The book is written in clear prose. Since its a collection of short stories, readers can choose the stories they wish to read
Cover page of Kolkata Crimes
What are the sources of the crime? In addition to economic/social factors, is crime a consequence of jealousy and the fear of losing out on wealth and/or love? If that is indeed the case, what more should the state and society do to address the primal manifestation of such emotions? It is quite an achievement for Krishnan Srinivasan, the author of Kolkata Crimes, that he compels readers to reflect deeper on socio-economic issues through a collection of detective short stories.
Krishnans principal characters in Kolkata Crimes are off-beat. Koel Deb is an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer who lost her arm in a police operation. She uses a prosthetic arm and moves around Kolkata on a Harley Davidson bike. As a former IPS officer and due to her outstanding work as a private investigator, she is well-connected with the elite in Kolkata, as well as with personnel at various levels within the administrative apparatus. Koel has no work-life balance. Perhaps, barring one exception, we rarely find Koel relaxing at a music concert or watching a movie. She is always on the move and always at work.
Michael Marco, a former diplomat from Somalia, is currently in India, hoping to raise funds for a foundation he plans to establish in his home country. Koel Deb often seeks his input in unpacking various crimes. In all stories, barring a few, he has a subdued presence in the storyline, typically appearing towards the end of each story to assist Koel Deb with his analytical insights. Unlike Koel, Michael has all the time in the world. He is always consuming tomato juice and has a unique ability to procure it in unlikely locations.
It would be tempting to compare the conversations between Michael and Koel with the conversations of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson. However, unlike Sherlock Holmes, Michael Marco does not often visit the crime scene. It is Koel Deb who conducts all the field investigations and also provides considerable analysis for Michael Marcos opinions. Unlike Sherlock Holmes, who often chides Dr Watson for missing elementary analysis, Michael and Koel share a genuinely collaborative working relationship.
Krishnan has a very observant eye, which gets reflected in the detailing of the characters. The characters in the novel come from all social classes. The poor commit crimes for economic reasons, and the rich and the powerful do so in the hope that they can get away with such actions. Krishnan surprises us with diverse characters, such as a Swiss professor who works on the scripted and unscripted languages of Northeast India. The characters breathe life, and they dont appear to be concocted. With a few exceptions, most of the stories are located in Kolkata. The author does a fantastic job of bringing the urban landscape into relief and also reveals the power dynamics at play.
The book is written in clear prose. Since its a collection of short stories, readers can choose the stories they wish to read. Perhaps in the coming weekends, there will be many who will dip into a detective short story collection by former foreign secretary Krishnan Srinivasan.
Sanjay Pulipaka is the chairperson of the Politeia Research Foundation. Views expressed here are personal.
Kolkata Crimes
By Krishnan Srinivasan
Har-Anand Publications
pp. 288; Rs 499
( Source : Asian Age )
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