GAMES THAT MEN PLAY The wayward drizzle outside finally made up its mind, it slowly picked up pace and settled down to a steady drumming rhythm on the tiled roof. A couple of hours back, as if on cue, the electricity department cut off the power for the entire village. Suggi Raju sat huddled in the corner of the wet and humid room. He did not even bother to replace the protective glass of the kerosene lamp as the occasional gusts of wind were threatening to blow off the solitary flame in the room. This brave little flame was a metamorphic symbolism for him, of the similarly flickering flame of life outside in the rains, which was at the risk of being extinguished any moment now, by the winds of fate. Suggi Raju suddenly remembered that, the bundles of hay that he stored in the upper loft of the cowshed would be getting wet. He involuntarily reached out to grab the gunnysack that he used as a raincoat, to check on the hay and the solitary cow in the shed outside.
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Transcript
GAMES THAT MEN PLAY
The wayward drizzle outside finally made up its mind, it slowly picked up pace and settled down
to a steady drumming rhythm on the tiled roof. A couple of hours back, as if on cue, the
electricity department cut off the power for the entire village. Suggi Raju sat huddled in the
corner of the wet and humid room.
He did not even bother to replace the protective glass of the kerosene lamp as the occasional
gusts of wind were threatening to blow off the solitary flame in the room. This brave little flame
was a metamorphic symbolism for him, of the similarly flickering flame of life outside in the
rains, which was at the risk of being extinguished any moment now, by the winds of fate.
Suggi Raju suddenly remembered that, the bundles of hay that he stored in the upper loft of the
cowshed would be getting wet. He involuntarily reached out to grab the gunnysack that he used
as a raincoat, to check on the hay and the solitary cow in the shed outside.
The futility of his action suddenly struck him and he let out a resigned sigh and stopped himself.
He let the gunny sack fall onto the floor right onto the puddle of rainwater formed from the one
of the numerous leaks from the roof. It no longer mattered to him. He went back to his corner of
the room and started looking at the flickering flame of the kerosene lamp.
His mind was in turmoil, will his very carefully calculated and executed plans bear fruit? Will
fate once again intervene and thwart his plans? It really did not matter if the coin that he tossed
threw up a “heads” or a “tail”, either of the outcomes would be a win for him.
Suggi Raju’s thoughts were now totally concentrated on his son Ranga Raju, whom he sent out
on a do or die mission.
Ranga Raju was partially wet, as he patiently hid himself under the insufficient cover of the
awning behind the cattle shed. The half a dozen cows, some with calves settled down on the
floor and were lazily chewing cud, neither bothered with nature’s furry outside nor the actions of
the humans around them.
Occasional flashes from the streaks of lightening illuminated the image of a young robust man
tense and shivering wet. With one hand he held tightly onto the thick partly wet blanket that he
covered himself from head to feet, while in the other hand he clutched the wooden handle of the
brand new sickle. He had spent hours in the day sharpening it to a very keen edge for the job that
was to follow in the night.
He could make out the faint sound of the diesel generators running somewhere, in the back
ground. This was one of the few of houses in the entire village that enjoyed the luxury of diesel
generated back up supply of electricity. The drone of the generators helped sustaining the
burning rage in his heart as he patiently waited to make his next move.
Meanwhile in his dilapidated house Suggi Raju kept staring at the flame, while he ruminated
over the events in the past that led him to the present situation.
Suggi Raju and Koti Raju’s were distant cousins. Their common lineage went back to a common
forefather a few generations back. Their grandfathers were brothers. Suggi Raju’s father was
one among six brothers, while Koti Raju’s father was the only son followed by a sister.
This unequal distribution of the boys and girls in their respective families was probably the first
reason for the unequal distribution of fortunes. The philanthropic nature of Suggi Raju’s father
only added to Suggi Raju’s misfortune. Suggi Raju’s father managed to inherit only a fifth part
of the ancestral property, Whereas Koti Raju’s father inherited almost all his father’s property.
Suggi Raju’s father was a naïve and good natured man. The villagers and other relatives played
on his weakness and like the bandicoots in the fields, managed to slowly and steadily to gnaw
away the property little by little. By the time Suggi Raju was big enough to understand and stem
the losses, the inheritance had dwindled to a mere three acres of agriculture land.
