**[txt. n01**]
0010N01 **<*3ORDAINED TO_ LIVE*0**> $^Dear *4dada, $^You are not likely to_
0020N01 know who I am, but that_ is unimportant. ^The important point is
0030N01 why I address this letter to you. ^This will become clear by the
0040N01 time you finish reading it. ^Perhaps, this may cause a shudder in
0050N01 your heart over what might have happened. $^*I may begin by pointing
0060N01 out that, even though you do not know me, I know you very well.
0070N01 ^Indeed, you are not a stranger to me at all. ^From your early
0080N01 boyhood, until now when you are a respected "elder statesman" of this
0090N01 township, I am familiar with the course of your story. $^This is
0100N01 because my friend Kukri, my guide, philosopher, my mentor and comrade,
0110N01 closer to me than a brother, often used to_ speak about you. ^This was
0120N01 curious because you were his enemy, the arch-enemy as we all know, to
0130N01 our party. ^In this little town, you represent everything we are committed
0140N01 to_ destory. $^Let me be more explicit. ^To the revolutionary
0150N01 party, to which I belong and of which my friend Kukri was
0160N01 a top leader you have not only been the symbol but the muscle and teeth
0170N01 of the vested interests. ^You are the bulwark which protects the
0180N01 local capitalist society and organisation. ^*Kukri was sent here
0190N01 by our \0G.H.Q. as a local man to_ build a bridgehead for our party
0200N01 in this growing industrial area. ^For nearly three years, we were
0210N01 active here in our own way, which means that you were not aware of
0220N01 our existence. $^*Kukri made it clear to our Committee that you
0230N01 were in command here not only over the capitalist but labour and trade
0240N01 union interests. ^You were something of a business tycoon and
0250N01 trade unionist rolled into one. ^This made our job all the more difficult
0260N01 and delicate, because any open combat with you would alienate
0270N01 rank and file workers which we did not want to_ do. ^*I am the junior-most
0280N01 of the diehard members of our party who constitute our local committee
0290N01 with Kukri as our chief. ^We call him Kukri, but you know
0300N01 him only by his official name. $^Our frantic efforts to_ create a
0310N01 dent in the workers*' camp here did not meet with any success. ^We
0320N01 tried every weapon in our armoury beginning with trained infiltrators,
0330N01 but these failed. ^Not that workers in your giant factory were
0340N01 satisfied that they had all they wanted. ^But they swore their
0350N01 loyalty to you. ^We also tried in other establishments, but
0360N01 came to the conclusion that, so long as you were there, as proprietor
0370N01 as well as the patron-saint of the trade unions, we had to_ write
0380N01 off this township from the area of our operations, which we just
0390N01 could not afford to_ do because we wanted to_ spread our arms into
0400N01 certain more sensitive political nerve-centres of which this township
0410N01 was a vital spring-board. $^Word came from our High Command that
0420N01 there was no alternative in the circumstances to your being removed
0430N01 from the scene. ^When the matter came up before our Committee, we
0440N01 went into it in detail and agreed that we could make a big headway if we
0450N01 could get rid of you. ^There was no second to you in your leadership
0460N01 ranks and, once you were out, we could surge in effectively.
0470N01 ^It was accordingly decided that you should be removed. $^The decision,
0480N01 let me say, was unanimous, though some of us felt Kukri had grown up
0490N01 in this town and knew you and might not, therefore, vote for any drastic
0500N01 action. ^So, when the question came about who among us had to_
0510N01 undertake the operation, it was suggested that Kukri should be left out.
0520N01 ^*I have never seen him in a more angry mood when the discussion
0530N01 turned this way. ^*Kukri asked straightaway whether they suspected
0540N01 his loyalty to the party and whether all his golden record of nearly three
0550N01 decades had been nullified by his so-called acquaintance with their
0560N01 arch-enemy. "^You people have given me the nickname 'Kukri' because
0570N01 I have always held it as a symbol of the people*'s weapon for the cause
0580N01 of the revolution." ^Now that the point had been raised, he
0590N01 said, none but he should be entrusted with the job of disposing you off
0600N01 and it should be left to him entirely. $^It was a job indeed for
0610N01 us, younger men, to_ appease him, and finally, force him to_ pass on the
0620N01 task to one of us. ^But he declared that he would be the master of operations
0630N01 and see the job through. ^This was ultimately agreed upon and
0640N01 Kukri was left to_ choose the time, manner and place to_ execute the
0650N01 sentence-- on you, *4Dada! ^How could you know how near you were to_
0660N01 death at that_ time? ^That_ is why I said earlier in this letter that
0670N01 you would shudder when you read this. $^*Kukri and I had a common
0680N01 lodge with one room and a kitchen in the upper story of a small house
0690N01 in a crowded street, mainly made up of small shops where no one had
0700N01 any time for anyone else. ^*I was his Man Friday, many years younger
0710N01 to him. ^He had several books, mostly party literature, and correspondence
0720N01 with his friends in the country and abroad. ^We were known locally
0730N01 as journalists who were trying to_ make a living and were generally
0740N01 left alone in our attic room with an attached alcove which passed for our
0750N01 kitchen where all we did was to_ make tea several times a day in our
0760N01 gas stove. ^*Kukri used to_ show his age-- after all, he was in his late
0770N01 fifties-- and appeared weary in the evenings despite conscious efforts
0780N01 to_ hide it with his gusto and sporting gestures. $^Evenings especially,
0790N01 he would sit in his canvas chair, with me squatting on the ground,
0800N01 and be gerrulous and it was on such occasions he used to_ talk about
0810N01 his early years in this town where his father had been a handyman to
0820N01 the rich folk making some money through odd jobs he did for them.
0830N01 ^You were both, he would tell me, as under-tenners, going to the same school.
0840N01 ^The most intersting point I used to_ note about his references
0850N01 to you was that, while he was generally cynical about everyone and
0860N01 everything, he had always a kind word for you. ^He would say that,
0870N01 in those years, he had not known anything like affection or fellow-feeling
0880N01 from anyone except you. ^You were a rich man*'s son and
0890N01 was way up the social ladder, but Kukri being noted as a bright and sparking
0900N01 lad, he won your regard and you would not only befriend him but show
0910N01 genuine affection despite the social gap, even ignoring your classy high-brow
0920N01 friends. ^You had come to his house many a time and
0930N01 you had forced him to_ go to your place and introduced him to your parents,
0940N01 though he was ill-dressed and noticeably a poor boy. ^You had
0950N01 once in fact forced him to_ stay at your house and had persuaded your lofty
0960N01 parents to_ see his bright future rather than his then poverty-stricken
0970N01 background. $^That_ chapter of Kukri*'s life was brief, however,
0980N01 for his father could not educate him and he sent him to Calcutta
0990N01 to_ find a job and study further if he could or cared. ^*Kukri
1000N01 was practically lost to genteel society when his father died soon
1010N01 after and his mother moved to her village where she found some shelter.
1020N01 ^It was then Kukri came under the influence of *(0M. N.*) roy and
1030N01 joined the first band of the young hopefuls of our Revolutionary Party.
1040N01 ^He evolved in course of time and, scraping through many bloody
1050N01 incidents, came to_ be a party veteran. $^The question of implementing
1060N01 our decision regarding you was hanging fire. ^One day Kukri
1070N01 came to our familiar *4verandah seat with a pink wedding invitation card
1080N01 and passed it on to me with a smile. ^Then he fell into a reverie
1090N01 and I did not interrupt him. $"^This is the invitation for his daughter*'s
1100N01 marriage" he said, adding "^Why can*'4t we make our project spectacular
1110N01 and draw suspicion away from us?" $^*I stared at him unable
1120N01 to_ understand what he had in mind. ^He remained silent for a
1130N01 time and then continued: $"^*I shall attend this wedding," he said,
1140N01 "and I feel that we should bring in our Executive so that he can operate
1150N01 at a suitable moment and disappear". $^*I told him that it was
1160N01 up to him to_ manage and he had to_ be his own guide. ^He looked
1170N01 at me and smiled enigmatically. "^Yes, you are right." $^Later,
1180N01 Kukri put the idea to our comrades and they said, as I had done, that
1190N01 he had taken it upon himself to_ complete the project and he had his
1200N01 lieutenant, picked and chosen, who, Kukri should know, could be relied
1210N01 upon not to_ flinch under my circumstances. $^On the appointed day,
1220N01 Kukri had a long talk with this young fire-brand who, by the look of
1230N01 him, nobody could suspect what a bloody devil he could be. ^The plan
1240N01 was that, at a suitable opportunity when you got away from the crowd for
1250N01 something, you should be followed and shot. ^Crowds would gather
1260N01 thereafter and the assailant should mix with them and escape. ^The
1270N01 idea was a jarring one, but that_, Kukri said, was what he precisely
1280N01 wanted. $^*Kukri accordingly briefed the youth to_ watch for his direction
1290N01 so that he could proceed to_ act sharply. ^*Kukri dressed with
1300N01 special care that_ morning with his silk *4achchkan and cap. ^A tall
1310N01 figure, he could be a picture of grace and dignity. ^The other man
1320N01 was dressed simply in a decent *4pyjama and *4Kurta covering himself
1330N01 with a thick dark shawl to_ hide the lethal weapon he carried. $^*Kukri
1340N01 was received enthusiastically by you, although both of you knew you
1350N01 had mutually hostile political loyalties. ^He actually embraced you,
1360N01 which you warmly reciprocated. ^*I was with him and, also, the other
1370N01 young chap whom Kukri introduced as his friend whom he had brought
1380N01 along. ^You welcomed us all charmingly and we were soon mixing freely
1390N01 with the huge crowd in the *4shamiana. $^Our young friend,
1400N01 who, as arranged previously, sat away from us and near the side entrance
1410N01 which led to the off-side of the bungalow. ^The wedding ceremony had
1420N01 not started and Kukri, as he had explained earlier, was to_ make it
1430N01 appear as some kind of a personal vendetta by a thwarted young man who had
1440N01 wanted to_ marry your good-looking and wealthy daughter. $^It was
1450N01 not long after that we saw you break away from a group and cross the entrance
1460N01 to the rear side of the house. ^*Kukri immediately gave a
1470N01 gentle nod to our watchman and he followed. ^*I was expecting that,
1480N01 in a few seconds, we would hear the shot and bedlam would break out.
1490N01 ^*I was getting ready to_ rush, but found Kukri calm and he even smiled
1500N01 at me. ^Then all at once I Found that you were standing behind
1510N01 us shaking hands with some guests and saluting with folded hands some
1520N01 distinguished women guests. ^*I looked at Kukri somewhat stupefied,
1530N01 because he had given the signal earlier for our young friend to_ follow
1540N01 the man who was going out and do his job. $^A few moments later,
1550N01 we saw the man who had gone out, re-enter the *4pandal, followed
1560N01 by our friend. ^*I stared at Kukri and he smiled at me again.
1570N01 ^Thereafter, the wedding ceremonial began and, being the bride*'s father,
1580N01 you were right in the midst of the crowd all the time. ^The rush
1590N01 and turmoil was such that all of us got separated. ^*Kukri and
1600N01 I silently returned to our abode. ^Both of us were too full of our
1610N01 thoughts to_ say anything. ^Finally, I said, it seemed we had committed
1620N01 a bloomer and he replied throwing up his hands: "^That is all
1630N01 in the game. ^We must be grateful it has not been worse."*#
        **[no. of words = 02011**]

        **[txt. n02**]
0010N02 **<*3A Summer Adventure**> $^How did you know I was coming?"
0020N02 $"^Didn*'4t I bring you to the station when you went to Bombay?
0030N02 ^And when I saw these children here, I told myself: their mother
0040N02 is coming. ^And they*'3ll go home in my *4tonga, no one else*'s.
0050N02 ^Come on, come on. *4^Hamal, this way." $^The horses which
0060N02 drew the *4tongas lay in the shade of a tree, contentedly munching hay.
0070N02 ^*Abdul led them to one of them. ^He gathered the hay that_ lay
0080N02 in front of the horse and stuffed it under the seat of his *4tonga.
0090N02 $"^Up with you kids," he said. $"^Are we going in this?" ^*Ravi
0100N02 asked in a disgusted voice. $"^Yes, darling," Mother told him gently.
0110N02 $^*Dinu sniffed at the 'darling'. "^Must be eleven or twelve,
0120N02 I bet. ^And lets himself be called 'darling'!" $"^*Dinu!"
0130N02 Mother said sharply. ^"why are you sniffing. ^Have you got a cold?"
0140N02 $^*Dinu hurriedly got into the *4tonga. ^He and Ravi
0150N02 sat in the front with the driver. "^Can I hold the whip, Abdul?"
0160N02 he asked. ^*Abdul grinned and gave it to him. $"^Hey, hey,"
0170N02 he called out, clicking his tongue just like Abdul and flicking the
0180N02 whip over his own head and the horse*'s back. ^But the horse didn*'4t
0190N02 budge. $"^Ho ho ho!" ^The girls laughed loudly. $"^Ho ho
0200N02 my foot!" ^*Dinu retorted. "^What do you expect with fatty
0210N02 Minu sitting there weighing a hundred kilos at least! ^No wonder the
0220N02 poor horse can*'4t move!" ^And then "Ouch!" as Minu clouted him on
0230N02 the back of his head. $"^Now, now, children," Mother warned in a
0240N02 stern voice which meant she had to_ be obeyed. ^The children settled
0250N02 down quiety after that_, Ravi still looking glum and morose. $^All
0260N02 of them had so much to_ tell their mother that it seemed no time at all
0270N02 before they were home. ^*Sitabai, the servant who had been with them
0280N02 since Dinu was born, and looked after them while their mother was away
0290N02 'like a policeman' as Polly grumbled, came running out at the jingle
0300N02 of the horse*'s bells. ^She was grinning happily from ear to ear.
0310N02 ^They wondered whether she would tell Mother all the things she*'d threatened
0320N02 them she*1'd "tell your Mother when she returns, see if I don*'4t!"
0330N02 ^They all wanted Mother. ^*Dinu wanted to_ tell her about
0340N02 the fifty runs he had made in his last match, Minu wanted to boast
0350N02 about all the cooking she had learnt from Sitabai, and Polly was impatient
0360N02 for the gifts she was sure Mother had brought for them. ^But
0370N02 Mother was busy talking to Sitabai, poking in all corners of the house,
0380N02 and fussing over Ravi. ^*Ravi was to_ share Dinu*'s room. "^Help
0390N02 him to_ unpack," Mother ordered * minu. $^But, no, Ravi didn*'4t
0400N02 want to_ unpack, he didn*'4t want Minu*'s help; in fact, he didn*'4t
0410N02 seem to_ want to_ do anything at all! ^He didn*'4t seem to_ approve
0420N02 of their large, rambling house, nor did he like their untidy, friendly
0430N02 little garden with its huge *4neem and mango trees and jumbled up flower
0440N02 beds the children had planted themselves. ^He trailed behind them
0450N02 when they went to the vegetable garden at the back, but refused to_
0460N02 taste the sour green tomatoes they all loved, or the gooseberries they enjoyed
0470N02 so much. ^At last, in disgust, they gave him up and wandered
0480N02 away by themselves. $^Mother was annoyed. "^Mummy, he*'1s so
0490N02 sulky," they complained. $"^Oh, no. ^He*'1s just miserable, lonely
0500N02 and homesick. ^That*'1s why I want you all to_ be extra nice to him.
0510N02 ^Never mind if he doesn*'4t want to_ join in at first. ^How would
0520N02 you all feel if Daddy and I went away for a long visit and you were pumped
0530N02 in a strange place with two plump, giggling girls and a sniffy boy
0540N02 for company?" ^They laughed at that_ and promised to_ be nicer to Ravi.
0550N02 $"^Playing cards?" Dinu asked him later after he had refused
0560N02 to_ play anything in 'that_ nasty mud' in their garden. $"^We don*'4t
0570N02 have dirt like this in Bombay" he had declared. $"^Then what do
0580N02 you have?" the astonished Polly had asked. $"^We have cement," Ravi
0590N02 had loftily announced. $"^No cards," Minu burst out. ^"Polly can*'4t
0600N02 play, and, if she does, she cheats." $"^No, I don*'4t!" Polly
0610N02 said angrily. "^You*'3re the cheater." $"^Stop it, you two," Dinu
0620N02 ordered. ^*Dinu was the eldest and never let the girls forget it.
0630N02 $"^Let*'3s go swimming," Minu suggested. $"^*I can*'4t swim."
0640N02 ^This from Ravi. $"^Oh, God! ^What can you do?" $"^*I know,"
0650N02 Polly cried out, as Ravi glowered angrily at Minu. "^Let*'3s go to
0660N02 the college and watch the big clock being wound up. ^Today is Thursday,
0670N02 winding up day." $"^Good idea!" Dinu thumped Polly on the back.
0680N02 $^The college where the children*'s father taught was just ten minutes
0690N02 walk from their house. ^Everyone there knew the children and they
0700N02 loved the gracious old building made of red stone. ^It was their
0710N02 favourite place. ^Now, in summer, with no classes, it was all theirs.
0720N02 ^They could clatter up and down the corridors to their hearts*'
0730N02 content. ^Race up and down the staircases as much as they liked.
0740N02 ^There was a huge clock on top of the building. ^You could hear it
0750N02 announcing the time almost throughout the whole town. ^If you went
0760N02 up a spiral staircase which seemed to_ go on forever, you came up to a
0770N02 small room that_ contained the insides of the clock. $^But they disliked
0780N02 the couple, though they were always smiling and friendly. ^They
0790N02 never let the kids get away without making them a gift of something.
0800N02 "^Only," Minu explained to Ravi, "they always seem to_ give us only
0810N02 rotten things. "^They*'3re the meanest people." $^As usual, the
0820N02 couple started fussing over them as soon as they went there. ^*Ravi
0830N02 had to_ be introduced. "^My, my, what a lovely boy!" said \0Mrs Pear,
0840N02 who was sprawling in a broken-down cane chair. ^*Ravi blushed.
0850N02 ^He was afraid she might kiss him. ^Of all the soppy things! ^And,
0860N02 he was nearly eleven, too! $"^How many mangoes does Mummy want,
0870N02 eh?" the man asked. ^He was busy cracking nuts for his *4paan (betel).
0880N02 ^Snap, snap, the nutcracker went. ^And pieces of *4supari (betel-nut)
0890N02 fell down. ^*Ravi watched fascinated. $"^You can*'4t carry
0900N02 all those mangoes," he said. $"^Of course, we can" Dinu was offended.
0910N02 $"^Oh, no, it*'3ll be too much for you." ^They glared at
0920N02 him. ^Too much indeed! ^Did they think they were babies? ^*Dinu
0930N02 was confident he could carry hundreds and thousands of mangoes by himself.
0940N02 $"^Where*'1s Sadu?" the man asked his wife. $"^Don*'4t know,"
0950N02 she replied, without moving from her chair. "^Shout for him."
0960N02 $"^*Sadu...uu...uuuu," the man bawled in a loud voice without moving
0970N02 either. $"^No wonder they*'3re pear-shaped," Ravi whispered.
0980N02 ^A very dirty little face peeped round the door. ^It was a girl in
0990N02 torn clothes. ^She looked a real scarecrow. ^Her eyes were big and
1000N02 timid. ^Her hair was not combed and not tied up, either. $"^Hey,
1010N02 you," the man shouted at her. "^Did I call you? ^Is your name Sadu?
1020N02 ^Get out of here!" $^But the girl was watching the children, specially
1030N02 the girls, with fascinated eyes. ^She slowly edged into the room.
1040N02 ^The man suddenly turned to her and raised his huge hand. "^Will
1050N02 you get out of here?" he shouted in a fierce tone. ^With a scared
1060N02 look, the girl scooted. $^The kids felt very sorry for the girl. ^They
1070N02 looked angrily at the man, but he was smiling at them as if nothing
1080N02 had happened. ^He even pinched Polly*'s cheek as he shouted again
1090N02 for the servant. ^*Polly was rubbing her cheek hard when they saw a
1100N02 smiling Govind walk in. $"^*Govind," Polly squealed. "^What are
1110N02 you doing here?" $"^Buying mangoes like you," he smiled. "^Shall
1120N02 I carry your mangoes home for you?" $^They happily agreed. ^As
1130N02 they were leaving, the girls went to_ look at the big well. ^Then...
1140N02 "^Look!" Polly pinched Minu*'s arm. ^They saw the little girl peer
1150N02 at them from the other side of the well. $"^Oh, the poor thing!" said
1160N02 soft-hearted Polly. $^THERE was no time to_ discuss this exciting
1170N02 thought any more as Anand called to them from the house. ^*Anand
1180N02 and Charu readily agreed to_ spend the day with them. ^They all looked
1190N02 forward to a day of fun and games, though the girls didn*'4t really
1200N02 like Charu, a fussy girl, engrossed in her clothes and looks. ^*Mother
1210N02 promised them *4gulabjamuns and *4bhajias for lunch and Minu could hardly
1220N02 stay away from the kitchen. ^But they had a disappointment in store.
1230N02 ^*Anand turned up the next day much earlier than expected and
1240N02 alone! ^He went straight to their mother and announced in an important
1250N02 voice, ^"auntie, *'i*'3m sorry, Charu and I can*'4t come today."
1260N02 $"^Why, Anand, what*'1s the matter?" $^*Mother liked Anand because
1270N02 he was a well-mannered, polite boy. ^At least, he was that_ when
1280N02 grown-ups were around. ^Mother would find it hard to_ believe it was the
1290N02 same Anand when they were by themselves. ^He plagued and bullied
1300N02 Charu to tears, and drove even Dinu and Minu crazy at times. $"^Our
1310N02 house was almost robbed last night," said Anand proudly. $"^What!"
1320N02 the children screamed and even Mother looked round-eyed in wonder.
1330N02 $"^Not really!" she exclaimed. "^When did this happen? ^Oh dear,
1340N02 what*'1s happening to this place? ^It was so safe, always." $"^They
1350N02 didn*'4t actually come into the house," Anand confessed. $"^Then
1360N02 don*'4t call it a robbery, Anand," Mother corrected him. "^You really
1370N02 scared me. ^You call it a robbery only when things are stolen by
1380N02 force." $"^What happened? ^What happened?" ^*Ravi, Dinu and Minu
1390N02 danced round Anand impatiently. $"^Wait, *'I*'3ll tell you."
1400N02 ^*Anand was enjoying his importance. ^And Mother didn*'4t make things
1410N02 better by saying, "^Don*'4t crowd him, children." $"^Well," Anand
1420N02 began, "we heard about the robbery in that_ big house and Mummy was
1430N02 scared. ^Specially as Papa is away." $"^*I can imagine that_,"
1440N02 Mother nodded. $^*Anand*'s family was quite rich and their mother took
1450N02 care to_ see that everyone knew about it by wearing lots of gold and
1460N02 other valuables. ^Even Charu went around wearing gold things. ^*Mother
1470N02 called it most unwise. $"^Then, yesterday our *4mali said there was
1480N02 an awful looking man hovering round our house the whole day. ^And Mummy
1490N02 got nervous. ^And she told me to_ come and tell you about it."
1500N02 "^Mushy stories about love!" the boys scoffed. ^The boys played cricket
1510N02 in their long hall, and table tennis on the ground, with books and
1520N02 slippers acting as the net. $^One day Mother had to_ go visiting
1530N02 an old family friend and took the girls with her. ^The boys saw them
1540N02 off, both Minu and Polly dressed in their best. ^*Minu hadn*'4t worn
1550N02 that_ dress for ages and she had to_ struggle to_ get into it. ^*Mother
1560N02 had watched her in silence, then told her, "^That_ does it! ^No
1570N02 more second helpings, no more sweets, no more fried things, and a good mile
1580N02 run every morning!" ^*Minu had listened in horror. $^The boys
1590N02 stayed at home and had a wonderful time polishing and oiling Dinu*'s cycle
1600N02 and Father*'s too, which he rarely used. ^They took parts out
1610N02 and put them back again and made themselves so dirty that they just had
1620N02 to_ have a bath. ^When Mother and the girls returned, they were having
1630N02 it-- under the garden tap. ^*Mother saw them and screamed. ^They
1640N02 hadn*'4t removed any of their clothes. $"^What are you two doing?
