CHAPTER II

SOLDIERS AND THEIR SATPURA CODE

The life of soldiers is an important theme which has

caught the imagination of poets, dramatists and fiction writers

all over the world. Manohar Malgonkar, a great Indian fiction

writer in English, is one among them. He is the only Indian

fiction writer in English who has described in detail the life

of soldiers belonging to different religions and nationalities.

The Hindu, the Muslim, the Sikh and the British soldiers figure

in his works. He has skilfully blended the facts and fiction

W»*a
in the most superb manner. It was possible^because he himself

was in the army. His novels, Distant Drum, Combat of Shadows,

The Princes, The Devil’s Wind, Bandcoot Run, and Spy in Amber

bear a testimony to it. All these novels deal with soldiers

who are either in service or retired. His soldiers believe in

certain principles like honesty, integrity, loyalty, sincerety,

patriotism, devotion to duty and others. These are called

the values of the 'Catpura Code*.

Rudyard Kipling, John Masters, Paul Scott and other

Anglo-Indian Writers have also described the British Indian

army. But there is a difference. They depict the army life

 22

of the pre-Independence period, while Malgonkar deals with

both during the pre-Independence and post-Independence periods.

Moreover they have written mainly about their own men,

marginalising the Indians. The Burma War has been described

from their own point of view.

Paul Scott, for example, too served in the army from

1940 to 1946, mainly in India and Malaya. Like Malgonkar, he

mentions the defeat of the English in the Burma War and the

influence of M.K.Gandhi on the Indians in his novel. The Jewel

in the Crown.

In 1942, which was the year the Japanese defeated

the British army in Burma and Mr. Gandhi began
preaching sedition in India, the English then living
in the Civil and Military cantonment of Mayapore
had to admit that the future did not look propitious...*

It should be noted that Malgonkar’s depiction of the Burma

War is authentic as he himself participated in it during 1942.

Malgonkar's soldiers come from different areas of India.

They are very well trained by the British soldiers. H.Y.Williams

writes thus about the Indian soldiers depicted by Malgonkar :

At the centre of his novels Distant Drum (1960) and

The Princes (1963) lies a fascinating organization.

1. Paul Scott, The Jewel in the Crown (London: Pdnther Books,

1973), p.10.
 23

the Indian army raised and organised by the British,

which survived the Partition of the sub-continent,
preserved order in the perilous days of transition
to Independence and unlike armies in other developing
countries, has steered clear of politics. Malgonkar
is fascinated by the mystique, the powerful morale,
of this band of fighting men of many different
Indian provinces, a mystique as remarkable as that of
2
the totally different French Foreign Legion.

Malgonkar has depicted all aspects of army life in his

first novel, Distant Drum. His soldiers belong to an

imaginary regiment called the 4th Satpura Regiment and they

follow certain rigid code. Its Commanding Officer explains

the Satpura Code thus :

"It is a wide code in many respects, quite elastic.

And yet it is a rigid code. We try and live upto
certain broad principles of behaviour. We don’t
always succeed, of course, but we try, very, very
hard.'i.. We never say, "I don't know", we always say
insteadj "I'll find out". That's because we take
our professional responsibilities very, very, seriously."

Distant Drum depicts largely the life of a young officer,

Kiran Garud, who wants to follow the Satpura Code sincerely.

Malgonkar writes :

2. Williams, H.Y. Studies in Modern Indian Fiction in English

(Calcutta: Writers Workshop, 1973),pp.169-1^0.
3. Manohar Malgonkar, Distant Drum (New Delhi: Orient Paperbacks,
1960), p.9.
 24

This book (Distant Drum) is largely the story of

the success or failure of the efforts of one of the
officers of the Regiment to live up to its code. 4

And K.R.Srinivasa Iyengar remarks :

Distant Drum is the story of a 'Satpura' Officer,

Kiran (Jacko) Garud, who thus becomes a near symbol of
the Satpuras and a vague symbol of the army itself and
its code. Kiran's contacts with his brother officers-
Hindu, Muslim, British—show how, although the code may
be one, individual officers make what they please of it. 5

The novel derives from Malgonkar's personal experience

as an Army Officer. He is able to give an inside picture of

army life as he served in the infantry, in counter - intelligence,

and on the Army General staff during World War II as Lieutenant

Colonel. The episodes of this novel are a direct transcription

of the author's autobiographical experience and he evidently

feels at home in their presentation through Kiran. Each of these

episodes is a well-built anecdote in itself. There is a lot of

originality in all his descriptions through out the novel.

