"One can't make out whether it's morning or evening." "Then put on the lights." "In the dark, it's uncomfortable for him too." "Can you switch on the light?" "I have to read his reports." "Grandpa prefers the darkness." "Switch on the light if you must." "I don't remember seeing Grandpa's face in bright light." "I have always seen him in darkness." "I've heard that Mahatma Gandhi hated darkness so much... that he would keep the lights on even when he went to sleep." "Grandpa prefers darkness." "Maybe he's no Mahatma (great soul)" "Just your good average atma (soul)" "Is it a monkey's skull?" " Yes. 4000 years old." "How did you know?" " Grandpa told me." "He used to be a "Puratatva Shashtri"." " What...?" "Which means an archaeologist." "I'm not an author like you." "But I'll try to remember that specialization." ""Puratatva Shashtri!" So he was really an archaeologist?" "Yes." "Mohenjo Daro and Harappa." "Remember studying it in school?" "Grandpa, please open your mouth." "I've seen the photographs..." "Nothing to worry, Grandpa." "I'm pumping the phlegm out." "You'll breathe easier." "Have you told him about your award?" "First." "Before I told anyone else." "Whatever they might say..." "I think mentally, he's far better off than most others." "When did his mental illness begin?" "Among people who knew him when he was sane... the only one alive must be my grandmother Mythili." "Grandpa spoke to no one but me." "He used to tell me a lot of stories." "His stories were all in the first person singular." "It was never "Once there was a king"" "Rather, it went: "Once, where I lived, there also lived a king"" "My next novel is based on one of his stories." "You could never have guessed when he was going to lead you... from reality into fantasy." "Very interesting combinations!" "I'm trying to weave the bio-fictional qualities into my novel." " Thriller?" "You could call it a thriller too." " Where's the story based?" "Here in India." "Pre-partition India." "1946" "Grandpa was working with an English archaeologist." "Wheeler." " Larkana District." "North West Frontier?" "Just like the finds in Lothal." "Two in a grave." "Not the two of us!" "The two of them." "We have to pack up." " Why?" "A riot scare." "Hindu-Muslim riot." "Work is over." "Hurry up." "For 5000 years, it's been here." "It won't go away." "We'll come back." "Thousands of years before Christ, this society had... evolved a sewage system." "Here was a society where children were given toys to play." "Ours gives us religion." "For adults to fight each other with." "We do not live in that society." "Say Salaam to the Brahmin Uncle." "Sir, aren't you coming?" "We know what you fellows are up to." " Just don't overdo it." "Mother!" "But I never...!" " Tell her, Ram..." "Yes... no, we never..." "Lying is a worse sin than this...!" "You get that?" " Amjad..." "Yes, Mother?" "You come home early." "Nafisa, take care of him." " I will." "She'll be around, all right." "See you then." "Bye bye." "Which India do you desire?" "United, or divided?" "They want to impose Shariat." "(Shariat:" "Islamic Law)" "I wouldn't get to drink." "I wouldn't even get to sniff it!" "Bloody Sindhi!" "Behave yourself, or I'll thrash you." "Amjad, you are too sharp." "How did you know it's me?" "I can smell a mule a mile off." "Nafisa, with Amjad around, your house must be stinking of donkey." "Right?" "Not at all!" "Perfumes." "That's what I smell." "Donkeys wear perfume to hide their stink!" "Little, little..." "Lalwani, our work has been stalled." "For the time being." "Why?" "India-Pakistan problems." "He wants Pakistan." " Who says I do?" "Some people do." "Oh forget it." "I'm off to Calcutta." "To meet the wife." "It's been 20 days." "And I was wondering why the Pundit isn't talking about his wife yet." "There you go." " When are you going to Calcutta?" "In a couple of days." "Then I'll have to go to Calcutta too." " What for?" "The Rakhi festival." "It's coming up." "Rakhi:" "Hindu ritual affirming bond between brother and sister." "Oh I forgot!" "This one happens to be your fostered brother." "Lalwani, let's all go to Calcutta." " We go." "No jokes?" "No...?" "Gone!" "Must be his newly-wedded bride." "This Pundit is already henpecked." "Come along." "Don't trouble him." " Bengali girls are so boring!" "Stop mumbling and speak up." "So you're calling from the post office?" "Calcutta telephones...!" "Keep it up." "Why keep anything from friends?" "Just..." "Amjad and Lalwani..." "No, I married you." "Not them." "They are after me." "Not me..." "Hello!" "Amjad here!" "We're dying to meet you." "Ram tells us that you are a fabulous cook!" "Yes, we wish we could come." "But we, and Ram, can't... make it to Calcutta before another month or so." "Why are you troubling him?" "Voice...?" "Whose...?" "Oh she... that's the wife." "Amjad's wife!" "Nafisa." "Don't you worry!" "The matter regarding the first wife." "Ram hasn't told you?" "!" "Ram!" "You didn't tell her!" "Amjad!" "Stop it!" "Lalwani here." "Amjad is lying through his teeth!" "There's no Mrs Asha Ram!" "That story about Ram paying her for a settlement is completely false!" " Ram!" "Why are you hitting me?" "!" "Hello, it's me, Amjad again." "Excuse us, there's a confrontation happening here just now." "Can you please call later?" "No!" "Don't hit Ram!" "Bye!" "The poor thing was calling from the post office." "What's this...?" "Don't you see?" "We're so concerned for you!" "The wedding necklace I ordered for her from Madras?" " Did you tell her about it?" "They didn't even let me talk to her!" " Poor thing." "She must be worried." "One cure for all worries." "Whisky." "After a good whisky, you will have nothing to worry about." "Moron!" "Aparna is in Calcutta." "How will she stop worrying... if I drink whisky here?" "Besides, I don't like whisky." " Then drink Rum." "That's for horses." "No!" "Notjust horses, dear Brahmin." "A donkey drinks rum too." "Drink it up!" "Here... hold him." " What are you doing?" "Horses drink rum, eh?" " Leave him!" "Open that mouth!" "Are you all right?" " Water..." "Give him water." "No, notjust water." "I need a bit of rum too." " Did you get it?" "No!" " Even this is a joke?" "Even you need a rum!" "Now someone should sing a Hindi song." "Salaam sahib!" "Remember me?" "Me..." "Altaf Tailor!" "Altaf!" "What's going on?" "Don't worry sir." "Today is Mr Jinnah's direct action day." "Your wife doesn't come to me anymore." "Has she found someone else?" "Go on, sahib..." "What's going on...?" "And no sign of the police..." "The police are celebrating a holiday... and Suhrawardy, the Premier, is celebrating..." "Jinnah's Direct Action Day." "After all, he is a Muslim leader." "A servant will pick up the luggage." "Please don't leave." "The luggage." "Careful." "There's glass inside." "One minute..." "Come on, hurry up." "You're holding the lift up." "If you're in such a hurry... you should've married someone else." " So how are you?" "Couldrt be worse." "All the shops are closed." "Even our chemist." "Suhrawardy is a