Yes. “Rivalry can make one both aggressive and reflective”. In ‘The Gardener*, Tammanna is both the protagonist as well as the narrator. He narrates the story of the rivalry between two farmers Tammanna and Basavaiah. From his narration, one can easily infer how aggressively he has fought with Basavaiah for saving his self-esteem.

In the beginning, he did not even imagine that he had a rival. But he becomes aware of the rivalry between himself and Basavaiah when the latter takes his land forcibly and he is made to feel helpless. He becomes alert and starts planning strategies to out beat Basavaiah’s moves. He composes and sings ballads and publicises Basavaiah’s meanness and cruelty. Very soon Tammanna gains popularity and Basavaiah is made to feel that he has been defeated in his own game. Soon after that, when Tammanna falls ill, Basavaiah is pleased with the news. But their rivalry does not end there. Tammanna’s next move shows how aggressive and vengeful he can be. He gives up everything and goes away to Chennarayapatna so as to spread the news that Tammanna is dead.

Later, Basavaiah dies a natural death. Though there is no causeeffect relationship between the rumour of Tammanna’s death and Basavaiah’s real death, Tammanna is shaken out of his senses. He becomes reflective. He understands that with the death of Basavaiah, he had lost his identity and had become a non-entity. Finally, he realizes that both he and Basavaiah had indulged in rivalry only to satisfy their ego.