1650N02 ^Go inside and have a clean bath, change your clothes. ^Where are your
1660N02 towels? ^Where are your clothes?" $^*Minu and Polly were both screaming.
1670N02 $"^News, news," Minu screamed.
1670N02 "^News, news," Polly chimed in. $"^Guess whom we met?" ^*Minu
1680N02 asked. $^Guess whom we met?" ^*Polly repeated. $"^Get out from
1690N02 under that_ tap. ^*Minu, get Dinu*'s towel." $^"yes, Munny, I*'3ll
1700N02 do it. ^Guess whom we met?" $"^Yes, guess." $^*Humpty Dumpty,"
1710N02 said Dinu, sloshing water over Ravi. $"^*Billy Bunter," said ravi.
1720N02 $"^Ha ha ha. ^*Minu and good old Billy.*#
        **[no. of words = 01996**]

        **[txt. n03**]
0010N03 **<*3Flashpoint**>
0020N03 $*<*3Chapter 6*>
0030N03 $^The terai in the morning is unreal and incredibly beautiful. ^It
0040N03 lies in a broad sweep at the base of the mightiest mountains in the world:
0050N03 receiving the first spread of the mountain torrents, capturing the first
0060N03 rains, holding the first mists. ^Thus, it is always damp and green
0070N03 and lush. $^*Batra sat beside the driver, his long legs stretched
0080N03 out under the dashboard, being warmed by the heat of the engine. ^Beside
0090N03 him sat one of the guards, dressed in the *4khaki of the Forest
0100N03 Department. ^In the rear of the Jonga, under the canvas canopy, the
0110N03 rest huddled: Rustom smoking his eternal pipe; Subramaniam almost invisible
0120N03 in heavy grey trousers, a dark sweater and a balaclava, Roy in a
0130N03 lightweight American battle-jacket and tough *4khaki trousers; the guards
0140N03 in the forest *4khaki. ^Their backpacks, 30 \0kgs. of evenly
0150N03 distributed supplies and equipment, rested on the floor of the bouncing
0160N03 vehicle. $^They had been woken early, made a substantial breakfast,
0170N03 and been given their last briefing. ^*Batra had been nasty again:
0180N03 "^We should have had two briefings yesterday, and left Delhi only
0190N03 last night. ^Remember?" $^*Rustom had taken the pipe out of his
0200N03 mouth. "^You*'3re a day ahead of schedule, Batra. ^Which means
0210N03 you can return a day earlier." $"^And do your job a day earlier too.
0220N03 ^You*'3re not hustling us for our benefit." $^*Rustom smiled
0230N03 coldly at him. "^*I assure you Batra that I would not lift a finger
0240N03 to_ help you. ^You*'3re quite capable of helping yourself... at everyone
0250N03 else*'s expense. ^Now let*'3s get into the Jonga." $^*Roy
0260N03 thought about the conversation as he sat in the back of the Jonga and
0270N03 watched the forest unreel behind him. ^*Batra was a self-centred unscrupulous
0280N03 bastard. ^But he was also strong, tough and agile.
0290N03 ^He hoped that Rohan Batra would learn the virtue... the survial value...
0300N03 of co-operation before it was too late. ^But he realised that
0310N03 the habits of a lifetime die hard. ^*Batra would become one of the
0320N03 team only if his life were in danger. ^*Roy smiled grimly to himself:
0330N03 he had done this journey once before, when Ranadesh was still loyal to
0340N03 the Nepalese crown. ^At that_ time he had come over the isthmus-
0350N03 the flattened ridge that_ served as the main highway between Nepal and
0360N03 Ranadesh-- and even then he had found it tough. ^He thought of tomorrow
0370N03 (or was it the day after?) when they would face the Belly of the
0380N03 Goddess, and shivered. ^*Rohan Batra would learn the virtue of team
0390N03 work only then, if he ever did. $^The jeep stopped suddenly
0400N03 and they were all thrown forward. ^*Batra began to_ curse but
0410N03 Rustom snapped, "^Shut up!" and then they saw the creatures.
0420N03 $^There, at the far edge of the clearing they had just entered, were dark,
0430N03 massive grey shapes, moving ponderously. ^They couldn*'4t distinguish
0440N03 them at first, so well did they merge with the deceptive light
0450N03 and shade of the jungle. $^And then one of them broke away and
0460N03 stepped into the clearing and a ray of sunlight caught it: a towering,
0470N03 suspicious, cow-elephant. $^Slowly, Rustom removed
0480N03 his pipe from his mouth, left it lying on the seat. ^The wind was
0490N03 blowing from the jeep towards the herd and the herd leader was worried.
0500N03 ^The tension settled on the jeep and Roy licked his suddenly-dry lips.
0510N03 $^*Rustom spoke, keeping his voice very low. "^If
0520N03 she charges, jump out of the Jonga and scatter. ^Head for the densest
0530N03 part, where the trees are thickest and stay very still." $^The
0540N03 elephant raised its trunk and lifted its huge head, sniffing the air
0550N03 for the unfamiliar smell of man. ^Her little pig*'s eyes glinted in the
0560N03 early light. ^Behind her the herd had stilled, calves pushed between
0570N03 the legs of the adults, all heads facing outwards the threat. ^If the
0580N03 leader charged and the herd followed, there would be little hope for the
0590N03 jeep, or any of its passengers. $^*Subramaniam*'s throat and mouth
0600N03 went dry and he said a silent prayer to his deity with all the intensity
0610N03 at his command. $^The gentle breeze that_ had been carrying their
0620N03 scent to the herd stopped, changed direction, began to_ blow from the
0630N03 herd to them. $^For five minutes more the herd stood still, massed
0640N03 behind its suspicious leader. ^And then the leader lowered her trunk
0650N03 and turned. ^The entire herd broke rank and began to_ lumber into the
0660N03 jungle. ^Soon there was only the sound of crashing branches and the
0670N03 occasional squeal of the calves, and then even that_ was still.
0680N03 $^A peacock cried its plaintive mew, another answered and a resplendent
0690N03 cock and three dowdy hens picked their way into the clearing, saw the
0700N03 jeep, and went running away with a heavy tread like turkeys. $^The
0710N03 driver started the Jonga and began to_ drive down the forest path,
0711N03 but more cautiously now.
0720N03 ^*Batra seemed to_ be subdued for the moment because even
0730N03 he did not comment on their hairsbreadth escape. ^The driver shifted
0740N03 into 4-wheel drive as the land became soft under his treads and there
0750N03 was the smell of stagnant water and decaying vegetation. ^*Rustom
0760N03 leaned forward and said, "^Are you coming to the edge of the *4Dulduliya,
0770N03 driver?" $"^Yes, sir." $"^Then drive slowly. "^And then to the
0780N03 rest of them he said, "^*I would like you to_ look out to the left,
0790N03 carefully." $^The smell of rotting vegetation and another smell,
0800N03 stronger, sharper, with the cutting nausea of rotten eggs, was settling
0810N03 on the forest. ^The mist was thicker too, and more viscid. ^Large
0820N03 patches of the jungle were hidden behind the coiling mist as if they
0830N03 were swathed with giant cobwebs. ^The jeep slowed, whined, and broke
0840N03 through the jungle. $^The scene that_ met their eyes was unbelievable.
0850N03 ^As far as they could see on the left was a uniform bank of unmoving
0860N03 mist. ^And yet, at ground level and for about six feet above
0870N03 it was reasonably clear. ^The mist hung as a dirty-white, impenetrable
0880N03 canopy above a horizon-reaching vista of green pools and spiky
0890N03 sedge, bursts of water-lillies, red and pink, yellow, white and blue,
0900N03 and long stretches of acid green that_ looked like an incredibly fine lawn.
0910N03 ^But when the mist caught it, it moved and heaved and swelled in
0920N03 slow waves. $^But in all this primeval scene not a bird flew, no insect
0930N03 hummed, no fish moved. ^It was a world before time, before moving
0940N03 creatures rose out of the slime. ^And over it all
0960N03 was the heavy stench of rotting vegetation and dampness-- and something
0970N03 else. $"^What the hell is this?" ^*Batra*'s voice was hoarse.
0980N03 $^*Rustom said, "^This is the *4Dulduliya." ^The Jonga hugged the
0990N03 jungle edge but even so its deep-treaded wheels had difficulty in getting
1000N03 traction on the soggy mud. ^It is the only environment in the world
1010N03 where only plants grow. ^They*'3ve examined the water and the slime and
1020N03 the under-surface of the leaves: there*'1s not a fish, not a leech,
1030N03 not even the tiny, single-celled amoeba. ^No animal at all. ^It is almost
1040N03 as if all animal life had been destroyed here and only the plants
1050N03 rule." $^*Roy saw Subramaniam shiver and he felt uneasy
1060N03 himself. $"^What*'1s that_ bloody awful smell?" ^*Batra rasped. $"^Sulphur,"
1070N03 Rustom said. ^The Jonga swerved, shuddered and was bogged
1071N03 down. ^The driver wrestled with the controls, slammed
1080N03 it into reverse and, with a great churning of mud, managed to_ bring it
1090N03 on firm land again or what passed for firmness in this place. ^*Rustom
1100N03 said something to the driver and the Jonga swerved away from the
1110N03 silent marsh and into the living jungle again. ^*Rustom lit his pipe and
1120N03 blew out a plume of smoke. ^The Jonga was bucketing along a jungle
1130N03 trail down a tall avenue of trees. $"^*I personally feel that the *4Dulduliya
1140N03 is fed by underground sulphur springs and that, towards the centre,
1150N03 the water gets really hot. ^Even at these distant edges it is warmer
1160N03 than usual." $^*Subramaniam bent forward and asked, "^Are there
1170N03 any elephants in the... in that_ thing? ^Eh? ^Any elephants?"
1180N03 $^*Roy looked at him sharply. ^*Rustom removed the pipe from his mouth.
1190N03 "^Why do you ask, Doctor?" $^*Subramaniam shrugged.
1200N03 "^Simply inquisitive. ^When I was looking into the mist I thought
1210N03 I saw an elephant*'s trunk plucking some leaves. ^But no. ^It was
1220N03 too far away. ^No elephant is twenty metres high. ^No, I was mistaken."
1230N03 $^The Jonga swerved past a fallen log and came back on to the
1240N03 jungle path. ^A brace of wild fowl exploded out of the bushes at the
1250N03 side of the road and went rocketing away, the cock a brilliant flash of
1260N03 colour. $"^You thought you saw an animal twenty metres tall, Doctor?"
1270N03 ^*Rustom asked. $"^*I thought. ^Simply I thought. ^The
1280N03 mist cleared and there was this thing like a trunk feeling around at the
1290N03 top of the tree. ^*I thought I saw an eye on it, too. ^It is very
1300N03 deceptive, this mist. ^No? ^Eh?" $^*Rustom looked at Roy and nodded
1310N03 silently. ^*Roy remembered tales the people of the terai had told
1320N03 him but he did not want to_ reveal his unease, and so he closed his eyes.
1330N03 $^The driver jerked to a stop again, reversed hurriedly, and stopped
1340N03 at the entrance of another path. ^*Rustom and Roy looked down the
1350N03 bright jungle trail. ^There, at the end of the trail, standing quite
1360N03 clearly in a shaft of sunlight, was a man in *4khaki with a gun carried
1370N03 in the crook of his arm. $^The driver turned to Rustom, "^Should
1380N03 we give chase, sir?" $^*Rustom shook his head. "^Drive on."
1390N03 $^The man with the gun stepped into the darkness of the bushes and vanished.
1400N03 $"^Who was that_?" ^*Batra asked. $"^A dacoit,"
1410N03 said Rustom. "^Or an insurgent. ^Or perhaps a smuggler."
1420N03 $^*Roshan Batra threw back his head and guffawed. "^What is this?"
1430N03 he bellowed, "jungle thrills for tourists? ^First you show us
1440N03 a herd of tame elephnts, then you get all spooky about a puddle of dirty
1450N03 water. ^And finally you weave a tale around a harmless forest guard
1460N03 standing in a fire-break. ^Come off it! ^Whom*'3re you trying to_
1470N03 fool?" $^*Rustom kept his eyes on the path ahead for a while
1480N03 and then he said, "^*I*'3m glad you have a sense of humour, Batra.
1490N03 ^You certainly have no feel for the wilderness. ^Tame elephants do
1500N03 not go around in herds unescorted by mahouts. ^Do you think I could
1510N03 organise the birds, the fish and the insects to_ disappear from a
1520N03 living marsh? ^And as for fire-breaks: that_ path where the man with
1530N03 the gun stood was one meter wide. ^Would a one-meter wide fire-break
1540N03 serve any purpose?" ^He looked ahead of him for a moment and
1550N03 then he added, "^Your first opportunity for testing your theories is right
1560N03 ahead of you: we*'3ve come to the border. ^This is as far as
1570N03 I go. ^And now if you*'3ll strap on your backpacks, my guides will
1580N03 lead into Ranadesh. ^Let*'3s get out...."
1590N03 $*<*=ii*>
1600N03 $^The Soviets tried the 'planted story' ploy. $^Using the vast sums
1610N03 of money made available to their embassy for 'cultural purposes' they
1620N03 financed, and oversaw, a weekly magazine. ^The ostensible editor
1630N03 and publisher came from an old political family which, in India, is
1640N03 often a certificate of immunity. ^He had been feted, sent
1650N03 around the Warsaw Pact countries as an honoured guest and shown how to_
1660N03 boost a small inheritance into a sizeable fortune by the manipulation
1670N03 of exchange rates and the sale of licences. ^Now, comfortably settled
1680N03 in a multi-storeyed building and with his name prominently displayed
1690N03 on the centre page, he lent his name to the paper as a benign, and
1700N03 virtually absentee, editor. $^The paper was run by a small
1710N03 and dedicated band of idealists who spouted the current Soviet line with
1720N03 *4Swadeshi accents. $^Their editorial page feature *3Probe carried
1730N03 the headline, *3MISSILE DIPLOMACY.*0 $^The warlords of
1740N03 Cathy, Chairman Ho and his henchmen, have taken a feather from the
1750N03 erstwhile Imperialistic cockade of Queen Victoria and Teddy Rooster-felt.
1760N03 ^But with typical Sino double-stink, they*'3ve up-dated
1770N03 the gambit. $^With the jingoistic Imperialists it was gun-boat
1780N03 diplomacy.*#
        **[no. of words = 02017**]

        **[txt. n04**]
0010N04 **<*3Ashes and Petals*0**> $^At 0430 hours, well before first
0020N04 light, the regiment moved out. ^In the \0CO*'s office the adjutant
0030N04 pulled out the inch and metre coverage of the international border.
0040N04 ^Minutes later the \0CO*'s \0O group trooped in. ^The
0050N04 squadron commanders, the \0QM, the technical adjutant, adjutant,
0060N04 the regimental 2\0IC, the \0RMO, \0OC \0LAD. ^They
0070N04 were all there in their dungarees, woollen balaclavas, black ammunition
0080N04 boots, each with a .38 pistol in his holster. ^Those who were
0090N04 not going in the tanks carried 9 \0mm sten guns in olive green slings.
0100N04 ^The two \0RT*'s, or religious teachers, were also summoned.
0110N04 ^Their presence was in itself an indication that this time it was
0120N04 for real. ^The Panditji and the *4granthi, who had earlier always
0130N04 worn spotless white, were today dressed in \0OG uniform.
0140N04 ^Tea was being served in mugs when the \0CO entered. ^He was also
0150N04 in dungarees and carried his famous wooden walking stick. ^The old
0160N04 man*'s *4danda they called it. every one stood to attention.
0170N04 $"^At ease, gentlemen, and please be seated. \0^Adj. please
0180N04 see that all the *4altu-faltu lights are put off immediately." $^The
0190N04 lights were put out and a sentry positioned outside to_ take care of
0200N04 any snoopers. $"^Right, gentlemen, I am just back from the bridge.
0210N04 ^It*'1s on. ^We are to_ concentrate soonest but not later than
0220N04 1100 hours in the area of the mango grove astride village Malian. ^You
0230N04 all know where that_ is, I am sure. ^The order of march will be Alfa,
0240N04 Charlie, Barvo and \0RHQ. ^The echelons with all the "\0B"
0250N04 vehicles will move out centrally under brigade bando. \0^*QM, liaise
0260N04 with the \0DQ on this and \0OC \0HQ squadron. ^You also go along
0270N04 with the \0Q.Alfa, Charlie and \0RHQ will move on track. ^Start
0280N04 time for you all, 0300 hours sharp. \0^*OC for the move, Tiger Alfa.
0290N04 ^*Bravo, you will move on tank transporters. ^These chaps are expected
0300N04 in the lines in another two hours*' time. ^Get the hell out of
0310N04 here as soon as you can. ^Don*'4t want you all caught out in the open
0320N04 in broad daylight. ^*I have another briefing with the commander so will
0330N04 join up in the conc area in my Rover. ^Tanks to_ be fully topped-up
0340N04 for fuel, ammunition and dry rations. \0^*Q. issue tinned substitutes
0350N04 for seven days. \0^*RM *4sahib, send all the rum up with \0OC
0360N04 \0HQ sequadron. ^Further orders will be in the conc area on my arrival.
0370N04 \0^*Int officer, have all the abando ready for my orders \0^*RM
0380N04 *4sahib, you hold on. ^*I will give you the orders for the rear
0390N04 party and the families. ^Sparrow, tune up all the radio sets and keep
0400N04 listening watch thereafter. ^No transmissions by anyone. ^Any questions?"
0410N04 $^There were none. ^Just before the officers left the \0C*'s
0420N04 office, the old man addressed the two \0RT*'s. $"*4^Sahibs, the
0430N04 time has come. ^*I want every man to_ go into battle with top morale.
0440N04 ^Once the squadrons are loaded up, get everyone together in the
0450N04 *4mandir and the *4gurdwara. ^Only then will the regiment move out.
0460N04 "^Right *4sahib," they said and went out. $^The scene in the barracks
0470N04 and the cookhouses was somewhat disorderly. ^The squadron quartermasters
0480N04 were making a great deal of noise, although they couldn*'4t be
0490N04 blamed, what with all the work they had to_ do in two hours of darkness.
0500N04 ^In their eagerness to_ be fully war-minded, the local electricity
0510N04 board had switched off all the connections for the town, and even the divisional
0520N04 commander*'s frantic calls made no difference. ^The city and
0530N04 the cantonment were plunged into darkness, yet the Army had to load up
0540N04 and go. $^In the "\0B" squadron *4langar all was chaos. ^The \0SQMD,
0550N04 the \0NCO in change of the entire administration was visibly
0560N04 annoyed. $"^Come on, Banta Sangh **=1 troop. ^Start loading up
0570N04 the cooking utensils. ^You have*'4t got the whole month with you.
0580N04 *5^Chalo, chalo, jaldi karo*6." $"^One would think the bloody war
0590N04 had already begun the way you are shouting," retorted Banta Singh, the
0600N04 *4langar *4jawan. $"^And what do you think has happened, General Banta
0610N04 Singhji? ^If you ate less opium and kept your bloody eyes and
0620N04 ears open, you would know. ^Haven*'4t you heard the \0RDM? ^The
0630N04 Colonel *4sahib wants us to_ move out first so we can shake hands with
0640N04 the Pakistanis before the others come. ^Now load up and fast. ^Before
0650N04 I give you a kick up your pants." $^With that_ the \0SQMD
0660N04 moved on but didn*'4t go far. ^In one corner of the *4langar, a *4sowar
0670N04 was messing up the room with the drinking water he was trying to_ put
0680N04 into the water containers. ^The squadron *4langar lorry had to_ carry
0690N04 at least two days of water for cooking and drinking purposes. $"^And
0700N04 Sardar Phula Singhji, what the hell do you think you are doing?
0710N04 ^Can*'4t you do anything properly for once?" $"^*Majorji, I am loading
0720N04 up the drinking water. $"^That_ I can see. ^But why water everywhere?"
0730N04 $"^Because I am trying to_ pour the water from this big
0740N04 drum into these smaller containers. ^That_ is why." $"^And will you
0750N04 give me one good reason why you are doing that_? ^Why the hell don*'4t
0760N04 you just put the containers under the tap and fill them up. ^Or is
0770N04 this holy nectar you are taking with you?" $"^*Majorji, you yourself
0780N04 have often said we are to_ only drink water that_ has been treated with
0790N04 bleaching powder. ^*I am doing just that_." $"^You blithering idiot,
0800N04 do you think you are going to your fucking marriage? ^This is war,
0810N04 child. ^Damn the bleaching powder. ^Top up and soon, man. ^The
0820N04 echelon commander is already getting wild. ^He will murder me if our
0830N04 *4langar is not ready for the convoy in twenty minutes." $^In the squadron
0840N04 barracks, the men had lit torches, hurricane lamps and candles.
0850N04 ^In semi-darkness, they packed their belongings, only the absolute
0860N04 necessities. ^The tank crews took a padded quilt each and discarded the
0870N04 blankets. ^In war you could disobey such orders. ^The inside of
0880N04 a steel tank can be pretty cold and blankets didn*'4t help much then.
0890N04 ^The non-Sikhs took a razor and some blades. ^The regimental barber
0900N04 would never come to the battle and give them a quick shave. ^Those
0910N04 who had woollen balaclavas and their own transistors, took them along
0920N04 in the tanks. ^The radio was essential, otherwise one was totally cut
0930N04 off from the world. ^A small mirror, *4sarson oil and plenty of *4gur
0940N04 were the only other items they carried. ^The rest of the tank was
0950N04 loaded up with maps, binoculars, rations, small arms and the ammunition.
0960N04 ^All the men*'s other possessions were locked up in wooden boxes
0970N04 and stowed away in the heavy baggage stores in the regiment. ^This would
0980N04 only be opened up after the war, when the regiment returned. $^There
0990N04 appeared to_ be quite a rumpus going on in the \0C squadron barracks.
1000N04 ^The duty officer was already there, trying to_ sort out matters.
1010N04 ^The squadron mascot, a well-bred goat, had been stolen. ^Actually
1020N04 the right word was misplaced. "\0C" suspected "\0B," who were moving
1030N04 off first. ^But the duty officer felt that it couldn*'4t be "\0B,"
1040N04 because bleating goats can*'4t be carried off noiselessly on tank transporters.
1050N04 ^A quick search was made and as suspected, the goat was
1060N04 found tied, with its mouth muffled, in the *4dhobi colony of the rear party.
1070N04 ^The *4dhobis said that the stray goat had eaten up some of the
1080N04 clothes and had nearly suffocated to death. ^They were only trying to_
1090N04 give it enforced rest and medical aid. ^In any case, they said, they
1100N04 were all vegetarians. ^The mascot was restored and Charlie was ready
1110N04 to_ move. $^The supply types as usual weren*'4t aware of the flap
1120N04 that_ was going on around them. ^The \0NCO on duty wanted to_ know
1130N04 why he was being woken up at this unearthly hour by all these rowdies.
1140N04 ^Somebody asked him whether he hadn*'4t heard that there was a war
1150N04 going on. ^He replied that his guard commander hadn*'4t told him yet
1160N04 and so he was going back to_ sleep. ^The chap was given a kick by the
1170N04 \0QMJ. ^The gate was forcibly opened and the three tonners filled
1180N04 up with vegetables, meats, tinned stuff, oils and kerosene drums. ^The
1190N04 next day a strong protest was lodged but by then the brigade commander
1200N04 was not really bothered about brinjals, tomatoes and *4ghee tins.
1210N04 $^Back in the regimental lines, the tanks were nearly ready. ^In the
1220N04 half dark, half moonlight of the awakening dawn, they stood naked, silent
1230N04 and strong. ^Their camouflage nets had been taken off and stored away
1240N04 because these nets always caught fire when there was a direct hit, strafing
1250N04 by air or indirect artillery shelling. ^By now the tanks had
1260N04 been topped up with thousands of litres of petrol and the empty drums clanged
1270N04 to the ground as the tank crews pushed them off from the tops of the
1280N04 engine compartments. ^The first casualty of the war occurred in charlie
1290N04 where a half-full barrel slipped from the top of a tank and landed
1300N04 smack on top of Onkar Singh*'s big toe. ^It was smashed beyond repair
1310N04 and the pain was unbearable. ^The boy was told to_ go to the military
1320N04 hospital and get admitted. ^These orders were promptly disobeyed.
