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Professor Ganapathy was reading The Hindu in the reference section when Maya spotted him.
‘Good afternoon, sir.’
‘Hello there, I have been waiting for you.’
‘Thank you for remembering.’
‘Let us go outside, they demand complete silence in here.’
Grabbing his walking stick, he led her to a bench beneath a neem tree and motioned her to sit down besides him.
‘Did you read my article?’
‘Yes. Do you still believe your theory?’ she asked, ready to jot down notes.
‘What theory?’
‘That socialist countries will prosper in the long term and capitalist countries born out of civil war will collapse?’
‘Absolutely. History has shown it to be true.’
‘Not in the case of Dravida and Hindustan.’
‘Look, there is no hard and fast 20 or 30 year rule. It could take another decade, but certainly I see brighter prospects for Hindustan.’
‘Even if it is a dictatorship?’
‘Young lady, in a diverse country like Hindustan, where every section of society is pulling the country to their corner, it takes a dictatorship to restore order.’
‘Order can be restored democratically, like in Corea.’
‘Corea is a homogenous country with a unique culture and everyone speaks the same language. Hindustan is different, it has so many different cultures and languages mixed together.’
‘Sir, my country is not homogenous. We may believe to have pure blood and the same culture, but there are lot of serious regional imbalances especially among two regions, Honam and Yeongnam.’
‘The problem may be because of economic imbalances, and not due to cultural differences. I am talking of different races.’
‘Different races? Sir I thought you believed that there is no race difference in the subcontinent.’
‘Who told you?’
‘I overheard you arguing with Professor Cadwell at the conference.’
‘You misunderstood. I was saying that there is no difference between Aryans and Dravidians, I did not say that Hindustani's are purely Aryans. They also include Mongolians and a mix of the races.’
‘Dravida has no Mongolians. So is it a single race?’
‘That is true. Aryans and Dravidians are subsects of the same race and in Dravida we have only Aryans and Dravidians.’
‘Sir, it is a bit confusing.’
‘No, it is not if you stop believing the theory that Aryans conquered the Dravidians. The European historians confused our identity by dividing us into two distinct races, just on the basis of our skin color.’
‘What do you believe then?’
‘Not believe, I know. All the people on the subcontinent, including Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Ceylone are one race. We look a bit different, but genetically we are the same.’
‘So what does that mean?’
‘It means that there is no reason for each of these countries to oppose each other. We can all live together in one country and have a single identity.’
‘That is not possible sir. If you have your way, Corea, China and Japan should be one country.’
‘Ideally yes, but I know it is not practical. I was just saying that we should stop fighting against each other claiming we are different races.’
‘The division in todays world is not just about race, it is also because of power, culture, language and ideology.’
‘All are man-made divisions. That is why I appreciate the efforts in Europe, 15 diverse countries have formed the European Union.’
‘Do you think it will last? Soviet Union and its allies are still not part of the union although they are European.’
‘I hope they join. It will show the world that man-made differences do not matter, we can all grow together.’
‘Isn't that an ideal situation, which may never happen?’
‘Today it appears difficult, one never knows about tomorrow. I hope that South and East Asia also learn from the European Union. It will lead to global peace, if America does not intervene.’
‘Why does everyone blame America for all the problems in the world?’
‘They create all the problems in the world, meddling in other countries, where they should not.’
‘What about Soviet Union? They meddle more, but no one seems to mind.’
‘That is not true. Soviet Union intervenes only after America makes the first move.’
‘Sir, you know that is not true. You forget Hungary, Checkoslavakia and Afghanistan. They even intervened in India, before America came to the rescue of Dravida.’
‘No, that is not true, Soviet Union gave support to Hindustan military only because America was secretly giving support to Dravida. If America had not intervened, we would still be one country.’
‘You were against the civil war here?’
‘I have argued countless number of times about the futility of all this. The British did us a favor and made us one country. Certain politicians divided us, once on the basis of religion, and the second time for language.’
‘Sir, Dravida has developed quite well, and everyone is happy here.’