Although, both their respective fathers managed to maintain a cordial relationship, it was not so
between the two cousins. The stark economical difference between them was too obvious. Koti
Raju went to the private convent school in the town to complete his twelfth standard. Whereas
Suggi Raju’s schooling in the village government school ended when he was in the fifth
Koti Raju was always immaculately in dressed in silk shirts ironed pants, while Suggi Raju could
wear them only on very special occasions. Koti Raju only went to the fields to lord over the
scores of hired farmhands toiling in the fields. Whereas Suggi Raju had to toil alongside the
couple of old hired hands in his meager holding. The childish rivalry between the cousins only
grew stronger and bitter as they grew up into young adults, and reached a peak with the advent of
Kanakam in their lives.
Kanakam was the youngest daughter of Bucchi Raju, a marginal farmer of the village and also a
distant relative of the cousins, a typical situation where half the population were remotely related
to each other.
He had lived a good and prosperous life once, but by the time he got his four of the six daughter
married off, his financial situation dropped down drastically. He still had Kanakam and Parvathi
to be married.
Suggi Raju saw Kanakam for the first time at the village jatra. The chirpy girl was barely into her
teens and was accompanied by her younger sister. They were haggling with the bangle seller, to
buy two sets of bangles but their father had given money enough for just one. Neither sister
wanted to own the bangles at the cost of depriving the other. Dejectedly they turned away
without buying them. Suggi Raju who was observing the scene quickly went to the seller and had
a word with him. The Bangle seller called back Kanakam and pretended to give in and sell both
the sets for the prize of one. Latter Suggi Raju paid up the rest of the amount to the seller. The
Happiness and radiance on Kanakam’s face brought a certain unexplainable feeling rose in Suggi
Raju’s heart. A year later the bangle seller let onto the little secret to Kanakam. Kanakam
formed a soft corner for Suggi Raju. As if it were a natural progression love blossomed between
the two. Small things like these did not go unnoticed by the nosy villagers, whispered rumors
made the rounds. Even Koti Raju heard of them and a certain emotion of jealousy took root in
his heart.
Meanwhile a close relative brought a proposal for Suggi Raju’s elder sister. It was a very
appropriate match for her. The boy’s parents and other elders came over to see the girl and
finalize other important matters. The boy liked the girl and it was assumed by default that the girl
liked the boy. They quickly came to the dowry negotiations. Suggi Raju’s mother agreed to give
up all her gold ornaments for the daughter. Next in the list came the demand for two acres of
land as part of the dowry. Although it would mean that Suggi Raju would be left with just two
acres for himself, he agreed to it without hesitation. The demand for two lakhs cash became the
stumbling block.
Suggi Raju’s father was hesitating when Koti Raju’s father stepped in. “Brother don’t let this
good proposal slip away, as for the cash don’t worry I will take care of it” he assured. “You can
return it back as per your convenience”. Suggi Raju’s father being a man of principles agreed
and got the transaction signed on a stamp paper. By the time all the formalities of the marriage
were over Suggi Raju’s father had incurred a debt of three lakh rupees to his cousin.
This debt was almost a forgotten thing as Suggi Raju’s father was never able to raise the amount
and neither did Koti Raju’s father ask for it.
Years passed by and the minor skirmishes between the cousins continued. On occasions Koti
Raju had the upper hand vis-a-vis his financial advantage, and occasionally Suggi Raju won,
with his wit and physical prowess. During those days Suggi Raju’s mother fell seriously ill and
the father and son watched her die a slow death as they could not afford the medical expenses.
Kanakam was just out of her teens. And the villager’s whispers about Suggi Raju and Kanakam
were getting louder. One fine day Suggi Raju’s father raised the topic with Kanakam’s father
Bucchi Raju. Although Bucchi Raju readily agreed and expressed his joy at the proposal, he said
he wanted a year’s time, till he sold off his crop and arranged for the money for the marriage.
A couple of months latter Suggi Raju and his father were surprised to see Bucchi Raju at their
house quite late in the night. Suggi Raju welcomed him into the house with all due respect;
blushing all the while at his would be father-in-law.
Bucchi Raju’s with a crest fallen face, blurted out the whole story to the father son duo. When
the news of the proposed alliance of Kanakam to Suggi Raju reached Koti Raju’s ears, he
informed his father about his desire to marry Kanakam. Bucchi Raju was summoned by Koti
Raju’s father and was coerced into agreeing to the proposal. They did not want any dowry and
also all the marriage expenses would be borne by the boy’s side. Bucchi Raju never even deemed
it necessary to take Kanakam’s opinion in the matter.
Before Suggi Raju and his father could say anything Bucchi Raju came up with a face saving
proposal, he wanted to give his youngest daughter, Parvati’s hand in marriage to Suggi Raju to
make up for this helpless man’s forced betrayal.