1330N04 ^A shot of morphia, a big clean bandage did the trick, and minutes
1340N04 later Onkar the gunner was all set to_ move off with the squadron. $^The
1350N04 regiment intelligence officer wasn*'4t feeling happy. ^He and his
1360N04 intelligence *4Daffadar had issued maps to the squadrons and some of the
1370N04 maps weren*'4t of the area that_ they were supposed to_ be going to.
1380N04 ^The issues had been made at night when the electricity board had switched
1390N04 off every light. ^The squadron intelligence \0NCO*'s had been
1400N04 so keen they had literally snatched the sheets away from their hands and
1410N04 in the circumstances it had been impossible to_ check the sheet numbers
1420N04 and the scales. ^The officer thought of getting all the maps back
1430N04 from the squadrons and re-issuing them but there was no time. ^Instead
1440N04 he made out another correct set for each squadron commander, and sent
1450N04 these off to the commanders with his compliments. ^Anyway, at least
1460N04 everyone knew the way to the conc area. ^There would be enough time
1470N04 to_ sort out the confusion there in daylight. $^The piggery in-charge
1480N04 was abusing everyone. ^He had been put in charge of the forty odd
1490N04 pigs and sucklings only a month earlier and he wasn*'4t relishing the appointment
1500N04 one bit. ^Everyone called him a swine and no one ate with
1510N04 him at the *4langar table. ^With this appointment his social status had
1520N04 gone down considerably and he had been thinking of going on two months*'
1530N04 annual leave the next day, but then this flap had started. ^The
1540N04 *4Risaldar Major had summoned him at two in the morning, told him to_
1550N04 carry out a muster parade of all his pigs and report to him all correct
1560N04 in exactly twenty minutes. ^The \0RM also wanted to_ know the age,
1570N04 weight and gender of each pig, because some of the younger ones were to_
1580N04 go with the regiment as meat-on-hoof. ^It was dark and cold outside,
1590N04 the pigs were grunting and making a mess everywhere, and his leave had
1600N04 been ruined. ^He yelled for his assistant but "\0B" squadron had taken
1610N04 him away to the *4langar to_ load up their pots and pans. ^The piggery
1620N04 commander was left by himself. ^Grumbling away he lit a match and
1630N04 was just going to_ count his pigs when the \0RM sent him a message
1640N04 to_ stand down. ^The *(supply-*4wallas*) had delivered the fresh meat.
1650N04 ^The pigs weren*'4t going to the war. ^At least not yet. $^Down in
1660N04 the \0MI room, the doctor had checked all the first-aid kit boxes
1670N04 and returned them to the tank operators to_ stow away inside the tanks.
1680N04 ^Doctor \0AO was an extremely proficient soldier as well as an excellent
1690N04 doctor.*#
        **[no. of words = 01995**]

        **[txt. n05**]
0010N05 **<*3Mohan*'s Story**> $*3^*I saw her from a distance in a crowd
0020N05 of people. ^She was, as far as I could judge, a woman of twenty or
0030N05 so, with a vivacious face and a figure nature could not have improved upon.
0040N05 ^Her long plaited hair hung forward on her shoulder, partly making
0050N05 up for the *4sari that_ had slid down her arm. ^She was strangely
0060N05 beautiful, and I stood transfixed for serveral moments with the air bag
0070N05 in my hand. ^Then I hurriedly moved up to_ the check-in counter.
0080N05 $"^Have you checked your luggage, Miss Paranjpye?" ^The voice
0090N05 was that_ of an Englishman. ^He was addressing that_ beautiful girl
0100N05 who had earlier attracted my attention. ^*Paranjpye! ^The same name as mine,
0110N05 but not a Southerner like me. ^*I decided that the name must be
0120N05 an accident. ^We had no relatives in Bombay. $^Her voice rang
0130N05 out: ^"yes, thank you, \0Mr Bannerman. ^You*'3ve been such a help.
0140N05 ^*I*'em afraid we are all going to miss you in London." ^So she
0150N05 was going to London too. ^At the first opportunity I introduced myself
0160N05 to the group of students as \0Dr Paranjpye, on his way to London.
0170N05 $^She looked a little startled. ^Someone exclaimed. "^But we have
0180N05 a Miss Paranjpye with us in our group. ^Are you cousins by any chance?"
0190N05 $"^No such luck," I remarked. $^She blushed as she
0200N05 said: "^Indeed, this is a surprise. ^*I don*'4t know of any cousin in
0210N05 Bombay. ^And in Surat, which is the place I come from, we were
0220N05 the only Paranjpyes. ^Are you a member of the Commonwealth group
0230N05 too?" $"^No. ^*I*'3m a doctor from Mangalore on my way to London
0240N05 for higher studies." $^The call came through for us to_ board our
0250N05 buses. ^*I offered to_ carry her heavy bag but she smilingly declined.
0260N05 $^In the plane, we were seated far from each other. ^*I
0270N05 began fidgeting and looking back and finally asked my neighbour, an eldearly
0280N05 foreigner, whether he could do me a favour. ^Introducing myself
0290N05 as \0Dr Paranjpye from South India, I told him that a cousin of mine
0300N05 had also boarded the plane from Bombay for London. ^Could I request
0310N05 him to_ exchange his seat with hers? $^This girl looked started
0320N05 when he approached her with his bag and overcoat. ^But she got up
0330N05 smiling, thanked him and came farward to_ join me where I sat. "^
0340N05 you seem to_ be a most designing young man," she told me in a chiding tone,
0350N05 then added with a smile: "^*I*'3m glad, though." $"^Now what
0360N05 shall I call you?" ^*I began. "^It will be absurd to_ be addressing
0370N05 each other as \0Dr Paranjpye and Miss Paranjpye. ^My full
0380N05 name is Ram Mohan Paranjpye and can it be Mohan to you?" $^She
0390N05 nodded. ^"and I am Abhilasha." $"^What a name! ^*I exclaimed ^"desire!
0400N05 ^That_ could be the final philosophical verdict of man on woman.
0410N05 ^Tell me something about yourself." $"^There is not much to_ tell,
0420N05 really." ^She spoke of her parents, her studies and the fellowship.
0430N05 "^Now tell me about you." $"^My father is a doctor with his own
0440N05 nursing home which opens its doors only to those who can afford it. ^He
0450N05 is stinking rich, I*'3m afraid. ^He is sending me to England to_ specialise
0460N05 in neurosurgery." ^*I laughed. "^The other reason is that
0470N05 he feels I am becoming a disciple of Vinobha Bhave who lives on curds
0480N05 and *4padayatra. ^What I really want to_ do," ^*I went on more
0490N05 soberly, "is to_ evolve some kind of low-cost system of medical care which
0500N05 could work in our Indian villages." $"^An idealist, eh?" quipped
0510N05 Abhilasha. "^*I am not one. ^What I want to_ do most in life
0520N05 is to_ please my parents who have spoilt me sufficiently. ^*I know how
0530N05 much it has hurt them to_ let me go and I mean to_ make it up to them.
0540N05 ^They are not rich, but they have denied me nothing, nothing."
0550N05 ^She spoke with a strange fervour. $^When we parted at Heathrow.
0560N05 I told Abhilasha I would get in touch with her. ^The next few days
0570N05 I was busy meeting eminent men in my profession to whom my father had given
0580N05 me lettrs of introduction. ^I finally ended up in a college in Sheffield
0590N05 with a big hospital attached to it. $^My thoughts kept returning
0600N05 to Abhilasha. ^*I was reluctant to_ appear to_ be chasing her
0610N05 because, friendly as she had seemed, there was a certain reserve about her
0620N05 which I knew would not be easy to_ breach. ^But one day I went
0630N05 to the Commonwealth Association and introduced myself as Miss Paranjpye*'s
0640N05 cousin__ the name was a help__ and learnt her London address.
0650N05 $*3THE*0 hostel where I located her in London housed some sixty scholars
0660N05 from different parts of the world, including Canada, Australia and
0670N05 the African countries. ^My name was easily identified at the Reception
0680N05 office. ^The clerk rang her room immediately and gave me the
0690N05 reply that Miss Paranjpye would come down for tea and her "cousin" was
0700N05 requested to_ wait and join her. ^*I took a seat in the lounge.
0710N05 $"^Hello, cousin," Abhilasha greeted me with her hand extended. ^*I
0720N05 took it in both mine and looked into her eyes. ^"well, well, Doctor,"
0730N05 she exclaimed, withdrawing her hand. ^"what is the future for the poor
0740N05 people of India waiting for their neurosurgeon?" $^*I remained
0750N05 silent for a while, then said: "^Very little hope for them, I*'3m afraid.
0760N05 I have found a big distraction here which makes me neglect my work.
0770N05 ^How are you faring?" $^*Abhilasha, it appeared, had to_ stay in
0780N05 London for three months so that the group could have an opportunity to_
0790N05 "mix" with other Commonwealth students and get to_ know them. ^There
0800N05 were orientation lectures and tours to national institutions to_ attend,
0810N05 the groups being split up according to their interests and their faculty
0820N05 background. ^But her week-ends were free. $"^Excellent," I said,
0830N05 "^We shall spend them together." $^As I was leaving she gave
0840N05 me a big unstamped envelope to_ post__ a letter to her parents. "^*I promised
0850N05 to_ write every day, but "^*I*'3m finding that_ impossible. ^So
0860N05 I*'3ve decided that an occasional bulky letter with lots of titbits would
0870N05 be more welcome than two-line health bulletins. ^Will you be so
0880N05 kind as to_ have it stamped and posted at the \0P.O. just round the corner?
0890N05 ^*I*'3ll reimburse you when we meet again." $^*I waved that_
0900N05 aside and took leave of her with the letter, arranging to_ meet her the
0910N05 following Saturday. $^*I felt strangely alone after leaving her and,
0920N05 hoping to_ forget myself, made a long tour of the city by changing from
0930N05 one bus to another. ^Only late in the night in my hotel room did I
0940N05 remember Abhilasha*'s letter to her parents. ^Not only had I forgotten
0950N05 to_ post it, I had carried it in my hand and must have dropped it somewhere.
0960N05 ^In utter consternation, I realised I had lost it. ^There
0970N05 was no particular place where I could look for it since I had covered
0980N05 a lot of ground that_ day. ^There was no chance of somebody finding it
0990N05 and putting it in a post box as the letter was unstamped. $^*I was
1000N05 in great distress and wanted to_ ring up Abhilasha immediately, but it
1010N05 was too late in the night to_ wake her up. ^The next morning the mood
1020N05 passed. I decided that Abhilasha would be writing many more letters
1030N05 to her parents and the loss of one would not matter much. ^*I thought
1040N05 of sending a cable to her parents as I had done mine, but I had not
1050N05 noted the address. $*3ON*0 saturday, when I met Abhilasha, I made
1060N05 no reference to the loss of the letter. ^*Abhilasha was in very high
1070N05 spirits. ^We roamed around just as we pleased, doing a lot of window-shopping.
1080N05 ^We had a cheap lunch at a cafeteria of her choice. ^*I
1090N05 dropped her back at the hostel after an evening movie. ^The next day
1100N05 she promised to_ come to_ lunch at my hotel. $^On Sunday I persuaded
1110N05 her to_ do a tour of the more famous London landmarks by taxi and
1120N05 Abhilasha was famished by the time we reached the Savoy for lunch.
1130N05 $^She was again in a great mood and we enjoyed the lunch, which included
1140N05 two choice Indian curries. ^High on wine, she spoke freely of love
1150N05 and marriage and the right of men and women to_ live as they pleased.
1160N05 ^*I could never have imagined that Abhilasha entertained such advanced
1170N05 views and encouraged the turn of conversation. $^We went up to my cosy
1180N05 suite on the fourth floor. ^The maroon sofas and chairs with carpets
1190N05 and curtains to_ match made Abhilasha exclaim, "This looks like a
1200N05 scene from *3The Arabian Nights!"*0 she looked round and walked into the
1210N05 bedroom saying, "Gorgeous! Fantastic!" ^She was irresistible, so naive
1220N05 and artless. ^*I kept her in my bedroom and, through age-old guiles,
1230N05 introduced her to the "free life" she had spoken about with such enthusiasm
1240N05 at lunch. $^Later, she sat on the bed with her hair and dress
1250N05 all in disarray, looked at me and burst into tears. ^My God, I had
1260N05 never seen such weeping in my life and I never want to_ see it again.
1270N05 ^She was shaking all over. ^She was hysterical without making much
1280N05 noise. ^Gasping for breath, she covered her face with her hands and
1290N05 sobbed and cried. ^*I tried to_ console her. ^She pushed me
1300N05 away so violently that I lost my balance and fell, hitting my head against
1310N05 the wall. $^Now I was a little angry. ^How could I have guessed
1320N05 that this girl, who seemed to_ know all about the ways of the world,
1330N05 was basically an ignoramus? ^*I said nothing, however, and sat on the
1340N05 edge of the bed silently. ^Her sobs slowly eased and finally, with
1350N05 a heave, she checked herself and asked me to_ get out of the room.
1360N05 ^In a few minutes she came out. ^She had made up her face, tidied her
1370N05 hair and arranged her *4sari. ^She went to the mirror and placed a
1380N05 daub of vermilion on her forehead. $^Then abruptly she sat down in
1390N05 a chair while I stood leaning against the opposite wall. $^She began
1400N05 in a husky vioce. ^"do you know what you have done to me? ^*I
1410N05 can never be the same again-- *3cousin!*0. ^Never the same again.
1420N05 ^How can I ever face my parents? ^How can I write to them? ^Let
1430N05 them ever know what has happened to me. ^You, a doctor and a man
1440N05 of the world, took advantage of my innocence. ^Now you can brag to the
1450N05 world, \0Dr Ram Mohan Paranjpye!" $^She stared at me as I stood
1460N05 there speechless, her eyes dilated in horror, the beautiful face clothed
1470N05 in silent agony. ^Her lips were firmly closed, her hands clenched.
1480N05 ^We were both silent, it seemed, for many, many minutes. ^Finally,
1490N05 she took her bag and, without a look at me, opened the door and walked
1500N05 out. $^She left me in a state of stupefaction. ^Everything
1510N05 she had said was true, every word of it. $*3^THE*0 two of us did
1520N05 not meet alone after that_ for several days, though I did go to her hostel
1530N05 a number of times and made friends with others from her group.
1540N05 ^She would introduce me as \0Dr Paranjpye who had travelled with us from
1550N05 Bombay, taking care to_ mention that though we bore the same name,
1560N05 we had not known each other before. ^She appeared quite relaxed and
1570N05 I wondered whether she was getting over it. $^In a way she was, but
1580N05 it was in a most incredibly stupid way. ^One night, after a gay dinner
1590N05 and many drinks, an Australian who clung to me told me that my namesake,
1600N05 "Paranchpay" was a feast, and he had had her in his room for
1610N05 two nights during the week. ^*I shuddered, pushed him away to his great
1620N05 surprise, and dashed out of the hostel. $^Early next morning I
1630N05 rang up Abhilasha.*#
        **[no. of words = 02002**]

        **[txt. l06**]
0010N06 **<*3Golden Gloves I*'3m going to wear till my wedding day*0**>
0020N06 **[leader comment begin**] $^He did not know how to_ use his right hand
0030N06 when he came to me. ^He was a born southpaw. ^And a southpaw could not
0040N06 beat up the left side of a man*'s face. **[end leader comment**]
0050N06 $*3AS*0 superintendent of the jail at Colombo I made it a point
0060N06 to_ be present whenever a fresh batch of prisoners arrived. ^A
0070N06 guard, irritated by the long wait that_ day, pounded an open palm with
0080N06 his baton and began: "^Sir, shouldn*'4t we...?" $^The blare
0090N06 of a double klaxon drowned his voice and the restless murmur that_ always
0100N06 floated in the prison air. ^The guard on the watch-tower signalled
0110N06 the "all clear". ^Motors whirred as the steel doors edged open.
0120N06 $"^What are they waiting for?" the driver of the Black Maria bared
0130N06 betel-reddened teeth. $"^*Christmas!" the guard smirked and motioned
0140N06 him in with his baton. ^The black Maria rumbled in on balloon tyres,
0150N06 two guards stuck like limpets on the outside of its rear doors.
0160N06 ^When it stopped they checked with the jailor inside the vehicle before
0170N06 they stepped down and swung the rear doors open. $^The head guard
0180N06 thumbed a yellow file and barked out names; each prisoner grunted an acknowledgement
0190N06 of identity, alighted, then blinked and adjusted eyes to the
0200N06 brightness of the day. ^Wiry bodies acquired the stoop of humility
0210N06 and scarred faces flickered half-smiles of ingratiation-- which low cunning
0220N06 spiked off at the sight of the burly jailors. $"^Eight? ^*Sardiel?"
0230N06 the head jailor demanded of the guard in the Black Maria.
0240N06 ^Gasps and thumps alternated and Sardiel appeared at the open door.
0250N06 ^Narrow eyes swivelled in a tight, trapped-animal face, aggressiveness
0260N06 humped the muscles of his body. ^The jail guard shoved him down the
0270N06 steps of the Black Maria, he stumbled, but did not fall. $"^A trunk!"
0280N06 the guard in the Black Maria indicated to the head jailor.
0290N06 ^The head jailor tucked the yellow file under his arm and slipped his baton
0300N06 out of its frog. $"^*Sardiel!" the baton pointed at Sardiel and
0310N06 then at the trunk. ^Eyes met and weighed each other. ^Two more
0320N06 jailors closed in. $"^*Sardiel!" the head jailor*'s unquestionable
0330N06 authority demanded that he carry the trunk. ^*I moved into view to_
0340N06 make my presence felt. ^The prisoner, neck and shoulders gawky with
0350N06 the swell of developing manhood, seemed bent on taking his time. ^When
0360N06 at last he moved, the appeased head jailor motioned two other prisoners
0370N06 to_ help him. $^*Sardiel climbed back into the Black Maria.
0380N06 ^The trunk screeched as he dragged it to the door. ^It was a heavy
0390N06 wooden trunk. ^The helpers*' hands sought a grip on it; he brushed
0400N06 them aside. ^The two jailors closed in again. ^He turned about,thrust
0410N06 his shoulders under the burden; left hand went over his right shoulder
0420N06 to_ grip the handle and he heaved the trunk on to his back and shoulders.
0430N06 ^He staggered, half bent, towards the line of prisoners.
0440N06 ^The guard turned them right and they shambled off. $^*I went back
0450N06 to the office and to the dockets stacked before me, but a tight face with
0460N06 narrow eyes intruded: *3^He will be put through the routine of depersonalisation;
0470N06 stripping, de-lousing, medical inspection; the prisoner*'s haircut,
0480N06 the prisoner*'s garb. ^Guards will brook no challenge; will
0490N06 he brook the indignity?*0 $^*I checked his past: ^A farmer*'s son
0500N06 who left the village for the city at eighteen. ^Of no fixed abode;
0510N06 suspected member of a gang of house-breakers recruited by a notorious
0520N06 gangster-- but no previous convictions. ^Apprehended when the gang raided
0530N06 the offices of a Tourist Bureau. ^A night-watchman murdered
0540N06 -- the left side of his face and head battered with a knuckle-duster.
0550N06 ^Knuckle-duster found in the building fitted the prisoner*'s right hand.
0560N06 $^His defence: ^Heard the night-watchman crying out for help and
0570N06 went to his aid. ^Police arrived and he was arrested.
0580N06 "^*I*'3m not a member of any gang." ^Even under police persuasion the
0590N06 same story. ^The charge: ^Murder! ^The sentence: ^Death by hanging!
0600N06 ^Age: 20. ^*I studied the 3*" x 2*" identity photographs. ^He
0610N06 had eyebrows that_ met across the eyes. ^The saying in prison was:
0620N06 "^One whose eyebrows meet is born to_ be hanged"-- and they had statistics
0630N06 to_ prove it. $^*I took a clinical interest in him and found, as
0640N06 the weeks went by, that he had volunteered for the toughest jobs-- working
0650N06 in the quarry, breaking road metal; that his output was three times
0660N06 as much as any other prisoner*'s; and that he was gracious enough to_ pass
0670N06 the surplus on to other infirm prisoners who could not produce the
0680N06 quota. ^In the evening he was in the gymnasium exercising on the parallel
0690N06 bars, horizontal bars or weightlifting. ^This was all he lived
0700N06 with-- physical effort. $*3^AS*0 a rule, I spent my evenings at
0710N06 the Officers*' Club playing tennis but, with the boxing term coming on,
0720N06 the organisation of the Prison*'s Boxing Meet was my commitment.
0730N06 ^In addition to organising the meet, I also trained boxers for it.
0740N06 ^My evenings I now spent in the gymnasium. $^*Sardiel was always
0750N06 the first in the gymnasium. ^He would begin with the weights and go
0760N06 through a strenuous routine. ^His body did not acquire the muscle-
0770N06 bound, sinew-taut ungainliness of the weightlifter; instead, rippling stomach
0780N06 muscles flared up to his dorsals, and muscles in the arms and shoulders
0790N06 flowed with liquid ease. $^On the parallel bars his coordination
0800N06 had a musical dexterity. ^He performed on the Roman rings to the
0810N06 *3oohs*0 and *3aahs*0 of a wide-eyed circle of prisoners, but he never came
0820N06 near the boxing ring nor did he even pause to_ watch. ^*I tried to_
0830N06 coax him into coming over but he just shook his head. ^*I needled
0840N06 him with the taunt of cowardice; belittled him for garnering
0850N06 strength which had no practical purpose; called him a show-off exulting
0860N06 in the acclamation of ignorant prisoners.
0870N06 $^His reply: What*'1s the fun in punching each other with pillows tied
0880N06 to your fists? ^It*'s a game for children, not men." $^*I challenged
0890N06 him to_ box me. ^His admirers crowded us. ^*I turned to them:
0900N06 "^You tell me that Sardiel did 150 dips. ^Did the lions
0910N06 crawl on the parallel bars fifty times? ^Lifted so much. ^What
0920N06 use is all this when he won*'4t fight? ^He*'1s afraid to_ fight.
0930N06 ^Muscles give strength but to_ box you need guts." $"^Fight him,
0940N06 Sardiel! ^Show him, Sardiel!" $"^Don*'4t let him talk like that_
0950N06 to you!" $^At last he faced me with antagonism. "^Gloves?" he
0960N06 asked. $^*Sardiel was a featherweight and I a middleweight going to_
0970N06 seed. ^*I said: "^Good. ^Let*'3s see if you*'3ll make a boxer."
0980N06 ^*I had been keeping fit, my science was always rated as good.
0990N06 ^Anyway, how good was I if I could not keep a novice at bay? $"^Go
1000N06 on, Sardiel, finish him off! ^He*'1s asking for it!" ^*Sardiel
1010N06 lifted his hands to_ quell their boisterous urging, but they would not
1020N06 stop, they knew they were backing a winner. $"^*I*'3ll box," he
1030N06 said, wariness lining his face. $^He came to me, gritted teeth, body
1040N06 square, fists held before his face. ^*I weaved, sidestepped, danced
1050N06 out of his way and out of the corners. ^He grunted when his fists flayed
1060N06 the air. ^My left stung him over and over again, I drew blood.
1070N06 $^When the round ended I was panting and he was ready to_ go on.
1080N06 ^*I went across to his corner and showed him the boxing stance, told
1090N06 him a square two-fisted attack was suicidal. ^He adopted the standard
1100N06 stance, left foot out left hand out, and sprang at me when the gong struck.
1110N06 ^*I kept clear of those hate-driven fists. ^*I crossed his
1120N06 left with a right. ^*I saw him wince, he had no counter and began to_
1130N06 bleed from the nose. *^I eased off to_ ask whether he was okay.
