 accepted him commpletely. ^He trustingly opened up the cash chest.
1590L19 ^He placed all the currency notes denomination wise in front of the
1600L19 imposter who had a strange way of not meeting his eyes. $*3^THE*0
1610L19 opportunity Ranganathan had been hoping for and fearing came. ^*Ramasamy
1620L19 got up. "^My missus is preparing some tiffen for you sir," he
1630L19 explained shyly, "I shall go and see if it*'1s ready." $^For a wild
1640L19 moment Ranganathan had an impulse to_ hold his arm and tell him not
1650L19 to_ go. ^But he said nothing. ^But in his mind he thought. "^Oh
1660L19 you fool, you fool!" $^It was a matter of minutes to_ pocket
1670L19 the three thousand and odd *4rupees scattered on the table, to_ walk out
1680L19 casually, to the bus-stop, where, thank-god a bus was just leaving,
1690L19 to_ get into it and be on his way home to Sheela and the child. $^As
1700L19 things happened he did not get home as early as he expected. ^His
1710L19 bus broke down, and he had to_ wait for over two hours for the next one.
1720L19 ^He was not particularly worried. ^It had been mid-after-noon
1730L19 when he had entered the Post-Office. ^None but the Post-Master
1740L19 had seen him. ^If Ranganathan had read his character correctly Ramasamy
1750L19 by this time would be in such a mental state that none would be able
1760L19 to_ get anything coherent from him.*#
1770L19 **[no. of worrds = 02003**]

        **[txt. l20**]
0010L20 **<*3SWAMIJI AND TWO BOTTLES OF BEER*0**> $*3^THE DOCTOR*0 pronounced
0020L20 my son as completely cured. ^Happiness flooded my heart. ^Silently I
0030L20 held my wife*'s hand. ^Words were quite unnecessary. ^There were tears
0040L20 in her eyes but behind them I could visualise the glow of ecstasy.
0050L20 $^It was only six months ago that the doctors had pronounced my son
0060L20 as incurable. ^An operation was ruled out in view of the area of brain
0070L20 damage. ^Medicines, we were told, would achieve nothing-- except the
0080L20 drugs to_ dull the terrible spasm of pain. ^The end was to_ be swift
0090L20 and all that_ we were expected to_ do was to_ try to_ relieve, as far
0100L20 as possible, the suffering of our son. $^Now that this miracle had
0110L20 occurred and my son was to_ have a new lease of life, one of my first
0120L20 thoughts was to_ visit the *4Swami who had wrought this miracle. ^Wordlessly
0130L20 my wife nodded, understanding fully what was passing through my
0140L20 mind. $*<*3Two*0*> $^Our first journey to *4Swamiji, I remember,
0150L20 had been sheer agony. ^A series of tests by specialists and a succession
0160L20 of doctors had convinced me that my son could not live. ^*I was resigned
0170L20 to_ face the inevitable. ^My wife was not. ^She persuaded me that
0180L20 we should visit the *4Swami who had an *4Ashram thirty miles away,
0190L20 in the hills. ^The doctor was aghast and doubted if our son would live
0200L20 through the rigours of the journey. ^*I saw the look of disgust on his
0210L20 face, when my wife told him that the decision to_ visit the *4Swami
0220L20 was unalterable. $^During the journey, my son*'s condition had grown
0230L20 worse. ^We gave him drugs to_ relieve the pain but he was visibly
0240L20 growing feebler. ^Late in the evening, we reached the *4Swami*'s *4Ashram.
0250L20 ^The questions of the Manager of the *4Ashram about how much
0260L20 we could pay for the accommodation, irritated me. ^The Manager was far
0270L20 more concerned with our names, status and financial condition than with
0280L20 the condition of my son. ^Ultimately, he gave us accommodation in a poorer
0290L20 quarter of the *4Ashram. ^Appointment with *4Swamiji? ^The Manager
0300L20 almost sneered when we asked for an appointment for the next morning.
0310L20 ^Why, there were people of name, substance, worth and wealth who
0320L20 had been waiting for weeks! ^My wife pleaded. ^He shrugged his shoulders
0330L20 and explained that every night it was his duty to_ submit the list
0340L20 of applicants to *4Swamiji. ^The decision of who and when to_ call,
0350L20 was not his but *4Swamiji*'s. ^With that_ we had to_ remain content.
0360L20 ^We put our son to sleep in the small room allotted to us. ^Soon we learned
0370L20 from the neighbours in the next room that what the Manager had
0380L20 said was not incorrect. *4^*Swamiji decided each night at 9 \0p.m. who
0390L20 were to_ see him the next morning. ^Those who were so favoured were informed
0400L20 by 9.30 \0p.m. to_ be ready. ^The rest remained in hope and it was
0410L20 not uncommon when days passed without an interview with *4Swamiji.
0420L20 ^Of course those accommodated in the rich quarters were called more rapidly--
0430L20 and invariably, a large donation helped. $^*I looked at my son
0440L20 in his fitful sleep and wondered if he would last until *4Swamiji chose
0450L20 to_ summon him. ^*I avoided looking into my wife*'s eyes. ^She too,
0460L20 it seemed to me, was vainly struggling to_ keep her hopes alive. $^It
0470L20 was at 9.15 \0p.m. that the Manager of the *4Ashram came to my room.
0480L20 ^He had obviously come in haste. ^He had in hand the form I had filled
0490L20 in, showing my personal details-- full name, address, designation \0etc.
0500L20 ^The Manager asked a few questions-- strangely enough, about my
0510L20 age. and the educational institutions I had been to. ^Through mounting
0520L20 irritation I kept telling him that I needed a cure for my son and
0530L20 nothing for myself; still I answered his questions with all the politness
0540L20 I could muster. $^The Manager reappeared within 15 minutes, accompanied
0550L20 by a few attendants. ^Apologising for the poor room in which
0560L20 he had placed us, he asked us to_ move to another. ^My son was placed
0570L20 on a stretcher and we found ourselves in a suite of rooms with exquisite
0580L20 interior decoration, heating and complete with a refrigerator, radio,
0590L20 record-player and tape-recorder. ^Attached to the suite were also
0600L20 two bathrooms, with running hot and cold water, luxurious bath tubs
0610L20 and large mirrors stretching from the marble floors to high above my
0620L20 head. ^*I pleaded with the Manager that I was not worth the trouble
0630L20 and could not afford the luxury. ^He waved away my protest saying we were
0640L20 the guests of the *4Ashram and that *4Swamiji would see my son
0650L20 the next day. ^When I tried to_ tip him with a hundered *4rupee note,
0660L20 he declined. $^Early in the morning, the attendants came again. ^My
0670L20 son was taken on the stretcher to *4Swami*'s presence. ^We followed.
0680L20 ^The stretcher was placed at his feet. ^My wife and I bowed. ^From a
0690L20 distance, the *4Swami waved a hurried blessing at us and began concentrating
0700L20 on my son. ^*I watched the *4Swami. ^There was little of him
0710L20 visible to the eye. ^A saffron robe of rich silk covered his entire
0720L20 body. ^His long silvery hair and beard covered his face and even his
0730L20 eyes were masked by dark glasses with gold frames. ^With theatrical
0740L20 gestures, as if invoking unseen gods, he waved his arms and bobbed his
0750L20 head from side to side. ^Behind him sat his disciples, many of whom
0760L20 were women who were reputed to_ have left their homes and husbands for
0770L20 his sake. ^Soon he motioned to us to_ leave, while our son remained with
0780L20 him. ^In the afternoon my son was brought back to us. ^My wife saw
0790L20 some improvement in him. ^*I did not. $^For the first seven days that_
0800L20 we remained in the *4Ashram, our son was sent for each morning and remained
0810L20 with the *4Swami till afternoon. *4^*Swami never spoke to us and
0820L20 we were told that he does not speak to anyone except his own disciples
0830L20 and the sick who are brought to him for healing. ^True, he spoke to
0840L20 God sometimes, we were told, but rarely on his own, for generally
0850L20 it was God who spoke to him. $^Meanwhile the choicest foods and fruits
0860L20 were being served to us with all the amenities of room service. ^Sumptuous
0870L20 food and affluent surroundings notwithstanding, I ate but little
0880L20 and was not enjoying myself. ^Perhaps it was the worry over the bills
0890L20 I would have to_ pay or the donations I would have to_ make at the
0900L20 end of the stay or more probably it was lack of faith in the recovery
0910L20 of my son that_ kept me worried. ^Each day, my wife saw tremendous
0920L20 improvement in my son while I could discover none. ^On the eighth day,
0930L20 it began to_ dawn on me that my son was really improving. ^Thereafter
0940L20 his recovery was rapid. ^He could talk to us without coughing and panting.
