Balu the Bull

“Balu the Bull, eats stomach full”, chimed a bunch of teenagers including (yours truly) hovering between the ages of 15 and 17.

The Balu in question being no bull but a well built young lad of around 15 with a good measure of adipose thrown in. Not all adipose but a certain amount of muscle too which used to deter us boys from going too far. The combined effect of muscle and adipose was to give the impression of a man who enjoyed his food and consequently beat the inflation rate quite comfortably.

Balu or G Balasubramaniam was my hostel mate at the Hindu Senior Secondary School, Chennai where I studied from the eighth to tenth standard between 1978 to 1981. Balu was two years older than me and a bright student. He also loved reading books. Thanks to Balu I was introduced to Forsyth’s immortal work “The Day of the Jackal” and the definitive book on the mafia “The Godfather” by Mario Puzo. Balu would read excerpts from these novels while me and another hostel mate Muthu listened with rapt attention. These readings were conducted during study our in our room. All I can say in mitigation is that at least we read while the majority of the hostel mates pretended to be engrossed in studying while all they were waiting for was the dinner gong.

Apart from introducing me to the great works of crime fiction Balu occasionally helped me with my studies as well. Balu, me and Muthu formed a trio who were well regarded by the warden as well as the students. Looking back I can say with some pride that we did manage to raise the bar as far as education standards where concerned in the hostel.

There is one incident which standouts in my mind. One of my relatives Kavita (another teenager) used to visit me quite often in the hostel. Now the rumour was that Balu had developed a soft corner for this girl. My protective instincts were aroused. Friendship was secondary to the cause of protecting the members of the fairer sex. I did not know how to deal with the situation. I began to keep an eye on Balu. The next time I thought that the Bull was on a prowl I began following him. Balu I think cottoned on and led me to a merry dance. Apart from, a little pain in my legs nothing really came off the exercise. The bull of course gave me a huge grin. As subsequent events were to prove my doubts were entirely unfounded and the whole story in journalistic parlance was nothing more than a plant designed for an audience of one-me.

Soon after Balu alas completely disappeared from my life. After his Class X examinations, he left the hostel. Apart from a chance meeting near Bangalore station, I haven’t seen Balu for over a quarter century. The memories of the man who introduced me to Michael Corleone and the chacal (French for Jackal) however refuse to fade. As Don Corleone said in The Godfather, ”Everyman has but one destiny”. Balu I guess is pursuing his while I am pursuing mine and our paths may never cross again.