Cops, corruption and chaos
Aditi Garg

Families at home
by Reeti Gadekar. Harper Collins. Pages 266. Rs. 295

Power comes with the privilege of rising above the mundane. One can easily choose to select what affects them and what doesn’t. A diligent person could direct that power towards supporting the less worthy, but the choice between self-augmentation and helping others is not always that simple. Working in a system based on rigid hierarchy it starts seeming a better idea to flow with the system and its corruptions, than try and change it and be a sore in everyone’s backs. Even then there are those few who fight it out in their own way, bending a rule, tweaking another not just for their gain but also to help the
common person fight the red tape of the system.

Reeti Gadekar makes her debut with this fast-paced novel about the turmoils in the life of police officers that are out to do their duty using both legal and illegal tactics. She uncovers the underbelly of Delhi, the truth that lies behind the glitz and glamour of established industrial families and their Page 3 progeny. Gadekar was born and brought up in the very city that she portrays as the hero of her story. Having studied German Literature, she now lives in Berlin, Germany. Her book has been short listed for the ManAsian literary prize 2007.

The story revolves around the exploits and chemistry of two police officers who are contrary to each other—Additional Commissioner of Police, Nikhil Juneja and Constable K. Joseph. Thrown in together because of unexpected circumstances and the hand of a conscientious superior, Juneja tries to make the best of the situation that could leverage his case for a promotion that had been long overdue. When the daughter of a Big Shot commits suicide, which turns out to be a murder, Juneja has a hard time trying to figure out the course of events. His own life is not a bed of roses. Estranged from his father, unmarried, balding and getting older by the day, he needs to put his act together before it is too late. His marital status bothers him and so does the ever-dwindling stream of bedmates. He may not be a clean cop who is above the system but he does have a conscience that pricks and helps out the hapless souls around him once in a while.

Joseph, on the other hand, is a very conscientious man and God-fearing man, at times impracticably so in today’s world. He does more than his bit to help others. Juneja’s ways may not always appeal to him but he shows great admiration for him at the same time. Both of them go on to prove that there is place and need for both kinds.

The book is good with everything thrown in for good measure, a potbellied police officer, an honest to the core constable, big industrialists and their ‘homely’ wives, a Page 3 couple, the local goon, the sad and frail grand matriarch and a cheery mix of friends. The irony of the situation is that it is these clich`E9s that do not let the novel reach its potential. Though there is no drawback in the story or in the line of narration (the climax does come as a surprise), towards the end the story flounders, losing the taut rein of
its first half.

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