0950L20 ^He even smiled. ^The bouts of pain had ceased. ^The special diet
0960L20 for him-- personally supervised by the Manager and a senior nurse--
0970L20 and consisting of fruit juices, soups, ground almonds, honey and syrups,
0980L20 was discontinued and he was encouraged to_ eat normal food with us.
0990L20 ^On the tenth day he could walk unaided and for the next three days he
1000L20 went into the presence of *4Swamiji without the need of a stretcher.
1010L20 ^On the fifteenth day, the Manager informed us that the *4Swami had
1020L20 left that_ morning for another Ashram-- as he had to_ divide his time
1030L20 amongst the many *4Ashrams he had established-- and that since our son
1040L20 had fully recovered, arrangements had been made for our return journey.
1050L20 ^*I brought out all the ready cash I had and was about to write
1060L20 a large cheque but the Manager refused, adding that it was an honour
1070L20 for the *4Ashram to_ have distinguished guests like us. ^*I was certain
1080L20 that it was a case of mistaken identity for no one-- not even my wife
1090L20 and I-- had seen in us any distinction before. ^*I told the Manager
1100L20 so and even told him of the humble position I enjoyed in life as a
1110L20 Government servant of minor consequence, but he merely smiled with a
1120L20 knowing look and then, to_ cap it all, he brought out gifts for us from
1130L20 *4Swamiji-- a large silver dish, intricately carved and a set of twelve
1140L20 heavy gold bangles for my wife. ^Even our son shared in our astonishment
1150L20 that *4Swamiji should be giving gifts instead of receiving them.
1160L20 ^It was common knowledge that this *4Ashram tried to_ entertain only
1170L20 the rich clientele and encouraged everyone to_ part with generous
1180L20 donations. ^The notices all over the *4Ashram also left no doubt of its
1190L20 desire to_ seek more and more funds. ^But from us, the Manager accepted
1200L20 nothing. ^Obviously we could not refuse the gifts, having accepted
1210L20 much more-- the restoration of our son*'s health. $^Transportation
1220L20 for our return journey was also arranged for and paid by the *4Ashram.
1230L20 ^Besides, the Manager had loaded us with baskets of food, dry fruits,
1240L20 sweets, and cakes. ^We left mystified but elated over our son*'s
1250L20 glowing condition. ^Throughout the return journey, he was lively, spirited
1260L20 and interested in his surroundings. $^The doctor-- he was also a
1270L20 family friend-- was waiting at our home as we arrived. he was surprised
1280L20 to_ see our son looking so well and bubbling with excitement. ^The doctor
1290L20 saw in my wife*'s face the ecstasy of faith and turned to me. ^His
1300L20 eyes answered the question in mine. ^He seemed to_ say that it was all
1310L20 temporary and that this miracle could not last. ^*I feared so too.
1320L20 $^But we were wrong, the doctor and I-- at least that_ is what his instruments
1330L20 seemed to_ indicate the next day. ^He and his specialist colleagues
1340L20 then went into a series of tests, followed by consultations, conferences,
1350L20 further tests and observations. ^The crowning insult came to
1360L20 them from a renowned foreign specialist visiting the country who, after
1370L20 a detailed scrutiny of the results of tests and x-rays, gave his view
1380L20 that my son could not at any time have suffered from the disease attributed
1390L20 to him. ^When they showed him the earlier x-rays and tests, he
1400L20 shrugged his shoulders and lifted his eyes to the sky. $*<*3Three*0*>
1410L20 $*3^THUS*0 was my son pronounced completely cured and thus began my
1420L20 second journey to *4Swamiji who saved our son for us. ^My wife and son
1430L20 had returned from the first journey full of faith. ^*I alone had doubts
1440L20 and misgivings. ^These were now set at rest. ^Somehow I realised
1450L20 that something in me would be missing, until I bowed at the feet of *4Swamiji
1460L20 not only in gratitude but to_ apologise silently for those doubts
1470L20 and misgivings. $^The Manager of the *4Ashram received me with
1480L20 profuse joy as an honoured guest and escorted me once again to a luxurious
1490L20 suite. ^He took it for granted that my son had fully recovered and
1500L20 did not show a trace of surprise at the news. ^Early next morning I
1510L20 was taken to *4Swamiji. ^There was as usual a large crowd of people
1520L20 around him. *4^*Swamiji looked in my direction, and waved at me to_ come
1530L20 near him. ^The crowd parted to_ make way for me. ^*I bowed at his
1540L20 feet, with a prayer in my heart and thanks on my lips. ^He knelt to lift
1550L20 me and, as I rose, he placed both his hands on my shoulders and looked
1560L20 at me for a full minute as if he was reading something in my face.
1570L20 ^Imperceptibly, then, he lifted his right hand from my shoulder and
1580L20 said: "^Go in peace, Motu, none will harm you or yours." ^*I looked at
1590L20 him hypnotised and he smiled. ^He removed his dark glasses, looked me
1600L20 full in the face, and then winked with his left eye, as if sharing
1610L20 a joke with me. ^He replaced his glasses. ^The smile remained and then
1620L20 he appeared not to_ notice me any more, while he motioned for the sick
1630L20 to_ be brought to him.*#
        **[no. of words = 02020**]

        **[txt. l21**]
0010L21 **<*3DEATH BY HANGING*0**> $*3^TWO MEN ARE*0 to_ be hanged in our
0020L21 prison tomorrow morning. ^If you want to_ see it-- $-^*I do! ^*I
0030L21 answer eagerly, without a moment*'s hesitation. $^Why such eagerness?
0040L21 ^Why such haste? ^It isn*'4t that hanging has no connection with
0050L21 my work under the Nehru Fellowship. ^But this eagerness is of a different
0060L21 origin. ^And the haste, too, is quite different, so much so that
0070L21 I have to_ make efforts to_ hide it. $-^Why are they being hanged?
0080L21 ^Who are they? ^*I ask next, my face and voice as bland as if I
0090L21 am asking about the weather. $-^Two farm labourers who committed
0100L21 a murder together. ^Their last appeal for mercy has just been
0110L21 turned down. ^The problem just now is that since this morning,
0120L21 we haven*'4t been able to_ find the rope we use for hanging. ^We haven*'4t
0130L21 had occasion to_ have a hanging in our prison for the last year
0140L21 and a half. $-^Buy a new one, is my (judicious) advice. $-^We*'3ll
0150L21 have to_ order it from Dacca! ^It*'1s a special kind. $-^Wah! ^If
0160L21 the rope isn*'4t found, it*'3ll be a problem for you to_ hang those
0170L21 two tomorrow! ^My somewhat quaint thought. $^My friend-- the prison
0180L21 Warden-- looks a little worried. $-^*I have heard that the ceremony of
0190L21 hanging takes place at the crack of dawn. ^My worry now is how to_ get
0200L21 here at that_ time. ^Hard to_ find transport. ^And, moreover, I have
0210L21 no certainty of waking up so unreasonably early. $-^Stay the night
0220L21 at my place, says my friend. ^Even while relieving my anxiety, his own
0230L21 face remains a little anxious-- ^Come for dinner. $^*I accept at
0240L21 once. ^Not that dinner is important. ^But getting to_ watch a hanging
0250L21 is a rare opportunity. ^Not just one, but two hangings, at one time.
0260L21 $^My earlier fatigue has vanished. ^*I feel crisp and fresh. ^For
0270L21 no reason, the day seems a very significant one. ^A chance one rarely
0280L21 comes across. ^Hanging-- in a double bill, too. $-^To_ tell the truth,
0290L21 this execution seems an unnecessary one. ^My friend, the Warden*'s
0300L21 face still looks ill at ease. ^Of course, these days the tendency
0310L21 of the courts is not to_ give sentences of death. ^And these men
0320L21 aren*'4t professional killers. ^They are from the poorer classes. ^One
0330L21 is fifty-five, the other, a liittle older. ^Even if they have to_
0340L21 spend their lives in prison how much longer have they got to_ live?
