The Podcast of the Lotus Eaters

00:00:00.000 Hello, and welcome to this episode of Chronicles, where today we're going to be talking all about

00:00:18.820 Kim by Rudyard Kipling. Now, this is the first Kipling novel that we've covered so far on

00:00:25.900 Chronicles, and I'm very excited about it. It's a pleasure to talk about the most famous Indian

00:00:32.120 author of all time, so it should be a damn good show. So let's talk a little bit, shall we, about

00:00:38.720 Rudyard Kipling before we get into the actual novel. So Kipling was born in Bombay in 1865. Now, Rudyard

00:00:48.320 Kipling's father was quite a remarkable man in his own right as well. In 1865, the year of Kipling's

00:00:54.760 birth, Kipling being born right at the end of the year on December 30th. So Kipling comes along

00:01:01.480 shortly after his father's move to Bombay, and there he becomes a professor at the local school

00:01:09.380 of art and industry as a professor of architectural sculptures, and so was a man very much bound in

00:01:19.600 an intellectual understanding of the Orient, of India, of its cultures and traditions and

00:01:26.880 its forms of art. And obviously, all of this would be something that Kipling would absolutely inherit

00:01:33.000 from his own father as well. And so Kipling lived, by all accounts, a very happy, somewhat spoiled,

00:01:41.160 but very loving life in those early years. But there was a spout of tragedy in his life not long after,

00:01:49.880 which is where, as was very customary for the time, it was decided that Kipling would go back to England,

00:01:57.080 or to England for the first time in his case, to the motherland of the empire. And he would actually

00:02:03.960 have some years, some of his important early formative years, living in England, so he can

00:02:10.280 actually see his roots, who he is as an Englishman, and what that part of his identity is all about,

00:02:17.880 and what the heart of empire, what it's all pumping, really. And so he goes back with his sister,

00:02:23.480 and actually, in this time, he ends up staying with a couple. The gentleman is quite good. I believe

00:02:30.440 he was ex-Navy. But the woman of the house was a deeply evangelical and very abusive, very manipulative 1.00

00:02:39.400 woman. And this left Kipling, someone who never could quite let his guard down around adults and

00:02:47.400 grown-ups. What Kipling much preferred, and the company that he was most at ease with,

00:02:53.320 was children. Now, Rudyard Kipling absolutely adored children, hence why Kim, The Jungle Book,

00:03:01.800 and The Just So Stories are all dedicated towards children as their primary audience. He loved them

00:03:09.160 immensely, and he cared deeply about their emotional well-being and their growth into adulthood, so that

00:03:18.760 they could become moral and well-rounded people, serving higher goods. And for Kipling, one of those,

00:03:27.240 the highest goods in the world at that time, was the British Empire. But after many of these years of

00:03:35.160 torment back in England, in staying with that couple that he stayed with in what he termed the House of

00:03:41.880 Desolation, eventually, just before he turned 17, Kipling returned to India. And this gave him a chance 0.99

00:03:50.200 to basically begin to see the country through adult eyes, through the eyes of a young man, and also

00:03:58.200 someone who has experienced India first as a child, and then experienced England, and make no bones about

00:04:06.360 it. Despite the personal experiences that Kipling had had living under the roof with those two people,

00:04:13.400 that doesn't take away from the fact that Rudyard Kipling absolutely adored England, of course.

00:04:18.840 It was a very, very special place to him, and really a love that permeates just as deeply through his

00:04:29.160 writing and his work and through his achievements in life, as does his obvious love of India as well.

00:04:37.240 And also what we see in this, with this man who strides two separate worlds between loyalty to

00:04:43.960 England and just genuine love of the Orient and its culture and its landscape. We see very much those

00:04:51.480 themes coming through very, very strongly in the novel of Kim, which we'll get into in just a bit.

