Dreams Shattered

 

                        Dreams Shattered

After discharge from the Army in February 1988, I had requested a transfer to Srinagar to settle my family. I had thought I could spend five to six years there without any interruption. During this period, my children would complete their school education and, possibly thereafter, go to professional colleges outside the state. Getting admission for them in the Burn Hall School, the number one school of the valley, was a boon, which was not beyond my imagination.

I had purchased a piece of land at Bagh-e-Mehtab in Chadora district on the outskirts of Srinagar. I entrusted the job of walling the land to one of my friends, who, however, did not take proper care to check that the cementing of the wall was properly done, and water was sufficiently sprinkled on the wall from time to time for a few days. This was not done.

We had a neighbour, A R Mir, an Accounts Officer in the State Finance Department, who lived nearby across the main road. He suggested building a house and told me that he had a very sincere mason known to him who could be entrusted with the job. I made the outline drawing of the house myself, but as a precaution, I showed it to the departmental architect who had fortunately come to Srinagar. He approved the drawing but suggested a change in bathroom design, which was incorporated. The mason was entrusted with the job while the carpenter was available next door. The mason was a master of many related jobs, and he, along with his team, did the work very well. Materials like stones, sand and cement were arranged. A part of the front wall was built with chiselled green stones costing Rs 100/- per stone. This proved quite expensive, but there was no way to escape subsequently. The work went on till the winter fall when it was stopped at the slab level of the first storey. During the winter, we performed the house entry puja and gave a feast to many relatives who were invited. The next job of covering the first storey with a roof of CGI sheets and making some additional rooms underneath the said roof was postponed to next spring.

In the ensuing winter itself, an uprising in Kashmir prevented any further additions or alterations to the house. In fact, I was targeted by the militants because I was an Officer in the Postal department, and therefore, I could not go and see the half-constructed house. The whole work was stalled for several years. 

The house remained unprotected and unguarded for almost a decade since I was posted far away from Srinagar. Meanwhile, I had made enquiries through my departmental officials to find a buyer for the same. The militants had forbidden any Muslim to purchase the houses of Kashmiri Pandits. This plunged the prices of Kashmiri Pandit property.  However, the locals found methods to purchase such property on a power of attorney. I got the first quote of two lakhs rupees which gradually increased to four lakhs. During my next tenure as PMG, I entered into a deal with a buyer introduced to me by my close friend for six lakh rupees in 1998, though I had spent the same amount on the construction of the house about ten years back. It was a distress sale. Nevertheless, I thought it better to go in for a stop-loss sale rather than wait indefinitely. I had also inherited an ancestral house, which I handed over to my youngest sister, who preferred to stay put in Srinagar permanently.

The other area where destiny played its part was the education of the children. Schools and colleges remained closed, and it was dangerous to send children to school. The Hindu staff of the school and the Hindu children too migrated out of the valley. I also asked my wife to go to Shimla, but she returned. By the time a branch of Burn Hall was opened as St Peter's Higher Secondary School, Jammu and my children joined the same and later shifted to Kendriya Vidyalaya. This arrangement did not last too long as I was deputed to join a year-long in-service course in the National Defence College, New Delhi. My family joined me as soon as I got government accommodation in Kaka Nagar, Delhi.

Though my tenure in J&K came to an end with the start of 1992, even after that, I was posted twice to the circle, firstly, as PMG, and lastly, as CPMG. (to be continued)

Adjustment of Migrants: A Pioneering Effort

 

        Adjustment of Migrants: A Pioneering Effort

The Postal Department was the first to relocate part of the Circle Office to Jammu. Other Central Government Offices followed suit. The story of how it was done is told hereunder. K Diesh was replaced by N D Dayal as PMG. I was inspecting the Divisional Office, Jammu, when I received a telephone call from the then Secretary, Kailash Prakash. I requested that he speak with the PMG, who was incidentally sitting next to me. He used a few bad words and said, “ No, I want to talk to you only.” In fact, he did not like Dayal and considered him to be part of the Diesh lobby, which was working against him. He said to me, “Deepak, my son Amit Prakash is working for the Illustrated Weekly of India, and he has been asked to write a story on the situation in the Kashmir Valley. He will fly to Srinagar after three days. Please receive him. His mother has been crying ever since she heard it.”