Suggi Raju was aghast on hearing this Villainy of Koti Raju. He stormed out of the house, in a fit
of murderous rage. Suggi Raju’s father became very agitated and angry at first but the gentle
persuasion of Bucchi Raju slowly made him to see sense in the whole proposal. For one this was
the best opportunity to repay the moral debt of Koti Raju’s father help during his daughter’s
marriage. And second this way Suggi Raju still gets to marry Bucchi Raju’s daughter so what if
it was Parvathi instead of Kanakam who was as beautiful as her elder sister.
Suggi Raju went straight to the toddy shop on the outskirts of the village, bought a bottle of the
cheap liquor and went to drink and console himself.
The next day morning he staggered home and went to sleep in a drunken stupor. When in the
evening Suggi Raju woke up, his father was astonished when he calmly said “ok father if fate
decides that I marry Parvati so be it”. Suggi Raju’s fathered was happy that the expected storm
had passed by, at the same time a nagging worry started eating him as, it was not normal of
Suggi Raju’s reaction. He had the ill-boding about the storm only got put off for a further date.
The wedding of Koti Raju and Kanakam was a mega event. The entire village was assembled
there and relatives from the cities and also some from far off countries attended. Those three
days everything was on the house right from morning coffee to the diner at night. Suggi Raju
was conspicuously missing, with a flimsy excuse of having to buy fertilizers.
A year later Suggi Raju and Parvati got married. But it was a very modest affair as Bucchi Raju
was almost scrapping the bottom of the barrel for funds to perform the marriage. An acre of the
fallow land was given as a dowry. This time Koti Raju did not even bother to give a reasonnot to
attended Suggi Raju’s marriage. Kanakam came for the wedding of her sister. The two sisters
hugged each other and consoled each other and lamented on their respective fates.
As women of the clan their opinions and likes and dislikes did not matter. They were mere
pawns in the games that their menfolk played.
Suggi Raju and his brother-in-law hit it off well and worked as a mutually beneficial team. They
shared made plans together and gave good support to each other in times of need.
This camaraderie of the brother’s in law did not go well with Koti Raju. He bid his time, and
looked for an opportunity to break their good relationship. He finally got his chance when Suggi
Raju decided to sell his crop at the prevailing rate in the market. But on realizing that he sold too
early and the rates were actually going up, he convinced his brother-in-law to hold on to his
produce. But a sudden fluctuation in the market as the crop from neighboring state flooded the
market and the price went tumbling down.
Koti Raju saw the opening he was waiting for, he managed to isolate Suggi Raju’s brother-in-law
and filled his ears and stoked the misunderstanding till it caught fire. Suggi Raju was aware as to
what Koti Raju was up to, and on many occasions tried to make his brother in law see sense.
Unfortunately the sway of Koti Raju grew stronger as Koti Raju got the brother-in-law addicted
to alcohol, he let him to drink free daily from his stock of the foreign liquor. The brother-in-law
slowly started neglecting his fields and most often end up losing his crops thanks to Koti Raju’s
subtle machinations, he slowly started incurring debts.
Over a period of time Suggi Raju’s brother in law got so indebted to Koti Raju that he although
retained his land but was forced to became an part time employee of Koti Raju. As time went by
Suggi Raju’s sister was also forced to spend more time in Koti Raju’s house hold than at her own
home. Almost the entire day both husband and wife went to Koti Raju’s house and went back
home only at dusk.
By virtue of being Suggi Raju’s sister, she was very close to Kanakam and was treated with
respect and was given a free hand to do as she pleased in Koti Raju’s home. Kanakam was
pregnant and as time went by she became a constant companion of Kanakam, and during the
delivery of Kanakam’s first child she assisted the midwife in the delivery. Soon she even
became a mother to the girl and as Suggi Raju’s sister herself was childless she doted on the
child almost like a god mother.
Around that time Suggi Raju’s father suffered from a massive heart attack. The village elders
suggested that he should be immediately taken to the town, some of them went to Koti Raju’s
house to ask his help, by lending his car for this emergency. Koti Raju did not want to oblige and
he used some excuse of the car having some engine problem. Suggi Raju took his father to the
town in the rickety Auto. By the time they reached the hospital it was too late. Suggi Raju
blamed his father’s death to Koti Raju’s small mindedness and this incident only Suggi Raju’s
grudge against Koti Raju stronger.
Two years later coincidentally both Parvathi and Kanakam conceived almost in a week’s
difference. As the months went by Suggi Raju’s financial situation became very dire.
