McCluskieganj

by Vikas Kumar Jha

  Alice Tomalin was impatient to see her little granddaughter. The only person who didn’t seem happy was Peter, the son of late Mr D’Souza. He was Duti Bhagat’s sidekick and Mr Mendez used to call him the ‘thorn in the rose.’ Peter said, ‘Robin should now be really fighting the elections.’ But such things are common when events get organized. No one attached much importance to such snide remarks.

  The foundation day committee decided that it would be wise to approach the Anglo-Indian member of parliament, Major William, in Delhi, Mr Brown, the Anglo-Indian member of legislative assembly in Patna, as well as Mr Alfred Rozario, the principal of Don Bosco school in Patna, and ask them how they could help and support the occasion. So it was decided that Mr Mendez and Robin would visit both Patna and Delhi as soon as possible. Hearing of this plan, Majeed and his wife Sabina came one evening to Queen’s Cottage to request Robin and Mr Mendez to look up their son Gibrail in Tihar Jail and to try and obtain his release. Majeed handed over the legal papers pertaining to his son’s arrest. Robin assured him to do his best.

  In Patna, they were received with great warmth by Mr Brown. Mr Brown was happy that such an event was being planned. He immediately sanctioned a sum of three lakh rupees for the restoration of Mr McCluskie’s abandoned house and fountain as well as some of the roads that were in a state of disrepair. He also invited the two to stay with him; then afterwards, they could go and complete whatever else they needed to do. Subsequently, Mr Mendez and Robin went off to meet Mr Alfred Rozario. The two were in luck. They met Mr Rozario, who gave a proposal that left the two astounded. Mr Rozario was beside himself with joy at the idea of the foundation day. He wholly supported Robin’s idea of resurrecting their moribund village. He promised to visit

  McCluskieganj at the earliest and finalize the purchase of a plot to build a school. Don Bosco would open a branch in McCluskieganj! It would be a residential school, but the boarding house would not be located in its premises. Instead, Mr Rozario proposed that the Anglo-Indian residents would keep the children as paying guests. That way, they would have a regular income, and the children too would have the advantage of homely environment. Above all, this arrangement would not only be remunerative, but it would also keep loneliness at bay for some of the old people.

  Mr Mendez and Robin were totally overwhelmed by Mr Rozario’s support. It was a godsend. Then, when they told Mr Rozario that they were planning to visit Delhi the next day in order to meet Major William, once again Mr Rozario came to their help. ‘I’ll speak to Major William right away and seek an appointment for the two of you. You will have no dearth of funds.’ While bidding goodbye to Robin and Mr Mendez,

  Mr Rozario said with hope and encouragement, ‘The problems of the past can all be solved by the present, so once again I wish you both the best for your venture.’

  Once on the road, Mr Mendez turned to Robin and said, ‘Mr Brown keeps ill health these days. That is why he has written to the Anglo-Indian Association and told them to recommend the name of Mr Rozario as the next member of legislative Assembly.’

  In Delhi too the two were very well received by Mr William who was happy that the Anglo-Indian cause was at last being championed by dynamic people like Robin. He spoke at length on the aspects of developmental work for McCluskieganj. How to create an atmosphere that would render progress possible. Where the new roads would be made? Where would dams and check dams be built and where would deep tube wells be bored. Major William was quite a visionary. The road map of McCluskieganj’s future was clear in his mind. They would have to tap solar power for street lighting, a new drainage system would have to be laid. Nothing escaped his attention. And glory of glories, the adage that it never rains but pours was true of the final stroke that Major William rendered. He ordered for the payment of fifty lakh rupees from his MP fund to the district collector in Ranchi. He said that once he received the utilization certificate, he would send another fifth lakh. Both Mr Mendez and Robin were filled with gratitude. But even while parting, Major William gave a piece of advice, ‘You will have to involve our spread-out community in the functioning of our village. For our dream to be fulfilled, people must connect and show solidarity.’

  Robin requested Major William to recommend a lawyer for Gibrail’s case. After listening to the whole story, Major William called up a well-known lawyer in the Delhi High Court by the name of D’Souza. He briefed him on the case. When Mr Mendez and Robin met Mr D’Souza, the latter promised Gibrail’s quick release as there was no strength in the case lodged against him.

