Title: Mehr: A Love Story
Author: Siddhartha Gigoo
Publisher: Rupa
Pages: 213
Price: Rs 295
Mehr, a love story’ by award-winning Siddhartha Gigoo. A journey of an Indian officer, from a secret operation to tasting something absolutely new in his life which makes him weak eventually.
The book is a fictional love story of across the border, of India and Pakistan. Mehr, daughter of a designated Pakistani General. “The love I mustn’t confess. The love you mustn’t know.” Mehr who moved to in Sindh and works for a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO). She originally lived in London and loves a Kashmiri boy Firdaus. She is keen on crossing over to meet her lover and Indian authorities have rejected her visa a few times. Mehr is born in a family that has strong Indian roots and she says, “I live for Pakistan, but I shall die for India.”
The Indian intelligence follows her track and in particular one eagle eye of a Major. Initially, a hacker is recruited then twists and turns which make the plot predictable.
Initially, the author describes vividly the harsh living in Sindh. Geographical limitations and worse still the strongly held traditional beliefs and superstitions regarding breastfeeding babies. A strong patriarchal lineage which prevents mothers from nursing their own children. The city of lights, Karachi is shown changing to a city of gloom. Then it is a back and forth between the love story, the family of the lover, the interactions between hacker and recruiter and a new plot to develop with a gloomy end.
Meanwhile, a secret love story develops in the land of shelling, as the hatred is shown unfolding poetically. The main characters are three and could be considered four for the importance given to a feline character when at some time one would tend to doubt if it really existed. Towards the end, however, the book falls into the trap of moral dilemma of the cross-border tensions and politics. A bit of sermonising and glorification of the Indian army, seen a lot in Bollywood films.
The whole suspicion, betrayal and sense of duty along with cross-border tension makes you cringe and a rather old plot.
