Page Title

The Sea

At dusk when stars attend the lonely shore The combers dash against a walker's knee

And dropping march onward to break ashore:

The susurrus surfing the soughing sea.

The zephyrs thicken with the rising tide At which the ripple swells a huge degree

And then the swelling rollers breathe aside:

The susurrus surfing the saddened sea.

A seagull stays above the tangled salt

Beside the stroller who advances free And hears intently where he gets to halt:

The susurrus surfing the sighing sea.

The tapering distance creates a line

To which the purple brine and sky agree As nearer by the purling waves define:

The susurrus surfing the serried sea.

The bulging storms run where a quiet calms

As darkened boulders play a sullen key And flying here the heavy cloud salaams:

The susurrus surfing the seething sea.

The surging wave denotes a briny god

As rushing combers touch the walker's knee And follow where the foaming scales had trod:

The susurrus surfing the salty sea.

The Military Constant

In the Madikeri town hall a harikatha (a religious discourse) was held one day in October 1977 during Dussera (a religious festival). There was a full crowd in the hall--such as one would expect at a harikatha. Just retired Hawaldar (a soldier with a non-commissioned rating) Subbayya, a Kodava, black and genial, sallied forth into the auditorium as at a battle and sat down right in front of all. The swami delivering the harikatha dwelt on the episode from Mahabharatha in which Bhima comes face to face with Duryodhana. The musical sermon was peculiarly suited to the martial streak in Subbayya's nature and tickled an unconscious part in him that barked: Arf ... arf… arf … arf, arf. When the swami Sant Achutdas reached that point in his sermon where shri Krishna strikes his thigh as a sign to Bhima to strike at Duryodhana's thigh with his mace, Subbayya's barking rose to fever pitch. It was perfectly inaudible but one could sense it in his grim expression and his excitement. Somewhere in the back of the hall sat Earappa, a harijan (a low-caste Hindu) and an admirer of the hawaldar. He was a student in the eighth year at school and harboured an ambition to become a soldier like Subbayya. Earappa was aware of Subbayya's presence in front, but drifted in his thoughts during the discourse. Not so Subbayya. After the morning session of the sermon at 1 p.m., the hawaldar happened to pass Earappa a little outside the gate and gave him a sidelong glance. Earappa saluted him at once, almost involuntarily.

Arf, Subbayya barked unconsciously, ... arf, arf and raised his right arm slowly to his forehead in a half-reluctant return of the salute and said: "How are you? You were here at the harikatlia? Couldn't you go to the village for your holidays?"

"But, brother," replied Earappa meekly in protest, "My family decided to stay on in Madikeri for the Dussera celebrations and so I stayed here."

The hawaldar's ferocity was subsiding. "Your entire family should have gone to the village," he said and walked on.

Having felt the bite of Subbayya's remark on his family, Earappa decided not to get nearer than wishing distance of the hawaldar in future. But with his ambition to become a soldier, he still liked to encounter him.

In the summer of 1979, Earappa would be appearing for the school-final examination. He would then consider joining the army. When the final exam of 1979 was over, he was walking one April evening towards the market-square. One wouldn't say he was burly. To his right, on the other side of the road, at the chowk (square) stood corporal Muthappa chatting earnestly and comparing notes with four other army comrades. Muthappa was familiar to Earappa at the Madikeri high school from which the corporal had matriculated only two years back. They came from neighbouring villages near Murnad, the town eight miles from Madikeri. Muthappa was robust, had a complexion short of dark and a height that wasn't short. General Cariappa was expected to come to the chowk and go along College Road in his black convertible on his usual evening drive and the five young men must have stationed themselves where they did to catch a glimpse of him as he passed by.

Earappa, anxious to appear for the interview of the army recruitment board later in the year, would have liked to approach a soldier for some tips. When he crossed the road and walked up to Muthappa for the purpose, the corporal barked unconsciously, but more tenderly than Subbayya.

"Bow," it went, "bow, wow, wow, wow." Muthappa came out in front (!) of the group of five first, returned Earapa's half-hearted salute and demanded of him: "what is the news? What brings you to me? Are you not Earappa? You are not likely to come to me, ordinarily."

"Brother," began Earappa respectfully and gingerly, "I wanted to ask you about recruitment to the army…"

"Recruitment to the army? You? You mean to say you'll equal me? Do you know what it took …" Just then, General Cariappa passed the chowk in his black convertible looking grim as ever. Muthappa flashed a salute at him that he returned promptly and politely.

Earappa backed out a few steps from Muthappa and said apologetically: "I'll see you again, Brother," crossed the road and moved on.

Earappa kept thinking about recruitment to the army. He reasoned that an army officer might be kinder than an army rating. Captain Thimmayya, from a village near Murnad, fat as a town councillor, fair and of middle height was in town vacationing with his brother and was known to be frequenting North Coorg Club in the evenings to play bridge. Earappa decided to see the captain at the club for advice on army recruitment and, if possible, a letter of introduction to the army recruiting officer at Bangalore. He climbed the steps of the club one evening at 6 p.m. late in April and stood in the verandah looking at the main room where Thimmayya was playing bridge with three others at the bridge-table. In the beginning the captain took no notice of Earappa. But after a while he became irritated at the presence of an intruder and growled unconsciously: "Grrr …" When Thimmayya looked in Earapa's direction, he found the right arm raised with the thumb placed on the first and middle fingers in a gesture of supplication. Thimmayya was the first of the four to come out to deal with Earappa.

"What are you doing here in the verandah, you holeya?" fumed the captain. "Who are you? Don't you know this club is not meant for you? What do you want?" (Holeya=harijan).

"Brother," said Earappa protesting mildly, "I've only come to see you, not to do anything here. And, Brother, I come of a better caste than the holeyas... " Earappa, not quite a harijan, was cut short in his speech by Thimmayya."

Better caste, or no caste, what does it matter to me? Take a look at your dirty clothes and Hawaii slippers! You are not even wearing shoes! Begone!"

"But, Brother, I came to you for a letter of introduction to the army recruiting officer at…"

"I am not going to give you a letter to an army recruiting officer. But you can mention my name and tell him I sent you to him. Understand?"

"I understand." Earappa saluted the captain and left him.

Some days later Earappa was at the post office to buy stamps and stood in the queue leading to the stamp counter. After a while there were only three persons in front of him in the queue and ten behind. Just then captain Thimmayya came into the post office and walked alongside the queue in which Earappa was standing. Earappa thought that the captain had probably come to give him the letter asked for. Instead Thimmayya growled unconsciously, "Grrr", broke the queue and stood in front of the line of people to buy stamps.