,,v,rr.

rld

FICTION

rrken
hurrr

ETERNAL DON
Singh-the silky

Has Inspector Sartaj

'

fnesi-mZt

Sikh nnd

r:

knees,

"\\'
crsvi"

Munbai\

tl

ll()\vc

his match'at last?

Sor
the cul-

BY

in Artl
in Bonr

VIKRAM CHANDRA

it,
l)L'RE never going to get in here,"
tire voice of Gaitonde said over
rhe speaker after thel'had been
rkir.rg on the door for three hours. They
.1 tried e cold chisel on the lock first, but
.lt b.r.i iooked like brorvn rvood from a
l tlci arvay was in fact some kind of
,rr:ed metal, and although it rumedwhite
.lcr the bhc{e and rang l-ike a sharp tem, bcil. the door dicln't give. Then thry had
,r'cd to thc lintels with tools borrorved
lut ;1 r(i'Jd cretv, but even rvhen the road
r.r took ovcr, wieiding the sledgeham,rs rvith long, expert nrings and huffing
.' rtl-rs, rhe c()ncrete bounced their blows
blithcti,, and tl-re Sony speaker next to
: door iaughed at them. "You're behind
,' tinres," Gaitonde crackled.
"If I'm not getting in, you're not getrg

out," Sartaj said.

'lVhat? I cen't hear you."

Su'taj stepped up to the door. The build'i lvas a precise cube, lvhite rvith green
,rdolvs, on a square plot of land in Kai;hpada, which was on the sdll-develop{ northem edge of Zone 13. Here, among

c heary machinerl'groping at swamp,

iging Bombay out talther and wider, In'ector S-artaj Singh had come to arrest
c gre'lt Genesh Gaitonde, gangster, don
_r*lg{gry,and rvilv and eiernal survi?oi
"How long are you going to stav in
rere, Gaitonde?" Sartaj said, craning his
:ck up. The deep, round video eye of the
rmera above the door srvivelled from side
r side and then setded on him.
'You're that fucking Sardar inspector,"
]aitonde said.
'That 1 am," Sadqi said. There were
vo Sikh commissioners on the force, but
S_!ttt_i$g9ctor in the
e rvasjh_e
-o_nty
'hole citl ina ao was -niea to being
lentified by his turban and beard. He was
no.,vn also fbr the cut of his pants, which

film-starrybou^tavery
ique in Bandra, and also for his pro61e,
e

had tailored

hich had once been featured by Modern

Ilomttn magazine in "The Ciqv's Best-

Looking Bachelors." His assistant,

Katekar, on the other hand, had a large
paunch that sat on toP of his belt like a
iuitcase, and a perfectly square face and
very thick hands. Katekar was a senior
constable, and an old colleague, and norv
he came around the corner of the building and stood wide-legged, with his hands
in his pockets. He shook his head.
'Where are vou going, Srrdarji?" Gaitonde said.
'Just some things I have to take care ot,"
Sartaj said. He and Katekar rvdked to the
comer together, and norv Sartaj could see the
ladder thev had going up to the ventilator.
"That's not a ventilator," Katekar said'
"It onlv looks like one. There's just concrete
behind it. \\'hat the heli is this place, sir?"

"I

don't knorv," Sartaj said. It

rvas

somehorv deeplr'satisfi'ing that even Katekar, Ilumbai native and practitioner of

a ven' superior Bhuleshwar-bred cy'nicism, rvas startleci by an impregnable
white cube suddenlv grown in Kailashpada, w'ith a black srvivel-mounted Sony

video camera above the door. "I don't

know. And he sounds very strange' you
knc'rv. Isn't he supposed to be;ery polite?"
'Yes, like a congicssman who wants a
\,'ote from vou," Katekar said. &iitglike
an g_il ma,ssage'el'en with constables."
"I've never met him. You?"

"No, but that's what eve{yone says.

Never heard of him being rude to poLice."
'Today he must not want an1'thing,"
Sartaj said.

"But what's he doing here, in Kailashpada ofall places?"

Sartaj nodded. The Gaitonde they had

read about in police reports and in the

newspapers lolled in the stands during
Sharjah cricket matches with bejewelled
starlets, he bankrolled politicians and
bought them and sold them, his dailY
skim from Bombays various dau.k dhandaswas said to be greater than annual corporate incomes, and his name was used to

frighten the recalcitrant. Gaitonde Bhai

said so, you said, and the srubborn saw

reason, and all roads .'vere smoothed, and
there lvas peace. But he had been on the
run for many months, on the Indonesian
coast in a yacht, it was rumored, far but
onlv a phone call arval'. Which meant that
he might as lveli have been next door, or

.r.i-

is r,'en
designe
"Ne..
signe d

it

qLrestior

going

from an anonrmous mirle','oice on Sanaj's

c()lllc (l
l krt oi'out h,:r

*'ith

"He's already mine, only he doesn't knorv

it," Sartaj said, tuming to rvalkback toward

rr

fillccl rv:
inc of ti
\\'cre gai
of th':1:r

'\
"

"Hey, Sardarji," Gaitorrde boomed

e

d IVlahinder Mathu's

"He was trying to bowl me out also'

Gaitonde. And it rvas four times, and only
twice in the head."

"Mathu should have goften you. But

he thought too long," Gaitonde said.
"Mahinder N{athu always-" And his
voice stopped short, as if cut by a knife.
Sartaj turned from the door. Now it
was a matter of lvaiting, and an hour or
two under a hot June sun would turn the
unventilated, unpowered building into a
furnace that even Gaitonde, who was a
graduate of Arthur RoadJail many times
and many years over, would find as hard
to bear as the corridors of Hell. And
Gaitonde had been lately very successfirl
and thus a litde softened, so perhaps it

rl
th

'-.'^fiiends

times? In the face?"

I'nr

"I

i*q_L_"

strange rolling richness about

his voice, even over the tinny speaker.
"I did," Sartaj said. "Friend of yours?"
"Not exacdy," Gaitonde said. "Butwhy
the hell did you have to shoot him five

c:r.

\ ''.

me bv

over ihe speaker. 'You lvere the one rvho

I urkaa

hert.l.i

'I"hc;

the door. "All right. Cut offhis porver."

There rvas

t,

"\vl

direct line rt the station, bringir-rg them to

Kailashpada in a h'.rsn'cirrtvan bristling

rifles. "I don't knorv," Sartej said.

"But norv that he's here, he's ours."
"He's a prize, r'es, sir," Katekar srid.
He had that denseh'snobbish look he alrvars assumed rvhen he thought Sirnaj lvas
being naive. "But you're sure you tvvant to
make him yours?"

Slltrl.

turned out, amazingly enough, in

dusry Kailashpada. The tipoff had come
as

safe

trades r
constni
think r,

l
I
I

evenrvh,

<lsntlt:i

t oz even tlt
3 that l'ori

-.t "Dn.
' darjii I

jcr than vor,.

!. Here, I'ifi

S one.
3

m..

Ilu,

Ltalt,

"'R.,

f, that, bar
< aITl a Frve

\\

B.Com.,

5 ing in
,i am doin:
*l-marks.

! th.b.rt.

u cncket tr
or

H aDout no
!,1

Y eryone ln
** he goes o

t3t

;uld

But Sartaj had

ken only two steps when he felt a deep
rm rising through his toes and into his
be doser to an hour.

iees, and Gaitonde lvas back.

