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| Picture Credit HERE |
There has to be a method in this madness!
There is no other reason why a book of such
length with two murders, one at the beginning and one at the end, may not be
considered a book about crime by any standard. But it is in fact, not termed as
one, although you can see the design and the reasons why there is the making
of crime fiction in the pages, especially, because it is related to an industry
that can make or break the political power of the country or the innocent lives
of some.
Let’s start from the end,
first.
A young girl, Sanjukta, fresh
in the publishing industry has been sent to a workshop on sexual harassment,
all expenses paid, by her employer at News Today, Rajinder Kohli. The workshop
is run by a well-known person in the profession running an NGO focused on doing
work in this area. However, it appears that the Leader of the NGO, in fact, has a
problem, that being, alongside the classes on sexual harassment, he practices
what he preaches! The young girl is caught in between, aggressive persuasion
leading up to rape, where she has been enticed by this man in power, who
happens also to be a good friend of her mother’s too! Sanjukta, has not been
able be clear about her discomfort at these advances, and has now, with the
help of her boyfriend and family, been able to lodge an FIR, First Information
Report, with the police, who are sluggish to act. Rajinder Singh, her own
employer, who had sent her to the workshop in the first place, has shut himself
out from this and has commanded his Office, not to participate or support the
girl in any way.
For his decision to do so,
he must face the consequences in the most brutal manner by his own employee.
Woven in the pages of the
book, Paper Tigers and their preys, is the life of our
protagonist – Amit Gupta, from a middle-class family, with passion for sports journalism. It is very lucky that the
Newspaper he grew up reading called Timeline, has absorbed him, straight out of
college as an intern. After being shuffled around doing multiple jobs as a
‘sub’, by a fluke of chance, he is absorbed in the area of his interest – Sports.
He dreams of foreign trips and meeting sports stars, he had only read about.
However, soon his dreams will be dashed as he learns that all foreign trips are
pre-planned and go to those who are well connected abroad with fellow
journalists, so while reporting, the copy may just as well be a collection of
paras gathered from different quarters and strung skillfully together, while
the journo on foreign soil, has a fair holiday, with wine and love interest
thrown in.
Still, Amit Gupta, does get small
joys, traveling out to cities within the country. Amit is also under
considerable pressure that he hasn’t received his salary for a long time. Rumour
abounds that the Newspaper will be sold out to a fat business baron and so,
salaries may regularize then. Amit carries on although he is gradually
disillusioned by the profession. He falls in love with his colleague, Lilly,
but unable to voice his feelings to her in time, he loses his opportunity.
Slowly, he is engaged to Shanta, but there too, just as his marriage date is
fixed, his father dies and the marriage is broken. Amit leaves Timeline to join
News Today. Love beckons again but his love goes for another toss as his lady,
Ranjana is caught in intra-departmental politics which sideline Amit and makes
the editor leave the newspaper. The paper folds up. Amit returns to the old
News Today, where he finds balm to his yet again broken heart in Sanjukta. Amit
is about to meet her ever-busy parents, when, Sanjukta is sent to the workshop
on sexual harassment which takes an ugly turn causing a turn of events that
will make Amit wait to marry Sanjukta, as her life now takes on a different
trajectory as does his. So, the double whammy, apparently, unlucky in love and
disillusioned with the life of a journalist, Amit, is about to open up the
pandora’s box of vile and guile that go to make the most powerful industry in
the country – Media.
Wise Owl, the nom-de-plume
of the author of the book, Paper Tigers
and their preys, has drawn up an engrossing story around Amit Gupta,
following his life from a boy with a fine intellect and love of books, entering
the world of power, the barons that make up the world of media. They have in
their hand the most powerful weapon, the pen, far mightier than the sword,
which is used as a vehicle in the hands of political power, in the country, the
very power, the pen/keyboard, has helped to bring to power. This is the irony
of the situation.
The gloss and the grit of
the life of a journalist is brought out with extraordinary skill and
compassion, as Amit travels through these corridors of mammoth business houses
engaged in the state-of-the-art of generating opinions and discussions over
truth and (un)truth that they publish for consumption. The late nights,
drinks and dinner on the house, including cozying up with a colleague in sly
corners of the office, till wee hours of the morning next day, the
‘work-family’ often dislodging the real family, as night after night,
journalists slog to put out the news that the masses consume the next day. It
is the story of media mafia who grow fat and wealthy, by selling ‘packaged
truths’ that determine whom they will wine and dine with and who will lick
their shoes, during election times. Amit
reveals with candid reality, the inside story of Paper Tigers roaming around preying on innocent lives, or using
them to further their interest in the accumulation of wealth.
To me as a reader and a
feminist, the stinking realities of this industry, threw open, yet another wolf
in sheep’s clothing – the highly sophisticated media barons, who can’t take no
for an answer, or who will show off their power by the size of their cars and the
length to which they can go, wielding their ‘power’ in their pants. And I am
happy that it is one among their own gender who finally kills a symbol of
patriarchy showing its worst face in support of the system. I am therefore, not
writing about the murder at the very start of the book, which the reader must
find out, by reading the book.
The language is impeccable
and the book is easy to read as in, the conversations between different
characters tell the story. You can sit back and read especially if you are one
of those who love a long story winding its way through your mind’s nooks and
corners.
Personally, I would have
preferred a tighter manuscript - a book, which I could start to read at Rajiv
Chawk Metro Station in New Delhi, and finish it by the time I have arrived at HUDA
City Centre in Gurgaon, which is exactly one hour twenty minutes flat!
Finally, let me not leave
the book without the mention of the cover and the title of the book. Paper Tigers and their preys is an apt
title with visual that in fact cleverly summarises the whole book. It is provocative
and no one can miss the predator at all. Wise Owl, @hutomp on Twitter, who is
the author of the book says, Brush Stroke/ @newbrushstroke on twitter, the
gifted brilliant illustrator, loves her mouse, keyboard and colours. Isn’t that
so cute? Besides, for both the author and the illustrator, this is their first
attempt to showcase their work in book format.
Print Length: 445 pages
Kindle eBook File Size: 1795
KB