00:04:57.960 Most of what we understand about Rudyard Kipling and what he felt was important in life is most

00:05:04.840 crucially, obviously, from his actual literature and what he put to the page, but also through his

00:05:10.440 letters and his autobiography that was actually unfinished at the time of his death at the age of 70

00:05:17.240 in 1936, I believe it was. And of course, through his public speaking engagements where he's often

00:05:25.400 speaking from a script, but he hated interviews. There's one particular speech that he gave actually

00:05:31.320 on St. George's Day at the Royal Society of St. George back in 1920. And that entire speech is one of

00:05:40.280 the best things I've ever read. His comprehension and the level of knowledge that he has about

00:05:48.120 England and its history and how it was changed over the years by each basically just foreign force that 1.00

00:05:57.320 tried to bend the English to their will and make them something that they weren't and how the English 0.94

00:06:03.080 basically just resisted them and took the things that they liked and dismissed the things that

00:06:07.400 they didn't. It's a fantastic speech and I've got a way to actually incorporate it in to another

00:06:13.800 Chronicles in the future, but that's for another time. In the meantime, I think that we've spoken

00:06:19.480 enough at the beginning. So without further ado, let's talk about the actual story of Kim,

00:06:25.640 what goes on in it, and then we can get to analysing this classic tale.

00:06:34.120 Our story takes place in those years of imperial confidence in the final few decades of the 19th

00:06:40.920 century in the British Raj, the jewel in the crown of the British Empire. On the chaotic streets of Lahore,

00:06:49.000 a feral young lad spends his days as a child at play. He sat in defiance of municipal orders

00:06:56.920 astride the gun Zamzamar on her brick platform opposite the old Ajib Gare, the Wonder House,

00:07:04.200 as the natives called the Lahore Museum, who hold Zamzamar, that fire-breathing dragon, hold the

00:07:11.080 Punjab, for the great green bronze piece is always first of the conqueror's loot. The boy is

00:07:18.680 Kimball O'Hara, son of Kimball O'Hara, but known to all around him simply as Kim. Born to Irish parents,

00:07:27.960 he was orphaned at a young age after his mother succumbed to cholera and his father, who was a

00:07:33.560 coal sergeant in the regiment of the Mavericks, fell into the vices of drink and opium and died,

00:07:40.360 as poor whites do in India, leaving his son behind to struggle through life at such a young age that 0.99

00:07:47.480 Kim has no memories of his parents. Though Irish by birth, Kim's skin has been burned black as any 1.00

00:07:54.840 native by the blistering South Asian sun. Outside the museum, Kim encounters a Tibetan Lama of ancient

00:08:03.480 years. The Lama has travelled from his native Tibetan hills on a journey to discover the mythical

00:08:09.720 River of the Arrow, so that he can cleanse himself of his sins and gain enlightenment and see beyond

00:08:16.840 the wheel of things. In the museum, the British curator gives the Lama a gift of paper, pencils,

00:08:24.200 and spectacles for the long road ahead. For the young orphaned Kim, with a natural, youthful spirit

00:08:31.720 for adventure and wonder, he accepts the Lama's offer to join the aged traveller as a disciple, 0.61

00:08:38.680 to aid the holy man on his spiritual quest. In exchange, the old man will support young Kim,

00:08:45.960 in his quest to find a red bull on a green field, as his late father had once promised.

00:08:52.600 900 first-class devils, whose god was a red bull on a green field, would attend to Kim. 0.61

00:08:59.160 With knowledge of his father's wishes, Kim is drawn to it like prophecy, and wishes to discover

00:09:05.400 the destiny his father had wished for him. Their journey agreed. Kim quickly manages to use his

00:09:11.640 knowledge of the streets to find some food. Kim leads the Lama to the Kashmir Sarai, where he seeks

00:09:17.400 food from Mobab Ali, a Pashtun horse trader and, though unknown to Kim at present, a British spy.

