Letter From Ringano

Daniel is walking along the pavement of the busy Regent Street, doing some last minute shopping before heading back to KL. It’s the beginning of summertime; it’s a time to soak up the sun rays. Time to put away heavy sweaters, overcoats and woolies into the closets and take out the t-shirts and bathing suits. People, especially tourists are coming in droves to enjoy the sights and sounds that summertime has to offer, and to snatch up some nice bargains from the famous department stores and shops in the high streets of London. Big red double-decker buses, some with open air compartments, occupied by locals and tourists alike, are making their daily rounds on the busy streets. Visibly present are more tourists coming from the Continents, singing and waving their national flags on top of the open air double-decker buses. After years of self imposed isolation, the majority of British citizens have finally made up their minds to become willing Europeans. They have backed the UK’s continued membership of the European Economic Community by a large majority in a nationwide referendum in June. Women are coming out in one-piece cotton dresses, with lightweight scarves made from breezy cotton, rayon or silk fabrics, tank tops and loose skirts. Men are coming out wearing rolled-up oxfords, chino pants and adorned with cheap sunglasses. Youngsters with t-shirts and denim jeans wrap their sweaters round their waists in case the weather turns cold. The English weather is quite unpredictable, especially during summertime. Everyone walks with a smile and a bounce; an attitude of having fun. News vendors along the street are carrying posters of Margaret Thatcher everywhere. “Tories New Leader Bangs Hard!”, the headline painted on these posters. In February, Thatcher had challenged Edward Heath for the top post and succeeded in defeating him by 130 votes to 119, after a bruising and bad-tempered contest. The result paved the way for her to become not only the new Tory leader but also by virtue of this feat, she became the first woman leader of a major political party of Great Britain. Daniel continues walking up the Regent Street. Often he has to squeeze through throngs of tourists, shoppers and commuters. Many of them do not move; they just stand along the pavement in groups, reading their maps. All want to head to the same destination; The Oxford Street tube station. Eventually Daniel finds himself at the junction of Oxford Street, facing Selfridges. The department store brings to mind the bomb blast incident a couple of years ago. He had a lucky escape. Thanks to the mysterious Irishman. He decides to bypass Selfridges, mindful of the continuing unresolved political conflicts in Northern Ireland. He chose to go into a selling store jewelry. He wants to check out what ring to buy for his wedding day.

“Hey, Daniel! What are you doing here? Thought you have gone back to Malaysia for good!”,
suddenly, a man emerging from the backroom of the store shouts loudly across the jewelry counters. A curious Daniel turns round to look and is pleasantly surprised to see that the man shouting at him is his former university classmate Dinesh. He was also a member in the party going to Egypt for the anthropological exploration to the Valley of the Kings. “Hello, Dinesh. Good to see you. Well, I came back to pack some of my belongings to be shipped back to Malaysia and also to come and pay my last respects to my late god mother who had passed away recently.” “Oh. I am sorry to hear that. Was she the couple who lived in the Richmond area that you once brought me there for Christmas?” “Yes.”, Daniels replies. “Give my condolences and regards to her folks will you?.” “Sure.”, Daniel did not continue, he does not see the need to tell him the cause of Kathy Brown’s death. “Do you work here, Dinesh?” “No. I am just helping out my father. He owns this store.”, Dinesh reveals. “Hey. Let’s go over to the pub for a little chat and a pinter, shall we?” And off they went to the pub next door. They exchanged some peasantries and reminisced their old days and friends in the university. “Are you going to work for your father business, Dinesh?”, Daniel asks. “No. Not really. Not my cup of tea. I am just helping out. My brother is learning the trade. He will take over when he is ready.” “So, what are you going to do with your anthropology degree then?” “Nothing. I am not going to apply for a lecturing job like some of our friends. I am going into politics, man..” “Oh really? That’s interesting. But, you have never spoken about your political ambitions when you were in the university, Dinesh.” “No. I haven’t. I had thought of becoming a politician in England but never told anyone about it. They won’t believe me if I did. Who would believe an Indian could be a member of parliament in British politics! ” “Why politics and why now, then?”, Daniel asks. “Well, time is right. The world is spinning. This is the time of the underdogs!”, Dinesh replies confidently. “For the wheel is still in spin. And there is no telling who that’s naming. For the loser now, will be later to win. For the times they are a-changing. The slow one now, will later be fast. As the present now, will later be past. The order is rapidly fading. And the first one now, will later be last. For the times they are a-changing. Still remember this Bob Dylan song, Daniel?”, Dinesh quotes the lines perfectly. “The whole world is changing. The whole white world is changing my friend. Centuries of white supremacy is now at its crossroad, it’s excesses are eating into their conscience. The Americans were defeated in Vietnam, they have lost their cause. The mighty British have already lost their empire and their control of the Far East decades ago; defeated by the tiny Japanese. There is talk of an Asian renaissance. Power is no longer the absolute domain of the white people. People are looking at the human race in a different dimension now. This is the time of the underdogs. This is the time for people like me. History is for the taking. This is my time, mate.”, Dinesh expressed his thoughts with a speech like that of a polished politician. “Which political party do you belong to, Dinesh? “I am going to run as an Independent in the next general election, mate”, he stressed. “How do you assess your chances of winning?” “Well, there is a sizable community of foreigners in my constituency. We have blacks from the African continent, and the Caribbean’s, Indians, Pakistanis and Asians. They have made their homes here and they are given British passports. They can vote now. I have registered myself as an Independent candidate and I have worked hard to fight for their rights. I am giving them hope for a brighter future. They like what I am doing. They say they are going to vote for me!”