Kiran is the embodiment of the Satpura Code. His whole

endeavour is to live up to the Code. He is brave and courageous.

The way he fights in the Burma War in the midst of several

4. Distant Drum, p.10.

5. Srinivasa Iyengar, K.R. Indian Writing in English (New Delhi:
Sterling Publishers, 198577 pp.423-424.
 25

hardships and obstacles shows his courage and fortitude and

the spirit of fighting. He kills an enemy soldier in hand-

to-hand fighting thrusting his bayonet again and again. He

wins a Military Cross for his courage and "exemplary devotion

to duty in the field of battle.

It should be seen that there are many other soldiers of

the Satpura regiment who are known for their valour and

fighting spirit. For instance, there is a beautiful description

of ’attacking Twin Pagoda Hill’ wherein Bull Hampton, a British

soldier, though wounded, fights undauntedly. His words are

encouraging, thrilling and hair-raising while attacking the

Japanese. He shouts many a time "Come on Jawans; Tigers don't

live for ever." At last he dies while fighting at the top of

the hill. But his words continue to remain as a source of

inspiration for many.

The Satpuras are the fighting tigers. They fight with

their enemies under any adverse conditions and circumstances

with unflinching determination and tenacity of purpose. Moreover

they are not afraid of death. H.M.Williams rightly pointsjput

that the real hero of the novel is the Satpura Regiment :

Like Evelyn Waugh, though with much greater simplicity

and less wit, Malgonkar explores the "honour of the

6. Distant Drum, p.24.

 26

regiment" in Distant Drum (1960) and to some extent

in The Princes (1963). In Distant Drum the real hero
is the regiment, the 4th Satpuras. The traditions,
the "cultus" of this military corps d'elite (a
microcosm of the Indian Army as a whole) passes from
the British to the Indians after World War II and
to one special Indian Kiran Garud who becomes C.O.
after serving very creditably against the Japanese.
At first Kiran is something of a rebel against the
British and their stiff ritualism. But with the.
British gone he finds the enemies of the regiment
and of the Army to be politicians in Delhi and a
new breed of officer like Kamala Kant with no respect
for the complex and delicate code of honour painfully
built up and sealed with the blood of British and
7
Indians alike.

Malgonkar writes that there was a fierce fighting between

the Japanese troops and the Satpuras near the Sittang bridge and

also on the either side of the road. Many people were wounded

and some died while fighting. The Satpuras fought bravely though
they lacked certain facilities. Even the night brought no

respite for the soldiers. The war cry "Har-har Mahadev; Har-Har

Mahaaaaadev!" was going on.

Malgonkar mentions the loss of soldiers during this war.

Many soldiers were killed and some were washed away by the
out
Sittang river while crossing it. "Only eight officers^of the

7. Williams, H.M. "Manohar Malgonkar : The Captains and The Kings"

The Journal of Indian Writing in English, Vol.8, January-July,
1980, NoS. 1-2, p.41.
 27

original fourteen and 193 men of the original 684 had crossed

the Sitting river." g

The technique of attacking the enemies is also described

in the novel. A British Commander tells Kiran how to attack the

enemies :

"You judge the enemy's strength.

Don't bother about his firepower
too much. Just his strength ;
right ? Then you work out roughly
how many casualties he can inflict on you
while your men are out in the open, doing
the attack. The number of men you'll lose
is very important. On the objective itself,
after you've got there, if you are numerically
superior to the enemy, or even equal to them,
then your attack will be a success. You'll
find that a little calculation will show you -
a rough calculation - whether your attack will
succeed; on the objective itself, you must
have at least the same number of men as the
enemy. Once your men have closed in,
his firepower, your firepower, don't make much
9
difference."

Malgonkar writes about the motto that was taught by the

British at the Military Academy in Dehra Dun. Kiran joins the

army in 1938. He is taught the following motto, which embodies

the duties and responsibilities of the soldiers.

8. Distant Drum, p.165.

9. Ibid., p.102.
 28

The safety, honour and welfare

of your country come first,
always and every time.

The honour, welfare and comfort

of the men you command
come next.

Your own ease, comfort and

safety come last, always
. . . 10
and every time.

The Satpura soldiers do not care for the politicians

and they do not like their interference in their routine duties.

