The Elefant, A Novel by Aravind Adiga

8/14/2019 The Elefant, A Novel by Aravind Adiga

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The Elefant, a novel by Aravind Adiga

All the employees of the furniture shop had gathered in a semicircle aroundMr. Ganesh Pai’s table. It was a special day: Mrs. Engineer had come to theshop in person.

She had seen her ! table" and now she was approaching Mr. Pai’s des# tofinali$e the deal.

%is face was smeared with sandalwood" and he wore a loose&fitting sil# shirtthrough which a dar# triangle of chest hair stuc# out. 'n the wall behind hischair he had hung gold foil images of (a#shmi" goddess of wealth" and the fatelephant god" Ganapati. An incense stic# smo#ed below the images.

Mrs. Engineer sat down slowly at the des#. Mr. Pai reached into his drawer"then held out four red cards to her. Mrs. Engineer paused" bit her lip" andsnatched at one of the cards.

)A set of stainless&steel glasses*+ Mr. Pai said" showing her the bonus card

she had pic#ed. )A truly wonderful gift" Madam. Something you’ll treasure foryears and years.+

Mrs. Engineer beamed. She counted off four hundred&rupee notes" which sheput down on the des# before Mr. Pai.

Mr. Pai" moistening the tip of his finger in a small bowl filled with water whichhe #ept on his des# ,ust for this purpose" counted the notes afresh. hen heloo#ed at Mrs. Engineer and smiled" as if e-pecting something more.

) he rest after deli ery"+ she said" getting up from her chair. )And don’t forgetto send the bonus gift.+

)She may be the wife of the richest man in town" but she’s still a stingy oldcunt"+ Mr. Pai said" after seeing her out of the store" and an assistant laughed

behind him. %e turned and glared at the assistant" a small" dar# amilian boy.



)Get one of the coolies to deli er it" fast"+ Mr. Pai said.

he amilian boy ran out of the shop. he cycle&cart pullers were in theirusual position/lying on their carts" staring into space" smo#ing beedis . Some

of them were ga$ing with dull a arice at the store on the other side of theroad" the Ideal raders Ice 0ream Parlor" where fat #ids in &shirts werelic#ing anilla cones.

he boy stuc# out his inde- finger and motioned to one of the men.

)0henayya/your number is up*+

0henayya pedalled hard. %e had been told to ta#e the 1uic# route to 2ose(ane" so he had to go o er (ighthouse %ill. %e struggled to mo e the cartwith the ! table" which was attached to his cycle. 'nce he was o er thehump of the hill" he let the cycle glide. %e slowed down on 2ose (ane" foundthe house number" which he had memori$ed" and rang the bell. plump" fair&s#inned woman opened the door: Mrs. Engineer herself. 0henayya broughtthe ! table into the house and put it down in the spot she indicated.%e went

out" and returned with a saw. Mrs. Engineer watched him draw the instrumentout at arm’s length" and suddenly it seemed enormous: a foot and a half long"with a serrated edge" rusty" but with patches of the original metal&gray colorstill showing through" li#e a sculpture of a shar# made by a tribal artist.

0henayya saw the woman’s eyes growlarge with an-iety. o dispel her fear" he grinned ingratiatingly at her/itwas the e-aggerated death&mas# grin of a person not used to gro elling/then he loo#ed around to figure out where he had left the table.

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he legs were not all e en. 0henayya closed an eye and e-amined them oneby one3 then he began mo ing the saw o er each of the legs" creating a finedust on the floor. %e e-amined them again" to ma#e sure they were le el" andthen dropped the saw. %e searched his dirty white sarong" which was the only

garment on his body" for a relati ely clean corner" and wiped the table off.

Mrs. Engineer had not been watching3 she had retreated into an inner room.She returned and counted off se en hundred and forty&two rupees.

%esitating a moment" she added three one&rupee notes to it.

)Gi e me something more" Madam4+ 0henayya blurted. )Gi e me three morerupees4+

)Si- rupees4 5othing doing"+ she said.

)It’s a long way" Madam.+ %e pic#ed up his saw and pointed to his nec#. )Ihad to haul it all that way" Madam" on my cycle&cart. It hurts my nec# erymuch.+

)5othing doing. Get out" or I’ll call the police" you thug. Get out" and ta#e yourbig #nife*+

As he left the house" grumbling and sul#ing" he folded the money into a wad"then tied it into a #not on his sarong. %e threw the saw into the cart.

%e pic#ed up a rotting banana s#in and hung it on the lea es of a neem treethat grew near the gate of the house" so that it would startle the owners whenthey came out.

%e was so pleased with himself for this that he smiled.

About ten minutes later" he was on his bi#e again" heading bac# to 6mbrellaStreet. %e was cycling" as always" with his butt ele ated off the seat" his

spine inclined at si-ty degrees. 'nly at traffic intersections did he straightenhimself" rela-" and ease bac# into his seat. he road" as he drew near



6mbrella Street" was ,ammed once again3 pushing his front wheel into the carahead of him" 0henayya yelled" )Son of a bitch" mo e*+

At last" he saw to his right the sign for Ganesh Pai 7an and 7urniture Store"

and stopped his cycle.