Dinesh and his family came to London in the late sixties to escape the oppressing regime in Kenya where they had made their homes since the days of his grandfather. Many of his cousins and friends from neighbouring Uganda also landed in England. Most of them arrived in the early 70s. They were fleeing from the dictatorship of the tyrannical Idi Amin. Dinesh’s father was already a successful jeweler in Kenya. He has business connections in London and other European cities. Being a shrewd businessman with politically awareness, he maintained banking accounts in these countries and placed large sums of money in deposit accounts. Thus, when the family uprooted themselves to London, they could afford a comfortable living here. Initially, his father conducted his jewelry business in a rented shop in Oxford Street, working practically seven days a week. Within 3 years, he bought over the shop and another next door. He imported his stones from India, Pakistan and Eastern Europe. Dinesh could trace his ancestry from the Indian state of Gujarat. Beside Gujarat, many Indians in London can trace their ancestry to the Indian states of Punjab, Rajastan, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Andhra and Bihar. “What is your election manifesto?”, Daniel asks. “It wouldn’t be right to fight for hunting rights is there? I will champion the causes of the minorities, especially the immigrants in this country. I will fight for their rights for equal opportunities in housing, welfare, education and jobs. There are still treating us like second-class citizens, you know. I will also fight for our the right to bring over our future wives and husbands into this country. They can become citizens of this country too.” “Are you going to choose your wife from India? I remember you had a Swedish girlfriend.” “Yes, of course. My father has found me a bride from the same ancestral village in Gujarat. She belongs to the same caste as my family and is from a well to do respectable family. Actually, her father is my father’s business partner in India.” “But, don’t you want to know who your future wife and having a bit of romance before marrying her?” “Sure I will. It’s not just an arranged marriage without love you know. Arranged marriages is our tradition. But my arranged marriage is with right of refusal on either party. I will go to India to meet her. If the chemistry is right, we could be married within a few months. I don’t see anything wrong with it. Blue-blooded English men and women have been doing the same thing over generations!” “Well, I wish you all the best Dinesh. You are a smart guy. Keep in touch. Here is my address in Malaysia. If you happened to come to Malaysia, give me a tinkle. I shall show you around our beautiful country, ok?”