Finally the day that was going to play a turning point in their lives arrived. Both the sisters went
into labor pains on the same evening.
Suggi Raju personally went to call on the mid-wives, and was aghast to find none of the three
were available, as all of them were summoned to Koti Raju’s hose.
Suggi Raju ran all the way to Koti Raju house and found the gates closed and guarded. Suggi
Raju killed his pride and asked for an audience with Koti Raju. When Koti Raju appeared at the
gate Suggi Raju humbly put his head down and requested for the services of one of the mid-
wives. Koti Raju did not find the Suggi Raju’s humility good enough he simply refused to relent
and said “it is your wife’s fault that she chose to give birth at the same auspicious time as Koti
Raju’s child, better luck next time” he said and walked off not bothering to listen to Suggi Raju’s
desperate pleading.
Suggi Raju’s sister who was watching the whole drama at the gate, approached Koti Raju and
pleaded to be allowed to talk her brother. Koti Raju just nodded with a huff. Suggi Raju’s sister
consoled her brother and passed on the information from one of the mid-wives. There was this
very old lady in the village outskirts, but she had stopped practice since a decade due to poor
eyesight. “Go and call her for Parvathi’s sake and please now don’t make a fuss that this old lady
belonged to the untouchable caste” as it was the question of two lives the mother and child go
and get her” she advised. And she also took a promise from her brother that he will be back at
the gate later on to give her the good news. Suggi Raju with tears in his eyes promised and went
running to the village outskirts.
Suggi Raju ran though the unfamiliar narrow dirty lanes of the untouchable’s area on the village
outskirts. It was getting darker as the daylight faded and the skies were threatening with ominous
occasional thunders and streaks of lightning. The dark clouds heavily moving above were on the
verge of letting loose the rains any moment. Asking for directions every now and then he
managed to locate the old woman’s hut. He was almost in tears as he beseeched her to come to
his house, any hesitations of the untouchably issues were swept away from the old woman’s eyes
on seeing Suggi Raju’s plight. The only help she could get at the moment was her own twelve
years old grand-daughter. The old lady quickly gathered her long unused equipment in a cloth
bundle and ran after Suggi Raju to his house.
The few neighboring women around were shocked on seeing the untouchable following Suggi
Raju. They muttered under their breath and turned their backs and ignored him. Suggi Raju
provided the old woman with vessels, water, clean shaving blades and whatever she asked for
and went outside the house. He was being buffeted about with the emotions of rage against Koti
Raju’s cruelty, the unfairness of the gods and at the same time praying fervently to those very
gods for the well-being of his wife and child.
Hours later the small girl came out and shyly told Suggi Raju that the baby is born. Suggi Raju
ran into the house to see the old woman grinning with her toothless smile and assured him by
God’s grace there were no complications, it was a baby boy and Parvati gave him a weak tired
smile. Suggi Raju was lingering around in the room when the old woman asked him to scoot and
come back a little later.
Suggi Raju now ran all the way back to Koti Raju’s house and once again begged that he wanted
to speak to his sister. She came out and both the siblings moved under the canopy of the cattle
shed.
Suggi Raju told her about the healthy boy being delivered. Suggi Raju’s sister heaved a sigh of
relief, and thanked the almighty above with folded hands. She informed her brother about
Kanakam too giving birth to a healthy baby boy. Now that the uncertain difficult period was
over, the seething rage of Suggi Raju returned. He made an urgent and emotional appeal to his
sister, and told her about his plan and she readily agreed to it, as she had her own axe to grind as
well.
Suggi Raju went home and relaxed on the cot for a while to conserve enough strength for the
task ahead. Suggi Raju looked at the watch it was past 2.A.M, he quietly went into the inner
room to check. The baby and mother were fast asleep so were the tired old woman and the small
girl.
Suggi Raju very quietly tied a bundle to his chest and stepped outside, into the light drizzle. He
covered himself with the plastic sheet that served as a raincoat and set off at a good pace towards
Koti Raju’s house. This time there were no guards at the gate and all was very quiet.
He waited with baited breath hiding in the shadows of the cattle sheds awning. Meanwhile the
slight drizzle too died out. He slowly slipped out of his hiding place and proceeded as per his
plan.
The cowherd sleeping near the cattle shed woke up with a start, as his nose picked up the
familiar smell of burning straw. The hay bales stored in the cattle shed roof top were on fire.
The cattle inside were braying with fear and straining at the tethers to break free and escape.
The cowherd raised the alarm and soon the courtyard was in a bedlam with people running
about with buckets of water to douse the fire.
