Authors: Amieya Prabhaker
Cold Love (24 page)
Others in the room are still watching
the television. Puja and Riya have momentarily forgotten the events
traumatizing the world, as one could judge by their giggles and hugs. They must
be talking about the incidents of the day, and most importantly about the
unique proposal that Riya had witnessed. It has been a long day and Arjun is
eager to return to his dad’s bedside!
“I am coming dad… I am coming!”, Arjun
tells himself, “Hold on there mama!”
At the RAW headquarters two days later,
several agents are glued to the news channel on the large television screen.
The voice of the news reporter on CNN is echoing loudly across the hall.
“Two days ago, the world was stunned to
see the video of the beheading of -an American hostage released by terrorists
on Al Jazeera TV. Today, the US Secretary of State in a press conference at the
White House has mentioned that the terrorists, who carried out this heinous
crime, did this act in the desert city of Sargodha in Pakistan. The US
intelligence has further alleged that the actual killing took place within the
Pakistani Air Force Headquarters in Sargodha. Yes, you heard it right, within
the Pakistani Air Force base.”
The mood in the hall changed from
bewilderment to that of disbelief. Sargodha is not only the headquarters of the
Pakistani Air Force, but is also the headquarters of the ISI, Pakistan’s
notorious intelligence agency. This secure base also houses key nuclear
arsenals and nuclear-capable F16 jets. The grave question was, how did
terrorists gain access to an Air Force base, and if they did, what else do they
have access to at this strategic site?
“The Pakistani Prime Minister has rubbished
this claim,” the news reported continued, “and offered full tactical support to
the USA to bring the terrorists to justice. However, CIA officials claim they
have factual evidence about this incident that the beheading did actually take
place inside the Pakistani Air Force base at Sargodha.”
Inaudible voice of the reporter
continues on the TV as everyone is now bustling with discussions. Lt Gen
Khanna, wearing an elegant black suit, standing right at the back of the hall
glides away to enter his glass-walled office cabin. He calls his mobile to
speak to Krish, obviously extremely perturbed by these developments.
“Are you watching the news?... Is this
the same terrorist organization? … Hmmm… I want to know everything… Report to
my office… now!”
The big question was, what will be the
next move… and by whom? Lt Gen Khanna knows that all the players are all
gearing up for one final action… a knockout punch!
The
Final Move
…Rest in Peace
Arjun was alone in a room at the
hospital when Krish calls him.
“Hi Arjun, Lt Gen Khanna called me just
now to meet him.”
“So it has happened, then? Did I miss
the breaking news? ”
“Don’t worry, the news clipping will
definitely be repeated at least ten times today. It’s all under control, buddy!
You take care of your family. Leave everything to me. I heard about your dad.
Please accept my sincere regards. I need to run but you take care, buddy! I
will speak to you soon.”
“Thanks Krish!” Arjun shuts the mobile
when it rings again. He picks up the phone, surprised at the unexpected caller,
Mr. Banerjee.
“Hello Arjun! I heard about your dad. My
sincere condolences to you and your family.”
“Thank you, Mr. Banerjee. Thanks for
calling,” Arjun is eager to end the call.
“Arjun, I have something important to
talk to you about,” Mr. Banerjee continues, “But before I say it, I want you to
know that what happened personally between us is not important…It is not about
you or me! It is about our country. And that is what matters.”
“I’m listening, Banerjee,” Arjun
answers, intrigued.
“Arjun, the ISI lieutenant general is
due to be executed day after tomorrow… As per article 72 of the Indian
Constitution, I’ve requested an appeal to the President of India for his
pardon. Arjun, I don’t know if you have seen the news just now?”
“I’ve heard about it.” Arjun switches on
the TV and puts the subtitles on.
“Arjun, the outcome that you and RAW
desired has been achieved. But trust me, if the ISI lieutenant general is
wrongly convicted for this crime, it will only further aggravate terrorism.
Arjun, are you listening?”
“Yes, Mr. Banerjee,” Arjun responds
dryly.
“Arjun, I’ve already spoken to the
President’s office. The pardon statement will just state that the President of
India has used his discretion to pardon the ISI lieutenant general on grounds
of diplomatic goodwill. There’s no reason for him to die Arjun!”
“Mr. Banerjee, I am about to go to my
dad’s funeral!” Arjun responds in a hoarse voice.
“Yes, Arjun, I am really sorry about
your dad. I know this is not the right moment to discuss this. But, please try
to understand; it is important for our country, Arjun, and for an individual’s
life. Only you know the truth, Arjun, and I trust you to ensure that truth
should prevail!”
“Thank you, Mr. Banerjee,” Arjun shuts
the phone abruptly.
He turns on the television and raises
the volume to hear the news reporter.
“Under immense international pressure,
Pakistan has agreed to open its nuclear sites to international inspection. UN
inspectors believe this could be a landmark move to pave the way towards
nuclear disarmament. We have come to know from unverified sources that the USA
had threated Pakistan that if it did not comply, it would face a financial
embargo and complete economic meltdown, and a possible motion in the UN to
declare Pakistan a terrorist state. The Pakistani government has reacted
swiftly and banned fifteen terrorist outfits and agreed to hand their leaders
to the USA for trial in cases of genocide.”