I replied, “Sir, you don’t worry, I will hand him over to some guys known to the militants, and they will escort him wherever he wants to go.”

“Deepak, I hope you know what you are talking about.”

I realised that I should not have said what I said. But now that words had been uttered, I had to stand by them. I assured him that the guys I referred to are from the department and they have cordial terms with the people on the other side.”

“Okay, do what you think is proper. I want my son to be safe.”

I flew back to Srinagar, and Amit Prakash arrived on the specified day. Two postal officials were assigned the job of escorting him, and they carried him places in the downtown. In the evening, he returned, had some drinks and a sumptuous dinner. The next day, he was sent back by Indian Airlines to Delhi. As soon as I received the message of the aeroplane leaving Srinagar Airport, I called the Secretary and informed him, “Sir, your son has safely departed by air to Delhi, please let me know when he reaches.” 

After about two hours, Kailash Prakash rang me up and said, “Deepak, Amit’s mother and I are highly grateful to you. She is happy to see her son back. Amit was all praise for your hospitality.”

“Sir, these are small things in life. I wish him a bright future.”

“Deepak, can I be of any help to you?”

I paused for a moment. Remembered a story of Shri Bhat, who had cured Sultan Zainul Abedin Budshah, and was asked the same thing by the Sultan. Shri Bhat, in turn, requested him to resettle Kashmiri Pandits and allow those who were forcibly converted to return to the Pandit fold.” The Sultan granted his wish and issued the necessary orders. Taking a cue from that story, I requested the Secretary, “Sir, there is nothing I want for my person. But, Sir, if you can help my community, please do so. Sir, a large number of staff of the Circle offices have migrated to Jammu. We could open a part of the CO at Jammu and let them work there. Incidentally, out of nine divisions (Postal and logistical), only two are directly affected by militancy. The closure of CO has affected all the divisions. If a part of CO functions at Jammu, the work of all subordinate divisions can be streamlined. PMG can be posted in Jammu while I shall look after the residual office in Srinagar.”

He immediately grasped my viewpoint and told me, “Okay. Tomorrow morning, I shall meet the Minister, and by 10:30 AM, you will receive your orders. The next day, at exactly 10:30 AM, the P.S. to the Secretary rang me and read out the order, which was almost a one-liner saying, “Shri Deepak Kumar Budki, DPS, J&K Circle will hereafter work from Jammu as his headquarters.” I showed it to the PMG, who had returned to Srinagar. He ordered me to prepare a plan for the distribution of work between the Jammu and Srinagar wings, which was done smoothly during the night. The orders were issued, and the migrant staff in Jammu were asked to join the office immediately. I also flew to Jammu and tried to hire a building, but the quoted rent was beyond the financial powers of the PMG. Getting approval from the Directorate would mean a delay of at least 2-3 months. So I zeroed in on the RMS Office housed in a departmental building at the Jammu Railway Station, which had some spare space. I called all the staff to be deployed there and told them that due to paucity of space, they should not expect facilities as were available in Srinagar. Even the size of their tables was drastically reduced. All records of concerned branches were transferred gradually, utilising the services of the mail bus plying between Srinagar and Jammu. The most important branch of CO, which was shifted and proved very fruitful, was the PLI section. After establishing it in Jammu, the work of PLI increased multifold, and so did the efficiency. 

The arrangement worked well. The only question that remained was how to adjust the remaining migrant Officials from the operative offices. I discussed the matter with the PMG and called for the Options from such officials. Orders were issued to attach them to the POs near their present places of residence, but the salaries were to be drawn from the parent offices only. It was made clear that the migrant officials will not be considered transferred to the offices where they are attached and will work in a subordinate capacity, even if they are senior to the Postmaster in the SO attached to. These orders were made transparent in order there are no complaints from the local unions against them. The system came on rails slowly. This arrangement was emulated by the Telecom department, as also other Central Government departments. 

Another pressing problem that we faced was staffing post offices in the Kashmir Valley so that they do not suffer due to a shortage of manpower. A scheme was launched to send migrant staff back to the Offices periodically, where security cover was available, viz. GPO Srinagar, Anantnag HO, and Baramullah HO. Since many incentives had been announced by the Central Government in regard to staff working in the valley, many Postal migrants volunteered to go back to work in these post offices. Batches of such officials were sent by special buses escorted by security forces from Jammu to Srinagar, Anantnag and Baramulla. Initially, the batches were exchanged every three months, but later, it was noticed that migrant officials were reluctant to come back to Jammu or Udhampur and preferred to stay in the valley. The periodicity of sending batches of staff to the valley was accordingly increased. 

