Book Review: Patriots, Plots and Peril
Book: Patriots, Plots and Peril: The Unsung Warriors of India’s Freedom Struggle
Author: Samudra Roy Chowdhury
Publisher: Khama Publishers
Price: Rs. 399
Patriots, Plots, and Peril by Samudra Roy Chowdhury blends minor fictional incidents and dramatic flair into real historical events. The author has taken creative liberties but clarifies at the end how the narrative diverges from history.
The book sheds light on the lesser-known yet powerful stories of Indian revolutionaries during the freedom struggle. Set against the tumultuous time of World War I, Patriot, Plots, and Peril delves into a network of fearless men who dared to challenge the British Empire’s rule through conspiracies, daring plots, and covert alliances.
The story begins in June 1915, a year into World War I, introducing the central figure, Jatin Mukherjee. The story then takes a retrospective turn to January 1910, unfolding Part I over four chapters that explore the lives of other key revolutionaries and the relentless efforts of British officials, like Charles Tegart of the Calcutta Police, working feverishly to thwart the Indian freedom movement.
In Part II, the focus expands to Jatin’s emissaries who forge covert connections with German officials in Europe and America to smuggle arms for the impending revolution. This section features elaborate schemes, including a daring arms robbery in Calcutta and a British intelligence assassination plot targeting a prominent Indian figure in Berlin. The intrigue deepens with the arrival of a young Czech refugee from war-torn Europe to New York. He joins a counter-espionage unit run by a Czech-American, Emmanuel Victor Voska, to disrupt the Indo-German arms plot. United by the common enemy, the Germans, an important role waits for this boy in the rest of the book.
Part III immerses readers in the army insurrection that was initially planned to coincide with the arms shipment. When plans shift, Jatin and his key compatriot, Rashbehari Bose, move the date forward. Navigating through the alleys of Benares and Lahore, dodging the relentless pursuit of a new British intelligence agent, the insurrection plot finally culminates on 19th February of 1915, marked by acts of courage and sacrifice of some fearless souls.
As Part IV unfolds, the importance of the Czech boy in Voska’s counter-espionage network becomes apparent. The narrative follows the complex web of arms shipment plots, moving between San Diego, a Mexican port city, and a remote Pacific island. British agents Oren and Agent X join the fray, while Jatin prepares for a climactic battle, expecting arms to reach drop points along the coastline of the Bay of Bengal. While Jatin sends one of his trusted emissaries to Batavia (modern-day Jakarta) to finalize logistics for the last leg of the shipment through southeast Asia, the constant threat of Calcutta Police forces Jatin to relocate to Balasore in Orissa, one of the arms drop points, exactly where the story began in the prologue.
The final chapters deliver a high-stakes chase involving British intelligence and Jatin’s operatives across continents, from Batavia to Berlin, and Manila to New York. The Czech boy makes his decisive move as Charles Tegart arrives in Balasore, searching for his old nemesis. An epic battle, a riveting trench warfare in the jungle of Orissa brings the story to a decisive end.
Overall, Patriot, Plots, and Peril promises an exhilarating journey and leaves readers with a deeper understanding of the historical efforts that brought us an inch closer to a well-fought independence. Author, Samudra Roy Chowdhury, runs his social media channels under the banner indicvoices.
– global bihari bureau
