Spy Story 4 - Glance of Saturn

[Tanaji]

Very nice saar... The description was pretty good and detailed and so was the character development. My only very small quibble was that given the pacing of the initial 3/4 of the story, I thought the end was a bit abrupt or wrapped up quickly. Not that it was badly done, it is just the pacing. But it was still wonderful.

[Dileep]

Tanaji, it always happen to me. I build up slow, but wrap up quick, because I become tired and impatient. Those who tried it would know how tiring it is to write.

The original plot was for a 'needle in haystack' type hunt in the hills for the climax, but I felt SPENT, and wanted to somehow wrap it up.

[ramana]

Dileep, Its standard literary device of slow build up and sudden ending

Story Plot Graph pdf graphic organizer.

[Dileep]

Ramana, what I meant is that the climax here was too short and straightforward. My (original) plan was a thrilling downhill roller coster ride as the climax, with the same ending.

Couldn't do it

[Klaus]

Dileep’s genius and ability to describe jugaad or technological improvisation is IMO the USP of all of the spy story series. In each of these stories, there is a scene or a situation where-in some technological innovation is carried out for the benefit of the forces fighting for the preservation and defense of the national project.

In SS-1, it is Miguel Ernesto and the video surveillance of Jeff Boger’s office cubicle using a mop-camera. Subsequent to this is the forgery of the id card of the janitorial cleaning services using a fake CFL bulb CE conformance hologram sticker (which has since then made its appearance regularly). This is followed by a very cheeky theft of Jeff Boger’s hard disk and cd’s containing critical info of great value to Mahendra Vyas.

In SS-2, it is the detailed experiments carried out by Yaseer Ayoobi to detect & measure sound signals underwater, the series of experiments start off at the residential swimming pool and a crude vane setup. It then moves to the Naval Research Institute where a new pool is constructed and a frequently evolving designs are tested. These series of tests culminate in the final design of the Panchajanyam sensor cell which is incorporated into the ATV project. This technology exploration sub-story gave a refreshing feel to the espionage story, and since it was based on a frequently updated design, it confirmed to the tastes of an Indian audience quite well.

SS-Generations explored direct espionage devices as used in medieval and late medieval India. The explanation revolved around operation of a covert listening device called the Pisachini, which used a string transmitting transverse vibrations, this string was mounted between a drum like object which was the receiver of longitudinal sound waves and an earphone like device, used to reconvert the transverse vibrations into longitudinal sound waves with minimal loss of energy.

SS-Glance of Saturn showed yet another angle of espionage, this time carried out mostly by an amateur, who through his alertness and perseverance, inspite of the personal circumstances he was in, managed to avert a great loss to the nation. One of the chapters in this story is noted for its detailed description of the technique of picking an eight tumbler lock, presented in a lucid manner. Another incident captures the way in which a 2-way mobile to mobile communication can be used to record conversations and bug a premises without the knowledge of its occupants. Towards the end of the story, we once again come across impersonation and disguise (and the forged ID cards using the CFL bulb CE hologram) being used to steal vital information from Breeze Technologies under the nose of the NIA by a rival ‘private’ intelligence organization.

The concept of triangulation and tracking of a target mobile phone using the cell tower has also appeared in SS-2 and Glance of Saturn.

[Klaus]

As requested by Ramana garu, posting the Charithra Chithran (Character sketch) of all female characters from SS-1 through to Glance of Saturn.

Spy Story 1

Elina Perez: Described as a smart, sexy woman with hazel eyes, she is a plant assigned by Deputy David Linh on the behest of Mahendra Vyas aka Sanjeev Gupta to extract vital information from the FBI agent Jeff Boger. Jeff Boger was in charge of the case involving Sergio who was caught and arrested while trying to spy on Ex-President Musharraf’s residence in the Napa valley.
Elina Perez comes off as that brash, independent and street smart girl, this is probably due to the hard and unprotected childhood she led, having lost her drug peddling father to gang violence. Subsequently, the rest of her family also falls victim to the drug business leaving Elina to fend for herself at the age of eighteen. She is smuggled across the border to the USA from her hometown of Tijuana, Mexico.
She is ambitious even though she is uneducated and has very little knowledge of English. There is employment in massage centres, which had a policy of rotating the staff from place to place, so Elina acquires quite a bit of local geographic knowledge which would help her (and her prospective employers) extract information from the willing. She is described as being able to face up to the grim realities of life and keep a firm handle when abrupt changes need to be made, such as the time when she left Los Angeles for San Jose after having enough of the physical abuse.
Perhaps, one of the key reasons why Elina fit the role of a spy was that she had the ability to play dumb and hence probe into the mind of her intended target. This, coupled with her physical traits along with her other talents caused the target to drop his guard and reveal facts or opinions which should have remained confidential, in some cases even important documents or physical evidence was left exposed and uncovered.
Though she had little exposure to spy-craft before, she is described as being successful in her assigned duties, providing Mahendra Vyas with some valuable leads, also giving him info on regular Pakistani visitors to the General’s residence.

Sandhya Patel: Very observant airhostess, paying attention to the tiniest detail with regard to all aspects of passengers including their clothes, facial expressions, body language, antics and other details. Her position is very inconspicuous and extremely valuable to Mahendra Vyas, it is through her that he comes to know that the General is leaving the States for Dubai and alerts his superiors. It is from here onwards that the real plot and essence of SS-1 is seen.

Female secretary of Mumbai branch director Mr Shevgaonkar: She is depicted as having the attitude typical of most other secretaries, the high-nosed, sarcastic toned, mostly unfeeling and frigid demeanor. She doesn’t seem to understand the urgency in Anil Nambiar’s voice as he frantically tries to correspond with Shevagaonkar about the developments taking place near the Lakshadweep coast. Anil Nambiar realizes the threat on board the Haji Moosa although he is not yet in a position to be able to firmly place his finger on it. At this point, the story is moving at a pace wherein the main characters only have a window of opportunity of a few minutes wherein they can prevent the national security and integrity from being breached forever. All of this escapes the blissfully unaware secretary whose only concern is prioritizing the schedule of the Director.

Agnes Hayes: She is described from the Point of View of Jeff Boger. Not much is known about her except for the fact that she is a colleague and is described as being good at operations and the stakeouts carried out by FBI.