By and by, the conditions in the valley improved. Tourists started arriving, and the migrant staff started moving out of the secure premises, which had been prohibited earlier. My relations with N D Dayal remained cordial throughout. Though I was working in Jammu now, both of us remained in touch with each other regarding sensitive matters. However, the incident of Kailash Prakash did create some doubt in his mind. Fortunately, my constant reminders to the Directorate ensured two direct officers, V Pati and P S Negi, were posted, who really shouldered the work well. I, on my part, recommended some subordinated staff for the Meghdoot award, which was further sent by the PMG to the Directorate, and a few officers received it. Some were awarded at the Circle level by the PMG with Dak Sewa Awards. However, surprisingly, no PMG ever thought me worthy of such an award despite my facing the situation single-handedly for so long. Anyway, I did my duty to the best of my capability and have no regrets. ….(To be continued)  

 

Paralysis of Administration in the Valley

 

            Paralysis of Administration in the Valley

With the increase in the intensity of militancy in the valley since January 1990, things got out of control for the State  Administration. Postal Services and Banks were closed, there was no attendance in Central and State Government Offices, public transport was disrupted, and food supplies were received from outside the state by the local food and supplies department, control of which had been seized by the extremist elements who distributed it further as per their will. Some meetings were called for, but with no result. In one of the meetings at the beginning of the extremism, I remember that I accompanied the then PMG, Ved Kumar, who was a short, puny gentleman. While he was dressed in a formal suit, I, a six-footer, had put on a beige coloured safari suit. The guard at the entrance stopped me, saying, “Security men are not allowed into the hall.” Ved Kumar looked back and told them, “Bhai, he is our Director.” And that is how I got in with a wry smile on my face. 

It was unfortunate that many Officers were killed during the period, prominent among them were Musheer-ul-Haq, an Islamic Scholar and VC of Kashmir University, H L Khera, General Manager of HMT, Lassa Kaul, Director of Doordarshan and other Officers from the State Government. I recollect that only about a month earlier, Lassa Kaul, who was then Director, Radio Kashmir, a Director from the Staff Selection Commission and I had conducted an interview in the AIR, Kashmir premises. During the interview, a bomb was hurled at the gate of the AIR. I suspect the killing of Lassa Koul must have been an insider's job who must have informed the militants about his movements. He was a thorough gentleman, handsome and soft-spoken. With a military background, I anticipated the moves of the enemy, and therefore, restricted my movements, and as described earlier, shifted my entire office to the GPO complex. 

One by one, the post offices were targeted by the terrorists, either burnt or looted or threatened. Most of them were closed, though some of them were shifted to secure Head Offices. I approached the IG police, a Muslim gentleman, who, while discussing, objected to my saying Anantnag and said that it is Islamabad. Besides, he told me that the Department of Posts will have to bear the cost of the security personnel provided. He asked me to write down my requirements so that he could order the recruitment of further policemen and get them trained before posting them as per my requirements. I could gauge his attitude and slowly eased myself out, never to show him my face again.

Surprisingly, a lady officer, Indu Gupta, was posted as Director, Vigilance in Srinagar. It simply showed the apathy of the Directorate towards the conditions prevailing in Kashmir. I had been holding the charge of both Director (HQ) and Director Vigilance jointly till she reported. Now I had to look after her also. She did not know the environment, and in my absence, she rushed to Sathu, Barbarshah S O, which was ransacked by the militants. As I came to know about this on my arrival in the office, I immediately sent a vehicle and called her back. I explained to her the situation and advised her not to venture out of her office in any case. Slowly, she got scared seeing the situation for herself. She was living alone in the IQ, and one evening she had nothing to eat as markets were closed and she had not stored anything. So she came to our quarter, talked to my wife, who assured her not to worry till we are here. She had her dinner with us. They became good friends thereafter. Over a period of time, she managed her transfer out of the Circle.

I also received an order to attend a training course in IIPA, New Delhi during the said period, which further showed that the Directorate did not know about the ground reality in the Circle. There was no PMG, and I was alone at that time. I could have eased myself after handing over charge locally to some senior officer, but I preferred not to. On the contrary, I wrote to the DDG concerned, firstly, to cancel my orders, and secondly, not to send any Officer or staff member for training till the situation improves. 