0350L21 ^*I expected them to_ be reprieved. ^But they
0360L21 weren*'4t. ^My friend sighs. ^Come over in the evening then. ^Come at
0370L21 your convenience. ^*I*'3ll be expecting you. $^*I definitely will,
0380L21 I promised him. ^*I am so eager, I surprise myself. $^*I finish the
0390L21 day*'s work somehow, feeling new and different even as I do them.
0400L21 ^*I have read and heard descriptions of hangings. ^Now I shall become
0410L21 the maker of such a description. ^A witness in person of two
0420L21 ceremonies of hanging. ^At a time when hanging is in the process of being
0430L21 abolished. ^So, even in the future, I shall have an 'experience'
0440L21 to_ talk about. $^*I*'3m going to_ see a hanging tomorrow at dawn.
0450L21 ^*I make this advance advertisement in one or two places, my face a
0460L21 little extra serious.-- ^They*'3re going to_ hang two men together. $^My
0470L21 chest out, as if I am going to_ hang them myself. $^The inner excitement
0480L21 is growing. ^*I have a faint, fleeting thought
0490L21 that at this rate, when I see the hanging the next day, 'my
0500L21 joy will be complete', and so on. ^Absurd. ^A hanging must be a grisly
0510L21 occurrence... its special time, its place, its ritual. ^Black
0511L21 darkness
0520L21 all around. ^Dead silence. ^Two lives will end. $*3^*I REACH*0 my
0530L21 Warden friend*'s house that_ night. ^The *4rickshaw passes the prison
0540L21 on the way. ^Shadowy barriers. ^Barbed wire. ^Armed guards. ^Lamps
0550L21 spewing out a sickly light. ^Today, somewhere, two living beings, hoping
0560L21 that the next day will never break. ^Being dragged by every moment
0570L21 into the maw of eternal night. ^*I shudder. $^Come on in, says my
0580L21 friend. ^*I was waiting for you. ^Wondered whether or not you*'1d come.
0590L21 $^Why so? ^*I said I would. $^A one-man drinking session is in full
0600L21 swing inside. $^What will you have? $^Nothing. $^Have something. $^All
0610L21 right; some whisky. $^We drink the whisky. ^He has started drinking
0620L21 his some time ago. ^He takes more. $-^We*'3ve found the rope. $-
0630L21 ^Good gracious! ^Then your problem*'1s solved. ^Who does the job of
0640L21 the hangman? $-^No special person. ^Just a prison employee. ^But he
0650L21 has some experience of the work. ^We have no hangman in our jail. ^We
0660L21 have called one from another jail. ^He reached here this afternoon.
0670L21 $-^Well! ^So you*'3ve got the rope, and you*'3ve got the hangman.
0680L21 $-^And we*'3ve got the men to_ be hanged. ^Today they asked for chicken
0690L21 and icecream and ate it. $-^What does the hangman earn? $-^It
0700L21 used to_ be ten rupees a hanging. ^But it*'1s going up a little
0710L21 since then. $^That*'1s very little. ^Hanging means killing someone.
0720L21 ^And a strenuous job, what*'1s more. ^If you make a little mistake,
0730L21 there could be a horrible incident. ^Do they rehearse it? $-^The day
0740L21 before. ^They tie up a sack the same weight as the prisoner. ^It
0750L21 has to_ be the prisoner*'s exact weight. $-^Will they hang them simultaneously,
0760L21 or one after another? $-^Simultaneously. ^We have the facilities
0770L21 for it. ^They*'3re both hardened criminals. ^Rascals. $-^But
0780L21 you yourself said this morning that the hanging was unnecessary. $-^*I
0790L21 read the judgement again carefully. ^It was a horrible murder.
0800L21 ^They slashed his throat from ear to ear. ^Besides a prisoner*'s appetite
0810L21 usually dies the day before he*'1s hanged. ^He asks for food,
0820L21 but can*'4t eat it. ^Both these ate their chicken and icecream with
0830L21 relish. ^*I think they deserve this... ^He takes another great gulp
0840L21 of whisky.-- ^Of course, they*'3re both old men. ^It*'1s three
0850L21 years since they were sentenced by the lower court. $-^Whom did
0860L21 they murder? $-^The man who owned the land next door. ^Even the
0870L21 judge called it 'hair-raising'. $-^You mean they owned land? $-^No,
0880L21 no. ^Hardly. ^They were labourers. ^They worked on someone else*'s
0890L21 land. ^They are brothers-- or more probably cousins. ^No one*'2s
0900L21 been to_ visit them for nearly two years. ^That_*'1s another indication.
0910L21 ^Must be really terrible characters... $^Another gulp. $^Touching
0920L21 stories now of one or two prisoners hanged previously. ^The mildness
0930L21 of their crimes in comparison. ^Their singular pathos. ^Some further
0940L21 gulps of drink. ^An increasingly disturbed expression. $--^Let*'3s
0950L21 eat. ^We must sleep early. ^We*'3ll have to_ get up at two. $^Much
0960L21 silence at dinner. ^The whisky glass beside the dinner-plate. ^Instead
0970L21 of a glass of water. $^A variety of topics. ^But growing inner
0980L21 tension. ^Sudden questions. ^How does it begin? ^What happens next?
0990L21 ^And after that_? ^Do they pull the rope or is there a different arrangement?
1000L21 ^And then? ^What if he doesn*'4t die at once? ^What about
1010L21 the body? ^Does the doctor have to_ be from the prison, or will
1020L21 an outsider do? $^After dinner, my friend takes a pill from his wife.
1030L21 ^He swallows it with some water. ^A tranquillizer of some kind.
1040L21 $^*I ask him to_ lend me the judgement. ^*I am shown where I am to_ sleep.
1050L21 ^We are going to_ sleep in the same room. ^It is at one side of
1060L21 the house, and has a separate door and window. $-^The guard will
1070L21 call me through the window tonight. ^*I*'3ve given instructions. ^*I*'3ll
1080L21 wake you up, he says. --^Good night. $^My friend goes within
1090L21 his mosquito-net. $^Silence. $*<*3The Judgement*0*> $^*I GLANCE
1100L21 through the judgement. ^A discussion of the original crime. ^The word
1110L21 'hair-raising' in quotation-marks. ^At first, pursuit. ^Then stabbing.
1120L21 ^Again and again. ^His attempts to_ run away. ^Their throwing
1130L21 him to the ground, and stabbing with all four hands. ^Then his death.
1140L21 ^Then the slashing of his throat. ^Clothes soaked in blood. ^No
1150L21 attempt to_ run away. ^Just standing there at his side, lighting *4beedies.
1160L21 ^Asking a passer-by, going across a nearby *4bund, for a box
1170L21 of matches. $'^Hair-raising..' ^And hardened. ^They didn*'4t run
1180L21 away; didn*'4t even try to_. $^Why did they murder him? ^Notorious characters.
1190L21 ^The murdered man had made several complaints to the police
1200L21 that they were annoying, obstructing and threating him. ^That his
1210L21 life was in danger. $^But why this enmity towards him? ^Even searching
1220L21 through the judgement provides no answer. ^One passing reference:
1230L21 the owner of their land and this neighbouring landowner had been at
1240L21 odds for a very long time. ^But what connection had that_ enmity with
1250L21 this murder? ^No enquiry had been made. ^It wasn*'4t thought necessary,
1260L21 perhaps. ^The murder was openly and incontrovertibly proved,
1270L21 the murderers established. ^The motive was not very important. ^The
1280L21 law had been satisfied. '^Hair-raising.' ^A death sentence was the
1290L21 very least punishment appropriate to it. ^Signed, sealed and delivered
1300L21 in the upper court. ^All pleas for mercy disallowed. ^For the crime
1310L21 was 'hair-raising.' $^*I put the judgement aside, switch off
1320L21 the light, and go within the mosquito-net. ^There is absolute silence
1330L21 within the mosquito-net by the far wall. ^Then a sudden turning
1340L21 on one side. ^Then on the other. $^*I, too, lie absolutely quiet, turning
1350L21 occasionally to one side or another. $^There are many sounds in
1360L21 the grounds of the jail. ^They die away. ^No sleep. ^No specific discomfort,
1370L21 either. ^A small and queer disquiet, as if at a mystery story
1380L21 left hanging in mid-plot. ^What happened originally. ^How did
1390L21 it happen? ^My god. ^The pursuit of a lone man at the height of noon,
1400L21 catching up with him, stabbing him to death and then slashing his
1410L21 throat. ^How had they pursued him? ^What was the stabbing like? ^He
1420L21 must have shouted. ^He must have screamed. ^Who was there to_ hear him?
