Direct Inference: People keep away as a mark of respect.
Indirect Inference: I cannot be everywhere.
Lastly, it is vaguely comforting to realize that this entire exercise of milking every word dry, and mulling over the character of this man, has taken me only four hours and fifty-five minutes. In that short span of time, even as he supposedly sat in anticipation of death, Gopalakrishna Naidu has played the part of humble farmer to perfection.
part three
BATTLEGROUND
8. Expression of Countenance
It was Inspector Rajavel’s turn to look at the dead and make a list. He inspected them head to toe and front to back, instructed the photographer to snap them from all angles, informed the doctors that they would only be allotted six hours to complete the entire post-mortem, and summoned up the courage to carry out the important task of filling out the inquest forms. He also took the precaution of surrounding himself with his favourite constables, those of the most pleasant disposition, and, from time to time, he consulted the five-member village council who were given the onerous task of identifying the bodies. Though he was a genial man most of the year, he realized that the silent stares of the villagers aggravated his asthma, so he shooed them away. Quite naturally, he also developed a sudden aversion to dirge-singing, breast-beating old women.
If and when he were to rise in rank, he decided to redesign the standard templates that policemen had to fill out for every case of theft or suspicious death. Most of them required the repetition of the same sequence of events in three different formats, and a few of them, like the inquest form he was completing, posed rude, impertinent questions. It required him to list identification marks of the deceased, describe the corpse closely observing all cavities (nose, ear, mouth, vagina and etc.) in good light during daytime, indicate the nature of the visible wound (incised, lacerated, bruised, fractured), look for ligature marks and signs of struggle, comment on the expression of countenance and the position of limbs, and report the presence of blood (liquid or clotted), saliva, froth, vomit or semen at the scene of crime. He was certain that the problem with these forms was not merely the absence of specificity, but also the thoughtlessness of generalization – perhaps a naive idiot had demanded the fingerprinting of every corpse that went to the coroner, but only a cold-blooded sadist could have come up with an instruction to the reporting police officer to note down the facial expression of a fire victim.
Although distracted by such disturbing thoughts, he managed to complete the work at hand, and went about looking after other procedures.
It would be cruel not to appreciate Inspector Rajavel’s labours, and criminal to suppress the facts of the massacre. Therefore his observations have been shared hereunder, and the tabulation shall tell this tale.
1.
Male, age not known, nobody can identify body; height 4'10"; marital status not known; protruding tongue, body totally burnt below the hip, hand flexed at the elbow, blackened blood all over the body
2.
Subban Saambaan, aged about 70 years, son of Pakkirisamy; Harijan; height 5'; identification marks not visible as corpse completely burnt; married; hair partially singed, left arm and feet blackened, laceration on the abdomen
3.
Kunjammal, aged about 30 years, wife of Thangavelu; Harijan; height 4'2"; extensive burns all over the body, skin on the right breast has peeled away; bloated corpse with lacerations and peeling skin
4.
Poomayil, aged about 18 years, daughter of Kanchi; Harijan; height 3'11"; unmarried; hair partially singed; neck and left ear visibly burnt, charred hands and feet, legs blackened up to the hip, liquid-filled blisters all over the body
5.
Jothi, aged about 10 years, daughter of Muniyan; Harijan; height 3'; not married; roughly three-fourths of her body has burnt with the exception of the left side of face and hair
6.
Female, other details not known; height 5'1"; marital status not known; fragmented skull, visible female genitalia, body charred beyond identification
7.
Female; height 4'8"; marital status not known; completely charred legs, teeth intact, visible genitalia and breasts
8.
Female, name and other details not known; height 5'1"; marital status not known; head and the torso charred, legs have cooked away, visible female genitalia, absence of other personal effects
9.
Female; height 1'2"; appears to be corpse of an infant; visible female genitalia; bones of the arms are seen, whole body is charred
10.
Charred female torso; height about 4'; marital status unknown; completely burnt body, partially burnt female genitalia, unable to identify because of the extent of blackening
11.
Charred female corpse; height 1'; appears to be an infant, body blackened beyond recognition
12.
Charred female corpse, other details not known; approximate height 3'2"; marital status not known; severely mangled body, presence of breasts indicates body belonged to adult woman
13.
Charred adult female corpse; height 4'6"; marital status not known; limbs completely burnt, visible female genitalia, fractured skull, other details not known
14.
Name and sex not known, body charred beyond recognition; height 4'4"; marital status not known; burnt skeletal remains
15.
Charred female corpse; height approximately 3'6"; marital status not known; appears to be a small child, a portion of the head has been burnt away, other details are not known
16.