However, I did feel concerned about my family and the education of my children. A few times, the processions returning from the UN Office stopped at Sheri Kashmir Park in front of GPO, and started throwing stones at the building inside the park. They ransacked it as well. It was a crowd of roughly a lakh of people. I thought to myself that if this crowd attacks the GPO, what will a small group of CRPF men do? How many rounds of fire can they fire to control the mob? The very thought sent shivers down my spine. I instantly resolved to send my family out of the valley. I told my wife to go to Shimla and try to get admission for the children in some reputed school there, and if possible, also seek employment there as a teacher. She showed reluctance by saying, “How can I leave you alone. I had to explain to her that this step was taken at least to save the lives of the children and not to hamper their education. She agreed and went to Shimla, but returned to Jammu, saying that only one school agreed but offered me a job as a warden, which I refused. Fortunately, by then, Burn Hall School, Srinagar, had opened a branch in Jammu titled St Peter’s Higher Secondary School and all children from the erstwhile Burn Hall School were admitted there. My wife also got a job there. 

The situation under Governor Jagmohan changed gradually. Things were slowly brought to near-normal, though the migration of Kashmiri Pandits could not be reversed. They are still languishing in Jammu and other places in the country, hoping that a day will come when they will be back in their homeland. One good thing that happened was that the Governor posted a Relief Commissioner, who distributed relief to the migrant Kashmiri Pandits who were not employed. In addition, tents, blankets and warm clothing were also distributed initially, and food items and milk were supplied thereafter. This was a great step for the rehabilitation of the migrants who were either accommodated in vacant schools and other office buildings or in camps at specified places in Jammu, Nagrota and Udhampur. In fact, the Kashmiri Pandits regard Jagmohan as a messiah for the work he did for their resettlement outside the Kashmir valley. (to be continued)

Facing Militancy in Kashmir-III

 

                Facing Militancy in Kashmir-III

As we started our journey from the Airport to the General Post Office, I was praying that nothing untoward should happen. The cab driver did not follow the normal route but took a detour via Sanatnagar for reasons best known to him. On my enquiry, he informed me that there is a problem on the normal route. As we approached Sanatnagar, a large crowd had gathered there, dressed in local attire, chanting slogans of Azadi. A person clad in a pheran stopped our taxi and started questioning the driver. I was at my wits’ end, yet I mustered the courage to intervene and speak to the man directly in Kashmiri. Since I belonged to the downtown, I had the advantage of conversing like a typical Muslim. I addressed him directly, “Don’t you see how thousands of our innocent youth have been killed, and Idgah has become a big graveyard. I have brought this fellow from Delhi (pointing to K Diesh) to show him the ground reality by taking him to all the places in downtown. He represents a world news agency. Bloody local mass media do not cover the real happenings.” He was convinced and told the taxi driver to move on. I put my arm out of the window, took my air ticket and waved it wherever we encountered a policeman so that he would not stop us. The driver did not know what was happening, and perhaps it created some doubts in his mind. At Ram Bagh bridge, he suddenly stopped and informed me that he would not proceed further. I was surprised and asked him why he refused to drop us off at the destination as agreed upon. 

“Sir, I am not sure of the situation beyond this point. I am concerned about my own life,” he replied.

“Don’t you worry. I shall accompany you back and drop you here. But I have guests with me and you must move on.”

Reluctantly, he agreed to move on. The taxi reached the GPO, which was fortified and security personnel at the gate stopped the taxi driver. As they saw me, they opened the gate at once and let the taxi in. The security personnel knew that I had served in the Army and would generally address me as “Colonel Sahib”. As the cab parked inside the GPO, the security personnel around saluted me, which I reciprocated, and one of the security men cried out to the caretaker of the inspection quarter where the incoming PMG was to reside, “Darbari, Colonel Sahib has arrived, come quickly and pick up his luggage. The driver was flabbergasted on hearing this. I offered to accompany him back but he refused so much so that he even refused to take the money. But I forced him to accept the promised amount and let him go. K Diesh was settled in the inspection quarters, and he was told by the accompanying officers how I had saved everybody’s life. 