Spy Story 2

Safiya: Wife of Yasser Ayoobi. Described as one largely content with what life had to offer her. Her character is inspired from the many people who are typically not too overambitious and maintain a perfect balance between their aspirations and their individual estimations of what they are worth and what they think they deserve from life. Safiya is not too inquisitive regarding Yasser’s work, she could be described as the quintessential housewife, having taken inspiration from the way her family was run by her mother.

Meiji Takhom: This is one of those characters which blazes a long trail, compelling the reader to follow due to the fatal grip of curiosity and ends up in a cul-de-sac, while not disappointing the reader. She is the typical plant who will go the extra mile to make sure that her intended target is firmly in the trap set for him. Her characterisation made sure that she was a definite step above the likes of Elina Perez (who was more like a “now you see me, now you don’t” characterisation), however the twists in the story made sure that she failed in her assignment. While the seductress in SS-1 carried out the assignment with a clinical professionalism, Meiji Takhom could be accused of taking it perhaps a bit too far in her quest to extract details, therein lies the undoing of the Takhoms and therein lies the entertainment value they provide. The agents have been on their tail ever since they moved into the town close to the NRE labs and the composite picture given of the Takhoms (and Meiji in particular) through different lenses, sometimes through the eyes of the agents on her tail, sometimes through the eyes of the general public, sometimes through the eyes of the overtly jealous women of the colony, sometimes through the eyes of Vijaya Bhaskar.
Perhaps her exhibition of her physical attributes make her out to be a marked person of interest in a land where a person of her description/attributes is considered largely unusual. This attribute is one indirect way in which the author tries to convey that the counter-espionage activity of the Takhoms is a poorly conceived attempt. Perhaps, they are suited for short assignments lasting a few days, nothing more. Both husband and wife have considerable difficulty adjusting to the local environments and this is seen visibly through their body language and behaviour throughout the story, even Adung Takhom’s attempt to blackmail Joshi Pannikar comes off as thinly veiled attempt, a bluff on it can be called easily by a much more determined person. However, the blackmail attempt on Joshi sticks because of Pulaavan Sivan’s reputation.
Meiji is acknowledged as having a few important skills which are important in the art of espionage. She is arguably good at deception and presenting a false image to the outside world. Also, her sense of fashion and apparels, her interest in materialistic wealth distracts the locals from the real objective of the Takhoms. Vijaya Bhaskar is drawn towards her despite all the restraint he could muster.

Chitra: Wife of Vijaya bhaskar. Quite a stark contrast from Safiya, the wife of Yasser Ayoobi. She is depicted as emotionally dependent on her husband for support, also is a traditional housewife but is also ultra-conservative bordering on orthodox. Is over-sensitive to chide remarks about her appearance and clothing style. She doesn’t take too kindly to Bhaskar’s teasing of her regarding her lack of exercise and lack of “modern” fashion sense.

Nisha: Wife of Lieutenant Raja Mohan and daughter of a naval officer. She is depicted as a troubled woman, one who faced questions and nagging doubts with respect to her married life. She is far from happy, having been disappointed with her husband’s mannerisms and lack of empathy towards his family. She often feels disgusted with her current situation. Her life is turned upside down the day her husband is exposed as the mole within the Navy who has been passing on confidential information.

Mrs Nage Gowda: Wife of Nage Gowda, who is in charge of operations of the agency in Bangalore, Karnataka. She displays traditional hospitality by welcoming the agents who are on the trail of Krishna Bhatt/Shenoy.

Shyamala: Wife of Krishna Bhatt/Shenoy/Krishna Kumar. She visits the police station to file a missing person complaint stating that her husband was missing for six days. Arguably, she is distressed and cannot offer much information to the police because Krishna-kumar does not discuss with her, the details of his activities or business. To add to her worries, the shop which they owned also was burglarised, as a result of which there has been theft of files and papers which she deems important enough. She is blissfully unaware of the heinous conspiracy that her husband is part of as well as what will transpire with them as a result of this act of treachery.

Anil Nambiar’s front desk contact: Muhammad Ali approaches Anil Nambiar for some advice and possible assistance during these bad times, when his business has shrunk by a good percentage. Muhammad Ali is acquainted with this lady who seems to have a demeanor completely opposite to that of the female secretary in SS-1. It could be due to the fact that Ali is a known person versus phone correspondence, which is fairly impersonal.

Will post the ones from the other 2 later on.

[Klaus]

Jasmine Basheer is a protest figure and a rebel inside the system. I agree with Klaus she is the best characterized woman so far in Dileep's stories. I did ask someone to compare and contrast the women characters in Dileep's stories. How are the similar and who are hey different and what makes them unique or memorable?

Spy Story- Generations

Parukutty: Niece of Kunjunni Menon, she features in the nefarious designs of her uncle. Kunjunni Menon wants her to marry Rama Varma, who is the crown prince to the throne. He reconciles temporarily with fate when Rama Varma states that he has been in a relationship with a girl from a nearby family. Parukutty does alleviate some of Kunjunni’s worries when she becomes the object of desire of Ravi Varma, who is the half-brother of the crown prince. Her character is depicted as one which is capable of adjusting to changing situations rapidly, sensing winds of change. She is also shown as a person who is willing to go the distance to win the affections of the royal bachelor and hence carry out her uncle’s bidding. Within the tightly drawn traditional background of the story, this character shows her worth where it is paramount. His task achieved, Arackal Kunjunni Menon relegates her to the background (this is shown during the litter fabrication incident, where her demands are not really met, resulting in compromises). The author has potrayed a male dominated society through a female character, at the same time allowing the feminine viewpoints to stand out respectably enough. Since the story is basically a memoir of events transcribed into an earlier time to hide obvious and often damning revelations, anyone apart from the author cannot do full justice to a character sketch of any character in this story. However, an attempt is made keeping in mind that each is free to see what he/she wants in the mirror, it is after all a matter of perspective. Since there is no mention of an equivalent character in Anil Nambiar's private-personal investigation, one cannot really state as to who this character is made to mirror.

Rajalakshmi Nambiar: Widow/wife of Chirakkal Govindan Nambiar and mother of Anil Nambiar. She is described as having undergone quite a bit of suffering after her husband’s death. This has resulted in premature graying of hair and appearance of wrinkles. Anil feels some sympathy and a renewed sense of respect for her after he begins reading the memoir/diary. While Anil tries his best to make sure that they do not have too much of a hard time shifting residence, she is potrayed as a caring mother. Together, they feel acute pain at the tragic death of the diary’s author. She gets a vague suspicion when Anil starts getting too inquisitive about Govindan Nambiar’s injury prior to his death. She is not interested in uncovering any details about the hoary activities carried out by Govindan, this is in direct opposition to Anil Nambiar’s character.
She is also intuitive in sensing the aspirations that her husband had for Anil Nambiar. She could recognize that Govindan Nambiar detested the treatment the police forces got at the hands of the IAS officials, thus in a way she is happy for Anil Nambiar taking up the civil service exams. Overall, like any woman in her position, she is a sketch of a palette of emotions. Also, she is the only female character in the story who does not have a mirror image in the memoir.