0henayya wiped his palm against his sarong" pushed the door open" wentinto the store" and crouched by a corner of Mr. Pai’s table. 5either Mr. Pai northe amilian assistant too# any notice of him.

%is nec# was hurting again3 he mo ed it from side to side to relie e the pain.

)Stop doing that.+

Mr. Pai motioned for him to hand o er the cash.

%e mo ed slowly to the boss man’s des# and handed o er the notes to Mr.Ganesh Pai" who moistened his finger in the water bowl and counted offse en hundred and forty&two rupees. 0henayya stared at the water bowl3 he

noticed how its sides were lobed to ma#e them loo# li#e lotus petals" and howthe artisan had e en traced the pattern of a trellis around the bottom of thebowl.

Mr. Pai snapped his fingers. %e had tied a rubber band around the notes" andwas holding out a palm in 0henayya’s direction.

) wo rupees short.+

0henayya undid the #not in the side of his sarong and handed o er two one&rupee notes.

hat was the sum he was e-pected to gi e Mr. Pai at the end of e ery trip:one rupee for the dinner he would be gi en at around nine o’cloc#" one rupeefor the pri ilege of ha ing been pic#ed to wor# for Mr. Ganesh Pai.

It would be some time before 0henayya’s number was called again" so he



wal#ed down the road to a spot where a man was sitting at a des# on thepa ement" selling bundles of small rectangular tic#ets that were as colorful aspieces of candy. %e smiled at 0henayya3 his fingers began flipping throughone of the bundles.

)8ellow4+

)7irst tell me if my number won last time"+ 0henayya said. %e brought out adirty piece of paper from the #not on his sarong. he seller too# out anewspaper and glanced down at the bottom&right&hand corner.

%e read aloud" )9inning (ottery 5umbers: ;" <" =" =" >?@" ? .+

0henayya had learned enough about English numerals to recogni$e his owntic#et number3 he s1uinted for se eral moments" and then let the tic#et float tothe ground.

)People buy for fifteen" si-teen years before they win" 0henayya"+ the lotteryseller said" by way of consolation. )But in the end those who belie e always

win. hat is the way the world wor#s.+

)I can’t go on this way fore er"+ 0henayya said. )My nec# hurts. I can’t go onli#e this.+

he lottery seller nodded. )Another yellow tic#et4+

ying the tic#et into his bundle" 0henayya staggered bac# and collapsed onhis cart. 7or a while" he lay li#e that" feeling not refreshed from the rest butonly numb.

hen a finger tapped on his head.

)5umber’s up" 0henayya.+

It was the amilian boy from the store.



o be deli ered to ? 2ose (ane. %e repeated it aloud: ) ? 2ose (ane.+

)Good.+

he route too# him o er (ighthouse %ill again. %alfway up the hill" he alightedand began dragging the cart. he sinews bulged out of his nec# li#e webbing"and" as he inhaled" the air burned through his chest and lungs. 8ou can’t goon" his tired limbs and burning chest told him. 8ou can’t go on. his was whenthe sense of resistance to his fate wa-ed greatest within him" and" as hepushed" the restlessness and anger that had been inside him all day becamearticulate at last:

8ou will not brea# me" motherfuc#ers* 8ou will ne er brea# me*

If the thing to be deli ered was something light" li#e a mattress" he was notallowed to ta#e a cycle&cart3 it had to be carried on his head. 2epeating theaddress to the amilian boy from the shop" he set off with a slow" light step"li#e a fat man ,ogging. In a short while" the weight of the mattress seemedunbearable3 it compressed his nec# and spine and sent a shaft of pain down

his bac#. %e was irtually in a trance.

his morning" he was ta#ing a mattress to the train station. he client turnedout to be a 5orth Indian family that was lea ing Cittur3 the owner" as he hadguessed beforehand Dfrom his demeanor/you can tell which of these richpeople ha e a sense of decency and which don’t " refused to tip him.

0henayya stood his ground. )8ou motherfuc#er* Gi e me my money*+

It was a triumph for him: the man relented.

he odors and the noise of the train station made him sic#. 'utside" hes1uatted down by the trac#s" pulled his sarong up" and held his breath. As hewas s1uatting there" the train roared by. %e turned around3 he wanted to shitinto the faces of the people on the train. 8es" that would be good. As the train

thundered by" he forced out the turds into the faces of the passengers.

5e-t to him" a pig was doing the same thing.



%e thought" God" what am I declining into4 %e crawled behind a bush andfinished defecating there.

%e closed his eyes.

%e loo#ed up and too# a deep breath. he s#y is clean" he thought. here ispurity up there. %e tore off a few lea es" wiped his arse with them" thenrubbed his left hand against the earth in a bid to neutrali$e the smell.

At two o’cloc#" he got his ne-t number: the deli ery of a giant stac# of bo-esto an address in !alencia.