1430L21 ^Only these two devils. ^Blood, only blood, spreads in front
1440L21 of my closed eyes. ^Eastmancolor blood. ^Seen often in the cinema. ^Even
1450L21 when I open my eyes, I see blobs of blood in the dark. ^Another
1460L21 turning over to one side. ^Slashing his throat-- that_ was unnecessary,
1470L21 excessive. ^And they did not even run away. $^Why didn*'4t they
1480L21 run away? ^After committing a murder or any other crime, the natural
1490L21 tendency is to_ run away, to_ get as far away as possible. ^These
1500L21 two stayed right there, calmly lighting *4beedies. ^While people
1510L21 passed by. ^They must have been beasts in human form. $*<*3Everything
1520L21 Ready*> $*3^UNWITTINGLY,*0 I doze off. ^At some stage, I dream.
1530L21 ^A shadow has come and stood across the feeble moonlight coming
1540L21 through the window. ^It is calling out hoarsely,-- *4^Sahib! *4^Sahib!
1550L21 ^It*'1s two o*'3clock, *4sahib! $^My eyes are open. ^The calls
1560L21 are real. ^*I sit bolt upright within the mosquito net. $^In the
1570L21 opposite net, the gentle snores suddenly break off. ^A sound of someone
1580L21 suddenly sitting up. ^My friend comes out from behind the netting.
1590L21 $-^Huh? ^Oh. ^Is everying ready? $-^Yes, *4Sahib. $-^Has the *(magistrate-sahib*)
1600L21 come? $-^Yes, *4sahib, in a jeep. ^And the *(dctor-sahib*)
1610L21 has come, too. $-^All right, you can go. ^We*'3re coming.
1620L21 $^A hasty swallowing of water direct from a *4lota. ^The table-lamp
1630L21 goes on. ^The door opens. ^Outside, the sound of a mouth being rinsed
1640L21 out. $^*I have left the mosquito net and am standing. $-^Are you
1650L21 up? $-^*I was awake. ^The amusing thing is, I woke of my own accord,
1660L21 a little bit before. ^*I thought I was dreaming. ^But it was really
1670L21 happening. ^The man calling us, and so on. ^Did you sleep well?
1680L21 $--^When I did sleep, it was well. ^Come on, let*'3s finish. ^We*'3ll
1690L21 have our tea, and go. $^In the darkness of the hall, I put on my
1700L21 clothes and he puts on his *4khaki uniform. ^Tea has been brought
1710L21 and put on the dining-table. ^We drink our tea. ^Neither of us speaks.
1720L21 ^It feels as if anything worth saying is over and done with. $-^Shall
1730L21 we go? $^Outside, it is very dark. ^Dim moonlight surrounds us.*#
        **[no. of words = 01980**]

        **[txt. l22**]
0010L22 **<*3SUSPICION*0**> $^*Leela*'s cheeks were flushed. $^Apart from
0020L22 that_, it was a perfectly normal evening-- a Tuesday. ^*Anil poured
0030L22 brandy and soda simultaneously into a glass full of crushed
0040L22 ice, a trick he had picked up at the Playboy Club in London. ^He
0050L22 liked to_ show through gestures rather than words that he had
0060L22 been about a little in his time although he had given up most of the
0070L22 travelling part of his business when he married. ^*Leela had
0080L22 not wanted him to_ do this-- she knew how much he had enjoyed his
0090L22 jet setting life-- but he had been adamant. ^He had seen
0100L22 what happened to the most trusting of western married couples when
0110L22 one or the other of the partners was absent a great deal. ^His under-graduate
0120L22 life at a British University had made him, in a strange
0130L22 way, more Indian. ^He disliked what he termed decadent western
0140L22 habits, particularly in women. ^For instance, he would never
0150L22 have married Leela if she had short hair, smoked or drank an
0160L22 occasional gin and tonic. $^*Leela sat opposite him on the sofa,
0170L22 her evening face ready with concern. ^In three years he had never
0180L22 come home to_ find her anything but full of concern, welcome and
0190L22 interest. ^She had learnt from her old fashioned mother, who followed
0200L22 Indian customs meticulously despite her fashionably
0210L22 cosmopolitan appearance that a man is entitled to_ be selfish at the
0220L22 end of the day. ^He needs to_ come home to a wife who casts aside
0230L22 the petty cares of her own day and is all sympathy for his. ^After
0240L22 all, the man is the bread winner. ^On this score she never ever let
0250L22 him down. ^She was always there in a freshly draped *4saree,
0260L22 *4chevda in little bowls and with her supervision of the evening meal
0270L22 completed. $^In the warm glow of their sitting room, designed by the
0280L22 most sought after interior decorator in Bombay, he studied
0290L22 her face. ^She appeared so innocent! ^A sharp burst of suspicion
0300L22 passed through him. ^She had not been in when he had phoned to_
0310L22 check whether they were going out for dinner that_ night. ^He
0320L22 usually rang her up at that_ time. ^He tended to_ be a person of
0330L22 habit. ^He had rung again at a quarter past five and half past.
0340L22 ^There was still no answer and he had left for home. $^Then of
0350L22 course, the traffic had never been so heavy, and she was waiting
0360L22 for him on the settee, her crisp mauve *4saree immaculate. ^He had
0370L22 managed not to_ ask her where she had been. ^Now he studied the
0380L22 familiar patterns of the room; aware that he was seeking
0390L22 something as he looked at the framed prints on the stark white walls
0400L22 plump, geometrically printed cushions on leather upholstered
0410L22 chairs, the vases full of intricately arranged flowers-- their
0420L22 sitting room which he was so fond of! ^For a moment, he found that
0430L22 every object in the room was backed by a strong light making them
0440L22 appear strange, and unreal. ^He struggled with the illusion,
0450L22 fighting it like the end of a nightmare and pressed his fingers against
0460L22 the icy glass until the room returned to normal. ^First signs
0470L22 of flu, he thought, or perhaps, as Leela had said so often
0480L22 just recently, he worked too hard. $"^So what have you been up to
0490L22 this afternoon?" $^*Leela looked surprised. ^She shrugged. "^Nothing
0500L22 much, the pest control people came this afternoon." ^There
0510L22 was a lift in her voice, an unusual brightness. ^She paused. "^We
0520L22 had better hurry up. ^They asked us to_ be there by half past."
0530L22 $^The brandy had melted the feeling of unease that_ he had had,
0540L22 replacing it with warmth. ^He asked Leela what she was going to_ wear.
0550L22 ^She smiled and said that it was to_ be a surprise. ^He felt
0560L22 much better. ^*Leela*'s smile, with its power to_ reassure,
0570L22 had become a part of his existence. ^The spell of black fantasy,
0580L22 the signs of flu were over. $^She surprised him in a delicate, gauzy
0590L22 moon coloured chiffon *4saree that_ he had not seen before. ^*Anil
0600L22 frequently suggested that she should buy new clothes, but with
0610L22 a highly developed sense of economy when it came to other people*'s
0620L22 money, Leela rarely took advantage of his encouragement.
0630L22 ^When she did, Anil was always pleased. $^They drove through
0640L22 a faint drizzle to Bandra. ^At dinner, Anil was aware of every
0650L22 movement his wife made at the other end of the table. ^She was
0660L22 listening carefully to the man on her left who was talking about Satyajit
0670L22 Ray*'s latest film. ^*Anil heard the words "evocative"
0680L22 and "significant" several times and saw Leela smile brightly. ^Ah!
0690L22 ^She was intent on self-education. ^For someone who hadn*'4t
0700L22 been too enthusiastic about coming to this business dinner party she
0710L22 was now revelling in the young engineer industrialiast*'s company.