'TVhat, you thought

it u'ould

be

so

.sy?" Gaitonde said, chortling. 'Just a

)\4rer cut? \\trat, I'ou think i'm a fooli"
So there was a generator someu'here in
e cube. Gaitonde had been the first man
Anhur RoadJail, perhaps the first rran
Bombal', to o\l'n a cellular phone. \\rith
safe in his ceil, he had run the essentia-i

of drugs, ma//:a, prostitution, rnd

,nstruction. "No, I don't
ink vou're a fool," Sanaj

.rdes

to you. I have for long follorved I'our dar-

ing exploits in our

ne'rvspapers, rvhich
print verv often these stories of1'our great

porver and porverfirl politics, rvhich make

1.ou the first man in Xlumbai. N{any times

rvhen my friends get together, v'e talk

about your famous adventures. Like how
lou finished Dhanraj Kalia's game, in
spite of his police guards. And of course I
hope you are not offended if I mention
vour great love aft-air rvith our ou'n X1iss
India, Iliss Nandita Kumar. Please, Shri
Gaitonde, I respectfi.r1lr'submit ro vou m\/

Gaitonde laughed long and very hard,

and became ar,uncular, affectionate. 'Yes,
I'es, of course you do. Hot out there."
"Fory'ou also? AThums Up?"

"I've a fridge in here, cbikniya.Justbefair and so herolike goodlooking doesn't mean you're exra smart.
You get 1'our drinli"
"I will. I'll be back."
cause 1,ou're so

'What

Katekar fell in beside hirn. The cracked

black tarmac seemed to

sr.l'im and shimmer in the

id. "This, this building

verv irnpressile.

heat. The street had emp-

\\'ho

tied, the spectators bored

'signcd it for voui"

bi' the lack of explosions

and bullets and hungrv

"Never mind u'ho de-

;ned it, Sardarji. The

restion is, hou' lre lou

for lunch. Benveen Bhags'an Tailors rnd Trinrirrti

,ing to get ir.ri"

11usic, ther found the

"\Vhy don't . ou jusr

nre outi It'll s,n'e us dl

straightfonvardiv nancd

Besr Cirf6, u'hich had

ot of tinre. It's rcallv hot

:t here, and I'r-n qcning
'readache."

tables scattered r.urdcr

black floor frns. Sartaj

pulled desperatell' lt rr
Coke, and Katekar sipped

'; of the spectrrt()rs \\'ho

at liesh lin.re and sodr,

onlv slightli' s\\'cet. Hc

rre girtherinq .rt tlrc cnd

u'as tn'ing to lose rveigl.rt.

From u.herc thev sat thcy
could sce Grr,itondc's rvhire

"]

crtn't conrc ()Lrt.

'\\Ihv not?"

I nl alone. I nr (,nl\'
c

bunker.

"Let's blorv it up,"

bv rnvsclf."

"I-thought

vor.r hrrd

Katekar said,

cnds evenrvhcrc, Gaitonde. Evcn'one

rnl'here is a fricnd of Gliton.lc Bhrri's.

r't

iti In the government, in thc |ress,

I uill do u'hatcver *'ork r-ou irsk I am very

poor, Sirri Gaitonde. I'fuI1i'believe that
vou u'ill give me a chrrnce to rnake a life.
Yours frrithfirllri Amit Shirraj Patil.'
"I{ear that, Sardarji?" Giritonde called
out.
"Yes, Gaitor.rde," Sartaj said. "I do. He
sounds like a fine recmit."

This one's fiom \Vardha. Hcrc it is."

"Gaitonde!"

"He sounds like a prick, Sardarji,"

Gdtonde said. "I u'ouldn't hire him as a

e.

"'Respected Shri Gaitonde.' Flcrrr

.rt, Sardarji?'Rcspected.' So thcn . . ,'l
l a f\\'enn.-nvo-\'ear-old vounq nrlrr lir'1 in \\/ardha, l\ Iuh:rrashtra. Currcrtlr' I
11,'r'

\l.(',r1n.,

lrr6'irrq l,.r:'r,.1

r'r11

L'onr. eram u'ith scvcnfi-onc-ircr'-.! rt

.r'ks. I lrnr :tlso knou'rr in rlt it,ilcge .,.

lie.t .rtlrlctt, .ir,'u I .rrrr t:r1ri.1111 ,,1 i1 .

'.kct tcun.' l'lre n tlrerc's li lot oi'crrLir
,ut ho\v bold anJ strorrg hc is, hol'cr one in tou.r.r's scarecl olhir.n. O.K., thcn
qoes on, 'l arr surc that I can [.c of u.c

'With rvhat?" Sartaj said. "And that'll

vita, and sorre srnall clippings about me.

,:n in the policc forcei Hou' is ir thcn

.lt vou are a]onci"
"Do vou krorv ] get applications, Srrrrjii I probabh' get rnore applicrrtions
iln vou police lircks. Don't believc nrcl'
cre, I'11 read vou one . Hold on. Ilcrc's

J,,i11g

neem tree ar.rd rattling

Thcre u'as a silence,

lcd u'ith the mr.rrnrur-

thc lrrne

else would you do, Sardarji?

Go, go."
Sartaj walked down the street, and

bhangi to clean m),toilets. But he'd probablv do u'ell as a policeman."

"l'rn qcttirrq tircd ,'f rhis, Gaitonde."

Gaitonde lauehed. "Are vour feclings

sadb? Should I be nrore respectfirl?
Should I tell you about the u'onderful and
rrstonishing Jcrrts oi thc police , our de lirrticrs rriiti givc tlrcir livcs in scrlice
n'ithtiut a thought ftrr thcir ou'n profit?"

hun,

"Critonde)"

"\Vhati"

"l'll

be back.

need a cold drink."

kili him for sure."

Katekar grinned. 'Yes, sir. So u'hat, sir?"

"And wl.rat would the intelligence bols

say?"

"Sahib, excuse me, but the intelligence

boys can suck my lauda.Why didn't they
know he was building this thing?"

"Norv, that would have been very,

very intelligent, rvouldn't it?" Sartaj
said. He leaned back in his chair and
stretched. "You think we can find *
bulldozer?"

Q.rnra; lud a nretal cheir brought to

the fiont of the bunker, lrrJ he .at
on it pattine his face 'rvith a cold, u'et

t)

tou'ei. I{e vyas sleepy. The vidco camerr

uil) ur)rr0\'ing arrJ silcrrt.
"A1i Gaitondel" Sartaj said.'You there?"
Tl.re camera made its very sn.r'all buzzing machine noise, nosed about blindli',
and then found Sartaj. 'Yes, I'm here. I

32

FI.

.vils searching this bastard place. S:udarji,

..rn vou beLieve iti There's nothing to eat

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL JVEET THINC

hcrc.

:-.

"\othing?"

"-\

brand-new' nvo-lakh liidge big

rn1)uqh to rvalk into, and not a s[ce of
r:e .iJ in it.

hrrve

hir
fw
sor

live rvherc

the rvorld's most exceLlent fruits

and m.rst respectable people are
build their ncsts.
birds
most
berrr,rtiful
rvhere the

i,iiots u'orking tbr me."

S::tii Crou:r: :uJ,Jeniv th;t Gaitonde

and

'S,
ils

cr(

:.ra, lef,:iec th.rl biZ r-oice from the mor::.. tio:r Pd'.:rrxrj Kr-toor in a smoking

Vulgar people live here, too,

in filthy ditches brilliant waterlilies bloom.
The smell ol children's pee-soaked blankets

the sen'ants.
.:-:,:.<:: co::.9hi:.in3 about
-C.,: *'e selJ vou somethingi" Sartaj
-S:-j:::pi Cirickenl'
. -' :.
-\.r. r'c.l can't. end stoP tning to be

and

br,
tal
gr(

surrounds the Place,

live here, too, as

agl

excess.

ne:

Kl

---r--imlf

-\'eruli s:rr:hungq'?" Sanaj rvas trying

:- ;:-J.r:e dre chrnces of staning Gai:::.ie out. But he remembered that
G:r,1riii hrd lested for rveeks on water
::.: ::i.je. The bulldozer would arrive in
iour-an hour and a half, at most.

am the citizen of an ertremelv oveqpopulated country:

everything

in it

drorvns

at

times

thi

in the flood tide of the new

"Lisien, it's too bloody hot out here,"

S..:::j s,rid. "Come out and back at the
.:,,:i--.n vou cm tell me all about how hunj-, ou \l'ere.'

