short takes
Terrorism, underworld and journalism
Reviewed by Randeep Wadehra

The Newsroom Mafia
By Oswald Pereira Grey Oak/Westland. Pages 259. Rs 245

A man of humble origins, Narayan Swamy takes to petty crime in Mumbai. When he slays a Mumbai slum dada he sets off on the path to becoming a stereotypical, powerful underworld don whose connections include journalists, policemen and persons in power. He builds an empire that encompasses a wide range of business interests, but nurtures a hidden desire for respectability in the society. He tries his hand at philanthropy but with limited results. Soon, with the help of a couple of journalists and financial experts, he sets up an investment institution, which becomes a conduit for money laundering. He runs his empire ruthlessly and appears invincible. However, he eventually finds a tough adversary in Mumbai’s Police Commissioner, Donald Fernandez. The unfolding sex and sleaze peppered saga turns into a tussle between the law and the outlaw with attendant treacheries, murders and vendetta.

The Press in Independent India has come a long way from its idealistic/nationalistic beginnings. Now, it has become an active player in the quotidian not-so-clean politics and promotion of partisan interests. Pereira’s novel takes a look at the nexus among politicians, policemen, press and the underworld. Avid readers of newspapers would be able to recognise the real life institutions and characters featured in this narrative (Julio Ribeiro, Varadrajan Mudaliar etc), which looks too realistic to be a work of fiction with some of its portions resembling newspaper reports – not surprising, since Pereira is a journalist.

The Valley of Shadows
By Abhay Narayan Sapru. Chlorophyll-Wisdom Tree. Pages xvi+170. Rs 245

In North Kashmir’s Lolab Valley Major Harry and his men have been deployed to prevent infiltration of terrorists from across the border. Along with keeping an eye on intruders, he keeps himself updated about happenings in the surrounding villages where anti-Indian sentiment predominates, but is gradually getting tempered with an undercurrent of growing resentment among locals against foreign jehadis. The nerve tingling tale of battles between soldiers and terrorists is interspersed with the narrative of love in all its complex shades. Harry’s pursuit of Sher Khan is driven as much by patriotism as by his unrequited love for the local lass, Sahira, who turns out to be Khan’s unwilling accomplice.

There was a time when Kashmir used to figure as an idyllic retreat in works of fiction and cinema in India. However, ever since trouble began in the paradise circa 1980s, the valley has become a backdrop for violent thrillers. Sapru’s novel, too, dwells upon Kashmir’s terrorist problem while giving an Indian soldier’s perspective, since Sapru himself is an ex-Indian Army officer. The interaction among this novel’s dramatis personae, viz., soldiers, terrorists and the locals happens at multiple levels.

English Newspapers on Indian Independence
By Soma Dutta. Kalpaz. Pages 392. Rs 750

When James Augustus Hickey produced The Bengal (not Bengali) Gazette, India’s first newspaper, in 1780, he had unwittingly let loose a powerful nationalist impulse multiplier. The British had expected the print media to promote their commercial interests in the subcontinent. But there was an unanticipated byproduct, viz., the rise of nationalist media. Newspapers, apart from chronicling the unfolding history, are extremely powerful tools in the hands of public opinion makers. The Bengal Gazette did not last even a year, but was followed by various other newspapers like The India Gazette, The Madras Courier, The Bombay Herald etc. Newspapers representing different shades of Indian public opinion cropped up. With the passage of time these became powerful allies of India’s Independence Movement. Soma Dutta’s well researched tome takes a look at the history of India’s English language newspapers and their contribution to the country’s freedom movement, even as it takes a look at various landmark events including the factors that had contributed to India’s Partition.

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