) here’s a lot of wor# today" 0henayya"+ the amilian boy said. )Ma#e sureyou go the 1uic# way/o er (ighthouse %ill.+

%e grunted" rose up off his seat" shifted his weight onto the pedals" and wason his way. he rusty iron chain that double&loc#ed the cart to the frontwheels of the cycle began to s1ueal as he rode.

Fown the main road" he got stuc# in a traffic ,am. 9hen he didn’t ha e thecart" he could do something/wiggle into the spaces between cars" climbonto the pa ement/but now he could only curse from behind. %is nec# hurt.

he sun seared his bac#.

9hy are some mornings hard" some mornings simple4 he other pullersne er had )good+ or )bad+ days3 they did their wor# li#e machines. 'nly hehad his moods. %e loo#ed down" to relie e his nec#" and stared at the rustychain at his feet" coiled around the metal rod that connected the cycle to thecart. ime to oil the chain" he told himself. Must remember.

6phill again. (eaning forward from his seat" 0henayya was straining hard3 thebreath went into his lungs li#e a hot po#er. %alfway up the hill" he saw anelephant coming down" with a small bundle of lea es on its bac# and amahout po#ing its ear with an iron rod.

%e stopped3 he could not belie e his eyes. %e began to shout at the elephant:)%ey" you" what are you doing with a bundle of twigs4 a#e this load from me*



It’s more fitted to your si$e" you motherfuc#er*+

0ars hon#ed behind him. he mahout turned and gesticulated at him with hisiron rod. A passerby yelled at him not to bloc# traffic.

)9hat is wrong with this world"+ he as#ed the dri er of the car behind him"who" irate on the other side of his windshield" was ,abbing his horn with thefleshy part of his palm again and again" )when an elephant gets to loungedown the road" doing no wor#" and a human being has to pull a cart with somuch weight on it4+

he dri ers behind him hon#ed" and the cacophony grew louder.

)Fon’t you see something is wrong here4+ he shouted. hey hon#ed bac#.he world was furious at his fury. It wanted him to mo e out of its path" but he

was en,oying being e-actly where he was" bloc#ing all these rich andimportant people.

hat e ening" there were great strea#s of pin# in the s#y. After the shop

closed" the cart pullers mo ed to the alley behind the store3 they too# turnsbuying small bottles of country li1uor" which they shared amongstthemsel es" getting giddy 1uic#ly and belting out Cannada film songs off #ey.

0henayya ne er ,oined them. )8ou’re wasting your money" you idiots*+ hesometimes shouted3 they ,eered bac# at him.

%e would not drin#3 he would not s1uander the hard&earned fruits of his laboron alcohol" he had promised himself. 8et the smell of li1uor made his mouthwater3 the good humor and bonhomie of the other pullers made him lonely.%e closed his eyes. A tin#ling noise made him open them.

5earby" on the steps of a acant building" a fat prostitute had come out to plyher trade. She clapped her hands and made music by stri#ing two coinstogether. A customer came up3 they began haggling o er the price. he deal

was not consummated" and the man left" cursing.

0henayya" lying in his cart with his feet stic#ing out" watched the action with a





could barely stand the sight of them/the way they bent and gro elled to Mr.Ganesh Pai. 8es" he might do the same" but he was furious" he was angryinside. hese fellows who pulled their carts with such big grins seemedincapable of e en thin#ing badly of their employer.

9hen the amilian boy brought out the tea" 0henayya reluctantly re,oined thepullers. %e heard them tal#ing" as they did e ery morning" about theautoric#shaws they were going to buy once they got out of here" or the smalltea shops they were going to open.

) hin# about it"+ he wanted to say to them. ) ust thin# about it.+

Mr. Ganesh Pai allowed them two rupees for each trip" meaning that" at therate of three trips a day" they were ma#ing si- rupees. 'nce you deducted forlotteries" and li1uor" you were luc#y to sa e two rupees. Sundays were off" aswere %indu holidays" so by the month’s end you had sa ed only forty or forty&fi e rupees. A trip to the illage" an e ening with a whore" an e-tra&longdrin#ing binge" and your whole month’s sa ings would be dust. Assuming yousa ed e erything you could" you’d be luc#y to earn four hundred a year. Anautoric#shaw would cost twel e" fourteen thousand to buy" a small tea shopfour times as much. hat meant thirty" thirty&fi e years of such wor# beforethey could do anything else. Fid they thin# their bodies would last that long49as there a single cart puller o er the age of forty around them4

Fon’t you e er thin# about such things" you baboons4

8et" when he had tried once to get them to understand this" they had refused

to demand more collecti ely. hey thought they were luc#y: thousands wouldta#e their ,obs at a moment’s notice. %e #new they were right" too.

5e ertheless" despite the logic" despite their alid fears" their sheerspinelessness grated on him. hat is why" he thought" Mr. Ganesh Pai couldbe confident that a customer could hand o er thousands of rupees in cashand it would all come to him" e ery last rupee" without the cart puller ta#ingany of it.