Charred adult female torso; height 5'; marital status not known; legs have been completely cooked and dismembered; presence of breasts and female genitalia
17.
Charred adult female corpse; height 5'; marital status not known; body has been severely burnt, both the arms and one leg have complete burns revealing only skeleton; presence of breasts and visible female genitalia
18.
Charred corpse of a female child; height 1'2"; marital status not known; one-inch long hair, legs are cooked and hanging apart, abdomen has burst, visible female genitalia
19.
Charred female torso, presumably of an adult; height 4'10"; marital status not known; hair has been completely burnt, completely roasted below the hip, other identification not possible, presence of breasts
20.
Charred corpse, sex not identifiable; height not known; marital status not known; only skeletal remains hang loosely as body completely burnt away
21.
Sex unidentifiable from charred torso; height cannot be calculated; marital status not known; skull and skeleton remain, other details not known
22.
Charred human torso; legs missing; other details not known
23.
Charred corpse, sex not identifiable; height and marital status not known; only skull and skeleton are present
24.
Blackened human corpse, sex not known; height 2'3"; marital status not known; completely burnt body
25.
Charred female corpse; height 3'1"; other details not known; marital status not known; appears to be the body of a child, visible female genitalia
26.
Charred male corpse; height 3'6"; marital status not known; body could be that of a child, skull has burst open, brain matter visible, other parts are blackened
27.
Charred corpse of an adult; height 5'; marital status not known; skull intact, rest of the body has charred beyond identification
28.
Charred human body; height 3'2"; marital status not known; extreme nature of burns make identification of sex impossible
29.
Charred female child; 3'8" in height; marital status not known; female genitalia appears charred, body is burnt beyond identification
30.
Charred human corpse; burnt to the bones making identification impossible<
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31.
Charred female corpse; height 4'; marital status not known; female organs have suffered extreme burns, skull is intact, left hand has cooked away
32.
Charred skeleton belonging to a human; other details not known
33.
Severely burnt human body; height not known; marital status not known; skull separated from rest of skeleton, other details not known
34.
Charred human corpse; skull and skeleton remain, other details not known
35.
Completely charred female corpse; height 4'11"; marital status not known; no identification apart from visible female genitalia
36.
Charred human corpse; only skull and skeletal remains are present
37.
Burnt male corpse; presence of male genitalia; body has charred beyond identification
38.
Charred skull and skeleton belonging to an adult human; age, sex, height not identifiable
39.
Charred human corpse with only skull and bones; other details not known
40.
Charred male corpse; height 5'4"; marital status not known; male genitalia burnt, appears to be an adult
41.
Burnt, blackened, male torso; 3'6" in height; marital status unknown; skull and skeleton intact, male genitalia partially burnt, remaining body is roasted
42.
A charred skull and tiny body; other details not known.
9. A Minor Witness
I was the first to come and tell everybody: Poomayil akka’s appa was beaten up at the tea stall. I saw the fighting and ran away as fast as I could. When I was back home, I told them what I saw. All the men went there to help. Even Thaatha wanted to go and see what he could do. It would have taken him half a day to wobble all the way to the tea stall. So he was asked to stay. Even I was asked to stay. They asked us to look after the women and children.
Then the police vans came to our village. We knew that from the wailing sound of the sirens. My amma said the police only meant trouble for everybody. Seenu said the police had come there only to protect the mirasdars. She corrected him. That is what all the mothers do. She said that the police now wanted to catch our men, which is why the men of our village were not to be seen. They had run away. Only a few old men were left behind.
After having food, we came and sat in the open. The elders talked endlessly. They spoke of what had happened earlier in the day. They said the end was near. They also said this was not the end. They kept talking and it became dark and I fell asleep.
We heard whistles. They said rowdies were coming. Before I could see them it started raining stones. We ducked our heads. We ran towards the edge of our street. Some of our men had come back in the dark and they began picking up bricks. Everyone joined in. Seeing them, I too began picking up stones. The men kept throwing stones. Natarajan started throwing the stones he had picked up. Guru joined him. I did not throw stones because my chittappa was watching. He could tell on me to my appa, who would believe his younger brother more than his son. So, I sat down quietly and watched the other boys act like men. Then we heard the gunshots. The old men ran into the fields. The women ran inside their homes.
Paappa akka, Ramayya maama’s wife, was calling everyone to their house. Big with child, she walked with one hand on her stomach, afraid that it would fall off. She stood at the doorway and asked all of us to step inside. Vasuki was tugging at her sari asking to be carried. Most of the women and children got inside.
