By 121 News Reporter
Chandigarh 12th September:- Major General (Retired) CS Panag, YSM, VSM today released a Novel titled "Story of Harry Singh & Sophie Kaur." The story is an Indian Army oriented work of fiction and is set during the British Raj when India was part of the British Empire. It has been published by Partridge Publishers, a Penguin Random House Company. Also, present at the release event was the author Madan Das who himself is a retired army officer and lives in Chandigarh.
The story starts at a parade at Wellington in 1947 where one General Hodson, Advisor to his Excellency Lord Mountbatten, Viceroy of India, is the reviewing officer. In the story a 'Thambi (Tamilian)' prisoner under a military escort comprising Sikh soldiers, escapes en route to the unit. The novel narrates his re-apprehension (?), after a chase in South India and his journey to Jalandhar. It is a fast paced tale and brings back nostalgia as it is set in the backdrop of the British Raj. Apart from the Sikh escort and a Madrasi soldier there is an Anglo-Indian heiress, who is a survivor of HMS Titanic, as the heroin in the story. They are supported by a number of English characters in the tale. There is a cameo by one of Indi's Ex Presidents twice in the story, once when he was a school going lad in Rameshwaram and another during the climax of the tale by when he has become a scientist. The story finally culminates at the Imperial Hotel in New Delhi in 1957 by when the Sikh Hero is a man of means. The Author has painstakingly chosen each and every word which has made the book a captivating account of Adventure, Romance & Suspense all weaved together masterfully.
General Panag while releasing the book said, "I have been able to read the book. I was pleasantly surprised to read that the hero in the story which has English characters, is a Khalsa. The book reminded me of late Sardar Khushwant Singh and of course other eminent writers. It has humour and it show-cases the intelligence of Indian Sikh soldiers, drawn from rural Punjab, vis-a-vis their English officers as they manage to stay one step ahead of their British officers in the tale. The author has woven the plot well and included two Historical Gurdwaras of Delhi in the story in a good way. I keep a busy schedule and yet had difficulty in putting the book down, once I had started reading it. I think we may have a new writer in our midst; he matches Jeffrey Archer in his writing. I wish the author success. Added Mrs. Panag, "My husband was so engrossed in this novel that he forgot to attend to some scheduled works. I also read the book after my husband finished it and I can unhesitatingly say it was spellbinding and I too had difficulty in putting it down till I turned the last page."
Most army related books written in India, in the past have been narratives pertaining to wars and battles or military history or adventure. This stereo type recitation stands removed from the novel "Story of Harry Singh & Sophie Kaur". The story depicts the non-combative, human face of soldiers, their lives, their small pleasures and sorrows, their failings & their strong points. It is about their village lives, it is about their eagerness to prove themselves to their British Officers, it is about the underlying warmth and affinity, which they enjoyed with the English. To that extent the adventure in the novel is of a different kind. No military history, no austere language, no self-wax lyrical. It is just army folklore, side-splitting, harmless and a bit titillating. It has been narrated in the earthy language of the soldiers; and therefore "Story of Harry Singh & Sophie Kaur" is like a whiff of fresh air & reads easy and reads well.
The book has its own web site www.harryandsophie.com and its widget can be viewed at www.book2look.com. The book is available on line from Flipkart, in India, Amazon & Barnes & Noble in Canada & USA, and Book Depository and Book Store in UK and Australia/New Zealand. The book can be obtained from the author (at a discounted price) at his email maddas140@gmail.com.
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