  29

  Prelude and Build Up

  Several of the senior residents, namely Mrs Thripthorpe, Mr Miller, Mr Mendez and, of course, Robin in tow, went to meet the deputy commissioner in Ranchi. Mr Brown and Major William had both sent the promised money for the development work of McCluskieganj. Once in Ranchi, they requested the deputy commissioner to get the work done by the government department directly and not through contractors. The deputy commissioner agreed with their proposition.

  McCluskieganj became abuzz with activity. Masons and carpenters were all working on war footing. Meanwhile, Mr Rozario came and selected a piece of land for his school. In fact, a lot of construction material was deposited at the site. Robin was pleased as a punch. After a prolonged winter, spring was once again visiting McCluskieganj. Yet there were some discordant notes to be heard. The contractors in league with the Jharkhand Freedom Front had expressed dissatisfaction over being excluded from the contracts. They had even visited Ranchi and met the deputy commissioner. The deputy commissioner, however, avoided any kind of confrontation by saying that both Mr Brown and Major William had given strict instructions to keep the local contractors out.

  Duti Bhagat swore under his breath, ‘This is the doing of that eight-anna rogue, Robin. We must teach him a lesson. It is he who has instigated Bahadur Oraon’s daughter into the politics of leadership. I will see to it that Robin will soon keep Bahadur Oraon company at the Kanke Mental Hospital.’

  The local newspapers were full of reports from McCluskieganj. Correspondent Basant was covering the developments in the village with great zeal. The renovation of Mr McCluskie’s bungalow was entrusted to mason Ishaq and his team, who were doing a marvellous job. Ishaq told Sobarati, his wife, ‘If there is any truth in the idea of spirits, the spirit of Mr McCluskie must be in the seventh heaven today, seeing the goings-on here.’

  The weather was changing. Mr Miller told Robin, ‘When you came six months ago, did you ever think so much would happen in this village. That is how sweet dreams turn to reality. Who would have believed that our foundation day would into such an event!’

  Slowly the guests started arriving. Keith Tomalin was the first one to arrive in the third week of October. He came with his wife and daughter. The days passed so fast. It was the day before foundation day. Robin’s parents were to arrive in Ranchi on 3 November itself. He had worked out all the details of their arrival, the timing, his own getting to the airport to pick them up, but he had a couple of chores lined up before that. Khushia Pahan reached Queen’s Cottage swaying to his own song. ‘Jeffrey Babu and Fisher Babu have arrived. Had Parkinson Sahib been alive, he would have gone mad with joy,’ he told Jack. Not one to be left out, Sobarati too reached Queen’s Cottage, which at the moment had turned into a control room for the event. She told Jack, ‘Walter Babu has arrived with his wife; my God, she has become so fat, four times her husband’s size.’ Mr Gibson too had gone off to Ranchi to receive his wife.

  All the guest houses were full, be it Peacock Guest House or the Highland Guest House or Queen’s Cottage. Inquiries poured in continuously at Queen’s Cottage control room: the decorations, namely, paper streamers and buntings were all ready, but from where to where would they adorn the site? Where is the microphone, Robin? The fancy dress competition was being handled entirely by Danny and Jennifer, who were in turn being assisted by Mr Mendez’s daughter and son-in-law, Evon and Bruno. Majeed was in charge of serving tea, which he di
d with mind-boggling frequency to the guests at Queen’s Cottage. Jack’s kitchen too was humming with activity. Preparations were afoot for breakfast and lunch for the guests on foundation day. Neelmani had posted some assistants from her group for Jack’s benefit. Kitty, of all people, too had put herself at Jack’s disposal. Mrs Thripthorpe’s daughter Judy had made a lot of delicious jam for the occasion, while Mary David had provided special lemon pickle. Kathleen Harrigan had been working overtime to make cakes and pastries. Above all, ‘world famous chef’ Randolph appeared, as if by magic, with all his cooking paraphernalia. He said, ‘I’ll show the magic of my cooking art on this great day.’ The Mozart of

  McCluskieganj, Mr Robinson came with his band of musicians for the entertainment of everyone. All were dressed in their Sunday best. Miss Bonner inquired, ‘Robin, have the souvenirs arrived?’ ‘They have been ready for more than a week. I’ll bring them tomorrow when I go to Ranchi to fetch my parents,’ answered Robin. The only disappointment on the occasion was that neither Mr Brown nor Mr Rozario could attend the function as both had been called away to Calcutta for a very important meeting.

