The Rediff Special/Sivasubramaniam

'He does not trust anyone, not his followers, not his people, not his wife. That is what life has taught him, never believe anyone, never trust anyone'

I woke up when it was very bright. I thought it was ten or eleven in the morning, but it was only seven. I had slept only for three hours, yet I felt fresh and rejuvenated. "Do you want to take a bath?" Before they could complete the question, I said yes. That was what I wanted most, a cool bath. My legs weighed a ton when I stood up. The cool breeze that swept through the thick foliage pepped up my spirits.

I followed them to the river. The water was cool and I think it has an inexplicable quality to calm you down. Soon I felt calm and serene inside. Suddenly, I saw some men walking towards the river. All I could see were a few khaki-clad pants. I saw a small boy alongside a man with a huge moustache. This must be Veerappan, I thought. But all of them had such intimidating moustaches.

Finally I recognised Veerappan. He looked different from the photograph that we had seen. His hair was long, he was even thinner. I recognised him only because of his nose. I began to shiver.

"I think you are scared. You might not have seen such a thick jungle before. Relax," he spoke to me as if he had known me for years.

I said, Namaste, water dripping from my hair and body.

He ordered a cup of tea for me even though I told him I had already had a cuppa. "You are cold. A cup of hot tea will cheer you up. Why are you so scared? Have you not seen people like us before?" he asked.

"This is the first time in my life that I have seen guns so close," I said. He didn't speak to me much after that. His men and he spoke among themselves for a long time. I listened to them from a distance, observing all his gestures. Slowly, I began to relax.

Then we were served dosa and tea. It was an unusual experience for me to have dosa, tea and sambar in the thick jungle. It took me some time to realise that I was far away from civilisation. But what is civilisation? I had the same breakfast that I have at home, in the city. I could see all the magazines available in the market, including English magazines like Frontline. Even though he cannot read English, Veerappan goes through all the magazines just to see the pictures.

After some time, he turned to me and said, "I don't believe in you journalists. I don't like newspapers. They do not know what I feel about life. They always take the side of the government. They do not report the truth. I decided to meet you because your report was not biased." I did not respond, just kept quiet.

Around 11.30 am, I saw a crowd of nearly a hundred people coming towards us, villagers from the nearby areas. I discovered later that they visited Veerappan regularly and it was from them that he got news of what was happening outside the jungle. All of them came bearing gifts. Bananas, coconuts, rice, vegetables, whatever they harvest.

What surprised me was the way Veerappan treated them. All of them were served an excellent meal and coffee. By six in the evening, they were ready to return. It was then I saw his favourite assistant Govindan opening a bag that he carried on his shoulder. I had not paid attention to the bag till then. It was actually a bedsheet tied up like a bag. When he opened it, I could not believe my eyes. It was full of money, bundles and bundles of notes.

There must have been at least Rs 400,000. He opened each bundle and distributed the notes to all those who had come. I think he gave between Rs 200 and Rs 500 rupees to each of them.

The moment the villagers left, all of us moved on. We must have climbed 2,000 feet. I wondered why they had abandoned the earlier camp so fast. Govindan told me, "The police may catch some of the villagers and when tortured, some of them might divulge our hiding place. That is why we moved so fast."

Veerappan is very devout. You find it difficult to believe, do you not? I too could not believe my eyes when I saw him performing a pooja of all his weapons in the morning and evening. He ate only after the pooja. I watched all this in surprise. Watching a smuggler perform a pooja was a new experience for me.

Two days passed and I had not got my interview. I was scared that he would get angry if I asked him some probing questions. After staying with him for two days, I began understanding the man a little bit, and gained some courage as well.

I was under the impression that there was a connection between Veerappan and politicians, but the truth was different. It is true that he was used by a couple of MLAs earlier, but they ditched him later. I saw anger and contempt in Veerappan's eyes when he spoke about the politicians and the police.

I do not blame the police for their failures. The jungle is so thick that it is very difficult to catch Veerappan and his men. Twice in 1994 I tried to reach them, but could not do so. Later, they told me they were sitting close to my path and saw me going by. I never knew that somebody was there, watching me!

I do not how to describe Veerappan. Sometimes he would be extremely cordial, warm and friendly, telling us anecdotes and stories, but the very next moment, he could be a different personality. He was unpredictable. If he did not like a question, his face would change, he would raise his gun, growl and shout. His change of moods used to frighten me a lot. So I used to think twice before shooting off a question. He does not trust anyone, not his followers, not his people, not his wife. That is what life has taught him, never believe anyone, never trust anyone.

It was one of the biggest moments in my life. But when the interview appeared, many people did not give credence to it. They were convinced that I had made up everything. They suspected the pictures too. That was why I decided to interview him on video. It was only after they saw Veerappan on television that people believed me, that they were convinced that a person called Veerappan existed. They also heard his side of the story.

I cannot justify his actions, how can I? Whatever it is, a murder is a murder. He justifies his actions, saying, "They are after me, they want to kill me. So, what is wrong in me killing someone who is trying to kill me?"

I was curious to know why he wanted to surrender. He said he was tired of remaining inside the jungle, away from people and civilisation. But he does not want to go to jail. He reasons it thus: "I can meet and talk to at least 400 people every day if I remain inside the jungle. But inside the jail, how many people can I see? I think jungle life is better than jail life."

As told to Shobha Warrier; Veerappan's pictures: Courtesy Nakkeeran

Tell us what you think of this feature

EARLIER INTERVIEW:

'If the police kills two of his men, Veerappan kills four policemen'