5aturally" 0henayya had long planned on stealing the money that a customer



ga e him. %e would ta#e the money and lea e town. his much he wascertain he would do/someday ery soon.

0henayya felt a tap on his shoulder. It was the amilian boy from Mr. Ganesh

Pai’s shop.

As he went up (ighthouse %ill" as he forced his cart o er the hump" his usualsense of e-ultation was gone entirely.

At e ery turn of his cycle" the thought intruded itself" undid him" and slowedhim down: 8ou are unma#ing yourself/destroying your guts and fibre andbeing* As he was cycling" he was wor#ing the wheel of life bac#ward"crushing his muscle and fibre into the pulp from which they were formed in hismother’s womb3 he was unma#ing himself.

All at once" in the middle of traffic" he stopped and got off his cycle" with thesimple and clear thought: I can’t go on li#e this.

hat e ening" the men were huddled around. A man in a blue safari suit" an

important" educated man" was as#ing them 1uestions3 he had a smallnotepad in his hand. %e said he had come from Madras.

%e as#ed one of the cart pullers for his age. 5o one was sure. 9hen he said")0an you ma#e a rough guess4+ they simply nodded. 9hen he said" )Are youeighteen" or twenty" or thirty/you must ha e some idea"+ they simply noddedagain.

) ell me" who are you4+ 0henayya" who had #ept his distance" as#ed. )9hyare you as#ing us all these 1uestions4+

%e said that he was a ,ournalist" and the cart pullers were impressed. %ewor#ed for an English&language newspaper in Madras" and that impressedthem e en more. hen he wanted to #now what they were eating. 9hile theywaited e-pectantly" he made a list of e erything they ate e ery day. At the

end" with a wide" almost triumphant grin" he declared" ) he wor# you aredoing e-ceeds the amount of calories you ta#e in. E ery day" e ery trip youta#e/you are slowly #illing yoursel es.+



%e held out his notepad" with its s1uiggles and $ig$ags and numbers" asproof of his claim.

)9hy don’t you do something else" li#e wor# in a factory4 Anything else4 9hy

don’t you learn to read and write4+

0henayya ,umped off his cart.

)Fon’t patroni$e us" you son of a bitch*+ he shouted. ) hose who are bornpoor in this country are fated to die poor. here is no hope for us" and noneed of pity/certainly not from you" who ne er lift a hand to help us. I spit onyou. I spit on your newspaper. 5othing e er changes. (oo# at me.+ %e heldhis palms out. )I am twenty&nine years old. I am already bent and blac# andtwisted li#e this. If I li e to forty" what is my fate4 o be a twisted blac# rod of aman. 8ou thin# I need your notepad and your English to tell me this4 8ou#eep us li#e this" you people from the cities" you rich fuc#s. It is in yourinterest to treat us li#e cattle* 8ou English&spea#ing fuc#*+

he man put his notepad away. %e loo#ed at the ground" and seemed to be

groping for a response.

0henayya felt a tap on his shoulder. It was the amilian boy.

)Stop tal#ing so much* 8our number has come up*+

Some of the other cart pullers began chuc#ling" as if to say" Ser es you right.

Strangely" the man from Madras was not grinning3 he had turned his faceaway" as if he were ashamed at what 0henayya had said.

9hy don’t you do something" wor# in a factory" anything" to impro e yourself4 After all" for years you ha e ta#en things to the gates of factories/it is ,ust a1uestion of getting inside. he ne-t day" he went to the factory. %e sawthousands of men going in for wor#" and he thought" 9hat a fool I ha e been"

ne er e en to ha e tried to get wor# here.



%e sat down" and none of the guards as#ed any 1uestions" thin#ing he waswaiting to pic# up some goods.

%e waited till noon" and then a man came out. 7rom the number of people

following him" 0henayya thought" he must be the big man. %e went runningpast the guard and got down on his #nees: )Sir. I want to wor#.+

he man stared at him. he guards came running up to drag 0henayya bac#"but the big man said" )I ha e two thousand wor#ers" and not one of themwants to wor#" and here this man is" down on his #nees" begging for wor#.

hat’s the attitude we need to mo e this country forward.+

%e pointed a finger at 0henayya.

)8ou won’t get offered any contract. 6nderstand. Fay by day.+

)Anything" anything you want.+

)9hat #ind of wor# can you do4+

)Anything" anything you want.+

)All right" come bac# tomorrow. 9e don’t need a coolie right now.+

)'.C." sir.+

he big man too# out a pac# of cigarettes and lit one.

)%ear what this man has to say"+ he said" when a group of other men" whowere also smo#ing" gathered around.

And 0henayya repeated that he would do anything" under any conditions" forany sort of pay.

