The Zero-Cost Mission & The wily agent by Amar Bhushan

"The Zero-Cost Mission & The wily agent" by Amar Bhushan - Real life spy stories!

This book is published by HarperCollins India in 2018 and has 190 pages. This is a collection of two spy stories based on real events. 

The Zero-Cost Mission:

Jamat, a politico- religious outfit in Bangladesh, is spreading anti India venom and actively aids entry of Pakistan sponsored terrorists in India through Bangladesh. A mission is conceived to teach them a lesson by Indian intelligence. Sujal Rath, an unconventional officer, is tasked with the operation. The operation soon runs in funding crisis and is dangerously close to be abandoned. Will it go ahead? How will the funds be secured? Will Sujal and operation succeed? What will be the consequences?

Author has based the story on a real mission. As the author states in the introduction, real operations have boring phases. This story too has its share. Title of the story is best suited for the story. 

Buildup and planning of the operation is interesting. Quirky nature of the character of Sujal makes one wonders if such officers exist and are allowed to work freely. Climax is anticlimactic. The climax comes to the reader as a news from a cable. It saddens that even a successful mission has a price to pay. 

The wily agent:

Jeevanathan heads unit of India's external intelligence agency in the Indian High Commission in Dhaka. A Bangladeshi source is identified and recruited. The source provides quality input and also tries to recruit additional sources. He accuses Jeev as insensitive and aloof. How long can Jeev run this source? Is he insensitive?

It's a tale that hangs in balance. Is the source real or fraud? Is he scheming or simply greedy? Is he confident or over enthusiastic? Who is Wiley? Author has managed to maintain the see-saw. Readers keep guessing where the story is headed. 

Author does a fine job. He keeps the story interesting and also gives a small surprise at the end. 

There are some important points made by the author either overly or covertly in these two stories. Officers in high places either retire or are transfered. This causes loss of continuity and adversely impacts missions and officers. Our intelligence agencies are still marred in bureaucracy and petty politics that hamper missions. Decision making is still an issue and rather than national security, other implications of mission play a very important role. External intelligence agencies are short of cash. 

The book has two stories but the printing is unconventional. Second story does not start after end of first. You have to rotate book by 180 degrees and then flip it and you read second story. In short one side of book is one story and second side of book is second story. 

Why did I read this book? Curiosity. 

What did I like? Concept of double sided book. 

What I didn't like? Climax

Read if you want to read crossover spy stories rather than pure fiction.

The Gurkha's daughter by Prajwal Parajuly

"The Gurkha's daughter" by Prajwal Parajuly. This book is published by Quercus in 2014 and has 304 pages.  It's a collection of eight stories.

'The cleft' is story of Kali, a black servant girl of 13 with a cleft lip & her master, a widow when they travel to Birtamod for a funeral.

'Let sleeping dogs lie' is the story of Munnu, a Bihari Musalmaan paanwala, in Kalimpong who is losing money due to a kleptomaniac daughter of a rich man. What can he do?

'A father's journey' takes us through the journey of a father and his daughter from age six to age thirty in Gangtok.

'Missed blessing' is a story of a young jobless engineer staying with his brother and grandmother in Darjeeling. It's a day in his life when western Christians purportedly try to convert him and unwanted relatives come for Tika ceremony and stay at his house stretching his resources.

'No land is her land' is story of Anamika, an ethnic Nepali Bhutanese from Phuntsholing who is a refugee staying in Khudunabari Nepal and who has a chance to migrate to America.

'The Gurkha's daughter' is a beautiful story set in Kathmandu. It's a story about two little girls who are best friends.What happens in their emotional worlds when transformations take place in their lives?

'Passing fancy' is the story of a recently retired mother's perceptions in Gangtok whose children are in America.

'The immigrants' is the story of a well to do Nepali Indian working in Manhattan and his Nepali maid who unknowingly becomes his good friend.

As the name suggests, all the stories are of Nepali people (Gurkha) living either in Nepal, Bhutan or India (BTW, the book was published in America). These are the stories of common Gurkha people, their poverty, plight, difficulties, issues, emotions, thinking, transitions and ups and downs in their lives.