1140N06 ^He redoubled his efforts to_ pulverise me. $^Suddenly he stopped,
1150N06 pushed his right foot out, cocked his right hand before him, crouched and
1160N06 came at me. *3^A southpaw!*0 before I could get over my surprise,
1170N06 a left hook slipped under my right and caught me on the right side of
1180N06 the jaw. $*3^WHEN*0 I came to, I was being rocked by Sardiel, but
1190N06 the jail guards shouldered him aside. ^When I got to my feet, he was
1200N06 facing me, a trapped animal awaiting humiliation at the hands of the
1210N06 guards. ^He backed away from my outstretched hand, then, realising
1220N06 I wanted only to_ shake his, put his gloved hand to mine; but immediately
1230N06 dived under the ropes, jumped out of the ring and was gone. $^He
1240N06 never came to see me, did not even come to the *4gymkhana for the next two
1250N06 weeks. ^Then one evening, when the gymnasium emptied, I found him
1260N06 at my side. "^*I want to_ box," he said. $"^Why?" ^*I asked.
1270N06 $^Anger flushed his eyes and died out. ^It must have cost him a lot
1280N06 to_ ask this favour. ^Now, instead of being appreciated for it, he
1290N06 was being teased. ^There must have been so many whys to which he had
1300N06 no answer. ^*I did not await his answer.
1310N06 $"^*I*'3ll teach you," I said and took him over to the punchbag, but I
1320N06 had to_ drive a bargain. "^On one condition," I held the punchbag for
1330N06 him, "that you box in the prison*'s Meet." ^He stepped away from
1340N06 me, as though I had stung him, then, halting pushed his right foot out
1350N06 and crouched in the southpaw*'s stance. $^That left of his was soon
1360N06 able to_ hit from any angle. ^The right was feeble and I put in a
1370N06 lot of work to_ give it the semblance of a punch. ^The footwork, the
1380N06 body sway, the ringcraft did not come naturally, but he worked like a roman
1390N06 soldier to_ acquire proficiency. $^The prison*'s Boxing Meet was
1400N06 a cake-walk for him, he had two fights and each did not go one-half of
1410N06 the first round. ^He was too good a fighter to_ lose. $^*I entered
1420N06 him for the Ceylon Novices Meet and applied for the necessary permission
1430N06 from the prison authorities. ^It was granted, provided I was
1440N06 personally responsible for him. ^He flattened out the Novices and
1450N06 I sent him in for the Intermediates. ^He got through on a narrow
1460N06 points*' victory. ^But in the dressing-room, when the reporters came
1470N06 in for his story, he tensed again with that anxiety which I had not seen
1480N06 in him for long. ^He lashed out when they fired their first question:
1490N06 "^From what village do you come?" $^The seconds and I brought
1500N06 him under control and a disgruntled press filed out, muttering against
1510N06 the impropriety of matching convicts against amateurs. ^He would not
1520N06 explain, remained sullen and silent. $^A week later I brought down
1530N06 a one-time American coach who was then at the \0USIS and had him watch
1540N06 Sardiel in the ring. $"^Boy, oh boy!" the American gushed.
1550N06 "^This guy*'2s got a mule kick in his left hand! ^Six months I*'3ll
1560N06 make him a Golden Gloves champ!" ^Then he drew his index finger
1570N06 across his throat, made a wry face and said: "^In six months it*'3ll
1580N06 be all over for him." $^The next day I put it to Sardiel: "^The
1590N06 National Championships! ^If you win through, you will qualify
1600N06 for the Asian Games. ^You know what that_ means to you? ^Maybe
1610N06 your sentence... the public... "^He did not allow me to_ go on. $"^No!"
1620N06 he stamped on the idea. "^*I can*'4t! ^*I won*'4t! ^Nomore
1630N06 boxing. ^Not outside." $"^Your life!" ^*I protested "^Here*'1s
1640N06 a chance to_ live. ^A chance to_ begin again with hundreds of
1650N06 fans to_ help you." $^He weighed me with cold eyes, his face lined
1660N06 by the conflict within him. "^*I can *'4t! he said with a finality
1670N06 that_ hurt and walked out on me. $*3^EACH*0 evening he went through
1680N06 the training routine of skipping, exercising, shadow boxing and bag-punching
1690N06 and even started to_ teach others to_ box, but he never came close
1700N06 to me again. ^*I passed the word round to the jailors, the prisoners,
1710N06 that Sardiel had a heaven-sent opportunity of showing the world
1720N06 outside that people inside prison could be champions too.*#
        **[no. of words = 02021**]

        **[txt. n07**]
0010N07 **<*3The Swimmer*0**> $*<*3Nine*0*>
0020N07 $*3*^2khitish*0 yelled in anger, "You must, you have to_ do it. ^*I won*'4t
0030N07 listen to any excuses. $^He picked up a stone lying at his feet
0040N07 and threw it at Koni. $"^*I beg you Khidda*'3, I can*'4t any
0050N07 more." $"^*I*'3ll break your head.... drop dead, drop dead, you...."
0060N07 ^*Khitish couldn*'4t find another stone. ^Looking around he noticed
0070N07 a thin bamboo pole which stood against the wall of the *4Mali*'s room.
0080N07 $"^*Khidda*'3, I can*'4t carry on any longer." $^*Khitish
0090N07 jumped over the railing and picked up the pole. ^*Koni had swum to the
0100N07 side. ^*Khitish held the pole in both hands and struck out at the
0110N07 water. ^It hit the water about three feet from Koni*'s face.
0120N07 ^He struck out again. $"^*I*'3ll break your head. ^You*'3re
0130N07 dead if you get out of the water. ^Two hundred metres still remain."
0140N07 $^To_ get out of the water Koni swam towards the starting platform
0150N07 on the western side. ^*Khitish followed her with the pole in his hands.
0160N07 ^*Koni stopped and peered from behind the platform. ^*Khitish
0170N07 couldn*'4t get on the platform since it was twelve feet from the water*'s
0180N07 edge and there was no bridge in between. $"^*Khidda*'3 Khidda*'3,
0190N07 let me go now. ^*I*'3ll make it up in the afternoon," Koni whimpered.
0200N07 $"^*I don*'4t want to_ hear any thing. ^*I must have work
0210N07 as per my routine. ^And till I get it, you shan*'4t leave the water."
0220N07 $^Putting her head between the arms holding the platform, Koni wept.
0230N07 ^*Khitish waited, his face turned to stone. ^It was nine O*'3clock
0240N07 in the morning. ^There was nobody else in the water there.
0250N07 ^But people sat around on the benches and pedestrians strolled through
0260N07 Kamaldighi. ^Many were curious and stopped and stared at Khitish.
0270N07 $^*Koni swam from the western to the eastern platform. ^*Khitish
0280N07 walked alongside, the pole still in his hands. ^He didn*'4t trust
0290N07 her. ^Maybe she would get out of the water on reaching the other side.
0300N07 $^It seemed as though her tired arms were being pulled out of the
0310N07 water and then being dropped back. ^She turned her head and swallowed
0320N07 gulps of air. ^Her eyes seemed overcome with sleep. ^The stop
0330N07 watch slung round his neck was in Khitish*'s fist as he kept muttering
0340N07 to himself. "^*I know. ^*I know you are in pain. ^Your arms and
0350N07 legs are coming apart and your lungs are bursting. ^Let them burst.
0360N07 ^You must push aside pain and get ahead. ^You know how it feels
0370N07 when hunger strikes and gnaws at your insides. ^You will understand
0380N07 pain. ^Fight, Koni, fight.... $"...^You must be hammered into tempered
0390N07 steel. ^Understand pain, put it to your use, vanquish it....
0400N07 ^Come on Koni, harder, harder still.... $"....^You must train and get
0410N07 ahead, Koni. ^When pain and suffering come, ask them whether they
0420N07 think they can frighten you, make you cry. ^And say to me, 'Khidda*'3
0430N07 I*'3ll kill you. ^You*'3re a monster, I*'3ll tear you apart.'
0440N07 ^Make Kamaldighi waters boil over with your anger. $"^Man*'s abilities
0450N07 are limitless. ^Those others think I am mad; let them prattle
0460N07 on. they are fools, all of them. ^They dream of producing champions
0470N07 after an hour*'s gentle shaking of arms and legs.... $"...^Another
0480N07 fifty metres to_ go. ^Let repeated rubbings of pain tone the muscles
0490N07 of your body. ^And that_ body will surprise you one day. ^What
0500N07 you think is impossible today, will be easily possible. ^Gold medals
0510N07 by themselves are nothing, merely discs of metal. ^But what they
0520N07 imply is important. ^Man can do anything, anything." $^*Koni finished
0530N07 her swim. ^She held the platform in both hands and panted for
0540N07 breath. ^She looked around at Khitish. ^There was hatred and anger
0550N07 in her eyes and Khitish noticed that_. ^Putting the pole away
0560N07 he went into the club and took out a thick notebook. ^That_ was Koni*'s
0570N07 log book. ^All details of her training, her timings, weight, pulse
0580N07 rates, her diet, the vitamin and iron tablets \0etc. were recorded in
0590N07 the book. $^*Khitish noticed as he wrote that koni had hurriedly left
0600N07 the club. ^On other days she would speak to him before leaving.
0610N07 ^Today she didn*'4t. ^From the club she usually went to Khitish*'s
0620N07 house where she ate. ^Exactly at ten she would go across to 'Prajapati'
0630N07 to_ unlock and roll up the shutters. ^She would then sweep the
0640N07 floor of the shop, clean the counters, fetch water and perform other
0650N07 small jobs. ^She would return from the shop for her mid-day meal.
0660N07 ^Then she slept for a couple of hours and after fifteen minutes of exercise
0670N07 go on to Apollo. $^After another swimming session she would return
0680N07 to 'Prajapati'. ^After shutting shop she returned with Lilavati.
0690N07 ^She would go back home to her mother and brothers after the evening
0700N07 meal. ^*Koni was paid forty *4rupees a month. $^*Koni was late
0710N07 today. ^Instead of going to Khitish*'s home, she ran on to 'Prajapati'.
0720N07 ^*Lilavati had opened the shop herseelf. ^The boy from
0730N07 the photographer*'s shop next door had helped her pull up the heavy shutters.
0740N07 ^Seeing Koni, Lilavati had pointed towards the street and said.
0750N07 "^You can get out. ^*I don*'4t need you any longer." $^*
0760N07 koni went pale. ^She stood with her face lowered. ^Since a customer
0770N07 had arrived, Lilavati said no more. ^*Koni finished her chores
0780N07 one by one. ^Hunger and fatigue made her eyes bleary, her feet trembled.
0790N07 ^She felt terribly sleepy, but in the shop there was no place
0800N07 for her even to_ sit. ^After a while she spoke with fear in her voice,
0810N07 "Baudi, can I go home for a while?" $^*Lilavati was writing the
0820N07 measurements of a frock in a thick notebook. ^She replied roughly,
0830N07 "^No". $^*Koni moved aside and stood by the door. ^If she resigned
0840N07 the job, the family would be deprived of forty *4rupees. $^On leaving
0850N07 Apollo, Khitish had been going round tailors*' shops with a large
0860N07 bag in his hand. ^He would buy cut pieces of cloth. ^He had made
0870N07 arrangements with three laundries to_ buy these pieces of cloth which
0880N07 were used by them to write numbers on articles of clothing before they were
0890N07 sent for washing. ^*Khitish sold about three kilos of scrap cloth
0900N07 daily. ^He made six or seven *4rupees out of this. $^Having collected
0910N07 a bagful of scrap, Khitish turned up at Koni*'s place at about
0920N07 one o*'3clock in the afternoon. ^*Khitish spoke angrily to Koni*'s
0930N07 mother when she appeared, "^At what time did Koni sleep last night?"
0940N07 $"^Why, at the same time as on other days," Koni*'s mother replied
0950N07 nervously. $"^Is that_ the truth?" ^*Khitish looked at her sharply.
0960N07 "^Then why did she tire so quickly this morning? ^Look,
0970N07 you will be found out if you try and hide things from me. ^Now tell me
0980N07 correctly, at what time did Koni sleep?
0981N07 $"^No, no, I shan*'t lie to you. ^*Koni had gone to a
0990N07 '*4jatra' party last night. ^It was about one o*'3clock before she
1000N07 went to bed." $"^Hum", Khitish handed over the bag and said, "Cut
1010N07 these pieces today itself. ^Send them to the Club with koni tomorrow
1020N07 morning." $^Handing over five *4rupees to Koni*'s mother, Khitish
1030N07 spoke sadly, "She*'1s young, she is bound to_ want some fun. ^But
1040N07 for her own good you*'3ll have to_ be firm. ^Any sport is a matter
1050N07 of dedication. ^To_ succeed you need to_ lead the life of a hermit.
1060N07 ^There are many small things which are bad for you when in training
1070N07 ^There*'1s absolutely no harm in a '*4jatra', but not at the cost of
1080N07 much needed rest when undergoing training. ^You must understand these
1090N07 things." $^On returning home Khitish found Lilavati waiting for him.
1100N07 ^He sat down to eat. ^In the middle of the meal he asked, "^Has
1110N07 Koni eaten?" $^*Lilavati was quiet for a while. ^Then she
1120N07 replied, "^She*'1s of no use to me. ^She*'1s sleeping all the time.
1130N07 ^*I didn*'4t let her sit today, she was asleep on her feet." $"^*I
1140N07 made her work very hard today." $"^What good is that_ to me?
1150N07 ^You saved me five thousand, but you are taking it away in other expenses."
1160N07 $"^But I am paying you fifty *4rupees for her food."
1170N07 $"^She has eggs and milk and honey every day. ^How can one manage on
1180N07 fifty *4rupees?" $^*Khitish got up on finishing his meal.
1190N07 ^Going into his room he found Koni fast asleep on the floor. ^Instead
1200N07 of a pillow she had placed her two hands under her head. ^*Khitish
1210N07 sat down beside her and gently stroked her head. ^*Koni stirred
1220N07 after a while and moved closer to Khitish. ^She muttered something
1230N07 under her breath. ^*Khitish leaned forward to_ listen. $"^*Dada!"
1240N07 $"^Yes." $^A thin smile flitted across her face.
1250N07 "^You told me you*'1d show me a crocodile." $"^Yes, I*3ll take you
1260N07 to the zoo," ^Khitish whispered. "^And we shall go to other
1270N07 places too-- Belur Math, Bandel Church, Diamond Harbour, the
1280N07 Museum and many other places. ^And then you shall go to Delhi,
1290N07 Bombay and Madras. ^And then to places even further away, Tokyo,
1300N07 London, Berlin, Moscow, New York." $^Even in her
1310N07 sleep Koni*'s face brightened. $"^*Khidda*'3 makes me suffer. ^Dada.
1320N07 ^But I shall definitely bring you that_ medal." $^With that
1330N07 smile on her face, Koni sank back in deeper sleep. ^Stroking her
1340N07 head, Khitish whispered, "I shall make you suffer more, even more".
1350N07 $^*Prajapati was closed on Sundays. ^*Koni too
1360N07 had a holiday from training on that_ day. ^A bag was slung across
1370N07 Khitish*'s shoulder. ^In that_ he carried some *4chapatis,
1380N07 a potato curry, *4gur, boiled eggs and bananas. $^They had left
1390N07 home at ten o*'3clock. ^They had gone round the zoo for about
1400N07 three hours and then sat on the grass by the side of a tank. ^Taking
1410N07 out the packets of food Khitish said, "^Drinking water will be a problem.
1420N07 ^*I should have brought the water bottle." $^A
1430N07 little distance from them, a group of about thirty girls in school uniforms
1440N07 arrived noisily. ^There were four teachers with them. ^Two
1450N07 *4durwans carried baskets of food. ^They sat down in a circle to_
1460N07 eat. ^*Koni munched her *4chapatis but kept glancing curiously
1470N07 at the group. $"^*Khidda*'3, they have water. ^Shall I ask
1480N07 them?" $"^How do you know?" $"^There*'1s that_ big drum.
1490N07 ^They are giving out water from it." $"^Okay, go and
1500N07 ask." $^*Koni went upto the teacher standing by the drum.
1510N07 ^*Khitish saw that on being asked by Koni, the teacher looked her up and
1520N07 down and turned her face away after saying something to Koni.
1530N07 ^*Koni looked put off when she came back. $"^She didn*'4t give any
1540N07 water?" $^*Koni*'s face was set in anger. ^She said ,
1550N07 "^It*'1s a rich people*'s school." $"^Is that_ why they didn*'4t
1560N07 give water," Khitish joked. $"^The rich despise the poor."
1570N07 $^*Khitish was a little surprised. ^How had such notions
1580N07 entered her little head! $"^Who told you the rich hate the poor?"
1590N07 $"^*I know. ^*Dada told me. ^If you have money,
1600N07 everybody respects you." $"^Let*'3s go and drink water from the
1610N07 tap." $^They had started moving away when a girl came running
1620N07 towards them. ^In her hands she held two plastic tumblers full of
1630N07 water. $^They stopped and turned round. ^Both recognised the
1640N07 girl with plastic glasses to_ be Heea Mitra. $"^You wanted some
1650N07 water? ^Our Miss Nundy is very bad tempered. ^*I apologise for
1660N07 her behaviour." $^*Heea held up one of the tumblers to Koni.
1670N07 ^But Koni behaved strangely. ^She struck out with her hand at the
1680N07 tumbler. ^The tumbler flew out of Heea*'s hand and fell on the grass.
1690N07 ^Not only Heea, but Khitish too was astonished.
1700N07 $"^*I don*'4t want your water. ^Tap water is good enough for us."
1710N07 $^*Koni walked away briskly on her own. ^*Khitish was embarrassed.
1720N07 $"^It*'1s my turn to_ apologise to you." $^*Heea looked pained.
1730N07 $"^Then you take the tumbler of water." $"^Certainly, certainly."
1740N07 $^*Khitish thought he should scold Koni. ^But he had
1750N07 said nothing. ^He understood that Heea was Koni*'s future rival.
1760N07 ^He had gone to the Ballygunje Swimming Club on four days,
1770N07 on the pretence of looking up old friends. ^But he had observed
1780N07 Heea*'s training. ^And not only that_, hiding a stop-watch in his
1790N07 pocket, he had timed her at full speed.*#
        **[no. of words = 02020**]

        **[txt. n08**]
0010N08 **<*3COUSIN SHIV AND THE FLOWER CHILD*0**>
0020N08 $*3^WHERE WAS SHE GOING?*0 ^*Shiv wondered, always careful
0030N08 to_ keep his mind off some of the possibilities of the situation in
0040N08 which he found himself. ^But he regarded himself as too much of a
0050N08 gentleman to_ take advantage of her extreme youth. ^Didn*'4t she
0060N08 have people who cared for her? ^Worried about her? ^Did she
0070N08 expect to_ find the answers she was looking for in the kind of life she
0080N08 lived? ^And was that_ why she travelled so hopefully? ^Perhaps,
0090N08 she, too, was searching for the Valley of Flowers-- a kind of
0100N08 El Dorado. $^This idea so intrigued him, that he wanted to_ wake
0110N08 her there and then and ask her. ^But he knew that if he woke her it
0120N08 would not be to_ ask that_ kind of question. ^In any case she would
0130N08 not be able to_ understand his language, though she might have no difficulty
0140N08 understanding another kind of sign language. ^Somewhat guilty about
0150N08 this momentary lapse on his part, he turned his back to where she
0160N08 lay and tried to_ sleep. $^He was always up and about before her, and
0170N08 after completing his toilet, he had a glass of tea downstairs before
0180N08 the shopman*'s fire and settled their account for board and lodging.
0190N08 ^It was when he discovered that she was getting *4charas on his account
0200N08 that he grew indignant. ^It had not even occurred to him that they
0210N08 were sojourning through the land of *8cannabis sattiva*9, and the people
0220N08 were in fact preparing their fields on the uplands for sowing the new
0230N08 crop of hemp. ^He believed she had taken advantage of his goodness.
0240N08 ^Besides, he had not budgeted for keeping a *4hippie female in *4charas
0250N08 and *4ganja. ^So one morning he gently rolled her off his bag,
0260N08 packed his belongings and walked out on her. $^He thought the
0270N08 peasants very stupid. ^None of them had heard of the Valley of Flowers.
0280N08 "^Which peak is Deoban?" he asked, and each pointed out
0290N08 a different one. ^*Jaskar Valley? ^*Badyar Pass? ^Where were they?
0300N08 ^They shrugged their shoulders and went back to breaking clods
0310N08 in their terraced fields. $^They had no sense of distance either.
0320N08 ^They told him a village was just over the hill. ^And when
0330N08 he went on, he found another hill. ^He found himself walking more
0340N08 than he had ever intended to_ in a lifetime. $^One evening at the
0350N08 top of a steep climb which took him to eight thousand feet, he came across
0360N08 a police check-post and was stopped by the two men on duty there because
0370N08 he did not have a permit to_ proceed further. $"^*Restricted Area,"
0380N08 they said. "^Not even Indian nationals can go beyond this
0390N08 second frontier without a permit from the District Magistrate."
0400N08 $^Where then was the Valley of Flowers? ^Had he indeed walked almost
0410N08 to the border of Tibet? ^Perhaps China lay only a few more
0420N08 days*' journey ahead. ^He felt rather pleased about that_ possiblity.
0430N08 ^The family would be terribly impressed. $^The policemen were
0440N08 kind and despatched a man to the district town four days*' journey away,
0450N08 they said, with ten *4rupees and Shiv*'s application for a permit.
0460N08 ^They arranged for a small room for him over the shop on the ridge
0470N08 where the proprietor provided him meals. ^The fare was poor, but
0480N08 it was cheap. ^He lay about in the sun a great deal within view of
0490N08 a marvellous view of the snow ranges, and waited for his permit to_ arrive.
0500N08 $^In the evenings peasants always dropped in at the shop after
0510N08 driving their bullocks home and hanging up their ploughs. ^They sat
0520N08 round on plank benches or the low courtyard wall and gossiped. ^It was
0530N08 chilly on the ridge for a sharp wind always blew across it, so the shopman
0540N08 always had a fire burning in the centre of the circle.
0550N08 $^Everyone was curious about Shiv. ^He came from far-away *3Dilli.*0
0560N08 ^To them it was like another planet. $^Though Shiv did not
0570N08 know it there was much speculation about his presence at the post.
0580N08 ^His appearance has never been one to_ inspire any confidience.
0590N08 ^And he now had more than a week*'s growth of beard. ^The rumour in
0600N08 the village was that he was a notorious Pakistani spy, and the policemen
0610N08 were waiting for instrucitions from the District Magistrate. $^The
0620N08 two men were hoping that Shiv would get tired of waiting and leave,
0630N08 because the ten *4rupees he had given them, along with his application,
0640N08 had been used to_ purchase two bottles of brew in the valley. ^On the
0650N08 other hand, if he insisted on going further without a permit, they
0660N08 would allow him that_ privilege for a tidy sum of money. ^Meanwhile,
0670N08 they were glad to_ drink his tea. $^One evening while Shiv was holding
0680N08 forth about a certain scandal which, he told them, had rocked the
0690N08 capital, they heard the sound of a cow-bell coming up the road to the ridge.
0700N08 ^They all peered into the darkness. $"^Whose bullock is out
0710N08 at this time of night?" asked the shopman. ^The bell jangled as though
0720N08 the creature were running. ^Then the sound of thumping footsteps
0730N08 came up the road, and out of the darkness emerged a wild figure, making for
0740N08 the firelight with hair flying and robes blowing in the wind.
0750N08 $^*Shiv*'s heart sank and he drew back quickly out of the light, partially
0760N08 concealed behind the shoulders of the policeman sitting beside him
0770N08 on the bench. $^For a moment everyone was too surprised to_ speak
0780N08 but stared at the Flower Child as she crouched panting before the fire,
0790N08 frightened out of her wits. ^Who was this white woman? ^And how
0800N08 came she to_ be running about at this hour of the night on the mountain
0810N08 road with a cow-bell round her neck? ^What had so frightened her?