scoundrel." " The shops will open tomorrow." "What if they don't?" " Then the day after tomorrow." "What if I fall ill?" "Nothing will happen to you!" "Stop worrying." "Who is it?" "Speak up." "Speak up, or else, I'll call the police." "I can hear you!" "I have a gun!" "Kill me, and you'll become a widow!" "Scoundrel!" "Rascal!" "Why didn't you tell me you're coming?" "I nearly died!" " I wanted to give you a surprise!" "What happened?" "Are you all right?" "What's the matter with you?" "Telegram." "From your father." "Empty gun... your soup ladle could do better." "Where are the bullets?" " In the safe." "Bravo!" "You must've read it." "Just tell me." "I read it because it's a telegram." "Sorry." ""Father serious" That's it, isn't it?" "No." "More serious." " Dead already?" "Shame on you!" "Just read it out, will you?" "So that's why the long face?" "You thought I'd leave you as soon as I read the telegram?" "It's because of all this... that I ran away from Madras and I came to Calcutta." "Had I decided to marry a girl of their choice..." "I would've done so years ago." "Sir..." "luggage." " Leave it outside." "You leave everything outside." "Put that down here." "Stop tipping him everytime." "You're spoiling him." " What's inside...?" "I'll do it." "Leave it." "I do not wish to be just one of your wives." "I will not have a rival from South India." "Will a North Indian do?" " So she's a North Indian!" "Fool!" "There's no other woman!" "I love only you!" "Satisfied?" "Now touching is on ration?" "Well, thank you, ma'am." "Gone are the days when... the Iyengar patriarch would choose his sors bride." " Will you hurt your father?" "Go slow on Bengali." "I'm still learning your Bengali language." "Your father will be very angry." "He will disown you." "I'll give him a kozhukattai to chew on..." "I don't care." "You are my only family." "If you want a larger family..." " let's make our own." "What is "Kozhukattai" in Tamil?" "Something to eat." " How does it look?" "Just like you..."koluk-muluk"." " What is "koluk-muluk"?" "You'll know when you touch our baby." ""Moonlight in the sky"" ""On the forest trail The scent of the leopard"" ""My heart is like a deer"" ""In the silence of this night Which way am I going?"" ""The silvery shadow of leaves On my body"" ""No more deer anywhere"" ""As far as I go I see the moon" Bent like a sickle"" ""Cutting the last Golden deer-grain"" ""Then sinking slowly"" ""Into the darkness of all the sleep..."" ""in the eyes of a hundred does"" "What did you eat in Karachi?" "How about sleeping tonight on the balcony?" "Getting me used to the balcony?" "So your other wife can take the bedroom?" "Shut up." "Don't go on and on about the same thing." "What are you looking for?" " This?" "That too." "What is the matter?" "What are you doing?" "Careful!" " Examination papers... marksheets." "Okay, teacher." "Where are you going?" "Shut up and shut your eyes." "May you forever live in marital bliss!" "That's a wedding necklace Madras-style." "Now not even my father can deny that you're my wife." "All right, Madrasi-style." "What about Bengali-style?" "Where is the vermilion?" "That's red ink!" "One drop on the bedsheet, and I'll smash your head!" "Instead of vermilion, I anoint you with red ink." "Now what do I get?" " You want a wedding necklace too?" "Something..." "like that." "Tell me the truth, Ram." "What do you want?" " Something to eat." "Hey!" "Ram." " Boy or girl?" "A boy and a girl." "Twins." " Something to eat." "The only thing you can eat is me." "That's fine with me." "But something for the stomach..." "It's true." "I've been eating bread and butter for two days." "I'm afraid to go to the market!" " Oh, come with me." "You speak as if Calcutta is full of savages." "I'll get something to eat." "Listen... the shops are all closed." "Only the Muslim shops." "Hindu shops will be open." "Ram, I'm very scared." "Please!" "Don't go!" "Help!" "Arert you ashamed?" " No!" "What happened?" " He saved my life!" "Come inside." "Please come in." "Do you have a telephone?" "Madam!" "Open up!" "I'm your old tailor Altaf." "I'm here to take new measurements!" " Altaf!" "You ungrateful scum!" "Shut the door to the balcony!" "Got her!" "How about you?" "No." "I prefer this one." "Stop kicking, or I'll blow your head off, you son of a pig!" "I'll do whatever you want." "My neck is going to snap." "Untie my hands." "I'll do whatever you want." "We have paid with enough lives!" "Please!" "Don't kill us!" "No sahib!" "No!" "It was a mistake!" "I accept!" "It's the situation!" "It's driving everyone crazy!" "I wasrt the only one!" "The others were involved too!" "No sahib!" "No!" "Son..." "A man with a gun!" "A Mussalman!" "Who... who is it?" "Don't kill me!" "Don't!" "Allah is great!" "Thank you." "Allah has sent you to save me!" "Noor... come out." "Grandpa!" "I'm very afraid!" "Why don't you speak, Grandpa?" "Stop!" "Step back." "Who are you?" " Ram." "What is your name?" " Ram." "Shri Ram Abhyanker." "Of Kaushik, son of Vishwamitra..." "Of Kaushik, thrice blessed..." "Of Kaushik, the high priest of Yajur Veda..." "Of Kaushik, I bear my lineage." "I am Shri Ram Abhyankar." "I am a Brahmin." "Vande Mataram (Salutation to the Mother Goddess)" "Come, join the hunt." "Read this." "You will find my address in it." "Come and see me." "We have a lot to do." "Wait." "Do not leave like this." "People will not be able to make out who you are." "Enough!" "Are you looking for me?" " Yes." "So are the they." "Come." " Well what?" "What name did you say?" "Ask for Shri Ram Abhyanker." "Where's Shri Ram Abhyanker?" " You live in Calcutta?" "Yes." "I hope no one followed you?" "I didn't see..." "I don't know!" "No problem." "How many did you kill yesterday?" "Now I have the guts to kill people." "But I can't pick up the courage to kill myself." "You have your reasons, your faith, your philosophy." "I have no excuses." "Half my life, half my soul is dead, gone!" "My wife!" "In front of me, they..." "My sister. 