They are bold and straight forward and are known for their

honesty and integrity. Kiran as commanding officer in Raniwada

refuses to yield to political pressure. Consider, for example,

the following conversation between Lala Vishnu Saran Dev, the

Chairman of the District Congress Committee and Kiran s

"Coynelsaab, he said, "the Paalitikal Party aaf which

you taak so lightly is ruling thish country today.
The days aaf treating us as a sheditious aargartization
are gone. Now the party and the gournment are the
shame. I would shay that in refuging this ishmall
favour you are running a great rishk. He may complain
to your own minister. You musht remember
that thish will amount to belittling a minister of
the gournment aaf which you are only a servant."
... Lalajee", he (Kiran) said, quite sternly, "I cannot
take that view and I am not prepared to argue the point.
I don't think I can let you have the Shamiana."

10. Distant Drum, p.80

 29

"But thish ... thish is just like the British days!"

Lalajee exploded.
"Who is your shuperior aaficer ? I will sppeak to him.
I will complain to the Deputy Commissioner saab. I
shall shend a telegram to Delhi. It is naat your privut
shamiana. It is gournment praaperty. I will ask
questions in the Parliament, I will..." 11

The Satpura soldiers are known for their loyalty and

brotherhood wherever they are and under whatever conditions.

Kiran and Abdul are close friends. They meet under a tree on

the last day of December 1949, though they are in opposite camps

in Kashmir. Fortunately for them war does not break out. Both

drink, Champagne under the 'Bushy-topped * tree in No-man's

land. In this sudden and impulsive meeting they remember their

past life — how they had faced difficult situations when they

were together. They were classmates in the Military Academy at

Dehra Dun. Both had fought together in Burma during the Second

World War and later had joined their hands to quell the 1947

riots in Delhi. They had never dreamt that they would meet on

Kashmir issue to make a choice between their personal and

national loyalties.

Kiran Garud excels his own Commanding Officer Ropey Booker

when the latter tried to offer him a lucrative job. Kiran,

though, was facing an enquiry rejects the job of J&.2000 per month.

11. Distant Drum, pp. 60-61.

 30

This exhibits the character of Kiran that he is not after money.

But he is devoted to his duty in spite of several hindrances

and hardships. He loves the Indian Army and thinks of educating

the young Indian soldiers. Kiran tells Ropey Booker :

**I feel that I am one of the few officers of the Indian

army who have had the advantage of what I consider the
proper grounding for all army officers. We are the
privileged ones, those who have been taught by people
like you, and who have gone through a war. I don’t
think there are more than three hundred of us who have
had, as it were, a proper chance to grow up in the army.
It may sound terribly egoistic, but we have at least
had the full treatment-most of the others were rushed
into the war with six months of sketchy training. Some
of them are first class, of course, just as a number of
us, with all our advantages, are second-raters and worse;
but they haven't had the chance that we had. Now the
new, post-war officers are beginning to finish their
training and are coming into the army; eager young men
from the Academy. I feel that it is up to us, the old
guard to mould them - just as you and your contemporaries
moulded us. We would be failing in our duty to these
youngsters and to the future army if we were to quit.
Well, it is something like those principles that the
. 12
Satpuras live by, or try to live up to...V

Kiran does not want to relinquish his career as a soldier

for the sake of his love for Bina. For him, his career in the

army is very important. When Mr. Sonal father of Bina, asks

12. Distant Drum, pp.251-252.

 31

him not to write any ietters to her or communicate with her

he candidly replies thus :

I am a career officer. To me the army, the profession

itself, is a great thing, although in your sense of
values it may rank with the lowest forms of life. But
I see your point of view, and I am quite prepared to go
along with you only for one reason : because I cannot
afford to risk my professional future; to a career
officer like me, it is an unfortunate thing to clash
with people of your influence. I am ready to give in
only because I want to save something f&r more personal.
My career to me is more important than anything else-
13
more important than your daughter.

Indian soldiers were very much influenced by the British.

They closely followed the British even after they left India.

Kiran quite often remembers his favourite commanding officer.

Ropey Booker, whenever he faces a problem.

Whenever Kiran was confronted with .a tricky situation,

he always tried to think out what a British C.0.would
. 14
have done xn his place.

Malgonkar mentions the difference between the food and

the dress habits of the soldiers during the British rule and

the Indian rule.

