Sugandhi Alias Andal Devanayaki

by T. D. Ramakrishnan

  Samaraveera informed us, with a great show of sympathy, of Gota’s decision to halt any project that might create problems for the government until the Commonwealth Summit was over. But Christie was very happy about it. Everyone wanted a break. Christie went to New Zealand for a month with Mary. Though he invited us too, Juliet wasn’t very interested. I made an excuse, saying that I had to work on the script and needed to stay in Colombo. We moved from the villa to an apartment close to where Manju was staying. Samaraveera made sure that we were comfortable. He also invited us to join in the activities connected with the summit. ‘At this time, we need the help of creative artists like you. We are planning a dance based on Sri Lankan history for the opening ceremony. It will be followed by dances based on the cultures of all participating nations. Can’t Juliet help us?’

  That is what Juliet had desired all along. She wanted to gain access to the president’s official residence, Temple Trees. Prashadi Ranasinghe was to choreograph the opening ceremony. She came to meet us because Samaraveera asked her to. She liked Juliet a lot. The Prashadi Dance Academy was glad to get a person like Juliet who had a deep knowledge of Sri Lankan history and culture. I told Samaraveera that we could include Andal’s ‘Margazhi Thingal’ as it would provide an opportunity for national integration. Samaraveera approved of the idea.

  Juliet was given the responsibility of finding suitable dancers. She decided to utilize this opportunity. I told her to ask for Manju’s help but, as expected, she said, ‘I don’t want these casino girls with me.’ Gayathri and Juliet decided to stage the protest ahead of the opening ceremony. But they did not know how exactly to do it. As it involved music and dance, they called Arulmozhi Nangai. The next day, we received a message saying, ‘We should grab this chance. We are devising a plan.’

  Meanwhile, there was a huge campaign being carried on in the press and on social networking sites against the Commonwealth Summit. Protests against Sri Lanka were gaining momentum all over the world. Many heads of state declared that they wouldn’t participate. Political parties in Tamil Nadu demanded that the Indian president not participate. The Sri Lankan Tamils living in Canada, Australia, UK, France and Mauritius also protested strongly.

  29

  The day of the Summit drew closer, but SSF could not create much of an impact in Sri Lanka, even though the online campaign continued and emigrants protested in front of Sri Lankan embassies in different countries. The Terrorist Investigation Division and the secret police were able to nip protests by small groups, like Sri Lankan War Widows, Families of the Disappeared and HOPE, in the bud. As SSF did not have an organized framework, they could not bring the smaller groups together.

  The hope that people would join hands against the dictator was misplaced. The police arrested anyone they suspected of being involved in the agitation. The government implemented the Prevention of Terrorism Act, which permitted them to imprison suspects without trial for a period of eighteen months. Those whom they arrested were cruelly tortured. Fear spread like an epidemic. Everyone knew that the president’s slogan – spring in the north and sunrise in the south – was merely a façade. The freedom the authorities granted was merely the charity of fascism and not a privilege of the citizens. It carried the stench of burnt flesh and was stained with blood. The majority was too afraid to react. Even those who spoke vociferously in private kept quiet out of fear.

  The police did not arrest Gayathri or the other leaders of SSF. The plan was to undermine the support they had from the people and, thereby, make them objects of ridicule.

  SSF had hoped that nearly a hundred thousand people would join the Save Sri Lanka from Fascism march from Jaffna to Colombo. But the numbers dwindled to ten thousand, and then five thousand. Gradually, even that seemed doubtful. Though many promised solidarity, they did not care to join the movement publicly. Yamuna and Arul, who had expected something akin to Tahrir Square, were disappointed. They, who from the beginning had been in disagreement with Meenakshi’s idea of peaceful Gandhian resistance, shared their anxieties with Devanayaki.

