Case of the missing man

For reasons that are apparently unknown, I seem to be haunted by the ghost of Pundit Hridaynath Kunzru more than me actually trying to hunt him down!!! My major work last week was to look through the many indexes in the home political department and give in requisitions for files at the archives, since heaven knows why there is such an overwhelming population at the microfilm section at Teenmurti, that booking slots to capture a machine seems to be a glorious period in the “ancient history of library loitering”. Anyhow, so after deciding not to waste time, since I managed to book a slot for Saturday, and I had the whole of Friday to devote to nai, I decided to make the most of it.

There were 3 files waiting for me, and one was pretty impressive, if I threw it at a person, he’s conk out. So it was in one word – heavy. There were loads of correspondences and government officials pleading and pleasing each other, and funnily enough, they always repeated words like, “I will be gratified - I will be mollified - it as been my pleasure - how important scouting is for india - as I had mentioned in my earlier letter to the department – my most sincere regrets - I am infallibly yours forever more – blah blah blah…” it seems that all the letters have been made out from the same kind of a mould and it is just the subject of each correspondence that differs from page to page! J the thing which is bothering me pretty much is that this fellow Hridaynath Kunzru – he is practically there in each letter, his mention is there is every one of the correspondences, he happens to have been present (and that’s on record) on each national scout meet in Delhi, he happened to be there in the breakfast and dinner of the republic and independence day celebrations at Rashtrapati Bhaban, he writes fluent English and has an extremely colourful letterhead with the flag of India and the scouts and guides emblem maneuvered together in a wholesome manner, and he is basically a nice knowledgeable man who encourages all kind of student and youth activities, and favours the “thinking out for themselves” young, more than the “sitting and lazing on their backsides” old people. But the biggest truth about him is that he is but a missing link to my work because I can neither trace his private papers, nor can I trace the reports or proceedings of the committee meetings which he had chaired!! But he’s there, absolutely omnipresent in each correspondence, and important letter which passed to and from the ministry of education, and finance, and home departments.

Such be the case of the missing man. Name’s Kunzru. Hridaynath Kunzru. Most wanted. Anybody spying the name of this elusive man in any decaying and yellowed file paper, or committee index, please report immediately. Confirmed dinner at Mezbaan.

Back to M.S word for now.