  

Facing Militancy in Kashmir-II

 

                Facing Militancy in Kashmir-II

In such turbulent times, I expected the PMG to return in a week or so, but he did not. Instead, he managed his transfer out of J&K Circle. It was winter months, fuel and thick curtains were to be provided to all post offices, besides supplying the postmen with warm clothing. Even transfers to the Ladakh Division had not been finalised. I had no time to lose. Tenders were called, and I had to reject defaulters one after the other in short periods. I received a threat to my life from one of the tenderers. On checking his bona fides, it came to be known that he was an insider from the sister Telecom department and the telephone given in the tender was an official number. I warned him of the consequences and eliminated him once and for all. Subsequently, the tenders were finalised hurriedly, and hard coke and wood were supplied to all the post offices. 

Meanwhile, a bomb blast took place in the S R Gunj P O located in a newly constructed departmental building. Some portion of the upper story was affected. I sent the report to the Directorate. I was directed to get it repaired immediately which was impossible. The concerned DDG pestered me, so I was forced to write a demi-official letter to the Secretary directly informing him about the ground reality in Kashmir, which, seemingly, he was unaware of. In Kashmir, repeated attacks were continued on the Central Government institutions, especially on post offices and banks. The banking as well as postal system got paralysed. Rumours were afloat that all these institutions were going to run away from Kashmir, and the public money was going to be swindled. Hence, all money should be transferred to J&K Bank. Curfews were imposed by the State Government and the terror outfits alternatively, resulting in a complete breakdown of the administrative and financial system. 

After some time, I received the transfer order of the PMG from the Directorate with further instructions to assume his duties without any additional remuneration. I refused to comply and shot out a letter to the concerned DDG that I shall only shoulder the additional responsibility provided I am paid honorarium for it. My letter created a great commotion in the Directorate since such a response was unknown in the bureaucratic setup. The Secretary, Posts, held a meeting of Senior Officers to discuss the situation in Kashmir. No one was willing to work in such times in the Circle. However, K Deish, a senior officer, who had earlier worked as PMG in the Circle, volunteered to look after the charge of PMG, J&K, in addition to his own as DDG, Establishment. This was approved. I received a phone call from him with instructions to come to Jammu to receive him. It was very difficult to move around that too unescorted. The State Government had been very choosy in providing security guards to the Officers posted in Kashmir. Somehow, I managed to reach Jammu along with R K Ganjoo, ASP Vigilance. K Deish called us and PA to SSP JT and instructed him to take down his dictation, which in short meant to decentralise all the powers of the PMG to the Director, including the financial and disciplinary powers which was a surprise to me. I objected by saying, “Sir, I hope you know why you are here? You are here because I refused to do any additional duty without extra remuneration. What are you aiming at, Sir, the same thing in a different manner? Sir, I shall do my duty only and your files will be stacked on your table in Srinagar.”

“Deepak, what are you saying. I believe in grooming young officers to shoulder higher jobs efficiently. Your predecessor used to do it.”

“Sir, I am aware of it. My predecessor may have some personal interest in doing so. I have none. I came here with a suitcase and two steel trunks of baggage and shall go with the same. You are free to check with me on that day. Incidentally, I was told that you had hardly signed four to five files during your entire tenure.”

“Who told you that?”

“Sir, the whole Circle Office was saying.”

“OK. Do you have any files to sign right now?”

“Yes Sir.”

I told my Inspector Vigilance to produce all five files before him, four of which he signed instantly while standing. Suddenly, he realised he may be taken for granted, so he raised some objections in one file to stamp his authority. Surprisingly, the said file had a nil report to be sent to the Directorate. 

He asked for his move to Srinagar as soon as possible. Air Tickets were arranged, and the next day we flew to Srinagar. I had asked our office in Srinagar to arrange to send the PMG’s vehicle to the airport at the right time. But due to some miscommunication, the vehicle had not arrived. It was already 2 pm. The Airport would be closed after some time. There were no mobiles, and being a Sunday, the Airport Post Office was closed. I was at a loss to know how to react given the situation prevailing at the time. I called for a taxi to drop us at the GPO Srinagar. Payment was negotiated, and K Diesh, A N Raina, SSRM JT and R K Ganjoo ASP Vigilance took their respective seats in the ambassador. K Diesh sat between ASP Vig and me in the back seat. … to be continued.

