The story of my assassinsTarun TejpalHarper Collins,Rs 495An engaging look at the dark underbelly of our politics and societyTarun Tejpal knows a lot about the dirty underbelly of the Indian state,elite and society. Combine that knowledge with a wonderful ability to spin a yarn in lyrical prose and you get an excellent novel. So make way,Messrs Vikas Swaroop and Aravind Adiga,for the definitive story of the Indian underbelly. The premise of Tejpals novel is clearly drawn from his own experience in real life in the aftermath of the Tehelka defence exposé. The main protagonist of the book is the publisher of a magazine which just recently exposed corruption in the department of agriculture and food,and which then faced the blunt and revengeful fist of the state,driving the entire magazine into near bankruptcy. If that wasnt bad enough,the authorities claim to have foiled an assassination attempt on the protagonist and have arrested five suspects for conspiring to kill him. The protagonists life,already in some turmoil (he is disaffected with his wife and family,he and his Lincolnesque editor are scrounging around desperately for money to keep their magazine going,and he is having a torrid affair with a young left-wing radical activist),is now thrown into new complications,what with a full security detail to protect a threat to his life.The publishers activist girlfriend,Sara,with whom he engages in frequent and energetic sexual liaisons,is convinced the five suspects are innocent and are being framed by the state. And she is determined to prove them innocent. The protagonist doesnt really know what to believe,but plays along with Sara just to win sexual favours. The protagonists aloof and disinterested attitude towards everything except sex may be a depiction of the apathy of the English-speaking urban elite,but it doesnt always square up with his situation. That is perhaps the only minor flaw in the novel. All the other characters of the book are,however,very engaging. The characters of the sundry sub-inspector and personal security officers charged with looking after the protagonists story are delightfully written,as are the characters of various lower court lawyers who appear in the story. Businessmen are depicted in their different varieties from the noveau-riche,looking desperately for fame,yet timid garment exporters appropriately called Kuchha King,Kuchha Singh and Frock Raja to the wheeling-dealing,well connected Kapoorsaheb. And theres even a guruji the sort who counsels the urban stressed-out and who fills his disciple,the protagonist,with much wisdom from the Gita and other Hindu philosophy. But perhaps the meat of the novel lies in the chapters which actually narrate the stories of the five suspected assassins Kabir M.,Chaaku,Kaaliya,Chini and Hathoda Tyagi and their lives in the heart of the badlands of north India. Their individual stories connect with the basic plot of the novel to finally reveal an interesting climax. Are they being set up? Or are they actually assassins? Who is behind the entire assassination plot the government,the cops,politicians,ISI or someone else? The reader is left racing through the 500-odd pages to discover the answers to these questions in what is a thoroughly enjoyable read. Tejpal even manages a Hitchockesque guest appearance as a bearded character who runs a website which exposed a huge defence scandal.