13. Distant Drum, p.207.

14. Ibid., p.59.
 32

In their days you had to wear evening dress at a late

night Cinema show and it was considered improper
to eat Indian food or wear Indian dressy you had to
guard against what they called 'going native' just as
now you had to guard against being regarded as a
'half-Sahib'.15

Malgonkar writes about the drill, bayonet fighting,

firing, throwing grenades, crossing rivers and other activities

of the soldiers particularly at the time of inspection by the

higher authorities. Colbnel Jones, the C.O. of the Satpuras

says :

The schemes required that the battalion should put

'everything in the shop window* .... You had to have
the men drilling, doing P.T, going over the obstacle
course, bayonet fighting, firing on the long and short
ranges, throwing grenades, charging through the
endurance course, and carrying out a river crossing-all
in different batches, but all at the same time. It had
to be noisy and eye-catching....16

Malgonkar describes in detail the British army life in

Chapter 20, namely 'Old Times'. It throws light on the past

life of Kiran when he joined the 4th Satpuras Regiment. He wa3

given rigorous training in drill, P.T., obstacle course,

bayonet fighting, firing and others. The senior Indian officers

15. Distant Drum, p.172.

16. Ibid., p.57.
 33

followed the British Public School values as exemplied by

their officers. It continued even after they left India.

Malgonkar not only praises the army life but also

points out its defects. The soldiers are not well paid# and

they are transferred from place to place quite often. Moreover#

all is not well in the Army Headquarters in Delhi. When Kiran

is very much upset by the delay and red-tapism in the officers

of the Army Headquarters# Mansingh tells him -

"The Government of India has transformed delay into a

science. No use getting hot and bothered about it.
It*s absurd, but no one can do anything about it# not
even the Chief or the P.M.

Malgonkar does not portray Kiran as an untarnished hero.

He is not a god but a human being with some weaknesses. He is

attracted by Mrs. Margot Medley. One day Major Medley finds

Kiran with his wife in his house in Calcutta. Subsequently he

commits suicide by blowing out his head. Kiran feels guilty.

Malgonkar has also shown the harmony and understanding

that existed between the British and the Indian officers. Except

Colonel Manners# all the other officers like Ropey Booker, Bull

Hampton, Girgut Jones, Bertie Howard, Robert Medley and others

show friendliness# courtesy and respect for their Indian

17. Distant Drum# p.109

 34

colleagues. Similarly, Indians, except Kamala Kant, show the

same to their British Colleagues. Malgonkar has pointed out

how Ropey Booker loved his Indian colleagues :

Ropey, Kiran remembers, loved his Jawansj he played

hockey with them, and "he spent ten days of leave
every year in the village home of a retired Subedar
Major of the 4th, living with the family the life
18
of an Indian villager."

In this way. Distant Drum holds a mirror to the army

life in general but focuses on the life lived by the Satpura

Regiment.

In his second novel. Combat of Shadows, the army life

does not figure to the same extent. Malgonkar depicts the

life of retired soldiers like Colonel Walters and Captain

Cockburn and young men like Eddie Trevor and Henry who are eager

to join the army. The retired soldiers do not follow the

Satpura Code. Even the young men who are eager to join the army

do not display honesty, loyalty, patriotism and devotion to duty.

However, there is a reference to the Indian soldiers who were

guarding the Suez Canal during the Second World War. Jean, the

wife of Henry, on her way back to India from England, is helped

by the Indian soldiers to cross the Suez Canal safely even when

the fierce fighting was going on. She praises the help of Indian

Soldiers. She talks to Henry about this :

18. Distant Drum/ p.142.

 35

'Dogras and Punjabis, Y'know, I'm sure some of the Jawans

in Daddy's battalion were there. It was wonderful to
see them? Henry, and to think how safe everything was,
just because they were out there, guarding the canal.
So stern, so straight, so disciplined ; living in tents
* 19
on those hot, hot sands !

It should be noted that Malgonkar depicts his

protagonists as showing inclination to join the army. This is

seen in his novel The Princes wherein Abhay, the protagonist

of the novel seeks the permission of his father, Hiroji, the

Maharaja of Begwad, to join the army. Hiroji hesitates to give

his consent. But Abhay expresses his strong desire to join

army. At last, Hiroji says :

"... If you feel that you must join up, I suppose you
just have to go. The Bedars have always been soldiers.
20
I don't suppose you can keep them out of a war."

Once, when Abhay had gone to Simla he accidently meets

Captain Punch, Minnie Bradley's lover, who advises him to join

the Satpura Regiment as they are known as the 'fighting tigers'.

Abhay joins the army and goes to the Military Academy at Dehra

Dun and works very hard for eight months. Then he joins the

Satpura Regimental Centre at Raniwada. He gets training at

19. Manohar Malgonkar, Combat of Shadows (London : Hamish
Hamilton, 1962), p,164.
20. Manohar Malgonkar, The Princes (Delhi: Hind Pocket Books,
1970), p.127.
 36

various places and at last, like Kiran Garud, goes to Burma

to take part in the war. He too fights with the Japanese

validntly.