Facing Militancy in Kashmir-I

Facing Militancy in Kashmir-I

After my discharge from the Army Postal Service, I was posted to Kashmir as Director of Postal Services in the Circle Office, Srinagar, in 1988. I had long yearned to go back to my own state and help improve its postal services, especially the conditions of the post offices. I had earlier attempted to do so during my tenure as Senior Superintendent of Post Offices, Kashmir Division. Unfortunately, my tenure was cut short due to differences with the then Director, who was officiating as Postmaster General of J&K Circle. This will be related separately. 

Many positive things happened initially. I was eager to get admission for my children to Burn Hall School, Srinagar. I initiated the process from Mathura itself, where I was working as an ADAPS in the Army Postal Service in the rank of Lt. Col. I sent an application to the Principal of the School, giving details about the children and the parents, both of whom were highly qualified. My work in the Army was obvious. On reaching Srinagar, I sent an Inspector of Post Offices to meet the Principal and manage the admission of my children, with reference to my letter sent from Mathura. I purposely avoided going myself as I was aware of the long queue for admission, especially for local influential people. Accordingly, I advised the Inspector to prevent my meeting with the Principal before the admissions. He did this and was successful, as he told the Principal that I had gone on a long tour to check the post offices in remote areas. The admission was granted, and my children went to the school regularly. After a few days, both my wife and I met the Principal. He came to know that my wife was not employed and had served in some missionary schools, so he offered her a job teaching Hindi to the secondary classes. I was overjoyed at the developments. 

Another good thing happened simultaneously. I started constructing a house on a 1.2 kanal vacant plot in Baghe-e-Mehtab, which I had purchased through my father, who unfortunately died in 1986. There were a few trees of delicious apples and scented plums in the plot. For construction purposes, there is no contractual system in Kashmir. By a stroke of luck, I employed a mason, who was sincere and did all the work in my absence. The Carpenter employed was living adjacent to my said house. I drew the architectural plan of the house myself, though a minor modification was suggested by the Departmental Architect, which was accepted. The construction started in 1989. 

With everything moving smoothly, I resolved to stay in Srinagar for a long period and ensure the completion of the education of my children there. But that was not to be. I was reminded of a proverb, Man proposes, and God disposes. In 1989, the bugle of militancy was blown through sporadic incidents of bomb blasts, exchange of fire, attacks on police posts, killing of people branded informers, targeting Kashmiri Pandits, which gradually became more defined and a daily routine. No day would pass by without a few incidents. Earlier in 1987, an election was rigged in J&K by the then CM, Farooq Abdullah, which had forced some MUF leaders to cross over to POK and create an organisational network there. In 1989, Rubaiya Syeed, the daughter of Mufti Syed, the then Home Minister in the Centre, was kidnapped by JKLF militants, and five terrorists were released in exchange, which emboldened the militants to intensify their activities in the valley and some peripheral areas like Poonch, Rajouri and Doda. The released terrorists created an organisational network in the valley, supported by ISI and the Pakistan Army. Young people were lured from Kashmir, crossed the LOC, and were trained in warfare in Pakistan and Afghanistan, the latter by the Taliban. On completion of their training, they returned to the valley accompanied by the mercenaries from Pakistan, Afghanistan and other Islamic countries. A few postal officials also absented from their duties, crossed the LOC and received proper military training. On their return, they surrendered and were rehabilitated by my successors. They revealed some dreadful details of their training. Many post offices, about sixty-five in number, were bombed, burnt or ransacked and their records destroyed. Thankfully, there were no casualties. The Kashmiri Pandit staff in all the post offices had already fled from Kashmir. 

Mr Ved Kumar was the Post Master General at the time. He was living alone, and his family was in Delhi. His blood sugar level suddenly dropped, and he went to Sheri Kashmir Medical Institute for consultation. This happened in my absence, and later, when I came to know about this, I was furious. The Institute was reportedly a den of militants, and he could have been a prized catch for them. Fortunately, he returned safely. Meanwhile, I had instructed APMG Staff to advise him to take the next flight to Delhi and consult a specialist. Accordingly, he agreed and, without losing time, went to Delhi. I was thus left alone to face the situation in Kashmir in the cold winter of 1989. … to be continued. 

    

 

APNA APNA SUCH (NOVEL) BY DEEPAK BUDKI; REVIEWED BY DR SAIFI SIRONJI