Because

been hungn'before," Gaitonde said.

*-'rlr:e hungl' than you could imagine."

.,::rrv. But no danger, I promise. This is

:.,.: ;oing to fttrn into an encounter. You
: -out norv and we'il be back at the sta=e
::-: in slx minutes. You'll be absolutely
:,::. From there you can call your friends.
,r:--. eAitnt safe. You have my promise."

.:i

thin evenrvhere, always picking his

:.:s3. supposed to be a tough Buy. Me,

:-.:e:een and didn't know a damn thing.
-\:.i fiere *'as Gaston, the owner of the
::::. and Pascal, his assistant, two small
:::i -:1-r\s from somewhere in the South.
-: '.',:-. Salim Kaka's deal, his contacts
----=::. a:i.j his monet'that hired the boat,

-:
:

i:rs anpeience, when to go out, when

':rcii er-enthing was his. Mathu

: :::ri

cr'i
cr('

the w'orld's most amazing thrits

K.
hir

the most respectable people,

the most beautiFrl birds,
I survive through the year, through rein and shineI survive with the indomitable longing
for the harv'est's golden grains
in this place, like this.

t,riie care of you, Gaitonde. There

ki1l you, I

::.:,:: r,ilere was the small boat, five of us

::- i:. sea, sun, all that kind of crap. Salim
l{:-+ rvas the leader, a six-foot Pathan
'.,. l::: a long beard, good man with a
.'.,.'rri. Then there was lMathu, narrow

Pc,

br,

have grotvn here,

.-': all sorts of people trying to

But Gaitonde wasn't interested in

:::=':ses. "Back when I was a kid, I left
'-:.: counm'tbr the fust time. It was on a
: :::. \'ou knou'. Those days that was the
.r'i.es-, get on a boat, go to Dubai, go
:: 3i:rain, come backwith gold biscuits.
, ',.':.-,. ercited, because I had never left the
: j:]5'betbre. Not even to Nepal, you
:r::rstand. O.K., Sardarji, establishing

Bu
tal

d/i

' ' tI"

a"n't come out."
"I'iI

moon.

Sometimes the slvan's neck emerges from the lava stream

glistening in the sun.

The dream pitcher doesn't rvait here for the touch
but simplv floats au'a.rWith such coundess disgraces, unbeanble w'ounds and pain,
under the merciless gaze of the developed rvorld
I live on in this country like this.

": '1're

lVi.I

\,\
sai

do

hi'
/a:

hi
..tl

-Srru,urt

Azlo

stl

\Translated, fom the Bengalt, by Carolyne ll/right,

Syed fulanzocrul Islam, and the authar,)

sh
cu

and

were his boys, behind him all the

time. Got it?"

Katekar rolled his eyes. Sartaj said,
'Yes, Salim Kaka was the leader, you and
N'Iathu the thin guy were the guns, and
Gaston and Pascal sailed the boat. Got it."
Katekar propped himself against the
wall next to the door and spilled paan masala into his palm. The speaker gleamed
hard metallic silver. Sartaj shut his eyes.
Gaitonde went on. "I had never seen
such a huge sky before. Pulple and gold
and pqple. Mathu was combing his hair
again and again into a Dev Anand puff.
Salim Kaka sat on the deck with us. He

had huge feet, square and blunt, each

cracked like a piece ofwood, and a beard
that was smooth and red like a flame.
That night he told us about his fust job,
robbing an angadia couriering cash to

Bombay from Surat. They caught the

nngadia as he got offthe bus, tossed him

in the back of

tu:
Kl,
afi
aIl
sti

an Ambassador, and went

roaring away to an empty chemical

godown in the industrial estates at Vikhroli. In the godown they stripped him

wi

of his shirt, his banian, his pants, everything, and found sewn inside the pants,

e\'

Ir

over the thighs, four lakhs in five-hundred-

rupee notes. Aiso a money belt with slx'

teen thousand in it. He was standing there

clt
te

baby-naked, his big paunch shaking,

holding his hands over his shrunken
Iauda, as they left. Clear?"
Sartaj opened his eyes. "A courier, they
got him, they made some moneY. So

what?"
"So the story's not over yet' smart Sardarji. Salim Kaka was closing the door,
butthen he tumed around and came back

ni
se
I

an

p(

lit

ot

rt

h,

I'

d,

t33

He caught the guy by the throat, lifted

him up and around, and put a knee

be_

tween his legs. 'Come on, Salim pathan,'

someone yelled to him, 'this is no time to
want to fuck

boy.'And Salim Kaka, u,ho

was groping^ the angadia's bum, said,
a

')ometlmes

rf you squeeze a beautifirl ass,

you would a peach, it reveals all the se_
crets of the world,' and he held up a lide
brown silk packet, which the orgodiohad
taped behind his balls. In it weie a good
gross of the highest-qualiry diamo"nds,
and aglitter, rvhich they fenced the
as

"gl.r*week at fifry per

next
cent, and Salim
Kaka's cut alone rvas one lakh, and this
was in the days when a lakh meanr some-

thing. 'But,'Salim Kaka said, ,the lakl

was the least of it, money is onlt.monel,.'

But after that he rvas knoun as a iusrrous

talent,.a shalp lad. 'I'11 squeeze i.ou like a

peach,' he'd say, cocking r .r^gg.,. ..,..brow, and the poor unfornrnate ,iih. ,.ceiving end would spill cash, cocaine, secrets, an'"thing.

"'How did

1'ou knou, rvith the

angadia, Saiim Kaka?'I asked, and S;.iinr

Krka-said, 'lt is verv simple. I looked rr

hirn from the door and he rvas still alieid.
\44'ren I had my knife at his throat he had
said to me in a child's linle voice, ..please
don't kill me, rn\, /,nnp." I h.rdn't killeJ
him, he \\'rrs srill alirc end holding his
lnuJa, the mone\'\\'rs qone. bur it r,iisrr't
Itis, u'c u'crc lcar.inq, so uhr.rvas hc :till

ber his features, which were too bonv to

be anlwhere close to Dev Anand's, iut

still evry day he stroked ta_lcum powder
onto that poinry rat face and triei. I felt

suddenly kindly toward him. ,lsn't this

beaudfi.rl?'I said. He laughed. ,Beautiful?
We could drown,'he sJd, ,and nobody
rvould know what happened to us. \Ve
would drsapp:N, phat, gone.' His ciga_
rette made spirals in the dark. ,Whatlo
1'ou mean?'I asked. 'Oh, you pitfii de/tati
idiot,' he said. 'Don't.r,ou knorv? Nobody
knows lve are out here.' ,But,' I said

'Salim Kaka's people knou.. his boss

knou's.'I could feel him laughing at me,
his knee .jogginq aqainsr mv shloulder.

'No. rhev don'r.'Heivas

leaning closer to
me, rvhispering, and I could s:lell his
banian and see the pale phosphorescence
of his eves. '\obodi kno,,,rs, he didn't rell
his boss. Don't vou qer iri This is his ou.n

deal. \\hr do r.ou thirrk.,.\.e re on rhis Lnle

Ahatara ot-a boat. nor a rrau.leri \\'hr.do

'r'ou rhirrk \\.e are

smelling
111',_t_1ry'

Ehi

nirh him. one ,ltl,t:i

oipig shit and firrr din rrnd a
junior menrber of the companr.i

\\hr i This is Salim Kakr's

operation. He u'ants to go independent,

our here s).tppin.q rrr.ru. in rhi. iucking

\vncezlng tln rrxp, orre pitch au,av tiorn

IN;E.

.rfraidi A nran u.lro is al-r.iid is a lrran u.ho

. , -V:ry impressive," Sartaj said. Hc

turban and tried to breathe slor"ly, evenly.