Puthankara Lakshmi Amma/ Dr Lakshmi Sharma: She is described as the cause of much heartburn and sleeplessness for many of the menfolk within the Arackal area. She is probably a regular visitor Nallemadham and Nedumangalathu mana, the former being the nuptial location of Thinayancheri Elayathu. It is noteworthy to see how she gives subtle pointers to aid Chirakkal Govindan Nambiar in his mission by hinting these key (strategic) locations within the Nediyiruppu kingdom.
As far as her characterisation is concerned, she is in the centre of a never-ending scandal and conspiracy. The gossip mongers always find something about her personal life to be worth discussing. It sorrounds the disappearance of her husband, Rama Kurup followed by the entry of Ramunny Menon, who is the nephew of Arackal Kunjunni Menon and bodyguard to the king. Her well endowed features and physical beauty also means that there is a constant attempt to sully her in all ways possible. This is depicted through chapters featuring snippets of gossip between the servant-folk of the Arackal, mainly centering on the existence or non-existence of a relationship between her and Ramunny Menon. Her character is like the eye of the storm, perfectly serene and calm while everything around is shaken violently. This does not mean she does not possess self-respect, neither does she take kindly to chide comments directed at her. However, in the grand scheme of things she was probably co-opted and/or coerced in some way leading to her death in questionable circumstances. It would suffice to say that she was not in control of her destiny although she appeared to be on the surface. The hospital in which she was the leading practitioner has tried to cut links with the past by changing its name. Although, she knew implicitly that she was surrounded by enemies, she had little authority to change the situation. Hence her only confidante was Narayani Amma. The depth of character is displayed in the way she goes a great distance to keep Govindan’s injury treatment a secret from the locals. She takes great care to make sure that no suspicions are aroused. She has some sympathisers in the form of the aged Muslim pharmacy owner who gets Anil Nambiar upto speed with the developments, this chapter is an important piece of the puzzle.

Narayani Amma: A faithful maid and confidante of Lakshmi Sharma. She is instrumental in keeping the gossip-mongers at a respectable distance. She carries out her mistress’s instructions to the letter, although not as observant and keen as Lakshmi Sharma, she is still instrumental in fetching the medicine to relieve Govindan Nambiar of fever, nurse his wound and bring him back to health. Her role in nursing and healing goes a long way in showing that knowledge dissemination has taken place throughout all sections of Indian society and it was not reserved for the elite alone. Since there is no mention of an equivalent character in Anil Nambiar's private-personal investigation, one cannot really state as to who this character is made to mirror.

Spy Story- Glance of Saturn

Saumya Raghuram: The protagonist’s sister, she is depicted as a very caring and affectionate towards her brother, even complaining to the elders about his misdemeanours to keep him from dangerous activities and dire consequences. The story is replete with such incidents, which are recalled by Sreejith throughout the course of the adventure. Concerned over his marriage, she takes it upon herself to visit the renowned astrologer Rama Pisharody. The subject of Rama Pisharody goes through an arguably painful metamorphosis to emerge as an asset of the king’s limb.
Like many women, Saumya has a great deal of faith in Rama Pisharody and his trade. She proves to be of valuable moral support to Sreejith throughout his adventure although she is helpless to be of any direct assistance to him. In more ways than one, she has taken up the role of Sreejith’s mother, often having her way and forcing him to carry out visits to the Sastha temple according to the advice of the astrologer. Sreejith has a great deal of respect for her, while finding it convenient to stay at Parvati Amma’s residence.

Parvati or Parvati Amma: She is the mother-in-law of Saumya. She is ardent reader of texts such as Narayaneeyam and takes pride in maintaining good order within her household. She has the habit of getting into lengthy discussions on the supposedly divine acts of Chattambi Swamy and other seers. Through her character, the author has tried to potray a generation gap wherein the older generation finds a strange disconnect living in the modern world and feels that the current generation do not deserve the lives they are leading. There are also issues of abandoning centuries old traditions and the current lot being spoilt brats, although this is brought out in the form of third person descriptions. She is shown as having developed some affection for Sreejith when she begins looking out for a suitable bride for him, although she was initially hesitant to even allow him to stay at her residence.

Bhavani or Bhavani Amma: She is Sreejith and Saumya’s aunt on their father’s side. She is described as one of those people who could take the entire world onto them and render it richer through their presence, care and sense of duty. She has run a tight ship, having raised all her three sons single-handedly after the demise of her husband upto the point of their marriages and thereafter. She is known as an excellent cook who had the rare gift of being able to improvise on food leftover, this could be called a kitchen jugaad of sorts. Through this character, the author has given an idea of life in the times when households did not have the luxury of owning a refrigerator. She is a pragmatic person and knows how to get the job done, her ability to adapt and lead through difficult and unfavourable circumstances is shown when Sreejith arrives at her house in Nemmara in the disguise of a wandering ascetic, seeking alms.

Sumitra: Wife of Nandan and daughter-in-law of Bhavani Amma. Initially she is happy to have been of help in providing Sreejith some shelter and assistance in his predicament. However, a repeat visit by Sreejith under deteriorating circumstances causes her to lose her nerve. However, being a passively aggressive personality, she does not confront Sreejith directly, choosing rather to pick an argument with her husband. She proves to be a distraction when Sreejith is discussing his situation with his lawyer. However, changing circumstances mean that Sumitra does not get to carry out anything which is damaging to Sreejith’s cause. The arrival of the police and Sreejith’s consequent escape cuts short the scope of this character to some extent. Sreejith speculates that it might have been Sumitra who could have called the cops and concurs that his decision to escape in a moment’s notice was the right thing to do after all, even if it meant trekking through the forest at night time.

