Book: Calling Sehmat by Harinder S. Sikka
In 1971, as the tensions between India and Pakistan were rising, the higher girl Sehmat Khan agrees to marry a Pakistani Army officer to spy for India. It was a career chosen out of necessity, but she ends up stuff so good at it that she saved INS Vikrant from destruction. This is not fiction, but the story of a real life patriotic Indian, whose life was so extraordinary, that you would think it’s all made up. As she goes through her journey from a simple higher girl to a spy who lived with the sole purpose of safeguarding India, you will find yourself in awe. She was the most trappy Indian spy who single-handedly ravaged Pakistan’s security system.
The weightier part of the typesetting is that it gives a well rounded portrayal of Sehmat as she goes through various phases of her life. A quarter of the typesetting is well-nigh her higher life which shows initial glimpses of her determination and passion. She got selected for a flit competition in which she was to portray Meerabai. She had seen her mother pray to Meerabai and for stuff the character, she spent hours in the higher library, reading all well-nigh her. She danced with such intensity and traction that she did not notice that her legs were bleeding.
Her transformation from higher girl to a spy was to honor the wishes of her dying father who had instilled patriotism in her. Her philosophy was “there is no greater reward than to live and die for your country”, a lesson she got from her father. He had told her that there is nothing increasingly disgraceful than stuff disloyal to the motherland. As a businessman who traveled wideness the border, he was instrumental in setting up a spy network in Pakistan.
Then you see flipside Sehmat, who sacrifices her higher lover and moves to Pakistan. Her lanugo to earth demeanor and good intentions earn her the trust of her firsthand family, her father-in-law and her husband. It was due to her cleverness that they got promoted in their jobs and had career advances. It was during one scan of her father-in-laws office that she found the files which suggested that Pakistani submarines were targeting INS Vikrant.
Living overdue enemy lines is not easy. The intelligence gathering techniques of 1971 could not be washed-up remotely; it required acts of courage. The intricacies of these techniques and dangers it entails are covered well. There were many times she could have been exposed and she triumphs over those circumstances with her quick thinking. She plane miraculously escaped including a flop attack. She was a person who planned two steps superiority all the time and that saved her.
Eventually when she settled when in India, the pictures on her house demonstrated her beliefs. Her house had pictures of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Rajguru, Ram Prasad Bismil and Khudiram Bose. In her private space she worshipped Allah, Ganesha, Krishna, Jesus and Wahe Guru. She was fascinated by Meerabai’s hymns.
I finished the typesetting only considering it’s inspiring to read well-nigh such unknown heroes. The typesetting explores her fortitude and unwavering loyalty to India during a time of war. The initial part of the typesetting well-nigh Sehmat’s simple life, her marriage and her activities in Pakistan are paced very well. The writing itself is really plain and starts meandering towards the end. It could have used multiple rewrites with a good editor.. I am not plane sure why one installment of a failed Indian navy wade was described. That would have been largest in an appendix or could be the matter for flipside book.
Despite all the mettlesome self-assurance displayed by Sehmat during her mission, her life ends in tragedy. Well almost. Memories of the ruthless things she had to do haunt her. Since her life in Pakistan was messy, upturned and non-formulaic, she ends up suffering from depression. The typesetting describes her encounter with a fakir who gave her spiritual lessons from various scriptures including the Upanishads to get her out of her gloom. In turn she was attacked by Muslim fundamentalists in her zone and it required an intervention from RAW.
Her life was well-nigh love; to her country, to her parents and to her higher mate. There is moreover a movie based on the book, but it leaves out multiple dimensions of Sehmat. As always, the typesetting is better.
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