The cover has a silhouette of a person and a shadow with various other items related to the story!
Name: The Silk Route Spy
Author: Enakshi Sengupta
Format: Hardcopy
Number of pages: 205
Availability: Amazon (Buy the paperback here)
Rating: 4/5
The title was apt as Nandlal Kapur ultimately became a silk trader and a spy.
The English language is very easy to understand.
The word that was new to me plus fascinating was pagoda.
The story is about the author’s grandfather-in-law, Nandlal Kapur, who secretly contributed to India’s freedom movement while being a spy for the British forces. How did he manage this? Due to his nature of work, he led an eventful life as he traversed from city to city. He was always in a dilemma and questioned his dreams of travelling the world and leaving his family behind. Was it worth it? You should read the book to find out.
*It was an easy read.
*It was well-written by a granddaughter-in-law of the protagonist Nandlal Kapur.
*Every city he was stationed at was eventful for Nandlal. Be it meeting good people, getting used to the local food, falling in love, building a family, watching a dead body, etc. while gathering information for his British bosses.
*It showed how work, desires and ethics are sometimes difficult to balance.
*It showed how we always have to lose something dear to us to fulfill our dreams.
*It showed us how men endure a lot just to keep their families safe.
*It showed how parents are an integral part of our lives.
*It showed how life goes on, come what may.
*Spotted some negligible errors.
*Perhaps the end could have been elaborated a bit.
When reading the blurb, I assumed that the book would have too much army jargon that I would not relate to. Yet, I chose to read the book. I must say that it was an easy read about a forgotten contributor to the Indian freedom struggle. The book is written in very simple English. Though you may have to Google some of the historic events mentioned, you will surely enjoy reading about the interesting journey of Nandlal Kapur.
Have you read this book? Let me know your thoughts.
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