One day Captain Tony Sykes sends Abhay and Jamadar

Dongre, a Maratha, to search for the positions of the Japanese

in the Ettaw-Kilin area. They go for patrolling. At that

time, the Ettaw-Kilin track was with enemy troops. The

Japanese had dug trenches in the cart-track and covered them

with leaves. On the otherside of the track they had dug some

holes in order to hide themselves. Abhay says :

Their purpose was only too clear: they would sit in

their foxholes, guarding the track, and ambush any of
our troops that happened to come along It.***

In their endeavour, Captain Sykes and Jamadar Dcjgre

are killed by the Japanese as they fail to foresee the "tactics

of the enemies while Abhay survives.

Like Kiran Garud, Abhay is also the embodiment of the

Satpura code. He displays courage, skill, adventure, devotion

to duty and fighting spirit during the Burma war. Therefore,

he is awarded Military Cross by the British government. Hiroji

praises the achievements of his son, Abhay, as a soldier. Then

Abhay spends the remaining years (1943 to 1945) of the war as a

21. The Princes, p.204.

 37

staff Officer at General Headquarters in New Delhi, He works

in one of the sections of the Intelligence Directorate which

dealt with internal security, first as a staff Captain, and

later as a Major, He works honestly and sincerely. So he

is kept in General Headquarters for a long time. At last he

tenders his resignation in 1946 in order to help his father

in the administration of the Begwad state.

Army life does not figure at length in A Bend in the

Ganges. However thezre is a mention of the Japanese invasion

of the Andamans and the retreat of the British soldiers. The

Japanese soldiers led by Colonel Yamaki capture the Andaman

islands and set free the Indian prisoners who were kept in the

Cellular Jail. Colonel Yamaki tells Debi-dayal to join the

Indian National Army which was commanded by Subhas Bose :

'... Subhas Bose will lead the army, the Indian National
Army - lead it all the way to Delhi. That is what we
will do, we and you together—capture Delhi. Now I
22
invite you to join this army.'

The characters like Gopal Chandidar and Mr.Patrick

Mulligan are also soldiers. Malgonkar has not described them

more as soldiers. Gopal Chandidar, the husband of Sundari,

joins the army and goes to Middle East, He fights bravely

22. Manohar Malgonkar, A Bend in the Ganges (New Delhi: Orient

Paperbacks, 1964), p.217.

f
 38

and courageously. So he is awarded the Military Cross 'in

the fighting for the relief of Tobruk*. And Mr.Patrick

Mulligan, the superintendent of the Cellular Jail# was a

Corporal before joining the Indian police.

In The Devil* s Wind Malgonkar depicts the life of

Nana Saheb# Tantya Topi and the Rani of Jhansi as soldiers

who are known for their valour# patriotism and fighting

spirit. In fact# they are the very important persons who

revolted against the British Rule in 1857. Malgonkar has

portrayed Nana Saheb more as a soldier than as a Peshwa.

He is known for his active organisation and parti'rTc±pation

in the Revolt of 1857. The British have given a distorted

picture of the life of Nana Saheb. They consider him as a

great criminal.

Few names are more conspicuous in the annals of crime

than that of Nana Saheb, who achieved an immortality
of infamy by his perfidy and cruelty at Cawnpore. 2 3

But from the Indian point of view he is a great soldier

who has fought for the liberation of India. The nationalists

like V.D.Savarkar and others have described the revolt as 'The

First War of Independence.' Malgonkar mentions in his Author's

23. A Miles and A. Pattle, The Indian Mutiny# London# 1885.

 39

Note to the book that some of the books written on Nana Saheb

do not furnish the details of the life of Nana Saheb currently

and impartially.

Every book is written in anger and in everyone the

principal villain is the same : Nana Saheb - infamous
dastardly, despicable, crafty demon, barbarous butcher,
and arch assassin, Nana. In England he replaced
Napoleon Bonaparte as the hate object of a nation...
when freedom came, India acclaimed Nana Saheb as a
hero and raised a memorial to him, at Bithoor, which
bears this inscription :

KNOWING THE DANGERS

HE EMBRACED A REVOLT
HIS SACRIFICE SHALL LIGHT OUR PATH
LIKE AN ETERNAL FLAME

He does not accept the views of the British and the

Indian nationalists. He takes a balanced view of the sepoy

Revolt of 1857. So James Y. Dayananda remarks that "in

Malgonkar*s view, then the Revolt of 1857 was more than the
25
Sepoy Mutiny but less than the First War of Independence."