0820N08 "^Probably the leopard that*_'2s been prowling about lately," one man
0830N08 suggested. "^It must have followed the sound of the bell thinking someone*'s
0840N08 cow was loose." $"^Foreigner?" demanded the more
0850N08 senior of the policeman of the girl. ^She looked up at him standing over
0860N08 her and gave no reply. $"^She probably doesn*'4t understand,"
0870N08 said the shopman. $^Neither of the policemen knew English. ^The
0880N08 only other person in the village who did was the schoolmaster who had studied
0890N08 up to the fourth book. ^But he was away since school was closed
0900N08 for the monsoon sowing season. ^This left only Shiv, and they turned
0910N08 to him where he sat wishing he could vanish into thin air. $^Following
0920N08 the direction of their gaze, the Flower Child recognised his legs
0930N08 clad in jeans, and she jumped up with a glad cry. ^Sobbing with
0940N08 relief, she fell on his neck. ^Overcome with the smell of her, and
0950N08 entangled with gumnuts, cowbell and rosaries, Shiv hastily unclasped
0960N08 her arms, and turned away in disgust. ^She sat down at his feet,
0970N08 chattering.
0980N08 $"^What does she say?" asked the policeman. $"^*God knows,"
0990N08 replied Shiv, genuinely mystified. $"^Foreigner?" $^*Shiv studied
1000N08 her as though he were seeing her for the first time. "^She looks
1010N08 as if she might be," he replied. $"^Do you know her?" $"^No!"
1020N08 $"^But she seems to_ know you--" $"^There was someone like her on the
1030N08 bus going up to Joshimat," Shiv replied, creasing his forehead and
1040N08 trying hard to_ remember. $"^Has she a permit?" $"^How should
1050N08 I know? ^Ask her." $^The man addressed the girl. "^Per-meet?
1060N08 ^Per-meet?" he said. $she ignored him, and sat hugging
1070N08 her knees as she gazed into the fire. ^The policeman began to_ feel
1080N08 something less than a god, and he was annoyed with Shiv for making
1090N08 him appear silly. $"^We*'3ll have to_ detain her. ^Foreigners
1100N08 entering the Second Frontier without a permit can be jailed," he said
1110N08 severely. $"^Suit yourself. ^It*'1s not my business," Shiv
1120N08 replied. $"^And anyone aiding and abetting a foreigner to_ enter the
1130N08 Restricted Area will also be sent to jail." ^*Shiv shrugged and
1140N08 made no reply. $"^Come upstairs with us," he said nastily, and Shiv
1150N08 had to_ follow the two men to their room over the shop. ^They
1160N08 grilled him till late into the night before they allowed him to_ retire
1170N08 to the smaller room he occupied on the other side of a partition of planks.
1180N08 ^And they put the Flower Child in with him. $^*Shiv could
1190N08 hear clearly every sound that_ came from the other side of the partition
1200N08 where the Law removed its trousers and lay down on creaky cots each night.
1210N08 ^He could imagine the two men lying with ears cocked for some
1220N08 slight sound that_ might prove that he was indeed "aiding and abetting"
1230N08 the foreigner. ^Not until five days had passed did it dawn on him that
1240N08 he was in the middle of The Paradox. $^He took the two policemen aside
1250N08 the following morning, determined not to_ give in too easily.
1260N08 "^*I know the chief of the Criminal Investigation Bureau in Delhi,"
1270N08 he said severely. "^In fact he lives in the same street-- right across
1280N08 from my house--" $"^Good! ^You must tell him about us when
1290N08 you go back, and how we are doing our duty in the best interests of the
1300N08 country," replied the senior policeman. $"^All right, how
1310N08 much?" ^*Shiv asked, giving in. $^They settled on eighty *4rupees
1320N08 to_ allow him to_ proceed without a permit. ^But the girl would
1330N08 have to_ go back because that_ would be a serious breach of the law.
1340N08 ^*Shiv paid; but the following morning, while it was still dark, he took
1350N08 his pack and the Flower Child and crept away leaving a large bill--
1360N08 which he hoped the shopman would be paid from the money he had given
1370N08 the policemen. $^They walked steadily and got onto the motor road again
1380N08 on the second day. "^We*'3ll wait here for a bus to_ pick us up,"
1390N08 Shiv said to the girl who looked her usual blank self. ^A small stream
1400N08 rushed down the mountain-side at this point and was spanned by a stone
1410N08 culvert. ^Climbing over the rocks higher up, Shiv came upon a clear
1420N08 blue pool of water, and decided to_ take a quick bath. $^The icy water
1430N08 made him tingle all over, and he splashed about and became rather noisy
1440N08 as he shouted. ^When he emerged he wrapped a small towel about his
1450N08 waist and stood for some time enjoying the warmth of the sun.
1460N08 $^He wondered where the Flower Child was, and peering over the large
1470N08 boulder behind which he had been bathing, he saw her lying on a small
1480N08 stretch of sands. ^She had thrown off her ochre robe and sandals, and
1490N08 lay with her face buried in her hands, taking the sun on her back.
1500N08 $^What drew him forward was pure curiosity. ^Flowers decorated her
1510N08 back, faded and smudged now with sweat and grime-- flowers and graffiti
1520N08 in strange scripts and languages. ^Her lumbar vertebrae were spelled
1530N08 out with the English word "Love." ^He crept closer, fascinated by
1540N08 the great variety of theme, and intrigued by the circumstances under which
1550N08 all this art work must have been executed. ^Even the backs of her
1560N08 thighs had been decorated. $^Putting out a tentative finger, he
1570N08 gently traced the figure *4Om*0 on the small of her back. ^He was now
1580N08 on all fours in the sand, his towel forgotten. ^At his touch she
1590N08 started and turned over quickly. ^He saw that sand and pebbles had
1600N08 left other patterns on her pale skin. ^She had also been busy freshening
1610N08 the flowers on her front with red and blue pencil. ^Petals encircled
1620N08 her breasts and her navel. ^Flowers grew on her stomach, their
1630N08 stems reaching downwards where they were rooted in her sex. ^There
1640N08 too, he could see the word "Love" over-written. ^She had carefully
1650N08 filled in again the slogans on her thighs: "^*God is love,
1660N08 and Love is God"-- a theme often displayed on trucks and cabs in Delhi.
1670N08 $^*Shiv found himself suddenly flooded with innocent astonishment
1680N08 at the childlike naivete of it all. ^He was filled with a kind of childsh
1690N08 happiness. ^He wanted to_ scamper over the rocks, splash in
1700N08 the water, roll on the sand, and shout in his naked innocence.*#
        **[no. of words = 02017**]

        **[txt. n09**]
0010N09 **<*3The Sunday Cricket Match*0**>
0020N09 $*3^WHEN*0 Patwardhan was called in to the Chairman*'s office
0030N09 at the uneasy hour of seven in the evening, he prepared himself for
0040N09 the worst. ^Summons after office hours usually presaged something
0050N09 quite unpleasant. $^The Chairman looked up briefly as Patwardhan
0060N09 opened the door, and went back to the complex ritual of lighting his pipe.
0070N09 $"^*Pat," said the Chairman when he had his pipe going, "high
0080N09 time we had a get-together of the staff, don*'4t you think?"
0090N09 $^*Patwardhan groaned inwardly. ^Staff get-togethers held pride of
0100N09 place on his list of corporate hazards. ^The last one, for instance, had
0110N09 been a total disaster. ^Organised under the guise of a Christmas
0120N09 party, it had gone out of hand after the fourth round of drinks.
0130N09 ^The following morning Pat had, quite reluctantly, fired two of his best
0140N09 men for telling the Chairman what exactly they thought of him.
0150N09 $"^Not a booze party this time," said the Chairman, as if divining
0160N09 Patwardhan*'s thoughts. "^Something healthier. ^Something outdoorsy.
0170N09 ^A game of cricket, shall we say?" $^A game of cricket.
0180N09 ^*Pat considered. ^True, one could collapse of sunstroke, but otherwise
0190N09 quite harmless. $"^A superb idea, sir," he said unctuously,
0200N09 and rose from his chair. "^And if you*'3re free this Sunday, I can
0210N09 have it organised right away." $^The Chairman nodded, and
0220N09 went back to tending his pipe. $^*Sunday morning was warm and breathless.
0230N09 ^The staff and their families trickled into the club grounds by
0240N09 car and scooter, the men clad in gleaming white flannels, the ladies
0250N09 in wild splashes of colour, hair piled high, outsize goggles perched on
0260N09 their noses. $^At the stroke of ten a cream coloured Mercedes swerved
0270N09 imperiously into the club premises and slithered to a halt. ^The
0280N09 car doors swung open to_ disgorge the Chairman, his wife and their ten
0290N09 year old son. ^*Patwardhan disengaged himself from his group and surged
0300N09 forward to_ welcome them. $"^All set, Pat?" asked the Chairman,
0310N09 rubbing his palms together and winking, waving, smiling at the assemblage
0320N09 with a bonhomie that_ fooled nobody. $"^All set sir," replied Patwardhan.
0330N09 $^The Chairman strode briskly towards the pitch, inspected
0340N09 it critically and flipped a coin in the air. ^He won the toss
0350N09 and elected to_ bat. ^He then went to his car, promptly extracted a couple
0360N09 of chilled bottles of beer from the boot and headed towards the pavilion.
0370N09 $^The ladies positioned their lush bottoms on frilly white handkerchiefs
0380N09 and settled down to_ watch their middle-aged, unathletic husbands
0390N09 flex their arms, leap into the air, and waddle onto the field.
0400N09 ^The friendly cricket match had begun. $\0*3^MR*0 Screwalla, Director
0410N09 of Sales, was an awkward, incompetent batsman. ^The first two
0420N09 balls whizzed perilously past the stumps, leaving him flustered and quaking.
0430N09 ^He mopped his brow and composed himself to_ face the next
0440N09 ball. $^*Mehta, the bowler, thoughtfully ambled up to the top of
0450N09 his bowling run. ^To_ get Screwalla out was going to_ be as easy as
0460N09 falling off a log, but Mehta dared not even contemplate the outcome of
0470N09 such an action. \0^*Mr Screwalla, true to his name, was a spiteful
0480N09 little man endowed with the memory of an elephant. ^And Mehta*'s
0490N09 sales figures that_ season left a lot to_ be desired. $^*Mehta
0500N09 made a quick decision and turned around to_ bowl. $^The next four balls
0510N09 drifted harmlessly past \0Mr Screwalla*'s flailing bat. ^*Screwalla
0520N09 was promptly out the next over, sparing Mehta the agony of having
0530N09 to_ bowl with his eyes shut. $^The score was eight runs for the loss
0540N09 of one wicket. $^*Shanta Kanoria, seated at the boundary line,
0550N09 seethed in impotent rage as she watched Rao hit yet another four off her
0560N09 husband*'s bowling. ^Eighteen runs in five balls-- this was the kind
0570N09 of stuff that_ club gossip thrived on! ^She would be the laughing
0580N09 stock of those geese for weeks! ^*Shanta regarded her husband balefully.
0590N09 $^*Kanoria on the field swabbed at the sweat streaming down
0600N09 his fat cheeks and neck. ^A soft chuckle caught his ear-- that_ would
0610N09 be Prasad sniggering at long on. ^*Kanoria wished he could sink
0620N09 out of sight, or disintegrate, or have a coronary, anything, anything
0630N09 at all to_ avoid the ignominy of having to_ see ball after ball sail over
0640N09 the boundary. ^He glanced helplessly towards where his wife sat,
0650N09 stiff and accusing. $^*Kanoria took a deep breath to_ steady his
0660N09 quivering body. ^He gripped the ball like a vice. $^Down the
0670N09 pitch he lumbered, his momentum snowballing with each step, every nerve,
0680N09 every fibre of his being strained in a savage determination to_ wipe
0690N09 Rao*'s smug face right off the landscape. ^He hurled the ball with
0700N09 all his might. ^He saw Rao move forward confidently, hesitate, and
0710N09 swing wildly-- and all at once Rao*'s face exploded in a blaze of scarlet,
0720N09 like poppies bursting into bloom. ^*Shanta Kanoria heard \0Mrs
0730N09 Rao scream. ^She turned, and saw her scramble to her feet and
0740N09 run out on the pitch towards her husband. \0^*Mrs Kanoria made sympathetic,
0750N09 clucking noises. ^Behind her stove lid sunglasses, her eyes
0760N09 gleamed with devious satisfaction. $^The sun climbed relentlessly
0770N09 towards its zenith. ^The cricketers broiled and sweated and gasped
0780N09 for breath. ^All except the Chairman, who relaxed with his wife
0790N09 in the pavilion, a tall cool glass of beer beside him. $\0^*Mr
0800N09 Patawardhan shuffled his feet and made a silent plea to heaven.
0810N09 ^Perspiration bubbled and steamed off his back. ^He watched listlessly
0820N09 as the batsman blocked yet another ball and sent it dribbling to short
0830N09 leg. ^The scorching earth seemed to_ melt and swim and dissolve
0840N09 before his aching eyes. ^*Patawardhan imagined how wonderful it would
0850N09 have been if his boss were Chinese: then he may have had to_ play only
0860N09 ping pong. $^The dull ache in his abdomen increased and he knew it
0870N09 was time for his pills. ^He searched his pockets and realised he
0880N09 had left them in the car. ^*Patwardhan waddled off the field,
0890N09 waving absently at the ladies. ^He rounded the corner of the pavilion
0900N09 and made for the car park. ^The murmur of familiar voices stopped
0910N09 him in his tracks. ^*Pat hesitated, then tiptoed towards his car
0920N09 and peered over the bonnet. $^The sight that_ met his eyes made
0930N09 his head reel. ^The ache in his abdomen seemed to_ spread itself and
0940N09 clutch at his heart. ^He turned back and tottered the way he had
0950N09 come. $^Meanwhile, Ajit Kejriwal, the company*'s hot shot \0PR man
0960N09 and a gorgeous hunk of male, continued his charming but innocent conversation
0970N09 with Sheila Patawardhan, murmuring sweet nothings into her shell
0980N09 pink ear. $^*Patwardhan leaned against the pavilion and mopped
0990N09 his brow with a shaking hand. ^His brain was numb with shock.
1000N09 ^Not since the recession in *'368, when the bottom had fallen out of the
1010N09 stock market, had he faced a situation fraught with such awesome implications.
1020N09 ^He climbed slowly up the pavilion steps and entered its
1030N09 cool recesses. ^The Chairman, beer glass afroth, beckoned to him.
1040N09 ^*Pat dragged up a deckchair and sat beside him. $"^Hot
1050N09 day, what?" said the Chairman. ^*Pat nodded, mournfully.
1060N09 $"^You aren*'4t looking too well, Pat," said the Chairman, after a
1070N09 pause. $"^It*'1s the heat sir," explained Patwardhan. "^*I*'3m
1080N09 not as fit as I used to_ be." $^And so they fell to talking; their
1090N09 conversation drifted away from the weather and the game and domestic
1100N09 affairs, into the boardroom where it belonged. ^At the appropriate
1110N09 moment, Patwardhan slipped in his proposal. $"^Our Calcutta
1120N09 office is at a loose end at the moment, sir," he said. "^We need a
1130N09 smart man out there." $"^H*'3m?" said the Chairman. $"^And I
1140N09 think we have just the right man for the job in Ajit Kejriwal. ^He*'1s
1150N09 doing very well, and he*'1s due for a promotion, anyway."
1160N09 $"^H*'3m." said the Chairman. $^*Patawardhan relaxed in his chair,
1170N09 knowing that he had successfully paved the way for official approval
1180N09 when the time came. ^It was true that the Calcutta office needed
1190N09 a smart young man like Ajit Kejriwal to_ pull it together. ^And
1200N09 maybe it was just a happy coincidence that Calcutta was a few hundred
1210N09 miles away. $^The innings, meanwhile, had petered to a close,
1220N09 and the staff retired to the outfield for a breather. ^*Pat excused
1230N09 himself from the Chairman*'s presence and made towards the makeshift
1240N09 table where Mehta was busy opening bottles of Coke and setting them down.
1250N09 $"^Hello, sir," said Mehta, extracting a bottle from the bottom
1260N09 of the icebox and handing it to Patwardhan. $"^Hello," said
1270N09 Pat, his mind far away. $"^How*'1s the game going, dear?" said
1280N09 a voice behind him. ^*Pat turned, and met the guileless grey-green
1290N09 eyes of his lovely wife. $"^Why, haven*'4t you been watching?"
1300N09 he asked. $"^It*'1s this splitting headache I*'3ve got," said Sheila.
1310N09 "^*I*'3ve been relaxing in the car. ^*I missed most of the
1320N09 game." $^*Pat nodded thoughtfully. ^His wife*'s brazen confidence
1330N09 only confirmed that her dalliance with \0Mr Kejriwal had been going
1340N09 on for longer than he suspected. $"^Have a Coke, darling," he
1350N09 said, and guided her towards Mehta and the fizzing bottles.
1360N09 *3^PATWARDHAN*'S*0 team went in to_ bat at 3.15 in the afternoon.
1370N09 ^From his vantage position as leg umpire, Patawardhan observed the
1380N09 hapless cricketers shuffle around like robots in the enervating heat.
1390N09 ^What a colossal waste of a Sunday, he reflected. ^One precious
1400N09 holiday ruined by this inane game. ^He only hoped his side would get
1410N09 out soon so that he could pack up and go home early. ^Ah, there was
1420N09 the Chairman, going in to_ bowl the next over. $^*Srinath, the batsman,
1430N09 despatched the first three balls to the boundary. ^The Chairman
1440N09 eyed him grimly and walked to the top of his bowling run for the fourth
1450N09 time, the ball shuttling between his hands like a glob of dough.
1460N09 ^*Srinath watched him uneasily. ^His batting record that_ season
1470N09 was impeccable, and he wanted to_ keep it that_ way. ^On the other
1480N09 hand, Patawardhan*'s alternating looks of outrage and beseechment made
1490N09 him jittery. $^*Srinath made a show of being beaten by the fourth ball.
1500N09 ^The Chairman*'s grin of triumph stung him to the quick.
1510N09 $^Throwing discretion to the winds, Srinath timed the next ball with
1520N09 cold blooded precision and sent it soaring over the Chairman*'s head
1530N09 for a six. ^The Chairman*'s face went white as pumice stone; the fielders
1540N09 glanced nervously at each other. ^This was suicide.
1550N09 $^*Srinath felt curiously watery at the knees. ^Crazy thoughts flashed
1560N09 past in his mind. ^He had a family to_ support; instalments to_ be paid
1570N09 on his fridge and his \0TV. ^To_ antagonise the Chairman was pointless,
1580N09 especially while he was still on probation. ^To hell with his batting
1590N09 average; he was going to_ get out. $^The Chairman thundered
1600N09 down the pitch for the last time, heaving and blowing like a dray horse.
1610N09 ^*Srinath shut his eyes and swung mightily. ^He heard the full
1620N09 rich thunk of willow strike leather. ^He opened his eyes in horror,
1630N09 and saw the ball sailing languidly over the pavilion. ^*Patwardhan,
1640N09 regretfully aware of the consequences, composed a short little speech
1650N09 to_ be delivered to \0Mr Srinath the next morning. $^*Ravi,
1660N09 the Chairman*'s stenographer, sat on his haunches in the outfield, thoroughly
1670N09 sick of the game. ^He had fielded in that_ position for over
1680N09 two hours, and not a single ball had come his way. ^And so Ravi
1690N09 amused himself with a little game of his own. ^He wiggled and knotted
1700N09 his fingers, held them up against the sun and studied the strange shapes
1710N09 they made on the grass. $^He was thus engrossed when a stone struck
1720N09 him with stinging force on his neck. ^*Ravi whipped around, murder
1730N09 in his heart, and found the Chairman*'s son taking potshots at him.
1740N09 ^*Ravi grinned feebly at the boy and went back to his artistic efforts.
1750N09 $^A blob of shadow abruptly blacked out his creation,
1760N09 and Ravi*'s head shot up in annoyance. ^It was that_ kid again!
1770N09 ^He untangled his fingers slowly, glaring at the freckled pest.
1780N09 "^Shoo!" he hissed. $"^Hey!" bellowed a voice from the infield.
1790N09 ^*Ravi reared like a startled antelope and saw the ball hurtling towards
1800N09 him, blood red, menacing, chest high.*#
        **[no. of words = 02009**]

        **[txt. 10**]
0040N10 **<3Umsoshun*'s Way*0**> **[leader comment begin**]
0050N10 $^The son of a carpenter, Umsoshun was a fisherman in a class by
0060N10 himself. ^He fished only for the legendary monster fish that_ claimed
0070N10 many lives but had never been caught. **[end leader comment**]
0080N10 $^*Umsoshun threw back the quilts and sat up in his warm and comfortable
0090N10 bed, wondering what had awakened him from his sound sleep.
0100N10 ^For a fleeting moment his dulled mind dwelt on Maya and instantly he
0110N10 was wide awake and acutely embarrassed at his mental lapse.
0111N10 $^He gave a nervous laugh and slapped his arms till the embarrassment
0120N10 wore off enough to_ allow him to_ think properly.
0130N10 ^Swinging his legs off the bed, he adroitly sidestepped
0140N10 the large tureen-shaped iron charcoal warmer on the floor. ^After a
0150N10 few yawns, stretches and face rubs, he crossed the dark room to_ open
0160N10 the window for a quick check on the weather conditions outside and to_
0170N10 gauge accurately the time of the day. $^The night was brilliantly
0180N10 clear with stars shining brightly in the brittle cold. ^He quickly
0190N10 shut the window and returned to_ sit on his bed. ^Quickly he cleaned
0200N10 and filled his hand-carved pipe in the darkness for the first smoke
0210N10 of the day. $^The pungent, unblended "country" tobacco the hillmen
0220N10 used always brought on a prolonged fit of coughing at the first pipeful,
0230N10 which would pass with his second inhalation. ^Then he would
0240N10 be able to_ think his secret thoughts, in an almost trancelike state,
0250N10 his mind still as a sheet of water without a ripple, wave or splash
0260N10 to_ mar its shining surface. ^In a few minutes he would be ready to_
0270N10 cope with whatever problems the day held in store for him. $^But
0280N10 today was different. $^For today was the day! ^He was quite sure
0290N10 of it. ^Now he knew why he had woken up so suddenly-- and so early.
0300N10 $^*Umsoshun felt thrilled at the prospect of his long quest coming
0310N10 to an end at last. ^His excitement bordered on a state of bitter-sweet
0320N10 euphoria. ^For Umsoshun was a fisherman in a class by himself.
0330N10 ^He fished only for the legendary monster fish that_ many claimed
0340N10 to_ have seen, hooked even, but never caught. ^Many good
0350N10 fishermen, including Umsoshun*'s father, had met their doom by being
0360N10 dragged to the bottomless depths of the large, lake Barapani, by the monster
0370N10 fish. $^Such was the fearsome legend of the monster fish that only
0380N10 the bravest of the brave dared to_ fish in the lake-- and then always
0390N10 in a large gang, ready to_ help one another to_ get away quickly should
0400N10 the monster fish ever take up the challenge of their light hook and
0410N10 line, which were really meant for far smaller fish. ^In spite of
0420N10 all these precautions, there was always a hue and cry about someone*'s
0430N10 line being snapped, rod broken or even swept away by the monster fish.
0440N10 ^Some fishermen began carrying loaded double-barrelled shotguns at
0450N10 the ready while fishing in the Barapani. $^Strangely enough, in
0460N10 all the years that_ Umsoshun had been seeking the legendary monster
0470N10 fish, he had never seen it, let alone fought it. ^But he knew it
0480N10 was true. ^His father, a carpenter by trade, had told him of his
0490N10 struggles with the monster, before his mysterious disappearance while
0500N10 fishing in the Barapani. ^*Umsoshun could not, and would not,
0510N10 believe that the monster fish had overcome and destroyed his father.
0520N10 ^He had always felt that there must be another explanation: in fact,
0530N10 he was quite sure that there was another reason for his father*'s death.
0540N10 $^Many fishermen hinted that it was a certain type of bait alone
0550N10 that_ drew the legendary monster fish. ^But, as each of them guarded
0560N10 the secret of his bait better than he guarded his life, the exact
0570N10 ingredients in the composition that_ seemed to_ attract the fish was
0580N10 never made known to Umsoshun. ^And Umsoshun, as an outsider,
0590N10 appreciated the added challenge of finding the exact bait for the monster
0600N10 himself. $^Over the years, he had tried every conceivable bait
0610N10 from the live, dead and the long dead to liquor mash (which attracted
0620N10 the deadly cobras for miles around!) and certain berries and herbs, singly
0630N10 and in every combination that_ he could imagine. ^His only clue
0640N10 was a distant memory of a certain smell that_ had come from his father*'s
0650N10 creel, before it was deliberately disguised by other false baits,
0660N10 on the day his father had disappeared so long ago. ^In desperation,
0670N10 when everything he tried had failed, Umsoshun sat down and thought,
0680N10 till he managed to_ dredge up the exact smell for his senses.
