Scattered Fates - a novel on the second partition of India

by Ram Garikipati

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  Subbaiah slipped in alone through the backdoor unnoticed at around nine. It helped that earth’s natural satellite was hiding behind some clouds.

  Moon was closeted in the living room, having closed all the windows and the front door to keep the mosquitoes out. He had made the mistake of keeping a window open at sunset the previous day and had a terrible time with mosquitoes who sneaked in for their meal. He had just switched off the radio and was trying to read his book in the dim glow of the incandescent light bulb.

  Subbaiah peeked at him from the dark kitchen, and realizing the coast was clear, whistled softly. Moon saw him, and as if on cue, shut off the lights and lit a candle.

  ‘How was your day? Any more policemen came sniffing around for me?’

  ‘No sir, but I have a lot of new information. Professor Ganapathy is not a government spy and wants to actually join your movement,’ Moon replied.

  He gave a vivid account of the day's developments, wrapping it up with details of the revenge killings in Delhi.

  ‘We have to be careful. It could be just a ruse to get me over to his place. Did you notice anyone going to his house in the evening?’

  ‘No sir, I came inside at six thirty because of the mosquitoes. I did not hear any vehicles.’

  ‘They could have parked it at the entrance and walked here. I know Ganapathy is a good friend, but when it comes to caste matters, one never knows what he will be forced to do. Community ties are stronger than friendships in this part of the country.’

  ‘Do you mean to say that he may deceive you and get you arrested? That seems unlikely, he was genuinely concerned.’

  ‘You may be right, but I do not want to take any chances. Please go ahead of me and see if there is anyone in his house. If you notice anything suspicious, make an excuse and come back here. I will give ten minutes and then follow you.’

  ‘What should I tell them?’

  ‘Say that I am taking a bath now, and sent you ahead to get the food heated, I am feeling very hungry.’

  Moon closed the front door behind him as Subbaiah slipped into the bathroom, and approached Ganapathy's house, straining his ears to catch any new voices in the silence of the night. Subbaiah's caution was unfounded, as there was no one in the house, except for the couple.

  After he delivered his excuse for coming alone, Vijaylaxmi went into the kitchen, while Ganapathy told him to take a seat.

  ‘Sir, did you get any more calls from your brother-in-law?’

  ‘No, he was supposed to call me an hour ago. We are getting slightly worried. In the last call he mentioned that many of his neighbors had left for their hometowns.’

  ‘Professor Subbaiah may have more information on the situation here. He appeared to be more relaxed than yesterday.’

  ‘Then I guess Anna has managed to get more support from other sections of the society. I only hope he consolidates his position before more innocent lives are lost.’

  The news that Subbaiah shared over dinner was indeed positive for the movement.

  There was an outpouring of anger in all the four southern states and people were taking to the streets with the backing of the local police and some sections of the army. The rank and file of the Madras Regiment had deserted with their arms and ammunitions, but many of the officers who were from North India still remained loyal. Anna had convinced a few South Indian officers to break away and command the deserters. A sort of amateur local army was in the works. Now, the South Indians in the Air Force and Navy had to be worked on.

  Frequent clashes were taking place between anti and pro Hindi supporters, with the former outnumbering the latter. This would decidedly change once the rest of the army units made their way south.

  Many of the Congress politicians from the southern states had pledged their support secretly, with the intention of protecting their assets, and those who did not, fled to Delhi. The country was slowly getting polarized, but surprisingly none of the other non-Hindi speaking states had shown any inclination to join the agitation. They were still holding on their sense of patriotism. The next few days were crucial for the movement.

  More importantly, the international community was now starting to get involved. The United States, United Kingdom and France had called for restraint. There were still no official statements from the Soviet Union and China. Wanting to take advantage of the situation, a few Pakistani intelligence agents had made informal contact with Anna's core group to offer arms and ammunition. Realizing it was an opportunistic move Anna refused, despite opposition from some party members who argued that they did not care what happened to Kashmir.

  ‘Do you think the international pressure will work?’ Moon asked.