He has not only taken a balanced view of the revolt

but also taken a correct view of the life of Nana as a soldier.

He has recreated Nana in his novel and has depicted him as a

human being.
24, Manohar Malgonkar, The Devil's Wind (New Delhi: Penguin
Books, 1988), p.ix.
25. James Y.Dayananda, Manohar Malgonkar (Boston: Twayne
Publishers, 1974),p.147.
 40

As a boy, Nana learnt horse riding and fighting with

swords. He practised fighting with swords with the children

of the followers of Bajirao II. Soon after the death of

Bajlrao II, Nana began to face many problems. The British

did not give him the pension, nor continue the title. So he

sent Azim to England to plead for his rights. But the British

did not pay heed to his words. Thereafter, he thought that

'War' was the only alternative to get back his title and land

and freedom.

Nana Saheb is depicted as a good organizer of the army.

He organises and advises people to revolt against the British

as they were exploiting and ill treating the natives. Nana

visits the Maratha princes and prepares them for war. He

fights bravely and sincerely against the British soldiers in

Kanpur and other places. But finally, he is defeated by the

British. So he goes to Nepal with some of his followers to

live in oblivion.

Another important character of the novel is Tantya

Bhat, who is later nicknamed as Tantya Topi. Like Nana, he

is also brave, courageous, patriotic and a good soldier. It

is he who teaches Nana how to fight with a Sword. He joins

the Company’s Cavalry to learn their war tactics. Malgonkar

writes :
 41

Tantya Bhat had joined the Company’s cavalry for six

months to see for himself what it was that made the
British invincible in war, and had come back with
the conviction that the British were not invincible. 2 6

Malgonkar has not written much about the Rani of Jhansi*

As a girl she learns horse-riding and fighting with a sword.

She is better than Nana at riding, swordsmanship and swimming.

She is bold and courageous. Malgonkar writes :

She was like someone in a fable, a symbol more than

an actual person; harsh, unbending audacious, and yet
with a tenderness that was wholly feminine; cold and
deliberate in spite of her fiery temper, and impishly
impulsive too; a supple, athletic, hard-gained
b
creature of the wind and the sun with the boldly
sensuous configuration of a stone goddess. She was
yet all woman who could make your heart turn to water
27
with a mere look.

After the death of her husband, she requests' the British

to recognize her rights and privileges. But the British refuse

to comply. So she revolts. She fights bravely and undauntedly

against the British till the end of her life.

Like Nana Saheb, Tantya Topi and the Rani of Jhansi,

there were many soldiers who fought courageously for the

26. The Devil’s Wind, p.26.

27. Ibid., p.31.
 42

freedom of the country. Malgonkar writes about the protests

of the Indian soldiers against use of the grease smothered

cartridges which had to be bitten before loading them into

the gun. Nana says :

The Company had introduced a new rifle and a new

cartridge. The cartridges# made of paper, were
smothered with grease, and to break them open before
loading they had to be bitten. In the barracks at
Dum Dum someone told someone else that the grease was
made from the fat of pigs and cows. And suddenly a
wave of panic and imagination shook the land.
..., To a Hindu, the cow is a sacred animal, the
mother of the universe? to a Muslim, a pig is
28
the filthiest of God’s creatures.

The Indian soldiers, in the beginning protested

courteously and hesitantly. But they were mercilessly punished

and were sent to the jails. There after they revolted in many

places like Meerut, Kanpur, Delhi and others. They fought

vali&ntly»but in vain,against the British. Their struggle

for Independence was not successful.

Life of soldiers figures in Spy in Amber too. Colonel

Mansingh, the protagonist of the novel, ts a typical ; Satpura

soldier. He is bold, adventurous, intelligent and patriotic.

He successfully safeguards the valuable things of the Panchen

28. The Devil’s Wind, p.109

 43

Lama with the help of Air Vice Marshall Prakash Kirpal Cp.k'),

the Chief of Military Intelligence.

Malgonkar presents the life of Satpura soldiers in. the

novel. Bandicoot Run also. Kiran Garud, the protagonist of the

novel Distant Drum appears in this novel as one of the major

characters of the novel. The other prominent characters are

K.Y.T. Nadkar, known to his friends as ’Kite' Nadkar, and Colonel

Pulla Reddy. Nadkar, though retired, continues to guide and

help the Satpura soldiers whenever they come to him for guidance

and help. Malgonkar describes their honesty, sincerity, courage,

adventure, patriotism and mutual help during crises in detail.