0690N10 ^At last he was sure he had the same remembered smell coming from his bait
0700N10 and knew that the legendary monster fish would be forced to_ accept his
0710N10 challenge. $^The sky was still dark and coldly lit by stars when
0720N10 Umsoshun, clad in an old navy-blue suit and a roll-neck pullover of
0730N10 the same colour, left his four-roomed wooden house, built with his own
0740N10 hands for Maya. ^Along with the neatly constructed house, he
0750N10 had made every single article of furniture in the house as well, for he
0760N10 was a carpenter by trade-- as his father before him. ^An honoured
0770N10 and well-paid trade in Meghalaya, where most homes were built of wood.
0780N10 $^Ever since Maya had run away with a truck driver from the plains,
0790N10 he had stopped the habit of looking back at his house perched on
0800N10 a hill from the main Gauhati Road. ^Today, for some reason,
0810N10 he looked back at the empty and unlocked building, before hurrying on
0820N10 with quick hillman*'s strides to the workshop at Mawlai to_ catch a
0830N10 truck going past the Barapani on its way to Gauhati. $^The sky was
0840N10 a faint grey when the truck dropped him off about a mile from the lake.
0850N10 ^After the warmth of the crowded vehicle, the cold seemed even
0860N10 more intense, Umsoshun quickly left the road and plunged into the tangled
0870N10 undergrowth that_ was for him a familiar path which led to a secluded
0880N10 area of the Barapani, and his secret fishing spot, near the big
0890N10 white notice-board that said in black: NO FISHING, TRESPASSESRS WILL
0900N10 BE PROSECUTED. ^It looked like a big white cross expectantly waiting
0910N10 for a victim to_ be nailed to it. $^The spectacular Shillong
0920N10 dawn was just breaking over the still waters of the Barapani when
0930N10 Umsoshum happily completed the mysterious rituals of the dedicated
0940N10 fisherman. ^He sat back to_ enjoy a well-earned pipe and the lovely
0950N10 dawn, while he waited for his adversary, the legendary monster fish,
0960N10 to_ show himself and accept the challenge of Umsoshun, the master
0970N10 carpenter and great fisherman of the Garo, Khasi and Jaintia Hills.
0980N10 $^The red orb of the sun had nearly cleared the low, pine-wooded
0990N10 hills in the east, when Umsoshun*'s antagonist struck suddenly and
1000N10 without the slightest warning. ^The blow was delivered with such speed,
1010N10 force and stealth that it almost proved to_ be fatal. ^The reel
1020N10 screamed in loud protest at the magnitude of the attack before the rod
1030N10 flew out of umsoshun*'s hand. ^Only his amazing hillman*'s reflexes
1040N10 saved the situation. $^He catapulted himself forward in a magnificent
1050N10 dive ater the flying rod and snatched it in mid air. ^The
1060N10 sizzling speed of the heavy-duty line cut the fingers of his left hand
1070N10 to the bone, but his grip on the rod never loosened for an instant,
1080N10 even when his dive ended in the cold waters of the Barapani. $^His
1090N10 long battle to_ reach firm ground again was of heroic proportions
1100N10 with the outcome always in doubt. ^Again and again, all seemed
1110N10 lost, but somehow Umsoshun hung on to his rod with one hand while he
1120N10 desperately grabbed at the weak weeds, floating twigs, branches and
1130N10 anything else that_ came within his flailing reach. ^The end of this
1140N10 unequal struggle did not seem far off-- anyone who has ever had the
1150N10 humiliating and completely demoralising experience of falling into deep
1160N10 water with a hooked fighting fish at the end of his line, even a
1170N10 small fighting fish, will never forget the terrifying helplessness of
1180N10 his situation. ^And this was the legendary monster fish of the
1190N10 Barapani! ^Older than Man, it was said, and infinitely more
1200N10 cunning-- and dangerous. $^*Umsoshun seemed to_ be fighting an
1210N10 eternal fight with an adversary with all the power and force of his
1220N10 accumulated memory and will. ^Refusing to_ give up hope or to_ accept
1230N10 defeat in this new round of a very old fight. $^His adversary
1240N10 could have easily won the battle by first dragging Umsoshun into the
1250N10 middle of the huge lake, then down into the bottomless depths of the
1260N10 Barapani, instead of around the shallow edge of the lake; but maybe
1270N10 the monster fish didn*'4t want to_ win such an easy victory....
1280N10 ^Maybe he wanted to_ taunt Umsoshun first to_ make him better understand
1290N10 the enormity of the conflict, so that he would be crushed in spirit
1300N10 long before the end... $^*Umsoshun perceived that he was being taunted.
1310N10 ^In utter desperation he prayed for a miracle. ^And his grasping
1320N10 hand fastened on a thick leafless branch, just as his legs came
1330N10 into hard contact with the long-submerged trunk of a giant tree still
1340N10 solid and firmly rooted. $^After recovering his breath, and offering
1350N10 his thanks for the miracle, he slowly began to_ fight his way, inch
1360N10 by precious inch, along the wide but slippery tree-trunk to the far
1370N10 shore. $^Once on the shore, the battle was far more furious. ^It
1380N10 raged for hours, or maybe it was days, for Time stood still and watched
1390N10 the old, old struggle. ^Even the sun seemed to_ delay his descent
1400N10 when Umsoshun, bone-tired and soul-weary, victoriously hauled the
1410N10 almost dead monster fish ashore. $^Resting his shaking limbs for a few
1420N10 minutes, Umsoshun approached the monster fish with caution, but it
1430N10 was quite dead now. $^Taking a thick rope from his haversack, he
1440N10 secured it to the monster*'s tail. ^Slowly he dragged it to the white
1450N10 notice-board and, after a great deal of manoeuvring, he managed to_
1460N10 lay it at the foot of the white cross, like an offering, which it
1470N10 really was. ^Then Umsoshun knelt in earnest prayer till the setting
1480N10 sun threw a ray of brilliant light upon him, the monster fish and
1490N10 the white cross. $^When the light slowly disappeared, Umsoshun got
1500N10 to his feet and took a long look around. ^His job was over. ^He
1510N10 picked up his rod and wound in the line, then picked up his creel and
1520N10 haversack, and went to the water*'s edge. $^In quick succession,
1521N10 he threw rod and reel, creel and haversack, as far as he
1530N10 could into the Barapani. ^Then, at a firm and dignified pace,
1540N10 he entered the Barapani. ^It was time to_ go his way and only
1550N10 the ripples marked his going. $**<COUSIN SHIV AND THE FLOWER
1560N10 CHILD**> $^Cousin shiv*'s experience with the hippie girl is
1570N10 one of the jokes in the family which he has not been able to_ live
1580N10 down. ^It happened in those earlier days when the hippies called themselves
1590N10 the Flower People. ^*Shiv was thirtyfive, a confirmed
1600N10 bachelor and very set in his ways. $^Everyone agreed he needed to_
1610N10 do some walking, for he was terribly out of condition. ^His shoulders
1620N10 sloped, and his midriff sagged. ^Someone at his office had talked
1630N10 of the fabulous Valley of Flowers and he suddenly announced his decision
1640N10 to_ spend his summer holiday hiking there. $^None of the family
1650N10 thought he seriously intended to_ go until he began hunting in the
1660N10 house for his father*'s old scouting gear. ^In a tin trunk he found
1670N10 a leather belt with the brass buckle badly tarnished, and he set to
1680N10 polishing it up. ^It had a small clasp knife with three blades, all
1690N10 blunt, and a clip for hanging a mug. $^His old mother was worried.
1700N10 "^Is it safe?" she asked. $"^What do you mean, mama? ^*I*3'm
1710N10 not an adolescent girl!" he said indignantly. $"^No-- but I
1720N10 was thinking about leopards and wild beasts," she replied. $^He regarded
1730N10 her blankly. ^His right eye is always slower to_ move than his
1740N10 left, and because both of his eyes are seldom aligned, he often
1750N10 looks very blank.*#
        **[no. of words = 02024**]

        **[txt. n11**]
0010N11 **<*3MANY A SMILE*0**> $"*3^*DELHI*0 without the *4Badshah, eh?
0020N11 ^Next you will think of a-a-a," Latbar*'s bright look eagerly flitted
0030N11 around for a smile. ^To Bapi who had raised the question, his eyes
0040N11 seemed like a pair of buzzing bees in search of honey. $"^Of a cat
0050N11 without a tail!" advanced Ravi. $"^A *4Badshah cannot be compared
0060N11 to a tail, you see," observed Badal. "^It should be rather a tail
0070N11 without a cat!" $^But the cat is not the only creature to_ carry
0080N11 about a tail! ^You could as well say a tail without a monkey, a donkey,
0090N11 a...." $"^Stop!" shouted Latbar. ^His face had brightened up.
0100N11 "^If you can think of Delhi without the *4Badshah, you can as well
0110N11 think of Bapi without a weeping face!" $"^Ho ho ho!" laughed Ravi,
0120N11 Badal, Dhumal, Jay, Shiv and Saboo, all six and all at once. $^*Bapi,
0130N11 on the verge of weeping, got up and walked away, although most certainly
0140N11 he did not want to_. ^It was a wonderful morning and no doubt
0150N11 the outing was going to_ be a great experience with Latbar leading,
0160N11 telling the exciting story of his life all the while. $^It was true
0170N11 that Bapi wept at the slightest pique. ^And he secretly wondered how
0180N11 Ravi, Badal and the rest kept their facial muscles and the waters
0190N11 behind their eyes under check even when the teacher made them stand
0200N11 on the bench for hours at a stretch. ^Once Bapi went without drinking
0210N11 water for three days so that the eyes had nothing to_ shed even
0220N11 when provoked to_ weep. ^But the experiment failed. ^Tears flowed
0230N11 all the same. $^*Bapi looked over his shoulder after taking a few steps.
0240N11 ^*Dhumal signalled him to_ return. ^*Bapi was too glad to_ obey
0250N11 him although his face continued to_ look slightly bigger than its
0260N11 usual size. $^The boys were listening to Latbar with rapt attention.
0270N11 ^That_ was natural, for, he was the only one from the village to_
0280N11 live in the city and he had a pair of moustaches the like of which the
0290N11 kids had seen only in mythological books-- robust, thick, and majestically
0300N11 curled upward at their edges. $"^So, as soon as the *4Badshah
0310N11 saw me, he hollered to_ say that I could not sport such wonderful
0320N11 moustaches which his father or even grandfather never sported. ^*I
0330N11 revealed to him that these were not my moustaches, but of the demon
0340N11 that_ lived on the Peacock hill on the outskirts of my village.
0350N11 ^On my defeating the demon in a wrestling bout, he surrendered them
0360N11 to me as was the custom with the demons, and since then they have been
0370N11 mine," Latbar said with a chuckle. $"^How?" ^*Bapi interjected.
0380N11 "^If they were not originally yours, they won*'4t sit on your skin
0390N11 biting it so tightly, I suppose!" $"^You suppose, do you? ^*I
0400N11 suppose you are the greatest blockhead this side of the river,"
0410N11 Latbar growled. $^*Bapi*'s
0420N11 lips twisted like a plastic spoon held on an oven and two drops
0430N11 of tears flowed down his cheeks incredibly fast. $"^Your face will
0440N11 make even a laughing hyena melt away in tears," observed Latbar.
0450N11 $^And no sooner had he said this than Bapi*'s eyes were leaking
0460N11 again. $"^Pity, you will damp the place wherever you go," said Jay
0470N11 with a sigh. $"^Pity, indeed," agreed the others. $^*Bapi too
0480N11 nodded his agreement while wiping his eyes. ^There was no use disputing
0490N11 the fact that_ people always frowned on him for his readiness to_
0500N11 draw a face as long as a cucumber. $^*Latbar threw away his half-burnt
0510N11 *4bidi and went on: $"^The *4Badshah was willing to_ give me
0520N11 a thousand gold *4mohurs should I agree to_ cut only the twirled edges
0530N11 of my moustaches." $"^But nobody uses gold *4mohurs nowadays!"
0540N11 ^*Bapi cut in. $"^Shut up!" bellowed Latbar. $"^You don*'4t expect
0550N11 a *4Badshah to_ handle your rusted coins and dirty notes, do you?"
0560N11 asked Shiv. ^Others looked at Bapi with contempt. $^*Latbar continued:
0570N11 $"^But I refused to_ be tempted. ^Then, do you know what he did?
0580N11 ^You don*'4t, I bet, though it had appeared in all the newspapers
0590N11 of the world," Latbar dared his listeners to_ say that they
0600N11 knew! $"^We don*'4t know, we must admit!" said Jay. ^Others nodded
0610N11 and clucked in agreement. $"^Not in all the newspapers," Bapi
0620N11 honestly tried to_ correct Latbar. "^My father receives by post
0630N11 the weekly *3Lion*'s Roar.*0 ^Had anything about you and the *4Badshah
0640N11 appeared in its pages he should have told mummy and I should
0650N11 have heard!" ^*Bapi observed again. $"^Shut up, I say!" screamed
0660N11 Latbar. "^*I will be the last man to_ take you with me."
0670N11 $^The cart had already arrived. ^*Latbar ordered the boys to_ get in,
0680N11 but he barred entry to Bapi. $"^But I am interested to_ know what
0690N11 the *4Badshah did to you! ^Really!" ^*Bapi pleaded, his voice
0700N11 cracking at every other word. $^But the cart started, leaving him behind.
0710N11 ^He stood stunned. ^He could feel that his friends kept looking
0720N11 at him from the receding cart, with eyefuls of sympathy-- even one
0730N11 or two of them with mist in their eyes perhaps. ^But, for his sake
0740N11 they could not have given up the chance of going to_ see the other
0750N11 side of the Peacock hill. ^That_ was a beautiful valley from which
0760N11 could be seen the sweet little river flowing down the hill. ^Who ever
0770N11 offered to_ take the boys on a ride there? $^The summer vacation
0780N11 was coming to a close. ^The day was not far when the two *4pandits
0790N11 of the primary school would return from their faraway homes, bringing
0800N11 with them glistening new canes, eager to_ try them on the backs of
0810N11 the boys. ^The mighty Latbar too would be back in his city soon,
0820N11 where his chief preoccupations, as he confided to the boys, was to_
0830N11 eat lollipops and give company to a certain princess. $^Crossing the
0840N11 hill would have been a short-cut to the valley. ^But who was not afraid
0850N11 of the demon on the hill? ^Almost the first thing every infant in
0860N11 the village knew, after knowing its *4ma and *4ba, was all about the
0870N11 demon, his shovel-like teeth, long lolling tongue, a tummy that_ put
0880N11 an elephant to shame, and an infinite appetite for such tots who cried
0890N11 a lot or pestered their fathers with too many queries. $^*Latbar
0900N11 who had for his trophy the demon*'s moustaches could of course slay
0910N11 the creature, but, as he declared, he was not sure how many of his hapless
0920N11 little companions the demon would gobble up before he had the
0930N11 time to_ hack him to pieces. $^The cart disappeared at the distant bend.
0940N11 ^*Bapi now turned to_ look around. ^Not a soul was nearby. ^He
0950N11 broke out into a wail, but took care not to_ allow it to_ grow too loud.
0960N11 $^A little bird tittered and flew off the tree. ^It once circled
0970N11 above Bapi*'s head and darted straightway towards the Peacock
0980N11 hill. $*3^*BAPI*0 stopped wailing. ^In his aloneness he felt a new
0990N11 strength. ^No, there was no question of his going back home. ^His face
1000N11 would easily betray him and he would become a laughing stock before
1010N11 his younger brother and sister. ^The latter, too young to_ understand
1020N11 the meaningfulness of an excursion, nevertheless realised
1030N11 that her elder brother was going, to_ do something which was a
1040N11 grown-up*'s privilege. $^On the top of the Peacock hill the trees
1050N11 swayed in the breeze. ^*Bapi fixed his gaze on the hazy scene for full
1060N11 five minutes. ^The scene, seemed quite amicable, even inviting.
1070N11 $^And, in a lightning flash, a fantastic question disturbed his mind:
1080N11 ^Could he not cross the hill and reach the riverside, all alone?
1090N11 ^That_ should be exciting, wonderful, only if he could make it!"
1100N11 $^But that_ would also mean daring the demon. ^That_ was unimaginable.
1110N11 $^But suppose he could give the demon the slip? ^He had even
1120N11 a faint notion that a man*'s night was a demon*'s day. ^This
1130N11 hour of the morning was perhaps early evening for the demon and he might
1140N11 be just preparing to_ fall asleep! $^*Bapi was surprised-- and no
1150N11 less thrilled-- to_ see that he had already started walking in the direction
1160N11 of the hill. ^It was the first ever time in his life that he
1170N11 was going anywhere alone, guided by nothing but the sheer spirit of
1180N11 his own. $^Every step through the bushy meadow was sensational, every
1190N11 sudden movement of a squirrel here and a mongoose there, every
1200N11 sound made by a sparrow or a partridge was titillating. $^He had hardly
1210N11 covered half a mile when what should he see but a real rabbit! ^It
1220N11 stood on its hind legs and watched him till he had enough time to_ say,
1230N11 "^Yes, yes, I know you. ^You should know that right last year I
1240N11 finished my alphabet book, the cover of which shows you writing the
1250N11 first letter of your name!" $^And all his hair stood on end when he
1260N11 began climbing the hill. $"^Is it not amazing that I am really
1270N11 doing this?" he would ask himself again and again. "^But why?" he
1280N11 would ask next, "^If a squirrel, a rabbit-- and there goes a jackal-- could
1290N11 do it, why on earth should Bapi fail?" $^It was all right so
1300N11 far as squirrels and rabbits and even jackals were concerned. ^But they
1310N11 were not the only creatures to_ inhabit the hill and the forest.
1320N11 ^He did not know what exactly a laughing hyena is. ^But he was sure
1330N11 it would be fun to_ see it melt away in tears, looking at him-- as
1340N11 Latbar said it would. $^But there were also wolves and tigers, and
1350N11 to_ top all, the demon himself! ^For a moment Bapi*'s legs seemed
1360N11 paralyzed. ^But just then he caught sight of Latbar*'s cart crawling
1370N11 like a caterpillar along the road far away. ^He forgot the wolves
1380N11 and the tigers and the demon. ^He climbed the upper half of the hill,
1390N11 on all fours, as fast as a spider. $^He was on the top at last!
1400N11 ^He had heard from several elders of the village that it pays to_
1410N11 be cautious. ^So, he hid behind a rock and peeped out. ^And what
1420N11 he saw made him disbelieve his own eyes for a while. ^A little girl
1430N11 sat leaning against a boulder, munching a guava, her legs stretched
1440N11 in his direction. ^Beside her was a sack full of ripe guavas. $^It
1450N11 would have been difficult for Bapi to_ say whether it was the sweet
1460N11 little girl or the sweet round guavas which drew him out. $"^Hey!"
1470N11 he exclaimed. ^She started. ^The half-eaten guava was between her teeth.
1480N11 ^But her jaws were still. $"^Are you by any chance the demon*'s
1490N11 daughter?" ^*Bapi asked. $"^No," the girl answered plainly. $"^Neither
1500N11 am I the demon*'s son," Bapi assured her, fixing his gaze
1510N11 on the guavas. $^The girl immediately picked up a big guava from the
1520N11 sack and offered it to him. ^Her jaws were active again. $^By and
1530N11 by Bapi understood that she-- her name was Malli-- came from a small
1540N11 hamlet that_ was situated on the hill itself, nor far below the slope
1550N11 leading to the valley on the other side. $^*Malli soon got over her
1560N11 shyness and guided Bapi to various parts of her little world on the
1570N11 hill. ^Nearby was the stream that_ grew broader and broader as it
1580N11 flowed down. ^Sweet was its murmur. ^A number of tiny birds frolicked
1590N11 over it, dipping their beaks and wings in the shallow flow and spraying
1600N11 the water around themselves, scattering numerous tiny rainbows.
1610N11 $^The sky itself seemed so close to the peak that Bapi felt he could
1620N11 blow at the frothy clouds! $^He could also see the road that_ spanned
1630N11 the hill, with the cart still dragging on. $"^*I must go," he said
1640N11 after playing hide and seek with Malli for a few minutes. ^He must
1650N11 be down in the valley before the cart. $"^Take some guavas," said Malli.
1660N11 $"^*I have six friends in that_ cart yonder. ^Do you think you
1670N11 can afford as many guavas?"*#
        **[no. of words = 02006**]

        **[txt. n12**]
0010N12 **<*3THE UNENDING SEARCH*0**> $^It was announced from the cockpit of
0020N12 the aerofloat that we were 5,000 \0ft. above the Halang Bay, 165 \0kms.
0030N12 from Hanoi and that the plane was likely to_ touch down within half
0040N12 an hour at the International Hanoi Airport known as Gia Lam Airport.
0050N12 ^Incidentally that_ was the first Russian passenger plane to_ land
0051N12 after
0060N12 29th March 1973 when the last *(0G. I.*) left Vietnam. $^Momentarily
0070N12 my thoughts went back to those days when I and Hai, an intimate name
0080N12 with which I often used to_ call her, spent some days and relaxed in that_
0090N12 island and in Lake Ba Be mountain resort 175 \0kms. from Hanoi and
0100N12 also paid visits to the But Thap Pagoda where the one-thousand-eyed
0110N12 armed Bodhisatwa was located at a distance of only 20 \0kms. away from
0120N12 Hanoi. ^During those memorable days when there was some respite from
0130N12 the severe strain undergone, after continuous working with the revolutionaries
0140N12 fighting agaist the French colonial aggressors, we used to_
0150N12 manage to_ keep some time to ourselves and to_ visit those beautiful places.
0160N12 $^Fortunately there was no bombing and no snipers then. ^Moving
0170N12 round rowing in an yacht round the Halang Bay Island and the mountain
0180N12 resort, going hand in hand round the Buddha, we spent time, all to
0190N12 ourselves, which passed unnoticed and made us forget for a while the troubles
0200N12 and tribulations we underwent in fulfilling the tasks entrusted to
0210N12 us with the revolutionary forces. ^It was then for the first time Hai
0220N12 (her full name is Nguven Din Hai), had narrated with tears in her eyes
0230N12 the sorrowful tale of woe of her family and how like many other families
0240N12 in Vietnam the family had become a victim of the French colonialists
0250N12 and got hardened with sufferings which emboldened them to_ stand the
0260N12 strain of facing the aggression against their freedom and to_ defend their
0270N12 country. ^Those were the days just before the final battle of Dien
0280N12 Bien
0281N12 Phiew situated 600 \0kms. from Hanoi in a valley surrounded by mountains
0290N12 when on 20-11-*'353 the French colonialists supported by mercenaries
0300N12 supplied by other colonialist powers finally suffered a humiliating defeat
0310N12 by **[sic**] the Vietnamese revolutionaries and the bulk of their
0311N12 forces with
0320N12 all officers surrendered which resulted in the birth of a free Vietnam.
0330N12 $^*Hai*'s mother was working in a hospital run by the revolutionaries
0340N12 as a volunteer. ^Flouting international law the French colonialists
0350N12 mostly consisting of *7Gendermare and mercenaries from South Africa,
0360N12 Thailand and South Korea attacked the hospital in a surprise raid,
0370N12 killed all the patients, attacked doctors, nurses and other volunteers
0380N12 who were rendering medical aid to patients and savagely raped some of
0390N12 the nurses and young girl volunteers. ^*Hai*'s father was killed in that_
0400N12 raid and her mother was raped by three French soldiers one after another
0410N12 on a hospital bed from which a patient killed earlier was removed.
0420N12 ^She could not bear the barbarity of the attrocities and humiliation.