00:09:25.400 Kim often runs errands for him, and Ali is very protective of him, calling Kim a friend of all

00:09:31.960 the world. Ali gives Kim a folded report of a British intelligence operative, to deliver to Colonel

00:09:38.920 Crichton in Umbara, revealing a conspiracy involving five confederated kings, Russia, a Hindu banker,

00:09:46.840 Belgian gunmakers, and a Mohammedan ruler. Before setting out, Kim witnesses spies searching amongst

00:09:54.600 Ali's belongings. The Lama and Kim board a train to Umbara, which is a new experience for the frail

00:10:01.160 Lama. As the two travel, they have many conversations with people from across the great profusion of

00:10:07.000 cultures and castes of Indian society. Reaching Umbara, a kind woman shelters the Lama while Kim

00:10:14.360 delivers a message to Crichton by tossing it onto his veranda. Crichton discusses a report with his

00:10:21.320 aides, and they set about preparing 8,000 men for punishment. Kim overhears these plans, and then

00:10:28.920 reunites with the Lama. The two companions travel along the Grand Trunk Road, encountering more diverse

00:10:35.880 Indians, Brahmans, bankers, pilgrims, and many more. They rest at a local pareo, where a grand lady in 0.69

00:10:43.960 a bullock wagon asks Lama to bless her and accompany her entourage. Sheltering in the grove, they see a

00:10:51.000 British regiment with a red bull flag on green. All at once, Kim is overcome with thoughts of his father's

00:10:58.440 words. Sneaking in to investigate, Kim is caught by the Anglican chaplain, Bennett, and interrogated by

00:11:05.640 the Catholic Father Victor, both of whom treat Kim with great curiosity. About Kim's neck, hidden within

00:11:12.840 the locket, they find documents of his parentage, revealing Kim to them to be the regiment's orphan

00:11:19.080 son. Despite Kim's intense protestations, the priests separate him from the Lama, who departs,

00:11:25.960 lamenting the loss of his guide. The regiment returns to Umbala barracks. For Kim, who has lived a life of

00:11:33.080 unrestrained autonomy until now, he is forced into uniform and education, learning about the British

00:11:40.360 standards of discipline, order, and character. He also endures beatings and slurs from the drummer boys.

00:11:47.960 Resolved to escape, he sends a letter to Mahbub Ali and is rescued by him, but Crichton intervenes.

00:11:55.480 Colonel Crichton is a man of good morals, sensible pragmatism, and effective administration. He

00:12:01.640 arranges for Kim's education at St. Xavier's in Lucknow, to be funded by the Lama, who still sees 1.00

00:12:08.840 young Kim as his disciple on their quest to find the river of the arrow. The Colonel tells Kim in good

00:12:14.920 faith that I'll make a man of you, O'Hara at St. Xavier's, a white man, and I hope a good man.

00:12:23.400 This forceful thrusting into the white man's world sends Kim into an identity crisis. Kim lit a rank 0.51

00:12:30.680 cigarette. He had been careful to buy a stock in the bazaar and lay down to think. This solitary passage

00:12:37.800 was very different from that joyful down journey in the third class with the Lama.

00:12:42.440 The Lama, sahibs get little pleasure of travel, he reflected.

00:12:45.960 I go from one place to another as it might be a kickball. It is my kismet. No man can escape his

00:12:55.080 kismet. But I am to pray to Bibi Miriam, and I am a sahib. He looked at his boots ruefully.

00:13:03.240 No, I am Kim. This is a great world, and I am only Kim. Who is Kim? He considered his own identity,

00:13:15.000 a thing that he had never done before, till his head swam. He was one insignificant person,

00:13:21.960 in all this roaring whirl of India, going southward till he knew not what fate.

00:13:27.400 Kim travels by train to Lucknow, very conscious of his incompatibility with the British men around

00:13:35.320 him. Upon arriving at the new school, Kim is unexpectedly reunited with the Lama, who has

00:13:41.320 journeyed to see him. I acquire merit in that I help thee, my chela, to wisdom. The priest of that

00:13:48.680 body of men who serve the Red Bull wrote me that all should be as I desired for thee. I sent the money

00:13:56.600 to suffice for one year, and then I came, as thou seest me, to watch for thee going up to the gates

00:14:04.520 of learning. A day and a half have I waited, not because I was led by any affection towards thee.