  ‘Akka, there is a huge gap between what Amma says and reality. I don’t think Gandhian ideology is practical against Sri Lankan fascism. The possibility of a mass uprising like that in Tunisia or Egypt is very slim. A huge majority of the people trust and support the president who emerged successful after a twenty-five year war against terrorism. That is his strength. He knows how to manipulate Sri Lankan nationalism in his favour. This is the newest face of fascism. It is no longer what it used to be when Hitler and Mussolini were around. In the twenty-first century, fascism dons several masks: that of pseudo-democracy, development, and even that of peace. It is one of the strategies of power. It gives the majority the opportunity to ennoble their narrow racist feelings. It turns democracy, which we consider great, into something that is anti-people. The majority rapes, kills and silences the minority. I don’t feel a peaceful, dignified resistance against this sort of power structure will suffice. But we cannot adopt the fascist ploys of the Iyakkam either. We have to forge a new path. Our enemy is not a person or the state, but the mindset of the majority.’

  ‘But Arul, if we too resort to violence, what makes us different from them?’

  ‘There is a difference. We are not making violence a weapon against the helpless. We are using it against those who have lost their humaneness to the insanity that power bequeaths. In the Iyakkam, a woman has the authority to kill a man who rapes or attempts to rape her. You wrote in Devanayaki’s story, “I will come to the rescue whenever the tears of a woman fall.” Don’t you think Rajini Thiranagama was a reincarnation of Devanayaki? Aren’t you also another reincarnation of Devanayaki? Isn’t the same blood flowing through us?’

  ‘Akka, there is something to what Arul says. I don’t think peaceful protests will be effective. Violence should be countered with violence. Who is responsible for your plight? Who is responsible for the genocide and rapes in Sri Lanka? What is the use of speaking to them in the language of peace?’

  ‘It’s your youth that makes you respond in this way. I too felt the same when I was younger. Let’s wait. When people see the real face of the government, they will take to the streets.’

  ‘Akka, we cannot wait indefinitely. By the time realization dawns, tens of thousands will be massacred. Thousands of women will be raped.’

  ‘Do as you wish. But try not to shed blood unless it is absolutely necessary.’

  Arul was on her way back from Paris when Juliet rang. She heard Juliet’s idea and felt that it might work. She discussed it with her friends in Toronto. The Canadian wing of SSF was happy with the plan. It was a great opportunity to take revenge to the enemy’s doorstep. The plan had a greater chance of succeeding than any other that had been thought of. But who would execute it? And how? These were questions to which there were no easy answers.

  ‘Shall we discuss it with Devanayaki?’

  ‘No. She will only dissuade us. She says that we do not need to become like the Chechen Black Widows. Amma’s Gandhian philosophy has had a deep impact on Akka. She feels that no one among us should sacrifice their life to take revenge. But there are many whose lives have been destroyed by the Sri Lankan military. There are many more who are waiting for just such an opportunity.’

  Arul spoke to Devanayaki when Meenakshi was not present. She listened in silence, then, as was her wont, asked several questions.

  ‘Yes, Arul, this is a good opportunity. But we will have to sacrifice lives. Many innocent people will also die. The heads of several states will be present at the inaugural session. We will have to kill many people to punish one war criminal. No, I cannot agree.’

  ‘Suppose we have a plan that will not entail hurting anyone or getting hurt?’

  ‘How is that possible?’

  ‘The time of suicide bombers in the Iyakkam is over, Akka. This is the age of nano-weapons. Nano-weapon robotics is highly advanced now. There are weapons the size of insects that can be remote controlled. I intend
an action using such weapons. We can hide a mosquito drone in the flowers adorning a dancer’s hair. It can be operated from a distance. We can fill the mosquito with the venom of a cobra or cyanide. The victim will feel only a mosquito bite. Death won’t be instantaneous. It will happen in a natural manner after a few hours.’

  ‘Okay. It sounds good. But can the dancer operate the remote?’

  ‘No. Someone in the audience has to do it. It will be easy to place someone in the audience.’

  ‘But will fascism end with the death of one person? Lankan fascism is not centred upon an individual. It has affected the entire society. Someone else will take his place, or the military will assume power.’

  ‘Then what can we do, Akka? Should we not use this opportunity?’