At the same time he writes about the selfish,: hypocritic and

corrupt soldiers like General Shamlal Behl and the retired

Major B.G.Gilchrist. This novel seems to be the extension of

his first novel. Distant Drum, as it describes the life and the

court-martial of Kiran Garud by his own colleague General

Shamlal Behl and the attempts made by his friends to save him

from the trouble. In doing so, they divulge the misdeeds of

the real villain General Behl. The friendship between Kiran

Garud and Abdul Jamal is described again in this novel. Look

at the following conversation between Colonel Pulla Reddy and

Nadkar,
 44

Pulla Reddy says :

"You remember that business of Jack)Garud and his

Pakistani friend, chap called Abdul Jamal# drinking
Champagne in No-man's land?"

Nadkar no&ied. "I'd heard'about that. I was still

in the army at the time. But I don't know the
background."

Pulla Reddy says :

"... They remained the best of friends. They were
with the battalian, the 4th in the Burma debacle.
Later during the war, they got separated; Jacko Garud
stayed with the battalian# and Abdul Jamal got posted
>9
as a Staff Captain to the 17th Corps H.Q."

There is a lot of autobiographical element in this novel

which describes the retired life of soldiers. It seems that

Nadkar is Malgonkar himself since there are many similarities.

For instance, Nadkar lives in an estate called Satnala in North

Kanara district after his retirement. Malgonkar lives in an

estate near Jagalbet which is also in the same district.

Malgonkar writes :

... Kite Nadkar's 'place of retirement'# was a small

estate called Satnala in the extreme north of the North
Canara district, almost on the border of Goa, where his
maternal grandfather had lived all his life and which
30
had come to him on the old man's death.

29. Manohar Malgonkar, Bandicoot Run (New Delhi: Orient Paper­

backs, 1982), p.147.
30. Ibid., p.56.
 45

Like Malgonkar, Nadkar is a good big-game hunter at

first, but later gives it up. He continues to love the jungles^

Even though he had quite given up shooting what was

termed big-game. Kite Nadkar still loved the jungles,
like another man might love his garden, as he would
explain, or a hill-man his mountains, and his greatest
pride and boast was that he knew the jungles as well
, . 31
as any man alive except Jim Corbett,

Like Malgonkar, Nadkar serves in the army honestly and

sincerely in different places and in various capacities. After

his assignment in the Army Headquarters in Delhi, he resigns

from the army. Like Malgonkar, he takes to agriculture.

In his latest novel, The Garland Keepers, Malgonkar

depicts the life of a Pakistani soldier, Naik Fida Ali, who

later becomes ’Rajguru'. As a soldier he suffers, a lot at the

hands of his higher officers. So he runs away and becomes a

swami.

Malgonkar's short stories like 'A Little Sugar, A

Little Tea', 'Bachcha Lieutenant', 'Green Devils', 'Tactical

Surprise', 'Camouflage Tactics', 'Top Cat',' 'Pack Drill',

'Suleman's Courier', 'Give Away Trouble' and 'A Run of Scotch

Salmon' describe different aspects of the active life and life of

31, Bandicoot Run, p.57.

 46

retirement of soldiers during war and peace. There is

depiction of the life of Brigadiers, Colonels, Lieutenant

Colonels, Majors, Captains and their subordinates who are

brave, adventurous, honest and patriotic and also those who

are dishonest, corrupt, hypocritic, selfish and unpatriotic.

Malgonkar describes an irresponsible Commanding Officer

and his dishonest subordinate officer in the story 'A Little

Sugar, A Little Tea’. Once, an Adjutant arranges for inspection

of his Company by the Brigadier Murray in the absence of his

Commanding Officer, Major Maxwell who had gone to fishing without

informing the higher authorities. Brigadier Murray asks the

Adjutant the reason for the absence of C.O. The Adjutant tells

a lie that Mrs. Maxwell was unwell in Delhi. The Brigadier

inspects the company. Next day, the Brigadier, just before his

departure to Delhi, tells the Adjutant that he saw Susan

Maxwell who looked well. Thus he gives a 'shock treatment.'

He says :

*1 saw Susan Maxwell on my last evening in Delhi, long

before Spike is supposed to have left here? fit as a
fiddle... fit as a fiddle

The Adjutant had made a fool of himself by telling a lie about

his irresponsible Commanding Officer to the Brigadier.

