‘What is it?’

‘That’s my secret,’ said Anchita, and laughed. ‘Do you want to watch this movie? It is very good, I am told.’

‘Okay.’

‘Don’t sit in the corner. You can’t even see the screen.’

‘Okay.’

‘Aren’t you going to eat the cake? Eat.’

There was a long pause.

‘Okay,’ said Korok, quietly.

Anchita started the movie.

‘You know what?’ she asked.

Korok looked at her.

‘I am thinking of that horrible Patnaik. I wonder what he is doing.’

6

JUNE

At around the time when Anchita was winning the staring contest with Korok’s goat, Sorkari Patnaik’s summer of sorrow was starting. The previous night had actually been good. He had gone home after his lecture to the arrested Gonds, and gone to bed very satisfied with the events of the day. There was no problem, according to him, that a good lathi charge could not solve.

He woke late the next day. His wife and son had gone to her parents’ home in an eastern town. He got ready for work. He thought of visiting the circuit house to see if the surveyors were well-fed and happy. And maybe doing a round of the Gond villages, just to see if everything was all right. He did not think there would be any problems. So the Gonds had wanted to protest, and had felt the might and majesty of the law on their ankles. That, he thought, should be the end of it.

His phone rang.

At the other end of the call was a Person so Important that Patnaik, alone in his living room, nearly stood up and saluted the phone.

‘Is this Patnaik?’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘Huh?’

‘I said, yes, sir. This is me.’

‘Speak louder, then.’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘So, Patnaik. Have you read the newspaper today?’

Patnaik hadn’t. Two newspapers, one in English, the other in Odia, were lying just in front of him on the living room table.

‘You haven’t read the newspapers, have you, Patnaik? That is, the Odia newspaper you get there?’

Patnaik swallowed.

‘See the front page, Patnaik. Go on. Read it.’

Patnaik slowly drew the newspaper towards him, and spread it out.

And that is when his summer of sorrow began.

On the right, in a corner, but a big corner, a headline said: ‘Police attack defenceless Gonds over sacred hill!’

Patnaik did not have to read the story. Because there was a photograph with it, showing his men swinging their sticks at the running Gonds. Photo and story: done by Balangir’s own Stringer.