Hello and welcome to the Discourse. Manohar Malgaonkar was an Indian novelist, historian, and short-story writer who took birth in 1913 and died in 2010. He joined the British Indian army during Second World War and became a Lieutenant Colonel. He continued as army personnel till 1952 when he retired at the age of 39. After retiring from army services, he concentrated on writing and his first work was a non-fiction biographical work on Kanhoj Angrey, the chief of the Maratha Navy during the eighteenth century. The title of this historical account was The Sea Hawk: Life and Battles of Kanhoj Angrey. His second work was a semi-autobiographical novel Distant Drum which was published in the year 1960.
The novel is written in the third person narrative. The novel is divided into three parts namely, The Regiment, The Staff, and Active Service. The theme of the novel is the loyalty and code of conduct of an Army personnel in the tumultuous period when his country is going through a drastic change involving a change of regime from the Colonial British system to the Indian democratic system, and the partition of India. The novel is written in continuation of the present and past in flashbacks.
Characters of Distant Drum:
Colonel Kiran Garud is the protagonist who joined British Indian Army during the pre-independence era and then continued to serve as an Indian army officer after the independence. Ropey Booker is a British Indian Army officer who quit the army after the independence of India. He used to be the ideal of Kiran as he was the one who taught Kiran the code of conduct of an army man. Abdul Jamal is another British-Indian soldier who is a good friend of Kiran Garuda as both were trained together as military officers at Dehradoon Military School and they fought together in Burma during the Second World War. Lala Vishnu Saran Dev is a local politician and the chairperson of the District Congress Unit. Gobind Ram Sonal is a high-class bureaucrat and the Defence Secretary of Independent India. Bina Sonal is Gobind Ram’s daughter who falls in love with Kiran Garuda. M. Arvind Mathur is a multi-millionaire businessman and a suitor of Binda Sonal. Major Bob Medley is the senior officer of Kiran Garuda’s regiment whose attractive wife Margot Medley develops an illicit relationship with Kiran.
Summary of Distant Drum:
The novel begins in the Satpura regiment where Colonel Kiran Garuda is posted. He is in the regiment of Major Bob Medley whose wife, Morgot Medley is a voluptuous attractive lady. She has a keen interest in Kiran and often tries to engage him in her chores. Kiran’s friend, Colonel Abdul Jamal warns him about Morgot’s intentions but Kiran doesn’t care much. He joined the army as a lad and now he is at the peak of his youth. Kiran is a very loyal and brave soldier. He and Abdul Jamal both were trained at Dehradoon Military Academy together and then they fought in Burma during the Second World War. When Abdul Jamal was fatally wounded and left unconscious in the Burma war for the Sittang bridge and the retreat upto Thaungdwingyi, Kiran took his watch, photograph, and papers from his wallet to send to his family in the event of Abdul's death. But Abdul survived and later appreciated Kiran as the sole friend who could have conveyed news of his death and his belongings to his family if he died.
Major Medley admires Kiran’s loyalty and bravery and his code of conduct. Morgot develops a physical relationship with Kiran but she fails to keep it a secret. One day, Major Bob Medley sees her with Kiran in a compromising situation and it breaks his heart. Later on, Bob Medley commits suicide by shooting himself with his service revolver. During the inquiry, Abdul Jamal helps Kiran and keeps his name out of the investigation trail. However, this incident fills Kiran with guilt and he feels very sorry for the late Bob Medley. He goes through a course of correction and vows never to get indulge in physical charm. It is a period of change as recently, India has been established as a free republic nation.
This change has caused a major reshuffle in the army ranks too. Most of the British officers have either decided to return to England, or they have decided to retire from army service while engaging in some other business ventures. Shockingly, Ropey Booker is one of them. He is one of the senior soldiers whom Kiran deeply admires and respects for his devotion to duty and code of conduct. Ropey Booker leads the battalion of Kiran and Abdul in Burma during Second World War. Now Ropey has resigned from his army service and has begun his own business venture of box packaging. When Kiran goes to meet him, Ropey offers him a lucrative job offer if he too is willing to retire from the army. Kiran realizes that he can never make such huge money through his army service but he rejects the temptation and says that he is totally committed to the code of conduct of a soldier. He says that he would be failing in our duty to these youngsters and to the future army if he quits.
Kiran realizes that it is difficult to maintain discipline under the new political regime. Recently, his regiment bought a new Shamiana for the training camps of soldiers. However, the local politician Lala Vishnu Saran Dev wants this Shamiana of the military to be used in a political procession where the chief minister is scheduled to visit. Despite his demand, Ckiran Garuda plainly rejects Vishnu Saran Dev’s demand who feels humiliated and warns Kiran of the consequences. During the political meeting, a young journalist Bina Sonal also visits the chief minister. She gets impressed by Kiran’s plain mannerisms and loyalty toward his duty. Both develop a romantic relationship. Meanwhile, Cishnu Saran Dev succeeds in transferring Colonel Kiran Gowda from the Satpura region to Kashmir which is going through unrest. However, before the war between the newly found states of Pakistan and India may begin, the ceasefire is announced. Kiran is then transferred to Delhi in the defense office where he suffers further political encroachment over military matters. However, Kiran meets Bina Sonal again in Delhi who is the daughter of the defense secretary of India. Abdul Jamal has also been transferred to Delhi as Delhi is facing the heat of the Hindu-Muslim riots of 1947. The Hindu-Muslim conflict had surged like a raging fire and Delhi looked like a battlefield with dead and injured bodies scattered in the streets. And fire and smoke hung over the city. Both Kiran and Abdul try to bring the mob under control. They set out for a rescue operation. They save some people from a fire accident and a Hindu woman from being troubled by two Muslim fanatics. Then Kiran takes hold of one of the two Muslims and hands him over to the police. Later when Kiran goes into the mosque where 82 thirty thousand Muslims were taking shelter; one of the two assailants recognizes him and instigates others to kill him. At the same time, Abdul comes there and protects him.
Kiran Garud is appreciated for his exemplary work of peacekeeping during the riots and is given a military award. However, defense secretary Gobind Ram Sonal is not happy about it as he doesn’t want Kiran Garuda to continue his developing relationship with Bina Sonal, his daughter. Gobind Ram wishes his daughter to marry Mr. Arvind Mathur who is a multi-millionaire businessman. He uses his political power to transfer Kiran Garuda again to Kashmir Valley. He meets Kiran and says that though he admires Kiran and knows that he is a great officer whose services are needed in Delhi during such a period, he has managed to transfer him to Kashmir because he doesn’t want him near his daughter. He says that he will bring Kiran back to Delhi again once he fixes Bina’s marriage with Arvind Mathur. Kiran says that he is happy about being transferred to Kashmir and he has no qualms about quitting Bina if he, being her father does not like it because, for him, his service and code of conduct of a soldier is superior to every other relationship.
As Kiran Garuda prepares to take the lead of the Satpura regiment at Raniwada in Kashmir, Bina Sonal visits him and says that she has rejected the offer of marrying Arvind Mathur and she wishes to spend her life with him.
So this is it for today. We will continue to discuss the history of Indian English literature. Please stay connected with the Discourse. Thanks and Regards!
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