32. Manohar Malgonkar, Bombay Beware (New Delhi : Orient

Paperbacks, 1975), p.14.
 47

The story 'Bachcha Lieutenant' describes the tactics

of the Japanese soldiers in order to trap the enemies during

the Second World war. The same tactics are described in the

novel. The Princes also. Jamadar Tukaram Shindey sees nearly

thirty Japanese soldiers dig some pits in the Taungdow Track

and cover them with leaves and mud. Intelligence Officer,

Lt.Wilson, who is popularly known as "Bachcha Lieutenant" as

he is only nineteen years old, comes in search of Tukaram and

goes towards Taungdow Track. As soon as Tukaram notices

Lt. Wilson he shouts at him and tells him not to go further.

But Lt.Wilson goes further only to die. Tukaram fights alone

with the enemies courageously till the end of his life. There

is an autobiographical element in the portrayal of the

character of Tukaram. Like Malgonkar, Tukaram belongs to North

Kanara district. He is a big-game hunter and also participates

in the Burma War.

He always preferred to go on a patrol of this sort

alone. He was a jungleman, born and brought up in
the jungles of North Kanara, and he used to be a
big-game tracker before lie joined the army. To him,
there was nothing strange to the Burmese jungles. He
could move in them as silently as any animal of the
jungle itself, and as long as he was sent out on his
33
own, he could get all the information they wanted.

33. Bombay Beware, pp. 58-59

 48

In the story, 'Camouflage Tactics' Malgonkar has

pointed out how the soldiers are deprived of their facilities

due to red-tapism and individual differences among officers.

The Army Headquarters in Delhi, many a time, plans to provide

certain facilities to the patrolling parties of the soldiers.

But as different officers think differently over the matter

Mansingh of the Planning Directorate has to type and retype

the list.

In 'Sulemnn's Courier', the writer brtnn3 out the

problems faced by a soldier who works as a courier of the

tribal chief, Suleman. Captain Mansingh, the narrator-hero,

goes to Bombay to bring a package belonging to Suleman Pasha,

one of the tribal Chiefs of Baluchistan. While, on the way

to Zahidan, Mansingh reads in a newspaper that the 'TRIBAL

CHIEF FLEES'. So he takes the packages to the war office of

the General. They think that the packages contain explosives.

But, when they open the packages cautiously they find cigars,

perfumes and six bottles of medicine guaranteed to restore

youthful vigour in three hours.

Malgonkar describes the unofficial activities of the

soldiers humorously. In 'Green Devils' he writes about the

problem of keeping the beer bottles in the house in Bombay

by the soldiers when there was prohibition. The story,'Blame

 49

the Army’, describes how the two soldiers who are the manager

and the leader of the workers of the Blurock Mines succeed in

avoiding the strike and non-cooperation of the workers.

Chandan Singh appears to be an honest person, who is interested

in the welfare of the workers. In fact, he helps the owner of

the Blurock Mines and not the workers. 'Tactical Suprise' is

not a serious story. It merely presents the competition

between two soldiers, who are also room-mates, to dance with

an American stage and screen star. Miss Carman Sheridan. The

love of British soldiers for animals like dogs and cats is

described in the story, 'Top Cat'. The stories like 'Pack

Drill', 'Give Away Trouble' and 'A Run of Scotch Salman' are

not serious stories as they deal with insignificant events.

It is to be noted that Malgonkar has not portrayed

all the soldiers as brave, honest, loyal, sincere, patriotic

and adventurous. There are some soldiers like Kamala Kant,

Rawal Singh, Shamlal Behl, B.G. Gilchrist and others who do

not believe in the Satpura code. But they are all minor

characters. Kamala Kant, for instance, as the C.O. of the

4th Satpuras at Raniwada after Kiran Garud, fails to bring

glory to and even discipline in the Regiment in spite of his

radical ideas. He himself is not disciplined. The other

characters like Shamlal Behl and Rawal Singh are cowards,

 50

selfish, dishonest, and unpatriotic. Even the British soldier.

Major B.G. Gilchrist, is dishonest and selfish.

In conclusion, it could be said that Malgonkar has

portrayed the life of soldiers in all its variety and richness.

He has idealised the army life. His protagonists like Kiran

and Abhay believe in values like honesty, integrity, dignity,

discipline, secularism and patriotism. He has shown the

genuine friendship between the British and Indians. Besides

he has neither exaggerated nor condemned the Indians while

comparing them with the British soldiers. He has also pointed

out through Kiran-Abdul episode how the army during the

Partition period, when the communal frenzy had gripped the

country, rose above the divisive forces and maintained its

reputation of secularity. They saved the lives of both the

Hindus and the Muslims. Thus, he has successfully, depicted

the spirit of soldiers, their ideals, their singular devotion

to duty and valour in the wake of crisis and also their

shortcomings and depressions.