CHAPTER 10: LONE RANGER
The next day, at the Maharaja’s palace grounds, crowd has gathered to watch a polo match in which Saket and Abhyankar are playing. Mythili and Lalwani have come too. All is well until Abhyankar meets with an accident wherein his horse collapses on his trunk. People rush and retrieve him out and admit him to the hospital.
Cut to the stable of the collapsed horse. Saket and the Maharaja are observing the horse on the floor. The Maharaja asks if he could put down the horse and gets a confirmation from the doctor. It is a practice in race circles wherein a fallen horse is put down if it is found it can’t run any more. He takes his revolver out and kills the horse after having the eyes of all the other horses covered. He then tells Saket:
“This Kathiawar horse once was great and useful to me. But now it burdens itself and others. I think it would amount to kindness to put him to sleep”
Again, Mahatma Gandhi is referred here. The Maharaja suggests that once Gandhi was of use during the independence struggle, but is more of a liability now and it is best to get rid of him. The other horses (read Gandhians) must not know about the murder.
Saket and the King come to the hospital to visit Abhyankar. Saket finds here that the King has got Lalwani a good job in exchange for his service. The Maharaja goes inside to meet Abhyankar as Saket waits outside along with Lalwani and Mythili. Lalwani is happy that Saket had helped him put his past back, and thanks him. “Guha” then bids adieu to Saket and leaves. Mythili breaks into tears upon which Saket asks the reason. Mythili says that she is lucky that Saket has survived the accident on the field. She says that she is going to say something that her ancestors never would have said to their spouses and says “I love you”. Saket says he loves her too and that is why he is disturbed. He is not able to digest the fact that he is going to leave this innocent girl suffering in a few weeks.
Saket says his hands are stained with blood and he should not be with her. She says that it is because of his passion for hunting and it is natural for a tiger (symbol for masculinity yet again) to hunt and kisses him. Little does she know that Saket is not hunting animals but himself is an animal that has hunted a lot of humans and is going to go on. He sympathizes for the girl whose innocence adds more and more to his guilt and he asks if he would find peace if he tells her everything about him. She asks him to tell her everything after he has met Abhyankar. Saket looks at the toe ring on his finger, removes it and slips it onto Mythili’s finger. This ironical shot not only shows his acceptance of Mythili as his wife but also the relinquishment of his last traces of Grihasta. He tries to kiss Mythili as the Maharaja interrupts.
Saket learns that Abhyankar has become quadriplegic and wants to see him alone immediately. He leaves her and goes into Abhyankar’s room. Abhyankar lies on his bed unable to even move. Saket tries to offer some consolation which is turned down by Abhyankar. He says that he has lost his body and now he is submitting his untainted soul to Saket. He asks Saket to promise that he will fulfill their duty for the sake of their religion, ideology and for the motherland. He also asks him to vouch that no blood relation shall stop him from attaining his goal which hesitantly Saket does.
He asks him to gather the parcel from the adjacent table and place it on his chest. Saket takes the parcel that is kept in front of the Hanuman (tearing his chest to reveal Rama) photo and places it on Abhyankar’s chest. The most evident analogy between Abhyankar and Hanuman is placed here as Abhyankar asks him to tear open the package which Saket follows. Saket finds the gun that Abhyankar had chosen for his mission in the box. Abhyankar asks him to take possession of the gun. He also instructs Saket that he will be telegrammed the details of the mission by the Maharaja and he has to carry it out without fail. Abhyankar has torn his chest and given his soul to Saket.
Go To Chapter
The Seventh Art 
Leave a Reply