In the melee, Suggi Raju quickly ran out towards the rear of the house and entered through the
small door that was exclusively used by the servants and women for emergencies.
Koti Raju and a few others suddenly picked a new noise coming from the house. There was
distinct loud thudding sound from the right wing of the house, where Koti Raju’s bedroom was
located. They realized there was an intruder in the house. They ran back into the house and
straight to Koti Raju’s bedroom. By the time people reached there they saw the door wide open.
Whoever was in this room had already escaped just minutes ago.
Now again they heard a loud clattering noise from the kitchen. Some of the inmates ran towards
the kitchen, a cupboard full of steel vessels was toppled over. But again the intruder managed to
escape through the rear entrance.
In spite of the chaos at the burning cattle shed someone spotted a lone person jumping over the
wall and running away. A few of the servants gave chase but lost the intruder due to the rain and
slippery muddy lanes.
Koti Raju ran back to his room to and realized the intruder had tried to break open his steel
almirah where he stored the valuables and also the documents. But he managed to only dent the
door not open it at all.
Suggi Raju ran all the way back home at a steady lope. He gently opened the slightly ajar door
and went inside. The old woman and the little girl were fast asleep on the floor. Parvathi was still
in a semi sleep state. Suggi Raju woke up the old woman and asked her to help Parvathi to suckle
the baby. After that he went to the verandah and tried to sleep off the exhaustion of the night.
The next day morning the police inspector from the nearby town came to investigate. He made a
study of the area and made inquiries with the household members. The Inspector re-constructed
the crime sequence and came to the conclusion of what had transpired during he night. For the
start the intruder knew about the childbirth in the house and knew that everyone would be tired
and not alert like any other day and the night was the most perfect opportunity for the intended
crime.
The intruder had first deliberately set fire to the cowshed to draw the attention of the household
member and servants. He then managed to undo the wooden latch of the rear door, or someone
forgot to close it properly and entered the house. He had a good idea about the layout of the
house and went straight to Koti Raju’s bedroom as evident from the wet mud tracks leading
straight to the bedroom. He tried to forcibly open the almarih thinking that every ones attention
would be on the burning cowshed. Unfortunately he made too much noise and as he heard people
coming running, he panicked and ran out through the kitchen again and accidentally toppled the
cupboard there too. He managed to run by the cowshed escaping attention and was unlucky to be
seen while jumping over the wall.
As part of the investigation the Inspector asked Koti Raju if he suspected anyone. Koti Raju was
in a fix, during the past decade he had usurped lands and properties of scores of villagers and
was sure that many would have attempted the robbery in his house. He suddenly remembered
that, the intruder was very cunning and agile. He gave names the inspector six likely names,
including Suggi Raju’s. Koti Raju accompanied them to lodge the F.I.R.
The police took into custody all the persons named and took them to the town for questioning.
Suggi’s alibi did not stand scrutiny. Suggi Raju claimed that he was at home all the time due to
his child’s delivery. The old woman and the little girl were also questioned, but they admitted to
have slept off for a couple of hours after the delivery, thus making Suggi Raju’s case weak.
The circumstantial evidence against Suggi Raju was strong. But since nothing was actually
stolen the police charged Suggi Raju with arson for burning the cattle shed and was sentenced
him to three months imprisonment. Kanakam persuaded Koti Raju to let Suggi Raju’s sister go
and take care of Parvathi till Suggi Raju returned.
Three months latter Suggi Raju returned to the village, mellow and subdued. He responded to the
curious villagers queries about the topic of that night with a shrug of his shoulders. He went
about his work with suppressed intensity.The daily quarrels and squabbles between the two
cousins took a down turn, post the botched robbery attempt.
Life was back to normal in the village. Both the toddlers were growing up. When Dhana Raju
was about five years old he was sent off to Hyderabad to stay in his Aunt’s house and was
enrolled in a reputed international school. Koti Raju and Kanakam occasionally visited their son
in the city. There were very few occasions when Dhana Raju visited the village. Suggi Raju only
saw Dhana Raju on a couple of occasions and emotions welled up in him that only he could
understand.
Ranga Raju meanwhile joined the school in the village. By the time Ranga Raju was about ten
years old, his education came to a sudden end and he started accompanying his father to the
fields. He took care of the cattle, took them out to graze, collect the cow dung and make dung
cakes as fuel for his mother in the kitchen. As he grew older his tasks only increased which he
carried on occasionally grumbling.