)Say it again*+ the big man ordered" and another group of men came andlistened to 0henayya.



hat e ening" he went bac# to Mr. Ganesh Pai’s shop and shouted at theother wor#ers" )I’ e found a real ,ob" you motherfuc#ers. I’m out of here.+

he amilian boy alone cautioned him. )0henayya" why don’t you wait a day

and ma#e sure the other ,ob is good4 hen you can 1uit here.+

)5othing doing" I 1uit*+ he yelled" and wal#ed away.

he ne-t day at dawn" he was bac# at the front gate of the factory. )I want tosee the manager"+ he said" sha#ing the bars of the gate for attention. )%e toldme to come today.+

he guard" who was reading the newspaper" loo#ed up fiercely.

)Get out*+

)Fon’t you remember me4 I came/+

)Get out*+

%e waited near the gate. After an hour" it opened" and a car with tintedwindows pulled out. 2unning alongside the car" he banged on the window.)Sir* Sir* Sir*+ A do$en hands sei$ed him from behind3 he was sho ed to theground and #ic#ed.

9hen he wandered bac# to Mr. Pai’s shop in the e ening" the amilian boy

was waiting for him. %e said" )I ne er told the boss you 1uit. I #new you’dcome bac#.+

he other pullers did not tease 0henayya that night. 'ne of them left him abottle of li1uor" still half full.

he rain fell down without stop. 0henayya rode his cycle through the rain"splashing down the road. %e wore a long white plastic sheet o er his body"li#e a shroud.



9hen it rained" the road turned into mud3 the mud turned into wet clay. hiswas the most dangerous time for a puller. 9here er the road had bro#en upinto a pothole" he had to slow down to a oid tipping his cycle&cart o er.

he pain in his nec# began biting again. I can’t go on li#e this" he thought.

7rom across the road" one of the other pullers" a young one" dro e up side byside with 0henayya. )%a e to deli er this fast and get bac#"+ he said. )Bossman said he’s depending on me to get bac# within an hour.+ %e grinned" and0henayya wanted to ram his fist into the grin. God" how full of suc#ers theworld is" he thought" counting to ten to calm himself down. %ow happy thisidiot seems to be" to destroy himself with o erwor#. 8ou baboon* he wantedto shout. 8ou and all the others* Baboons*

%e put his head down" and suddenly it seemed a great strain to mo e thecart.

)8ou’ e got no air in one tire*+ the baboon shouted. )8ou’ll ha e to stop*+ %egrinned one of his baboon grins" and rode on.

Stop4 0henayya thought. 5o" that is what a baboon would do: not me.Putting his head down" he pedalled on" forcing his flat tire along: Mo e"motherfuc#er*

Mo e*

And the cart" slowly and noisily" its old wheels and its unoiled chains rattling"mo ed.

It is raining now" 0henayya thought" lying in his cart that night" with the plasticsheet o er his head. hat means we are through half of this year. It must be

une or uly. I must be nearly thirty now.

%e pulled the sheet down and lifted his head to relie e the pain in his nec#.

%e could not belie e his eyes: e en in this rain" some motherfuc#er was flyinga #ite* As if taunting the hea ens" the lightning" to stri#e them.



In the morning" he went to the lottery seller. A boy" a total stranger" was sittingat the des#" #ic#ing his legs merrily.

)9hat happened to the old fellow4+

)Gone.+

)Gone where4+

)Gone into politics.+

he boy described what had happened to the old seller. %e had ,oined thecampaign of a B. .P. candidate for the corporation elections. %is candidatehad won. 5ow he sat on the eranda of the politician’s house. If you wantedto see the politician" you paid him fifty rupees first.

) hat’s the politician’s life/it’s the fastest way to get rich these days"+ the boysaid. %e flipped through his pieces of colored paper. )9hat’ll you ha e"uncle4 A yellow4 'r a green4+

0henayya turned around without buying any of the colored papers.

9hy" he thought at night" can’t that be me/the fellow who goes into politicsto get rich4 %e did not want to forget what he had ,ust heard" so he pinchedhimself sharply around the ,oint of his foot.

It was Sunday again. he free day. 0henayya wo#e up when it got too hot"then brushed his teeth la$ily" loo#ing up to see if #ites were flying in the s#y.he other pullers were going to see the new %oy#a temple that the Member

of Parliament had opened" ,ust for %oy#as" with their own %oy#a deity and%oy#a priests.

)Aren’t you coming" 0henayya4+ the others shouted at him.

)9hat has any god e er done for me4+ he shouted bac#. hey giggled at hisrec#lessness.



Baboons" he thought" as he lay down in his cart again. Going to worshipsome idol in a temple" thin#ing it’ll ma#e them rich.

Baboons*

%e lay with an arm o er his face. hen he heard the tin#ling of two coins.

)0ome o er" Camala*+ he called out to the prostitute" who was in her usualspot" playing with coins. 9hen he taunted her for the si-th time" she snapped")Get lost" or I’ll call Brother.+

At this reference to the don who controlled the hoo#ers in this part of town"0henayya sighed" and turned o er in his cart.

%e thought" Perhaps it is time for me to get married.

