FOR FRIENDS
How The Tables Turn
Aprilso’s height allowed him to position his body on the dashboard of the company SUV. His legs kept Abdul’s hands pressed to the back of the seat leaving his face open. The windshield could not take the pressure exerted by Aprilso’s back and it cracked while he landed punches on Abdul’s temples one after the other. Before other workers of the company could come and put a stop to the assault, blood was gushing out from Abdul’s nose. Ganges and Nile flowed from his eyes not knowing whether due to pain, humiliation, or both.
When Aprilso had his fill, he alighted from the vehicle and pulled a half-conscious Abdul out of the car. He told the workers who had reached the car by that time that he will return the car by evening. Abdul’s cries were drowned by the sound of boulders rolling in the river- bed a few hundred feet below the company’s hill-top camp.
Sound of a blast reverberated through the forest, where the only prominent sound, the tribes heard before the company came, was the roaring of the river. A sound they were accustomed to since birth.
The blasts were done to excavate tunnels to carry water to the power plant. They were also preparing the mandatory environmental impact assessment report,
most of which consisted of finding plant species nearing extinction in the catchment area of the dam. Once found, they were uprooted and burned. The new workers were instructed by their supervisors not to throw the plants in the river. During the earlier stages, the workers had devised this method of getting rid of the plants and some hermit downstream had fished them out. Much hullabaloo was made and the company had to pay the hermit to keep him quiet.
They had leased the location of the camp-site keeping in mind its location: above the river valley which was prone to flash floods. The land belonged to Mompani village. Aprilso was its headman.
The General Manager of the company, Avinash, had managed to lease the land for a pittance as far as the company was concerned but it was a huge amount for the villagers. Aprilso was promised some extra money, in addition to the monthly rent and a continuous supply of liquor. But, what turned everyone in the company’s favour was access to company vehicles for any emergency. Only a year before a woman had died when the villagers could not take her to the town hospital on time.
Avinash arranged another car to carry Abdul to the hospital.
Even if he decides to stay back, it will take him at least a week to return to work, he thought.
‘Anyone knows how this happened’?
‘GM Sir, the headman was asking for the car. Said he wanted it for two hours. Abdul sir said he can only give the car provided he takes the driver along as is done always but the headman didn’t agree and took the keys from me’, said the driver of the car, showing his torn collar and scratched hand.
The cook took a step forward with his ladle still in his hand.
‘Then Abdul sir snatched the keys from his hands and got inside the car to park it. That’s when Aprilso started beating him. You know how strong he is’.
A local supervisor joined in, ‘Yes GM sir, he is very strong. Once he crossed the river with his bride on his back as he didn’t want to pay the dowry as per the marriage custom. Abdul sir must be badly hurt’.
A trainee-engineer, Avinash’s favourite said, ‘I think Abdul sir should have given him the key. Maybe we would have gotten rid of him once and for all on these winding roads and his drunken state. Now he is all sober after the physical activity’.
‘Shut up. Keep this sense of humour to yourself and pay attention to your training. Send me the gauge- discharge data by tomorrow’, Avinash said dismissing the gathering.
From the parking lot, Avinash returned to his office, located at the head of the campsite. From behind his office, a stream made its way down to the river, taking a detour to the left near the office, masking the sound of the river to a certain degree with its gurgle. It also separated the quarters of officers and engineers from those of supervisors and workers.
Avinash crossed the bamboo bridge and arrived at his office. He checked his watch which showed 8.30 AM. North East India follows the same time zone as the rest of India, causing the sun to rise one and a quarter-hour earlier than in New Delhi—the company’s headquarters. The early arrival of the sun meant starting the day earlier and ending it earlier too but not for Avinash, who sent the daily progress report at the end of the day according to the office hours at Delhi.
There is still time for the Delhi office to open. Damn this time difference, he thought.
He called for the HR manager, Ajiani, a veteran officer of the Indian Army and also a local. By the time Ajiani arrived, Avinash had his cane chair arranged near the stream and he was putting bait on the fishing hook. This was his favourite pastime and a newly acquired hobby, one at which he was excelling with each passing day in the remote hills at the tri-junction of China, India and Myanmar.
Ajiani kept standing even after getting asked to shout for a helper to bring him a chair. He removed his sunglasses, a thing which he mostly did only in the presence of Avinash and waited for his senior to speak.