20 men raped her." "After they were done, they killed her." "There are so many like me..." "so many mothers, so many sisters..." "Is your wife dead?" "Who do you think is responsible for all this?" "Bengal Premier Suhrawardy?" "No." "Barrister Mohammad Ali Jinnah?" "No!" "Only one man, my friend." "Barrister Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi." "From the very beginning, he has been taking sides with them." "Beginning with the Khilafat movement... he has watered the small green sapling... and now it's a huge tree!" "Where are you going?" "To the police." "I won't lead them to you." "I go to seek punishment for my crimes." "Punishment?" "Who is to punish whom?" "The law has gone on a holiday." "But we are still at work." "Come, let me explain this to you." "Punishment my friend, is for crime." "Not for doing one's duty." "If killing is crime, then so is war." "Right?" "A soldier who kills in war..." "is he a criminal?" "I am no soldier." "I am a civilian." "This, my friend, is civil war." "In this hour of the country's crisis... every one of us will have to become soldiers." "Remember that." "Read this book." "It is banned." "Do not remove the cover." "If we live, we shall meet again." "Vande Mataram!" "Slowly..." "Watch it!" "It's going to crash!" "Goodness!" "It's falling!" "Move." " Your luggage?" "I don't want anything!" "Take me away from here!" "Please!" "On foot my life proceeds without a mahout." "Nor goad to pierce and direct me about." "Like a demented rogue elephant I roam." "O'Lord of Sriranga praised in the four Vedas since times unknown." "Unto Thee I surrender." "Peace be!" " This is a good omen!" "Sister!" "Look!" "The Lord's palanquin!" "May you live long." "Are you blessing God?" "Bless us, Lord!" "My dear nephew, you lose nothing by smiling." "And this proposal you must accept." "You give up yourjob." "Fine." "You give up shaving." "Fine." "But don't give up on the pleasures of a married life!" "You father desires to be born of you again." "A soul is born many times." "To The Lord, I pray that my dear husband should die before me." "The very next day, I'd be willing to go." "Provided I'm given the opportunity to play with my grandson before I die." "And after I've had some time to play with Ram's son..." "I'll be right with you, sister." "God damn it!" "We're travelling for a good purpose." " And he talks about death!" "You started it all." "All right, now we'll talk about good things, Ram." "It isn't quite six months since my wife and my father died." "And here I am, going to see another girl!" "Damn it!" "He just has to open his mouth!" "And the wrong words spill out!" "Careful!" "Mother, they are here." "Tell them." "Listen... they are here." "Watch it, Grandpa!" "Let the bridegroom go in first." "Just five seconds left!" "Hurry up!" "Please be seated." "What are you doing?" "Hey!" "Remember?" "I'm Veda!" "How are you?" "Grown a beard!" "Like a monk." "But you're doing the right thing." "No point becoming a celibate." "Like your Uncle." "Good, you agreed to a second marriage!" "Aunt!" "My respects!" "How are you?" "Your husband... he didn't come?" "No." " Why?" "Didrt come." "That's all." " Why didn't he?" "He isn't well." " God damn it!" "What happened to him?" "Damn you!" "He's been paralysed for years!" "And now he asks!" "Get lost!" " Sister..." "Shut up!" "Is he a relative?" " No!" "He just keeps popping up." "I'm the Collector." "Okay, Bill Collector." "Happy?" "Mythili, don't look up." "And keep your voice down." "Oh let her be." "You can touch my feet." "May you live long." "She doesn't have to do that!" " Touching the feet... of elders is all right." "You haven't taken coffee." "Please have some coffee." "Mythili has made coffee." "Listen... tell them..." "she's good at embroidery too." "That "TVR" is her Grandfather's initials." "And that Krishna..." "Mythili did that too." "Uncle!" "Don't forget the "Sweet Dreams"!" ""Sweet Dreams" This is the latest." "The pitch is too high." "Her voice will crack like a twig!" "Uncle, she's just a child!" "Would you prefer an old hag?" "The eyes have met!" "Not mine." "Theirs." "Stop suckling, and start playing." "What are you thinking?" "Here I am." "Getting married." "And in Delhi... the worst political divorce ever is happenning." "Let it happen." "So much the better." "After Pakistan, this Muslim problem will be settled once and for all." "The gangrene removed." "The body saved." "Radcliffe has amputated like an expert surgeon." " Who's Radcliffe?" "My nephew." " I see." "He fell for it." "I didn't." "Who's Radcliffe?" "The great man who will decide the borders... that will divide India and Pakistan." "Sister, are you all right?" "Nothing serious." "Just hypoglycemia." "Aunt, when was it the last time you ate?" "You haven't had anything but coffee since yesterday." " It must be the bile." "Not bile." "The star configuration." " Neither." "Then what might it be?" "!" "Stop screaming and get lost." "It's because you kept your stomach empty." "Aunt, how many times have I told you not to play games like Gandhi?" "Are you making fun of Gandhi?" "His creed will even make fun of the Gods!" "No, Uncle." "I'm just being practical." "I wasrt making fun of the Mahatma." "As a doctor, I was just advising that long fasts are unealthy." "If you and I fast, the result is sickness." "When the Mahatma fasts, the result is independence." "Have you eaten?" " No." "But I've just had my fill." "Must be gas." "You should eat." "Make sure you do the things I told you." "The milk is over there." " I do not drink milk." "Doctor's advice?" "Nature's law." "If nature intended man to drink milk all his life..." "God would surely have seen to it that women lactated all their lives." "Why do you laugh?" "Then you would've tied up the women like cows... and you'd feed them grains and hay." "Interesting, isn't it?" "Gandhi's autobiography." "The book is mine." "No, read it." "Do you like it?" "There was nothing else to read..." "Let me change into the cotton dress." "Mother told me not to go to bed wearing silk." "Aparna!" "Aparna... who is she?" "Madam!" "Open the door madam!" "I'm Altaf!" "Your old tailor, madam." "I'm here to take your new measurements." "Whom do you want to see?" "Aparna..." "Third floor." " I see." "You're Mr Nair's guest." "I'm from Madras too." "But I've no idea who the last tenant was." "All the tenants here are new." "What's the name again?" "Saket Ram." " When did you see him last?" "Whom?" " Saket Ram." "It's been a long while." "A whole year." "Please don't get me wrong." "But a year ago... there was a massacre in this building." "Your Saket Ram..." "Maybe he was killed...?" "Never mind." "Then looking for him would be futile." "No harm in searching." "Were you close to Saket Ram?" "Yes, close." "Like body and soul." "We used to be inseparable." "May I have that painting?" "Hey!" "Ram." "Shall I tell you how I died?" "Ram, let me tell you." "Down with Gandhi!" "Down with Suhrawardy!" "Now you come!" "Where was Gandhi when the Hindus were being killed?" "Where's Suhrawardy?" "Drag the scoundrel out!" "Where's Suhrawardy?" "Give us an answer!" "Where is Suhrawardy?" "He is here." "Here is Mr Suhrawardy." "Now please..." "Listen to him carefully." "Friends, it is Bengal's greatest fortune... that Gandhiji has come to Calcutta." "He has shown Hindu and Muslim how to live together in peace." "In these trying times, the Mahatma stands beside us." "This, we should realise is our greatest fortune!" "We must stop this fratricide." "Were you or were you not responsible... for the massacre that took place last year?" "All of us were responsible." " No!" "As the Premier of Bengal, werert you responsible?" "Give us a straight answer!" " Yes." "I was responsible." " He accepts his guilt." "Now what do we do?" "Bravo!" "Long live Mahatma Gandhi!" "When foolishness is cheered... do you feel the same way as I do, my friend?" "Abhyanker!" "10 months in jail." "For evading arrest." "They couldn't prove anything else against me." "Heard that lecture?" "And he takes support of a snake like