00:14:13.080 That is no part of the way. But, money having been paid for learning, it was right that I should

00:14:21.000 oversee the end of the matter. They resolved my doubts most clearly. I had a fear that, perhaps,

00:14:29.320 I came because I wished to see thee, misguided by the red mist of affection. It is not so.

00:14:37.960 The Lama assures Kim that he will write and visit where he can. Three years pass at St. Xavier's,

00:14:44.280 and Kim learns amongst many diverse youths. They were sons of subordinate officials in the railway,

00:14:51.000 telegraph and canal services. Of warrant officers, sometimes retired and sometimes acting as

00:14:57.320 commanders-in-chief in the feudatory Rajah's army. Of captains of the Indian marine government pensioners,

00:15:04.280 planters, presidency shopkeepers, and missionaries. A few were cadets of the old Eurasian houses that had

00:15:11.560 taken strong root in Durham Tower. Perrieres, de Souza's, and de Silva's. Their parents could well

00:15:18.120 have educated them in England, but they loved the school that had served their own youth. And generation

00:15:24.520 followed sallow-hued generation at St. Xavier's. During the holidays, Kim spies with Mahbub Ali,

00:15:32.840 visiting many cities and gaining his first experience at sea, and of the sickness it churned within his

00:15:39.880 stomach. He also meets with Lurgan, a seller of gems. Under Lurgan's tutelage, Kim is initiated into

00:15:47.720 the world of spycraft, through memory games and disguises. The Indian child played this game clumsily. 1.00

00:15:55.240 That little mind, keen as an icicle where Tally of Jewels was concerned, could not temper itself to 0.96

00:16:01.560 enter another soul. But a demon in Kim woke up, and sang with joy as he put on the changing dresses,

00:16:08.600 and changed speech and gesture therewith. Like many of the older men around him, Lurgan sees tremendous

00:16:15.240 potential in the boy, who is now becoming a young man. From time to time, God causes men to be born,

00:16:22.280 and thou art one of them, who have a lust to go abroad at the risk of their lives and discover news.

00:16:28.840 Today it may be of far off things, tomorrow of some hidden mountain, and the next day of some nearby

00:16:35.960 men who have done a foolishness against the state. These souls are very few, and of these few,

00:16:43.560 not more than ten are of the best. Crichton, Mahbub Ali, and Lurgan discuss Kim's future in the

00:16:50.680 Secret Service. Kim's early life has given him a natural proficiency for espionage, and the Colonel

00:16:56.920 is keen to use his new asset in the great game against Russia. It is decided that Kim will be granted

00:17:03.720 six months to wander with his old companion, the Tibetan Lama, so that the young man may complete

00:17:09.560 his education, and allow him to fulfill his obligations to the old man, before preparing

00:17:15.160 him for the life of service to Britain. As a rite of passage into his adulthood, and in recognition of

00:17:21.960 Kim as a kind of surrogate's son, Mahbub Ali gives Kim a revolver, and then takes the young man to see

00:17:29.080 Hanifah, a blind practitioner of oriental sorcery. The room, with its dirty cushions and half-smoked 1.00

00:17:37.560 hookahs, smelt abominably of stale tobacco. In one corner lay a huge and shapeless woman, 1.00

00:17:44.920 clad in greenish garzas, and decked brow, nose, ear, neck, wrist, arm, waist, and ankle,

00:17:53.000 with heavy native jewellery. When she turned it was like the clashing of copper pots.

