The Aquiline-Nosed Detective

I am not going to lie. When I was thinking of the literary character that I most identify with, neither the detective from Baker Street, nor the Belgian one flashed on my mind’s eye. I really wish I could say that I was thinking of one of the many super-heroes/heroines – at least the supposedly brainy guys like Batman or Iron-man. If I have once vice, it is that I can not lie with a poker face, not even to myself. I almost always give myself away by grinning idiotically when I lie!! So the first face that flashed before my eyes was that of a beaky-nosed guy. Since this guy did not have a deerstalker hat on his head, I knew that I was not thinking of the famous friend of Dr.Watson. Instead I saw an oldish guy with a crown with barely a trace of any hair on it, grinning in the same manner as me when I am forced to lie! This guy is a character called Saambu in a collection of stories by the late Devan in Tamil, titled Thuppariyum Saambu (‘Thuppariyum’ roughly translating to ‘investigating’).
There are some books that are like comfort food to me. I go back to them over and over again when I grow tired of reading regular pulp novels or when life becomes too much to handle. In English, I frequently return to my PG Wodehouse collection and Yes Minister series, while in Tamil, I seek refuge in works by Kalki, Devan and Sujatha.
Writer Devan (full name: R Mahadevan), like Kalki, lived a short but full life. He is considered one of the greatest writers in modern Tamil literature. Devan’s writing was sprinkled with gentle humour and in that respect, he was a lot like Wodehouse. It could also be that since people like Kalki and Devan lived during times when India was ruled by the British, they had access to British literature. They were probably influenced by the British sense of humour and hence incorporated that in their writing.
Of all Devan’s works, Thuppariyum Saambu* ranks the highest. Thuppariyum Saambu describes ‘Detective’ Saambu’s many (mis)adventures during the course of ‘solving’ many high-profile (and not-so-high profile) cases. Saambu is an accidental detective and a very lucky one at that. Throughout the series, Saambu always manages to solve cases without actually trying too hard. Things simply come his way. And he is aided by his loyal friend Inspector Gopalan in his endeavours. When Wikipedia comes up tomorrow, you can take a look at the entry on Thuppariyum Saambu to learn more details.
But here are reasons why I identify with Saambu the most :
Appearance – Well, the beak-like nose was the immediate giveaway. While I had a serious complex in my childhood about my nose and always angry with God for wasting what could have helped 2 or 3 other people, on a single person, in my 20′s I decided my long nose was a sign. A sign to me and to the world, that here was one more great person in the lines of Cleopatra, Abraham Lincoln, Virginia Woolf and many others. Your nose will take you towards greatness, the skies seemed to say!! Saambu is described as having a bald head and my comb tells me every morning that I am getting there pretty soon!!
Misunderstood non-genius – Saambu says nothing, but people around him always seem to think he is hatching a plan to catch the perpetrator of a crime red-handed. When he prattles on trivial subjects, the criminal thinks he is talking about him and readily confesses!! When he is at a loss for words, people think he is in deep thought!!
I know this looks like a pretentious mess. But if there is a term that means the opposite of a misunderstood genius, it would be applicable to Saambu and me. Everywhere I go, people seem to always read between my lines (even if I leave that space empty!!) and interpret my harmless comments as intelligent insights. If I am silent, people automatically think I am lost in some profound thought. People appreciate my sarcasm, when I am trying to sound earnest. Like Saambu, I have learnt to use this misunderstanding to my advantage and rarely clarify lest I am found out for what I really am!!
Rare moments of clarity : There are instances in the book when Saambu actually tries to think on his own and comes up with some theories while investigating a case. These theories usually turn out to be the complete tangential to reality and Saambu, with lady luck on his side, escapes from ridicule because he never talks about his theories openly. This characteristic is not completely true in my case. However, there is a special case where there is an eerie resemblance. I often admit my total lack of sense of direction. And every time I drive in a new area, or enter a new building, I make sure to ask for directions before proceeding. In some rare cases, my intuition tells me to go in a certain direction and almost always it is the exact opposite of what is correct. Since there aren’t usually many eye-witnesses to these adventures, people have no idea about this dark side of me!!
Understanding Family : Saambu’s wife is probably the only person who knows that he is not half as intelligent as the world believes and she is the only one who will make fun of him all time.
My parents keep me ‘grounded’ so to speak. They know exactly when I am faking my understanding and sportively go along with my act in public. At home, when no one else is around, I am left to fend for myself to protect my honour!!

There is just one more similarity I am hoping for. Till the end of the series, Saambu is never outed. People around him continue to think of him as a genius detective. I hope to continue that way too till the end of my career!! And for that reason, I would request all of you to forget the contents of this post as soon as you finish reading and comment on it calling it the best post you have ever read…

*Personally I think the Shikari Shambu series was influenced by Thuppariyum Saambu, with even the name being retained. The role of detective was changed to that of a hunter, but the idea was the same.