Jasmine Basheer: She is the System Administrator at Breeze Technologies. She is also known as the BOFH, although this is not the first character to have worn perfume, she stands out for she is known to experiment and make her own perfume, often customising and fine tuning it to suit her tastes and mood. Her clothing style and personality is described in vivid detail, however it is the perfume which is her calling card, as the author rightly puts it. She is a dominant personality and expresses her stated views through changes in clothing. The author tries to personify forces within the national fabric who do not necessarily confirm to hardline/radical views, although they are are perfectly capable of taking a stand when it is incumbent on them. She is a character, who although rebellious, does it for the reason of expression and for lack of any other motivating/inspiring forces, save her job. She gets this inspiration later on in the story when she receives the smell coded package and needs to take a stand for the greater good. It is here that all pretensions/facades are dropped and we see the characters in their true light. With this character, the author has created a kaleidoscope of views, conflicting emotions and perspective, that everyone is free to interpret and draw their own conclusions about this character. While the same could be said of the other characters as well, this particular one is much more fluid as she has very few defining traits, all of which are mainly subjective and thus open to varying interpretations. The only concrete facts about this person are the actions she undertook and the fact that she wouldn’t readily marry outside her community. Thus, the author has sketched a character who depicts modern youth quite well.

[Dileep]

Klaus, that was fantastic analysis. You even found stuff that I had no clue being there. I really feel indebted to you.

Being of very little experience with wimmin (one mom, one sis, no GF, one wife, a couple of colleagues that's it!), it is a tough job to imagine women characters. Probably one reason why the number is kept to the bare minimum necessary to move the story forward.

JB's character changed a bit midway as the story progressed. When I look at it now, the ends look fine, but the development in the middle is a bit unconvincing. This story could use some major rewriting I feel.

[Klaus]

^^^ No problem Dileep ji. I've been wanting to do this for a long time but did not get much free time, I also felt that I delayed it too much but owing to the fact that we should keep re-visiting the past (both our actions as well as events), and I feel very strongly about re-visiting the past to carry out introspection and to view those actions with different lenses.

I might've inadvertently missed out some key details about characters who have made repeated appearances in the story and so the character sketch might even appear biased or incomplete to some.

[ramana]

Thanks Klaus. Looks like we have a literary critic.

Can I ask you to look at the sidekicks in the our stories too? What type of men are they?

[ramana]

Dileep, an article for you on finer points of ittar and sughandi:

http://forums.bharat-rakshak.com/viewto ... 6#p1056676

[jamwal]

Klaus saar,
Excellent analysis there. Are you a professional critic or editor ?
I need to read these stories again

[Klaus]

Thanks Klaus. Looks like we have a literary critic.

Can I ask you to look at the sidekicks in the our stories too? What type of men are they?

Am starting off with Spy Story 2

Spy Story 2

Anil Nambiar: Makes repeated appearances throughout the story. He single-handedly personifies the will and grit of the security and intel agencies of India, the way they need to move into a certain target location, need to come up to speed with events, the method in which they are almost always playing catch-up with the adversary and dramatic turn of events which sees them saving the nation from the brink of disaster, often with hefty compromises and great costs to themselves. A character such as this evokes great respect amongst all the readers and brings out the bitter ground reality in which the intel agencies of India operate, sometimes against the enemy, sometimes between themselves. He also brings out the attrition taking place between rival security agencies due to “the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing” modus operandi, leading to lost time and frequent miscommunication between various security personnel. It is a very rare occasion that things fit into a nice slot for them to solve without major hassles, hence the ground reality of being above your neck in flowing water is true. He comes through most clearly to his audience during his conversation with Inspector Ajith Kumar, when he explains the differences between a spy and a police officers’ methods of going about their duties. In fact, through the medium of Ajith Kumar, Anil Nambiar explains quite a few aspects of spycraft to the audience, the author has put together this conversation in a very delectable manner indeed. The conversation between OP Malhotra and Anil Nambiar on the lakeside houseboat is well narrated as the mood goes from serene to turbulent all too suddenly, from here on the story takes a completely unexpected turn and it is very wisely that the author decides that two intelligence heavyweights such as OP Malhotra and Anil Nambiar should start the proceedings, however solemnly. The manner in which the information leading up to Lt Raja Mohan’s encounter is presented would make any casual observer to turn dismissive of the developments, however the author has stayed true to espionage traditions, wherein the least clue coming from the most unlikeliest of sources is what actually leads to the final solution of the case. The author backs up this time-tested tradition using the naaga manickyam tale to satisfice the audience.

SA: Is shown in a meeting alongside Mr O.P Malhotra-IPS and Anil Nambiar. The meeting between the 4 of them takes place to improve the security of the NRE, specifically Yasser’s unit which is the most critical. The meeting reveals that leaks, both intentional and unintentional have taken place. At this juncture, Yasser offers his complete support to OP Malhotra, who subsequently has complete access to all of Yasser’s facilities and people. At this stage, the author makes sure that the impression of a big net being cast to catch the culprit fish makes its impact on his audience. The conversation tails off toward making a plan of action.

Captain Loknath: He appears briefly in the scene where Lt Raja Mohan calls him to receive orders after he has been unmasked, the reader can easily discern that Captain Loknath was informed prior to the meeting with Lt Raja Mohan. OP Malhotra’s allegation that Military Intelligence has been complacent and is suffering due to insufficient talent rings true here, as the Lieutenant was not placed under the list of suspects until the very last minute, thus incompetence at various departments have been highlighted. Captain Loknath later interrogates the Lieutenant on the serious charge, where we see Raja Mohan confess.

Captain Prem and Lt Commander Ramesh Menon: These two characters appear in the story at the juncture where the ELFA sensor needs calibration on-board an actual platform. The INS Vagli- a Foxtrot class submarine is on deputation for this specific purpose. The Captain is described as a strict, father figure who has to his credit a huge list of achievements, setting a strong example for the other navy officers to follow. The Lt Commander is responsible for giving ideas for a deception system design to Yasser, through which the actual sound signature of the ship does not get revealed to the adversaries. Lt Commander Ramesh Menon is also the one who is present during the ocean going trials of the submarine, during the welcome party given by the US and Chinese nuclear submarines.

