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Better Dead than
Disabled
While fighting the LTTE Kaul almost lost his life but survived, one eye and one hand short. In a sardonic tone he highlights strategic blunders, bad man management, petty politicking and monumental incompetence of some of his seniors and peers. His struggle for justice for himself and his daughter (who was run over by a staff car), the intrigues as well as the camaraderie he experienced have been narrated in a dignified manner. His interrupted encounter with Rajiv Gandhi shows how blunt Kaul can get. The controversy surrounding the IPKF’s performance does remind one of literature on the China debacle, especially two books, Brig Dalvi’s The Himalayan Blunder and Gen B.M. Kaul’s The Untold Story. This book is a wake-up call to the powers-that-be.
The title suggests a gripping whodunit involving P3 persons. But the story begins with its unnamed heartbroken and sacked-from-job protagonist running to her aunt Lalli for succour. Lalli is an ex-cop with a penchant for resolving dead-end crime-mysteries. As the breezy narrative swishes through the first nine chapters you become impatient for action. True, there’s a hint of crime with Lola disappearing after a tiff with Alif Bey, but the focus is on Bangladeshi cook Tarok’s culinary skills and mind-reading ability, and such eccentric characters as Ujwala Sane, Hilla, Felix et al. Soon the plot thickens. Murders galore in a rambling house cut off from civilisation by torrential downpour.
When materialism begins to pall, one tries to look inwards for enrichment. But this is easier said than done. Most of us do not know of the untold riches that lie within us. Singh enumerates these as the inner source of knowledge and love. Says he, "Awaiting us inside is a bliss and joy so fulfilling that we need no other intoxicants to make us happy. All these gifts lie within us in the empowered soul." And, how does the soul get empowered? For an answer read this extremely absorbing and enlightening book. |
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