0430N12 ^Like a true revolutionary, in a savage fight, she killed three French
0440N12 soldiers with a knife and killed herself before she could be caught. ^*Hai
0450N12 was at that_ time only 15 years. ^She managed to_ escape with some
0460N12 Guerillas and joined the revolutionaries behind the lines of battle. ^She
0470N12 was attached as a volunteer as she had some training as a nurse from
0480N12 her mother to a ramshackle of a hospital built with rags behind the trenches
0490N12 dug by the revolutionaries to_ prevent the French from marching forward
0500N12 at a distance of 15 \0kms. from Dien Bien Phiew where the main
0510N12 battle was raging to_ decide the fate of Vietnam. $^*I met her for the
0511N12 first
0520N12 time in that_ hospital. ^*I was attached as a doctor to that_ hospital
0530N12 in the front line. ^That_ was my 4th hospital in the front line. ^Earlier
0540N12 I had served in three other hospitals situated at a distance of 200
0550N12 to 300 miles from Hanoi; all the time, working with squads of
0551N12 Guerillas
0560N12 and revolutionaries, attending to the wounded in make shift shelters
0570N12 and in villages nearby where the patriotic villagers gave them shelter
0580N12 and provided all amenities. ^We were like one family. ^We were also attending
0590N12 to the sick and injured in the villages who often became victims
0600N12 to shelling and bombing. $^My first visit to Vietnam was in December
0610N12 *'352 when along with Chikovasky, another Russian friend, I volunteered
0620N12 to_ serve with the revolutionary forces to_ help them in their fight
0630N12 against the French colonialists. ^He was a pilot and immediately after
0640N12 arrival helped in arranging defences against air raids manning anti-air-craft
0650N12 guns, preparing the population against air raids and providing the
0660N12 necessary expertise to_ build an air defence which later on became a vulnerable
0670N12 force. ^*I was a doctor by profession. ^My parents gave me the
0680N12 name of Furmanov, after a great Russian writer, though I had taken to
0690N12 the medical profession, because of my father*'s great interest in literature.
0700N12 $^*Hai when I first met her was very shy. ^She had school education
0710N12 in the local language and also knew French. ^She could write and
0711N12 read both
0720N12 the languages fluently. ^By the time I met her I had already lived
0730N12 in Vietnam for about an year and already had working knowledge of the
0740N12 local language. ^*I could talk to her in broken Vietnamese. ^*I knew also
0750N12 a little of French. ^*I could speak to her in French in a way she
0760N12 could understand. ^*I had not known how to_ write the languages. ^She, however,
0770N12 preferred to_ talk only in Vietnamese which I reciprocated knowing
0780N12 her sentiments. ^Within two months she taught me how to_ read the Vietnamese
0790N12 language. ^*I could read as well as write to some extent. ^*I
0800N12 also taught her Russian which she briskly picked up. ^Thus our intimacy
0810N12 grew. $^*I still remember the day when two soldiers of the revolutionary
0820N12 army were injured and brought to our hospital. ^She was attending to
0830N12 them and was in tears, while cleaning their wounds. ^On my questioning
0840N12 she took me aside and with deep sorrow narrated that there were no medicines
0850N12 even to_ wash the wounds and no dressing materials and that she
0860N12 was using a local decoction with some leaves which were commonly used for
0870N12 anti-biotic purpose in the area. ^*I could understand her feelings but
0880N12 could do nothing. ^*I gave her some rags which were disinfected by boiling
0890N12 and used for dressing. ^*I learnt later that the decoction used by
0900N12 her was medicinal and served as a good anti-biotic. ^It was during that_
0910N12 period she received a sharpenel in the back of her right shoulder and
0920N12 though blood was oozing out she still insisted to_ serve the patients.
0930N12 ^*I had to_ forcibly remove her to bed, remove the sharpenel and bandage
0940N12 her wound. ^She had to_ be confined to the bed **[sic**] for a week,
0941N12 thereafter, during
0950N12 which period our intimacy grew further. $^Suddenly my thoughts stopped
0960N12 when the airhostess announced that the plane would land at the Hanoi
0970N12 airport within 10 minutes and instructed us to_ fasten our seat belts.
0980N12 ^Within minutes our plane landed smoothly at the airport. $^Everything
0990N12 was peaceful there. ^The damage done during the bloody fighting had been
1000N12 repaired. ^There were three formal sentries at the gate. ^The airport
1010N12 and customs staff going about their duties normally. ^The baggage checking
1020N12 was done efficiently and briskly though in a formal way and with courtesy.
1030N12 ^Within twenty minutes I entered the passenger lounge where I
1040N12 met Sister Michael of the Swedish Red Cross, Squadron Leader Quang
1050N12 Dinh and Doctor Phoung. ^They took me to the Red Cross Centre situated
1060N12 in the heart of Hanoi where I was accommodated in one of the staff
1070N12 rooms. ^It was noon by then. ^Without my asking, Sister Michael narrated
1080N12 to me the details of the enquiries made by her and wanted me to_
1090N12 get ready within half an hour to_ follow her. $^*I was ready even in the
1100N12 plane. ^However, I got tidy to_ be presentable within 10 minutes and
1110N12 sat down waiting, brooding over the past. $^*Hai, again came to my mind.
1120N12 ^Just before a fortnight of the final battle at Dien Bien Phiew,
1130N12 I and Hai were detained to_ work in the forward post in the hospital
1140N12 attached to the First Brigade of the \0D.R.V.N.M. which was taking
1150N12 the main brunt of the battle with the French forces. ^The very first
1160N12 night we had to_ attend to about 1,000 wounded. ^We had of course enough
1170N12 supplies and equipment. ^As the war gained intensity, we were shifted
1180N12 to a place 5 \0kms. from the main battle front to_ take charge of a major
1190N12 hospital there. ^We had to_ do work almost round the clock and had no
1200N12 time to_ think of anything else. ^It was all over within 10 days and the
1210N12 great heroic people of Vietnam won the battle and the French colonialists
1220N12 suffered a humiliating defeat. ^*French army in thousands surrendered
1230N12 including several thousands of officers; lots of ammunition, vehicles
1240N12 and armaments were surrendered and there was celebration all over Vietnam
1250N12 of the great victory won by the gallant people of the republic under
1260N12 the indomitable leadership of the great Ho Chi Minh. $^In spite
1270N12 of the success of the Vietnamese people there was all round gloom and the
1280N12 leaders of the top knew that they had to_ get ready to_ face another
1290N12 bloody war to_ fight the American colonialists and the stooges set up
1291N12 by
1300N12 them in South Vietnam under the then reactionary Nge Dinh Diem. ^Political
1310N12 leaders compared the situation to the period immediately after
1320N12 the declaration of Independence of United Vietnam on September 2, 1945,
1330N12 by the Great Ho Chi Minh who declared that "^All people on earth
1340N12 are equal from birth and have a right to_ live to_ be happy and free"
1350N12 when on 6-3-*'346 the French landed at Haipong and waged a fresh
1351N12 colonial
1360N12 war of reconquest from 1946 to 1954. ^It was only after their defeat in
1370N12 1953 at Dien Bien Phiew that the Geneva Agreement was arrived at
1380N12 accepting the Ben-Hai river near the 17th parallel, north of Hue as the
1390N12 line of demarcation between South and North Vietnams. ^The Americans
1400N12 used South Vietnam as a base for their colonialism contrary to the
1410N12 Geneva spirit. ^The same suspicion prevailed everywhere. $^It was decided
1420N12 by the \0DRVNM in January 1955 that many of the untrained nurses
1430N12 who had experience and served **[sic**] with the revolutionaries in
1431N12 the war should
1440N12 be sent for regular training to_ undergo short-term intensive courses
1450N12 in nursing to friendly countries. ^*I undertook to_ take a batch to
1460N12 Russia for imparting to them such training. ^The arrangements were made
1470N12 within a week and a group of one hundred was organised, whom I had taken
1480N12 to Russia. ^*Hai was included in the group and was its leader. $^The
1490N12 three months we stayed together in Russia were memorable. ^All the girls
1500N12 completed the course with dedication. ^They also got some working knowledge
1510N12 of Russian. ^It was then that we decided to_ marry. ^The representative
1520N12 of the \0DRVNM in Russia was contacted and in his presence
1530N12 and in the presence of all the nursing sisters, my parents and friends and
1540N12 some representatives of the foreign ministry of \0U.S.S.R. the marriage
1550N12 was celebrated in April, 1955. ^*I remember the day when like all
1560N12 new-weds in Moscow we paid our homage at the tomb of the unknown soldier
1570N12 where the ever-lasting flame was burning in the Lenin square. ^We
1580N12 also paid our homage to the great Lenin at the Lenin *7Mosaliem where
1590N12 his dead body lies in state for all people of the world to_ pay homage.
1600N12 ^*I remember the Red Square we visited. ^The hot water baths we had in
1610N12 the hot water swimming pools and our visit to the Soviet circus, Soviet
1620N12 theatre and the Soviet ballet where we had the unique privilege of
1630N12 seeing the dance of the dying swan. $^We were honoured with bouquets and
1640N12 citations of honour and presented on our return to Hanoi to Uncle Ho
1650N12 Chi Minh, the founding-father of Vietnam, who blessed us.*#
        **[no. of words = 02007**]

        **[txt. n13**]
0010N13 **<*3THE FISH-EYED GODDESS*0**> $^The South beckons to me; the temple-town
0020N13 of Madurai, which means "delicious", and its goddess Meenakshi,
0030N13 the "fish-eyed one." ^Twenty years ago, I had a classmate in Madras. ^He
0040N13 hailed from Madurai. ^His ambition was to_ converse with me in chaste
0050N13 Telugu. ^His ancestors having migrated to the Tamil country, he spoke
0060N13 a corrupt form of Telugu. ^He loved to_ hear me speak the language
0070N13 and wanted to_ reply like one born to the manner. ^We used to_ meet frequently,
0080N13 apparently on account of linguistic affinity. ^But I am not
0090N13 sure what motives really brought us together. ^Perhaps we just liked each
0100N13 other. ^We corresponded for a while after leaving college and then
0110N13 forgot each other. ^After the linguistic division of Indian states, we
0120N13 live within the bounds of our separate spheres and seldom meet. ^Now this
0130N13 call from the Tamilian South, I wonder whether it has anything to_
0140N13 do with my college friend Gurumurti! ^Yea, that_ was his name. ^But I
0150N13 don*'4t think so... $^People from all over India go on pilgrimage to
0160N13 Madurai. ^*I am not religious enough to_ think of pilgrimages. ^*I want
0170N13 to_ go perhaps just for the sake of going: to_ get away from the everyday
0180N13 faces and their worn-out phrases, both of which I have lately come
0190N13 to_ feel as a constraint and an unmitigated burden. ^A bid for freedom.
0200N13 ^Going places where nobody knows me... $^With my wife dead and my three
0210N13 children at school, during the last two years, I*'3ve relished my loneliness,
0220N13 which perhaps has brought about in me some imperceptible change,
0230N13 I have not cared to_ identify or analyse. ^*I keep busy round the
0240N13 clock. ^*I make money. ^*I have no time to_ think of my loneliness. ^Occasionally
0250N13 certain absent-mindedness seizes upon me. ^Then I forget my
0260N13 surroundings. ^*I am gone. ^Unknown to myself. ^After a while I come back
0270N13 with a start and don*'4t remember anything in particular about the experience,
0280N13 if it can at all be called an experience. ^One evening at a
0290N13 *4Bharatanatya recital, it happened. ^From nowhere it came, a mood of
0291N13 melancholy,
0300N13 and emptiness and then forgetfulness. ^*I was nowhere, I lost
0310N13 my moorings. ^When I got back, I felt I was none the worse for it.
0320N13 ^Another time I had to_ get up abruptly from bridge, unable to_ concentrate
0330N13 as the mood seized upon me. ^Excusing myself I went into the toilet,
0340N13 delayed there, and returning, sat at a window looking blankly at the
0350N13 sky, my mind bereft of all thought. ^It was something I couldn*'4t talk
0360N13 about to others. ^There is indeed nothing to_ talk about. ^The "seizure"
0370N13 has been something queer, but nevertheless pleasurable. ^*I haven*'4t
0380N13 thought of avoiding it. ^And now this impulse to_ travel South, I
0390N13 suspect, is a seisure too. ^*I want to_ go... ^Should I go?... ^Yea,
0400N13 for a few days... ^Somewhere into the Southern country?... ^No, to Madurai,
0410N13 the delicious city of the fish-eyed goddess! $^Once I boarded
0420N13 the train, I told myself, the questioning would cease, the insistent questioning
0430N13 in the mind. ^But the mind doesn*'4t want to_ relinquish its responsibility.
0440N13 ^Why am I going to Madurai? ^What is this meaningless excursion?
0450N13 ^Would any sane person undertake a journey like this? ^What is
0460N13 happening to me? ^Why am I going at all?... ^The mind keeps on and on.
0470N13 ^Granted Madurai is delicious in meaning, in sound and in imagination
0480N13 too, nevertheless in actuality, it is only a city, like any other city,
0490N13 and what would you do there in that_ city? ^Of course, I am not at
0500N13 all sure. ^Before entraining, I had a vague idea, or the mind had it,
0510N13 that there would be all the time in the world to_ think, formulate and
0520N13 plan. ^Now that I am in the train the mind is unable to_ make any headway.
0530N13 ^*I say to it in answer, "^Well, then, I will go and have a look
0540N13 at the city of Madurai, visit the temple of goddess Meenakshi, go round
0550N13 the palace of Tirumala Naik, the Telugu king who ruled the city
0560N13 long ago; and after that_ return home with the satisfaction of being a tourist."
0570N13 "^You would have enjoyed it better in the company of friends"
0580N13 counters the mind. ^Friends? ^Ah, there is the rub! ^It is friends I want
0590N13 to_ avoid, it is my language I don*'4t want to_ hear, it is my life
0600N13 I want to_ forget; and forgetting enter freedom, the freedom of Being.
0610N13 ^*I say this firmly to_ silence the mind. ^But there is a lurking
0611N13 doubt
0620N13 whether I am not being foolish!... ^Be that_ as it may, well, why
0630N13 should I not search for my lost friend Gurumurti? ^*I dig up his memory
0640N13 again; but the mind says laughingly, "^You don*'4t have even his old
0650N13 address; where do you start your expedition?" ^Well, I give up... $^Tired
0660N13 of its questioning I ask the mind to_ watch the outside world for
0670N13 a change. ^The men and women and things around me. ^*I am surprised at
0680N13 what I see. ^Being always busy with our own affairs, we look at people
0690N13 with labels across their faces; labels of status, relationship, \0etc.,
0700N13 and within a framework of preconceived notions and ideas. ^Such a procedure
0710N13 is inevitable and necessary too to_ get on in the world. ^But when
0720N13 you have all the time and the freedom of being purposeless, you see
0730N13 people differently and a wholly new vision of human beings unfolds! ^Look
0740N13 at man for instance, as a machine or a marionette, or a strange animal,
0750N13 oh, you observe a lot of fascinating things, things that_ make you
0760N13 laugh and weep... ^There is a family seated on the opposite berth-- husband
0770N13 wife and their six-year-old daughter. ^The relationship is so obvious
0780N13 that I decide to_ ignore it and look at them individually as separate
0790N13 entities. ^What do I see? ^Each one is alone, each one is an island,
0800N13 desperately trying to_ get across; making a lot of sounds and gestures,
0810N13 which all the time fail to_ build bridges. ^What is communicated among
0820N13 them, what is supposed to_ be known to one another, is superficial and
0830N13 unreal merely creating an illusion, an endless deceit! ^Of course it
0840N13 works, the make-believe, till something happens. ^Not a catastrophe, not
0850N13 even a quarrel, some little thing will do to_ show up the nature of this
0860N13 surface world... ^The husband goes into the bathroom. ^His absence
0870N13 in a few moments brings an electric change in the wife, a change in her
0880N13 face, movements and gestures. ^She glances at me, then gives me a frank
0890N13 look, inquiringly, curiously and searchingly; fidgets looking for something--
0900N13 does she really want anything?-- meddles with the newspaper,
0901N13 the
0910N13 napkin and the thermos flask; and says something in her language to her
0920N13 daughter, who is indifferent, lost in her own world of fancy, looking out
0930N13 of the window. ^The woman certainly tries to_ communicate something
0940N13 as a human being to me, which I shall never understand with my intellect.
0950N13 ^This is the gap of civilization. ^The husband returns and she lapses
0960N13 into her wifehood. ^She ignores my existence. ^The presence of her
0970N13 husband is a restraint on her being. ^What she is, what she wants to_ be,
0980N13 he can never know! ^Being a husband! ^No simulation on her part; and
0990N13 no imposition on his part; they look a normally adjusted couple. ^And yet
1000N13 there is this gulf between them. ^In all relationships, perhaps, this
1010N13 is so. ^One \0Mr. Rama Rao is a gentle person with infinite patience,
1020N13 as far as I am concerned. ^He is deep, silent, uncommunicative and hence
1030N13 untrustworthy in the eyes of my colleague. ^The truth of Rama Rao
1040N13 neither of us knows; nobody ever knows. $^No end to this way of thinking
1050N13 if this can be called thinking at all! ^These are questions of a different
1060N13 kind, for which there can be no sure answers... I tell the mind
1070N13 let the questions be! ^*Don*'4t try to_ find answers. $^It is six *(0a.
1080N13 m.*) at Madurai. ^*I leave it to the *4jutkawallah to_ take me to a
1090N13 good hotel. ^*Raya Lodge is evidently named after the Telugu King Krishna
1100N13 Deva Raya, whose viceroy Tirumal Naik had been at Madurai. ^*I
1110N13 am to_ be the paying guest of the great Raya himself! ^As breakfast is
1120N13 served, I inquire of the bearer about the time appropriate to_ visit
1130N13 the temple. ^From the window I see the temple-towers of goddess Meenakshi.
1140N13 ^The morning worship concludes at 8 *(0a. m.*), I am informed.
1150N13 ^So I decide to_ visit the Naik*'s palace instead. ^It is a little away
1160N13 from my lodge, at the other end of the town. ^*I am shocked to_ find
1170N13 Government offices housed in the historical monument. ^*I can*'4t go in.
1180N13 ^Desolate I climb up the stairs and walk on the terrace. ^A bird*'s-eye-view
1190N13 of the city reveals nothing to me. ^The *4Mahal no doubt is
1191N13 sturdily
1200N13 built, but that_ is neither here nor there! ^No sign of the ghost of
1210N13 Tirumal Naik! ^The Government clerks and their clientele have driven
1220N13 him out! ^Is it for this you came to Madurai? ^The question again comes
1230N13 up. ^Avoiding it, I hastily return to_ have my lunch and a midday nap.
1240N13 $^When I get up it is 5 *(0p. m.*) ^After a cup of nice South Indian
1250N13 coffee, I walk straight to the temple. ^At the entrance, I buy the
1260N13 "worship material" by way of good manners. ^As I walk in, the melody
1270N13 of *4Shahnai greets my ears. ^There is a pleasant lake inside, beautiful
1280N13 and serene. ^The sculptures are exquisite. ^It is a different world.
1290N13 ^An American couple is admiring the sculptured figures. ^A fourteen-year-old
1300N13 boy, their guide, talks to them rapidly in English. ^*I proceed
1310N13 to the abode of the deity. ^There is a painted board: "^*Hindus only"
1320N13 non Hindus are not permitted to_ go beyond the lake and the sculptures.
1330N13 ^Further on there is yet another limit. ^If I intend going into the
1340N13 presence of the deity, I have to_ remove my clothing at that_ point.
1350N13 ^*I find many visitors have only an upper-cloth on them, which they twist
1360N13 round the waist as a sort of belt and proceed with naked torsos. ^The
1370N13 rule doesn*'4t apply to women. ^My shirt is my problem and I stop at the
1380N13 limit to_ gaze at the deity from that_ distance. $^The worship proceeds
1381N13 with
1390N13 the recital of Sanskrit hymns. ^*I fail to_ get a satisfactory view
1400N13 of the goddess. ^*I like the atmosphere and the solemnity. ^In the abode
1410N13 I get an extraordinary sensation of frozen time. ^*I seem to_ plummet
1420N13 deep into timelessness and get lost. ^It is like receding in the corridors
1430N13 of history to an obscure point of no return. ^It is awesome and yet
1440N13 blissful. $^The worship over, walking back to the temple entrance, impulsively
1450N13 I look behind. ^*I see a woman and our eyes meet for a fleeting
1460N13 moment. ^*I walk on and after a few steps deliberately slow down. ^*I
1470N13 expect her to_ pass me by. ^She doesn*'4t. ^She too must have slowed;
1480N13 or stopped! ^*I look. ^The distance is maintained. ^*I pause at the temple
1490N13 entrance to_ return the bamboo-container of the worship material to
1500N13 the shopkeeper, pay him and retrieve my footwear left in his custody. ^*I
1510N13 turn to_ look at the woman as she approaches and encounter a straight,
1520N13 inquisitive look from her. ^She is gone and keep wondering whether she
1530N13 smiled to_ greet me, or is it my imagination! ^In a few moments I hurry
1540N13 into the street and look for her. ^The stretch of road in both directions
1550N13 bears no trace of her. ^She is gone. ^*I walk up and down looking
1560N13 into the open doors of houses in a vain attempt to_ find her. ^The feeling
1570N13 gains strength that she greeted me. ^*I desire to_ meet her. ^As the
1580N13 urge to_ see her grows, I regret bitterly my delaying at the shop for
1590N13 the sake of a pair of shoes! ^What wrong priorities!*#
        **[no. of worrds - 02002**]

        **[txt. n14**]
0010N14 **<*3The Secret*0**> $^Once more, the vehicles were on the road, traversing
0020N14 the highway, passing through the variegated landscape, on their way
0030N14 to Trivandrum, in the southernmost part of Kerala, almost at the 'tip'
0040N14 of India. ^Once more, Howard was on the move, in pursuit of the
0050N14 rope trick; or, was it only the rope trick he was looking for. $^Sure
0060N14 enough, Mason was also on the move, following Howard in the manner of
0070N14 a private eye. ^On a bend, Sharma looked back, and finding Mason*'s
0080N14 car, kept staring at it, with a worried look. ^*Howard appeared
0081N14 unconcerned
0090N14 and said, "Sharma, never look back-- always look ahead." $"^Yes, sir,"
0100N14 said Sharma and turned round. ^The ways of the boss were beyond him.
0110N14 $^*Mason, following the caravan, was thinking about Joan. ^Why had she
0120N14 come to this poor country and what was there to_ learn here, he thought.
0130N14 ^She could have gone to Europe. ^To Switzerland. ^Once, while passing
0140N14 through one of the Swiss villages, he had seen some pretty-- yes,
0150N14 very pretty-- girls singing some songs. ^Of course, it was good that this
0160N14 beautiful girl *3had*0 come here, otherwise, he may never have met her.
0170N14 $^*Joan had grown interested in Indian art ever since she had seen
0180N14 a dance recital by Balasaraswati, on a weekend visit to Wesleyan University.
0190N14 ^She had been thrilled by the experience, particularly by the
0200N14 dancer*'s varied and subtle expressions, and her intricate footwork, which
0210N14 revealed a mastery of rhythm. $^After that_, Joan paid frequent visits
0220N14 to Wesleyan University, which had a faculty of Indian music, and
0230N14 attended *4sitar and *4tabla lecture-demonstrations by Indian musicians.
0240N14 ^On Friday evenings, she attended 'Curry Concerts'-- programmes
0250N14 of music by visiting Indian musicians, followed by dinner with Indian
0260N14 curries. ^She heard Ravi Shanker*'s *4sitar, Ali Akbar*'s *4sarod,
0270N14 Ram Narain*'s *4sarangi and Taranath Rao*'s *4tabla, and was especially
0280N14 delighted by some folk songs which she heard-- the *4Baul and
0281N14 the
0290N14 *4Lavni. ^Later, in a cultural show, she saw a film on Indian folk dance
0300N14 which she enjoyed immensely. $^Thus grew Joan*'s fascination for
0310N14 Indian art. ^She desired to_ go to India and make a study of it. ^She
0320N14 discussed the idea with visiting musicians at Wesleyan, who advised her
0330N14 to_ go in for folk art-- folk and traditional songs and dances which,
0340N14 they said, had great variety, and were full of verve, grace and colour.