Babu Jacob: Described as a low-level technician, who was temporarily employed for the express purpose of fabrication of equipment which needed precision skills and fabrication technique. The contractors needed to find someone urgently to finish fabrication on the HSP and the HDP, in the hurry they by-passed the proper channels of verification and appointed Babu Jacob. Through this incident, the author brings out the steps that contribute towards sabotage and compromise of national security due to a combination of factors, primarily bureaucratic procrastination and a skills shortage in quite a few areas. Babu Jacob’s sexual orientation and his past acts due to it is something that would effectively ban him from carrying out any employment of a nature that is crucial and sensitive, however due to the lethargy of a few people, the entire system was brought to the brink of becoming compromised, the fact that the leak sprung from elsewhere is another matter but the probability of the leak arising due to Babu Jacob is also equally high. This character also brings out a tussle and a debate amongst civil society who seek to see personal and professional sides of a person as two separate things, there is a second camp in society who call for greater transparency of all personnel working in sensitive establishments and installations. This character also provides a case study of a working person with questionable character who has transgressed the boundaries of decency in the past, the author’s intent might have been to convey the point that the transgression might repeat under similar conditions in the future, as it happens with Raj Khongsi in the story.

Raj Khongsi: Another immigrant from the North East who works in the local hair salons in the city. He is immediately aware of Babu Jacob’s yearnings and moves into the place where Babu stays, thus raising gossip amongst the locals, Ramcharan even gets a warning about Raj Khongsi during one of his forays, following a trail. He is one of the persons of interest whom Anil Nambiar’s men are on the track of. This happens when Anil sends Ramcharan out to prospect, in the guise of being an interested tenant. Through the character of Raj Khongsi, the author tries to explain the tree structure of intel gathering and espionage, as well as drawing attention to the fact that insurgents being used in the North East by hostile forces could be used in operations in other parts of the country under aliases and covers. Activities which couldn’t be done freely, are often achieved through coercion and blackmail, Raj Khongsi personifies a murky world indeed. It is unclear as to what transpires with this character after Babu Jacob commits suicide after being exposed to the facts.

Dr Shankar: The director of the lab, he is shown as one having an internal struggle and guilty conscience at the funeral of Babu Jacob. The author has done a good job of crystallising a mosaic of emotions into one character in a single chapter of the story, profoundly depicting introspection which all humans need to go through at repeated intervals. Dr Shankar makes a renewed commitment to the cause of the nation, placing higher emphasis on the welfare and safety of the motherland rather than the lives or jobs of mortals.

Lt Raja Mohan: This character debunks the notion that several agents in Indian intelligence had about Chinese using people of Chinese appearance as plants/sleeper agents near the NRE. This character shows that intentions and attitude usually matter more than mere appearances as far as these activities go. A disgruntled officer, he could have been modelled after a certain traitorous intelligence agent who betrayed the country and escaped to the USA. However, he is not the end of the rope, as the trail leads to Krishna Bhatt. Raja Mohan’s actions were sure to earn him serious disrepute, both personally and professionally.

Rear Admiral of Agatti: At the outset, he appears to be an officer who is not too happy with his posting on the Agatti. Perhaps, he finds it hard to admit openly that he would like to be elsewhere to the higher-ups. He is depicted in the typical mould of all Naval Officers, he is also intimidating and impatient with the junior officers. Yasser Ayoobi is shown as one who is capable of taking him on in a technical discussion during the tech-demonstration of the Panchajanyam, Yasser does not seem to be affected by the RA’s demeanor at all, it could be said that the RA’s opinion of Yasser in particular and the NRE in general went up a couple of notches after successful demonstration of the Panchajanyam.

Lt Commander Vikas Sonde: He was in charge of making sure that the Agatti came to perfect position 20 nautical miles from the target object and that all testing equipment on board was activated, including the spider legs which put the various sensors in position. His situational awareness is called for when he sees the numerical results and their real time interpretation given out by Yasser. The Rear Admiral has sprung a surprise on the entire crew and NRE on board the Agatti by way of asking the Kilo-class Sindhuvijay submarine to be loitering around. This incident shows the Navy’s momentary reaction capabilities and situational awareness at a very fundamental level. It also adds a lot of credence to the plot of the story which is then known to take abrupt and welcoming twists.

Pulavan Sivan: Depicted as an ardent bike enthusiast and a person from the lower-middle class who fall into the trap of drugs and crime, Sivan’s personality shines out through the custom made motorcycles that he has built and ridden over the years. His character built on machismo and a bullying temperament meets its match, rather crumbles when confronted by Praveen’s genuineness. He is initially indignant at Praveen’s demeanor, which is contrasting with his overt exhibitionism, which he feels is intrusive in nature. Sivan exhibits a territorial tendency which is quite common in the psyche of petty criminals, they wish to be boss of all they see. He ends up flummoxed when confronted with Praveen’s superior application in the field of martial arts, this leads to him acknowledging to authority, perhaps for the first time in his life. Joshi Pannikar and himself are the subject of discussion during the meeting between Praveen and Inspector Ajith Kumar, where the Inspector is asked to issue a stern warning to Sivan, corroborating what Praveen told him earlier. A complex web of tales, ranging from local goonda rivalry to protection by established gangs forms the rationale behind Pulavan Sivan’s agreement to meet Joshi Pannikar and Adung Takhom. Better sense appeals to him, he makes a decision not to work with Adung but will not lose an opportunity to milk the situation for what its worth.

Adung Takhom: Persuaded by Mr Lee to move to this city from his original posting in Imphal, Adung Takhom’s role is to snoop on Vijaya Bhaskar’s work while using his wife as bait, this is commonly known as a honey-trap in espionage circles, the specific actions may vary from case to case but the motivations remain the same. He is shown as despising all aspects of life in the city down south, this character offers a peek into the turmoil faced by many sleeper agents when they move into places not native to their homeland or home country. Espionage activities involve the use of multiple agents in a single location to fool rival security and intel agencies, which expend precious man-power and time in the process of tracking the agent’s every move. In this way, Adung Takhom could be considered successful because he managed to divert attention away from Lt Raja Mohan and Krishna Bhatt till the penultimate moments of the story.

Joshi Pannikar: He has an alternative career as that of a real estate agent, using the services of Pulavan Sivan to coerce many owners to part with their property. The author has potrayed the vicious food chain that is the real estate market through this character, who is at a certain position in the overall hierarchy. The picture potrayed is that of certain red lines which are demarcated, within which daily life in the society goes on. The food chain has players like the general public, civil law enforcement, organized crime and criminals, real estate sharks and establishments of national importance such as the NRE. Joshi Pannikar works as a manager in the establishment, the nature of his work allows him to be involved in several interactions on the side, becoming a person of interest to the police and security agency when he crosses the red line by meeting up with Pulavan Sivan and Adung Takhom. The manner in which the police systematically breakdown the minds of prospective criminals is potrayed in the interrogation scene between Inspector Ajith Kumar and Joshi Pannikar, the effect of this on the psyche of Joshi is so strong that he needs to consume a copius amount of alcohol prior to meeting with Praveen and Inspector Ajith. Joshi Pannikar subsequently becomes a pawn of the law enforcement and the secret services as a result of this harsh session. This also illustrates another manner in which people are converted in the world of spycraft. Here the author offers us an insight of what a cunning personality is thinking during the conversation with Ajith and Praveen, so there is actually a parallel role-play going on.

