| Trivandrum is a little city in the south of India. It | | | | philosopher as well as a warrior, he grew into a |
| faces the sea and, though sweltering during the day, | | | | wonderful young man who spent much of his time |
| is cooled in the evening by the gentle on-shore | | | | helping the poor people of his land. Then one day, an |
| breezes that circle the tip of the sub-continent. It | | | | evil half-brother who coveted the throne |
| was years since I had visited that small city with | | | | assassinated his father. The young prince was |
| Pandayji, but I vividly recall the spontaneous, | | | | captured and held prisoner in the dungeon by the |
| gregarious nature of its population. There were | | | | new king. He subsequently escaped with the help of |
| fishermen and farmers, soldiers and sailors; merchants | | | | some loyal warriors,crossing the Vindya hills to set up |
| hawking their wares, strangely dressed figures riding | | | | camp in a remote refuge. |
| horses, shouting at the top of their voices. Yes, | | | | As time went by, he began helping others who had |
| Trivandrum was a time warp from another place and | | | | been wronged by those wielding power. He took |
| time. Effortlessly with adaptability and grace, it | | | | from the rich and gave to the poor. He and his band |
| spanned the centuries from long before the British | | | | of rebels championed the cause of the underdog. In |
| Raj to this very day. | | | | many ways, he was the RobinHood of the territory. |
| Walk down any street in Trivandrum and you'll quickly | | | | Many years passed, but he never returned as a |
| find that you're in a time machine, jockeying among | | | | prince to the kingdom of his father, preferring to |
| many eons. Lovely little restaurants and shops are | | | | spend the rest of his life fighting evil and injustice. No |
| haphazardly quilted along narrow alleys. While nearby | | | | one seemed to remember his real name and, in time, |
| in a tavern, rowdy rebels direct from the journals of | | | | he came to be known as the Terror of Trivandrum. |
| Kipling or Clive sit quaffing the king's grog. Listen | | | | Some say that he never died and is hundreds of |
| carefully and you may hear them whisper the name | | | | years old. Others say the gods rewarded him with |
| that strikes fear in the hearts of those who delight in | | | | immortality because of his good deeds. Still others |
| injustice, those who prey on the less fortunate. I | | | | claim it is his great grandson who has continued the |
| remember Pandayji in a hushed voice mentioning the | | | | tradition of a modern day Zorro. Whatever the case |
| legend of the Terror of Trivandrum. | | | | may be, the legend of the Terror of Trivandrum |
| Centuries ago the story goes, he was born a prince | | | | continues in that ancient city and has traveled far |
| and was raised in the luxury of the ruling classes. A | | | | beyond its borders. |