  ‘Not unless Soviet Union and China pile up pressure on Indira,’ Subbaiah replied. ‘Ganapathy, I appreciate your offer to rally the Tamil Brahmins behind our movement. If your community openly supports Anna, it will give us confidence.’

  ‘I am afraid open support may be difficult right now. Moon may have told you about today's visitors from the temple.’

  ‘Yes, he told me. I hope your friends can work out some solution. He also told me the information that you got from Damodaran, that many South Indians in Delhi are being targeted; I am sure the North Indian attackers don't differentiate between Brahmins and non-Brahmins. Your community is also a victim here, and the only way out is to join us.’

  ‘I will speak to Inspector Bala who is helping me in this mission. By the way I spoke to him on the phone after lunch, you can stay back here, no one will come to arrest you.’

  ‘It is a big relief, but I may have to sneak out once a while to my party headquarters.’

  ‘I insist that you and Moon come here for your meals everyday. That is the least I can do to help you in this difficult time,’ Vijaylaxmi said. ‘I have been doing a lot of thinking, and I realized that being excommunicated by the priests is no big deal. After this is over, the priests will be the ones to welcome us back with open arms.’

  ‘That is a load off my shoulder,’ Ganapathy said relieved, when the phone rang. ‘Oh, that must be Damodaran.’

  He scampered to the phone. The perfunctory greeting later, just one word seemed to be escaping his lips ‘hmmm’ as the voice on the other end seemed to be doing most of the talking.

  ‘Ok machchan, take care, and be safe,’ he ended the conversation, placing the earphone on the handle.

  ‘What did Damodaran say? Anything new?’Subbaiah asked Ganapathy as he settled back on his chair.

  ‘The situation is bad, more South Indians have been hacked to death. Curfew has finally been declared because of the international attention. It will be lifted tomorrow morning. Damodaran will be taking an Indian Airlines flight to Chennai tomorrow, all the train are full.’

  ‘He is a high-ranking government official isn't he? Why should he leave? The government should make arrangements for his safety.’

  ‘That is what he was hoping for, but is worried about his family, as all South Indians have been abandoned. The mobs are in frenzy and it is not just the North Indian Hindus, even the Sikhs have joined them. Indira has raised the bogey of a foreign hand in agitations here.’

  ‘Foreign hand? DMK and Swatantara Party are not funded by any foreign countries, from what I hear it is the Congress party which has been receiving election funds from Soviet Union.’

  ‘That doesn't matter; the people will only listen to what they want to hear. She has put the blame on CIA and ISI, saying it is an attempt to break up the country once again. Using the plank of patriotism she has asked people to break up the agitations in South India.’

  ‘This is the first time that an Indian Prime Minister has accused the CIA of direct intervention in our country. I guess if it works, she will continue to use it to crush any dissent in the future.’

  ‘Subbaiah, can I ask you something sensitive?’

  ‘Go ahead, I will answer to the best of my knowledge.’

  ‘Are you sure that the
CIA and ISI haven't approached Anna or other leaders assuring help?’

  ‘I don't know about CIA, but yes, a few ISI agents did make an attempt to contact Anna. He refused to entertain them.’

  ‘Do you think he will take the CIA's help if they offer it?’

  ‘What kind of help can they offer? Our political front has a strong grassroots network, and we can fight on our own. That is one reasons we are getting the support of a section of the military and police force. The Hindu and entire local media is backing us, but they have been forced to shut down.’

  ‘The Madras regiment is just one tiny unit in the Indian army; I don't think they can stand up to the might of the entire military. I think you will have to take America's help if you really want to fight the government and make it an international issue. What is happening in Delhi and Bombay is nothing short of a genocide, if it is not contained it will spread like a virus to other cities in North India.’

  ‘Bombay? The attacks have spread to Bombay too?’

  ‘That is what Damodaran told me. He has access to sensitive government information which most outsiders are unaware of.’

  ‘We have a very poor information network in Delhi and we could use Damodaran's contacts. You said he is coming tomorrow, maybe he can help us get the right information and also contact various embassies.’