Calling Sehmat

"Death and danger will shadow her, but the show must go on."

About the book:

"Calling Sehmat", a thriller saga, written by Harinder Sikka is based on true events. It is the story of a heroic spy who was the reason for saving India from losing the 1971 Indo- pak war.

Born to a Kashmiri Muslim father and a Hindu mother, Sehmat was taught to be patriotic and dedicated to the country. She was taught that the love one has for their country is the truest form of love one could ever have.

The beginning part of the book is about how her parents met and fell in love and about Sehmat's youth. The book gets a good pace after this when the plot starts.

On the request of her father, Sehmat agrees to marry the son of a well-connected Pakistani General to start her mission of conveying confidential information whilst being in Pakistan. Thus starts the transformation of an ordinary girl into a deadly spy.

During her mission, she stumbles on the information regarding the Ghazi attack. This is where the plot thickens. Her intelligence on PNS Ghazi which was placed just off Vishakapatnam to destroy INS Vikrant helped Indian Naval forces to be prepared for the attack. We can understand why INS Vikrant stood as a staple of pride in India. During the Ghazi attack that took place in 1971, INS Vikrant along with INS Rajput, INS Khukri, etc formed a Naval blockade that became very integral for the liberation of East Pakistan - now Bangladesh.

The book is the debut novel of Harinder Sikka who was commissioned in January 1981 in Indian Navy and later took premature retirement in 1993. After extensive conversations with Sehmat, (which was not her actual name) this book was written and it is written quite seamlessly. It explores the very emotions that were felt by Sehmat. This book has the power to pull you in deep, I couldn't put it down once I started reading it. Though there were some differences, I thought the movie adaption of this book did some justice to this book. The turmoil of Sehmat in her in-law's house is so lucidly written, anyone can understand by just reading it once. The story of an unsung hero, Calling Sehmat should be a must-read for everyone. The inspiration her story instils, her love for the country, the pride we feel, is all so surreal and beautiful.