K-atekarrvas fanning himselfrrith a folded

li.,l.

and to go independenr rrhat do r ou needi

Capirrl. Th.rr's u.h.ir. Th.rr's r*.hr. ,r.e'rc

stiil has sorxerhing to lose.' "

shifted in his chair, and regremed it im_
mediately as his shoulde, blade found a
cun'e of heated metal. He adjusted his

o.,,,,r,

&)

the. big fishes. He thinks he's going to

make enough to start himself"all iew
and fresh a.nd shiny. Capital, capital, you

understand?'

"I. sar up rhen. He put a hand on my

shoulder and swung himself up. .Beta,, hle

sard, if )'ou want to live in the ciry you
have to think ahead three turns, .nd took
behind a lie to see the truth and then behind that truth to see rhe lie. And then,

and,then,

if I'ou_want to live well, you

need a bankroll. Think about it.,Mrth"

patted my shoulder and drew back. I saw
his face lbr a second in dim light as he
lorvered himself into the cabin. A"a I a;a
think about it."

f frotn thc speaker Katekar rurned his

,\J. head, right and left, and Sartaj
heud the snrall clicking noise of the borres
in his neck. "l renrimber this Salim

Kaka," Katekar said softlr.. ,,I rerr:.:mber

seeinq_him in Donqri, ,,,jking eround in
a red lun{ai and a silk kuna. The kunas
u'ere of ciifi-erent colors, but the lungi rvas
rrlu'a_r-s

red. He u'orked u,ith Haji'Sal-

mrn s gang, and he had a \\,oman in Dongri, I renrenrber hearing. Dongri u.as
Bachchu Singh's area,
silk kurras."

Sartaj noddcd. Katekar's lace u,as

RANGE

AUTHORS

6<a

W<at.e'

&t

stirring of the air came Gaitonde's voice

u'ith its cool electronic hiss.
"I r-esolved to be sharplv rvarchfi-rl forrver after, for I u'as ambiiious. That night
I.laid my bodl'dorvn along the bo,,'rlas

roPplltg.

"llathu

c:rme and sirr bcside rrc. I Ic

t a cigarctte ior hinrself and grn,e nrc
ne. I drerv hard on it lke hirn. In rhe
.rrk I could see rhe pulIof his hrir, Iri,
.r{{ard shouldcrs, and ] tried to rcmcrn-

'-+.')

t rydgq"gi*u,

.rttcrnool ne\\.spaper, his eles abstracted

end his forehead slack, u,hi1e into the slorv

:lose as. I could get to the o-nrushing u,a-er, and I dreamed.

Did I tell you T .,,r,*,
rirrcteen? I u'rs ninetccn and I made mr._
elf stories about cars and a hieh house
.nd m1'self entering a par$.and flashbulbs

butitill Satil faU

..1T.. for rhe t'oman, in a r.ed lungi and

t*#{'
U-"lt

rn!3

'qffl

'l -tyi't't* -,
t

t
!:

t"t-,

,\,/ t ly' /,2.

n.U^r

t34

puffi,

if he had just rvoken from

sleep.

stcad there '"vere high nrshes that towered

above our hcads. S.rlim Kakr took a pole

Krrtekrrr grinrrcd. "fLrdqinq bv thc silk,

rrLrst h.n'c bccn," hc said. "Or rnaybe it
lvls jtrst that shc w'.ls sevcntecn ar.rd hird
',rn irss like a prrrncing deer's. She was an
rtuto ntcchrrnic's drrughtcr, I think."

rrnd pLrshcd trs throrrgh thc felthcred

brnks thrrt creakecl rrnd r.vhisperecl, and although I rvasn't toltl to I hrrd nry pistol
in rny'ha.nd. Thcn the',voocl scraped under m1'fect, irarcl on ground. Flashlight
in hrr.rcl, S:rlim Kakr led us up the island,
that's what it was, a soft wet rising in the
swamp. We rvalked for a long time, half
an hour ma1'be, Salim Kakr in front, under a rising moon. He had a brown canvas bag over his shoulder, big as a wheat
sack. Then I sarv the bercon agein, over
the top of the stallis. It ."vas a torch tied
to a pole. I could smell the tallow; the
flames junrped nvo feet high. Under it
there lvere three me n. Thev rvere dressed
like city people, and in theieaping light I
could see their fair skin, their bushyblack
eyebrorvs, their big noses. Turla? Iranis?
Arebs? I don't knorv still, but nr.o of them
hrrd rifles, muzzles pointed just a little
:rway from us. IIv trigger ,,vrrs cool and
swertl' on m\' finger. I cramped and
thought, \'ou'11 6re and 6nish us all. I
took a breirth, turned n.rv wrisr, feeLing the

rrs

"Love?" Srirtaj srrici.

it

"Don't belicve in love, Kateklr?"

"Satb, I befievc in silk, and in everything thrrt is soft, '.rnd ever)'thing else that
is hard, but . . ."

Abovc their heads the speaker rumbled.'\\4rat in God's name are you mumbling about, Srrd'rrji?"
"Go on, go on," Sartej said. 'Just mint;r instructions."
"Not eiving up? Good, I like that. So
listen. The next xfternoon, we started to
see tree brirnches in the water, pieces of
old crates, botdes bobbing down and up,
tires, once the whole wooden roof of a

house floirting upside down. Gaston

strncJ orr dcck thc rvhole timc now, one
arnr arouncl. the mlst, looking this way
and that lvith binoculrrrs, never stop-

askccl Nl.rthu, 'Are rve close?' He

slrru.{ged. S.rlirn Klkl c:lmc rrp in r ncrv
kurtr. Ilc stood by the bo'"v, looking to
thc north, and I s'.rv his fingcrs dabbing

ping.

at the sil'r,er medallion at his chest. I

lvanted to ask him where we were, but
there was a narrow-eyed grlviry* on his
face thlt kept me frorn speaking."
Srrtaj leaned fbnvard torvard Katekar.
"Do you think our friend Gaitonde reall1'
hrd an aftair r,.'ith Nliss Indie)"
Katekirr grinned. "She wls a very
English-medium t)?e, that one. But it's
true, she stayed at his house in Hong
Kong."
"N1aybe he learned

English."

"Nlay'be she liked his sweaters. He has

a lot of sweaters."

Srrtaj remembered the pictures of

Gritonde, the medium-sized body and
the medium face, neither ugly nor handsome, all of it instandy forgettable despite
the bright-blue and red cashmere sweaters, everything quite commonplace. But
now there was this voice, quiet and urgent, and Sartaj tipped his head toward
the speaker.

butt against mv thumb, and rvatched

them. Srlim Kaka and one of them
spoke, their heads close together. Now
the bag rvas offered, and a suitcase in return. I sirrv a gleam of vellorv, and heard
the clicks of locks shutting. IIv arm
ached.

"Salin-r
rve edged

Kala srepped backrvard, and

a*'ar-lrom the foreigners. I felt

the smooth rvet rim of a stalk against rnr.

neck, and I couldn't find a rvav out, onlv
the vielding pressure of vegetation, and
panic. Then Salim Kaka nrned abrupdy
and sl,ipped benveen the bushes, the faint
beam of his flashlight marking his wa1',
and then Nlathu. I came last, sidervise,
my pistol hand held lorv, my neck taut. I
can still see them rvatching, the three
men. I see the gleam of the metal bands
around the rifle muzzles, and their shaded
eyes. We were walking fast. I felt as ifwe
were flying, and the tall grass that had

pulled and clawed at me at first now

brushed softly along my sides. Salim Kaka

turned his head, and

saw his frantic

"As night came, in the last failing

light, there was a pinpoint of red wink-

smile. We were happy, running.