0350N14 ^They were also easy to_ learn. $^And so it was, that after her
0351N14 graduation,
0360N14 Joan secured a fellowship from the American Institute of Indian
0370N14 studies, for one year, to_ study Indian folk art; gathering whatever information
0380N14 she could from the Tourist Office in New York, she came to
0390N14 India in september. $^On reaching Bombay, she first went to the Bharatiya
0400N14 Vidya Bhavan and then State Information Centres and collected
0410N14 more information. ^She was told that dances like the *4garba and
0411N14 the *4Ras,
0420N14 and songs, were available in plenty in Bombay, but they were sophisticated
0430N14 and stylised. ^The simple, authentic variety was to_ be found
0440N14 only in a few villages. $^*Joan went to Bhavnagar, in Saurashtra, which,
0450N14 she learnt, was a cultural centre. ^From the town, she went to the
0460N14 village of Sihor and decided to_ stay there, despite the advice of well-wishers.
0470N14 ^She wanted to_ imbibe the atmosphere and background of the
0480N14 place and the people, which alone, she felt, would enable her to_ enter
0490N14 into the spirit of her work. $^The villagers, including her hosts, went
0500N14 out of their way to_ help her and make her feel at home. ^*Joan donned
0510N14 the bright clothes of the region-- *4ghagra, *4cholni and *4odhani and
0520N14 thereby became the centre of attraction wherever she went. $^A retired
0530N14 post master offered to_ act as Joan*'s liaison and accompanied her to
0540N14 various places. ^She recorded and filmed the *4garba, *5dandia ras*6,*4tippani
0550N14 and other dances in Sihor and the surrounding villages. ^She
0560N14 recorded many folk songs like '*5Lagnani geeto*6', '*4Simantini',
0561N14 '*4Halardu',
0570N14 and '*4Doha', some of them sung by old women. ^She especially
0580N14 remembered the '*5Viday geet*6'-- song of separation-- when the
0581N14 daughter
0590N14 is leaving for her husband*'s house: "*5Tamere biladu van ni charakali,
0600N14 Udijasho Pardeshyo*6"-- "you are the swallows of this green pasture,yet
0610N14 your fate is to_ fly away to another world." $^In her spare time, Joan
0620N14 helped the womenfolk in the kitchen, despite their protests, making
0630N14 *4rotlas, pressing them into shape with her hands. ^The meal, with rice,
0640N14 Rotlas, *4dungalenu, *4shak and *4chhas tasted mighty good. ^The very
0650N14 novelty of it all, was great fun for her, but she also did not fail
0660N14 to_ observe the simple life of the people around her. $^Once, after a hard
0670N14 day*'s filming in the hot sun, Joan had a headache. ^Her hostess prepared
0680N14 a home remedy-- roots and leaves made into a paste on the grinding
0690N14 stone-- and applied it to her forehead. ^The headache vanished in minutes.
0700N14 ^*Joan learnt a few home remedies for common ailments like colds,
0710N14 indigestion and mild fever. $^*Joan*'s idea was to_ stay at the house
0720N14 as a paying guest, and so, when the time came for her to_ leave, she took
0730N14 out a wad of notes and offered it to her hostess. ^At this, the entire
0740N14 household was aghast. accepting money "*5mehman paseti hoi? ^Nare na!*6"
0750N14 exclaimed the hostess, emphatically. ^It is just not done, they said.
0760N14 ^*Joan felt embarrassed, and at the same time, grateful. ^She wanted
0770N14 to_ pay them at least in kind, but there was no time. "*5^Moto abhar*6,"
0780N14 she said again and again, and left the place with a heavy heart. $^After
0790N14 visiting Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Manipur, Joan came
0800N14 down to Bombay, on her way into Maharashtra. ^In Bombay, she filmed
0810N14 the fishermen*'s Koli dance at Worli village, and recorded some of
0820N14 their old songs. ^Just before leaving for Kolhapur, she attended a Bharata
0830N14 Natyam performance by Janaki, at the Tejpal Auditorium. ^At the
0840N14 end of the recital, she hurried backstage and heartily complimented
0850N14 Janaki and said that she reminded her of Bala-- Bala-- "Balasaraswati?"
0860N14 asked Janaki "^That*'1s right," said Joan. ^*Janaki*'s face beamed
0870N14 with happiness at the comparison. ^From that_ day, Joan and Janaki were
0880N14 drawn to each other and they found that they had much in common, in
0890N14 the realm of art. $^When Janaki heard about Joan*'s assignment and
0900N14 her plan to_ go South, she was excited. ^She had, for long, desired to_
0910N14 acquire a knowledge of folk music and dance, and here was a splendid opportunity.
0920N14 ^She wished that she had met Joan at the very beginning. ^Now,
0930N14 she decided to_ accompany her for the rest of her tour. ^*Joan was very
0940N14 glad when Janaki offered to_ go with her. ^In the South, she could
0950N14 be of real help to Joan, said Janaki. $^And now, here they were,
0960N14 camping at Sangaude, recording folk songs. ^*Joan, somehow, could not
0970N14 forget Mason, ever since he had left the village. $^On hearing that a
0980N14 '*4phoren' girl had come to Sangaude and was collecting folk songs, womenfolk
0990N14 from the surrounding villages and even from nearby Kolhapur town,
1000N14 came to her and sang many traditional songs. ^Some brought old manuscripts
1010N14 containing songs written by their grandmothers. ^A common theme
1020N14 of the songs was *4Sasar-Maher-- ^In-laws*' house-- ^Parents*'
1021N14 house.
1030N14 $*5^Sasari jati leka, tichya dolyat ala pani*6-- ^The beloved daughter
1040N14 is going to her In-laws*' house, and she has tears in her eyes. ^Again,
1050N14 the newly married girl, living at her husband*'s house, pines for her
1060N14 *4maher and sings: **[song**] $^There were songs of '*4Gondhala',
1061N14 '*5Vaghya Murli*6',
1070N14 '*4Vasudev', '*4Gaulani' and '*5Angai geet*6'. ^Many songs were
1080N14 about Lord Krishna*'s childhood-- his endearing pranks and playful activities.
1090N14 ^The '*4Lavni' of the *4Tamasha fascinated Joan most. ^To
1100N14 the accompaniment of the '*5tun tun*6', '*4dholki' and '*4halgi', the men
1110N14 sang very sweetly on an extremely high pitch. $^*Joan was delighted
1120N14 to_ find such a wealth of material in the folk art of the region. ^She
1130N14 noticed that the songs had a high musical content. ^She now seemed more
1140N14 interested in folk music than in folk dances. $^Completing their work
1150N14 in Maharashtra, Joan and Janaki left for Kerala and reached their destination
1160N14 in two or three days, whereas Howard*'s caravan was still jogging
1170N14 along the highway, travelling by day and camping by night. $^After
1180N14 a brief halt at Bangalore, where Howard sent the Cadillac for servicing
1190N14 and also purchased a few books, the journey was resumed. ^The party
1200N14 reached Mettur in the afternoon and camped there for the night, on the
1210N14 outskirts of the town. $^Howard had promised Sarah that he would keep
1220N14 in touch with her. ^At night, at the Mettur post office, he got a connection.
1230N14 ^But the traffic was, again, one way. $"^Oh, darling, why don*'4t
1240N14 you come home? ^How are you now? ^Why did they tie your hands?" $"^What
1250N14 hands, darling?" $"^There was a picture of you in *3The New York
1260N14 Tribune*0, yesterday," said Sarah. ^Her voice betrayed her distress.
1270N14 "^You are on some sort of a cart being pulled by cows. ^Oh, I*'3m fed
1280N14 up. ^And they have tied your hands together and..." $"^Oh no, they didn*'4t.
1290N14 ^That*'1s only a form of greeting. $"^How*'1s bessie, darling?" $"^Don*'4t
1300N14 change the subject. ^You could at least have ridden an elephant.
1310N14 ^And that_ indecent looking man, Sharma-- oh, why don*'4t you hire a
1320N14 Maharaja as a guide? ^What*'3ll I tell my friends?" $"^*I was on the
1330N14 way to a reception given by the village people." $"^But the picture says,
1340N14 'Millionaire going in search of the rope trick'. ^How can I face people?
1350N14 ^And please don*'4t mix with natives. ^Please come home, dear."
1360N14 ^*Sarah gave an audible sigh. $"^*I will, darling. ^But tell me, how*'1s
1370N14 Bessie?" $"^Poor Bessie has insomnia. \0^*Dr Romanowski has prescribed
1380N14 a wonderful remedy for her. ^*I have an appointment with him now.
1390N14 ^Please phone me after three or four days. ^Bye, dear." $^*Howard was
1400N14 relieved to_ hear about the treatment but the next moment, he was anxious
1410N14 to_ know what the outcome of the treatment would be. $^The anxiety about
1420N14 Bessie, drove Howard to_ put in another call to Sarah, from Trichur,
1430N14 the next day. $"^Hellow darling," he said, cautiously. $"^Before
1440N14 mastering rope trick, one has to_ learn the trick of walking on water.
1450N14 \0^*Mr Harrington will learn the latter, first. ^It needs practice, but
1460N14 he seems to_ have a lot of patience'. ^This is what today*'s paper says,
1470N14 dear," Sarah said, reading from the morning paper, and immediately
1480N14 added, in a pleading tone, "^Please give up this adventure of yours
1490N14 and come home, dear. ^*I can*'4t stand it any longer. ^At the race yesterday,
1500N14 people were looking at me and whispering..." $"^Oh, don*'4t believe
1510N14 those reports, darling..." $"^Promise me, you*'3ll come back." $"^Okay.
1520N14 ^*I promise." $"^When?" $"^Very soon. ^Now, please tell me about that_
1530N14 wonderful treatment for Bessie, darling." $^*Sarah immediately brightened
1540N14 up, at the mention of Bessie. $"^Oh yes. \0^*Dr Romanowski, in
1550N14 collaboration with the famous composer, Bresson, has written a lullaby
1560N14 specially for Bessie..." ^Nothing but the best for our Bessie, Howard
1570N14 thought. "... and I got Jerci Rashcholovitch to_ sing it, accompanied
1580N14 by the Boston String Quartet. ^*Jerci is so busy, dear, and it was
1590N14 so kind of him to_ take time off his European tour and fly to New
1600N14 York just for this. ^The lullaby is being broadcast on the weekly "Getting
1610N14 To_ Know Your Pets" programme, and Expressions \0Inc.
1611N14 ^Records have
1620N14 promised to_ release it..." $"^That_*'1s wonderful," Howard
1621N14 gushed.
1630N14 "^Did it work?" $"^What work, dear?" $"^*I mean, did the lullaby work on
1640N14 Bessie?" $"^Oh, that_? ^Well, \0Dr Ramanowski said it was a partial
1650N14 success." $"^What do you mean by 'a partial success', dear?" $"^Uhh...
1660N14 while that_ fantastic tune was being sung, I fell asleep. \0^*Dr Romanowski
1670N14 said it was an encouraging sign. ^He was sure that Bessie would
1680N14 also fall asleep in the next session. ^*I*'3ve to_ take her to him now.
1690N14 ^Bye, dear". $"^Bye, darling," Howard said and hung up. ^He sat there,
1700N14 thinking. ^With difficulty, he pushed Bessie out of his mind, only to_
1710N14 find himself pondering over a far-from-pleasant subject-- Mason. $^So,
1720N14 Mason was concocting stories and Howard Harrington was getting into
1730N14 the news, back home.*#
        **[no. of words = 02008**]

        **[txt. n15**]
0010N15 **<*3THE SEAJACKERS*0**> $^THE MOTOR Vessel *3Shampen had
0020N15 been in port for two days. ^Taking into consideration the loading
0030N15 rate at Madras, it would take at least another two days for her to_
0040N15 complete loading and leave. $^It was about eight \0p.m. and
0050N15 Second Officer Ramesh Pathak was on usual cargo watch. ^Heavy cases,
0060N15 all securely packed, were being loaded into the four hatches of the
0070N15 ship by the shore cranes of the Port Trust. ^The cases were marked
0080N15 'Explosive material' and below that_ were the words, 'Handle with
0090N15 care'. $^Though he had iinstructions to_ ensure fast and careful loading
0100N15 of the cargo, Pathak had no idea as to what the cases actually contaiined.
0110N15 ^Mercifully, the dock labour seemed to_ be handling the
0120N15 cargo carefully. ^It surprised him as the dock labour were hardly
0130N15 known for their sense of responsibility. ^Obviously, their supervisor
0140N15 too, had similar instructions which had been handed down.
0150N15 $^On the other side of the town, in the dimly lit Pals Hotel, sat *(0J.F.*)
0160N15 Cutinho, the chief steward or \0MV *3Shampen. ^He
0170N15 had ordered his sixth peg of whisky and the cabaret artiste was coming
0180N15 in for the second act of the evening. ^Not that her act involved much
0190N15 acting. ^The large, life-sized posters outside the hotel billed her
0200N15 as 'Sexiting Sheila'. ^*Cutinho could recall her as 'Bombshell
0210N15 Bina', last year at Cochin. $^THE cabaret Artistes keep changing
0220N15 like the seasons and at each new place take a new name, till after a
0230N15 few years, they fade out. ^What happens after that_ is anybody*'s guess.
0240N15 ^Maybe they get married and settle down or may be some drift into
0250N15 the oldest profession, he thought. $^In any case Cutinho did not
0260N15 waste much time thinking because neither was he worried about the social
0270N15 security of ex-cabaret artistes nor about sex for that_ matter. ^His
0280N15 wife had left him three years ago, as he preferred the bottle to her and
0290N15 since then he had no other problem and had kept to the bottle faithfully.
0300N15 $^*Sheila did one turn and before the music took on a faster
0310N15 beat, her bra had come off and some guests, seeing a floor show for
0320N15 the first time, gasped. $^Quietly, a group of young men came around
0330N15 to Coutinho*'s table. ^They were looking for a place to_ park
0340N15 themselves in the hall which was crowded. ^He nodded his assent.
0350N15 ^They were four in all; they spoke in low tones in bengali. $^One among
0360N15 them, a tall bearded man, was silent for the most part. ^They ordered
0370N15 drinks and by the time they finished their first round, Coutinho
0380N15 had completed his eighth peg and Sheila*'s panties had slowly come off.
0390N15 ^More gasps all around. $^*Cultinho did not seem to_ bother, except
0400N15 to_ cast a concerned look at his diminishing drinks. ^His table
0410N15 companions also did not seem to_ take much interest in Sheila though the
0420N15 lights had dimmed and now she was in her birthday suit and had reached
0430N15 the climax of her act, seductively pushing her torso up and down and around
0440N15 in time with the music. $^By the time Sheila finished her act,
0450N15 Cutinho had become friendly with the group and was having his tenth drink.
0460N15 $^AROUND a dinner table in another restaurant, where the
0470N15 food was reputedly better than Pals but had no cabaret, Ranjit Kumar
0480N15 Moitra, the Captain of \0MV *3Shampen was keeping his dinner date
0490N15 with \0Mr Kalra, a Defence Minitry official. ^Also present was
0500N15 the local representative of the Shipping Corporation that_ owned the
0510N15 ship. $^Over dinner \0mr Kalra explained to the captain how important
0520N15 the cargo was, especially in view of the prevailing conditions in
0530N15 Bangladesh. ^He requested the captain on behalf of the government
0540N15 to_ ensure quick and safe delivery at the port of Chittagong as the Bangladesh
0550N15 Government was pressing him. $^Next evening, Ramesh Pathak,
0560N15 Second Officer, noticed four well-dressed men boarding the ship.
0570N15 ^He asked the duty Quartermaster to_ check who they were and whom they
0580N15 wanted to_ see. $^On learning that they had come to meet the Chief
0590N15 Steward, \0Mr Cutinho, he lost interest in them and continued with his
0600N15 work. $^A few hours later when the ship was ready, to_ sail, the Chief
0610N15 Officer of the vessel, Issaq Abdulla Kazi returned, drunk as usual.
0620N15 ^Though 61 years old, his papers showed that he was only 57.
0630N15 ^Even this, he kept telling his shipmates was wrong due to some error
0640N15 in the past and that he actually was only 52. ^His recent marriage,
0650N15 the fourth, was to a girl, 23 years old. $^If his friends
0660N15 teased him on this score, he got out of it by saying that in fact his
0670N15 religion allowed him to_ marry seven times and therefore he could marry
0680N15 three more times. ^He had joined the ship only two months ago and
0690N15 was of no use to anyone. ^*Captain Moitra had taken up the matter of
0700N15 getting him transferred to some other ship, but the Corporation was silent.
0710N15 $^Due to the shortage of certified personnel and the need to_
0720N15 comply with regulations, shipping companies appointed people more for
0730N15 their certificates, and as a result of this, the work was either done by
0740N15 others or not at all. $^Now, as usual, prior to sailing, Captain
0750N15 Moitra asked the chief officer to_ let him know whether everything
0760N15 was *k. ^The chief officer confirmed without even bothering to_ step
0770N15 out of his cabin. $^By about 11 \0p.m., after having taken the ship
0780N15 out of the harbour, Pilot Captain *(0B.J*) Abraham wished Captain
0790N15 Moitra a *8bon voyage*9 and disemberked into the pilot boat which quickly
0800N15 sped back to the harbour. $^*Captain Moitra then, with the
0810N15 help of Pathak, set course to Chittagong while the radio officer sent
0820N15 out a message on the wireless informing both Madras and Chittagong of
0830N15 their estimated arrival time which was at about 14 \0hrs three days later.
0840N15 $^THE SWELLS off the harbour caught the ship on her starboard
0850N15 and she started rolling gently. ^The wind was blowing from
0860N15 the southeast and its speed could not have exceeded five knots, a calm
0870N15 sea by any standard. ^Ten miles off the harbour even the lights of fishing
0880N15 boats started growing faint. $^In a cabin below the main deck, the
0890N15 four 'friends' of \0mr Cutinho had gagged him. ^The tall bearded chap,
0900N15 worked quietly and when he had finished with the Chief Steward, Cutinho
0910N15 was neatly tied up. ^Beforer that_, two knocks with a sand filled pouch
0920N15 had made him unconscious. ^From a porthole in his cabin, the leader
0930N15 made sure that the ship was clear of the harbour. ^Then he instructed
0940N15 the others on the parts they had to_ play in the take-over operation.
0950N15 $^It was a well-oiled drill they had earlier practised to perfection
0960N15 , but one more trial before the final act did no harm. $^According
0970N15 to the plan, two of them raced to the engine control room and
0980N15 the other two to the bridge. ^Brandishing loaded pistols and grenades,
0990N15 they forced Captain Moitra to_ change his course to 135 degrees and
1000N15 proceed on a course due south east. $^After this one of the seajacckers
1010N15 from the bridge joined one from the engine room party and ordered
1020N15 the radio officer and the ship*'s remaining personnel into separate cabins,
1030N15 putting only three or four in each. ^Then the cabins were securely
1040N15 locked . $^The terrorists apparently were familiar with the ship*'s
1050N15 operations and one of them, referred to_ as Bakshi, was clerly a merchant
1060N15 navy officer. ^Before locking up Captain Moitra and other
1070N15 officers, he announced that their group, 'The Revolutionaries For Democracy
1080N15 in Bangladesh', more popularly known as *3REFODIN*0, were fighting
1090N15 a people*'s war against the current Government of Bangladesh which,
1100N15 accoding to them, was oppressive. $^*Captain Moitra warned
1110N15 the terrorists that they were committing piracy by sezing a vessel angaged
1120N15 in legitimate trade. $^BUT HIS warning did not get him anywhere.
1130N15 ^They were in no mood to_ listen to the arguments of Captain
1140N15 Moitra pertaining to the legal aspect of their action, or the Geneva Convention
1150N15 covering international maritime trade . $^The tall bearded
1160N15 leader of the terrorists replied by saying that whether they were engaged
1170N15 in piracy or patriotism would be determined not by the Geneva Convention,
1180N15 which they did not recognise, but by the Bangla people, whom
1190N15 they claimed to_ represent. $^When the captain started arguing,
1200N15 the leader replied with a firm slap. $^*Pathak who was with the captain,
1210N15 surged forward but was quickly brought under control with two solid
1220N15 punches that_ took the wind out of him and kept him still for some time.
1230N15 ^With that_, all resistance ended. $^Another hour went by
1240N15 . ^Then, using the Bay of Bengal Chart, Bakshi checked the approximate
1250N15 position of the ship. ^He seemed satisfied. ^From the chart
1260N15 room he went on the bridge, empty now save for himself. ^The ship was
1270N15 steering itself on auto-pilot. ^He put on the \0VHF set and as
1280N15 it warmed up started calling on channel 23. $'*3Kingfisher,
1290N15 Kingfisher, this is *3Seagull calling, come in please over.'
1300N15 $^Immediately came the reply, '*3Kingfisher answering *3Seagull.
1310N15 ^What is your position?' $^*Bakshi, after giving *3Kingfisher
1320N15 the position of \0MV *3Shampen, now codenamed *3Seagull
1330N15 asked her to_ meet the ship in half an hour*'s time. ^Hardly much
1340N15 time had elapsed when an ordinary-looking fishing boat was seen approaching
1350N15 the ship from the port side. ^Bakshi rang the engine telegraph
1360N15 to_ reduce ship*'s speed and the gun holding terrorist there ensured
1370N15 that the Duty Engineer, \0Mr Jose complied. $^The fishing boat
1380N15 that_ came along side quickly transferred another eight persons on to the
1390N15 ship . ^They were given instructions by the leader, the tall bearded
1400N15 terrorist. ^They were fully armed. ^Two of them obviously
1410N15 knew about ship*'s engines and from then on one of them was always present
1420N15 in the engine room to_ ensure that the duty engineers did not try to_
1430N15 create trouble for them. $^After the transfer was over, the fishing
1440N15 boat headed towards Madras, and indeed, it looked like an innocent
1450N15 fishing trawler, one of the hundreds that_ dot the indian coast, returning
1460N15 with a poor catch. ^The ship now had 12 terrorists. $^By
1470N15 noon next day, the seajackers seemed relaxed. ^The ship was heading
1480N15 towards Car Nicobar and the Ten Degree Channel and their actual
1490N15 position was about 300 miles due south east of Madras.
1500N15 $\0^*MV *3Shampen maintined complete radio silence but the terrorist
1510N15 radio operator kept a faithful watch on her receiver. ^However,
1520N15 he had not heard anything that_ could be termed alarming for them.
1530N15 $^No one suspected, neither the Indian authorities nor their Bangladesh
1540N15 counterparts, that \0MV *3shampen, was in the hands of terrorists
1550N15 or that she was off course. ^If one calculated her actual distance
1560N15 from the position she should have been at this time, she was at least
1570N15 500 miles away. $^In the morning, two of the terrorists changed the
1580N15 ship*'s name from *3Shampen to *3Seagull. ^Other terrorists
1590N15 changed the markings on her funnel by removing the two orange bands on
1600N15 both sides of the *4chakra and repainting a white square encompassing
1610N15 it. $^The registration markings of the vessel were also changed from
1620N15 Bombay to Hongkong. ^With this, an outsider would never suspect
1630N15 that the \0MV *3Seagull, registered at Hongkong, was in fact the
1640N15 \0MV *3Shampen, an Indian vessel registered at Bombay. $^Soon
1650N15 after this , a radio message went out on the distress frequency, 500 \0kcs,
1660N15 from the ship. ^Ships in the area and several coastal stations picked
1670N15 up the message from \0MV *3Shampen, '...taking water hatch three...
1680N15 four after explosion, ballast pumps unable cope up... listing heavily
1690N15 starboard ...send immediate assistance... my position lat... long...
1700N15 Master 0*3Shampen. $^Though the position given by the terrorists
1710N15 was a false one to_ give an impression that she was on course to
1720N15 Chittagong, those who had heard the distress signal had no idea that she
1730N15 was not at the position indicated. ^Or that she was under the control
1740N15 of terrorists. $^The two ships that_ were about 70 miles and 110
1750N15 miles away from her indicated position, soon radioed back that they were
1760N15 heading towards her at full speed
1770N15 for rendering help and rescue.*#
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