topics: |  fiction | children |

Three children - Kartik and Jaya from the city, and Gowri who lives in the village with her pet goat Chikki, help catch a criminal intent on robbing a relic from the old coastal temple.

The main lines of the story are told beforehand, reducing suspense somewhat, but the action is well-crafted and the story holds interest.

This book was printed after it won a competition of Children's Books 1987. It is definitely one of the early children's detective-genre writings in India.

The imaginary village of Rajapuram, somewhere near Mahabaliuram, is lovingly recreated, along with its landmark "Murugesha military hotel". The story is enlivened by characters like 90-year old retired postmaster Chintamani, delineated as a cantankerous old man, living in the past. The rath festival of Pathanur, with its nadaswaram melodies, and the catamaran race add colour to the story.

However, there are some loose ends - e.g. it is surprising that the temple in which the three idols are being installed, has no priest. The character of the cowherd boy Linga is rather shallow.

The pencil sketches by Sujasha Dasgupta are fine for some scenes such as the temple priest Govinda in the stormy night, but fail when it becomes too complex, like when Gowri and Jaya are waking up Kartik.

Like many CBT books, this book is long out of print, but you can read the
e-book thanks to arvind gupta, at arvindguptatoys.com.

Excerpt

Fifteen years ago On a dark night in August, the coastal village of
Rajapuram in Tamil Nadu was lashed by severe rain and thunderstorm. The
sea was a churning, roaring turmoil and the fishermen were happy to be
safe at home.

At the ancient Sundareswara temple on the lonely beach, Govinda, the
priest, was still awake.  A single oil lamp lit his humble dwelling.

Govinda was a worried man. Recently there had been a spate of robberies in
the neighbouring villages, where several temples were stripped off their
treasures. The Sundareswara temple could be an attractive target. It
housed several valuable idols and the rare and precious emerald lingam of
Lord Siva, all of which were stored in a strong-room, next to the sanctum
sanctorum. Govinda was realistic enough to think that this was poor
protection against unscrupulous men.

Fearing the worst, he had hidden the emerald lingam in a small cavity that
he had painstakingly chiselled in absolute secrecy.  Just a few hours
back, he had shifted the lingam to the hiding place. p.6

Lightning flashed and bathed the shrine inbrightness for a moment. In that
instant, Govinda saw something.


Govinda comes out with a lantern.  Amid the shadows of the
ornately carved pillars, he sees a dark figure with a knife.

CBI sleuth : Sleepy Alva

    "Tr...ring!" The phone jangled noisily at the local CBI headquarters. A
tall, lean man stretched to answer it.
    "Alva, here."
    "D'Cunha, sir," said the voice at the other end. "Our common friend
just bought an air ticket for Bangalore. Saturday. Noon flight."

Inspector Roderick Alva, better known as 'Sleepy' for his drowsy eyes,
rolled a cigarette thoughtfully. p.9

Kartik, Jaya and Gowri

At fourteen, Kartik was a dark, lanky boy with an uncommonly grave
expression. Jaya, his younger by a year, was as different from him as chalk
from cheese. Short, plump and fair, she was a chronic giggler.

Gowri, the third member of the trio, was also the youngest at eleven
years. But she was the most mischievous. Demurely clad in flowing, long
skirts and a blouse, her oiled hair neatly plaited, she looked too good to
be true. In fact her favourite activities were flying kites, playing
marbles, climbing trees, and planning practical jokes on unsuspecting
people.

Rajapuram

Rajapuram is a quaint village situated off the beach road from Madras to
Pondicherry. Centuries ago, it had been a minor port; now it is inhabited
mainly by fisherfolk and farmers.

The streets are cobbled and narrow, flanked by carved doorways of
dwellings. Time has touched Rajapuram lightly. Thus Murugesha's Hotel was a
striking contrast amidst such humble surroundings.  Called Military,
because the hotel served non-vegetarian food, it was the village's only
hotel which boasted of lodgings and a modern decor.  The walls were bright
blue, the floor red-tiled and the tables and chairs painted a gay orange.

Murugesha, the fat proprietor, was a jovial man with a penchant for wearing
bright lungis and listening to loud music.




hidden behind nandi, kartik observes Shetty searching
the temple with his torch.

Chasing the thief

Unaware that he had been followed, Shetty prowled about in the sanctum
sanctorum. He tapped the walls for hollow sounds indicating a cavity.
After an hour or so he gave up.

A little distance away, Kartik crouched behind a pillar. Shetty came out of
the main shrine and walked across the courtyard to one of the smaller
shrines. Kartik ran after him softly, and hid in the shadow of the Nandi
bull.

Inside the small Ganesha temple, Shetty ran his torch along the wall.

'He has not found it,' thought Kartik. thankfully.  He came around to the
front and crouched under the neck of the stone bull.  p.64

The stars were twinkling in the sky. A gentle sea breeze rustled through
the palms. Kartik shivered and pressed his knees closer, digging them into
the stone. Suddenly he felt the stone beneath him shift. Some earth fell
off. He looked down to see the part of the pedestal beneath the forefeet of
Nandi had caved in. There was some sort of a cavity.