Sippoy

Historical Background
Sippoy, Padàti, or Bhata are the names of the "foot-soldier" piece of the ancient Indian game caturaṅga (चतुरङ्ग). It is roughly equivalent to the Pawn of modern Chess. Atma of the Would-Be King might be a pun on the fact that it is the Pawn, rather than the King (Raja) in caturaṅga.