ing steadily to the north. We dropped anchor, then headed toward it in a dinghy.
Nlathu rowed, and Salim Kaka sat opposite, watching our beacon, and I between
them. I was expecting a'"vall, like I had
seen near the Gateway of India, but in-

little stream where water had cut

"Salim Kaka paused at the edge ofa

a drop

of three feet, maybe four, and he reached

down with his right foot and found

place for his heel. Mathu looked at me,

his face cut into angles by the gaunt

moonlight, and I looked at him. Before

JHOVCAJE

DY

MAX VADUKUL

MALCUDI'J MASTER
K. N,\R\\'d\, born in 1906, lives
on, as if preserved in the tranquil,
. perennial essence of Nlalgudi, the

fictional to'"vn where almost all his fiction

takes place. The lightness of his touch, the
smallness ofhis chosen field of obsenation,

and the profound equanimiryof his Hindu

vision have been criticized as inadequate
to the problem-ridden, poverry-stricken
immensiry of India. But who takes a continent for a subject rvhen humaniry is dose
at hand? An observed detail has a reso-

nanc-a

branching truth-that no generalization can match. V. S. Naipaul, who

as a boy in Trinided and a young man in
England had read and adrnired Narayan,
rvas dismaved, on first travelling to India,
to find it "cmel and overwhelming" com-

plrcd to the cozv and comic lvorld of

Nlrll'an's no'"'els. He concluded that "hrs
comedv and ironv rvere not quite rvh'rrt
thel' had appeared to be, were prrrt of

Hindu response to the world." As a Hindu,

Nrravln believes in reincernrtion---a universe

of infinite rebirths-and a genial

eterniw keeps company rvith his unb[nking social realism. In'The Guide" (1958),
a con mrn becomes a saint; in "The
Painter ofSigns" (1976), the heroine ofa
doomed romancc is momentlrilv "perhaps a goddess to be rvorshipped."
lVeste rn liberal prejudice demands that
Indian rwiters confront suffering. Naray'an
confronts it somervhat as Fielding and

t.
I

I
I

I
I
I
I
I
I
L

I
I

I
I
I

I
I

I
t:

O. Henry do, with the recognition that

suffering is never all there is to the picture;

human buoyance and hopefulness are also
part of it. "India will go on," Narayan told
the young Naipaul, and if this affirmation
falls short ofa political program it does prodaim a lifelong opportunity to observe, to invent, to express sulprise at the permutations ofhuman behavior, to smile. Travellers
to India frequently remark upon its exhilarating liveliness, once culture shock has
been absorbed; Narayan gives the reader
that livelyjoy as registered by a native immunized against shock. He surveys his
teeming scene partly from the perspective
of this most ancient of practiced rel-igions'

and pardy from that of Edwardian Enwhich took an animated, casteconscious, at times heartless sociefy as selF
UPDIKE
widendy an entertainment

gLish fiction,

-JorD{

r36

THE NEV YORKER, JUNE 23 T" 3C.,1997

Srrlim Kaka had complctcd his step, I

knerv where rve were going. The report

of the pistol bounced ofl tte r.varer into

my belly. I knew the butt had bruised
the base of my thumb. Onll. rvhen the
flare left my e)s coLrld I see again, and
m)r stomach rvas trvisting ar.rd loosening

and twisting, and at the bottom of th!

ditch Salim Kaka's feet rvere treading
steadil)i as ifhe \vere still findrng his rvaf

to the boat. The rvater thrasted ani

boiled. 'Fire, X{irthu,'I said. ,Fire, damn
you.' Those rvere the first rvords

had

spoken since rve'd come ashore . N4r,r oice

*'as firnr and strange, the souni of it

alien. X{athu tilted his head and pointed

his barrel. Again a flash brought the

all the rval'back to the dinghy the fat

moon rvas lou.orerhead and lit us to ,afeg,.."

Q.lnr',+1 and Katekar heard Gaitonde

LJ. drink nou.. The1. he,rrd, clearly, er._
gulp and the glass empq-ing.
:1..1?iS

Katekar shook his head. ,,No, he

doesn'r drink. Doesn't smoke either. \rery

health-conscious don he is. Exercises er,l
ery da1'. Water he's drinking. Bisleri rvith
a

nvist oflime in it."

.___Gaitonde \\'ent on, hurrying norv.

'When the sun came up on the b-oat the
next diu'l{athu and I u,ere still ar,vake.
\\'e hrrd spent rhe night sitting in thc
crrbrn, across trorn elch other, rvith the

rveeds out from the shador,i.s, but still

those feet clirrnbercd au'a1', going ste adilr.

stiU

sonteu'here.

I coulJ

aimed mv pistol into the

round frothl'turbulence, and at the first
discl.rrrge all ntoven-rent stopped, but I
put :rr.rother one in just to make surc.
'Conrc orr,' I said, 'lct's go horne.' \ larlru
noddcd, as i[ I u'ere in charge, and he
.jurnped into the ditch and sciabblcd fbr
thc stritcrrse. The flashlighr g.rrs gloning
undcr tl'rc \\,ater, a |.rn-rinous r.cllorv bub]
ble tlrrrr enrbr,rcetl c\.rcrh. h.rliof S.tlinr
Klkrr's lrcird and his grccn kun,r cojl:rr. I
snappcd ir trp as I u'ent through, thouglr

rvhiip...,l. .iB...i"

"WJ'riskey?" Sartaj

suitcrrse nrcked under

llathu's bunk but

nl l,ip, and
unJer his thigh. The

risiblc. I hrJ nrr pi:rol in

sec

JIrihu'i

roof above mr-head crerrked out aite a.lthr.

\\'e

h,rd roli Cr.ron :rnd pa.c,il rh.rr

rve hrd been ambushed br-the police, rhe
step.

police oi u'hatever countn. rve h.rd be en

in. Pr.ial hrJ rrepr, anJ ih., u-erc horh
nrovin: r'rn gcrid,,-notr.. in ,..pcat tur orri
mourning. Behind Jierhu's heird there
\f its rhc drrrk brcrrvn of the *.ood, and the
ri'hire o1-his biinirrn llorrring and dipping
u'ith the s*'ell oithe rvirr.es. There.r.,, th.
hazl distirnce benr.een us, and ] knerv

what.he rvas thinking. So I decidecl. I pL,t

mypistol on_the pillorv, put my feet up on

thc bunk. 'l'm going io slelp,'

said.

'\Vake me up in thre"
hour, .ni rhen you
can rest.' I turned to the rvood, lvith my
back torvard i\{athu, and shut
-y .y.r.
Ver1,, very lolv dor.vn on ml.back there iuas
a single circle on ml.skin u,hich nvitchecl
and cra'u'"led. It expected a buliet. I could

not calm it. But I kept m1. breathinl

my lipJ
I:ody, my knuckles
Thcr_e are somc thir.lgs"gainst
).ou call conr;ol.
'When I rvoke ir wai evening. Therc
wrrs. a thick orange light pushing into rhe
cabrn fronr the hatclr, coloring the rvood
like fire . M1'tonppe flled m1,-ihroat and

mouth, and my hr-rnd rvheir I triecl to

mo'"'e it had becorne a loathsome bloatecl

rveight. I thought the bullet had founcl

rne, or I had found the bullet, but then I
jerked.once
hean rvas thudding

ild -l'

pain6.rllr' and I sat up. N{,v stomuch ."af

co'ercd'* irh siveat. Niethri,r., ;;i.;1, il;
f,rce dou'n on rhe pillou.. I nrcked mi pistol into ml u.:ristband and u.ent up. p.r_
c.il smiled rrr me our of hrs blrrck little face.