%e had lost contact with all his relati es. Plus" he did not want to get married.Bring children/into what future4 hat was the most baboonli#e thing theother pullers did" he thought: to procreate" as if to say they were satisfied with

their fate" they were happy to replenish the world that had consigned them tothis tas#.

here was nothing in him but anger" and if he married he thought he wouldlose his anger.

As he turned around in his cart" he noticed the welt on his foot. %e frowned"trying hard to remember how he had got it.

he ne-t morning" on the way bac# from a deli ery" he too# a by&route andwent to the office of the 0ongress Party on 6mbrella Street. %e crouched onthe eranda of the office and waited for someone important&loo#ing to comeout.

here was a sign outside" with an image of Indira Gandhi raising her hand"

and the slogan )Mother Indira will protect the poor.+ %e smir#ed.



9ere they completely nuts4 Fid they really thin# that anyone would e-pect apolitician to protect the poor4

But then he thought" Maybe this woman" Indira Gandhi" was someone

special3 maybe they were right. In the end" she was shot dead" wasn’t she4hat seemed e idence to him that she had wanted to help the world.

Suddenly" it seemed that the world did ha e some good&hearted people whowanted to help the poor. %e felt he had cut himself off from all of that with hise-cessi e bitterness.

%e saw a man in loose white clothes coming in" followed by two or threehangers&on. 0henayya rushed up to him and got down on his #nees" hispalms pressed together.

7or the ne-t wee#" whene er he #new his number was not going to be calledfor a while" he went around on his cycle" stic#ing up posters of the 0ongresscandidates in all the Muslim&dominated streets of the town" shouting" )!ote for0ongress/the party of Muslims* Fefeat the B. .P.*+

he wee# passed. he elections were o er" the results were declared.0henayya rode his cycle to the 0ongress Party office" par#ed it outside" wentto the door&#eeper" and as#ed to see the candidate.

)%e’s a busy man now/,ust wait out here a moment"+ the door#eeper said.%e put a hand on 0henayya’s bac#. )9e would ne er ha e won e-cept foryour wor#" 0henayya. he B. .P. defeated us e erywhere else" but you gotthe Muslims to ote*+

0henayya beamed. %e waited outside the Party head1uarters and watchedthe cars dri e up and disgorge rich and important men" who hurried in to seethe candidate. %e saw them and thought" his is where I will wait to collectmoney from the rich. 5ot much. ust fi e rupees from e eryone who comes tosee the candidate. hat should do.

%is heart beat with e-citement. An hour passed.

0henayya decided to go into the waiting room" to ma#e sure that he" too" got



to see the man when he finally came out. here were benches and stools inthe room3 a do$en other men were waiting. 0henayya saw an empty spot andwondered if he should sit down. 9hy not4 %e had wor#ed" too. %e was aboutto sit down on a bench when the door#eeper said" )6se the floor" 0henayya.+

Another hour passed. 7inally" the door#eeper came to him with a bo- full ofround yellow sweets. ) a#e one.+

0henayya too# a sweet" almost put it in his mouth" and then put it bac#. )Idon’t want a sweet.+ %is oice rose 1uic#ly. )I put up posters all o er thistown* 5ow I want to see the big man* I want to get a ,ob with/+

he door#eeper slapped him.

I am the biggest fool here" 0henayya thought" bac# in his alley. he otherpullers were lying in their carts" snoring hard. It was late at night" and he wasthe only one who could not sleep. I am the biggest fool. I am the biggestbaboon here.

'n the way to his first assignment the ne-t morning" there was another traffic ,am on 6mbrella Street/the biggest one he had e er seen.

9hen he finally got to his destination" he found that the owner of the housewas a European. %e insisted on helping to unload the furniture" whichconfused 0henayya terribly. he whole time" he spo#e in English" as if hee-pected e eryone in Cittur to be familiar with the language.

%e held his hand out at the end" shoo# 0henayya’s" and ga e him a fifty&rupee note.

0henayya was in a panic/where was he e-pected to get change4 %e tried toe-plain" but the European ,ust grinned and closed the door.

hen he understood. %e bowed deeply to the closed door.

Buying four lottery tic#ets" he bro#e the note into forty&si- one&rupee notes3



stuffing forty of them near his groin" he ga e the si- to the shop#eeper.

%e came bac# with a bottle of li1uor" and he saw the other cart pullers staringat him.

)9here did you get money for that" 0henayya4+

)5one of your business.+

%e dran# the bottle dry" then went o er to the li1uor shop and bought anotherbottle. 9hen he wo#e the ne-t morning" he reali$ed he had spent his moneyon li1uor.

All of it.

%e put his face in his hands and began to cry.

%e went to drin# water from a faucet.

%e could not switch off his mind. (i#e the faucet" it dripped. hin#" thin#" thin#.%e passed a statue of Gandhi" and he began thin#ing again. Gandhi dressedli#e a poor man/he dressed as 0henayya did. But what did Gandhi do forthe poor4

Fid Gandhi e en e-ist4 he wondered. hese things/India" the 2i er Ganga"the world beyond India/were they e en real4

%ow would he e er #now4

'nly one le el of society was lower than him: the beggars. ust one slide" andhe would be down with them" he thought. 'ne accident. And that would behim. %ow did the others deal with this4 hey did not. hey preferred not tothin#.