0720L22 ^Smiling, smiling almost constantly. $^*Anil sharply pushed back his
0730L22 plate. ^The lobster thermidor suddenly sickened him. ^The pain
0740L22 of suspicion stabbed at him again. $^*Anil was a man of instincts,
0750L22 as he often claimed. ^Several years back, when he was
0760L22 in England, he had suddenly had a strong feeling that the train he
0770L22 was about to_ catch would crash and he had waited for the next
0780L22 one. ^The train he should have caught had been involved in one
0790L22 of the worst crashes of the decade. ^Another time, while on a
0800L22 game reserve in Ceyion, he had heard with alarming clarity, a
0810L22 voice telling him to_ turn the Landrover around because a rogue
0820L22 elephant was about to_ charge it. $^Now his instinct was at work
0830L22 again, gripping him in its dreadful conviction. ^*Leela after only
0840L22 three years of marriage was being unfaithful to him. ^To_
0850L22 make matters worse, she was being as blatant about it as any
0860L22 western woman! ^The previously innocent, once embarked upon deceit,
0870L22 usually have the most skill. ^Here she was not six feet away from
0880L22 him, putting on a fantastic show. ^No one would guess that she and
0890L22 Ranjit-- the arrogant engineer-- had spent afternoons, and
0900L22 days and months for all he knew, together not just talking about
0910L22 the relative merits of Indian film directors either.
0911L22 **[sic**]
0920L22 ^What a fool he had been not to_ have suspected it before? $^*Anil*'s
0930L22 mind jerked back to other occasions when they had met Ranjit
0940L22 with mutual friends in Bangalore. ^*Leela had always made it a
0950L22 point to_ pay him special attention asking him questions and listening
0960L22 to his answers with attentive eyes. ^She had said, he remembered,
0970L22 that Ranjit was shy. ^Shy! $^*Anil refused the dessert,
0980L22 the coffee and the brandy. ^The heat of the room constricted him
0990L22 and made him feel distinctly claustrophobic: the candle flames
1000L22 irritated his eyes. ^Only years of training in the art of politeness
1010L22 enabled him to_ get involved in a discussion about a new
1020L22 play, with the couple at the end of the table. $^After dinner, he
1030L22 muttered his excuses to their host and dragged a surprised Leela
1040L22 to their car. ^She was extremely concerned about his uncharacteristic
1050L22 rudeness, but it was raining, raining hard and the wind-screen
1060L22 wipers had been stolen, so Anil had to_ concentrate on the driving.
1070L22 $^The next morning, the feeling of unease had died. ^On his
1080L22 way to work Anil convinced himself that he was being ridiculous.
1090L22 ^It had been his imagination, again perhaps owing to overwork. ^He
1100L22 spent two hours contentedly reading through a long report, able to_
1110L22 give it his full attention. ^At eleven thirty, Leela phoned.
1120L22 ^This was unusual. ^There was some minor problem regarding
1130L22 the servicing of her car. ^The conversation was brief. ^*Leela ended
1140L22 by saying, "^See you at the usual time then." $^It was only when
1150L22 he had put down the receiver that Anil realised what Leela had done.
1160KW8 ^By ringing him then, she was making sure that he would not discover
1170L22 her absence. ^She would have no need to_ lie. $^*Anil*'s
1180L22 afternoon passed in a turmoil of disbelief. ^At five, hand shaking,
1190L22 he rang her. ^No answer. $^*Leela*'s cheeks were flushed again,
1200L22 and again, apart from that_ it was a perfectly normal evening.
1210L22 ^They watched television and had dinner at nine. $^The next day Anil
1220L22 spent a great deal of time telling himself that there was nothing
1230L22 to_ worry about; that his imagination was getting the better
1240L22 of him: that he was a suspicious idiot. ^He phoned Leela at five,
1250L22 but again there was no answer. ^This went on for a fortnight.
1260L22 ^*Anil was a nervous wreck. ^The canker of suspicion had spread
1270L22 until he could neither eat nor sleep, yet the basic habit of maintaining
1280L22 appearances kept him going. ^Though within him a devil
1290L22 voice shouted continuous accusations at Leela, outwardly he was
1300L22 calm and friendly. ^They continued to_ lead their lives in a more
1310L22 or less normal manner, but Anil had acquired the habit of leaping
1320L22 up and answering the telephone each time it rang. $^Then one morning,
1330L22 after a particularly bad night, he went into the living room
1340L22 early to_ find Leela talking animatedly on the phone. ^When
1350L22 she saw him she cut short the conversation quickly, but Anil distinctly
1360L22 heard her say "see you later then." $^They had breakfast.
1370L22 ^*Anil refrained with great difficulty from asking her whom
1380L22 she had been speaking to, but could scarcely gulp down his coffee.
1390L22 ^He drove to his office in a dream to_ attend a meeting at which
1400L22 he took no active part. ^His colleagues gave him uneasy looks. ^It
1410L22 was obvious that they thought there was something physically wrong
1420L22 with him. $^When he got home that_ evening, Leela showed him a
1430L22 card. ^It was an invitation to a cocktail party given by Ranjit.
1440L22 ^*Anil thrust it aside hastily. "^We are not going to it."
1450L22 $^*Leela seemed surprised. "^Why not? ^It should be fun." $"^Well,
1460L22 I*'3m not going. ^*I don*'4t like Ranjit and I detest his
1470L22 friends. ^They all drink too much and talk even more." $"^Oh, Anil,"
1480L22 Leela did not say anything else but she looked disappointed.
1490L22 $^*Anil swore loudly. ^*Leela smiled up at him. "^There is
1500L22 no need to_ shout. ^*I don*'4t really mind not going." $"^Don*'4t
1510L22 lie to me Leela!" $^The roar of Anil*'s voice shook the room.
1520L22 "^Go to the damn party if you want to_, I don*'4t care!" ^He shook
1530L22 violently and hit her hard, badly bruising her face. ^Then he
1540L22 shut himself up in the study for the rest of the evening. $^The next
1550L22 morning he apologised to her. ^All she said was, "I really think
1560L22 you ought to_ see a doctor". ^There was a purple bruise on her face.
1570L22 ^*Anil was conscience stricken. $^A few weeks later, Anil was
1580L22 sitting at his desk trying hard to_ concentrate on the work before
1590L22 him, when the phone rang. ^It was Leela. ^She sounded breathless.
1600L22 $"^*I*'3m sorry to_ bother you, but could you possibly take
1610L22 the afternoon off?" $"^Well, I suppose so, but why?" $"^It is
1620L22 quite important to me, but I don*'4t want to_ tell you about it on the
1630L22 phone." $"^All right, be mysterious if you want to. ^*I*'3ll
1640L22 see you at one." ^He put away his work. $^*Leela greeted him at the
1650L22 door. ^They had their lunch in silence. ^Afterwards, Leela asked him
1660L22 to_ drive her to one of the large hotels in town. ^He did so in
1670L22 silence and followed Leela into the hotel and down endless corridors
1680L22 until they came to the hall where exhibitions were held. ^She
1690L22 led him into the room. ^The walls were covered with paintings--
1700L22 abstracts. $^Someone tapped him on the shoulder. ^It was Ranjit.
1710L22 $*^Anil was startled. "^Aren*'4t you proud of Leela? ^Her paintings
1720L22 are so unusal." $^*Anil*'s head swam. ^He looked at the
1730L22 brochure that_ Ranjit had pressed into his hand. ^It read "^A One
1740L22 Woman Exhibition of Abstract Paintings By Leela Mehta."
1750L22 ^*Anil*'s stunned mind registered the fact that the proceeds of
1760L22 the exhibition were to_ aid a charitable organisation the President
1770L22 of which was Ranjit. $^People crowded round him, congratulating
1780L22 him on his talented wife. ^*Leela came up to him. "^Is it really
1790L22 such a surprise?"*#
        **[no. of words = 02007**]

        **[txt. l23**]
0010L23 **<*3Suddenly Last Summer*0**>
0020L23 $^Usually she sensed a stage in every dream when she became aware
0030L23 that she was dreaming. ^At this point she commanded herself to_
0040L23 wake up. ^Instinctively she was aware of the fine dividing line
0050L23 between dreams and nightmares, the presence of this voluntary
0060L23 point of no return. ^It was now, when she realised that she could
0070L23 not direct herself to_ wake up, but had to_ see this through to its
0080L23 fixed conclusion, that the dream developed into nightmare proportions.
