Gopala Iyer went to buy his wedding clothes at a shop run by a Sindhi family in Madurai. It was a big purchase, and so he had to spend four or five hours in that shop. As soon as he entered, the sight of Daulat Ram seated on a large cushioned sofa made a strong impression on him. A ceiling fan whirled overhead, and Daulat Ram sat under it, clutching a cigar between his teeth. The fine gold chain he wore around his neck dangled in front over his unbuttoned kurta. His eyes were bloodshot, and Gopala Iyer knew the reason: alcohol. But Daulat Ram was such a picture of composure that you would think he’d just come from having a dip in the holy Ganges and that was why his eyes were red. His words, his actions, everything about him was calculated and precise. His eyes were in constant motion, surveying everything in their vicinity. Even as his hand reached to receive a payment, his mind was already totaling the bill. When he was on the phone with somebody, his throat laughed, but his face scowled to issue some command, his eyes glared at the shop boy, and he even smiled at a customer and winked at a little girl. When a child started crying, he made a face at the shop boy, who then immediately ran out and came back with a packet of cookies for the kid. Gopala Iyer felt he could sit there all day watching that man in action. Suddenly there was a phone call from Bombay, and Daulat Ram began to speak in English. Gopala Iyer was totally entranced by the way he spoke. “The man’s an absolute king!” he said to himself. He wanted to tell everybody back in the village about him. And he could not help but wonder how wonderful it would be if it were he sitting on that cushioned sofa.

On his way back home on the train, he read from Dare to Act, an English title he had picked up at the station. Captivated by the feeling that he was engaged in some serious intellectual pursuit, he also smoked cigarette after cigarette. Every sentence in that book expressed what was already in his mind. Yes, fortune indeed favors the brave! Persistence alone bears fruit! No doubt at all. He then initiated a conversation with the people sitting across from him, somehow steering the exchange toward what he was thinking, manipulating them into taking a contrary position, and then speaking against theirs. “We can’t simply be envious of the white man because he prospers. Only those who dare to act will succeed. But we are too afraid to get in the water because we think it is cold!” he shouted.

By the time he got off at the Tirunelveli station, a firm resolve had formed in his mind. Even on the bus to Nagercoil, the same insistent thoughts roiled around in his sleep-addled mind.