00:17:59.480 Among the smog of incense and drugs, Hanifah employs her rituals and powders to protect Kim on 0.99

00:18:05.960 his quest. His skin darkened and his soul fortified against untold evils, Kim speaks to the Babu,

00:18:13.320 Hari Chanda. The Babu is portly proportioned, and seemingly quite stupid. Kim struggles to conceive of 1.00

00:18:21.400 how such a man can be capable of spy work. But, make no mistake, the Babu is an indispensable ally

00:18:28.280 of Britain. As he is about to board the train for Benares, where the llama awaits a now-educated and

00:18:34.200 budding agent, Kim drew a deep breath and hugged himself all over. The nickel-plated revolver he could

00:18:40.520 feel in the bosom of his sad-coloured robe. The amulet was on his neck. Begging Gord, Rosary, and Ghost

00:18:47.000 Dagger, Mr Logan had forgotten nothing. Were all to hand, with medicine, paint-box, and compass,

00:18:53.240 and in a worn, old purse belt, embroidered with porcupine-quill patterns, lay a month's pay.

00:19:00.040 Kings could be no richer. At long last, Kim is alone again, and his identity crisis weighs on him

00:19:06.680 once more. Orphan of Indian Lahore, son of Irish parents, agent of British intelligence,

00:19:13.320 and a man who changes faiths and fashions as fluidly as his work demands. Who is Kim?

00:19:20.520 Deep in his ruminations, Kim is approached by a long-haired Hindu Baragi. 0.98

00:19:25.640 I have also lost it, he said sadly. It is one of the gates to the way, but for me it has been shut

00:19:32.120 many years. What is the talk? said Kim, abashed. Thou wast wondering there in thy spirit what manner of

00:19:39.480 thing thy soul might be. The seizure came of a sudden, I know. Who should know but I?

00:19:45.960 Whither goest thou? Toward Kashi. There are no gods there. I have proved them.

00:19:52.040 I go to Prayag for the fifth time, seeking the road to enlightenment. Go in hope, little brother,

00:19:59.240 he said. It is a long road to the feet of the one, but thither do we all travel.

00:20:05.400 Arriving in the ancient city of Benares, Kim is accompanied by a chance-met Punjabi farmer, 0.83

00:20:11.560 a kambo from Jalundawe, who had appealed in vain to every god of his homestead to cure his small son, 0.82

00:20:18.440 and was trying Benares as a last resort. Eager to embark on the quest to find the river of the arrow,

00:20:25.240 began so many years ago, Kim reunites with the Lama at the Jayan Temple. The Lama has waited,

00:20:32.200 guided by dreams. He cures a child's fever with quinine, much to the Jat father's deep gratitude

00:20:38.200 and relief, and the Lama recounts the events of his recent years to his old ally.

00:20:43.720 I was but waiting for thee. It was made plain to me in a hundred dreams, notably,

00:20:50.680 one that came upon the night of the day that the gates of learning first shut,

00:20:56.120 that without thee I should never find my river. Again and again, as thou knowest, I put this from me,

00:21:05.400 fearing an illusion. Therefore I would not take thee with me that day at Luknau, when we ate the cakes.

00:21:13.240 I would not take thee till the time was ripe and auspicious. From the hills to the sea,

00:21:19.880 from the sea to the hills have I gone, but it was vain. Then I remembered the Kjetaka. He told Kim the 0.94

00:21:28.040 story of the elephant with the leg iron, as he had told it so often to the Jayan priests.

00:21:33.560 Further testimony is not needed. He ended serenely. Thou wast sent for an aid.

00:21:40.760 That aid removed. My search came to naught. Therefore we will go out again together,

00:21:47.320 and our search sure. Whither go we? What matters, friend of all the world?

00:21:54.120 The search, I say, is sure. If need be, the river will break from the ground before us.

00:22:01.880 I acquired merit when I sent thee to the gates of learning, and gave thee the jewel that is wisdom.

00:22:09.560 Thou didst return. I saw even now a follower of Sakyamuni, the physician, whose altars are many in

00:22:18.840 Botayal. It is sufficient. We are together, and all things are as they were. Friend of all the world.

00:22:28.040 Friend of the stars. My chela.

00:22:31.800 They head north by train. During their transit,

00:22:34.920 Kim meets another of Khitan's agents, known only as E23. 0.62

00:22:39.960 If you enjoyed this piece of premium content from the Lotus Eaters,

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