Sep 05, 2006 11:38 AM
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Around seven years ago, at the launch of his second book, Love and Longing in Bombay, Vikram Chandra was asked this question: “Which of the characters in this collection of short stories is your favorite?” “I’m fascinated by Inspector Sartaj Singh (featuring in the story Kama). He might emerge as a full blown character in a novel I’m planning now,” was Chandra’s answer.
And Sartaj Singh is developed into a major character in Sacred Games, an epic by Vikram Chandra.
Sartaj Singh, now forty-something is not a super hero. In fact, he is a battle-scarred, obsequious, at-times melancholic and definitely not belonging to the top rung police officer. He is conscientious and moral though not in traditional way - he is not averse to taking small bribes and does Hawala trading for his boss, Parulkar sahib. He is just another head in the police force. But things change for him when an anonymous caller tips him about the dreaded gangster Ganesh Gaitonde who is hiding in an underground fortress at Kailsahpada. Sartaj and the police force besiege Ganesh’s abode and in that state Ganesh starts narrating his life story about how he became the leader of the G-gang from a small time crook. Sartaj loses patience and gets into Ganesh’s chamber only to discover the dreaded don dead – having committed suicide.
But in the pages, Ganesh continues speaking to Sartaj Singh and what emerges is a tale that covers the entire expanse from common human aspirations and frailties to petty crimes to underworld activities, to international espionage and terrorism. Sacred Games places its characters in a ruthless and cruel world. There are diverse threads to the story, woven in a different time space, each as cruel as the other. It’s written in a thriller format but at all times Chandra keeps the bigger picture in place. Where is the world heading to? One is bound to ask this question several times. As the book reaches its finale, one is chilled to the bones – the July blasts in Mumbai and the nuclear threat to the city are uncannily similar.
Ganesh Gaitonde and not Sartaj Singh emerges as a larger than life character. Ganesh, from his poor origin to the on the run don is someone you begin to fear and cherish at the same time. He kills ruthlessly, his near and dear ones are slaughtered in a similar vein, the cops are after him and so are Suleman Isa’s men. After a point, he begins to question himself and his inner debate draws him close to Guruji. The book hereon reaches its peak. Sartaj Singh, at the behest of RAW agents, begins an investigation that goes beyond Ganesh Gaitonde’s G-gang. The situation is explosive. In fact it had always been explosive but no one ever paid heed to it. Whether it is a partition torn Punjab, or the Naxalaite infested Bihar or Pakistan … the rumblings have always been there but no one ever paid heed to it. And this is where Chandra emerges victorious.
He has etched some brilliant characters. Ganesh and Sartaj need no introduction here – they are the pivots. The minor characters like Gaitonde’s men, Parulkar sahib, Jojo the pimp, the actress Zoya Mirza (she bears an uncanny resemblance to a certain Ms Sen), Sartaj’s mother are some brilliantly sketched personae.
All in all, Chandra’s Sacred games is a wonderful experience. Craft and content meet harmoniously here.
About the author
Vikram Chandra (b. 1961) is a well known author and his previous books include Red Earth and Pouring Rain and Love and Longing in Bombay. He has also co-written the Bollywood movie, Mission Kashmir. He is the son of the well known script writer Kamna Chandra(Prem Rog, 1942: A Love Story). His sisters Tanuja Chandra (film director: Dushman, Sur, Sangharsh) and Anupama Chopra (film commentator: books on Sholay and Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge and wife of director Vidhu Vinod Chopra) are famous in their own right. Chandra divides his time between California and Mumbai.