9hen he stopped at an intersection that night" an old beggar put his hands infront of 0henayya. %e turned his face away and cycled down the road to Mr.



Ganesh Pai’s shop.

he ne-t morning" he was going o er the hill again" with fi e cardboard bo-espiled up one abo e the other in his cart" thin#ing" Because we ac1uiesce.

Because we do not dare lea e with that wad of fifty thousand rupees/because we #now other poor people will catch us and drag us before the richman. Because we dare not #ill the rich" out of fear of their police. 9e poorha e built the prison around oursel es.

In the e ening" he lay down e-hausted. he others had built a fire. Someonewould come and gi e him some rice. %e was the hardest wor#er" so the bossman had let it be #nown that he ought to be fed regularly.

%e saw two dogs humping. (ife is so simple for them" he thought. It was a#ind of release. here was no passion in them at all. hat is all I want to doright now. %ump something. Instead of humping" I ha e to lie here" thin#ing.

he prostitute sat on the steps. )(et me come up"+ he said. She did not loo#at him3 she shoo# her head.

) ust one time. I’ll pay you ne-t time.+

)Get out of here" or I’ll call Brother"+ she said. %e ga e in3 he bought a smallbottle of li1uor" and he began drin#ing.

9hy do I thin# so much4 My thoughts are li#e thorns inside my head3 I wantthem out. And e en when I drin# they’re there. I wa#e up in the night" mythroat burning" and I find all the thoughts still in my head.

%e was awa#e" lying in his cart. %e was sure he had been hounded by therich e en in his dreams" because he wo#e up furious and sweating. hen heheard the noise of coitus close to him. %e saw another cart puller humpingthe prostitute. 2ight ne-t to him" it went on. %e wondered: 9hy not me4 9hynot me4 %e #new the fellow had no money/so she was doing it out of

charity. 9hy not me4

E ery sigh" e ery groan of the coupling pair was li#e a chastisement.



0henayya got off his cart" loo#ed around till he found a puddle of cow dungon the ground" and scooped up a handful. %e flung the shit at the lo ers.

here was a cry3 he rushed up to them" and dabbed the whore’s face withshit. %e put his shit&smeared fingers into her mouth" and #ept them there"

e en though she bit them3 the harder she bit the more he en,oyed it" and he#ept his fingers there until the other pullers descended on him and draggedhim away.

'ne day" he got an assignment that too# him out of the city limits" into Ba,pe3he was deli ering a doorframe to a construction site.

) here used to be a big coconut gro e here"+ one of the construction wor#erstold him. )But now that’s all that’s left.+ %e pointed to a distant clump of green.

0henayya loo#ed at the man" and as#ed" )Is there any wor# here for me4+

'n his way bac#" he too# a detour off the road and went out to the patch ofgreen. 9hen he got there" he left his bi#e and wal#ed around3 seeing a highroc#" he climbed up and loo#ed at the trees around him. 8es" he could li e out

here. If only he had a little food" what more would he want4 %is achingmuscles could be rested. %e put his head down on the roc# and loo#ed at thes#y.

It was nighttime when he cycled bac#. o get to the shop faster" he too# theroute down o er (ighthouse %ill.

As he was descending" he saw a red light and then a green light attached to

the bac# of a large blac# cloud mo ing down the road.

It was the elephant he had seen earlier" only now there were red and greentraffic lights tied with string to its rump.

)9hat’s the meaning of this4+ he shouted to the mahout.

%e shouted bac#" )9ell" I ha e to ma#e sure no one bumps into us frombehind at night/there are no lights anywhere*+



0henayya threw his head bac# and laughed/it was the funniest thing he hade er seen" an elephant with traffic lights on its rump.

) hey didn’t pay me"+ the mahout said. %e had tied the beast to the side of

the road and was chatting to 0henayya. %e had some peanuts with him" andhe didn’t want to eat them alone" so he was glad to split a few with 0henayya.

) hey made me ta#e their #id on a ride" and they didn’t pay me. 8ou shouldha e seen them drin# and drin#. And they wouldn’t pay me fifty rupees" whichwas all I as#ed.+

he mahout slapped the side of his elephant. )After all that 2ani did for them/+

) hat’s the way of the world"+ 0henayya said.

) hen it’s a rotten world.+ he mahout chewed a few more peanuts. )A rottenworld.+ %e slapped the side of his elephant again. 0henayya loo#ed at thebeast.

he behemoth’s eyes were ga$ing sidelong at him3 they glistened dar#ly"almost as if they were tearing. he beast also seemed to be saying" ) hingsshould not be this way.+

he mahout pissed against the wall" turning his head up" arching his bac#"and e-haling in relief" as if it were the best thing he had done all day.