‘Major, do you know why the company hired you’?
‘Yes Sir, I do. I was hired to keep the workers safe from the daav-wielding tribe’.
‘Do you think you have been able to perform that duty’?
‘I assure you, this is a one-off incident and I will find a way out to keep Aprilso and any other trouble-makers at bay’.
‘Look, we gave him everything he asked for and more but he is getting out of control. Only last month he assaulted our trainees who had gone to the village to have some beers, and now this happened. Do you think he wants more’?
‘I will find out but from what I have heard he has got an inkling that the company is going to finalize the Detailed Project Report soon. Also, he may know that his village is coming into the catchment area of the dam’.
‘He can’t do anything about it’. Avinash threw his fishing line into the clear water of the stream. Algae smell rose as the bait landed into the water. A fish rushed but it didn’t take the bait fully in its mouth. The earthworm, still alive was eaten by the fish, leaving only the portion that covered the hook. ‘Numbers are not on his side owing to the sparse population and democracy runs on numbers’.
‘That’s right’, Ajiani said.
He took a packet of cigarettes from his pocket and offered one to Avinash which he accepted. His favourite brand, Navy Cut, was hard to get there but he made it a point to have it delivered with the weekly grocery supplies, by twenty-pack cartons.
‘Furthermore, the Member of Parliament is on our side. He has assured to work his social engineering magic on the tribal villages coming in the catchment area. They will be adequately compensated and the government will help in the rehabilitation process of the affected villages’. Avinash put the cigarette between his lips. Ajiani lighted Avinash’s cigarette first and then lighted his own. Avinash took two deep tokes in quick succession. ‘The project is at a crucial stage and I can’t risk any altercation with the locals. Do what you deem necessary but keep Aprilso under control. Ask him what he wants and we shall give it to him.’
Avinash let the cigarette dangling between his lips and put the bait on the hook once again.
Ajiani said, ‘I have already done that. He wants to contest the upcoming elections. He wants us to fund the whole campaign’.
‘That’s bullshit’. The cigarette fell. ‘You know how much it costs to fight an election? It is beyond our budget’.
‘What do you propose then’?
‘You are the military man. Devise a way to get him out of the way’.
‘I can’t use military tactics on a civilian. You know that’.
‘The second stage of the dam falls near your village. The catchment area is not yet decided and you know a difference of a few hundred meters can drown or save your entire village along with the land of your forefathers. You had promised complete loyalty when the MP recommended you’.
This time the fish took the bait and it got entangled in the hook.
Ajiani said, ‘I will do as necessary, Sir. The orange lady is here. You enjoy the exotic wild oranges of the Switzerland of India and I will take care of everything else’.
As Ajiani took his leave, the orange lady put her basket in front of Avinash. Ajiani had made it a point to ask the lady to bring fresh oranges every day, till the season lasts, for Avinash.
Bringing food as a gift is what the tribal people had learned throughout their evolution. Rice grew itself. They just needed to scatter the seeds when the River receded to its normal course after a spell of monsoonal- breach. Mithun was domesticated for its meat and skin. Milk was taboo so black tea was the favoured beverage scented with the cardamom that grew in the mountains on its own. What little ornaments they wore such as shells and rocks came with the water of the river which also gave fish.
Females were an asset. In addition to the household work, they were adept at building houses, working in the fields, and extracting hashish from wild cannabis. As no dowry was demanded of the girls’ family, it was the boy that had to take care of the expenses of the marriage and he had to arrange a Mithun or two, a few baskets of fish and a dozen or so hens for the feast. This was the reason that despite having the sanction of marrying more than once, men didn’t opt for a second marriage.
For those who couldn’t or didn’t want to take responsibility for the marriage expenses, they had the option of eloping with the girl. If they could bring the girl to their village from hers, they were permitted to continue as man and wife.
‘Just before the company came to the mountains, Aprilso fell in love with a girl from a village downstream, on the other side. He was not a headman then. That year he had no money to pay for the marriage ceremony and the girl’s parents wanted to marry her off soon. Aprilso decided to do what is doomed to fail most of the times. The girl agreed to his proposal and they picked a date for the elopement. The girl’s brother got to know somehow and with the help of other villagers, he blocked the exit ways of the village— all of them leading to the jungle. Whenever this had happened before, the couples had stayed in the jungle for a while and then tried to return to the boy’s village.