The clouds rvere piled abovc r:s, e normo,.ls

and buleine, higher and higher into the
red herrvcn. And this bort i nlig on the
w-irter.

trlv lcgs shook and I

prrrved.

seid the

srrr

dorvn and

Hantrman ci:,t/i:a.I sitid

it again and again. \\/hen it u,ls d,uk,

asked Pascal for rrvo srrcks. He ql-e
me r\r'o rvhite sacls m,rde oicirrn..r.,

*'ith drarvstrings.
"'\Vake up,'

said to ^\lr.iir,-:

u'hen I rvent dorvnstairs, rnd kicked

his bunk. He c:rme arv:rke groping
for his pistol, rvhich he could-n't 6ni

until I pointed to it, benveen

the

maftress and the rvall. 'Calm dorvn,

you

,-7-

jumpyfuck.Just caLn dou.n. \\/e

have to share.' He said, 'Don't er.er

do that ag:rin.' He .w,as grorvlin!,
-ir
stretching his shoulders up like
rooster heal'ing its feathers. I smilecl
at hirn. 'Listen,'I said, j.ou fucking
sleepy fu

ck-drop from Kurnbhkrran,

do you want your half or what?' He

calculated for a moment, still all
swollen and angry, but then he subsided with a laugh. Yes, I'es,, he said.

'Half-half Hal-f:half.'

"Gold is good. It moves and slips

on yolrr fingers u'ith a satisfying
smoothness. When it is near to pure
it has that herrlthy reddish glorvlhat
reminds 1'ou of apple cheeks. But
"vadkn

Mortini,

splash Ef ,uerntouth,.u)ith o tzuist. Let tbe henling begin."

thrt afternoon

as u,e

fron-r the suitcase

moved the bars

into the

sacks, one

VIKRAM CHANDRA

bl

one. one fbr one and then

c:.e :or the other, u'l-rat I liked

the u-eight. The bars
ie.l

"r'ls

s:nJ, a Lirde longer than

:i-r- l:e:dtil of i'r-rv paln-r, much
:.-..r i: t:;n I had erpected,
: -: ::.e\' :e1r so dense ar-rd
:,..:-.: I c.,uld hardlv bear to

'.,,.::e

"---,

.,....

,.u

vL: 1r$

...:: ir mr-sack IIv face

-,ta* a"i ,,tu heart con-

:.,:.i

:r:J I knerv I had done

\\'e got to the last
\\-:en
-:::
:::. '.'.:jil rr'ls nrine, I put it
:.

-:. :--',' ieit prnts pocket,'tvhere

- : :-l :eel it ilrvavs, slapPing

.:.i:^.t r,e. Then the pistol on
:.-.: --:her side at the back of

] Iathu nodded.
'-l-::--:,.t home,'he said. 'How
::-, -;: Jo vou think it's u'orth?'
I:: ;lr:ile u'as slotv and falter,:.: I lr,oked dou'n at hirn and
::l: --:1r'contempt. I knerv ab, ---::1r'.'-nd tbr certain and in
,-.: i:st:nt that he rvould al,...',: re t i,tfcri, nothing more,
-: .'.:e elen u'ith ten or nvelve
::..','.';;:stband.

:.-rle
..-'.'.':',.:

Sh^ n^hotO
"And" becarce

u'orking for him, but

nothing more than a

:-.=:.'e-ircked srnall-time local bufroon,

:..:ied up into torterybrutisirness'rvith a

:.-l rnd a cl.ropper under his shirt,
:.r..:'s Jl. Iir-ou think in mpees you're a
: ','iipr-s1ni1g bhangi, nothing more- Be:..-..c lakhs are dirt, and crores are shit. I
:--:.:gl'rt. \\'hat is golden is the furure in
'.

-;r

irs6f,s1, the endless possibility of

it'

: -. I shoved the sack under my bunk,

..: jqing the last of it under rvith my foot

.. \lrthu s'atched rvith wide eyes' I

:-:::ed ml brrck on him and clirnbed up
: :.e deck laughing to myself. I was no
-:::er rfraid. I
:.::rt I slept like a baby."

knew him now. That

Kl:ekar snorted, and shook his head.

l..J tbr vears he slept a restful sleep evfell right and
=:,' r:ght, u'hile the bodies
hand, and
rvarning
a
held
up
Sartaj
-.::."
I-.teLrr uiped the sweat fiom his face and

d quietly, "They're all of them

::-e lucking same, greedy bastards. The
::-.'-:ltere

::--.':ble is u'hen one gets killed' fir'e come

to take his place."

,:

pinces ian't

beJorced to testlf,t

ogohrt l:a'Vrirc, th4, /ir','r1 JrrOUi/y tt'er oJter."

torvard the horizon. 'Aa,t-hcoooootc,' he

called, and the long cn'and its echoiriq reply rvrapped about mv shoulders. I r.'rs
horne.

'We helped to beach the boet, irnd

then took leave of Prscal and Gaston'
Nlathu rvas rvhispering threats i1t thenl'
but I shouldered hin-r aside, not too gently, and said, 'Listen, bo\-s, keeP this
quiet, r,ery quiet, and rve'li do business
again.' I gave them a gold birr eachfrom my share-ar.rd shook hands u-ith
them, and thev grinned and u'ere rr1'tellorvs for lif'e. triathu and I u'a-lked a little
rvay dorvn the road, to the bus stoP, \\'ith
our white sacl<s dragging over our shoulders. I rvaved dorvn an auto rickharv and

nodded at Nlathu.

left him standing

there, buffeted by exhaust.

knerv he

rvanted to come rvith me, but he thought

more of himself than i.re rvas, and he
u'ould've forced me to kill him, sooner or
later. I had no time fbr hin-r. I rvas going

'

The speaker growled again. "The day

the next, I saw, over the water, afar
.'.rav hi1lock. \Vhat is that?'I asked Gas:: l. 'Home,' he said. From the bow Pas-

:ier

:..i cailed to another boat leaning out

f, cirp

'-l-tHe

up, turned, and looked up and

dorvn the street. "Eh, Gaitonde?" he said.

A moment passed, and then the answer came: 'Yes, Sartaj?"
"The bulldozer's here."

rr

"Get those people out of the road"'

Sartaj said to Katekar. "Ar-rd that thing up
here. Pointed this rvay."
"I can hear it nol," Gaitonde said. The
r-ideo ler-rs rnor,ed in its housing resdessly.

"You'll see it soon," Sartaj said. The

policernen near the vans lvere checking
their rveapons. "Listen, Gaitonde, this is
a1i a farce that I don't like one bit. We ve
neYer lnet, but still rve've spent the afternoon talking. Let's be gentlemen. There's
no need for this. Just come out and rve can
go back to the station and rve can get you
something to eat. Shrimp."

"shrirnp',vould be good," Gaitonde

I can't do that."
"Stop it," Sartaj said. "Stop acting the
llunt villain, you're better than that'

said. "But

f
speaker rvas silent. Sartaj stood

on his l-re,rd, u'orn v'ith thc flair of

specielist.

to Bombay."

"Qriet," Sartaj said. "I want to hear

-L:1,t\.

Indee.l it n'as there, a black ler-iather.r

thilt no\v ap'rp',eared xt the Yery end oi tl-re

street, \\'ith its throary clar.rkir.rg causing a
crou'd to ippear instantly. The n.r,-rchine
h,rd a certrrin digniry, and thc driver l-rad

This isn't some bloody schoolboy game."

"It never was, my friend," Gaitonde
said. "It never was."
Sartaj turned away from the door. He

rvanted, with an excruciating desire, a

cup of tea. "A1l right. \Alhat's your name?"

t3B
he said to the driver of the bulldozer, who
lvas leaning ag:rinst a gargantuan track.

JKETCHBOOK BY DODO

"BashirAli."

LE CURRY

"You kno."r'.lvhat to do?"

Bashir Ali tw.isted his blue cap in his
hands.

"It's rn1'responsibiliry, Bashir Ali. I'm

giving vou an order as a police inspector,
so you don't have to ."vorr1. about it. Let's
get that door dorvn."
Bashir Ali cleared his throat. "But
that's Gaitonde in there, Inspector sahib,"
he said tentativell'.
Sartaj took Bashir A1i bi.the elborv
and rv'rlked him to the door.
"Gaitonde?"
'Yes, Sardarji?"
"This is Bashir A1i, the dri.,'er of the
bulldozer. He's afraid of helping us. He's
frishtened of1'ou."
"Bashir A1i," Gaitonde said. The voice
\\ias commanding, like an empcror's, sure

of its consonants and its generosig..