On most festival times Ranga Raju had no new clothes to wear. He got money only once or twice
a year to see the movies. He hardly got any time to play with his friends and there was no respite
from the daily grind.
It was Ranga Raju’s thirteenth birthday and he had no new clothes to wear. Ranga Raju was very
angry and bitter, he was loudly protesting about it to his mother on the unfairness of it all.
Suggi Raju the seasoned farmer had been patiently waiting all these years for the first signs of
the rains to come. He understood this was the right time to plough the fields and sow the seeds of
hatred into the young boy’s fertile mind. He gently took Ranga Raju by his hand and led him to
the fields. He silently started sobbing and surreptitiously wiped away his tears and succeeded in
inducing the boy into confused and emotionally vulnerable state. He slowly opened up his heart
to started narrating his family history from the glorious days of his forefathers and their riches.
He told about how the times changed their fortunes and compounding the situation was the
villainy of Koti Raju compounded their miseries; they were going presently going through. He
spun his own version of the night when he had to go jail as a result of Koti Raju’s deceit. He
played the victim and a man wronged to the hilt.
A couple of hours latter Suggi Raju was satisfied that the seeds of hatred were firmly planted.
Now all he had to do was, to patiently wait for them to germinate and take root. From there on it
was a matter of nurturing the tiny sapling, supplementing with occasional dosage of the fertilizer
of hatred. From thereon he never missed a chance to fill Ranga Raju’s head for every
inconvenience that Ranga Raju had to face every perceived humiliation, every denial and place
the blame squarely on Koti Raju. Once the sapling took a firm root, it grew by itself stronger by
the day.
Meanwhile Dhana Raju finished his twelfth standard and was sent abroad for further studies.
Ranga Raju had to discontinue his studies after tenth class.
Ranga Raju now became the new thorn in the comfortable life of Koti Raju. Often Suggi Raju
encouraged and abetted Ranga Raju’s nefarious activities. Sometimes the electrical motors of the
bores in the fields were burnt out. Often the stray cattle were found feeding on the crops ready to
be harvested. On occasions the cows fell ill for no apparent reasons. Ranga Raju was clever
enough to make sure none on the mischiefs could be traced back to him.
Suggi Raju meanwhile was working on another angle. He kept a track of all the activities of Koti
Raju. There were quite a number of villagers who were cheated or belittled by Koti Raju and
were lying low waiting for a chance to hit back. He cultivated all such people and kept the
hatred simmering so that he could use it at an appropriate time.
Years rolled by as Ranga Raju grew up into a young strapping youth and also Dhana Raju was
pursuing his master’s degree in America.
During the summer vacations Koti Raju’s had some close relatives lived in the city as guests for
a couple of days .They visited the village temple in the morning, when they bumped into Shastri
garu the astrologer, and was introduced to them by the priest. The relatives showed keen interest
in knowing their future. Next day Shastri garu landed at Koti Raju’s residence and spent a couple
of hours with relatives and children telling them their future in general about how they will
prosper in life and suggested small pujas to ward off unfavorable situations caused due to the
positioning of the planets. When someone suggested Koti Raju’s palm to be read in a jest and
Koti Raju sporting agreed to it.
Shastri garu was casually reading the palm, when a frown suddenly creased his forehead. He
quickly controlled his feelings and made some generic predictions like about his prosperity and
good fortunes that were to come. Koti Raju was quick enough to catch on to that fleeting
moment and realized it was not appropriate to press Shastri garu further at the moment. Shastri
garu collected a handsome reward and took leave.
Two days later the relatives went back to the city, and Koti Raju quickly summoned Shastri garu
to have a private audience in his study room. He once again showed his palm and asked him to
see again and spell out without hesitation as there was no third person around. Shastri garu
gravely took Koti Raju’s hand and slowly and carefully studied it. He made elaborate
calculations, referred to his dog eared panchagam. Finally he shook his head in disbelief and
took a deep breath and very hesitantly proceeded to tell Koti Raju. ” I see a very strange reading
and it is my duty to tell you. You have a “putra gandam” in your hand.
Koti Raju was taken aback at this revelation out of the blue; his lower jaw dropped in disbelief
and demanded for an explanation. Shastri garu explained that he foresaw a clash between father
and son in the near future, it could end with a very calamitous consequence and one of them
would be seriously injured or even be killed.
Shastri suggested that this should garu be verified by another senior astrologer who should also
be able to give a remedy for the problem. Koti Raju hesitated as this was a very sensitive issue
and did not know what to say. Shastri garu understood his predicament very well. He came up
with a solution. He hesitantly gave a suggestion. Shastri garu’s own guru from whom he learnt
all about astrology was the ultimate authority on this. He has stopped his vocation owing to very
poor health. He was leading the life of a recluse and stayed all alone in his native village nearby.