  That night, Neelmani went to Queen’s Cottage to ask Robin to come and see the rehearsal of the Adivasi dance and song. But Robin declined saying he had no opinion on the subject as he was totally new to it. But Neelmani insisted that the artists would feel very encouraged if he went. She also requested him to mention at the outset of the programme that the Adivasi presentation was by the members of the self-reliance groups from the villages around.

  In the light of the lantern, Robin saw the artists sing and sway. The men were scantily clothed, almost bare-bodied. Robin asked Neelmani, ‘Don’t they feel cold?’ Neelmani answered, ‘Doesn’t make any difference. When you are happy, nothing matters!’ Robin asked her the meaning of the song. Neelmani explained, ‘This is an Oraon song. The male actor says, “My beloved has given me a flower. Where will I keep it? I kept it in a box. When I opened the box and saw the flower, I said to myself, I need nothing more, because I see my beloved’s face.”’ Neelmani somehow patched together a meaning to the song.

  Then Robin returned to Queen’s Cottage. On the way back, strange and wonderful feelings possessed him. He was overwhelmed by the beauty of life, by Neelmani’s simplicity. Robin stopped in his tracks for a second. He realized he had fallen in love with her.

  Reaching Queen’s Cottage, Robin saw someone sitting beside Mr Miller in the verandah. On going closer, he saw that it was Kitty. Mr Miller said, ‘She has been waiting for you for over three hours. I told her to come tomorrow morning, but she would not listen.’ ‘Are you angry with me?’ Robin asked. Then Kitty began to cry. ‘Why are you crying?’ But Kitty just got up and went away. Robin was taken aback and said, ‘She waited for three hours and just went away without saying anything…’ Mr Miller said, ‘Kitty has said it all. Those were tears of joy and her own way of expressing appreciation.’

  30

  Third November

  At the cultural group’s rehearsal, Robin told Neelmani he would go off to Ranchi early morning next day to bring Saamu Chacha, the souvenirs and also his parents. She would have to hold fort while he was away; right from overseeing everything, she would, in fact, act as master of ceremonies (MC) in his absence. At first, Neelmani appeared as if apprehensive, then reasserting herself, said, ‘Don’t worry, we’ll manage.’

  Mr Miller, seeing Robin ready to set off after breakfast, cautioned him, ‘Come back soon. You’ll have to give the welcome speech, only then will the function start.’ Robin contradicted him saying, ‘Uncle, it’s the elders who should be doing that.’ But Mr Miller disagreed.

  The driver of the cab that was to take Robin was still sleeping. Robin hollered out to him and soon they were on the road. Robin’s first stop was Saamu Chacha’s house, then the printing press where the souvenirs were packed and kept ready. Then he instructed the taxi driver to go straight to the Kanke Mental Asylum. He asked Saamu Chacha to wait in the car, saying he would return soon. He managed to get an interview with Bahadur Oraon, thanks to the efforts of Pranav Chacha. Bahadur Oraon came and took his position behind the barred gate. He asked Robin, ‘How are you? So your foundation day is today?’ Robin said, ‘Yes, this evening. Mummy and Papa too are arriving. They have expressed the desire to meet you. Neelmani was busy with today’s programme so she was unable to make it here. Your self-reliance group is putting up a programme.’ ‘May your desires be fulfilled,’ said Bahadur Oraon. Robin naturally bent down to touch his feet and sought his blessings. Bahadur Oraon was overcome with emotion.

  Soon after, Robin along with Saamu Munda, drove off to the airport, which was agog with activity. There were a lot of policemen. Perhaps some VIP is coming, Robin thought. Again leaving Saamu Munda in the taxi, he went off by himself. He wanted to ascertain the flight timing. Once beyond the portico, he suddenly found himself surrounded by policemen as well as some higher officials. ‘What is this, why are you behaving like this?’ It was then that an officer said sharply, ‘Are you Robin McGowan?’Robin answered, ‘Yes, I am Robin McGowan.’ The officer answered, ‘Then you are under arrest.’ Looking at his subordinate officer, he said, ‘Show him the warrant.’ In a trice, the policeman handcuffed Robin who was screaming shrilly, ‘What are you doing? What is the matter?’ ‘You are a foreign agent,’ the officer said. Just then Saamu Munda came rushing. He had watched the goings-on for a while. In anger, he had torn his clothes. He was screaming wildly, ‘Wrong! You are doing something very wrong to an innocent boy.’ The officer said, ‘He is an enemy of the country.’ Saamu Munda shouted, ‘You are an enemy of the country, you bastard, you dog!’ The officer barked, ‘Who is this old man? Probably a tout of this fellow. They are known to pay these poor men for passing information. Get him out.’ Some policemen started thrashing Saamu Munda. Robin, even though handcuffed, lurched forward to prevent them from hurting Saamu Chacha. Saamu Munda lay in a heap, his tattered clothes bespattered with blood. The flight carrying Dennis and Liza was already circling the Ranchi airport. But they dragged Robin into a jeep, taking him into police custody.