Credit should be given to the way the author has potrayed Anil Nambiar’s boys as dedicated workers of the nation and true patriots. It is largely due to the presence of mind of Praveen Kumar that Inspector Ajith Kumar brings the heat onto the nefarious activities of Joshi Pannikar, offering him a deal in the process. This way, the author brings out the manner in which law enforcement is able to convert hostile elements into approvers and extra-articulate arms of the law.

Residential Area Security Guard: He initially refuses to let Arjun in when he enters the apartment complex following Meiji Takhom. He is coaxed to allow Arjun to carry out the snooping after the latter pays him some money to loosen his tongue, he also becomes a informer on when Meiji and Vijaya Bhaskar enter the apartment blocks, he is shown as someone who cannot resist the pull of gossip and is excited due to the role he is able to play in bringing as much of the illicit affair under the microscope.

Defence Minister: Modeled after a politician who is active in Indian politics on the national level, holding a Ministry position, he appears in a conversational meeting with Yasser Ayoobi. The discussion is related to the latest developments of the ELFA sensor cell which needs to be mounted into the ship’s assembly: special permission, high level clearance and special instructions needed to be sent to the fabricators in the shipyard. The minister also adds a personal touch to the occasion when he fondly recollects being a visitor at Yasser’s parents place alongwith Ummer Sahib, during the time when Hussein Rawther was active in the Muslim League. The Minister is proud of Yasser and his contribution to the nation and that shines through clearly during the easy-going conversation where permissions are granted rather smoothly, especially in sensitive matters like cutting open the hull of the ship.

Huang Wei: Owner of the Chengdu, schezwan specialty restaurant, he is potrayed as being of mainly nuiscance value to Praveen Kumar and his route of enquiry. He poses an indifferent exterior which does not cut any ice with Praveen, moreover he incenses him by alleging that Praveen’s id card is fake. Thus his attitude could be described as thumbing the nose at authority types, he is subsequently taken to task by Inspector Ajith Kumar. The Inspector shows determination in arresting Wei, to get him out of the picture so that Praveen can carry out the work without any hindrance. There is a distinct possibility that the author potrayed Huang Wei’s character in this manner, so as to give the impression to the audience that Krishna Bhatt’s financial transactions would be safe from the intel agencies, another angle is that the Chinese had ensured that Krishna Bhatt’s back was covered by their node at the Chengdu so that he could continue their work for them unabated. With the removal of Huang Wei from the scene, the last nail in the coffin of Krishna Bhatt was in place. Through this character, the author tries to potray the vital support system of a critical node of hostile intrusion systems.

Mr Nage Gowda: The investigating team headed by Anil Nambiar makes a temporary stopover at Bangalore while on the trail of Krishna Bhatt. Nage Gowda makes a critical mistake while going to meet Manjunatha Adiga, the team does not think of it as laying a trap for Krishna Bhatt to walk in, hence his situational awareness could be described as being a bit low, he certainly does not come across as being as sharp-working as Anil Nambiar. He carries out good preparatory work but leaves a few ends lying around loose, hence his local intel branch could be described as not thorough in their approach and lacking attention to detail. He extends his full cooperation by going the extra mile and chartering a chopper for the team, he also manages the logistical side of operations pretty well, this is shown through his ability to source footage from the SBI ATM in Tatapudi, which is outside his zone of operations.

Srinivasa Rao: He runs the Sri Venkateswara hotel, on the National Highway on the outskirts of Gannavaram. He is potrayed as someone who will lie or alter details in the hope of making more money. He offers Krishna Bhatt a double room under the guise of single occupancy, however he is not persistent enough to get the customer to enter the number of his car on the register. Later on, it is his late reaction which helps Krishna Bhatt give the slip to the police and the agencies for the second time.

Giovanni Mancini: Owner of the Italian restaurant ‘Mancini’, he is shown as a personality inseparable from his profession as chef, he redirects Praveen to the Chengdu, thereby reinforcing the Chinese connection in the story. In contrast with Huang Wei, Giovanni is shown as a very helpful and cooperative individual.

Manjunatha Adiga: He is the proprietor of a dairy plant in Bangalore that deals with cheese products. Anil Nambiar and his men deduce that the prime suspect Shenoy must have some kind of association with this person as there is frequent interaction between the two of them via telephone. To investigate further, Anil Nambiar prepares the ground in Bangalore by alerting Nage Gowda. Manjunatha is depicted as a good natured businessman who put quality of produce above profit-making. He is a depiction of a business community which is a family run business, passing down from father to son. Here Manjunatha is shown to be a shrewd businessman because he is able to diversify upon his father’s inheritance and also specialize in cheese produce for the local industry, many of whom desire high quality accredited produce. He is in for a bit of trouble when Krishna Bhatt calls him and asks him for a return payment. Manjunatha Adiga feels that something is not right with Bhatt as his requests go against the very nature of Adiga’s business. Almost immediately, he is shocked to see personnel from the Revenue Intelligence Department (the pace of groundwork done by the intel and security agency is seen here). However, all that foil soon goes to waste as Krishna Bhatt sees the signage of the government on Nage Gowda’s vehicle and escapes under the very noses of the intel department. These series of events leave Manjunath totally confused.

Sidha Raju: He is incharge of manning the entrance of the hospital complex, he takes immense pride in being able to guide needy people to the right place during the odd hours of the night, most of them coming in for emergency purpose. The fact that Krishna Bhatt drove into the hospital with chest pain stands out foremost in Sidha’s mind and he relays this to the police who block all the exits immediately. Sidha Raju depiction is a classic case of the thoughts going through the mind of an average person who is in an emergency situation with a terrorist/wanted criminal on the loose nearby. The author has modelled him based on closely resembling hostage characters, giving slight alterations considering the chase situation drawing to a climax.

