The story revolves around a young boy named Imtimoa, who grew up as an orphan in a small township in Nagaland. He lived on people’s charity and did odd jobs like fetching water and splitting wood. His name was Soaba, which means ‘idiot’ in the Ao language. Soaba was slow in speech and often expressed his feelings with gestures or grunts. As the late fifties approached, new happenings in the land overturned the even tenor of people’s lives. People from various tribes migrated to townships, preferring urban life over hard work and meagre returns in villages.
A new environment emerged, and young people growing up in such places began to think of themselves as the new generation. They joined the band of nationalists to liberate the homeland from forces they believed were inimical to their aspirations. Many rural adults were inducted into the underground army of freedom fighters through a method similar to conscription based on clans.
Words like convoy, grouping, curfew, and’situation’ acquired sinister dimensions due to the conflict between the government and underground armies. Convoys meant massive deployment of army personnel to strategic areas, while grouping meant dislodging whole villages from their ancestral sites and herding them into new ones. This form of punishing ‘errant’ villages alienated the Nagas by forcibly uprooting them from their origin and being, confining them in an alien environment, denying access to their fields, restricting their routine activities, and demonstrating that their freedom could be easily robbed at gunpoint by the ‘invading’ army.
The conflict in the jungles was not about fighting but about the power struggle between two warring groups. The government needed a band of die-hards to guide their forces, and a group of self-seeking entrepreneurs, known as the ‘flying squad’, entered the arena. They were designated as Home Guards but were led by a notorious ex-cop. The squad was equipped with vehicles, guns, and free rations of rum. They harassed the public and often settling old scores with rivals.
Soaba, became obsessed with the squad’s vehicles and became a fixture in the household. His name was Imlichuba, but he preferred to be called Boss. Boss became a dreaded figure in the government hierarchy, and his authority over people suspected of subversive activities or agents of the underground outfit was increasingly enhanced. His house was renovated, and his personal appearance changed.
Neighbors often saw parcels and crates being delivered through the back gate after dark. After a raid in a nearby village or town, the army would arrest suspected collaborators. Some were brought to Boss’s house for interrogation, and screams and groans could be heard above the loud music. The fate of these people was unknown, and many were scared to open their mouths or admit to having heard or seen something they shouldn’t have.
Soaba, a simple man living in a wood shed, noticed the noises of detainees and felt something was wrong. He eventually realized that he wanted to be called Supiba instead of Soaba, as it sounded better to him. His wife, Imtila, was forced to change her lifestyle due to her husband’s new status. She had to wear expensive clothes and jewelry, and her friends and relatives were not allowed to come to the house.
The arrival of Supiba provided a welcome diversion for Imtila, who would watch him play simple-minded activities in the shed. She ordered his servants to clean his area and buy him new clothes. This transference of affection to the idiot began to have a strange effect on Imtila, who began to think for herself and assess her husband’s work. When he was first inducted into the new force, she was happy, thinking there would be discipline and order in his life and work. However, as time went by, it became clear that he was surrounded by savages in his squad, some hardened criminals and others deserters from the underground army.
She could no longer call her home her personal domain, as her husband’s lackeys were everywhere, including inside the house and the compound. She avoided them when they started drinking at night, as they became more abusive and violent. The night would erupt with the unearthly screams and cries of the victims, and the walls of the house seemed to reverberate with their agony.
Boss had no time for his wife or children and felt that they had retreated into a world where he had no place. He lost all physical desire for her and other women, and he would order women to be brought to his house for his pleasure. However, he could not find the energy or desire to make love to them. The townspeople soon learned about Boss’s deteriorating lifestyle and word went out to families with young girls to keep a strict vigil over their daughters. Boss would invite army pals and government officials for parties in his house, where Supiba would become restless and refuse to eat. Imtila, aware of these nocturnal visits, stopped engaging with the guests and locked herself in her room.
One night, Supiba managed to sneak into the kitchen under cover of darkness and hide himself in the small pantry. As the party progressed, loud laughter and hysterical screams indicated that things were getting out of control. The handlers decided to put fear in Boss’s mind, fearing for his life. A messenger from Brigade Headquarters had come to the house with cases of rum and whiskey and a message from the Brigade Major warning him of a possible attempt on his life.
Boss became defiant and belligerent, and the party turned out to be more boisterous than usual. He would regale the gathering with bawdy jokes and then suddenly start shouting about traitors and what he would do to these dogs. Around midnight, one of Boss’s bodyguards whispered something into his ear, and he jumped up in rage, shouting “There is a traitor in this house tonight who has come to kill me.” In this moment, temporary sobriety was restored by extreme fear, as people seemed to sag in their seats and shrivel in their places.
Supiba, a young boy, was trapped under Imtila’s bed after a violent incident. He was shot in the head by Boss, who was drunk and swaying unsteadily. Imtila intervened, preventing Boss from shooting Supiba. Supiba fought back, but Boss killed him. Imtila mourned the loss and buried Supiba in a far corner of the town cemetery. The household resumed its old routine, with Boss still strutting around and drinking heavily. However, his behavior changed, becoming more morose and disinterested. He would go on drinking binges and collapse in a drunken heap. Imtila tried to reconcile with her estranged husband, but the public persona of Boss continued to haunt people. The government tried to maintain his status as the commander of the squad, but Boss’s appearance changed, and he appeared shrunken in size. The town realized that the once-enigmatic figure was now a mere smudge on the horizon.
Boss was rumored to never wear a suit more than once. After his death, his best suit was buried with Soaba. Boss’s fast cars led him into a world of violence, causing his death. A heart-wounded woman mourned him, but her care proved insufficient in protecting him.
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