0henayya #ept loo#ing at the elephant" its sad wet eyes. )I am sorry I e ercursed you" brother"+ he said aloud as he rubbed its trun#.

he mahout stood near the wall he had ,ust pissed on" watching 0henayyatal#ing to the elephant" a sense of apprehension growing within him.

'utside the ice&cream shop" two #ids were lic#ing ice creams and staring

right at 0henayya. %e was sprawled on his cart" dead tired after anotherday’s wor#.



)Fon’t you see me4+ 0henayya wanted to shout out o er the traffic. %isstomach was grumbling3 he was tired and hungry" and there was still an hourbefore the amilian boy from Mr. Ganesh Pai’s shop would bring out dinner.

'ne of the #ids across the street turned away" as if the fury in the cart puller’seyes had become ob ious. But the other one" a fat light&s#inned fellow"stayed put" sliding his tongue up and down his ice cream" staringnonchalantly at 0henayya.

Fon’t you ha e any shame" any sense of decency" you fat fuc#4

%e thought he would blac# out in anger" and turned around in his cart andbegan tal#ing aloud to calm his ner es.

)Ma#er of all men" why ha e you . . .+

%is ga$e fell on the rusty saw lying in his cart. )9hat stops me now"+ he saidaloud" )from crossing the street and slashing that rich motherfuc#er intoshreds4+

ust saying it made him feel more powerful.

A finger began tapping on his shoulder. If that’s the fat motherfuc#er with hisice cream" I will pic# up that saw and slice him in two" I swear to God.

It was the amilian assistant from the store.

)8our number has come up" 0henayya.+

%e too# his cart to the door of the store" where the boy handed him a smallpac#age wrapped in newspaper and tied with white string.

)It’s to the same place you went a while bac# to deli er the ! table. Mrs.Engineer’s house. 9e forgot to send the bonus gift" and she’s beencomplaining.+



)'h" no"+ he groaned. )She doesn’t tip at all. She’s a complete cunt.+

)8ou ha e to go" 0henayya. 8our number came up.+

%e cycled there slowly. At e ery intersection and traffic light" he loo#ed at thesaw in his cart.

Mrs. Engineer opened the door herself. She said she was on the phone" andtold him to wait outside.

) he food at the (ions 0lub is so fattening"+ he heard her saying. )I’ e put onten #ilos in the past year.+

%e grabbed the saw and went in. She had her bac# to him3 he saw thewhiteness of her flesh peeping out in the space between her blouse and hers#irt. %e went closer.

She turned around" then co ered the recei er with her hand. )5ot in here" youidiot* ust put the bonus gift on the floor and get out*+

%e stood confused for a moment.

)'n the floor*+ she screamed at him. ) hen get out*+

%e nodded" and dropped the saw on the floor and ran out.

)%ey* Fon’t lea e the saw in here*+

%e ran bac#" pic#ed up the saw" and left the house" duc#ing low to a oid theneem&tree lea es. %e tossed the saw into the cart: a loud crash. he bonusgift . . . where was it4 %e grabbed it" ran into the house" left it somewhere"and slammed the door.

here was a startled meow. A cat was sitting up on a branch of the tree"watching him closely. %ow beautiful its eyes were" he thought. his wonderfulcreature was part of that world" li#e a small ,ewel that had fallen off the



throne" a hint of a world of beauty beyond his #nowledge and reach.

%e stretched out his arms for it" and it came to him.

)Citty" #itty"+ he said" stro#ing its fur slowly. It wriggled about in his arms"restless already.

Somewhere" I hope" a poor man will stri#e a blow against the world"0henayya thought. Because there is no god watching o er the world. here isno one coming to release us from the ,ail in which we ha e loc#ed oursel es.

%e wanted to tell all this to the cat3 maybe it could tell it to another cart puller"the one who would be bra e enough to stri#e the blow.

%e sat down by the wall slowly" still holding on to the cat and stro#ing its fur.Maybe I can ta#e you along" #itty. %ow would he feed it4 It had found someway to sur i e here" this cat3 it was better off for being left on its own" so hereleased it again. %e sat with his bac# to the wall and watched the cat mo earound" padding cautiously up to a car and then slin#ing under it. %e was

craning his nec# to see what it was doing down there when he heard a shoutfrom high abo e. It was Mrs. Engineer" yelling at him from the top of hermansion: )I #now what you’re up to" thug/I can read your mind* 8ou won’tget another rupee from me* Get mo ing*+

%e was not e en angry3 he #new she was right. %e had to go bac# to thestore. %is number would come up again soon. %e got on his cart andpedalled.

here was a traffic ,am in the city center" and 0henayya had to go o er(ighthouse %ill again. raffic was bad here" too. It mo ed a few inches at atime" and then 0henayya had to stop mid&hill and clamp his foot down on theroad to hold his cart in place. 9hen the horns began to sound" he rose fromhis seat and pedalled3 behind him" a long line of cars and buses mo ed" as ifhe were pulling the traffic along with an in isible chain

Documents

The Elefant, A Novel by Aravind Adiga