“I can persuade and bring him here quietly for your sake if you agree he said.” Koti Raju agreed
to this suggestion. Next day Shastri garu brought his eighty year old guru along. The old guru did
not take much time to read and confirm what his pupil had predicted. He made further
calculations and thought about it for a long time and said there is a way out of this.
He said the whole problem is intricately mixed with the ownership of the property, as long as it
was legally in Koti Raju’s name the inevitable was bound to happen. The best solution was the
transfer the property in some other person’s name. Koti Raju was angry and upset. “The property
belongs to my son, how can I transfer it to some else” he thundered. The old man chuckled and
said with a mischievous grin. “Son the solution stares in your face. I said the problem lies as long
as the property is in your name not your son’s”. Eventually he is going to own it later on, so just
transfer it right now.
Koti Raju mulled over it through the night. He decided not to take a chance with fate. After all it
was going to his own son who is the rightful heir anyway. Next day he called for his lawyer, and
got the entire property transferred to his son, except for two acres which he transferred to his
wife Kanakam’s name. He got the deed registered and sent a copy of the same to his son by
courier. A few days later a couple of persons were suitably rewarded by Suggi Raju for their role
played in his scheme.
Meanwhile Ranga Raju’s exploits were getting unbearable for Koti Raju. Ranga Raju was
careful enough not to leave any proof of his misdeeds. There were always some boys of his age
to vouch for him and created good alibis for Ranga Raju. Some elderly farmers who had an axe
to grind with him vociferously supported him.
Koti Raju finally hit upon an idea to reign in the troublesome father and son duo. He decided to
strike at their weak point, their financial situation. He called for a panchayat meeting with all the
village elders. He presented the papers where-in Suggi Raju’s father had borrowed money from
his father and were long overdue. He demanded repayment or the hand over the two acres of land
that Suggi Raju owned. He argued that in fact he was very generous and had given too much
time already, and his patience was being tested. Suggi Raju stood along with Ranga Raju with a
sullen expression and simply wringed his hands and pleaded for more time. After much
arguments and deliberations, Koti Raju suggested a way out. Suggi Raju had to pledge his son
Ranga Raju to work for him in lieu of the pending debt, till the year the debt was fully paid.
Ranga Raju needed to start work from the harvest festival due in two months. Suggi Raju stole a
glance at Ranga Raju to see his reaction. As expected Ranga Raju looked as if he would wring
Koti Raju’s neck at the very moment if he got half a chance. Suggi Raju asked the panch for a
few days to think it over. He quietly walked away from the meeting pulling Ranga Raju along.
Back home Ranga Raju and Suggi Raju had a heated discussion about the proposal. Ranga Raju
was adamant that he would not work for Koti Raju. He argued that he would become a life time
bonded labor of Koti Raju as the debt would never be repaid. And Suggi Raju Countered that if
they did not agree to Koti Raju’s proposal they will become landless daily wages laborers
anyway. At least if he went to work they can still live with their pride intact. Their argument
went on for a long time till sheer physical exhaustion forced them to sleep. Parvathi just stood
behind the partially but she knew better than to open her mouth and offer any suggestions.
Suggi Raju let Ranga Raju simmer in a helpless rage. On the third day Koti Raju conveyed his
ominous decision. “The only way out of the predicament was elimination of Koti Raju, and you
will have to do it” he said curtly as a matter of fact. Ranga Raju was dumb found at the very
suggestion. It is either you or me who must do it. Let me know if you do not have the guts I will
do it myself he said with absolute clarity. Ranga Raju took only a minute to make his
irrecoverable decision. “Ok I will do It”, as simple as that. They debated on the pros and cons
and decided to wait for the monsoons to arrive when the rains would give them the added cover
needed.
A few days before the rains started Suggi Raju manipulated and convinced Parvathi to go and
visit her ailing aunt in town for a couple of days. Poor Parvathi had no inkling of what Suggi
Raju was up to. The next night it started raining, as if eager to speed up the events. Suggi Raju
decided it was the best time as the village dogs would be sleeping and there would be no alert
guards either and the din of the rain would mask any noise.
Ranga Raju was incidentally hiding at the very spot Suggi Raju had hidden some twenty years
before. The time and path Ranga Raju moved were almost the same. Forcing the small
emergency door at the rear was much easier now as he slipped the sickle though the little gap he
found and pushed the horizontal wooden latch. Dripping rain water along the way Ranga Raju
cautiously made his way to Koti Raju’s bedroom. The dim zero watt bulbs all over the house
made his task easier.
