THE STRONGMAN.(Shiv Sena party head Bal Thackeray )

On the morning of his son Uddhav's forty-second birthday, Bal Thackeray retreated upstairs to his private living room, in order to avoid the crowds. From his window, he could see hundreds of his supporters outside in the street, standing in long lines waiting to get in--they had come from all over Bombay to his house, in a suburb near the airport, to pay their respects. His street was always guarded, but that day there were more policemen than usual. Earlier that morning, the servants had strewn petals over the floors of the downstairs rooms and hung floral garlands on the walls. Now dozens of people were crowded into the front hallway, gossiping and sweating and carrying ...