0090L23 ^Familiarity did nothing to_ lessen the helplessness with which
0100L23 she felt the black lake swim into her dream consciousness. ^*In
0110L23 the dream she found herself on the lake in a small rounded boat
0120L23 with one oar, some distance from the shore. ^Suddenly, as though
0130L23 they feared some obscure threat, the huge creatures swam up in a sillent
0140L23 body to the surface, their opaque eyes clearly visible in the dark
0150L23 water. ^Frantically she would try to_ avoid those eyes, rowing
0160L23 as hard as she could with the one oar she had. ^But the eyes followed
0170L23 her boat with silent concentration, hundreds of them. ^And the
0180L23 harder she rowed the bigger the lake became, until it was a lake
0190L23 no longer, but a great inland sea. ^And it would become quite clear
0200L23 to her that there was no shore to_ go back to. $^She had been bewildered
0210L23 by that_ dream then, because for her the pool had spelled
0220L23 contentment, peace, sanctuary. ^She had felt a vaguely disquieting
0230L23 sense of betrayal, but on her next visit, it beckoned with
0240L23 the same limpid green bliss; the reeds seemed to_ welcome her
0250L23 as they did always, tossing in the breeze; the lilies trembled
0260L23 on their slim stalks, drops of water scurrying on glossy leaves.
0270L23 ^Normalcy seeped in with a quiet ambience. ^Gingerly she stepped in.
0280L23 ^No undergrowth, but a silky clay, deliciously oozy and messy.
0290L23 ^She sat on the lower step and stared at her reflected image like a
0300L23 latter day female Narcissus. ^Once, she had even seen a water snake, its
0310L23 flat green head cutting the surface with a smooth zigzag movement.
0320L23 ^*Trishna had not been afraid of snakes then. ^She had been nine
0330L23 years old. $^The pool belonged to old Kunti, a widow, who
0340L23 reputedly ate flesh surreptitiously. ^*Parul had even claimed that she
0350L23 left a line in the pool at night and pulled it up at dawn. ^*Trishna
0360L23 took up the matter with Dimama, but her grandmother told her not
0370L23 to_ pay any attention to servant gossip; besides, Parul herself
0380L23 was no better than she ought to_ be. ^At this Dadabhai, who was
0390L23 generally the most tolerant person on the farm, looked up from his
0400L23 *3Bhagwad Gita*0 to_ quote in Sanskrit, something to the effect
0410L23 that when *4adharma overwhelms the family, O Krishna, the women
0420L23 of the family become corrupt, and that Kunti could stand no comparison
0430L23 with her namesake in the *3Mahabharata*0. $^After that_
0440L23 Trishna made up her mind to_ catch old Kunti red-handed during the
0450L23 weeks she spent on the farm with her grandparents. ^The memory of a
0460L23 previous encounter still rankled. ^She had staked out as her exclusive
0470L23 property the pool and its surrounding land. ^It had been a rude
0480L23 awakening. ^From the vantage point of the last step, she could see
0490L23 the thatched porch where the old woman cooked her daily meal. ^*Trishna
0500L23 had often wondered how she managed to_ survive, and had even
0510L23 tried it once, only to_ be asked by everyone whether she was sickening
0520L23 for something, and having to_ take a dose of magnesia, much as
0530L23 she loathed it. $^The dung fire smoked steadily and then settled
0540L23 down to a red heat which was shortlived and diffcult to_ manage.
0550L23 ^Having tended to it, old Kunti came to the pool for water, to_ find
0560L23 Trishna crouching near the steps. ^In tones fit to_ call the cattle
0570L23 home, she had delivered a diatribe on her dubious parentage,
0580L23 her unprepossessing appearance, and other minor matters. ^She could
0590L23 clearly remember that old Kunti had expressed a heartfelt wish to_
0600L23 be present at her cremation feast, and the belief that she, Trishna,
0610L23 would surely see her husband to his death on the wedding day.
0620L23 $^*Dimama had been justly indignant, and called Kunti a childless
0630L23 old *4harridan. ^The upshot of it all was that she was now warned
0640L23 not to_ go anywhere near the pool. ^Marked out as forbidden territory,
0650L23 the pool acquired a fascination where before it had been merely
0660L23 a favourite haunt. ^For some days she had tried to_ play in the cowshed,
0670L23 where the milch cow reigned supreme. ^The kitchen cat had
0680L23 taken refuge from her predatory mate, who was rather too fond of dining
0690L23 on his own offspring. ^Four adorable squirming kittens nestled
0700L23 inside the feeding box, where they were indistinguishable from
0710L23 the straw. ^That_ summer she had learnt to_ milk the splendid
0720L23 white beast, and it was fun squirting a jet of hot foaming milk straight
0730L23 into the mouths of the dappled kittens. ^The painful tenderness
0740L23 at the sight of the kittens greedily tearing at their mother*'s
0750L23 belly swiftly turned to irritation with their fragility. ^They could
0760L23 be killed so easily! ^She felt a panic rising, together with
0770L23 the sly desire to_ see if she could kill one. ^Nothing could really
0780L23 compensate for the pool. $^Old Kunti*'s plot of land marched
0790L23 side by side with the farm. ^A stunted mango tree drooped into their
0800L23 yard and it was tacitly understood that they were entitled
0810L23 to the mangoes on their side of the fence. ^She gorged herself one
0820L23 afternoon, and was violently sick during the night. ^Under pressure
0830L23 she admitted to having tasted a few mangoes from Kunti*'s tree.
0840L23 ^How many? ^Well... nine raw, one just turning yellow, and one
0850L23 which had been perfect. ^Oh... ^The scheming *4harridan! ^For one
0860L23 startled moment Trishna thought Dimama was referring to her;
0870L23 after all, the figures had been approximate. ^But no, it seemed
0880L23 the crazy old bat was casting her evil eye on other people*'s
0890L23 children out of sheer spite. ^Here, Dimama did a strange thing.
0900L23 ^She bit Trishna*'s right little finger gently, and spat out
0910L23 into the yard. $"^There. ^She can*'4t do a thing to you now." $^Just
0920L23 to_ prove that_, she ate some more mangoes the next day, and
0930L23 this time was forbidden on pain of having the matter mentioned in
0940L23 the next letter to her mother, ever to_ touch raw fruit again.
0950L23 ^*Dimama*'s magic was not proof against 20 raw mangoes. $^Chastened
0960L23 in spirit and with a definitely queasy feeling in her stomach,
0970L23 she retired to the cowshed, only to_ find that the cow had somehow
0980L23 got loose and wandered out. ^The calf gazed at her in a forlorn
0990L23 fashion. $^*Dimama took the news calmly, merely asking her to_
1000L23 put a lamp in the shed. ^In the shed the kittens were asleep, curled
1010L23 into tight doughnuts, with a smell of sour milk about them.
1020L23 ^The cat had disappeared. ^It was nearly dark when she gave up
1030L23 waiting for the cow and went indoors. $^*Dadabhai sat on the bed
1040L23 talking in low heated tones with Dinesh Doctor, who was the
1050L23 only vet in the area. ^His face was grave. $"^You don*'4t know what
1060L23 you are saying... monstrous-- I don*'4t want to_ hear another word.
1070L23 ^It*'1s sacrilege!" ^*Dinesh Doctor, as he was called by
1080L23 everyone, stemmed the floodtide of indignation to_ speak in soothing
1090L23 tones, rather as if the older man were a sick animal. ^She
1100L23 could hear and see quite clearly from the verandah outside the room.
1110L23 $"^She won*'4t last the night, you know that_. ^The hind legs
1120L23 can*'4t be set, the state they*'3re in. ^*I can*'4t do a thing now.
1130L23 ^*I don*'4t have the equipment. ^What I want to_ do is not unreasonable,
1140L23 it*'1s the only thing that_ can be done now. ^Please. ^It*'1s
1150L23 a question of mercy. ^She*'1s in dreadful pain... she won*'4t
1160L23 feel a thing, I promise you." $^Whatever he was asking, Dadabhai
1170L23 was becoming progresssively more furious. "^Mercy, mercy, the cant
1180L23 you people pour out is enough to_ drive one mad! ^One would think
1190L23 it was something that can be doled out when fancied by you or me.
1200L23 ^If it is the animal*'s fate to_ have a lingering death, then
1210L23 it will die slowly and in pain and no power on earth can stop it.
1220L23 ^Why should I court sin by interfering with what is ordained?" ^He
1230L23 finished triumphantly. ^The younger man*'s face looked defeated.
1240L23 ^She sensed that something had gone wrong with a vengeance, and
1250L23 it had to_ do with the cow. ^*Dinesh had finished talking, he was
1260L23 putting on his slippers. ^She caught him outside the gate and gripped
1270L23 his hand. ^What had happened? ^Why was her grandfather so angry?