‘Aprilso waited, hidden in a cave away from the village for three days, eating rice cooked in bamboo shells, lighting the fire inside the cave only and only during the night. He had planned on making his move when the villagers would become relaxed and slacken their guard.
‘And then, after three days, there was a splash and Aprilso was seen fighting with the current and on his back was the girl, herself fighting to stay afloat but mostly relying on Aprilso to do so. They were like the tongue between teeth of whirlwinds, bulldozing boulders and white foam. Any of them could cut and drown them but they managed to hold their own. Rest of the work was done by the current. Their clothes were torn off from their bodies. Aprilso’s clan members cheered on and so did the girl’s kith and kin, well-being of their daughter more important in their eyes than some false sense of pride.’
The orange lady told one of the many variations of the same story and today’s was this. Small details were missing this time but the overall picture of a valiant, rugged and happy-go-lucky fellow that wanted to live life on his terms was clear as always.
We are also living as the tongue lives between teeth, thought Arvind.
***
Ajiani rode in silence through the winding road leading up to Tezam, for the weekly grocery run. The Nepali driver knew the veteran soldier well enough to gauge that the otherwise jovial man was not in the mood of small talks. They reached Tezam earlier than usual since they didn’t make a single stop on the way. The regional headquarter of the company was housed in an old Bungalow on the other side of the town. They were to stay there overnight, before loading all the stuff needed at the camp in the morning, when fresh vegetables and meat was brought to the market. To save time Ajiani decided to purchase liquor requested by various campers in the evening itself.
After purchasing the requested brands and quantity, he sent the driver to the Bungalow and stayed behind in the market. The town was navigable on foot, with two roads running through the length and breadth of the town, on which plied tricycles and meagre personal vehicles. At the junction of the two roads was situated the main market with shops in the front and houses behind them, dividing the city into four major blocks. Bengalis and Biharis lived in one of the blocks, two blocks belonged to the locals and one housed the government Bungalows and offices along with the posh houses of the affluent. The last block was where he was going tonight.
Ajiani arrived at a Bungalow placed at the end of the road that connected it to the market. The gate was opened by a young woman, wearing a wrap-around that accentuated her full figure. The lustre of her hair could put the conditioner models in TV advertisements to shame. He asked for the Member of Parliament and on knowing that he was in, he gave his name. The woman went inside.
She didn’t make him wait for long and returned to show him inside. The well-furnished Bungalow was the front of the property to receive the outsiders. Ajiani was directed to cross the hallway and get out of the back to go to the bamboo house, where the MP spent most of his time when he was in.
Located at the farther corner of the property, the traditional structure’s floor rested on thick stumps at least four feet above the ground. A flight of stairs led to a deck that housed the entrance to the structure. Ajiani removed his shoes on the deck and entered. The front hall had seat for at least fifteen people with various types of daavs displayed on the wall to the left. On the right wall were stuffed heads of animals hunted by numerous forefathers of the MP: bears, leopards, elephants, wild boars and hornbills.
The inner hall had the only brick structure of the building in its middle, around which there were scattered wooden pillows on modern mattresses. The MP and six other men were seated around the brick hearth. A fire was burning, to replenish which wood was kept on an overhanging raft. The rising smoke passed through the half-dry wood and escaped through the opening in the roof which was kept permeable for the brief dry months that the town experienced.
A lingering smell of hashish filled Ajiani’s nostrils as he sat down. The MP was sitting directly opposite him leaning on a pillow. His pipe was beside him. They talked about the progress of the project while a man put the hashish laden cotton strip in a water-filled ladle. Then he heated the ladle over the fire. When water was brought to a boil he removed the ladle. After cooling it he wrung the cotton strip to take out the last remnants of hashish that the water could not bring out and put the ladle back on the hearth but where the heat intensity was low. After all the water had evaporated, the hashish clung to the bottom and sides of the ladle. Dried banana leaves were added after taking the ladle off the fire.
‘Banana leaves are better than tobacco’, said the MP.
The man gave each of the men their fill, one by one, with Ajiani receiving the biggest dose. With their separate pipes, they all sat upright and started smoking.
Ajiani took the longest drag and after putting his empty pipe to the side said, ‘I have come to discuss an important matter’.
‘That I guessed, Major. Say what you want to say’.
‘The detailed project report of the dam is complete. Construction will start as soon as they get a nod from Delhi’.