Virammal akka, with her little son under one arm, pulled Guru and Natarajan into Paappa akka’s house. She called them naughty monkeys. She told Natarajan that he was not even three feet tall and so he could not join the fighting. She told Guru that if he got out they would put a spear into him and he would never be able to see his sweetheart again. I was looking away all this time and she came to me. She asked me to run and fetch my sister and come back to her. She asked me not to go home. She asked me not to wander off. She asked me to come back in a blink.
I went to find my sister. I called her name.
I looked for her everywhere. I looked out until I could not see.
They were coming closer and closer. I stood there lost. Then Anjalai came and grabbed my hand from nowhere. We began to run. I could not go back to Paappa akka’s home with her. Everybody was running there. I carried her and ran into the fields. We hid ourselves behind the crops, from where the dark night could be touched.
They started shooting. They were moving in. They were shouting. They set fire to the roof of the huts. They took the straw from one burning thatched roof to set fire to another. Then all the burning huts lit up the village. We saw fleeing figures. We heard bamboo splinters blast.
Then everything happened at once. We heard the screaming. The loud screams filled up the land. My little sister and I were crouching like monkeys. I held her tight to stop her running. She sat still. She did not know what was going on. I put my hand on her mouth so that she would not join the screaming. The screams stopped sometime later.
Then I came outside holding my sister. We ran towards our home. The sky was yellow and black with fire and smoke. I heard an old woman crying. When I got closer, I could make out that it was Maayi paati. She was with another woman. They were hiding behind a hut. They sat in such a way that only their faces could be seen above their knees. I understood they were without clothes. I took my father’s lungis and gave it to them. They covered themselves. They came into our hut. We were all coughing. Maayi paati said that those who had come to attack us had gone away. So we went and sat outside.
A police van came again at the middle of the night. It went away after some time.
They did not come to us. We did not go to them. Maayi paati kept on crying. None of us could sleep.
The sun switched sides. Some men from our village came back with the light. The police tied them up.
Then the thannikkaarar, the watermen, came with their red lorries full of water. They said the fire could not be seen but things were still burning. We could not watch them work. We were not allowed near them.
From the policemen’s chatter I thought they were counting. I heard them say five, ten, twelve, twenty-five, thirty-eight. That many heads they said. I was not sure. I don’t know what happened after that.
We were taken away. I heard Appa was at the big hospital in Nagapattinam.
I did not know what happened to Chittappa.
I did not see the others.
10. Mischief by Fire
The streets are alight
and the marauding mob of landlords is at arm’s length and those who have stayed behind in Kilvenmani apprehend its onward approach through shrill synchronized whistles piercing the cold night air and rapid gunshots being aimed at moving targets and the crackling noises of their homes bursting into flames and the screams of their women caught in the clutches of these attackers
and so they seek shelter in Paappa and Ramayya’s hut because there is nowhere safer to go and because they believe in the strength and safety of their numbers and in staying together and so united they stand as they squeeze themselves inside and lock the door
and the mob soon arrives on its rampaging feet and tries to forcibly gain entrance and fails and in a fury sets the hut ablaze
and now escape involves the only available exit and the men by the door struggle to unlock it and they stumble out but they are hacked to death or pushed back inside
and in desperation a mother throws her one-year-old son out of the burning hut but the boy is caught by the leering mobsters and chopped into pieces and thrown back in and in that precise yet fleeting moment of loss and rage everyone realizes that they would die if their death meant saving a loved one and that they would die if their death meant staying together and that they would die anyway because it would not be as disastrous as living long enough to share this sight and so alone and together they prepare to resign themselves to the fact
that they have mounted their collective funeral pyre
and the hut is fatally bolted for the final time from the outside by the mob leaving the dead the dying and the living dead in the crushed space to face the fire that is a merciless man-eating angry god who demands that everyone submits to suffering
and in no time at all the wails and the howls can be heard six villages away
but the cries are to no avail and in a matter of minutes the black smoke envelops them so they can no longer cry for help because their vocal cords have scorched and closed and suddenly inhalation itself is injury
and now the fire spreads with fondness and familiarity and the old men and the women and the children are bathed in blisters making touch their greatest trauma and long-ago tattoos of loved ones’ names show up on their arms but they are almost already dead as they continue to burn and soon their blood begins to boil and ooze out of every pore sometimes tearing skin to force its way out in a hurry to feel fresh air and the blood begins to brown and then blacken
and at some point seeing becomes impossible because life has elapsed and so they no longer scare each other and instead they mourn in silence inside the torched hut as their muscles lose mass and begin to flex of their own free will arching joints into pyramids and the dying dance after their death as they are formed and deformed and their tongue-lolling soot-coated smiles only mean that pain is always followed by paralysis
The Gypsy Goddess Page 10