1280L23 $"^*I think you can guess, little girl. ^The cow was run over
1290L23 by a lorry, near the highway. ^*I think she*'d loosened her rope
1300L23 somehow." ^She nodded vigorously, fear gripping her. $"^Yes,
1310L23 she did, she does that_ sometimes, and comes back when it*'1s dark.
1320L23 ^But how did you know, and where is she now?" $"^Right there
1330L23 by the highway. where the buses stop. ^*I*'3m going there now
1340L23 again." ^He pulled his hand free, but she caught at it again, quickly
1350L23 making up her mind. "^*I*'3ll come too. ^*I want to_ come with
1360L23 you Dinesh Doctor." ^She pulled at his hand and he started
1370L23 to_ walk rapidly towards the field. $^There was a small crowd around
1380L23 the wounded animal. ^Some of the returning labourers stood by watching,
1390L23 and she had to_ push her way through. ^The great white cow lay
1400L23 there silently, its hide twitching as though shaking off flies. ^The
1410L23 large eyes looked up blindly. ^The hind legs did not look right;
1420L23 they were crumpled, like a wet hanky. ^She wished the animal
1430L23 would cry out, show some reaction other than the senseless twitching.
1440L23 $"^Can*'4t you do anything for her?" she pleaded. ^*Dinesh looked
1450L23 up furiously. $"^Yes. ^There is something I can do, the only
1460L23 thing, in fact. ^But this cow happens to_ belong to your grandfather,
1470L23 and he has to_ say I can... oh, what*'1s the use," he murmured
1480L23 to himself, "you wouldn*'4t understand anyway." ^She was hurt
1490L23 to the quick. ^Whatever her faults, no one had ever accused
1500L23 her of not understanding something she wanted to_. $"^*I can understand,
1510L23 if only you*'1d tell me." ^He seemed glad to_ have someone
1520L23 to_ talk to; anyway, he did tell her. $"^Both the hind legs are crushed
1530L23 they can*'4t be set. ^Gangrene will set in with this heat and
1540L23 it will die a lingering, painful death... do you follow?" ^She nodded.
1550L23 ^He must have believed her, for he continued. $"^We can do
1560L23 something that_ would be only human, we can ease her out of life painlessly."
1570L23 $"^How?" $"^By giving her an injection. ^She*'3ll just go
1580L23 to_ sleep... and not awake." ^Automatically, they had switched to
1590L23 English, as though realising that their thoughts would have been
1600L23 equally incomprehensible to their audience in any language.
1610L23 ^She knew Dadabhai would never consent to the doctor*'s plan.
1620L23 ^There was really nothing more to_ say. ^It was pitch dark and she
1630L23 would be missed at the farm. ^She had to_ go back. ^*Dinesh said
1640L23 he*'1d stay. ^He would not be alone. ^Some of the men stayed with him.
1650L23 ^The nights were long and there was really nothing else to_
1660L23 do. ^She ran all the way back, skirted the pool and slipped into
1670L23 the house by the back gate. $^*Dadabhai was having his evening
1680L23 meal. ^Bent over the table top, he pushed bits of vegetable around
1690L23 his plate. ^Silently she took her place. ^For once her grandmother
1700L23 forgot to_ begin the usual catechism on her whereabouts since
1710L23 after lunch. ^Instead she sighed and launched into a panegyric
1720L23 on how many litres of milk the poor cow had given, how docile
1730L23 she had been, how undeserved her end. $"^To_ think that she had
1740L23 this in store! ^Everything ends with the awful unseen...
1750L23 some more pumpkin?" ^*Trishna shook her head. ^*Dimama took this refusal
1760L23 as a slight on her housekeeping, then revived sufficiently to_
1770L23 sigh.*#
        **[no. of words = 02007**]

        **[txt. l24**]
0010L24 **<*3Holier than thou*0**> $^When Vadilal asked, sadly, what time it was,
0020L24 Multekar said in a low voice: "^An inquest might be necessary, sir."
0030L24 ^Until then Vadilal had not given a thought to all these irksome formalities
0040L24 that_ had to_ precede the disposal of the body. $"^Go ahead and
0050L24 do what is necessary," he said in a tone that_ was hardly audible and
0060L24 then asked Multekar to_ leave the room. $^The mention of an inquest brought
0070L24 back to Vadilal*'s memory in a surging, uncontrollable tide all
0080L24 that_ was endearing, lovable, beautiful and pure about Jyoti who was no
0090L24 more. $^There was painful lump in Vadilal*'s throat. ^He buried his
0100L24 face in his hands and wept bitterly. ^The entire life of Jyoti-- her infancy,
0110L24 childhood, girlhood and, now, womanhood-- flashed before his
0111L24 mind*'s
0120L24 eye. ^She had been a bonny little infant, so very pretty when she cut
0130L24 her first two lower teeth. ^The way she used to_ lisp when she made her
0140L24 initial effort to_ speak. ^She couldn*'4t pronounce the "K*'3s". ^She
0150L24 used to_ say "Tanta" for "Kanta." ^She was precocious; learnt to_ walk
0160L24 unsteadily when she was barely 11 months old. ^She was so eager to_ go
0170L24 to school-- unlike her brother, Ramlal, who was a dullard. ^Always tops
0180L24 in her class. $^Oh! ^The memory was so excruciatingly painful and sweet.
0190L24 ^*Vadilal sobbed like a child, tears streaming down his face. ^The
0200L24 aching lump in his throat brought images of Jyoti before him like a movie.
0210L24 ^A lovely, brilliant child, she had blossomed into a beautiful damsel.
0220L24 ^The sari was so becoming of her-- such a delicate and comely angel.
0230L24 ^The books she had won as prizes in her school and college were all
0240L24 over the place. ^Oh, burn them. ^He had flogged her once, when she was
0250L24 ten years old. ^She had insisted on sipping his coconut juice before she
0260L24 had her meal. ^He did not let her only because that_ would smother her
0270L24 appetite. ^She had insisted. ^She was stubborn. ^Then he had flogged
0280L24 her. ^He could see the welts on her body. ^Did he have to_ punish her that_
0290L24 way only because she wanted to_ drink coconut juice? ^He could have
0300L24 given her all the coconut juice that_ she wanted. ^If only God would
0310L24 bring her back to life. $^*Vadilal sobbed. ^He had now knelt before his
0320L24 bed and had buried his face in the sheet. ^Why on earth did he say no
0330L24 to her marrying Ashiq? ^If only he was given another chance he would
0340L24 have blessed the couple-- whose image he saw before his mind*'s eye. ^They
0350L24 would have made an ideal pair. ^And yet he had refused. ^Why? $^It was
0360L24 too late now. ^Far too late. ^The realisation made him aware of his
0370L24 surroundings-- that he had to_ go on his inspection visit to Tokraj.
0380L24 ^*Vadilal slowly raised himself from his kneeling position. ^Accidentally
0390L24 he saw his own image in the mirror-- how his eyes were red and swollen and
0400L24 his face tearstained. ^He dabbed cold water on his face and eyes and rubbed
0410L24 them with a towel... $"^*Multekar," he called. "^*I am ready to_
0420L24 go now." $"^But, sir, the coroner is here. ^*I requested him to_ come here
0430L24 for the inquest rather than our going to the morgue. ^The formality
0440L24 of the inquest will be gone through quickly," Multekar said. $^*Vadilal
0450L24 did not say anything. $^The coroner was a 60-year-old man, a retired
0460L24 magistrate. ^He had already recorded the evidence of Multekar, the cook,
0470L24 Stella and the other servants. ^He did not insist on interrogating
0480L24 Kanta Ben because her statement would be merely corroborative. ^*Stella
0490L24 had broken down several times while she was narrating what she saw,
0500L24 and her brother John, who had come after hearing the sad news, comforted
0510L24 her. $^*Vadilal meanwhile had written out his statement. ^He gave it
0520L24 to Multekar and told him that if the coroner wanted to_ ask any
0521L24 questions he
0530L24 could do so. ^But there were no questions. $^The whole procedure seemed
0540L24 so unreal. ^*Jyoti*'s charred body was still lying in the kitchen, and
0550L24 here was the coroner holding an inquest and Vadilal preparing to_ go
0560L24 on his scheduled trip. $^The coroner referred the evidence to a jury later,
0570L24 and the verdict was: "Jyoti Vadilal, female, 19 years old, daughter
0580L24 of Vadilal Bachchubhai, chief minister of Surbal State, died of
0590L24 burns received while she was in the kitchen for reasons unknown." $^It
0600L24 was daylight now. ^There was a sepulchral silence in the Vadilal home
0610L24 despite the numerous people who had come there. ^When he clutched his
0620L24 crocodile-leather portfolio, Multekar said: "I have already *'3phoned
0630L24 the district magistrate in Tokraj that we might not be coming today, sir."
