These photos throw light on the kind of life Veerapan leads in his forest hideout...»
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Veerappan grew up admiring his future guru in crime, Sevia Gounder, who was making a happy living out of poaching elephants.

Often as a boy accompanying elders to the forest, Veerappan came to know the dense and the wild terrain. In future, the forest was to become his greatest ally…

Veerappan's life in crime began early. At the age of 10, he killed his first antelope. He soon came under the tutelage of Gounder who taught him the art of killing elephants and extracting tusks. During the same period, he met many middlemen who traded in ivory. Once, he was caught by the police and tortured in custody, but he managed to escape.

By now, he had already grown a moustache running downwards from the corners of his mouth.

Analysis: The socio-economic and geographic situation bears a lot of influence in the making of a criminal. The protagonist is born poor. When he finds his would be guru enjoying himself on a life built on crime, he is attracted to it. He seems to have an inherent weakness in him and a defective gene type, which explains his inexorable drift towards poaching and other crimes. Of course, the presence of a guru helps. After getting caught and tortured, his aversion for the men in khaki grows. Since he is still learning the ropes, he is not demonstrative about his moustache....more »