  ‘I won’t say that. I understand your feelings. But you know that my feelings about this issue are quite deep. I have devised some other plans with Yamuna. I couldn’t discuss them with you as you were in Paris. We have people in Saint Lucia, a small Caribbean island. They are going to gift the president a gold Buddha. They will tell him that it brings luck if it is placed in the bedroom. As he is extremely superstitious, the Buddha will definitely get a place in his bedroom. We can detonate that Buddha from here with a phone. We have people in the Guyanese delegation as well. They will present fifty-three Buddha statues to adorn the dais, as an emblem of the unity of the Commonwealth countries. Some statues will be especially created for us. We will use the Buddha against those who commit violence in the name of the Buddha.’

  ‘Akka, but will all this happen just as we plan it? Suppose these Buddhas are caught by security?’

  ‘Yes, we might be caught. When it is known that the dancer is one of us, she might be killed. But one plan amongst the many might succeed. Tell me after you think about it properly.’

  Arul and Yamuna decided on the operation after long discussions and enquiries. Only they knew the details. The mosquito drones were given to Yamuna by Donald Hume, an agent in the US military research wing. Their only interest was in using a weapon that hadn’t yet been tested on people. They presented the final master-plan to Devanayaki.

  ‘We did not think it fit to entrust others with this responsibility. Both of us are going to Colombo. Apart from us, only Juliet knows the final plan. Hume will get the mosquito drone to Sri Lanka. He will give us training for three days. We have been given seven minutes of stage time. Yamuna will dance to “Margazhi”.’

  ‘It will be followed by Buddha puja. I will sing a Sinhalese song and dance before Gnana Buddha, and Arul will do a Tamil song. The mosquito drone will be right in front of the statue. Juliet will operate the remote.’

  ‘Make sure the plan is foolproof. Practise as much as you can. I am coming with you. I can’t sit here and send you on such a dangerous mission.’

  ‘But in your condition?’

  ‘I want to see my Peter too.’

  ‘If the government comes to know…’

  ‘Can’t you take me without their knowledge?’

  Arul discussed matters with Gayathri and Juliet. She was glad to make arrangements for Devanayaki’s visit. They made their travel plans.

  ‘Akka will travel as Amina Peer Mohammed, I as Gloria Fernandes, and Yamuna will be Damayanthi Weerasinghe. That’s what our documents will say. We will travel as if we are strangers to one another. Hume will send two US military officers for our protection. We will be staying in three different houses in Sri Lanka. Akka will be able to meet Peter in Peer Mohammed’s house. Amma does not know of our plans. We have told her that we are going to the States for a programme, and Akka is coming along to consult with a cosmetic surgeon.’

  Juliet became quite busy as the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting drew near. Apart from helping with the choreography, she was also engaged in arrangements for the inaugural session. Three days before the event, Gayathri came to meet her and finalize the SSF’s projects. Gayathri had a mischievous smile on her face when she came back.

  ‘Peter, Devanayaki arrived this morning. I have made her a promise.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘She wants to meet you. That is why she is here.’

  ‘Okay.’

  ‘She is here as Amina Peer Mohammed. She is staying in a slum near Slave Island in Peer’s house. We must go there tonight.’

  I agreed happily. Juliet couldn’t come along as she was busy. I later realized that she did not want to trouble us with her presence. It was late evening by the time we reached Peer Mohammed’s house. It was just a shack. Peer gave us the only room in the house. It was very dimly lit. She stood up when I entered. She looked like a Muslim woman in her abaya. I was comforted when she said in her faltering voice, ‘Ananda!’

  No one else ever called me Ananda.

  ‘Sugandhi…’

  ‘No. I am Devanayaki now.’

  I extended my hand towards her. I had forgotten that she had lost her hands. I sat down on the cot with her.

  ‘I looked for you … for ages.’

  ‘I know. I didn’t want to disturb you – for your own sake. Why should you destroy your life for me? A tiger’s stripes cannot be washed away, Peter.’

  ‘Why didn’t you escape with me, Devanayaki?’

  ‘By that time, my fate had already been decided. The day before you went away, the Iyakkam had decided to get me married to Stalin. I had to obey them. Now you tell me, how is the movie coming along?’

  ‘The shoot begins next month.’

  ‘Is it shaping up the way we had planned it?’