0640L24 $^*Vadilal said nothing for a while. ^After a pause he said: "^You
0650L24 should not have done that_. ^*I will go. ^We may be late. ^But we must
0660L24 go." $^There wasn*'4t anything pressing or urgent in Tokraj. ^But Vadilal*'s
0670L24 sense of duty had the better of his domestic commitments. ^*Multekar,
0680L24 who was sleepy-- he hadn*'4t had a 555 for the previous couple of
0690L24 hours-- was about to_ say that a cremation had to_ be done. ^Instead,
0700L24 he said: "^The chief *4purohit from Lakshminarayan temple will be here
0710L24 presently. ^*I had sent for him." $"^He will take care of all that_," Vadilal
0720L24 said simply. $"^There are some foreigners and consular officials
0730L24 in the drawing room, sir. ^Wouldn*'4t you like to_ meet them?" Multekar
0740L24 asked. $^*Vadilal wiped his face with a handkerchief, came into the drawing
0750L24 room and nodded to them. ^Then he was out, looking for his Ford
0760L24 Galaxie. ^The chauffeur had meanwhile gone away, thinking that the Tokraj
0770L24 trip was off. ^He was summoned, the gardener and cook having gone after
0780L24 him. $^In the car, Multekar mentioned that he had sent a cable to
0790L24 Ramlal in Europe... $^It was a simple Hindu funeral. ^The crowds outside
0800L24 had hung on. ^Amidst them was Ashiq. $*<*311*> $^It was just as
0801L24 well that
0810L24 Vadilal went away to Tokraj to_ inspect the construction of the dam.
0820L24 ^*Kanta Ben was taken by close relatives to her brother*'s home in Dania
0830L24 just about 100 miles from Surbal. $^One of the pall-bearers at the
0840L24 funeral was Prithvi Raj who, despite his militant nature and gruff exterior,
0850L24 had a heart of gold. ^He was one of the first to_ arrive at the
0860L24 Vadilal home on hearing the tragic news, though he studiously remained
0870L24 in the background, amidst the crowds. ^He did not wish to_ attract attention
0880L24 or be mentioned in the press as one of those who called at the chief
0890L24 minister*'s residence. ^His grief was genuine. ^He was himself a
0891L24 batchelor,
0900L24 but could well understand what it means to lose one*'s own child. ^But
0910L24 personal sympathy was one thing; political conviction quite another.
0920L24 ^He had tried to_ console Kanta Ben after Vadilal had left. ^Although
0930L24 he did not believe in God, he was prepared to_ concede that there
0940L24 were circumstances beyond human control. "^When your time is up, your
0950L24 time is up," as he said. $^He had a word of sympathy for
0960L24 everyone around. ^He patted Stella affectionately on her back and told
0970L24 her not to_ cry. ^He said that perhaps it would be advisable for her
0980L24 to_ go to her village for a while until the tragedy was effaced from
0990L24 her memory. ^He told her brother, John, so. ^For the cook, too, Prithvi
1000L24 Raj had a word of sympathy. ^What is life, after all? ^It is all
1010L24 *4maya, he said. ^It is divine mystery. (^He reminded himself that there
1020L24 is no such thing as God). ^You are alive, hale and hearty, ebullient,
1030L24 full of life, bouncing, happy one day; the next day you are no more. ^It
1040L24 could happen while you crossed the street; a car could knock you down.
1050L24 ^At the same time you could survive an earthquake, a shipwreck, an aircrash,
1060L24 or even shooting and bombing. $^See how the people of Viet Nam
1070L24 are braving guns and bombs! ^His mind went off at a tangent now. ^Amidst
1080L24 death, destruction, callousness, merciless killing, massacre, rape,
1090L24 pillage, brigandage-- amidst all this life went on. ^The spirit of the
1091L24 *3people*0
1100L24 could not be crushed. ^And yet here were people who were sorrowing
1110L24 over the death of a girl. ^Not that he was surprised at their grief;
1120L24 neither did he feel that the grief was misplaced or uncalled for. ^But
1130L24 what was life, and what was death, after all? ^These were relative terms.
1140L24 ^If people had to_ die so that others may live and build a glorious
1150L24 future for themselves, so it must be. ^But why should a girl put an end to
1160L24 her life-- a life so full of promise and beauty-- for the sake of a boy?
1170L24 ^And why should a father object to his daughter falling in love with
1180L24 a boy of her choice? ^What was love after all? ^It was a chemical reaction.
1190L24 ^And what was religion? ^It was just a label. ^Would Ashiq have
1191L24 been different
1200L24 if his religious label was different? ^*Prithvi Raj was not quite
1210L24 prepared to_ say that religion is the opium of the people. ^Religion
1220L24 was a personal matter. ^It should not destroy people*'s lives; it should
1230L24 enrich them; make people militant and daring just as Marxism had done
1240L24 to him. $^It was like a funeral oration-- a silent, self addressed one.
1250L24 ^When he had come through the reverie as it were, the priest was chanting
1260L24 *4mantras and symbolically bathing the body by sprinkling water
1270L24 over it. ^In a corner of the compound bamboos were being cut to make a
1280L24 bier-- a sort of ladder on which, in accordance with Hindu custom, the
1281L24 body
1290L24 was placed, wrapped in a white shroud. ^Heaps of wreaths and flowers
1300L24 had been brought by sympathisers and relatives. ^They were strewn over
1310L24 the body which was borne shoulder-high, as mourners chanted *4bhajans
1320L24 to the accompaniment of cymbals. $^It was a long way to the cremation
1330L24 *4ghat; the route was lined by crowds who looked on. ^There was a whisper
1340L24 that Vadilal had gone off to Tokraj even before the cremation of his
1350L24 daughter and the subsequent obsequies. ^Some commented derisively; others
1360L24 appreciated his sense of duty. ^After all, personal matters and family
1370L24 occurrences should not come in the way of the affairs of state. ^*Vadilal
1380L24 himself had not argued in this manner with himself. ^He was a
1390L24 man of principles; with him duty came first. ^He had programmed to_ go
1400L24 to Tokraj; he had to_ fulfil his engagement. ^And he did it. $^Anyway,
1410L24 it was a welcome change, after all the happenings of the past few days--
1410L24 the fulminations in the legislative assembly, the accusations that
1420L24 had been hurled against him, the demonstrations, the *(lathi-charges*),
1430L24 tear-gas attack, firing, and, as if these were not enough, the demise of
1440L24 his only daughter. ^Why was God being so unkind to him? ^What wrong
1450L24 had he done? ^But the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
1460L24 ^He had read the Bible, as much as the Bhagavad Gita and the
1470L24 Holy Quran. $^Then there was that_ outrageous, flippant little rag
1480L24 called *3Zoom*0 which had made a full-time occupation of denigrating him
1490L24 and his son. ^Yes, his son would be back soon if the cable would reach
1500L24 him. ^He had given his last address as somewhere in Cite Bergere in
1510L24 Paris. ^*Multekar knew it. ^If he couldn*'4t be traced, the cable would
1520L24 be delivered to the Indian embassy in Paris. ^They would surely locate
1530L24 him. ^He must have left his address there. $^People in Tokraj weren*'4t
1540L24 quite sure whether Vadilal would keep his engagement and visit the
1550L24 site of the dam. ^Nevertheless, they had not dismantled the arches
1560L24 and bunting that_ they had erected. ^The streets were swept and washed--
1570L24 at least those along which Vadilal*'s motorcade was to_ pass. ^All the
1580L24 stray dogs and cattle had been driven away, although mongrels on the
1590L24 route to Tokraj had barked at and chased Vadilal*'s motorised procession.
1600L24 ^Those stupid things. $^The district magistrate, the contractor,
1610L24 officials, liveried flunkeys, a native pipe-band, decorated bullocks,
1620L24 and the inevitable crowds-- though much smaller than in sprawling Surbal--
1630L24 were all there to_ welcome the chief minister.*#
        **[no. of words = 02020**]