RESEARCH SPIRIT
By
Translated by K. Suneetha Rani, Hyderabad, India.
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No one can say that
I am not an amicable person. There was never such a talk against me. If
Subramanyam and Nageswara Rao, out of their jealousy, call me unfriendly, will
I become that?
Do
I have only these two friends? I have dozens of friends. Why should a dispute
arise with these two fellows when I have no quarrels with other friends?
Contrary to my nature, why should I insult them? Couldn't they realise that it
was their fault?
"Look!
Your tastes are different from mine. You like Bengal gram chutney with idli
whereas I like tamarind chutney. How can we be friends?" I am not the one
who talks like this.
It
is true that I have insulted Subramanyam and Nageswara Rao. Not only have I
insulted them but also have I spread the news. When I have no objection to do
something, why should I hesitate to say
what I have done? But, I have tolerated them till their research spirit grew
intolerable. Can they deny that?
They
know that I lack the research spirit that they have. If they were to have a bit
of friendliness, which they say is absent in me, they should have suppressed
their research spirit when they were in my company. Have they done that? Never.
Has Subramanyam realised that I don't believe in spirits? Has Nageswara Rao
ever thought that I may have objections to his researchship? Have they tried to
find out my mind tactfully? They have not.
It
is strange that Subramanyam and Nageswara Rao did not know each other. I would
not have been surprised if they had harassed me together. I wonder at the Fate
presenting these two on my either side. In fact, these fellows were not my
friends. They were my friends' friends. They got acquainted with me through my
friends. If there is any instrument to measure human beings, these two, even
measured together, will not be able to face me. I would have killed them with a
single punch. Physically I am so strong. As far as my intelligence is
concerned, I can teach them for many years on various topics. I considered them
human beings only because they have two hands, two legs, two eyes and two ears
etc. each and also because both ninety pound weighing person and nine hundred
pound weighing person are considered equally human. So I considered them my
equals and took them under my shelter out of benevolence. But, one fellow
(Subramanyam) considered me a kid and said, "Nothing my boy! Once research
spirit springs up in you, you will not fear the spirits and you will develop
objective interest in spirits." Another fellow (Nageswara Rao) said,
"What boy? Do you have any idea of what you are missing in life due to
your lack of observation power?"
Subramanyam
asked me to be his apprentice and Nageswara Rao requested me to give
inspiration by joining my Watsonship to his Sherlock Holmesship in a great
collaboration. Are they my great grand sons to enjoy their nonsensical
blabbering?
Still
I tolerated. I gave them a fair chance. Once six 'annas' disappeared from my
room and I assigned the responsibility of detecting the thief to Nageswara Rao.
He made me tattle for half-an-hour and enacted Sherlock Holmes and ultimately
detected that I am the thief. Fool! I decided to bring about realisation in
Subramanyam and thought of humouring him for a while. So I went with him
hunting ghosts.
"I
will tell you when the ghost appears. We shall photograph it then," he
said. I agreed.
"We
should use flash light because it is very dark. So, you should bring your
camera. Okay?"
I
agreed to that also. He goaded me to buy the flash powder that evening and
persuaded me to load one plate. I asked him how would he give the flash. He
said that he would pour the powder on a sheet and the moment the ghost is seen,
light it with his cigarette. I did not object. This was my only fault. We
planned that the moment Subramanyam gave the signal, I would turn the camera in
the direction of the ghost and open the shutter.
At
9 'o' clock in the night, Subramanyam came to me. Both of us stayed along with
our necessary equipment. He was holding the sheet that had the powder on it. My
house was almost towards the outskirts of the village. So within no time we
were in the suburbs. We stood at a particular place and started observing. On
one side, fifty feet from us, there was a black apparition. It was, very
clearly, a woman standing there.
"Where
shall we go?" I asked.
"See!
Is that a spirit?" Subramanyam asked.
I
though of saying yes. But my conscience did not permit me to go to that extent.
"No.
It is a woman."
"No.
It is a ghost. If not, why is it standing there? Even after seeing us why is it
not moving?"
"There
may be a million reasons. Why do you probe into the reasons of her standing
there? Why should we bother about her now?"
"It
is a ghost, brother! Be ready! Click the camera!"
Followed
by me, he walked towards that person. Whoever it was, she was very strange.
Until we neared her, she did not move. Then she receded one step. Subramanyam
proceeded one step, with the sheet in his hand and cigarette in his mouth.
We
did not know how she interpreted. She said, "Aye, man, why are you coming
so near?" Perhaps Subramanyam thought that the ghost would disappear if we
delayed. So he cried nonsensically, "Snap! Snap!" Then he rubbed the
cigarette on the sheet, the powder got lit and his hand got burnt. Amidst this
chaos, the woman cried. "Killing me!" Then she vanished running into
the darkness. From distance somebody was running towards us shouting, "Who
is that? Catch! Catch!" God knows how we reached home.
Can
a human being ever dream of such an incident after this terrible experience!
Subramanyam is not a human being perhaps. On reaching home after such
turbulence, he asked me anxiously, "Have you clicked the camera?"
Moreover he was angry with me for not doing what he wanted. With none other
than me, he started arguing that it was a devil and that it vanished as we were
watching it. Then I resolved, "Nothing doing! This is a hopeless
case."
What
happens when I come to that conclusion! How can I avoid these fellows? This
question perturbed me more rather than how their madness would be cured. Not
one but two mad fellows on my two shoulders. I thought of a plan through which
I could get two birds at a shot.
Once
I invited both of them to my house for tea. I introduced them to each other.
"He is Mr. D. Subramanyam. Currently involved in psychic research. He is
Mr. P. Nageswara Rao, an expert in Criminology." That's all. Their hands
met. From that day onwards, they started coming to my house for a cup of tea.