‘Well, that’s good. I hope it starts before they impose the model code of conduct’, said the man who had prepared hashish for all. ‘It will be a perfect ploy for your re-election, MP sir’.
Ajiani said, ‘There is a man in the jungle who can become a hurdle to all this’.
‘Isn’t the company going to do anything about that’?
‘They have asked me to take your opinion on the matter’.
‘As you all know my only concern is my people. I support the project because it will be good for our people. Whoever comes in the way of a good future for the people shall be dealt with using constitutional means’, the MP said shifting his gaze from Ajiani to all others one by one as if addressing an election rally.
‘Of course. Can I have a word in private with you sir’?
Both the men got to the outer hall and Ajiani said in a whisper, ‘Are you implying that we should get him out of the way’?
‘He is the knottiest tree in that jungle. We can’t be careless’. The MP wiped the sweat on his brow with his fingers and let the sweat trickle on the carpet. ‘Have they decided on a place for the lower part of the project, near your village? Hope your village is not coming into the catchment area’.
‘From what I have gathered from the technical team, they are going to propose a place tomorrow. By the time I reach the campsite, the recommendations and options will be on Arvind’s table’. He patted his thighs. ‘I must say it’s some good stuff you got in there’.
‘We are two rounds ahead of you. Come’.
They went back to the inner room where Ajiani found the budtender already filling his pipe. He took the pipe from his hand and started smoking, slowly releasing the smoke from his nostrils.
The MP emptied his pipe near the hearth which had not been replenished for a while and said, ‘If you want an old man’s advice, I would say that a man should do everything to save his family and the village. They are your most important stakeholders. You went away when you were only a kid to study in a faraway school and then joined the army. You are now free from the nation’s debt. Now it’s time to repay the debt you owe to your people’.
Ajiani sat there looking at the ash-covered embers, quietly blowing smoke from his nose like a mithun about to charge but not quite doing so. After finishing, he took his leave with a pouch of hashish gifted by the MP in his pocket. He needed it more than ever now.
***
The next day Ajiani reached the campsite just before nightfall. He saw the SUV from the previous day was there. He called his most trusted man, the mechanic, to his porta-cabin. He gave him a bundle of money, a wad of hashish and the best scotch available in the mountains. On seeing the widening eyes of the mechanic, he whispered something in the mechanic’s ear.
As expected, Aprilso arrived there to collect his weekly supply of liquor. After handing him over the carton of whiskey, Ajiani asked him to stay over for a couple of drinks.
‘Why would an officer share a drink with a petty villager like me’?
‘Come on April, we are childhood buddies’.
They settled down. Ajiani made the drinks. They clanked the glasses. Two old friends sipped, looking into each other’s eyes.
Aprilso broke the gaze to pick some chips from the plate on the table.
Holding the gaze again, he said, ‘How does it feel to be among the uncultured again’?
‘You were not sent out of the village due to your father’s death. I am sure, you would have become even more successful than me. Still, you have done well. You are a headman and I am proud of it’.
‘I heard you left the army’.
‘I took voluntary retirement because I want to serve my community’.
‘And you want to do this by serving the company’?
‘The company is serving the people. It will bring much- required jobs. We cannot rely on the jungle forever’.
Aprilso stood up, finished his drink and said, ‘The dam will gobble the lands of thousands of villagers. What for? Electricity? We are doing fine here without electricity’. He sat again. Ajiani finished his drink too and refilled both the glasses. ‘We don’t need it. They will take this electricity and supply it to far-off areas. We won’t get anything. For our meagre needs, we have solar lights. Why don’t you understand this’?
‘I am sure; you must know what patriotism is. We have ample potential for hydro-electricity. What is the harm in exploiting it and becoming a modern society? The whole country will be proud of us. We will be proud of ourselves’.
‘Nations are new. Tribes are forever’.
‘You are not exactly helping the tribe either. You are only complicating the situation’.
‘Look, I don’t do this on purpose. You know I get carried away when I am drunk’.
‘How far will you be able to carry’?
‘As far as I can and you know very well that I can carry far. Even cross an ebullient river with, what I carry. Sometimes I feel you are siding with the company because I eloped with a girl from your village’.
‘Totally, off the mark! I am siding with the company because they are right and the MP is right and the government is right and the workers from our villages are right. You do this to get free liquor and some money. That’s it’.
