I am not clannish but I am interested in knowing about my ancestry. My father and grandfather were the only two who could give me some details. They started by telling me about a big landlord named Satya with two wives Devi and Rani, who had lived over two centuries ago in Tipu Sultan’s reign. I was told that we were all descended from him. I wanted to hear more but they could only give historical details: Tipu was against the British rulers and there were frequent encounters between the armies. British troops led by Col.Jones once planned a surprise attack on the sultan, but Satya somehow got wind of it and warned Tipu. Tipu’s soldiers who had been put on the alert caused Jones to flee with many losses. The sultan rewarded Satya by giving him 4 more villages and a large diamond besides. After this the family story is vague. May be there were some secrets which were buried.  I could only trace some fifth generation descendants who were disinterested in their ancestry! That is all the family lore!

I am an engineer and have worked several years in Aachen in Germany. I speak German like a native. On a Saturday morning I ran into my neighbour, old man Duckwitz, and talking to him said “I’ve decided to go back to India, my homeland.” 

He said “That’s indeed bad news to me. You’ve been a good neighbour and I would depend on your help any time I needed it.” He sighed and said “All good things must come to an end! Come and share a fondue tomorrow evening. I got a big load of Swiss cheese which an old colleague visiting me from Geneva brought me only yesterday. There is vintage white wine, and first class bread. And don’t bring anything!! This will be my party.” I laughed. Every time he had invited me home I would go with something for him. It would often be a bottle of wine of brands which he liked.

 I said “I’ll also miss your company. I’ll surely be with you tomorrow evening.”

I went early when Duckwitz in flannels opened the door. I said laughing “I’ve come empty handed!”

He said “I can see that. I again say I’m going to miss a good neighbour. Come in and make yourself at home.” He brought me a small appetizer and the prosts were said. We sat talking and after a while he said “As you can see the fondue pot is boiling.”

I saw the glowing fire and pot over it. He said “I know you’re a vegan and have kept out meats and even garlic.”

I said “Thank you for respecting my food preferences. You’ve always done it.”

I said pointing to a painting on the wall “That seems to be a new one.”

He said “Yes. I was doing a little house cleaning and emptied the cellar. That’s an unknown painting which my grandfather had said would be valuable as it is almost Degas.”

“Was your grandfather an art collector?”

“I’ll tell you. Let us go to the pot.”

We shifted and he said “Let me first pour more wine. The smell is heady.” He poured some from a bottle and stirred the pot.”There’s the cheese fork. Help yourself.”

I took some bread and dipped it in the pot. I said “Smells great!” I tasted the bread and said “I’ve been to several fondue parties but I will say yours is the best.”

He took a mouthful of bread after dipping in the pot when I reminded him about what he was saying of his grandfather.

“Years ago, my grandfather had traded in antiques. He would go round various places looking for old books, photos, pictures, documents, statues etc etc. He had built a bunker at home and had stowed whatever he had of value in it. He died before the great war.”

He said to me “More fondue.” I took cheese and dipping it in the pot, relished it.

He took a bite and said “My grandfather’s house which was left to me here was mere rubble at the end of the war. I opened the underground bunker and found the contents largely decayed or damaged except for a few. Grandpa had been to England before the war and had come back with some notebooks and diaries besides some Egyptology. If you’re interested I can show you.”

I wasn’t interested in Egyptology and so said “I’m sure those would interest collectors.”

“We’ll finish the fondue and then you can have a look at whatever I have brought out of the cellar. Not many items I should say.”

We kept consuming the fondue till the pot was empty. Duckwitz said “I’ve more white wine, more Swiss cheese and more bread.”

I said “Thank you. I’m full.”

He said “One thing about my father. He was very meticulous and would note down whatever he was told about anything he was acquiring. Come with me.”

He took me to another room and I saw on a long table some albums which appeared very old. I saw an Egyptian sarcophagus also. He said “My grandfather had got this from the pyramids. Said to be from King Tut’s tomb. I want to gift it to you.”

I was shocked and said “Sorry Mr.Duckwitz! I’m scared of taking anything which had belonged to Tut. They say these things carry a curse.”

He laughed and said “Fine.” He said pointing “That album---“ He studied the writing on it with a magnifier and said “These are photos of happenings in the reign of Queen Victoria.” I said I wasn’t interested.

He drew from a bag a folder saying “These were the last that grandpa brought home before he died. Apparently a book seller in London had these and gave them away for free as they had no market. He has recorded that also on top.”

Grandpa had written on the folder ‘said to be from the Locksley Hall papers of the Duke so and so’. It had a small bunch of papers which were decaying. I saw something about Tipu Sultan and said “I would like to see these.”

“Not only see. Take possession of all that stuff”

The party was over and Duckwitz clasped me before I went back.

Back home I was eager to know what were in the papers and sat reading them with my lighted magnifier. I opened the paper which figured ‘Tipu Sultan’ in it and started reading it .The attached note said: Papers from the Henry Bradley home library: It read: ‘Warner has told me the British in India want to produce gazetteers of various places. I opted to do it and sailed. I was given the job of writing about places in south India’ There were several notes and then I read ‘I spoke to Salim who is the grandson of a principal courtier of Tipu Sultan. He told me about how the sultan had defeated the army of Col.Jones due to a tip off by big chief Satya. As reward Tipu gave 4 more villages to Satya besides a beautiful young girl Radha, perhaps because  both his wives hadn’t produced children.  I’ve  appended details  of  Radha’s background. Satya gave Radha a residence away from his two wives, and would spend more time with her. His wives were jealous of Radha and when it was known that Radha was in the family way, conspired to murder her but failed. He gave me details of the murder attempt which is interesting and I have appended it. When Radha produced twins his two senior wives poisoned him and he died. The matter was given no publicity and the two women divided the properties between themselves. However the crafty Satya in anticipation of trouble for Radha, had made provision for her and her children by----.’ The rest of the document was largely unreadable. I could only make out with great difficulty, that Radha was probably the illegitimate daughter of a public entertainer. The other documents I had picked concerned Egyptology in which I wasn’t interested.

I was excited reading that scrap of information. A generation is counted as 30 years. If so I am perhaps in the 7^th generation or so after Satya. It is said that the occurrence of twins is likely in descendants of the one who had produced them but I could not recall any of my known kin having produced twins. I could find no mention of the diamond said to have been given to Satya. May be it was hearsay or may be, he had given it to Radha!  Nothing was said about  Satya marrying Radha. I felt the family was ashamed of Radha and had therefore suppressed all mention of her.  However Satya’s lineage lives on, perpetuating itself!

END