All these stories are about feelings, emotions and perceptions, be it a small child, an army man, an immigrant, a retired lady, an unemployed youth or a common person. The steak of immigrant or displacement appears frequently.

An interesting aspect of the book is that, in each story the author has given a part map of the Gurkha area which includes India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh identifying the city where the story takes place. It helps in understanding the ambience.

Of all these stories, I liked 'The Gurkha's daughter', 'Let sleeping dogs lie' & 'The immigrants' most.

Read it for it's different perspective.

Revenge - a fable by Taslima Nasreen

"Revenge - a fable" by Taslima Nasreen.  This book is published by The Feminist Press in 2010 and has 176 pages.

This book is translation of her bangla book 'Shodh'. It is translated by Honor Moor with Taslima Nasreen.

Jhumur (what a beautiful name!) is an educated and beautiful young lady in love with Haroon. Haroon is young & handsome entrepreneur. He is fond of music, likes flowers, finds time for Jhumur whenever she wants and courts her till she agrees to marriage.

The moment she becomes wife and daughter in law, he changes. Now he expects her not to contact her friends or relatives, not go to her mother often, cover her head, not go out alone, take care of his family and home. He doesn't take her out or bring her flowers. From a vivacious young graduate Jhumur becomes a docile cow with a status of a glorified servant who has lost all her independence.

Six weeks into marriage, Jhumur becomes pregnant. And the world changes for her. Haroon becomes suspicious and says it is not possible to get pregnant in six weeks. So he forces her to abort. Jhumu's pleas that it is his child and he should not kill  it fall on deaf ears.

Jhumur can not forget this murder of her child and decides to take revenge. What can she do? What does she do? How does she take revenge? Does she leave her husband? How does the story end?

Although the story is set in Dhaka (Bangladesh), the same could happen in any of the south Asian country where tradition runs strong.

It's a sea change for Jhumur after marriage but author has failed to provide adequate explanation or justification as to why Jhumur gives in meekly? Why she does not fight; being fearless and educated (She has a degree in physics)? She submits to her husband's dictates meekly and puts herself in vulnerable position. Of course had she fought then, the abortion and subsequent revenge would not be necessary. Taslima also does not provide explanation of second behavioral change of Haroon.

Taslima has written a good story. The delivery is simple and uncomplicated. The revenge she takes is unique. It is difficult to imagine this revenge. The revenge gives her the will and power to fight back. It's a bold revenge & difficult to digest for an orthodox society. Bangladeshi culture and tradition is picturized very well by author.

A good book. Recommend reading.

The Ekkos Clan by Sudipto Das.

"The Ekkos Clan" a debut novel by Sudipto Das.

Story starts in Senpara, a village now in Bangladesh, before partition. How a family is devastated by the inhuman atrocities during partition and how a mother, Kubha, makes ultimate sacrifice to save 2 of her 4 children. This account is riveting.

Then there is a time leap to present time. Protagonist is grand son of Kubha. Kubha's family had migrated from Hindu kush region to Senpara long time ago. Kubha tells stories to her children that have been passed to her orally through generations. The same stories are passed on to the present generation.

There is a deep meaning in these stories. What is it? Are the stories very similar to Rig Ved? What does it mean? Someone is trying to kill Kubha's family and decendants. Why? Who is murdering? Is there a bigger conspiracy? What has Russia or a young and beautiful linguist of Pakistani origin to do with it? Who are Kalash people in Pakistan?

Scientific name of horse is Equus caballus.
It is said that before the arrival of Aryans (some say they never arrived, they were always here), India did not know the animal called horse. Hence the title of the book.

Sudipto has done a decent job in narration. The expectations and excitement is set high in the first few chapters during partition, but author could not maintain the same tempo in the rest of the book. Story gets boring at times. Sometimes  characters find very old information very easily which is far from reality. Although the seed of this book is brilliant the execution could have been better.

Chetan Bhagat has started trend of IITans writing books and Sudipto had continued the tradition. We can expect more from his next book.

An OK book. Read if you have time and patience or for a change.