They looked down upon me as an untouchable for my lack of research spirit.
After
spending a week like this, slowly I trapped both of them at once.
"Both
of you have to listen to me carefully. Three miles from here, on Palem road,
there is a deserted house. Have you seen it? It's all right. We shall go for a
walk that way. I will show you that house. It is a haunted house."
"What?"
Subramanyam was amazed.
"A
murder took place in that house a year ago."
"Hello",
grinned Nageswara Rao rubbing his hands. (It seems Sherlock Holmes too had this
bad habit.)
"Yes,
of course. The owner of that house was murdered. He was sleeping in the verandah
and some body attacked with a crow bar. The culprit has not been detected yet.
In this connection four or five were arrested but later they were let off, as
the allegations were proved baseless. People say that the owner of the house
has become a ghost. I think this will capture your imagination. What do you
say?"
Nageswara Rao's enthusiasm decreased.
"Oh!
Can we investigate the murder that took place one year ago? I was happy like an
ass."
"With
all your perseverance, if you cannot do it, who else can? The dead man was very
rich. Every one knows that his brother-in-law did this to snatch the management
of the estate. He has already grabbed it also. He spent money and came out of
the case. What you have to do is, go personally, do some investigation, collect
data and prove the culprit. Do not doubt the possibilities. From the moment the
murder took place, the place is deserted. No wonder if some valuable
information is found by a detective like you."
"Detective"
melted. Subramanyam was already bowled. So he did not need any speech.
Moreover, the older the spirits, like some pickles, will be tastier for the
investigators.
One
evening I took them that way for a walk and show the house. After making some
arrangements, I decided on an auspicious time for our investigation.
I
thought that pale moonlight is better than pitch darkness. Accordingly, I
started along with my two friends at 10 p.m. on a dim moonlight night. We
walked three miles in one hour and reached that ruined house.
It
is a farmhouse. Its courtyard may amount to 500 sq.ft. On one side of the house
there is a large courtyard. Although there are no trees worth mentioning, the
weeds grew into big bushes. It was just like a forest difficult to tread into.
Moreover it was dark. No human beings around. Crickets were singing
incessantly. The sight of the house was pathetic as if it was saying, "Do
whatever you like."
To
the East of the house, there is a verandah. We sat in that verandah. Initially
my friends blabbered continuously, but gradually they became quiet.
It
was 12 'o' clock. Moon came out. Since half-an-hour, no one uttered a word.
Disgusted
Nageswara Rao said, "What is this waking by the corpse? I don't believe in
spirits. We forgot to bring lamp or torch. I will light the match sticks and
examine the house."
"Don't
be hasty! Have patience." I said.
Subramanyam
said, stammering, "What is that sound?" Some noise was heard from the
house. Not only Subramanyam but Nageswara Rao and I also heard it. I carefully
observed Nageswara Rao's face in that dim moonlight. It went pale with fear.
"I
don't believe in spirits and I don't fear them also." Posing brave, he
managed to say that.
Trembling
Subramanyam said, "I believe but I am not afraid of them."
"I
don't believe but fear them." I said firmly.
Nageswara
Rao asked, "What is that sound?"
It
was clear this time that some one was walking.
"Where
is the light coming from?" stuttered Subramanyam looking at the roof. I
knew that their courage has already evaporated. If they continue to be this
anxious for another five minutes, they will definitely go mad.
I
said, "It seems some body is in the house. We shall knock the door and
find out." I got up and knocked the door vehemently. A short figure
appeared at the door. "I know why you have come. Please come in."
That man invited us in a weak voice. We three stepped into the house, with that
man leading us. He seemed to be a man with family. His white dhoti has become
slightly red coloured. He has nothing on his upper part of the body. His beard
is not shaved. His way of speech revealed that he is a non-brahmin.
All
the fears of my friends had disappeared by now.
"I
won't make you stay here for a long time. Please sit on that mat. Whatever
information you want, I will give you in three sentences. Why are you standing?
Please sit down. (This is to Nageswara Rao.) I am a rich man. But due to a
particular reason I am staying away from the human world, I have been hiding
here from human sight. For many days now, I have had no guests. As you are not
ordinary visitors, I appeared before you.
I am bent upon taking
revenge.
What
happened was-- initially I gave him as much money as he asked for. He spent
that money on alcohol and started demanding more and more money. His anger was
fierce and it turned him into a beast. So I could not even try to change his
mind. If I were to be harsh, it may provoke his anger. So I sent a word through
his sister. That very night, he brought a crowbar while I was sleeping and
attacked me. Then I woke up and
-- ."
As
he was telling the story, the man's voice raised gradually and ultimately
turned into wild cries. At this juncture, my friends shrieked with fear and ran
away. When the man engaged by me and I came out, my friends were far from us.
"Your
show is very fine Raghavaiah. I think these two will not pester me in future.
Shall we spend the night here?" I said.
This
is my crime. I sent Raghavaiah to meet them next day. Otherwise how would they
know about the insult I have inflicted on them? Raghavaiah belongs to my place.
Those two fools still believe that I never intended to reveal the plan and that
it was with their intellect that they could detect my villainy. All right.
Whatever they think, what is it to me? And what is it to you?
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(Translator’s note: Being an ardent admirer of Kodavatiganti Kutumba Rao for histhought provoking themes and superb style, I liked this story for the brilliant humourthat runs as an undercurrent throughout this story. This was my first translation into English. This story was originally published in 1935 in a monthly magazine, “Vinodini” and later included his collective work “Kutumba Rao Sahityam” Ed. By Kethu Viswanatha Reddy. Published by Visalandhra Publishing House, 1982.)
(Permission from Kodavatiganti Rohiniprasad
garu is gratefully acknowledged. –editor.)