Jay Permal

Too Close to the Lion Jay Permal

The year was 1860. India was under British rule, and the Indian economy was ailing while England was transformed into a superpower with the invention of the steam engine, the railway, and other mechanizations. At this time, the British had also colonised South Africa. This period coincided with the abolition of slavery. The canefields in Natal, South Africa required an abundance of labour, but this was not forthcoming from the natives who were at that time quite comfortable with their subsistence farming. The English looked in the direction of India for labour. Attracted by the promises and prospects of a better life, many Indians left the shores of their motherland to seek their fortunes in South Africa. This is a story of one such person, Chandra Chosaran. Chandra boards the sailing vessel, the Belvedere, with his wife Shubnum. But Shubnum, like many others, succumbs to the deadly cholera, and her body is jettisoned into the Indian Ocean. Chandra is devastated. Those who survive the sea voyage find themselves in a strange country with even stranger people and soon discover that they were just glorified slaves: they are accommodated in shacks and cow-pens, devoid of comforts, paid a pittance for their labour, and survival, once again, becomes a struggle. Chandra Chosaran, a proud, athletic, young man is respected as one who is bold, upright and altruistic. He meets Baigum, whom he marries and has a baby daughter. On his way to the fields, early one morning, he witnesses his employer, John Bennet ride away from his cottage in great haste. It turns out that he had murdered his wife, only to return later to claim that one of the Indians had been the perpetrator. As time passes, Chandra becomes ruthlessly ambitious, succeeds in blackmailing his employer to rise to the position of a Sirdar (foreman). He apes the English masters and alienates his countrymen. After the death of his wife, John Bennet takes to heavy drinking. When he stumbles, falls, hits his head on the rail and dies, Chandra, though innocent, is accused of his murder. The subsequent court hearing gives an insight into the prejudices of the justice system at that time. The story is quite unpredictable with many twists and turns, as we see Chandra rise to the pinnacle of his career and then fall from grace.