  ‘No, we have travelled further. This movie is about a movie that was being planned about Rajini during the heyday of the Iyakkam. But we are interweaving it with the myth of Andal Devanayaki. We had decided to cast you in Rajini’s role, but in this movie we both are also characters. Hollywood actors are playing the roles.’

  We spoke the whole night long. We realized it was dawn only when Peer woke up for his prayers.

  ‘Do you know why I’m here? You used to say my cheeks and lips are more beautiful than anyone else’s. I want to be kissed by you. If I remove my veil, you won’t be able to do it. Kiss my forehead. My cheeks are just pieces of flesh.’

  I held her close and removed her veil. Her disfigured face didn’t scare me. I didn’t see the burns. My mind still carried the image of her unblemished beauty. I hugged her and kissed her cheeks passionately.

  ‘Ananda, I can’t hug you back,’ she wept. It was morning by then. We got up when we heard the voices of Peer Mohammed’s children. Peer’s wife gave us black tea with a piece of jaggery to sweeten it.

  She asked with a smile, ‘You were husband and wife?’

  Devanayaki nodded.

  She said, ‘Don’t go back. Stay here.’

  Her words were sweeter than the piece of sugar she had given us.

  30

  A text message arrived from Juliet as I was saying goodbye to Devanayaki. It read: ‘Enjoy ur old flame. Am busy. Can meet only after CHOGM. Bye.’

  I knew what was keeping her busy. Devanayaki had told me the details of Operation Nano after swearing me to secrecy. She had also told me that the CIA was training Arul and Yamuna to use mosquito drones. But Juliet and Gayathri did not want to divulge the CIA’s involvement. We could justify it by saying that the foe of a foe is a friend, but I felt that this decision taken in the aftermath of the failed mass uprising was wrong. I didn’t know how to dissuade them. I was in mental turmoil when I left Peer’s house.

  Their right to take revenge was unquestionable. They had suffered greatly. But what good could this revenge do? The common man would desert SSF. Wasn’t it the same mistake that the Iyakkam had made? They who had dreamt of a mass movement against fascism, how could they take such a step? How quickly the CIA had manipulated them into doing what it wanted. This is the problem that plagues all revolutions that lack a strong ideological background. I hoped Juliet wouldn’t do anything rash.

  Manju was stepping out of the lift when I got back to the ap
artment. She was in a black skirt suit and carried a Birkin bag. Very lightly made up, a pair of platinum-diamond earrings was her only jewellery. It was a corporate executive makeover. She was one of the lucky few who could enjoy life in the midst of war, revenge, blood and tears. It seemed absurd.

  ‘Hi! How come you are alone? Where’s your possessive girlfriend?’

  ‘She is a government official busy with the CHOGM. Why are you dressed like this?’

  ‘The Commonwealth Business Forum will be inaugurated today at 10 a.m. in Hotel Cinnamon Grand. My boss is speaking in a session titled “Sri Lanka: The Twenty-first Century Destination”. Come along if you are bored. I am free as his high-profile secretaries have arrived from Australia.’

  ‘Not today, maybe tomorrow. Thank you.’

  I wasn’t dressed for the Cinnamon Grand. After a bath and breakfast, I called Juliet. But her mobile was out of reach. Luckily, I got through to Peer Mohammed. He said that a white woman had come to fetch Devanayaki immediately after I left. On my table was the invite to the inauguration that Samaraveera had sent me. Juliet must have put it there. I opened my laptop and read the script. Then, I added a couple of scenes that revealed Devanayaki’s plight. Rajini, who had died instantaneously, was so much more fortunate.

  A little while later, Juliet called back. ‘Why didn’t you text? I am sorry for my message about enjoying your old flame. I meant it as a joke. I just met Devanayaki. It was a painful sight. But her strength of mind – wow! I cannot discuss anything more with you. The invite is on the table. I will be right up front. I’m also in charge of ushering in the guests.’

  ‘I’ll be there. I don’t want to know your secrets. But don’t take any risks. My baby is growing inside you.’

  ‘I know. But one cannot shirk away from one’s responsibilities.’

  ‘You must move away if your safety is at stake.’