Suhrawardy." "What kind of a Mahatma is he?" "The public remembers nothing." "This disease is only for people like us." "This one survives on goat milk!" "Like goats they throng his flock!" "And he herds them with love, truth and non-violence... and where is he leading them to?" "To a grand slaughter." "The Bakri Idd." "Hear that?" "They are being butchered." "Yet they hail Gandhi!" "A theater of the absurd being staged for this brotherhood of secular fools." "Hindu and Muslim!" "Brothers!" "Brothers!" "Germany and England!" "Brothers!" "China and Japan!" "Brothers!" "Goat and Butcher!" "Brothers!" "If everyone is a brother, What will happen to the women?" "Brothers!" " All of them?" "Yes." " Then who will you marry?" "I have two wives!" "The astrologer was correct!" "Yes!" "He's back!" "He has grown a huge handle-bar moustache." "Come over, Mother!" "I'll tell you the rest when I see you." "Why?" "Because I left without telling you." "But you're still a child." "You won't understand." "Now it's your turn to apologise." "For...?" "For thinking that I'm a kid." "This is no child marriage." "Both of us are adults." "All I knew in the beginning is that I'm your second wife." "Now I know what you've been through." "You were just three months old when your mother died." "Right?" "You never even saw her." "I have her photo." " But not the mother." "Aunt Vasantha is like my mother." "Just reading about Calcutta, was shocking." "You've been through it all!" "I hope I didn't hurt you by talking about Calcutta." "This is a peace offering." "For you." "I hope you don't mind." "Aparna painted this." "Do you know who Aparna was?" " Yes." "From me." "A peace offering." "I hope you don't mind." "A portrait of Aandaal." "The poet." "She was in love with God... her God she never could meet." "Just like Mira." "If you can't accept me as your wife, you can accept me as a friend?" "Let's shake hands over this treaty." "I saw you smile!" "Did I smile?" " Yes!" "You were hiding your smiles even from yourself!" "But I caught a glimpse." "Like lightning in dark clouds." "Second time!" "Caught red-handed." "Ram, come down." " Why?" "The astrologer is here to see you." "To see me?" " Yes." "Hurry up." "First tell me why you are interested in my horoscope." "Please explain it to him the way you explained it to us." "You have been to the digs in Harappa and Mohenjo Daro." "But do you know the meaning of the word Mohenjo Daro?" "Yes." " These people do not." "Mohenjo Daro means "The Mound of The Dead"" " So...?" "The ghosts of the dead... have got you!" "No doctor has a cure for this disease." "Not even God?" " How can I say that?" "If you can't, you may leave." "No." "Do not scold the child." "It is not he who speaks." "Something makes him say this." "After the rituals, he will become normal of mind." "Normal mind...?" "Whose?" "Mine?" "It is not I who speaks." " No one here seems... to be speaking on his own!" "If it's the ghost who makes me speak, it's the money that makes you speak." "Are you saying I've gone mad?" "He doesn't mean to say that." " Well, tell me what he means?" "Ram, you may not believe in these things." "But for the sake..." " of those who believe..." "If you believe in all this... then go ahead, perform all those rituals." "I'm tired of... these spiritual quacks!" "Saket Ram, my boy..." " Are you leaving?" "Or...?" "No!" "I understand." "It's a bad omen to ask a person where he is going." "It'd be better if you told the elders before you left." "We aren't schoolchildren." "We needrt take their permission." "Did you say "we"?" " Yes." "Pack your clothes." "Go and ask him!" "Where is he taking Mythili?" "If she becomes pregnant, it'd be a scandal!" "This is no time forjokes!" "Enough." "Wait." "We have given him our daughter." "Where he takes her is no business of ours." "Don't irritate him with all those questions." "My nephew isn't in his senses!" "What if he takes your daughter..." " and dumps her somewhere?" "If he wanted to dump her..." " he would've dumped her here." "My wife might not be educated." "But at times, she the wiser." "What is she saying?" "She has given you a supply of spiced oils and snacks." "Mythili, don't let him eat the stuff at the railway stations." "I've packed the snacks he likes." "May I take Uncle Bhasham's blessings?" "Make it fast." "Ask him the name of the railway station you're boarding from." "If it's Egmore, raise one finger." "If it's Central, two fingers." "Touch my feet." "Don't worry." "I'll follow you." "Are we taking the train from Central Station, or Egmore Station?" "I smiled a fourth time." "You missed seeing it?" "May you live a hundred years." " First time." "First what?" " Seeing me sneeze?" "No." "Madras." "From the air." " Am I chewing you ears off?" "No." "My eardrums will burst." "The plane's engines." "Sorry." "Go on." "No." "Get back to reading." "Want to read this?" "Not that." "Is that a dirty book?" "It's covered with brown paper..." "that's why..." "Gandhiji says it's a sin to hide." "Then your lovely blouse is a sinner!" "Gandhiji was speaking about thoughts." "What do you think of Gandhiji's line of thinking?" "This one..." "What's wrong with this?" "All Gandhiji wants to say is... revenge is not going to solve the problem." "By the time Gandhiji has finished protecting them here... there won't be any of us left there to be protected." " Gandhiji..." "He rears three kinds of monkeys." "The first will only hear Gandhiji." "The second, keep their mouths shut." "Lest they let slip some criticism against Gandhiji." "The third, close their eyes... and pretend to live in a world of Gandhi-esque fantasy." "What kind are you?" "Among those cronies who use proximity to Gandhiji for political gains... you might find monkeys like those." "But as far as I am concerned..." "I'm the monkey that see, hear or speak no evil." "But if it be good, my eyes, ears and my mouth are always open." "Then you may read this book." "It's history." "Touchi." "What language is this?" "This isn't Hindi." "Marathi." " This is Sri Ram..." " Pande." "Ramkrishna Pande." "What's in a name?" "It's the person who is important." " And this is...?" "Mythili." " My wife." "Wife?" "Yes." "We're just married." "Why?" "I mean, when did you marry?" "A couple of months ago." "Madam, welcome to Maharashtra." "You can be informal." " Very well." "Come, Mythri." "Mythili." " Do you like hunting?" "I'm a vegetarian!" " He is a vegetarian too." "Right?" "I am a vegetarian." "But I can still go on a hunt." "Will you come?" "No, I won't!" "How could people have the heart to shoot innocent animals?" "If you have the heart to eat it, why not shoot it?" " Besides, it is for pleasure." "Whose pleasure?" "For mars pleasure." "What else?" "It isn't mine." "It belongs to the Rajasaheb." "What if animals were to hunt you for pleasure?" "I'll tell her." "First, they will have to invent the guns." "If a wolf was to attack your child, would you say it was justified?" "From the point of view of the wolf, yes." "Justified." "I'm famished." "What would you like to eat?" "Venison?" "Or rabbit?" "Neither." "I hunt merely for pleasure." "A vegetarian hunter!" "One who goes hunting not for food... but for proving his manood, he is the real hunter." " He looks like a suitable candidate." "Probably." "Don't you see who's here?" "Out of the way." "His Majesty is here!" "Open the gates." ""Wafers, and pickle"" "Should I have the gates opened?" "I was just saying that for us rajas and maharajas... all doors are now closed." "What use one open door?" "Call that peddler." "But wafers are for the poor, Your Highness!" "When Sardar Patel rules, rajas and maharajas will eat wafers." "Wafers!" " Come here." "Coming, sir." "Yes, sir?" "Wafer or pickle?" " The whole basket." "As you wish, sir." "Here." "Do you know how to count?" "Forget it!" "What have you done to yourself?" "!" "The house... the shops ...went up in flames." "They torched it." "Where's your wife Bina?" "She lost her dignity." "Then she was killed." "The children...?" "The cholera epidemic in the refugee camps... took the elder one." "The younger..." "Romila...?" "You remember... somehow..." "she just slipped out of my hands..." "I lost her..." "I tried to find her!" "Never leave a child's hand!" "If you let go, you'll never find the child in that crowd." "Your parents...?" "They slit their throats and sent their bodies." "Slaughtered a trainload of them!" "You won't understand." "You're from Madras." "No, Lalwani." "I can understand." "Greetings, madam!" "Forget!" "What is gone..." "Drink it up." "Great stuff!" "Nothing better for drowning your sorrows in!" "This is "somras"(an opiate)." "Not alcohol." "Drink." "Victory to Ram Chandra!" "Rajasaheb wants to see you." " Sure!" "Let's go!" "Not you." "Rajasaheb wants to talk to Ram in private." "I just found my friend after years!" "I'm not letting him go!" "We'll be back soon." "If we wish to keep the soul of Hinduism alive... the Mahatma must die." "The Hindu Natiors misfortune is that it's worst enemy is a practising Hindu!" "From the beginning, they have benefited... from his every word and deed." "And we are harmed!" "Our ancestors worshipped their weapons... which protect the land and its faith..." "We have always risen in arms for The Motherland." "But he denies us the right to even defend ourselves!" "Rise, my warriors, and prove to the world... the Hindu is not an effeminate worshipper of truth." "But he is brave." "As befits a man." "But he is a married man." "On this day when Lord Ram vanquished the demon Ravan... it seems as if the will of the Goddess... that it is to be another Ram who will do the job." "Come, my Rams." "Choose your weapons." "Well doctor?" "This Kathiawar horse was once a useful animal." "Now its suffers, and we suffer too." "To kill it would amount to mercy." "Isn't it, Ram?" "Mr Lalwani... you haven't left?" "I wanted to say goodbyes to you and Ram." "Good job." "Great money!" "Ram, I'm going in to see Pande." "Please wait here." "I should be leaving." "Get on with your romance." "I won't disturb you." "Why thank me?" "Wish me luck." "I should be as lucky as you." "Farewell, madam." "What's the matter?" "God saved you!" "He took mercy on me!" "My mother would never have said this to my father." "Maybe it didn't exist in their dictionary." "But I've been trying to tell you that..." "Go on." " That's why I'm disturbed." " Disturbed?" "Why?" "Even I want to say it." "Say it." "But my hands are stained with blood." "Hunting is no sin." "The tiger's Dharma is to hunt." "If I told you everything about myself... would I find peace...?" " Of course." "First let's meet Mr Pande." "Afterwards, tell me about it." "How is he?" "He is alive." "But he will never walk again." " You mean his legs..." " Quadriplegia" "Paralysed from neck downwards." "Ram, Pande wants to meet you." "Come on." "I'm sorry Mrs Ram." "But Pande wants to meet your husband alone." "Please go ahead." "I'll be back soon." "Is it very painful?" "To know pain, one needs a body." "You will recover." " Don't lie!" "Body is a burden." "For me, it is now no more." "But my soul is still awake." "My soul I want you to have." "You shall become my body." "And you shall fulfill my duty." "You will, won't you?" "And you shall do it not for me." "You shall do it for all of us." "For our Motherland." "For a Hindu Nation." "Swear then, that you renounce all bondage, all relationship." "You renounce..." "I renounce..." "I renounce all bondage, all relationship." "Swear it." "Touch my head and swear by me." "I swear." "The table on my right." "There's a parcel on it." "Pick it up." "Place it on my chest." "Open it." "When the era of Gandhi is to end... the Raja shall decide." "He will inform you." "Vande Mataram" "Careful Hold the head high." "Daddy, the ambulance hasn't arrived yet." " Can we use the van?" "Go on." " Are you coming?" " No point crowding the place for nothing." "You go ahead." "They'd need someone to sign the consent letter for the operation." "It isn't a must for the son to sign the consent letter." "A grandson can sign it too." "Go on." "Did you wake up Grandma and tell her?" "You want both of them to end up in the hospital?" "Getting that poor old thing to go to sleep was tough." "Good or bad, we'll inform her later." "Heard that?" "That's how much he loves his father!" "What if I were to do it to him in his time?" "Now it's important for us to rush him to the hospital." " You can't go that way." "Why?" "Don't you read the papers?" "Forgotten what day it is?" "The sixth." "December 6." "There's every chance of a riot breaking out today." "Go back." "We're rushing a patient to the hospital." "Can we take the Beach Road?" " No." "That's closed too." "This is a matter of life and death!" " That's just why we're stopping you." "Please!" "Let us cross the main road." "We'll be at the hospital in 5 minutes." "Keep this." "For the two of you." " Take it." "Will you feed me... for the rest of my life if I lose my job?" " What's going on out there?" "They are leaving, sir." " Where are we headed?" "This is a short-cut." "It leads straight to the petrol pump." "If the police don't stop us, we'll take the crossing there." "This combination of religion and politics is dangerous!" "Just like sex and violence." "But commercially sound." "And proven." "Both in villages and cities." " Name" " Munawar" "No!" "I'm a doctor!" " What's yours?" "Saket Ram." " What's happening?" "He's sick!" "You don't understand!" "He's sick!" "Has the magistrate issued orders to shoot?" "The magistrate has signed the orders." "Boys, we have the shooting orders." "Be under control." "Wait for my orders." "Careful, you little mad girl!" " How are you?" "Same as ever." "Welcome!" "You grace us with your divine presence!" "Why, the sun must've risen in the west!" "Your sister sent us news..." "Mythili was missing them." "So I asked them over." "Hello!" " When did you arrive?" "A while ago." "Oh yes, Mythili was telling me..." "I didn't." "Oh, please come in." " Have you told your husband?" "He doesn't even talk to me." "When we were in Maharashtra, he was very sweet to me." "But now again..." " You must've fought with him." "No." "He just keeps to himself." "Sir..." "Telegram." "Please sign the receipt." " Isn't Uncle around?" "They have all gone to the hospital." "Why?" " Don't know sir." "Come on in." "Uncle isn't here now." " Enough now." " Now say it." "Please, you say it." " You should say it." "Stop it, and just tell him." "I'm about to become a grand uncle!" "And my wife is going to become a grandmother." "And he, a grandfather!" " What am I going to be?" "Everyone is going to become something or the other." "You're going to become a cousin." " The soul is born again." "What are you staring at?" "Come on, prostrate yourself." " Pay respect to everyone." "That won't be necessary." "Why not?" "But let's not overdo it." "We'll give him a backache." "Let's all stand together." "Come on." "Twice is enough." "Mythili, now let's hear M.S. Subbalakshmi sing." " The sweets now, please." "Yes." "I had them ordered specially." "The doctor told you not to eat sweets." "This is a grave sin!" "Even my gravest sin will be forgiven today!" "Grave sin!" "Uncle... did you say something?" "Uncle..." "Dear Mythili" "Marriage is believed by us to be a bond for lifetimes to come." "But I sever my bond with you in this lifetime." "In the knowledge of the self... may I attain eternal bliss" "As I travel towards the Supreme Soul... may I transcend attributes of the Self" "Towards the Eternal, the Pure... all-pervasive Omniscience I travel" "I seek to transcend emotion, sense and desire" "So help me, Lord" "I have been blessed with a good wife." "You." "And you have been cursed with a bad husband." "Beyond the cycles of birth and death" "Beyond life" "Beyond the boundaries of my mind" "Beyond the darkness" "Beyond my perceptions Thou art" "Thee, I behold in the form of a Swan" "To Thee I pray for enlightenment" "I am leaving." "I forsake you and my child to come... for the sake of my duty towards my motherland." "Forgive me, I beg of you." "I pray that our child is born with your virtues." "May the shadows of my failings never touch our child." "I've never seen my mother." "Aunt Vasantha was like a mother to me." "And you too." "Your parents are going to curse me." "Their anger is justified." "Now I belong to no one." "Loveless:" "Saket Ram" " Are you all right?" "She hasn't eaten all day..." "It's all over now." "Elightenment, thou shalt receive by dint of thy Self" "Make pure thy body and mind For the path leads to solitude" " Bhairav... are you from Karnataka?" "No." " Is your family coming too?" "I have no family." "Lucky room, sir!" "You'll get anything for the asking." "What are you looking for?" "I'm not looking for anything!" "What are you looking for?" "What a thing to say!" "You must be really experienced!" "You are right!" "This is my card." "I can get you virgins!" "From anywhere between Kashmir and Kanyakumari!" "Also Anglo-Indians and Europeans." ""With whose permission did you give 550 million away?"" "Down with Mahatma Gandhi!" "Down with the Muslim-Iover!" "Nehru is with him." "Also Maulana Abul Kalam Azad." "We could do it right now." " Gopal... step aside." "Come here." " Are these the servants' quarters?" "Yes." " Whose room is this?" "Mine." "Why?" "I want to photograph Gandhiji." "The view through the window might be interesting." "May I take a look?" "I said yes." "Go on." "But it's dark inside." "The bulb blew." "Never mind." "I'll come for the photographs later on." "Any objections?" "I told you." "Why are you asking me over and over again?" "But I just asked you..." " You may be asking me just once." "But that friend of yours, he asked me ten times over." "Friend...?" " Yes, a photographer." "Like you." "Gave me 10 Rupees." "Advance." "He'll give me another 10 after he has taken the photographs." "So there's another photographer?" " Then you aren't his friend." "Out with ten Rupees." "This is a fiver..." "right, ten." "That was advance." "You can pay ten afterwards." "Thank God, I found you!" "We were shocked when we read your letter!" "Then I read the telegram you had received." "If you wanted to serve Gandhiji, you should've told us." "This is Mr Goel." "He's an industrialist from Bombay." " He's close to Gandhiji." "Hello Mr Saket Ram." "You had your father-in-law very worried." "Thank The Lord he has found you." "All thanks to you, sir!" "Ever since you left, we've been in such troubles!" "The day you left, Aunt Vasantha's husband expired." "Two shocks were too much for your aunt to bear." "She is dead too." "Your Uncle Bhashyam is bed-ridden." "Maithili and my wife, thank God, they are still alive!" "Friends, Bapu is still very weak." "And the mike isn't working." "You won't be able to hear him." "Bapu's speech will be read out aloud by Dr Susheela Nair." "Brothers and sisters..." "The first thing that I want to say to you is that..." "I hope all those... who have signed the document of amity... have signed it with God as their witness." "There are still voices being raised in Calcutta expressing the fear that... what is happening here may be all a show." "If the people of Delhi and the refugees who have come here... both stand firm... then I am certain... whatever may happen outside you will be able to save India." "As well as Pakistan." "If you read carefully... what Sardar has said in Bombay... you will realise... there is no rift between Pandit Nehru and Sardar." "Sit down!" "Be calm." " Don't go there!" "Stay with us." "This is sacrilege!" "These savages want to kill a Mahatma!" "We do live in the worst of times!" "Don't you think so?" "Don't worry." "Tomorrow, you will speak to Gandhiji in person." "Mr Goyal has arranged a meeting." "If Bapu is better tomorrow..." "you can meet him." " Where are you going?" "To find a cab." " But..." "Is Mr Mehra around?" "No, sir." "We want to find a cab." "He won't let us." " Is there a cinema theater nearby?" "Regal." "No one leaves this hotel without our permission." "Constable, shut the doors." " Where's the manager?" "I'll call him, sir." " I'm the manager." "Yes." "Search warrant." "Please show us your rooms." "There's an assassin in your hotel." "He's plotting to kill the Mahatma." "Please go ahead with your search." "I'll give you every co-operation." "But you are mistaken." "This is a very reputed hotel." "Let's find out about that." "There's no one in this room." "Where are you from?" "Nathuram Godse is in Room No 40." "The lorry will be back only after 4 or 5 days." "We have a week's stock on hand." "How many do you want?" "Just tell me where I can find that lorry." "Today." "Now." "Actually, I was bending over the balcony." "My purse fell in it." "How much was there inside the purse?" "3000..." "5000." "Your life is won'th more than 5000." "The owner of that soda factory is a Mussalman." "The factory is near Chandni Chowk." "There's a curfew on over there." "Don't mind my saying this, but forget the purse." "This one has left for Pakistan." "Stop thinking and just come along." "I'll get you boy, girl, beast, or whatever else you fancy in New Delhi." "Top quality stuff!" "Not here!" "Please drop the idea!" "Goodbye!" "I want to get home alive!" "You won't reach home alive unless you complete my job." " Are you threatening me?" "Just telling you." "You're going to get me killed!" "This is a dangerous game!" "Are you looking for a boy?" " No." "I'm looking for Azad Soda Factory." "Tell me the truth." "Who are you?" "Hey!" "Ram." "That's you!" "I thought you're a Mussalman masquerading as a Brahmin." "What are you doing here?" "No, he's..." " A friend." "You didn't tell me you have friends here!" "He didn't know that I'm staying here." "You...?" " Govardhan." "We're childhood friends." "Are you all right?" "How is Aparna?" "Dead." "Killed in the Calcutta riots." "Come home." "It's time for the curfew." "By the way, I'm settled here now." "Not in Karachi." "Some other time." "I have some work." "Do you know what a curfew is?" "You'll get shot!" " Come on." "Leave the work for later." "No!" "I'm looking for an address." "30 minutes to go for the curfew." "Hardly any time now." "Come on home." "Meet your sister Nafisa." "This is Delhi." "Not Madras." "You'll end up mince-meat." "What's the address?" " Tell him." "He's your friend." "He'll find it in a trice!" " Shut up!" "Actually, my purse fell into a soda truck." "Some Azad Soda Factory." "Do you know it?" "What...?" " Come." "Oh come on!" "My brother... he wants to see Uncle Jalal." "Open sesame!" "See you then, Ram." "Goodbye." "Where are you going?" "The curfew is on." "Stay back tonight." "Not that arm!" "Uncle, you're getting me wrong!" "He's a friend." "One of them lost his purse." "It fell into one of your trucks." "He's here looking for his purse." " Yes." "Your nephew is a traitor!" "I knew it when he said he's Gandhi's disciple." "He's hand-in-glove with the Hindus!" "Now you see for yourself!" "You might have a point." "Let's discuss Amjad later." "First, let me deal with the kaffirs." " Uncle!" "Ram isn't that type." "Silence!" "Your friend's purse has turned into gun." "Magic!" "One can'tridge can kill one, or maybe four." "One could be your mother." "Have you forgotten?" "These Hindus..." "Killed your father and your uncle?" "No!" "Ram isn't one of them." "You're suspecting him for no reason!" "I've known him for years." "He's like a brother to my wife." "Ram, I know it isn't your gun." "Amjad, do you still remember Tamil?" "Later!" " The gun is mine." "But I haven't come here to kill anyone." "Just let me have the gun." "I'll go away." "Goodness!" "You dragged me into this hole!" "I'm just a poor pimp, sir!" "A couple of bullets and he'll sing." "Then we'll know how they plan... to kill our Mussalman brothers hiding in your factory." "No, Qureshi!" "You are mistaken!" "Ram is honest!" "Besides everyone keeps guns nowadays." "I know him as well as I know myself." "Then you don't know yourself!" "I won't kill him." "I'll shoot him in the knees." "Get out of my way!" "No!" "Don't let him escape!" "Surround him." "Get him alive!" "That bastard has a story to tell!" "I'm Govardhan, the co-ordinator, sir!" "There's no point in calling the police." "So I called you." "I was in the Jama Masjid area with a client." "We were rounded up and taken to the Azad Soda Factory." "There's a whole army of Mussalmans armed with rifles over here." "I'm calling you on the sly!" "Come right away, and fix these fellows." "And save me!" "Please!" "Yes, Azad Soda Factory." "I can still save your life!" "Tell me the truth." "Did you come here to kill Mussalmans?" "No." " Thank Allah!" " But this gun..." "Mine." "I know that!" "But why did you bring it here?" "I didn't." "Your Uncle's truck brought it here." "Are you mad?" "!" "You can't get out of here without my help!" "I don't need anyone's help!" "And you're going to shoot your way through, won't you?" "Which means that gun is meant for killing Mussalmans!" "It isn't." "But it could be." "What are you doing?" "And why?" "!" "Why?" "Because your Aparna is dead?" "!" "She was killed!" "Like countless Hindu men, women and children!" "And you're here to take avenge the entire Hindu community...?" "Remember my father?" "The Hindus killed him!" "This way..." "Enough!" "Just go away." "Get out!" "Out of our sight!" "Go away?" "Where?" "To your Jinnah's Pakistan!" "Jinnah's daughter considered India as her own country, and stayed back." "I am Gandhi's son." "I have decided to stay here." "Decided?" "With whose permission?" "I don't need anyone's permission to live in my own country!" "You still think you are our rulers!" "You foreigners walked across the Khyber... and you looted us for 700 years!" "I'm not 700 years old." "I belong to your times!" "And many others came across the Khyber." "Not that way!" "You call me a Foreigner!" "Are you yourself the son of the soil?" "Some say that your Lord Ram came across the Khyber." "Don't you dare mention my Ram's name!" "If not your Ram, can I talk about my Ram?" "What's wrong with you Ram?" "!" "I may not be your brother." "At least, am I not your friend?" "That's just why I haven't killed you." "Times are changed Amjad!" "Before I do something..." "Everything was peaceful for a few days, thanks to Gandhi." "You've started it again!" "You people killed Aparna!" "You!" "Forgive me for killing your Aparna." "I forgive you for killing my father." "Will you accept me as your brother now?" "No?" "Very well, then." "Shoot!" "I'll give you the pleasure of killing a Mussalman!" "And once done, cleanse your heart of the hatred." "Let my death save you from this madness!" "I'm here to put a fullstop to this killing." "But not by killing you." "I'm here to kill the cause." "Who are you going to kill?" " Not Altaf Tailor." "Not Suhrawardy." "Not Jinnah." "Mr Mohandas Karmchand Gandhi" "No Ram!" "You have gone mad!" "You're mad!" "I'll get you out of here." "Not your people." "They are Hindus." "You're trying to save me!" "So you still consider me your friend!" "No?" "All right, then!" "Gandhiji is right." "If we want it, we can still be brothers!" "We just have to try." "Try Ram, try!" "If anything happens to me, take care of your sister Nafisa." "This is Bhairav." "Greetings." "I am Chari." "Are you from the Gwalior Chapter?" "Never mind." "I have come to know that there's an army of Mussalmans... holed inside the Soda Factory." "And they have guns." "We're running short of handguns." "I hear you have one." " Do you have one?" "Yes!" "Nice one." "We are going to attack the soda factory." "No!" "Please!" "Forget the soda factory." "There are only the aged, the women and children over there." "And there are some people who are protecting them." "I'll lead you to the place where the Mussalmans have stockpiled guns." "He is my brother." "Bharat." "That's his name." "He's madly in love with a Mussalman girl, Nafisa." "You are mad!" "Ever since he has been dressing up like this." "I came to stop him before he converts to Islam in this madness." "Come home, Bharat." "He's lying!" "His name is Amjad." "Shut up, you pimp!" "Bharat." "That's his name." "Bharat or Amjad?" "We'll find out when we strip him." "No." "Don't insult me." "I'll tell you." "I am Ram's brother." "But not Bharat." "My name is Amjad Ali Khan." "You may call me Amjad Ali Khan Bahadur." "Go away from here!" "Get out!" "All of you!" "Where are we to go, my friend?" "Your own people..." "Show me the way!" "What happened to you?" "What happened to my son?" "!" "I'm all right." "You are needed for the delivery." "Go on." "Brother... what's all this?" "I have to go outside!" "No!" " I must!" "No!" "No!" "He saved my life!" "We have lost our men." "We have also run out of ammunition." "Shut up!" "Only a few women and children are left." "If you want, you may come and take a look." "Thank you." "He's fighting for us." "Happy?" "We are the police." "We're here to help you." "We know that you were attacked." "Drop your arms." "May Allah give you a long life." "This child owes his life to you." "This is Qureshi's son." "Where is Qureshi?" "Do not tell her!" "Ram, where is my son?" "Where is my Amjad?" "Where is Amjad?" "Is he all right?" "After Gandhiji went on a fast, peace had returned." "We slept in peace." "You can see for yourself the condition... the riots have started again." "Just because of some gun-toting fool, not a single bed is empty." "This way..." "Look at this... not even children have been spared." "This poor thing hasn't yet decided what his religion is." "I told them it's very serious." "Look, he can die talking to you." "He's the only one who can help us." "Innocent people might be killed." "Make it fast." "This isn't your police station." "Govardhan told us before he died that there's someone called Bhairav." "A Hindu." "He had a gun." "You know him." "Come on, who was he?" "Ram!" "My brother!" "We know he saved your life." "All eye-witnesses are dead." "And the Hindu rioters have vanished." "Mr Amjad is our last hope." "Please tell me." "Do you know this man?" "My brother!" "Ram!" "Have you seen him earlier?" "Where?" "I've never seen that animal before!" "I only know Ram." "My brother!" "He saved my life!" "The other patients might be affected." "Please take his wife and his mother aside, and tell them." " What do I tell them?" "Your friend has breathed his last." " But doctor, do something!" "We are trying our best." "But it's been a while since your friend died." "Please take them out." "What happened?" " He'll tell you." "If you need medicines, we can buy medicines!" "They say they are being persecuted." "They want you to do something." "I am trying to douse this fire with love." "I can only beg, plead and go on a fast." "What more can I do?" " I can tell you." "But will you listen to me?" "I'm tired of giving advice." "You have ruined us!" "Utterly!" "Stop it now, Mahatma." "Stop it!" "Just leave us to ourselves." "And go away." " Where do I go?" "Where people of our age go." "To the Himalayas." "My Himalayas is here." "I will die serving you." "That is my Dharma." "One man says go away." "Another says, stay here and save us." "Who am I to listen to?" "The voice of God." "That is what I shall abide by." "Then it could be God speaking to you through me!" "Why do you not listen?" "Why don't you go away?" " Enough!" "We have had enough!" "Where do we go?" "We have nowhere to go to!" "No, tell them to stay." "First let me meet the others." "I shall listen to them again." "If they have to vent their anger, it is better they vent it on me." "Else they might take it out on their Mussalman brothers." "At least respect him as your elder, if nothing else!" "Do not be angry." "If we cannot control our own temper... how will we pacify this murderous rage?" "I am not a Mahatma, Bapu." "This girl seems to be insinuating that I am a Mahatma." "Yesterday I slipped and fell inside the bathroom." "Had I died in the bathroom, the world would've known I'm no Mahatma." "Bapu, this is my friend from Madras, Mr Uppili Iyengar." "Every man is a Mahatma." "Else, man is a beast." "This is Mr Uppili's son-in-law, Saket Ram." "He wanted to see you from close." "He's the one who saved several of our Mussalman brothers... in the incident near Jama Masjid." "My Ram from the South." "Even I wanted to see this Southern Ram from close." "This is Hajira Begum." "Amjad's mother." "This is Nafisa." "Amjad would've accompanied you on your walk through Pakistan." "He was my husband." "My brother Ram tried his best to save him, but..." "She is Ram's foster sister." "When did you take her as your sister?" "Before my country was torn into two pieces." "Uppili, my brother, even your son-in-law is a Mahatma." "No." "I am no Mahatma." "Every Mahatma says that." "Am I a Mahatma?" "You will deny it if I say you are." "I shall deny you another denial." "Nafisa, I like your brother." "About Amjad..." "I am deeply sorry." "I am willing to take all this communal hatred... in the form of a bullet." "If I am promised... that along with that bullet, they will also bury... this communal hatred, and live together as one community." "Amjad's very words, before he was struck down." "You both must walk with me to Pakistan." "Now you will fulfill Amjad's promise." "Excuse me, I'm a little tired and over-committed today." "Please come back tomorrow." "Bring them along too." "I speak little little Tamil." "My critics are right." "This Gandhi is still stuck with yesterday." "The oxygen cylinder is empty." "Mythili, take me out." " There's a shoot-out outside." " Why?" " The riots have taken place." "Mythili, my nightmares are back!" "Wake me up!" "Wake me up someone!" "You're lucky to be alive." "Now you can come out." "How is the patient?" " He is no more." "Your name?" "He has left me all alone." "He is Mahatma Gandhi's great grandson." "I have read your novels." "I am your fan." " I happen to be your fan!" "No." "You're my great grandfather's fan." "But you're a great writer." "I wish he had heard you say that." "Come over here." "The key to your grandfather's personal safe." "He wanted you to have it." "Show Mr Tushar your grandfather's room." "Please come." "I think I have the most extraordinary story to tell you." "Tell me." "I like your stories." "This isn'tjust my story." "This is your story too." "In fact, it's ours now." "Nurses must do their duty even though..." "God is present by the patient's side." "If the nurse doesn't attend to patient on time, he may well die." "The same applies here." "I do not like being late for prayer meetings." "Bapu is getting late." " I have to make a confession." "I also have a confession to make!" "I'm ten minutes late!" "At my age, every second counts!" "And to waste it amounts to murder!" "Forgive me!" "I have committed a grave sin!" "When we are in Pakistan together we'll confess our sins to each other." "Right now, I have no time!" "Bapu is already late for his prayer meeting." "No!" "No violence!" "We are Bapu's children!" "Even violence we shall face without violence!" "The whole world is looking at us!" "Leave him!" "With profound grief I have to announce that Bapu has passed"