‘I do this to keep the company on its toes. They should realise that there is someone who is not afraid of them. I will lead my people against the company. Not that MP of yours. I will lead my people’.
A smirk appeared on Ajiani’s face. ‘You just said that you do this because you don’t remain in your senses after getting drunk’. He pointed his index finger towards Aprilso. ‘Also, you are a nobody to the company. They are a juggernaut and you are just a tree in this remote forest, maybe the knottiest tree but a tree nonetheless. When the juggernaut will roll, no one will get even an air about where you disappeared to’.
‘Think what you may. I am drunk now. I don’t want to talk to an old friend in this state. Just remember that I won’t let this happen. I was not a headman when the company came. I used their money to become a headman. I knew I wouldn’t be able to do anything if I am nothing. I gathered support and now I have the backing of hundreds of villagers. They will turn into thousands tomorrow if you join us’. He stood up. ‘Give me my carton and get me the keys to the SUV. I will never betray my people’.
‘Someone will chauffeur you to the village’. ‘I am my own chauffeur’.
‘Settle down for a while more. Have you got some’? ‘What’?
‘The real stuff’.
‘Now’?
‘Let’s have some and stay for a while longer. I want to talk to the forefathers’.
‘Give me a piece of paper to write down a note. Send someone trustworthy with it to the village to bring it some stuff here.’
It was delivered by the mechanic in no time. Ajiani did it and closed his eyes for some time. Then he opened them and they remain fixed on the ceiling for a while till he closed them again. April didn’t do it. He helped himself to a couple of drinks in the meantime.
Ajiani opened his eyes and said, ‘I want to ask you something’.
‘The forefathers’?
‘Yes. Tell me, do you want to contest the elections’?
‘I don’t have a chance of winning. I used the election ploy to extract some money’.
‘And why do you think they will give you this much money’?
‘I will pressurise them by threatening to use my clout in the villages coming into the catchment area to obstruct the construction of the dam. They will agree then’.
‘And what after getting the money’.
‘I will buy guns and kill them all’.
Ajiani laughed a hearty laugh. Aprilso kept on looking at him for a while and then made another drink and gulped it at once. Ajiani stopped laughing.
He said, ‘I thought I had a cigarette in my hand’.
‘No, you didn’t’. He took one from the packet at the table and gave it to Ajiani.
He lighted the cigarette and said, ‘Forget about the money and forget about winning over them in a gun- fight. They are too smart and strong for you and me. Though, I agree with the using your clout part’.
‘What’?
‘Do you still feel like driving’? ‘I do’.
‘Then wait here for a while’.
He is getting carried away again, Ajiani thought and got out, found the mechanic, loitering around the camp, thanked his luck, and took him to a corner.
He put his hand on the mechanic’s shoulders and said, ‘No questions. Fix it fast. I give you five minutes’.
‘Huh’?
‘I am not joking. I will kill you if you don’t fix it in five minutes’.
‘Okay. Okay’.
Ajiani rushed to the cabin and the mechanic ran towards the SUV. Out on the Verandah, Aprilso stood, grinning in his drunken stupor.
He is a loose cannon but if used properly, he can get us major concessions and a proper rehabilitation package, Ajiani thought.
‘Is it ready’?
‘Wait for some time, April’.
‘Get out of my way’, Aprilso said and started towards the parking area just behind the corner after crossing the canteen.
Ajiani blocked the passage.
‘Why are you in such a hurry? Can’t you wait for five minutes’?
‘How dare you come in my way? You hate me because I made her my wife. I am strong. You hate me because I stayed in the village, devoid of all the miseries that your nomad life brought for you. I am happy’.
‘I know you are strong. Strongest among us. And, she has loved you since childhood. I liked her when we were young. She is yours now. Your life is beautiful, April. I missed my life here so much when I was away. Remember when we used to hunt flying squirrels’?
April’s eyes became clear and he said, ‘Yes, I do. I was a better hunter than you’?
‘Not only better than me, better than all of us. But, I don’t think you have got it in you now’.
‘You think so’? Aprilso left the whiskey carton near his feet and walked towards the stream. Avinash was sitting there smoking a pipe with his fishing pole in the water. A boy was making a drink for him on a side table. He got in the stream and walked till the water reached his waist. He splashed some water over his face and faced Arvind. ‘Practice time is over. This small stream