#TheSwarajSpy by @VBalanAuthor is an exciting historical spy thriller narrating the true story of the Indian freedom struggle, told through Kumar Nair, sent on a rescue mission as a spy.
An excerpt. (1/21)
An excerpt. (1/21)
On the day of their departure, Thankam,Sulu and Suku climbed into an RAF truck. Kumar drove,while AM and Gopal sat in the back along with two small suitcases. As they neared the harbour,cars & vans jostled horse carts and rickshaws laden with people carrying large bundles. (2/21)
Drivers leaned heavily on their horns, as if the sound could part the traffic. A huge throng pushed and elbowed its way from a sea of abandoned vehicles to the docks. (3/21)
The Keppel Docks in Singapore, a source of British pride, had controlled the commerce between the Far East and the Indian Ocean. But the round-the-clock bombing had reduced hubris to rubble. Roofless warehouses now gaped at the sky. (4/21)
A dockside crane lay sprawled on its side; its legs twisted in grotesque angles like a giant squashed insect. The funnels of a sunken steamer rose out of the water like pillars supporting the dark clouds of smouldering ash that asphyxiated everyone’s lungs. (5/21)
Kumar, AM and Gopal linked arms to form a protective ring around Thankam and the children. They shuffled slowly as the crowd carried them forward. It took all their strength to keep the shield intact. Yells and cries in many languages tore through the air. (6/21)
Sulu gripped a suitcase with one hand and wrapped her other arm tightly around her mother. Thankam tightly held the precious boarding permits and second suitcase in one hand and clutched on to Suku with the other. They tried hard to keep their balance. (7/21)
The melee threw the little band about like driftwood washed ashore.
They reached a gate beyond which armed soldiers allowed only passengers to pass. Policemen desperately tried to control the crowd. Kumar steered the group to Royal Navy officers checking boarding permits. (8/21)
They reached a gate beyond which armed soldiers allowed only passengers to pass. Policemen desperately tried to control the crowd. Kumar steered the group to Royal Navy officers checking boarding permits. (8/21)
A swarm of hands, waving pieces of paper, besieged the four harried officers. Checking permits against identification was impossible. The officers looked quickly at permits & yelled instructions to the gate sentries about the number of passengers: ‘Two!’, ‘Four!’, ‘Three!’ (9/21)
AM let Kumar’s hand go to get the papers from Thankam. He thrust the sweat-soaked permits at a sub lieutenant. A torn epaulette bearing his rank insignia dangled from his shoulder. (10/21)
The officer looked absently at the permit, jerked his head at a guard and yelled, ‘Three!’ AM stuffed the papers back in Thankam’s hand as she moved forward with the children. The soldier glanced at the papers and grunted, ‘Ship Four. There!’ (11/21)
He pointed at a ship anchored 100 yards away. The ship’s name had been hastily painted over in black.
There was no time for goodbyes. Thankam met AM’s gaze and smiled for a brief second. (12/21)
There was no time for goodbyes. Thankam met AM’s gaze and smiled for a brief second. (12/21)
The crowd swallowed her and the children as it surged towards the ship like a tidal wave of heads. Kumar, AM and Gopal tried to see the travellers board the ship, but the police quickly shooed them away.
The crowd pulled in different directions towards two ships. (13/21)
The crowd pulled in different directions towards two ships. (13/21)
Thankam kept her eye on her ship’s funnel & dragged the children with all her strength towards the vessel. Her carefully pulled tight bun came loose and wavy hair twisted crazily about her shoulders. Sulu used the suitcase in her hand as an instrument to push people away. (14/21)
She ignored hurled curses and helped her mother as much as she could. They were halfway to the ship when the air-raid sirens went off. The crowd surged forward as one mass, jammed together with no room to take cover. (15/21)
Bombers appeared over the harbour in two giant Vs. Anti-aircraft guns let out deafening bangs. A shudder ran through the crowd at first as frightened screams rang from all directions. (16/21)
After the first few shells, they ignored the guns and pushed relentlessly towards the ships.
The bombs fell like hail. Thankam prayed that their ship would not be struck. Oil storage tanks at one end of the harbour exploded into flames. (17/21)
The bombs fell like hail. Thankam prayed that their ship would not be struck. Oil storage tanks at one end of the harbour exploded into flames. (17/21)
A few bombs fell on warehouses, but they spared Steamer Number Four and its dock.
The stench of burning petrol descended like a toxic cloud. Sulu coughed and tried to raise her free arm to protect her face. The crush pinned the arm to her side like epoxy. (18/21)
The stench of burning petrol descended like a toxic cloud. Sulu coughed and tried to raise her free arm to protect her face. The crush pinned the arm to her side like epoxy. (18/21)
She hought she saw the words ‘City of . . .’ faintly visible under the black paint smeared over the ship’s name. Thankam willed herself to push through to the gangway that was only yards away. ‘It’s close now. Stay close to me. Come on!’ (19/21)
A little Chinese girl, just a few feet from Thankam, suddenly lost her grip on her mother’s hand. She quickly disappeared into the crowd. The panic-stricken mother screamed for help. Thankam caught the woman’s haunted eyes. There was nothing she could do to help. (20/21)
The horde carried Thankam and the children away from the unfortunate woman. She thrust her boarding papers at an officer at the foot of the gangway. He waved her on without looking at the permits. (21/21)
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