The adventures of Bradford Smith are a composite of experiences spanning three generations of the Rayapati and Edwin (the illustrator) families. The topography of Khondvalasa is a realistic portion of Aruku Valley in the northern part of the State of Andhra in the Indian Union. Khondvalasa, which means the encampment of the Khonds, is a fictitious village. The social and ethnic particulars of the Khonds depicted here are historically genuine in the nineteen fifties when I was in my teens and had contact with the Khonds.
I revised this story more than fifty times. The story owes its present shape to the Boy Scouts of Troop 108, Chester County Council who, in the early seventies, told and retold portions of these adventures around campfires in predominantly pacifist Quaker parts of southeastern Pennsylvania. Their retellings gave me many ideas for word choice, incident, suspense, and a conclusion to this story.
I have provided a glossary, both to help my own memory of some of the languages of India and to help the readers who might be interested in the socio-linguistic aspects of English in India.
Reproductions of watercolor paintings and ink drawings by John J. Edwin of Visakhapatnam, India illustrate this story. His jungle life experiences were similar to mine. Therefore, he was more excited than I was that this story be published.
May all who read "The Ogre of Khondvalasa" enjoy it as an exotic adventure story.
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