Arjun finally switches off the TV and
walks out briskly to carry out the ceremonial processing. He walks over and
kneels in front of his dad; Kamla is right next to him at the opposite end of
the body.
“Pardon me, Papa; I couldn’t be there at
your bedside in your last moments,” he looks at Kamla. “Mama, Papa permitted me
to join RAW, when I was doing research at CERN. He knew… and today… because of
that decision…. and because of me…you are a widow, mama!”
Kamla gets up immediately; she walks
across briskly and grabs Arjun’s head in her hands while he is still kneeling
down in front of his dad.
“Don’t ever say that, beta! Your dad is
proud of you…he is not angry at you at all… not a tiny bit… And even if we had
to go through the same destiny thousands of times… we would be happy to embrace
this destiny, beta. We feel proud to have a son like you, Arjun!”
Arjun looks up at her; Kamla nods
reassuringly. He gets up and hugs her strongly again. Other visitors come along
slowly, to pay their last respects. The corpse is then laid out on the pyre and
Arjun moves forward to take a last look and to light the funeral pyre. Kamla,
Puja and Riya watch on close by.
After a few minutes, Arjun walks out of
the crowd to make a call.
“Mr. Banerjee, can you meet me at the
funeral? I will text you the address… we can go together if you still have that
appointment at the President’s office. …bye!”
Arjun gears himself mentally to finish
the last rites of this saga. He walks over to Kamla and gently whispers in her
ears.
“Maa, I need to go for an important
work.”
Kamla looks calmly at him, a bit
surprised but eventually smiles back at him.
“Go beta. Take care of yourself and come
back soon, Arjun.”
Arjun nods gently, walks into the sun
towards a jeep at the far end that has come to a screeching halt. He gets into
the jeep that races past through the setting orange sun.
“Rest in peace, dad!” he tells himself,
“Hope the new world brings in a message of peace… and love!”
Amieya was born and
brought up in a small town in India named Bokaro, famous for its Steel plant. Those
who have grown up in this town proudly proclaim it as among the most beautiful
cities in India, with a unique ambience of an excellent environment and easy
going friendly people.
Amieya was raised in a
middle class family and like so many others in India, received his first
lessons of humanity through the grandparents’ bed time stories. In specific,
the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata have shaped the values of several Indians
teaching us to imbibe pure values, thoughts, knowledge and good action (karma).
Amieya studied
Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. After
his studies, he started his career in the Semiconductor industry for a
California based company. The job took him across a whirlwind trip around the
globe- Singapore, USA, Israel, Holland, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, UK to name
a few. The exploration of cultures, people and countries, inevitably becomes a
self-exploration, and Amieya was no exception.
Amieya came to UK from
the West Coast during the dot com era to set up the IT operations of a start-up
that he briefly worked for. He completed his MBA from Oxford and has been recently
working in merger-acquisition scenarios, leading business transformation and integration
programs for large organizations.
Amieya is married with
a charming wife, who is an ex-classmate from his small town, and they have an
adorable five-year-old son. In his spare time, Amieya indulges in sports like
cricket, squash, tennis, a bit of movies… and most recently, writing.
The novel is written
in the style of a strategic project that crudely reflects the approach Amieya
prescribes at work.
Key projects start
with an idea, take shape with a vision, get formally kicked off, require intricate
planning or rebaselining as relevant and eventually reach the final execution.
It’s important to note, that people only see the final execution, but what really
matters creates the difference, is the tremendous effort and meticulous planning
that often remains invisible to the outer world.
An American hostage is
killed in cold blood by terrorists in Pakistan. The news sends alarm bells
ringing when CIA alleges that killing took place in the Pakistani Air Force
base in Sargodha
,
a location that also houses
nuclear weapons.
Six months earlier, two
childhood friends, Arjun and Riya, are reunited as fellow students at the
Indian Institute of Management, Mumbai. Love blossoms instantly between them;
however, Arjun has a dark secret that he has not shared with anyone…a secret that
will change the lives of everyone he knows forever.
Juxtaposition
Energy, both good and
evil, resides within us just like the nucleus of an atom. Right knowledge
(gyana) and right actions (karma) can harness that energy to produce
electricity, bringing light and eliminating darkness from people’s lives.
However, that same nucleus can bring darkness and doom for the entire planet,
if transformed into a nuclear weapon, which has the capacity to destroy mankind.
Similarly, what we
become is a result of our knowledge, thoughts and actions. So, the right
knowledge and actions should lead us to the right results? Potentially yes!
However, in the new world order, in the post Mahabharata kaliyuga* era,
righteousness often needs a helping hand. Any war between good and evil can
only end when one party is the victor, and the other vanquished.
The novel compares the
current India-Pakistan rivalry to the Cold War era between the USA and USSR.
The world does not see the endless strife that continues unabated between the
intelligence agencies of the major antagonistic nations. However, any war, even
fought in secret, is never “cold” for those involved in it. Such a cold war
drastically alters the lives of those around it, often crushing love, emotions
and families forever.
*Kaliyuga, in Hindu mythology refers to
the age of vice, a period that started circa 3000BC after Krishna left earth