Ranga Raju made it to Koti Raju’s bedside and waited for the next lightening to strike, so that he
could see the sleeping form and strike as he would not get a second chance. The room was
suddenly filled with light. It was not the fleeting light by nature, but the light from manmade
electrical bulbs. Ranga Raju was shocked and froze in his place and was quickly overpowered by
four pairs of strong hands. Koti Raju was standing in front of him with a thick hard bamboo lathi
in his hands.
The sickle from Ranga Raju’s hand clattered onto the floor, as Koti Raju walked menacingly
towards Ranga Raju. Like father like son he sneered at Ranga Raju. Ranga Raju realizing that the
game was up, spat onto Koti Raju’s face out of frustration. Koti Raju suddenly went blind with
rage and hit Ranga Raju on his head with all might. The cracking sound of the young man’s skull
got could be heard in spite of the sound of thunder at the same time. The persons holding Ranga
Raju let go off him in a panic. The young man slumped onto the floor unconscious. Thick red
blood flowed out of the cracked skull and slowly formed a dark puddle on the floor.
The flame in Suggi Raju’s house as if on an invisible cue suddenly started wavering and
simultaneously getting dimmer. Suggi Raju looked on at it with renewed interest. The inevitable
was happening; the flame of life would go off any time. But whose life was it he could not
fathom Koti Raju’s or Ranga Raju’s. He had to now wait till morning to find out.
One thing he was sure of was that his deliberate cultivation of a drunkard from Koti Raju’s
retinue and accidentally letting slip of the plan of Ranga Raju to murder Koti Raju had worked
out as expected. The incoherent drunkard’s message was eventually passed on to Koti Raju.
Koti Raju was now suddenly gripped with panic as the enormity of what he did kicked in.
Ranga Raju’s was quickly rushed to the town hospital. The doctors checked on Ranga Raju and
declared him dead on arrival.
The police were summoned. Koti Raju was taken into custody on charge of culpable homicide.
After the formalities were completed the body of Ranga Raju was sent back to the Village for the
last rites. A close relative went and fetched Parvathi from the town. Suggi Raju tearfully told her
about her son’s foolhardy action, conveniently hiding the fact that it was his plan in the first
place.
Suggi Raju lighted the pyre, and went into bereavement and almost stopped talking to anyone.
He tried to console Parvathi as best as he could, but could not bear to see her eye to eye.
The lawyers of Koti Raju managed to get him off the hook with a year’s imprisonment and five
lakhs as compensation to be paid to next of kith immediately.
Only two people knew about what transpired on the fateful day when the two infants were born.
When Suggi Raju learnt of the fact a son was born to Koti Raju too, like his own. He made his
plan on the spur of the moment and took his sister into confidence and made her his accomplice.
As Parvathi was in no condition to notice what was happening around and also the old midwife
and the little girl were dozing on the floor, he quietly bundled the new born in a warm blanket
and ran at a steady gait to Koti Raju’s house. After creating the diversion of fire in the cattle shed
and drawing the attention of every one in and around the house, Suggi Raju ran through the
backdoor of the kitchen, and handed over, his own son to his sister. He then proceeded to make
deliberate noise in Koti Raju’s bedroom and damaged the almarih containing the valuables and
documents. He then ran into the kitchen and toppled the vessels making a diversion again.
Meanwhile his sister using the cover of diversions in the house quickly switched the babies and
handed over the switched baby to him. He then ran over to the compound wall and waited a
minute deliberately to let someone see him and then ran away. His clever ploy of playing the
bungled theft was easily bought by the police and Koti Raju.
For now Suggi Raju was happy that his own biological son, had so far been enjoying the luxuries
at the expense of Koti Raju and to top it up he also inherited all of Koti Raju’s wealth. Someday
his son will know of the truth of his biological parents, and the sacrifices that Suggi Raju
willingly went through for his sake. Someday Suggi Raju would reveal the truth to Koti Raju.
Meanwhile he continued playing the role of a bereaving father to the hilt and gained sympathy of
the entire village, and led a quiet and lonely life.
Suggi Raju’s sister rued the day in an emotional state agreed to be part of her brother’s plan of
switching the babies. She would not have helped him if she had even an inkling of, to what
extent her brother would go to have his vengeance. He blamed herself for being an instrument in
the death of her own sister’s son. Oh god what games these men play she lamented.