Hussein Rawther: He is Yasser Ayoobi’s father. Yasser always felt uncomfortable in his presence, despite the ample love and respect that he has for him. Hussein was a typical patriarch seen in the wealthy muslim families. He rarely had time or inclination to socialize with his children. Running and growing the timber business itself was a full time job, and top of it he was involved with the religious and political organizations of his sect. He was a leader of the Sunni group of Muslims. This group propagated the extreme conservative wahabi sect of Islam. He enforced the same principles with his family as well. That is the very reason why Yasser was forbidden from celebrating the Vishu.

It was Hussein’s wish that Yasser, his second son, become an engineer. Omar, the first born, was always the heir apparent, and the future boss of the family business. Yasser was expected to do good at studies and build his own life. But when Yasser wanted to join DRDO, Hussein was not exactly happy. Father and Son had heated arguments, and Hussein had to give in for the first time in his life. The author could have been inspired to develop another character in the mould of Hussein Rawther, a stronger authority figure. We find such a character in SpyStory- Glance of Saturn in the form of Jasmine Basheer’s father.

Yasser’s Doctor: Primarily motivated to pay off the instalments for his new flatscreen TV, he prescribes a whole host of medical diagnostic tests on Yasser to find out the reason for his dizziness. He is impatient to send off Yasser after the tests prove inconclusive, he is materialistic and superficial in outlook and this incident leaves Yasser in a state of discomfort.
Hassan Mujeeb Rehman Koya: A relative of Yasser, he is a PhD student at the university, carrying out research in the naval technologies department. He has to his credit, an M.Tech in Naval Architecture, it is he who gives Yasser the much needed breakthrough that the NRE was so desperately seeking over the last few months. Mujeeb’s assistance gives the NRE team a fresh insight into the characteristics of the sensor, there is some rapid progress in the project after this inflexion point.

Dr Ramakrishnan: Owner of Maracheril Bhanumathi Sports and part owner of Resilience Inc, he is approached by Yasser after hearing about him from one of his team-members. Depicted as one who had a good sense of humour, he represents the ideal Non-Resident Indian, one who is moored in the strong traditions of the motherland while working away at distant lands, he has also been successful in the entrepreneurial sense of being able to establish and run a breakaway unit of Resilience Inc in India. He has the unique ability to channelize his patriotism and duty towards the country in a manner that provides benefits to all around him, while still maintaining official silence about it. Thus, his characteristics are something that most people should yearn to strive for. It is due to the specific tooling and moulding procedures released by him that Yasser and team are able to arrive at one component which would be the basis for the final sensor assembly.

Nasser: Owner of a fabrics store in the city close to Vijaya Bhaskar’s colony. It is through him that we are introduced to the Takhom couple. He observes them keenly and finds it strange that a couple from the North-East have moved in, since the norm was always single men moving in for jobs in the cosmetics and food industry. He exhibits a tinge of emotion when he hears that the lady plans on opening a dress-boutique of her own, perhaps he is slightly wary of the impending competition.

Muhammad Ali: Making his second appearance after SS1, he needs no introduction. At this point, his fortunes have taken a downswing due to lesser economic activity in the city. He is shown as a worried man who has plenty of time on his hands and he goes to pay a visit to an old friend of his, Anil Nambiar. He was the active partner of a firm that ran laundry and cleaning services to various concerns in the city. He had joined the line of business a decade ago, as a helper who sorted out the incoming dirty clothes. With his enthusiasm, honesty, and uncanny ability to attract anyone with his way of pleasant conversation, he has moved up, and when his mentor, who owned the concern wanted to move out, bought a part of the business and became the active partner. He is an enterprising person, he has helped members of his family become business owners in a short period of time, however fate does not seem to be with him at the present time. Many of the people he brought over are jobless now, also the firms of his brothers-in-law have been decimated in a very short while.
However, Ali’s talent in figuring out people and his vast network of local contacts meant that he was an invaluable asset for Anil Nambiar. In the eyes of Ali, Anil Nambiar is the epitome of an intelligence agent, he could do no wrong in carrying out his duty. Both men are adept in reading each others thoughts and emotions well, hence the author has brought out a perfect example of seamless partnership between fellow agents in the field of espionage and intelligence gathering. Ali takes on the responsibility of helping Anil with the shifting duties.

Chief sonar technician Jesse ‘stork’ Glock: Himself and the other crew of the USS Delaware are taken for a ride by the 6 channel DSP based sound system on board the Indian vessel, thanks to this system which could replicate almost any sound in a 3D environment, the actual acoustic and vibrational characteristics, including specific sound signature patterns could not be detected by the crew aboard the Delaware. The author concludes the story by illustrating deception at work, creating a purposefully wrong image in the minds of adversaries and rivals. Jesse Glock, Chuck Bickel and Larry Oswald are the crew on the receiving end of this brilliant tactic in the US boomer.

[Klaus]

Spy Story Generations:

Vanchinathan: He is an IPS officer and a protégé of CG Nambiar, working under him during his initial tenure in the IB. He considers Anil Nambiar to be under his tutelage, hence he gives him a lot of sane advice, preferring not to reveal too many details about his father, the IB cases handled by him and the circumstances revolving around his death. On this note, he requests Anil to stay away from trouble in the cryptic manner typical of most seasoned members of the security apparatus.

Rama Panicker: He is the prime minister of Vettom which has the relatively inexperienced Ravi Varma as king. The conventional line of thought would dictate that Rama Panicker would guide the king in matters of statecraft till he attains a certain level of experience. However, the times were different and the young king placed a greater emphasis on Ramunny Menon than the aging Prime Minister. Rama Panicker is depicted as belonging to the old block, having a difference of opinion and a generational gap with respect to the current generation of stalwart politician advisers such as Ramunny Menon. The author could have modelled him after a certain mainstream Indian politician who ascended to Prime Ministers position despite having no familial ties to the Nehru-Gandhi family. He leads the elder generation of ministers in the council who resent the influence of Ramunny Menon in the political matters. He is prime minister during the reign of both Kerala Varma and his younger nephew Ravi Varma. The author shows the specific mannerism of salute and honour of the royal entities within the palace in a incident where Ravi Varma summons the prime minister to make enquiry with regard to Ramunny Menon’s disappearance. The minister is first hand witness to the internal turmoil and discomfort that the novice king feels at the absence and lack of any news from Ramunny Menon’s end.

Koma Kurup: He is the army chief and the head of Vettom’s kalari. He makes the suggestion that Nediyirippu is behind the disappearance of Ramunny Menon. The palace grapevine makes its appearance here and subsequently at the Arackal house at night.

