The Sialkot Saga By Ashwin Sanghi: Plot Summary And Character Overview
The Sialkot Saga is a 2016 thriller novel written by Indian author Ashwin Sanghi. This is a landmark book in light of the Indian thriller novel scene. It is a book about ambition, deceit, greed and how the past, the present and also the future are intertwined. As far as the title is concerned, the author has done a really good job of making it ambiguous and enigmatic. At a first glance, it might seem to be a book about some kind of a story regarding the partition. However, after reading it, one will find out that it is much more than that. There is much to this book than meets the eye. Therefore it is essential to give it a thorough read before forming any opinion about it. It is a story of how an ancient secret changed the fates of not only two brothers but also of the entire humanity. The Sialkot Saga is one of those books which keep the reader on the edge and leaves them guessing about what is going to happen next. It very subtly captures the attention of the reader and reveals itself in a very cunning way. Ashwin Sanghi is a really brilliant storyteller and captivates the readers in this intricate web which is The Sialkot Saga.
The Sialkot Saga is a fictional book which is set in the backdrop of various historical events and happenings. Ashwin Sanghi completed his schooling from the Cathedral & John Connon School, graduated with a BA (Economics) from St. Xavier's College and earned an MBA from the Yale School of Management. He joined his family's business in 1993. He wrote his first novel in 2006. Ashwin Sanghi presently pursues dual careers as an author and entrepreneur. As far as Ashwin Sanghi is concerned, he is an Indian author who has so far written nine novels such as The Krishna Key, The Rozabal Line, Chanakya’s Chant and Keepers of the Kalachakra. He has won the 2010 Vodafone-Crossword Popular Choice Award for his book Chanakya’s Chant. Sanghi has received praises and positive feedback by writers and media. He has also been hailed as the Indian Dan Brown for The Rozabal Line and The Krishna Key, both of which were critically acclaimed as Indian versions of the best-selling The Da Vinci Code and The Lost Symbol. However he has his own style, touch and way of expression which make him one of the best contemporary Indian authors. PlotThe plot of The Sialkot Saga has been intricately divided into six timelines of 10 years from 1950 to 2010. There are also various chapters in the book which are “blasts from the pasts”, that is, historical and mythological references which are instrumental to the story. These references hold great significance because they are the fundamental facts around which the story revolves. These references symbolize that history or the past can potentially teach us a lot, only if we are receptive to that knowledge.
The prologue of the book talks of a train in the backdrop of the Partition of India. It is the year 1947. All the occupants of the train have been massacred by the extremist groups due to the communal tension that existed during the partition. However in Amritsar, a constable finds two small kids who have somehow escaped a terrible fate. The first historical reference that Ashwin Sanghi vividly describes is set in Pataliputra and talks about Ashoka and his Nine Special Men. These men are highly knowledgeable and skilful and hold the key to highly confidential information. Now the main book starts with the timeline of 1950-60. It introduces the two main characters of the book, Arvind Bagadia and Arbaaz Sheikh. This timeline shows the childhood and teenage of the two characters and lays emphasis on how contrasting their childhood and are. Arvind Bagadia is the son of a pretty successful Marwari businessman and is shown to be highly intuitive, creative and ingenious.
On the other hand, Arbaaz Sheikh is the son of a poor coolie who is barely able to make ends meet. Arvind is based in Kolkata while Arbaaz’s story is set in Mumbai or Bombay as it was known then. Both their stories run parallel to each other and focus on their school life. Both of their characters are shown to be dealing with problems of their own while their life goes on. However they something common growing up. They are both full of ambition, a hunger for power and money. Another thing which they have in common is a mysterious copper kada which never aged or rusted. These kadas were preserved by their parents but they had no idea about what they were and what was their importance. Another historical reference that the author gives is set in Kosambi, 350 CE and continues the story that has been started in the prologue of the book. It has been revealed that the secret which the nine special men are holding has to be passed down to their appointed successor.
The second timeline starts in 1960 which shows the late teenage and early adulthood of both the main characters. Arvind has now begun to taste some sort of success due to his sheer cunning, ingenuity and sharp mind. He along with his confidante and childhood friend Joydeep has started various businesses which are not strictly legal per se but border on being outright illegal. Through such transactions, Arvind has earned a name for himself. However this is just the start for him and he plans to be an even bigger businessman than his father ever was. Arbaaz on the other hand has entered the Bombay Underworld and has also earned a reputation as a reliable lieutenant of major don Abdul Dada. He oversees various illegal activities in Bombay and has earned quite a lot of money and respect for himself. Arbaaz also has a close friend who helps him in his business named Murali. At this point we can clearly see that both the main characters have a very similar trajectory and it can be predicted that at some point there is going to be a faceoff between the two. And the most important that connects them is a woman named Paromita. In his teenage, Arvind was attracted to her but she moved to Bombay. In Bombay, