"Based on a story bySatyajit Ray" "Produced by" "Sree Venkatesh Films andSurinder Films" "Shrikant Mohta and Nispal Singhpresents" "Abir Chatterjee as Feluda" "Sourav Das as Tapesh" "In other roles" "Paran Bandhopadhyay" "Dipankar De" "Biswajit Chakraborty" "Bharat Kaul" "Dwijen Banerjee" "Tathagata Mukherjee" "Guest appearances by" "Rajatava Dutta" "Pradip Mukherjee" "Camera :" "Sirsha Ray" "Assistant:" "Sanjoy Ghosh" "Editor:" "Subrata Ray" "Assistant:" "Ritam Bhattacharya" "Art Director:" "Manik Bhattacharya" "Assistant:" "Sanjoy Ray Chowdhury" "Guide track :" "Subrata Maity" "Boom man :" "Rajib Pal" "Make up:" "Sridas" "Assistant:" "Palash Sadukhan" "Costume:" "Lolita Ray" "Assistant:" "Ananta Naskar" "Production Managers:" "Anath Banerjee, Ramratan Prasadand Swapan Sengupta" "Assistants:" "Pradip Chakraborty and Uttam De" "Stills by:" "Souradeep Ray" "Music Recordist:" "Indranil Das(Sa Re Ga Ma India Ltd.)" "Recording consultant:" "Sushanta Banerjee" "Conducted by:" "Tapan Kumar De" "Keyboard Programming:" "Nirmalya De (Humtoo)" "Dubbing:" "Nataraj Manna(Collage Impressions Pvt. Ltd)" "Assistant:" "Tapash Halder" "Sound Design:" "Anup Mukhopadhyay" "Mixing:" "J. D. Babu(Balaji Photo Films" " Chennai)" "Assistant:" "Saravana" "D.I.:" "EditFX" "Colorist:" "Prasenjit Banerjee" "Computer Graphics:" "Sree Venkatesh Films Studios" " Bidesh Mondal" "SVFX Studios" " Soumyadip Chakraborty" "Promo and Title Design :" "Rick Basu 4th Dimension Visual Effects" "Ad Design:" "Grinning Tree" "Press and Media:" "Ahana Kanjilal" "Marketing and Branding:" "Arindam Biswas and Shubhodeep Chowdhury" "Promotion:" "Debasree Dutta, Aloke Majumdar and Abira Majumdar" "Post-Production Head:" "Rajib Biswas" "Post-Production Assistants:" "Md." "Piyasuddin and Sourav Sengupta" "Co-Produced by:" "Ravi Sharma and Rahul Mohta" "Assistant Directors:" "Ramesh Sen, Subrata Lahiri and Sidhhartha Sengupta" "Additional help fromSwagata Dasgupta" "Executive Producer:" "Suven Kumar Das" "Co-Producer:" "Mahendra Soni and Bishnu Mohta" "Screenplay, Music and Direction:" "Sandip Ray" "The Emperor's Ring" "Come on!" " Welcome!" "Welcome to Lucknow!" "Thank you, thank you!" "So?" "You're finally here, are you?" "Tapesh is a young man now!" "Come on!" "If only Purnima could have come along!" "You said it!" "How is your mother-in-law doing now?" "She's stable now, but still recovering." "Felu?" "The last time you came here was for a cricket tournament, wasn't it?" "Yes." "It's been almost 1 0 years!" "It's quite pleasant here!" "And this is just the afternoon!" "You'll feel the real chill at night!" "This is my driver, Deendayal." " Namaste." "Felu, you don't mind sitting in front, do you?" "Not at all!" " Good!" "So Tapesh, which class are you in now?" "My son didn't want to comehere in the first place!" "Only at Felu's insistence didhe finally agree!" "Your nephew's sidekick, is he?" "You can say that!" "So, why didn't you want to come?" "In his opinion, Lucknow is a very bad place." "What are you saying?" "Once you enter the Labyrinth within the Bara Imambara,you will be in complete awe!" "I've given him a brief introduction about that!" "And it's not only about the Labyrinth!" "The Monkey Bridge over the Gomti River." "The ruins of the Residency,dating back to the Sepoy Mutiny..." "Do you know about the Residency?" "Yes, I do." "Felu was telling me about it." "During the Mutiny, the Residency was the stronghold of the British soldiers here." "Correct!" "They couldn't do anything from there!" "The sepoys surrounded the placeand blasted it to ruins with cannon fire!" "So, Felu, what are you up to these days?" "Still doing that bank job." "It's been almost 5 years now." "All that aside, he has a unique interest." "What interest?" "He fancies himself to be a detective!" "Really?" "Then the 2 of us, an advocate and a detective, will have some fun!" "So, what methods do you follow?" "Both local and foreign." "So, whatever floats your boat?" "Very good!" "Felu has a very keen sense of observation." "Keen, you say?" "Yes!" "For example, he can tell a lot about a stranger by just looking at him." "Is that so?" "Fine!" "Let's see what you know about me,even though I'm not really a stranger!" "Oh dear!" "You have an interest in gardening." "Hey, I didn't know about that!" "That's not surprising, since it's a very recent hobby of mine." "But how...?" "There's a leaf from a rose plant still stuck in your right sandal." "And your right index finger has a scratch." "Most probably the result of tendingyour rose garden in the morning today." "Amazing!" "Jag Mohan!" "Jag Mohan!" "Coming, Sir!" "Lovely place!" "Come, let me show you to your rooms." "Come on!" "The thing is " " Tapati's passing has left me crippled." "So when anyone comes to visit from Kolkata,my heart fills with joy." "Come." "Here we are!" "Tapesh and Feluwill stay in my son's room." "Very nice!" "So, is your son still in Germany?" "He visits once every 2 years." "Come on." " Yes, let's." "Keep this in the other room." "Who else stays here?" "Well, you can see Jag Mohan here." "Besides him, there is a cook and a gardener." "And this is our room." "So?" "How is it?" "Nice and cosy!" "Keep it there." "No point going out today." "Might as well start your tour of Lucknow tomorrow." "Of course!" "Jag Mohan?" "Bring tea and snacks out to the lawn." "So, what is our plan for tomorrow?" "Why don't we start with the Treacherous Tunnels?" "Treacherous Tunnels?" " Remember the labyrinth I told you about in the car?" "Yes." " We Bengalis call it the Treacherous Tunnels." "It's an incredibly complexmaze of tunnels." "The Nawabs used to playhide and seek with their wives in there!" "Is it true that it's impossible to escapethe maze without the help of a guide?" "That's what they say." "Apparently, an Englishman got himself drunk and went into the labyrinth alone as a challenge." "He told his friends not to follow himand that he would get out by himself." "And then?" "What else?" "His corpse was found within one of the various tunnels 2 days later!" "Felu?" "Didn't you go there when you last came to Lucknow?" "Yes." "I did." "With a guide?" "Hmm, with a guide." "But it is possible to go in there alone." "Alone?" "But -?" "Dr. Srivastav." "Osteopath." "Jag Mohan!" "Get another chair!" " Right away, Sir!" "Do you know what osteopath means?" "A bone specialist?" "Very good!" "Osteo has a similarity with theBengali word asthi, which means bone." "Come, come!" "Let me introduce you " "Dr. Srivastav." "This is my schoolmate, Binoy." "That's his son, Tapesh, and his nephew, Pradosh." "Namaste." " Please sit." "Wow!" "I see you understand Bengali!" "Very well indeed!" "Why don't yougive them a taste of your Bengali elocution skills?" "Another day perhaps, Mr. Sanyal." "I know bits of Bengali." "I've also read many of Rabindranath Tagore's works." "Really?" " Yes." "Great poet!" "Here you go." "Unfortunately, there's only one left for you!" "No, Mr. Sanyal, not today please." "What's the matter, Dr. Srivastav?" "You seem preoccupied today." "Tough medical cases gotten you down?" "Not really, Mr. Sanyal." "Thieves broke into my house last night." "Thieves?" "You know about the ring..." "You mean Pyarelal's ring?" "Did that get stolen?" "No, no, no!" "But I believe that the thieves came for the ring." "What ring?" "Pyarelal Seth was a very wealthybusinessman in Lucknow." "When his son, Mahabir, was twelve or thirteen years old,he was diagnosed with a very severe bone disease." "Srivastav cured him of it." "Pyarelal's wife passed away a long time back and his elder son succumbed to cancer." "So you can understand how grateful Pyarelal was to Srivastav for saving his beloved son from certain death." "So, before Pyarelal died, he gave Srivastav a very precious ring." "When did this gentleman die?" "Last September." "It's been almost 3 months now." "In July, he suffered his first heart attack." "He was on the verge of dying." "It was during that timethat he gave me the ring." "After that, he made a recovery." "But that was followed by a second attack in September." "I went to meet him." "He died 3 days after." "You said the ring was very precious." "Does it have a history?" "Yes!" "It is over 300 years old!" "And it was worn by Aurangzeb!" "Seriously?" "!" "Emperor Aurangzeb, son of Shah Jahan?" "Yes, Sir!" "At the time, Aurangzeb wasn't yet emperor." "The throne was still Shah Jahan's." "He sent army after army to try and conquer Samarkand   but failed every time." "Finally, an army underAurangzeb's command was sent." "He faced a crushing defeat  and would have died." "But one of his Lieutenants saved him." "Feeling immensely grateful for his actions,Aurangzeb took the ring off his finger and gave it to him." "Amazing!" "It's just like a fairytale!" "Like I was saying, Mr. Sanyal,I am very upset with this whole situation." "I live alone and have to frequentlygo out to see my patients." "Even if I inform the police, I am not safeif these thieves decide to attack me." "Let us talk about this ina bit more detail in my living room." "Let's go." "What makes you thinkthe thieves came specifically for the ring?" "They may have been petty thieves who came just for money." "Let me tell you the whole story." "Please sit." "Thanks to Mr. Sarkar's presence,the Baradari area is relatively free of crime." "And the house beside mine belongs to Mr. Jhunjhunwalaand the one beside his belongs to Mr. Bilimoria." "And you know that they are both very rich!" "So what I don't understand is: why did the thievesavoid their places and come to mine?" "But what you have to remember is that sincethey are wealthy, they can afford better security than us." "So if it's easier to rob from us,why would the thieves risk going there?" "I don't know, Mr. Sanyal." "I still feel that the thieves came specifically for that ring." "And..." "I went to meet with Pyarelal after he suffered his second heart attack." "He tried to tell me something." "But he couldn't complete it." "But I remember one word." ""Spy"..." ""Spy"..." ""Spy"?" "No, Dr. Srivastav." "Whatever Pyarelal told you   it is my firm belief that those werecommon, petty thieves." "But if you feel very nervous, you can leave the ring in my possession for the time being." "It'll be safely locked inside my almirah." "When your fears pass, you can take it back from me." "Thank you, Mr. Sanyal!" "I came to you for exactly this favour!" "But I was too shy..." "If the ring stays with you, I shall be at ease." "What the -?" "You're carrying it with you?" "Wow!" "Aurangzeb!" "Felu?" "What do the eyes of a detective see here?" "Very beautiful!" "Detective?" "Yes." "Actually, my nephew has an interest in that field." "Good!" "Very good!" "The stone in the centre is a diamond." "What about the rest?" "The blue ones are sapphires." "And the red ones are rubies." "The green ones are emeralds." "Is the last pair that of topaz?" "Correct." "Topaz." "But the main attraction is the diamond at the centre!" "You said it!" "Not every day does oneget the good fortune to gaze upon such a stone!" "Here you go!" "So, who is this Mr. Sarkar?" "Pardon me?" "You mentioned that crime rates were lowin the Baradari area, thanks to the presence of Mr. Sarkar." "Who is he?" "A member of the police force?" "No, no!" "But he's more than the police, in some ways!" "Bonobihari Sarkar." "Very interesting man." "He was once a landlord in Bangladesh." "But then he lost his land and came to Kolkata to start his business." "A business to export wild animals to other countries." "Export wild animals?" "For television, circuses and zoos, many animals were exported abroad from here." "Besides that, he had a side business in Chennai." "He used to supply animals for use in cinema." "But then, the Indian Government decided to ban thesepractices." "So, around 20 years ago,Mr. Sarkar came here and settled down." "And it is here that he started a business with snakes!" "Snakes?" " Yes!" "Snakes!" "His house is packed with crates, which have different species of snakes in them!" "Are you serious?" "Very strange business!" "Yes!" "Thieves wouldn't dream about stealing from such a place!" "Would it be possible to go see this snake zoo once?" "Nothing simpler!" "All we have to do is go there!" "Although he has devoted his life to snakes,he is a very amiable person!" "Yes." "Excuse me!" "Hello?" "Yes, I'm coming right away!" "Thank you!" "Thanks once again!" "Good night!" "Let's go." "Honda City!" "Couldn't get the number!" "What will you do with the number?" "I think the car is following Dr. Srivastav." "He was probably waiting around here." "Didn't you notice the change ofgears in front of this gate?" "What if...?" "You know what, Tapesh?" "It was silly of me to overlook such a simple precaution." "What precaution?" "I should have closed the door." "There is a clear view of the inside from here." "So what?" "Can you see your uncle from here?" "Yes." "He's sitting." "Who was sitting in the same place a while ago?" "And when he was showing us the ring?" "Except for my father, all of us were standing around him." "So you see, if anyone wanted to get aclear picture of what was going on inside   all that was needed to be done was to stand right here." "Yes, but what makes you think anyonewas here in the first..." "What can you deduce?" "Whoever was smoking this was also chewing on a betel leaf." "Correct." "That is why there are betel stains on the filter and tip isstill warm." "Tapesh   who knows what incredible history surrounds this ring!" "But, frankly speaking, I am not bothered by its history." "What I am interested in is its future and whether anyone is trying to get their hands on it." "Doesn't this ride give the phrase"bumpy ride" a whole new meaning?" "Yeah!" "Whatever I had for breakfast is almost done digesting!" "That's good!" "With the delicious dishes your uncle's cook prepares   it'll be difficult to control our eating!" "So we can avail this carriage rideonce in a while, to aid in digestion!" "This area is known as Kaiserbagh." "You can find a lot of Mughal era palaces scattered around this area." "Kaiserbagh?" "The word is half German and half Urdu." "Isn't it interesting?" "Straight ahead is the Rumi Gate." "On our left is the Nahabatkhana and - stop here, driver!" "The famous Bara Imambara!" "Perfect timing!" "Here you go..." "As I was saying..." "Fantastic!" "This man here is Bonobihari Sarkar!" "So which is the son and which is the nephew?" "Nephew;, Pradosh Chandra Miter!" "Son;" "Tapesh Ranjan Mitter!" "So, Tapesh, how do you find Lakshman's capital?" "During the era of Ramayan,Lucknow was known as Lakhanavati." "Bonobihari was on his way to the Chowk Bazaar area." "He stopped by here when he saw us." "All of us were planning to go to your place together!" "Really?" "Actually, my son and my nephew are very interested in seeing your snake zoo!" "Of course!" "Any day!" "Why don't you all come today?" "Are you going to see the lmambara now?" "That's why we're here!" "So, after you're done, we can all go back to my place." "Will you be joining us inside?" "Why not?" "The only time I've been here is back in '96,2 days after I came to Lucknow to settle." "Let's proceed then!" "Come on." "This palace was built almost 250 yearsago by Nawab Asaf-ud-Daulah." "He called all the well-known Indian architectsof the time to a competition." "All of them were asked to putforward their designs, out of which the best design became thelmambara you see before you." "He thought his construction would put those in Delhi and Agra to shame." "It's facade can't hold a candleto the other Mughal palaces of the time." "But it is numero uno when it comes to size!" "Now we will proceed to take off our shoes andventure into the lmambara's main attraction." "The Labyrinth." "Come with me, Sirs." "Come along." "Watch your step." "Careful." "Candles were placed within this alcoves when the Nawabs played hide and seek with their wives." "This way please." "Felu, I was..." "What's this?" "Where did Felu go off to?" "Yes, where is he?" "Felu!" "Hey Felu?" "!" " Felu!" "Felu?" " It's alright!" "I'm here!" "Sorry!" "I slowed down my pace to better understandthe pattern of this Labyrinth." "Come on!" "You and your..." " Let's go!" "Good Morning!" "What...?" "How are you?" " Mahabir!" "When did you arrive?" "3 days ago." "I always come down at this time!" "I brought 2 of my friends here to show them around Lucknow." "Very good!" "Let me introduce you to Mahabir Seth, son of Pyarelal Seth." "Oh!" "Namaste." "My friend, Binoy." " Namaste." "His son..." " Tapesh." "Oh, hi!" " Hi." "And nephew..." "And this is B..." "One minute!" "Where have I seen you before?" "Do I look familiar to you?" "Yes." "I met your late father once." "But you weren't here at that time!" "Oh." "Then I must be mistaken." "Anyway, I'll take my leave now." "Come on, guys!" "Bye!" "Follow my car." "Everyone here seems to know and speak Bengali!" "Pyarelal's first business and Mahabir's birth both tookplace in Kolkata." "Come." "Come, come!" "This house looks quite old." "Of course!" "Around 30 years before the Sepoy Mutiny, a rich Muslim businessman had this house built." "I bought it from an Englishman, after I got here." "Let me first show you who all I share my home with!" "Food and drink can wait!" "After you, Sir!" " Come." "It feels lovely to have all of you over!" "Normally, people don't come here very often, out of fear!" "They are of the opinion that the boxesin which I keep my snakes are not strong enough!" "If that is the case, how come I am still alive?" "Come." "Come in." "There are 2 more rooms of this size in the house." "All filled with boxes containing snakes!" "But this room is the most special to me." "And this is" " Yes, there's a bit of a stench here!" " Mr. Ganesh Guha." "Ganesh has been with me since the beginning." "All 3 rooms are under his care." "Python!" "This fellow is a foreigner in this country." "An American." "Rattlesnake!" "Notice the end of its tail." "Can you see the round, shell-like structure there?" "When threatened, it shakes its tail rapidly." "Due to the hollow nature of the shell,a rattling sound is created." "In American jungles, the locals can hear the rattling sound and identify rattlesnake territory." "Is it poisonous?" "Besides snakes, allow me to show you 2 more things." "Come with me." "These fellows are also native to the Americas." "Aren't they scorpions?" "And this is the famous African Black Widow spider." "Both these fellows have neurotoxin venom,capable of killing all but the healthiest of humans." "Come with me." "Ganesh?" "Tell lrfan that we're sitting in the living room." "Yes, Sir." "Let us sit down and have a nice chat!" "Don't worry!" "Nothing of that sort!" "You're here for a few days, aren't you?" "Yes." "We're here the whole day tomorrow." "But we'll be going to Lakshmanjhula the day after." "Oh, I see." "Come in." "Come, come!" "Come!" "Please." "Sit." "Do you really like living with snakes?" "Of course!" "Where's the problem in it?" "I was a hunter during my youth." "I only huntedthe wildest and most ferocious animals and I was very accurate with a gun." "Once, something came over me and I decided to show offmy aim to an American in the forests of Chanda." "I made a grave mistake." "I killed a deer at 150 yards." "I was overcome with guilt and, soon, I left hunting altogether!" "But then I realized thatI couldn't survive without animals." "So I started a business where I could hire out animals." "The Government stopped that practice soon enough and now, I'm left with my snakes!" "Good grief!" "But the interesting thing is, at night, when the surroundings become quiet and peaceful " " I can hear the hissing and rattling sounds of my snakes from the various rooms." "They form something akin to a musical chorus and that greatly helps my sleep!" "That's an extra room!" "To save the hassle of cleaning it,I kept it locked from the time I came here." "Then you must have changed the lock recently," "Because it looks clean compared to the latch, which is covered in rust." "Yes, that is a new lock." "The previous one had rusted so much that I simply had to get it changed!" "I hope none of you mind coffee?" "I prefer coffee to tea, actually!" "Wow!" "Yes, keep it here." "These look like Sandila Laddoos!" "Indeed!" "Sandila Laddoo, Gulabi Rewri and Bhuna Peda;these sweetmeats are the specialty of Lucknow!" "Why one?" "Take 2!" "Oh?" "I'm so sorry!" "Why don't you come over?" "We're close to your home." "Yes, at Mr. Sarkar's place." "Oh, Kelvin Road?" "Alright, we'll talk later." "No, that's safe!" "Okay, goodbye!" "Dr. Srivastav?" "Why didn't you tell him to come here?" "He's gone to see a patient at Kelvin Road." "By the way, have you heard thatthieves broke into Dr. Srivastav's place?" "What?" "Thieves?" "When?" "2 nights ago." "They didn't take anything." "They fled when the Doctor awoke." "Even if they didn't take anything,they have to be experts!" "The Doctor's place is within 200 yards of my place." "And to get there means to go around the back of my compound!" "Strange!" "Is that ring of his safe?" "The Emperor's Ring?" "Oh!" "Have you seen that ring as well?" "Yes, but I don't like antiques as such." "I have no interest in them at all." "But that big a diamond is a rare sight to see!" "Come in, Sir!" "Sir, the Doctor came by." "And Sir, a sadhu also came by." "A sadhu?" "And?" "He waited for half an hourand left just 10 minutes ago." "Did he ask for me?" "Strange!" "What happened?" "Not a word." "If you want to come along, I don't want to hear a single question." "If not, it's a ticket home for you!" "Sir?" "Did you see a sadhu around here a while back?" "Yes?" "Are you talking about the one with theblack beard and moustache wearing dark glasses?" "Yes, right." "He couldn't find an taxi, so I directed him towards the carriage stand." "Where is this carriage stand?" "Sir, Maqbool took him to the railway station." "Yes, Sir." "I remember him having a bag." "Not a very big one, though." "A small one." "Thank you!" "Hey you!" "Wait!" "Hold up!" "[Bathroom]" "Are you, by chance, talking about Swami Pabitrananda,who lives in Dehradun?" "Yes, yes!" "He came down here about 3 days ago." "He won't be leaving here in a hurry." "Nowadays, he even has an entourage with him!" "Comprising useless rascals no less!" "Yes, Sir, a sadhu did come by." "Was he sitting here?" "Then what?" "And after that?" "What do you mean?" "You didn't see him come out of the bathroom?" "I don't remember seeing him." "Keep your eyes and ears open, Tapesh!" "Did the sadhu go into the bathroom and just vanish?" "I've heard that sadhus had the ability to vanish in theolden days." "Why are you so surprised then?" "The waiting room attendant didn't see the sadhu comeout of the bathroom, so we can assume that he was not paying attention." "That is a stupid assumption." "What did the sadhu have with him?" "Are sadhus normally in the habit of carrying bags?" "Wait, wait!" "That means the sadhu's clothes were a getup." "Maybe even the beard and moustache!" "And within the bag was a different getup,which he was in when he came out." "And that is why the attendant didn't see him coming out." "Good!" "Finally, you're thinking like a detective!" "Coming soon to theatres is the action-packed film,Mansoor the Bandit!" "Looks like an ad campaign for a Hindi movie." "Starring Mahabir Kumar and Gandakini Devi!" "'Mansoor the Bandit'." "Music by Hasmukh Hasan!" "Felu!" " Keep the paper!" "Out of the way!" "What happened?" "New place." "I don't know the alleys and by-roads well enough." "That's why the fellow managed to get away." "But did you get a glimpse of him?" "Obviously!" "But I've never seensuch a short kabuliwallah!" "Let's go, driver!" "Beware!" "Have you noticed the rusty red juices that leak from a prepared betel leaf?" "This has been written with that." "But why did they send this warning to you?" "You didn't steal the ring." "Idiot!" "Are threats ever sent to thieves?" "No." "They are sent to the enemies of the thieves." "Correct!" "In other words, to the detective." "So you can understand, before getting down into the field detectives have to know that their lives are on the line." "Felu, from now on we need to beware of danger." "What makes you think I'm not already aware?" "Tooth protecting formula." "Tooth powder makes you aware?" "Why on earth would this be tooth powder?" "Then what is it?" "My weapon of mass disorientation!" "There they are!" "We were so worried!" "Where did you go off to?" "And then?" "Have you eaten anything?" "I knew it!" "You stay here, I'll tell Jag Mohan to heat up the food." "Anyway, I don't think there will any other problems." "The task of recovering the ring has beenhanded over to the police." "Inspector Gargari has already started his work." "No, Mr. Sanyal." "This was not the wisest move." "You have just invited more trouble!" "Those who have stolen the ring might becomemore daring and do something worse!" "So what then?" "You expect me to sit here and do nothing?" "The thieves made fools of us and took off with the ring." "This is impossible to digest!" "Did Mahabir now about the ring?" "Mahabir?" "You mean Pyarelal's son?" "I don't know about that." "What I do know is that Mahabir studied at" "Doon School,after which he joined the Military Academy." "Leaving that, he went to Mumbaito pursue a career of acting in films." "Was Pyarelal ever against his son working in films?" "I'm not sure about that either." "But I know for a fact that Pyarelal loved his son very much." "Was Mahabir here in Lucknow when his father passed away?" "No." "But as soon as he got the news, he came over from Mumbai." "Do you have any idea about his income from acting in films?" "No, I don't have any idea about that." "But it has just been 2 years now." "Besides this, did he have any problems with a scarcity or lack of finances?" "That should not be the case as Pyarelal left everything hehad to Mahabir." "Acting in films is just for the love of it, not the money." "Interesting!" "Felu is questioning exactly like a professional!" "Very true!" "There's only that one little disappointment:" "the ring got stolen from the house of a detective!" "What do you think?" "About all these events occurring back to back." "How am I supposed to know?" "I'm not the detective here!" "All I can say is, things will be blurry unless we can find out the identity of that sadhu." "Did the kabuliwallah himself throw that paper at you?" "It was either him or someone working for him." "He must have been laying low at the station." "When he overheard my queries about the sadhu to the various people there, he decided to give me a warning." "That part is clear now." "Is there any mystery apart from this?" "Of course!" "There is no shortage of mysteries here!" "Who was the person following Dr. Srivastav last night?" "Was it the same person who was watching us from the window?" "Who is this person?" "Is it today's sadhu?" "Is Mahabir involved in this?" "Or is it someone completely different?" "And don't forget about Pyarelal's "spy"!" "Of course I won't!" "Besides that, why does Bonobihari chooseto live with snakes, scorpions and spiders?" "Has Mahabir ever seen Bonobihari before somewhere?" "Does he know anything about the ring?" "Tapesh, there are more mysteries here than you can count!" "Turn on the lights!" "Tell me exactly what you saw!" "A man holding a stick, with his hand..." "I get it." "There must have been a rag dipped in chloroformat the end of the stick, which explains this smell." "He was trying to knock us unconscious." "Must be another ring thief who still thinks the ring ishere." "Anyway, don't tell anything about this incidentto your father or your uncle." "Their worrying and panicking will mess up my whole investigation!" "Where did you keep the ring?" "Oh." "And the key was with you?" "It's always with me." "Maybe they used a duplicate." "Strange." "Was the jewel box within the drawer?" "Have you searched the drawer properly?" "He was a remarkable person, this Pyarelal!" "He didn't for once think to insure such a precious thing?" "And he finally left it to someone completely hopeless!" "So, will you be staying in today or going out somewhere?" "Going out." "I was planning on showing my son and nephew the Residency." "This is a real fix!" "Did you ever expect to get embroiledin such a mystery while on vacation?" "Felu is very excited, of course!" "He is very interested in mysteries." "He is what you can call an amateur detective." "Interesting!" "I've heard that these practices are good for keeping the brain healthy." "So, Felu, any progress on this mystery?" "This is just the beginning!" "Hey!" "Stop that!" "Get lost, little rascals!" "I can't stand this kind of cruelty towards animals!" "And this happens the most in our country!" "Barbarians!" "This is the main building of the Residency." "This is where the British kept their troops." "Let's go." "You go on ahead, we'll just rest a little." "Sir Henry Lawrence was thecommander of the troops here." "For a few days during the mutiny, Sir Lawrence fought hard and well   but finally succumbed to the sepoys' bullets." "Looking at these ruins, you can guess what happened to the British after that!" "If Sir Colin Campbell hadn't shown up with fresh troops, the Englishmen would have been annihilated!" "Can you see what the sepoys' cannons did to the walls?" "The investigation is getting more and more interesting, Tapesh!" "Forget about all that!" "There's no point worrying now." "I know those stones were meant for me." "What are you saying?" "Remember those kids I scolded at the beginning?" "This was their revenge on me!" "Not a shred of respect!" "And here we are!" "Lucknow's famous galouti kabab!" "Wait, aren't you leaving tomorrow?" "For Lakshmanjhula?" "Felu, eat to your heart's content!" "So?" "How is it?" "By the way, they're going, not me." " What?" "Why not?" "Inspector Gargari's strict instructions." "Until that ring is found, I can't leave the city." "That's sad." "I thought we could all go together and have fun!" "What?" "Are you going as well?" "Actually, I received news of a 1 2 foot long python from Lakshmanjhula." "So I thought it would be worth a visit!" "12 foot long?" " Not an inch less!" "And besides that, there are some advantages of me going with you." "I know of a nice place to stay in Hardwar." "I can also get a good deal on transportation from there to Lakshmanjhula." "That sounds good." "If you have any shopping,now's the time to get it over with." "Yes, because after you return from there, it's straight back to Kolkata!" "Were the stones for you or for him?" "Do you think he would have so calmif they were meant for him?" "He would have raged around and brought theremaining bricks of the Residency tumbling down!" "That's what I think as well." "But then, why did the take the entire blame on himself?" "Either he doesn't want us to start worrying or maybe..." "Good Afternoon!" "Afternoon!" "May I help you?" "Do you have any jewels from the Mughal period?" "I don't have any gold items, but I do haveswords, shields and armour from that period." "Do you want me to show you?" "I saw quite a few interesting items from the Mughal period at Pyarelal's home." "Wasn't he one of your biggest customers?" "Pyarelal?" "Who Pyarelal?" "I'm talking about Pyarelal Seth, who passed away quite recently." "No one of that name has purchased anything from me, and mine is the biggest shop of its kind!" "I see." "So who would you classify as your biggest customers?" "There are always foreign tourists who come down and purchase good items at attractive prices." "And amongst the local populace, there is Mr. Parekh,Mr. Peston and Mr. Mehta, who are all very old customers of mine." "This looks like it's from Bengal!" "Where did you get this?" "Mr. Sarkar?" "Mr. B. Sarkar, who lives in the Baradari area." "He has quite a lot of magnificent items." "It seems that Bonobihari has an affinity for antique shops." "I had a hunch before, of course." "But didn't he say that he is notinterested in antiques and such?" "If that is so, then how can one expect him to look at a diamond and know whether it's a real or fake?" "And..." "I'll take this." "Cricket related book." "Very good!" "Excuse me!" "Yes?" "Do you have any books by author Neville Cardace?" "Centuries." "Mr. Mitter!" "Mahabir!" "How are you?" "As are you!" "Bradman!" "I know!" "This book is out of stock." "Would you like anything else?" "Never mind!" "Thank you!" "There's a coffee shop a short distance away." "Coffee?" "Do you play cricket?" "I see." "I play for the Doon School First Eleven." "I mean, I used to play for them!" "My father was also a very good player in his youth." " I see." "You know about the ring, I'm sure." "Yes." "I went to Srivastav's place." "He told me." "Thank you!" "Why are you -?" "So, who else stay at your place?" "Are all of the staff old and faithful?" " Yes." "They've all been there since before my birth." "From Kolkata." "Pritam Singh has been the butlerfor almost 35 years." "Did your father have any more precious items, similar to the ring?" "Do you know?" "He did have many antiques from the Mughal period, but none as precious as the ring." "Pritam Singh told me something strange recently." "What did he say?" "The day my father had his second attack, Pritam Singh heard him scream from the drawing room." "And then?" "But he didn't think much of it at the time." "You see, my father had a pain near his waist  and whenever he got off the bed or up from a chair " " he sometimes yelled out in pain." "But he still didn't take help from anyone!" "Pritam Singh initially thought that the scream came from the pain in his waist." "But now he thinks   he might have been gravely mistaken, Mr. Mitter." "The scream was quite loud that day." "Did anyone come to your house that day?" "Does Pritam Singh have any idea?" "When he went to the drawing room,there was nobody else there." "My father was in a very bad condition." "It was Pritam Singh who called over Dr. Srivastav   as my father's cardiologist, Dr. Graham, was out of town at the time." "Is the front door of your house usually left open?" "Only during the morning." "So, anyone can get inside at that time?" "Anyway, what is your opinion on your father's "spy"?" ""Spy"?" "You don't know anything about this "spy" incident?" "On the day of his second attack   your father tried to tell Srivastav something about a "spy"   but he couldn't complete his sentence." "This is a completely new bit of information to me!" "I cannot fathom how a "spy" can be related to my father's..." " Namaste!" "Do you remember me?" "Of course!" "Come!" "Please sit." " Thank you!" "Let me introduce you." "Mahabir Seth." "Ganesh Guha." "I noticed a claw mark on the left side of your neck thelast day." "Must be an old memory!" "Oh!" "That is the loving slap of Sir's pet wild cat, long ago." "I'm just lucky my whole body hasn't beentorn to shreds by now!" "You know what my job is like!" "But I thought you did your job out of happiness." "Are you mad?" "It was just for my daily bread." "Previously, the risks were scratches and bites from Sir's pet animals." "And now?" "Strikes from venomous snakes!" "If Sir didn't have all the necessary anti-venin, I wouldn't have been here right now!" "I couldn't take it anymore!" "I told him to pay off my dues,so I can leave this place." "What?" "You're leaving this job?" "Yes." "From here, I'll go to the station, buy a ticket for Howrah and then " "I'll be home sweet home!" "And   one more thing." "Be wary of that man." "Bonobihari?" "Yes." "He used to be fine before, but recently he got his hands on something." "He's losing his mind now." "What something?" "I daresay you'll find out soon enough." "Anyway, I'll take my leave now." "Goodbye." "Have you seen it?" "Huh?" " Mr. Sarkar's snake zoo?" "I wanted to   but I couldn't, because of my father." "He used to start getting palpitations even if he saw a cockroach!" "But one of these days, I might go and see the place." "How long are you here?" "We're leaving tomorrow for a 3 daytrip to Hardwar andLakshmanjhula." "After we return, it's back to Kolkata." "That's nice!" "Are all of you going?" "The three of us, but uncle, I mean,Mr. Sanyal, can't come." "He's got some work here." "Oh, and Mr. Sarkaris also coming with us." "I have my car with me, so can I drop you anywhere?" "No thanks!" "But if you could drop my cousinat Mr. Sanyal's place, I would be grateful." "Sure." "Secunderbagh, is it?" "And what about you?" " I have some work." "I'll see you in the evening." "Bye!" "Mr. Mitter?" "It was really nice to have a talk with you." "Let me tell you something." "If I get to know that thecause for my father's death was murder   then I shall hunt down those responsible" " and make them pay." "I have trained in a military academy for 4 yearsand I have a pistol license." "Very few have as good aim as I do, Mr. Mitter." "Take care." "Bye." "Come on." "Hey taxi!" "Bara Imambara!" "And hurry!" "It would've been great if you could have come with us!" "What to do?" "I'm very worriedwith Inspector Gargari's progress." "That's understandable." "All of you are in this compartment." "This one?" "But you don't have any reason to worry!" "A gentleman you all know very well shall be traveling with you!" "Good morning!" "Come, come!" "What's this?" "!" "I told Mr. Sanyal to not tell any of you." "You knew about this from the beginning?" "So, how did you like the surprise?" "There's still 5 minutes left." "We can sit for a while." "Let's go." "Actually, I have been very worried about the ring for the last few days." "So I thought a change of air would be nice,especially with all of you!" "Thank you!" "I'll definitely feel better after this!" "Let's all sit here for now." "If someone else comes, we can adjust later." "Morning, morning!" "Prepare to witness the spectacle that isSwami Pabitrananda!" "Long live Swami Pabitrananda!" "Long live Swami Pabitrananda!" "Long live Swami Pabitrananda!" "Long live Swami Pabitrananda!" "Listen   my phone is on 24/7." "Call me as soon as you reach!" "Obviously!" "Is that you, Dhiren?" "Can you recognize me?" "Ambi?" "Oh my -!" "Is that really you?" "My goodness, Ambi!" "It's been so long!" "Why are you in this sadhu outfit?" "I've been like this for 7 years now!" "Is that so?" "Ambi, I mean, Ambika, is my college friend." "We're meeting each other after what?" "15 years?" "16 and half years!" "Time for us to go!" "Have a nice trip!" "Let's go, the train is about to leave!" "Don't forget to call!" " By the way, I came by your place the day before." "Didn't any of your staff tell you?" "What?" "That was you?" "Strange!" "Were you suspecting this manto be the ring thief?" "That question doesn't arise any more." "But   the question remains:" "where did the ring go?" "Who stole it?" "Dr. Srivastav?" "Yes?" "Do you treat heart patients as well?" "There's no rule saying that a bone specialist cannot treat heart patients." "Oh." "After Pyarelal suffered his second attack   why did they call you over?" "That's what I am wondering." "The reason is very simple." "Pyarelal's personal cardiologist, Dr. Graham, was out of town during that time." "Oh." "You told me that " " Pyarelal gave you the ring after he suffered his first attack." "Yes, that's right." "The day he gave you the ring - was there anyone else in the room with you?" "What are you saying, Mr. Sarkar?" "This is not something one does in front of an invited audience!" "What's the matter, Mr. Sarkar?" "Do you think I'm not telling the truth?" "You see   when Pyarelal gave you the ring   keeping at least one person with you as a witness " " would have been a wise thing to do." "Such a precious item changed hands that day   but no one got to know about it." "What are you trying to say, Mr. Sarkar?" "You think I stole the ring from Pyarelal, then gave it to Mr. Sanyal for safe keeping   and then I stole it once again from him?" "Amazing!" "No, you made a very smart move." "In your stead, I would have done the same." "When thieves broke in to your home, you got frightened." "A very normal occurrence." "Then, you gave the ring to Mr. Sanyal,knowing that he would keep it safe." "And then, you went to his place, took the ring from his almirah and kept it with you   thinking that you're finally safefrom the hands of the thieves!" "Master Felu, do you think my investigative techniques are anything to scoff at?" "Of course not!" "And besides, the day the ring got stolen,none of us were at home." "And Dr. Srivastav had visited once during our absence." "But is there any lack of witnesses who can testify to thefact - that Dr. Srivastav saved Pyarelal's son Mahabir from a fatal disease?" "No, that there isn't." "I feel that no matter how expensive or precious that ring was - it cannot be worth more than the value of a son to his father." "If Dr. Srivastav did steal that ring, then he definitely deserves punishment." "But those who are still after that ring,they deserve to be punished even more   because they are dangerous and motivated thieves." "Oh." "So you don't believe that the ringis currently with Srivastav?" "No, I do not." "And I have proof of that." "May I ask what proof you have?" "Of course you can ask." "But I won't answer just yet." "There is still a mystery regarding a "spy"." "As soon as I can solve that, you can have your answer." ""Spy"?" "What "spy"?" "After Pyarelal suffered his second attack and I went to visit him " " I heard the word "spy" uttered twice by him." "Strange!" "A spy in the city of Lucknow?" "Maybe..." "Just maybe..." "I had my doubts initially, but..." "No, I mean..." "I may be wrong." "Shahjahanpur." "Would any of you like some tea?" "No, thanks." "I'll be back, father." " Go on." "Excuse me." "Get your hot tea here!" "Hey!" "Wait!" "If Dr. Srivastav turns out to be the thief  it'll be very unfortunate." "Why is that so?" "I like that person." "There is a goodness in him." "He is simple and straightforward." "After we get back home, make it a point to read the detective novels we have." "You'll see that, in most cases, the person who is simplest and most normal   turns out to be the criminal in the end." "Maybe you're right." "But this is real life, not a detective novel." "Sure it's real life, but authors usually take inspirationfrom real life events before writing..." "Let me see." "It looks like trouble is traveling with us on this trip,Tapesh!" "When I leave my beloved Lucknow " " I do not know howI shall bear the pain of parting..." "A song by Wazid Ali Shah." "How do you know of it?" "I heard it from an uncle of mine." "He was a well-known thumri singer." "Wazid Ali Shah was a very different kind of nawab." "He could sing with the sweetest voice and he also wrote many songs." "He even composed India's first opera,that too in the British style of opera during those times." "He lived his last few years in Kolkata,in the Metiabruz district." "Didn't he also plan Kolkata's first zoo?" "Yes!" "Along with the rich and famous Rajen Mullick." "Wait." "Let me play you some of my favourite songs." "Listen." "What sound is this?" "This is the laughter of a hyena I once tamed." "But the one closest to my heart is   this one." "Rattlesnake!" "One thing that saddens me is thatboth of my favourite creatures   my spider and scorpions, are mute." "But if I'm lucky enough to get the python this time,I shall definitely record its hissing!" "Say what you want, Mr. Sarkar   hearing the sounds of these creatures is quite scary!" "That it is!" "But to me, these sounds   are sweeter than any music." "What to do!" "I can't take them with me wherever I go!" "So taking their sounds gives me some measure of solace!" "If you go to Hardwar, Hrishikesh and Lakshmanjhula- one after the other, you'll see how interesting the places are!" "In these 3 places, you'll see 3 different states of the Ganga." "As you go further north, you'll see the force of the river increasing." "And finally, when you reach Lakshmanjhula  you won't be able to hear your own voice,thanks to sound of the raging river!" "You've been here before?" "Yes." "Back when I came to play cricket." "Ramvilash!" "Ramvilash!" "Have you stayed here before?" "About thrice, yes." "I called them yesterday, telling them that we would reach today." "Ramvilash?" "Get our luggage." "Be careful with this one." "Let's go." "Felu!" "What?" "The sadhu from the train!" "Did you find anything mysterious about that sadhu?" "No, I mean..." "Oh, by the way,I have organised transportation." "Tomorrow, 2 cars shall be here at 8am to take us to Lakshmanjhula." "Great!" "Be careful, Binoy!" "Grab hold of the chain on the way down." "Yes, I am doing just that!" "The stairs are a bit steep, so watch your step!" "Yes!" "I just hope I don't trip up!" "If you're careful, you won't!" "Come carefully!" "Ramvilash?" "3 beds in Room 5 and 2 beds in Room 4." "Very good!" "Keep our luggage there." "It's all fixed." "The three of you in Room 5   and the doctor and myself in Room 4." "This way!" "Wow!" "Amazing!" "Very beautiful!" "Oh, for a cup of tea!" "Ramvilash!" "Send down 5 cups of tea." "Going out?" "If you really want a taste of old India,this is one of the places to visit!" "Come on!" "After we finish eating, I'll take you to an amazing place!" "What's that?" "What's what?" "That!" "In your matchbox!" "I saw something glitter!" "It's just the phosphorous in the matchsticks   glinting in the sunlight." "Come on!" "It's almost time for the evening ritual at the Ghat." "So, tell me,what else do you want to know?" "Can you tell me if I will diedue to bite wounds?" "Bite wounds?" "What's up?" "Did you return from the Ghat?" "Yes!" "Lively and exciting place!" "This is Bilash." "He lives in Allahabad, but is Bengali." "Namaste!" "My son, Tapesh, and nephew, Pradosh." "I see." "When we found out that he's planning to go to Lakshmanjhula tomorrow, we decided to take him along with us!" "Are you a palmist?" "Quite a well-known one, that too!" "He's sharing Bonobihari's room." "So, tell me." "Oh yes, you were talking aboutdying from bite wounds." "Not that I can see..." "Yes, normal death." "Yes." "Normal." "But..." "Why bite wounds, all of a sudden?" "Well, some time ago, a cousin of mine   got bitten by a mad dog and died from hydrophobia soon after!" "Oh, I see!" "Tell me something   have you ever stayed in Kolkata?" "What's this?" "Can you see all that in the lines of my hand?" "Of course!" "That's what I can see here!" "Have you got a habit of collecting - old, valuable and precious items and works of art?" "What?" "Me?" "Never!" "My life is dedicated to snakes mostly!" "Oh!" "That's why you were asking about bite wounds?" "But..." "Have you recently received any cause for concern?" "How recently?" "Me?" "Concern?" "I have not a care in the world!" "No cause for concern whatsoever!" "But, I am anxious about whether or not " "I'll find that 1 2 feet long python at Lakshmanjhula tomorrow!" "Oh!" "Can't sleep?" "Have you proceeded much?" "I have an idea about Pyarelal's "spy" now." "Bilash." "How did you know?" "He was snoring in the train today as well." "Didn't you hear?" "The man with the large toe!" "So you noticed the foot sticking out of theblankets in the upper berth." "Very good!" "Can I ask you a question?" "Ask ahead." "The ring is inside your matchbox, isn't it?" "Since you already know   there is no point hiding anything from you anymore." "The ring has been with me - since our first night in Lucknow." "After all of you were asleep, I " "I had no idea that the task would be so simple." "And I intentionally left the box behind   to make it look certain that the ring was stolen." "But why did you take the ring?" "I knew that if I removed the ring from the reach of the realthieves, I could make them reckless in their attempts." "And in their recklessness, the task of capturing them would become much easier for me." "So, the sadhu came to take the ring?" "It was definitely not Ambika." "It is my belief that there was another sadhu." "Someone disguised as a sadhu   who had a bag with him   and his main intention was to steal the ring." "But as soon as he saw Ambika from the main gate, he hurriedly left." "So, who is this fake sadhu?" "I have a slight suspicion   but no proof as yet." "So, for the last few days..." "You've been going around with the ring in your pocket?" "Then?" "I kept it hidden in an extremely safe place." "Where?" "The morning after I removed the ring from its safe place" " I woke up before any of you, went out   and bought some chalk and pack of chewing gum." "And with that chalk, I..." "Candles were placed within this alcoves when   the Nawabs played hide and seek with their wives." "This way please." "I knew that there was no safer place than this to hide the ring in all of Lucknow." "But the thought of us coming to Hardwarand the ring remaining in Lucknow felt just wrong." "And that is why I went there last evening and brought the ring back." "What if the thieves suspect that the ring is with you?" "Let them suspect what they want." "They don't have any proof!" "But it is my belief that they won't suspect." "These thieves don't seem too smart." "So why are they followingand threatening you so relentlessly?" "It is their greed for the ring that is driving them on." "And one fact is clear as day to them:" "I have the ability   to put a damper on all of their plans." "But..." "That means you're in grave danger!" "And leaping into the jaws of danger " " is Felu Mitter's character!" "Splitting up into 2 groups of 3 in each car would be best." "I will get onto this car with Tapesh and Felu   while the 3 of you can get into that one." "Great!" "I'll take this opportunity to get my palm read by Bilash!" "Of course!" "Where shall we have breakfast?" "There's a shop at the mouth of the Lakshmanjhula bridge." "Excellent food there!" "Get in the car!" "Let's go!" "What a nuisance!" "Let him pass, driver!" "He'll drive us crazy with his incessant honking!" "When I leave my beloved Lucknow " "I do not know howI shall bear the pain of parting..." "In this exact same tune, there is a songby Jyoti Thakur in Bengali." "Do you know of it, Felu?" "Yes, I do." "How many dayswill India be..." "Tapesh?" "To hunt, you need a gun." "To hunt, you need prey." "For a gun, you need steel." "For prey, you need a jungle." "But to be a true hunter..." " you need nerves of steel!" "Did you know this?" "No." "It's fascinating!" "Fascinating indeed!" "For this reason " "Whenever I hear the word "gun", hunting comes to mind." "And hunting reminds me of Jim Corbett!" "Do you know of the hunter Corbett?" "Obviously!" "Felu has many books about Jim Corbett back home." "Is that so?" "A short distance later, we'll take a left turn into the jungle." "The road goes through the jungle." "After traveling for a while,we'll come across a house." "And that is where my snake should be." "I'll just have a look at it on the way." "When we return, I'll pack it in a boxand put in the back of the car." "But didn't you say the snake was in Lakshmanjhula?" "What makes you think we're not already in Lakshmanjhula?" "Take the left here." "Does Howrah refer to just the station and the surrounding area?" "We've just crossed into Lakshmanjhula's border." "The bridge over the Ganga is just under 2 miles away." "How do you like it, Felu?" "Very soothing." "In this very jungle, Jim Corbett once hunted man-eating tigers!" "Corbett was a man very close to my heart." "Like me, he understood wild animals." "And he loved them too." "That is the reason I once shared my house with them." "And herein lies the difference between humans and animals:" "Animals don't try to pass themselves offas something they're not." "On the other hand   you can have the simplest and most innocent looking human   turn out to be a criminal!" "It has become such that one can't even trust his own friends nowadays!" "Stop here, driver!" "Stop here!" "Mr. Pandey!" "Mr. Pandey!" "He must have gone deeper into the woods,to gather firewood." "He lives alone, so has to do everything himself." "This man is also like me:fearless in the face of wild animals." "Let's go inside and sit down." "I daresay you've had your share of fake sadhus!" "So now come and see how simply - a true sadhu lives his life." "Come in." "From the miserable interior, you can guess how the poor fellow lives his life!" "Sit, sit!" "So, Felu " " I'll have my ring back now." "Your ring?" "What makes you think I have the ring?" "I had a hunch from the very beginning." "An outsider breaking into Mr. Sanyal's house and stealing the ring - from his locked almirah is a theory I found very difficult to believe." "I suspected you   but didn't have any proof then." "But now I do." "What proof?" "Last night, thanks to Bilash'sobscenely loud snoring..." "Can I ask you a question?" "Ask ahead." "The ring is inside your matchbox, isn't it?" "Since you already know   there is no point hiding anything from you anymore." "The ring has been with me   since our first night in Lucknow." "I didn't expect you to talk about exactly this topic." "But since you did " " I couldn't let the opportunity pass!" "How can you say that the ring is yours?" "25 years ago, I purchased the ringfrom the Naulakha Company." "A short while later, I met Pyarelal in Kolkata." "I showed him the ring." "He didn't tell me thathe was interested in such old trinkets." "But seeing the reaction on his face once he saw the ring   made me suspicious." "Sure as day, the ring got stolen from my house 2 days later." "I had informed the police about the robbery   but the thief or thieves managed to get away." "Then   after going to Lucknow " " I saw the ring with Srivastav   and realised that Pyarelalmust have given it to him." "Pyarelal didn't think he would survive the first attack." "He recovered after that." "I took advantage of his good healthto go and pay him a visit." "I thought he'd finally admit to stealing the ring." "And Srivastav, with some understanding, could be persuaded to return the ring to me." "Then the most wondrous thing happened!" "Pyarelal completely denied having stolen the ring!" "He said that he had never seen the ring in my possession before!" "I still have the bill for purchasing that ring!" "Nice to know!" "Bonobihari   if I ask you a question, would you kindly answer me?" "No!" "Take the ring out ofyour matchbox and give it to me." "Give me back my property and I will answer all your questions after that." "Not before!" "Amazing!" "The attempts at usingother people to do your dirty work   and try and steal the ring weren't lacking in enthusiasm from your end." "Your obedient servant, Ganesh Guha   dressed as a Punjabi driver todayin a turban and beard " " arrived with us in the same train yesterday, didn't he?" "And isn't he also the fake sadhu?" "Isn't he the thief whobroke into Srivastav's home?" "And isn't he the person given the task of tailingSrivastav the first night we arrived?" "Of course, he finally had to leave Srivastav alone   and come after me." "Throwing stones at me at the Residency..." "Trying to knock us out with chloroform on the second night..." "And throwing threat letters at us..." "First, at Lucknow and then,at Shahjahanpur station." "I don't know what you would have done ifwe hadn't gotten off the train." "But seeing us get down, you immediately sent him a text from your phone." "So?" "Am I right?" "Felu, you can't do all the dirty work yourself!" "Whatever crime Ganesh has committed by following my orders is nothing compared to your crime." "You have no right over the ring whichyou have kept with you." "It belongs to me." "It's my property." "And I want it back." "Right now!" "Once you've be proven a murderer,of what use will that ring be to you?" "You are crossing the boundaries of arrogance!" "Going around and calling anyone a murderer!" "No." "I'm not." "I'm not calling any random person a murderer." "I believe I'm the calling the correct person a murderer." "Could you please elaborate a bit about Pyarelal's "spy"?" "From your words, I could make out that you knew about the matter well." "Very simple!" "There's nothing to elaborate." "To get information about the ring, I assigned some men to spy on Pyarelal." "He might have been trying to say something about them." "Now, what if I told you Pyarelal's "spy" has got nothing to do with espionage agents?" "What are you trying to say?" "You went to visit Pyarelal the morning he got his second attack." "Didn't you?" "Yes." "So what?" "How is my visit connected to his heart attack?" "I have been to house many times before this!" "Yes, but you went empty handed those times." "What do you mean empty handed?" "But you didn't go empty handed the last time." "In fact, you had a box with you." "A box containing your deadly, poisonous " " Black Widow spider." "Isn't that right?" "Pyarelal wanted to say "spider"   but in his dying statehe couldn't manage the whole word." "So that is why "spider" became   "spy"." "But..." "What has showing him the spider got to do with his death?" "I think you were ignorant of the fact that even asimple cockroach induced palpitations in Pyarelal's heart." "I believe that you wanted toshow him the spider   and frighten him into giving you the ring." "But what actually happened was a heart attack   followed closely by death." "In other words   who else but you is responsible for this death?" "A short while back, you spun me a yarn   saying that you had purchased the ring and that Pyarelal had stolen it from you." "Now, what if I told you that the real incidentwas just the opposite?" "25 years ago, Pyarelal purchased the ring in Kolkata  and showed it to you." "And it is from that day you started craving for that ring." "That padlocked room in your house  contains plenty of old and precious antiques and trinkets." "And it is my belief- that your snake zoo is to protect those valuable items from the hands of thieves." "May I ask exactly how many more beliefs you are hiding up your sleeve?" "Certainly!" "You shall never ever lay your eyes on Pyarelal's Ring of the Emperor again   because my beliefsare telling me" " that you will pay for the heinous crimes you have committed!" "Ganesh!" "Get on the bench!" "Hey!" "Here!" "Over here!" "Catch him!" "He's escaping!" "Don't let him get away!" "Tapesh!" "Tapesh!" "Don't worry!" "Splash some water on his face and he'll come around!" "Bring him here!" "Get him some water!" "I'll get some!" "Tapesh!" "He'll be fine, uncle!" "Namaste!" "Inspector Gargari!" "What?" "How?" "News of this has already reached the Police Station." "A jeep is on its way." "And if you have any other questions,ask him." "The plan was his!" "Thank you!" "Come on, Sir!" "Instead of me reading your palmand finding out   why don't you tell me what you see in your future?" "Here you go!" "Welcome, Mahabir!" "I see you recognised me!" "Thank you!" "The thing is " "When Bonobihari didn't recognise me in front of thelmambara, I started having doubts." "Going home, I remembered everything." "He has been to our Kolkata homemany a time." "I was little at that time   he was also younger, of course!" "He used to have heated arguments with my father." "I then remembered that they were alwaysabout the ring." "Get up, Ganesh!" "I have just managed to cover up the snake." "But now we need to put it back in the box!" "Get up, there you go!" "Get up, you!" "Hey, are you alright?" "You?" "Here?" "Couldn't recognize me?" "We came in together in the same train!" "Noticing your delay, we turned our cars around from Lakshmanjhula and backtracked." "Then we found the tire marks leading intothe jungle and finally reached here!" "Mahabir had suggested backtracking long before that!" "Where are those 2?" "Don't worry!" "They're safe in police custody." "They have learnt their lesson with a blast of pepper to theface!" "Felu's secret weapon has no equal!" "Where did the police come from?" "They were with us all the way!" "Bilash is actually Inspector Gargari!" "Felu!" "Where is Felu?"