Ali

/-flHn inrisiblc cook hcrc is clearly

setting out to mlkc n curq', but
!
rvhat,
cxactll'. is a currl') Asking
I
an

Indian isn't much help, since the -"vord

"curn/' seems to have been popularized

by the English (as r,r,as the sruff in that
jar); the relationship of various similarsour.rding Indian terms to the r.vord invoh'es a fair amount of conjecrure. When
Eneiish-speaking Indians sar"'curry.," they
usuallr'mean a stew flavored rr.itl.r a subde ,
customized mlxnlre of spices and finished
rvith anv of an assortment of thickeners,
enrichers, and narural colorings. Requesting a rnore precise ans\\.er is fike asking

a trrble of French rruckers to define

cirssoulet.

iooking at the middle

This kitchen scene, dr:ru'n by the

ofthc door.

Sertaj pointed up at thc video

camera, and Ali blinked up at ir. "Yes,
Gaitonde Bhai?" he srrid.

Frerr.']r rrnist Dodo in 199u, on licr lerur,'

from a joLrrner- to Indi,r, acnrallv rells us

"Don't rvorrl'. I u'on't forgive

).ou"Bashir Ali blanched-"bec"use there's
nothins to forgir-e. Wc are both trapped,
1'or.l on that side of the door and me on
this. Do rvhat thev tell 1'ou to do, get it

about Indian cookirrs. The cloth-cor-cred

Bashir

rvrrs

over rvith, ar.rd go horre to your children.

Nothine *'i11 happen to vou. Nor nou- and
not Llter. I gir.e r-ou my tvord." There u.as

"The rvord of Glncsh Grritonde."

81'the time Bmhir Ali had climbed up.
to his seat on top ofthe bulldozer he had
rrndcrstood, ir sccnrcd, his role in the sinration. He put his cap on his hcad rvith a
nr.irl and pointed it bachvard. The engine
gmnted and then settled into a steadl'
rotrr. Sartaj leaned close to the speakei.
The left side of his hcad, from the nape
of the ncck to the temples, rvas caughtln
21

prluse .

a srveeping pulse

of heat and pain.

Ualtonde.'
"Speak, Sardarji, I'n.r lister.ring."
'Just open this damn door."

"Oho, yotr tvant me to just open this

door? I knorv, Sardarji, I larorv."

"Knorv r'vhat?"

"I knorv lvhat )'ou w2rnt. You want me

to just open this dirrnn door. Then 1'or-r

\vant to arrest me and take me to the st:rtion. You \vrrnt to be a hero in the newspapers. Yotr rvirnt a promotion. Two pro-

motions. Decp dotvn )'ou want even

morc. You want to be rich. You lvant to
be an all-India hero. You.rr.ant the Presi-

nrorc lbotrt French notiorri of tooJ rhln

table belongs in a French kitchen, rvith
Grand-mdre setting up for he r blarrlu;tte
dt r,;,itr, irnd not in an Indiirn rrrsoi. Even

the rvrrllpirper, dcspite its motil, hints

nrorL' ilt thc conciergt-'s loge thrrn at the
open fire

lntl

fiene tic cacophonv of an

In-

dirn kitchcn in hrll srving. Obviouslr., the

irtirl \r';l: h.Lr ing I lirrlc

\o

tirn.

proud Indirrn cook rr'ould forgo

thc crrreful hand-roasting and handgrinding of spicc mi-\tures-the cornerstones of L.idian cooking-in far-or of that
jar of curn'porvder. And don't bet on the
pitcher of cream: Indiirn cooks favor )'ogurt (u.hich provides a *'elcome acidic
tane) and coconut milk (.rvhich adds
srveetness and richness). That beaLrtiful

rectilngle of bufter rvould have dripped

off

the edge of anr.'table south of Darjeeling:

in lndia, butter is slou,h'and

ever so attentivell.cooked until it rakes on the butterscotch aroma of a clear and golden
ghee. Lemons? Indians are far more likely
to use lirles, r'inegar, t:Lmarind, or powdered dried mango to gir,'e zing to their
curries. And thet' eat ra\r' and cooked

onions-never leeks.
Ifan Indian sketched a French kitchen, u.hrt rvould rve see? i\llai'be a big jar
ofghee, some coconuts, and one ofthose

pretn'jrrs of dried htrbts de Provence.

-J

rrres Pr.;Tunsox

THE NEV YORKER, JUNE 23 A 30,1997

seat, and the behemoth

iurched fonvard, past

Sartaj, and smashed
against the building
with a dull crunch,
rvith

r1

lr.L
I

t'''

a soaring cloud of
plaster. But after a mo*
ment, r,vhen the buLldozer pulled back, the
building still stood complete and sacrosanct, the
door not even dented.
On\. the video camera
had been injured: it lrry

next to the door, flat-

tened neatly halfivrv

along its length. ,\

n1

,l

long jeer rose from the

crorvd do',vn the street.

It

grerv louder u'hen

Bashir Ali srvitched off

his engine.
'\\/hat the hell rvas

thirt)" Sartaj said

B :uhir Ali stepped

/.^

rvhe n
dour-r

on the shaded side c-i

/<*-

tl-re

'A bialy, a latte, and

A Ftrt;:'i/l

bulldozer.

"\Vhat do I'ou erto

Arii::."'

pect r."'hen You u'or-i't

.let me do it the ..virl it

should be done?"

dcnt to gir-e xru ir r.ncd:rl on llcpublic

I)rrr'. \'ori \\-rurt thc n.rcr-l.rl in tirll color on
teler'ision- \'or.r u',rnt to tirck 6L-t-i st,rrs."
"Grritor.rde-"
"But r-otr hrorv I'r'c hed all tiret. And

I'll

be :rt

"I lou'? \'o,,r l-r,rve some ofvour bols in

thclc rtith vor-ri"
"No. Not one. I told vou, I'r.r.r alone."
"A tunneli A helicopter hidde n ir-rsidel"
Gaitonde Lrr-rghed. "No, no."

"\\/hat then? \'otr

"Not

t-olt."
-

gtrns?"
e."'en an

the cr'lindcr,

rir.iJ.

th:

have a batterv

AK-47. But

I'11 beat

The bulldozer rvas shimmering on the

black road, flanked by grim-e1.ed policernerr. Thcir choices rvere nlrrorving rapid11', leading them inevitably to this metal
door, and they r.vere determined, and
helpless, and afrarid.
"Gaitonde," Srrtaj said, rubbing his
eves. "Last chance. Come on, ynor.Thrs
is tcn, r'c11'snrpid."
"I can't do it. Sonr''."
"A11 right. Just st'rv back from the door
u-hcn r.ve comc in. And for God's sake
have l'our hrrncls trp."

r'eLrxv c;rnridges sirt

f,rt anJ round in the nret:il. The hcat

cirrle through the

i'otr."

of Bofors

"Do:r't \\'r)rn', Grii,rrie .;.rid. "I rvill."

S.-.rtii stooi u:r sIr.u'{:rt. hrs b.rck to thc
do,rr. ,..r.i.1 chccked his pisroi. He rot:rtcd

soles

of his shoes, into

his fect.

ir.rg

Thel'uere both u'ipplaster fiom their noses. On the suir-

lit

side of the bulldozer the crou'd

cl-rantins'/ar Gaitonde."

rvr.s

"Du r..ru knorv the wrr.r' to do iti"

i
Brshir A-li shrugged. "I have rrn ide.r." )
"All right," Srrtaj said. 'Tinc. Dolt 'l

horv t'ou rvant."

nh' thc speaker came to life

"Get out of my rval' then. And get

again agirinst his shoLrlder blade. "Sartaj,

votr cirlled me .].?!77.. So I'll tcll lou somcthing. Build it bie or sn'rrLl, there is no
hou;e th,rt i: srife. Love i. an iron trap.
and the grrme alu'irr-s rvins."
Sartaj could feel the tinr.l'tren-rbling in
his chest from the spreaker. The m;rchine

)'our men back from the building."