‘That is what the outside world thinks, but they do not know the internal divisions. There is a lot of social tension. Many people are rich, but the number of the poor is not small, and they feel marginalized. They may revolt with drastic consequences. People from Kerala think they have been discriminated, as we have not had a President from their province, although we had a President from Ceylone, which joined Dravida only in 1980.’
‘I have a few friends from Kerala. They did not seem upset with the situation here.’
‘They must be middle class. The middle class only gives lip service to the real aspirations of the people who matter- the working class.’
‘I think the middle class represents the real aspirations of society. They have always brought revolutions and changes across the world.’
‘Ignorance. Ignorance. All revolutions have always been brought about by the working class and students.’
‘Students who are middle class. Sir, are you a communist?’
‘Don't call me that. They have been a disgrace to our movement. Marx was a great scholar. I am a democratic socialist.’
‘Just like Hindustan?’
‘You could say so.’
‘Isn't it great that in Dravida, you have the freedom to tell people that you are a democratic socialist, but if you are in Hindustan and claim to be a capitalist, you could be sent to Thar or Nagpur?’
‘Young lady, you are being rude.’
‘I'm sorry sir, but I also thought like you before I met the defectors today.’
‘You mean you went to Tambaram, the resettlement camp?’
‘Yes, and I heard about their life in Hindustan.’
‘They have all been brainwashed. Don't believe everything they say.’
‘Starved and tortured people cannot lie. At least here they have the dignity that they deserve.’
‘I have been on many delegations to Delhi and also lectured the students there. I did not see any starvation or torture. They seem like a happy prosperous country. Definitely poorer than Dravida, but it is a just and equal society.’
‘Did you visit other cities?’
‘Yes, they took us to Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Lucknow and Calcutta. Everyone seems content with what they have. The government provides free education and medical support to all citizens.’
‘You didn't travel alone?’
‘That was not possible, we went in a group and they helped us by providing tourist guides.’
‘Sir, why is it that there are more than a million defectors from Hindustan here, but no one goes the other way?’
‘Our world has become materialistic, and this consumerism has been driven by the imperialists American companies. No one is bothered about simple life and basic necessities anymore.’
‘Given a chance, would you
go and stay in Hindustan?’
‘I am too old for that now. Although I wish we were one country, India, again. A truly democratic socialist nation.’
‘What if you were younger?’
‘I definitely would.’
‘Then why didn't you? You were young when the civil war took place.’
‘Yes I was. I wanted to go, but Vijaylaxmi was expecting, and Subbaiah stopped me.’
He just mentioned Naga's dad, have to be careful, he doesn't realize it yet.
‘Vijaylaxmi?’
‘My wife. She was pregnant. She passed away last year. I really miss her.’
‘How many children do you have sir?’
‘Two. A son who is an economist at IMF in New York, and a daughter who is studying history at Cambridge University.’
‘Do you visit them?’ Maya wanted to extend the soft conversation.
‘No, they come home once a year. I cannot travel now. Old age is catching up.’
‘Sir, you also said Subbaiah stopped you. Who is he?’
‘My best friend. Actually, he was my boss in the department. We were neighbors and very close to each other.’
‘Was he against the civil war too?’
‘No, of course not. He was one of the main leaders of the movement. He worked hard to organize the students and rattled the government with the agitation.’
‘How? Was he also a democratic socialist like you?’
‘No. He believed in the free market system. He admired America. You know, although we had different ideologies, we respected each other a great deal. I miss him too,’ he said staring blankly ahead.
‘Sir, where is your friend now?’
Hearing this, Ganapathy glared at her, sprang up from the bench, picked up his walking stick and started walking away without a word.
‘Sir...I am sorry if I upset you. Can we meet again?’
Gananpathy suddenly turned around.
‘You know...you remind me of a young exchange student from Corea whom I met during the civil war. You have the same inquisitive nature, always asking too many questions. Actually, I think you also look a bit like him. Meet me here tomorrow, same time, and no questions about Subbaiah!’