  Meanwhile evening had descended on McCluskieganj. The field next to the Panchayat Bhawan, which was the venue for the celebration, was lit up with myriad fairy bulbs. There was a standby generator to take care of any power outage. Some joyful songs with musical accompaniment could be heard on the loudspeaker from afar. All participants and guests were in place. The arrangements were perfection personified. The participants for the fancy dress were in readiness as well as were the choicest food items that were to be served; Randolph, Jack and Kitty had given their best. But how could the programme start without Robin? Mr Miller was getting restless. ‘I had repeatedly told Robin to be here on time. Mr Mendez, you really should have gone with him to Ranchi today.’ Khushia Pahan and Tuinyan Ganjhu kept their eyes glued to the road. ‘He will come now.’ But where was Robin?

  31

  Ranchi March

  The evenings had turned chilly. Dusk set in early and the plateau of Chhota Nagpur generally assumed a pretty hue. The whole of McCluskieganj was resounding with joy, and then there was the sound of an approaching vehicle. Jack was the first to hear it. Neelmani alerted her artists as theirs was the first programme. But then the taxi stopped some distance away. Dennis and Liza McGowan alighted from the back seat. All eyes were on them. ‘Where is Robin?’ everyone present asked in one voice. Liza was weeping. Dennis, surrounded by almost the entire village, stood expressionless. Mr Mendez broke the silence. ‘What has happened, after all?’ ‘Robin was arrested at the airport even before our arrival,’ Dennis spoke after mustering all his strength. All those present were shocked beyond belief. ‘Arrested, why, no … no … Why should this happen? Did you find out correctly?’ By then, Dennis too had started weeping.

  Mr Mendez tried to console Dennis. Then Dennis related the entire episode at the airport—how when they arrived they did not find Robin. On Liza’s insistence, they went to the inq
uiry counter and asked the staff to make an announcement. They explained that their son Robin McGowan was supposed to receive them. Hearing this, the inquiry counter staff made a strange face and answered, ‘Your son has been arrested by the police on the basis of CID report. He is believed to be a foreign agent. Yes, along with him was an old tribal. The police beat him and threw him out. He is lying outside the portico bathed in blood. ’ It was then that a taxi driver came running to us and said. ‘Sir, I am the man who brought the gentleman from

  McCluskieganj.’ It was with the help of the taxi driver that we took the old person to a nursing home. I instructed the doctor there to do all he could to save him. Then we went and met some high police officials, but with no success. They said that he was a foreign agent and, as the matter was serious, there was nothing to be done. In fact, Robin would face trial. We also requested that we be allowed to see him, but that too was refused. Then we went back to the nursing home, paid for the expenses of the old tribal who, though somewhat better than before, was not conscious yet. We told the hospital staff that we would return tomorrow to check on him.

  Neelmani was incensed no end. The scoundrels had destroyed Robin the same way they had her father. ‘The old man could be none other than Saamu Chacha,’ she thought. In the dark, anger and tension gripped all those present. ‘What will happen now?’ They all cried—Mrs Tomalin, Mrs Thripthorpe, Miss Bonner, Kitty, all … Then suddenly, like lightening, Neelmani cut through the crowd saying, ‘What will happen, we’ll march on our feet to Ranchi right now!’ Then suddenly in a single voice, they all said, ‘Yes, let us all march to Ranchi right now. We will go on hunger strike and give up our lives even, but Robin has to be released.’

  The self-reliance group came forward and said, ‘So what is the delay then? Let’s go!’ But the crowd was divided with regard to the elderly among them. How could they possibly walk so far? Miss Bonner said, ‘If we go, we all go.’ Then it was decided that the taxi on which Dennis and Liza had come would carry the elderly to Ranchi, while slowly the rest could follow. Neelmani said, ‘We will be in Ranchi by sunrise.’