Walking along the Oxford Street reminds him of Ringano. They came to the LSE in the same year and immediately hit it off and became good friends. Together, they learnt and experienced life in the big capital city of a foreign country. Their experiences were often adventurous and hilarious and naughty at times. Daniel likes Ringano for his friendly and easy going personality, and was impressed by his genuine interest in his studies. He came from a tiny kingdom in central South America, called the Sulupi Kingdom. The Sulupi Kingdom is a small hamlet nestled below a mountainous valley, surrounded by thick jungle in the interior part of central South America. He is of native Indian origin belonging to the Suluni tribe. Most tribes in this part of the country speak Spanish but the Suluni tribe has their own language called the Sungalog. They are fiercely protective of their cultures and their tiny Kingdom. Ringano’s father is the current King of the Sulupi Kingdom. Although he is a prince no less, Ringano did not behave like a spoilt rich brat in the university. He was well-mannered, courteous and did not carry an air with him. With his big brown eyes, toothy grin and infatuating smile, he was easily the most popular boy with the girls. They wished he would party more often instead of spending much of his time studying. Ringano had told Daniel that his tiny Kindgom was frequently attacked by other tribes of the surrounding villages. They attacked the Sulupi Kingdom for their rich natural sources such as copper, tin and gold. But, his father is a powerful man with deep knowledge in warfare strategies and he is able to defeat his enemies and succeeded in driving them deeper into the interior part of the jungle. Suddenly, Daniel remembers the letter given to him by Freddy Brown. He slips his hand into the pocket of his jacket and is relieved to find the unopened letter from Ringano. He continues to walk towards the Hyde Park. Finally he reached the Hyde Park and he selected a park bench in the quiet corner at the far end of the Park. He slumps his lean body onto the bench, tired from all the walking and shopping. He slips his hand inside his pocket once again, taking out the letter from Ringno and starts reading it.

“Hello My Dearest Friend,

How have you been? I hope you are doing great in Malaysia. I didn’t have your address in your country and so I am sending this to Mr. Freddy Brown’s address and asking him to redirect it to you.

Time passed by so quickly, Daniel. It’s been more than two years since I left England. Despite the passing years and the distance, you still remained my best friend. I still remember the silly outrageous things we did together. Remember the times we went sightseeing in London on our first Spring there, the snatch thief who almost killed me with his knife but luckily you saved my life and our Soho adventure whereby we got ripped off by those Greek bouncers? These events give me so much memories of my life in London and I hope the same goes for you too.

I have a happy news for you Daniel. I am going to be King! Yes. My father has decided to abdicate. He says he is getting old and having health problems and so he wants me to succeed him. I don’t have a choice my friend. I am born into his. From young, I have been trained to take up this duty. It is my destiny. Our Kingdom has progressed well and prospered under my father’s rule and I intend to continue his legacy to develop my Kingdom further. More of our kids can go to schools now. My stepmother, the Queen has opened up many nurseries and schools to get our children educated. She has written to some non-governmental humanitarian organizations in France for help. One particular organization has accepted her invitation and they have been sending their volunteers to our Kingdom to teach our children. We only pay for their air tickets, food and lodging. They teach our children for free. Bless their souls. The future is bright for our Kingdom. Only the stupid half brother of my father, General Kinkino is still giving us problems now and then. But, their numbers are too small and their attacks are insignificant. We could repel them easily. They can only make some noise and cannot mount any serious threat to our Kingdom.

My Coronation Ceremony shall take place on 1st July 1975, Daniel. I would dearly want you to come over to my Kingdom to celebrate this auspicious day with me. I know that your country does not have any diploma relations with the Sulupi Kingdom. But, not to worry. There is a way and I can arrange it. You can travel to our Kingdom on another passport; our passport. We have done it before. We do have excellent diploma relations with Britain and we have an established foreign office situated in Mayfair, London. My Minister of Foreign Affairs would get in touch with you and he will issue you with a new passport to come to my Kingdom. It’s only a few days and you would be back in London. But you are welcome to stay longer if you want. I can assure you your stay here will be interesting and enjoyable. Don’t worry, Daniel. It will be safe. As I said we have done this before. In fact my stepmother has invited a few of her good friends to come to our Kingdom using the same method.

Please come Daniel. I would be so happy to meet up with you again.

Sincerely,
Ringano

Daniel’s mind is momentarily blank after reading Ringano’s letter. Of course he would love to attend his good friend’s Coronation Ceremony. But, Malaysia has no diplomatic relations with the Sulupi Kingdom. To travel there by using a fake passport as proposed by Rigano is illegal. It is a dangerous proposal. He could land up in jail if found out. But, on the other hand, Ringano said this method has been used before and it worked. Ringano has assured him that the method is safe. It’s only a few days and he will be back. Janet does not even have to know about this. She will be worried if she knew. But, she is waiting for him to be back in Malaysia to plan their wedding ceremony together. He is unsure. But he one way or another, he needs to make up his mind. He needs to reply Ringano quick as 1st of July is only few days away! Decision, decision.