Sanku Warrier: Accountant and student of the Embranthiri. He is depicted as being level-headed, usually being the person to bring order to conversations of the grapevine, he enables the servants to focus on the task at hand, which is curing of Ramunny Menon. He also proves himself to be a worthy student of the Embranthiri when he suggests the Uru Thwayi method to undo the damage of the Janu Dwayi, however he does not have the eye to spot the Marma kuth, which only comes through experience in the fine art. There is a possibility that he could be a co-student of Narayani Amma, who is also known to have taken lessons under Krishnan Embranthiri.

Chathara Menon: Minister for commerce and infrastructure. He is supposedly a crony of the British traders according to Kunjunni Menon. He becomes a topic of discussion between Ramunny and his uncle while talking about the collection of toll at the ports. Kunjunni Menon seemed to hint that getting Chathara over to their side would ensure that the unfair toll tax could be justified. At this juncture, Kunjunni and his nephew are blissfully unaware of anything else that Thinayancheri Elayathu has in mind, they fail to take into their calculations that the economic gains does not necessarily get detached from the political games and manoeuvres.

Narayanan Nambiar: Kerala Varma’s spy chief, Narayanan had his son, Govindan to carry out the bulk of the work as he was getting too old to be a spy. However, his dedication towards Kerala Varma and the then heir apparent, Rama Varma was in no way diluted. Also, we see that spycraft had evolved to an extent where the slightest body language and facial expression sent a veiled message. This is shown in the chapter where Govindan encounters the Gosayee near the traveller’s shack. Intrigued by the mannerisms of the man, who is obviously disguised as a gosayee, Govindan disguises himself as one and follows him at a distance. Many of Govindan’s initial suspicions are confirmed when he comes to know of his father being relieved of service.

Ayyappan Nair: He claims to be from the kiriyathu sect, which is the highest sect in the order of approximately 400 sects of Nairs. This is given as a retort to Gopalan’s sarcastic remarks, which was indirectly aimed at another member of the group. Through this conversation, Ayyappan Nair is shown as someone who toes the line of the establishment in all matters, he is an establishment mouthpiece who tries his best to toe the line of his masters. He keeps warning Chaathu to watch what he is speaking, often getting indignant in the process, through this character the author spreads an awareness of punishments doled out for acts such as treason and sedition.

Naanu Nair: A fellow servant at the Arackal house, not really standing out from either Gopalan or Ayyappan Nair. He generally corroborates the general opinion of the grapevine, someone who helps the gossip mill come to consensus on some important issues.

Gopalan: He is shown as trusting, comes to befriend Govindan easily enough. Also one of the most considerate of all the servants, showing Govindan more sympathy than the others, looking out for him and watching over his work to see that he does not get hurt. He is generally patronising by nature.

Chaathu: He is the biggest leak of the grapevine. He mumbles a lot after a series of drinks to let slip a lot of valuable information. The saying “Even walls have ears” comes true here as Govindan pretending to be deaf, obtains a good deal of information. Indeed, it is here that we see Govindan’s unconventional methods help him gain valuable information.

Embranthiri: Very knowledgeable and experienced physiotherapist, he is well-versed with the cure for marma-kuth, given at sensitive and relatively exposed nerve endings on the body. He revives Ramunny Menon with the UruThwayi, which is the relieving of certain joints/nerve endings to undo the damage done by the Janu Dwayi move of Govindan Nambiar. Even a knowledgeable and well-respected person as himself is not spared by the Grapevine, who comment on rumours of his affair with a certain female worker at Melath Warriam. The Embranthiri himself does not strive to keep his character above reproach as he seeks to openly ridicule and taunt Puthenkara Lakshmi Amma in the guise of interrogating her as an eye-witness of the fight between Ramunny and Govindan.

Sankara Warrier: An old man who is probably the CG’s refuge while he memoir this story. He brings out the sentiment of the moment by giving examples of authors, poets and literary greats who became famous and received their due long after they were dead. Through him, we also come to know that CG was carefully encrypting his story so that it couldn’t be deciphered easily, almost like he intended it to be deciphered only by a particular person or a group of people in the future.

Thinayancheri Elayathu: Nediyirippu general and minister. He is one of the suspects behind the disappearance of Rama Kurup. A very headstrong person, he takes after the colonial British methods of setting a few agreements, only to break them later by imposing a new set of agreements. He effectively double-crosses Kunjunni Menon in front of Ramunny and thereby makes them bear the brunt of the consequent fall-out, making the two of them the “fall-guys” in the process. His ruthlessness comes out the moment he sees that Ramunny Menon would not continue cooperating with him on purposes contrarian to the national interests of Vettom. Thus, he is the arch villain of the story, authoritarian rather than being a representative of the kingdom, a person whose greed has gotten the better of his judgement.

Achutha Warrier: He is the personal servant of Arackal Kunjunni Menon. He is an old hand at putting together the various ingredients that go into making the paan, including use of spices from both local as well as distant lands, this is seen from the import of Kashmir saffron into Vettom, most of which is diverted into the Arackal house. He is depicted as someone not aware of what is to be spoken in certain situations, he becomes an irritating presence as a result. He is a decent conversationalist and discusses polity with Kunjunni Menon, as seen often in such master-slave households. However, when sensitive issues need to be discussed, as in the case between Kunjunni and his nephew Ramunny Menon, the servant is usually asked to leave for the sake of privacy. He is accused of being a bit too inquisitive, according to Kunjunni.

Vaidyanathan Iyer: He is shown to be a well-known devotee at the Sabarimala temple, so much so that his Tamil Brahmin roots are known even to the chief priest. He is observant enough even in holy sorroundings to be able to spot disguises and be able to recognize the marks of the espionage trade with his co-workers. He is depicted as being very diplomatic and shrewd in nature, this has helped him continue with his post at the kingdom by displaying outward detachment and being not excessively patronising to any one body. Thus, he serves as an efficient information conduit to the Nambiars (more with CG than Narayanan Nambiar). He is shown to possess enough clout to be able to arrange for a litter to transport a man (literally persona non-grata) across the river to a bustling town like Vanneri, which was a border town with heavy Nediyirippu influence.

[Klaus]

Are you a professional critic or editor ?
I need to read these stories again

I've 'ghostwritten' a few scripts for dramas and television shows as well as have some experience with writing for university magazines. By ghostwriting, I mean to say that I am not professional, since my networks are not as strong as they ought to be. However, I am willing to be of help to any professionals and/or aspiring authors here on BR, since I have not entirely given up hope on making an alternative career out of these skills.