As Beshir Ali spun his steed on the
gra.,.el, Sartaj sarv that he lvas an artist. He
operated rvith flicks and thumps of his
hands on the driving sticks, leaning into

in front of him produced a blare that

pressed him back against the door, and it

raised and then lorvered his blade, positioning it precisely, with its lon'er extended edge level rvith the doon He reversed ten feet, trffenry, thirty, his arm
jauntill on tl-re back of his seat. He came
at the building at a diagonai, and as he
\,vent past Sartaj he flashed a u'hite grin.
This time there was a scream of metal,
and r,vhen the violent juddering of the
bulldozer had ceased Sartaj sarv that the
door had been peeled back, inu'ard. A
crirck ran threc feet up into the masonry.

Strdde

rvas enough.

He palmcd the c'linder back

into the pistol, and stepped offthe porch.

right," he shouted. "Let's go, let's go,
le t's go." Hc rvaved tou'ard thc door u'ith
the rveapon. The speaker r','as buzzing
again, but Sartaj rvasn't [stenine. "Cor-ne
"A11

on, Bashir Ali, get that thing dorvr-t."

Bashir Ali raiscd a hand, and Sartaj
pointcd a rigid finger at him. "Get that
fi.rcking thing moving."

Bashir

Ali

cror.rcl.red

in his high

the direction of his turns, in s1'mpathy

rvith the groaning gears underneath. He

"Backl" Sutaj shouted. He rvas run-

l+t

VIKRAM CHANDRA
ninq fonverd, pistol lield in front of bim.

flooded rvith rvhite trcon radiance' gcn-

was gone, ar-rd Sartai rvas leaning against

one side ofthe doonvay, and Katekar on

irr the universal illumination Grritonde

sat, revealed, a black pistoi in his left
har.rd, and half his head gone.

erous and encompassit.tg and cletrn. Al-rd

"Cet back, get back." Thcn Bashir Ali

the other. An icy rvind carne out and
Sartaj felt it drf ing the su'eat on his face
and his forearms. Suddenlr', for a moinent, he er-rvied Gaitonde a1l his airconditioners, the frigid climate control
rvon by his audaciq'. And for a moment'
rising from someu-here deep in his hips,
unbidden and nauseating, like a buolant
dribble of bile, rvas a tiny bubble of admiration. He took a deep breath. "Do vou
think the building u'ill holdj" he said'
Katekar nodded. He u'as looking in'
tl'rrough the door, and his face n'as dark
rvith iase. Sartaj touched the tip of his
tongue to his upper lip, felt the dryness,
andlhen they u'ent in. Sartaj rvent ahead,
and at the first door inside Katekar u'ent
by him. Behind them follou'ed the rustling of the others. Sartaj rvas trf ing tohear above the thunderous ur.rclenchir.rg

his heart. He had done entries like

of

tl-ris

before, and it never got better. It rvas ven'

cold inside the building, and the light u'as
low and lururious. There rvas carPet Lln-

der their feet. There u'ere four square

rooms, all white, all empw. Ar-rd at the
exact center of the building \vas a \-erv
steep, almost vertical, rnetal stirircase'
Sartaj nodded at Katekar, and then followed him dorvn. The metal door at the
bottom oper-red easily, but it rvas verl'
l'rear.y, and rvl-ren Katekar finally had it
back Sartaj saw that it rvas as thick as a
hatch to a bankvault. Inside it rvas dark.
Sartaj rvas shivering uncontroilably. He
moved past Katekar, and now he sarv a
bluish light on the left. Katekar slid past
his shoulders and 'ivent out rvide, and
then they shu{fled fonvard,'rveapor.rs held
rigidly before them. Another step ar-rd
now in the nerv angle Sartaj salv a figure'
slroulders, in front of a bank of hazefilled TV mot.titors, a brorvn hand near
the controls on a black Panel.

his u'a1'througl-r the pl-rotograpl.re rs. Soon

he u,rrs at the u'heel of a GrPsl', rvir.rdirlg

through the heat,y trafllc. He didn't knorv

u,heri he rvas going. He thought, It's
finisl-red, Sardarji, finished. It's only rvork.
Enough. But he could still see rvater slapside of a
fl' nrs night uhen Sart,rj cemc up the ping against tl're rust-brorvr-r
sitting irl
a
figure
s}ry,
I m.tal stairs. He left trndcrnelth him boat, a cloud-laden
horizon.
the
toward
the symn-retrical roor.us of the cube' tl.re borv lookir-rg
Sartaj rurned tl-re je ep's rvheel violently
nhich the nlo police coumissioners beleft and rvas now driving along a
to
the
lorv 1'ere ne11, snlling a slfe house. The
road, rvhich led to the sloping
familiar
it,
and
three lab technicians u'ere dusting
Kausa rvhere he used to go picat
beach
i1
rt'ith
Katekar u'as guardiug lt
Procollege. The curving rvaduring
nicking
stood
Sartaj
prietor's fierce u'atchhrl-ress.
rvitl-r
tiny fishing villages
lined
terfror-rt
door.
rnetal
the
1ee
of
ihadorted in tl're
then. Norv there
secret
a
great
had
been
a
behind
u'aiting
u'ere
reporters
There
built in an epic
hotel,
u'as
a
huge
colhis
checked
He
rorv of police ieeps.
1'ellorv
lar, and ran his l.rands trlong the sides of 'arc to maich the bay. The hotel belonged
to l tin-rily in tl.re construction business,
his rurban, arrd step.ped out' In the flare
ofthe flashbulbs, he found that he could and the perrnission required to build in ir
not leale behind Gaitonde's .tare. Gei- l.rotected ,rrea hrrd conre Jiont I nrinistcr
close to Gaitonde. There n'as nothing to
tonde hird looked at hin-r in the I'rst suduith
be
dor.re ;.rbout it r.rorv. The villirgers' sor.rs
den light; his right ele had bulqed
daughters r.'orked in it, as gardeners,
and
the
,',.rrni. intensin'. S.rrtri hed seen
"fiagile trrcen' oi pink lines' the hrrd- u'aiters, rrnd r.nirids. Tl're l'rotel u',rs far
black oi the cupil. rhe .hining seep ot rhei.rd in tl.re tl;rrk but Sartaj co,.rld see it
fluid tiom ile ln.ide .onler, u'hich de- clearlr', like irr-r eltormous rvall stretcl'rirlg
iion-r right to le ft. In its rooftop bar, Sartej
spite himsef he hrd lhouqht of as a tear.
had once drunk a Scotch. FIe veered to
the
to
reacting
bodv
the
.r',rs
oi"lrit
Bl,t
gigrrntic b1o*' thrt h:d erploded even- tl-re side of the rorrd ar-rd stopped t1-re
ihing tiom rhe chir.r uP oil the other side Glpr)'.
Sartaj sat for a lor"rg u'hile' Tl-rerl he
of his tice, slicin3 iron the leti nostrii
mor-e d the jeep ir.r a slorv halt circle across
into the torehetd.
"Enoush.' S;nai said. :.:d shoddered the road, 'and ri,ent back to Kailashpada. r

I.*i+/
;i'/

{.ffi

"Gaitonde!" Sartaj hadn't meant to

shout-a gende admonitory assenion rvas
the preferred tone-and norvhe squeezed
his voice dorvn. "Gaitonde, put 1'our
hands up verv slowly." There was no
movement from the figure in the darkness. Sartaj tightened his finger painfully
on his trigger, and fought the urge to fire,

and fire again. "Gaitonde. Gaitonde?"

From Sartaj's right, rvhere Katekar

was, carle a very smal1 click, and even

r1

as

Sartaj turned his head the room rvas

'Just once, Ict like to be able to usrite a check u:ithout getting throttsn in

jail."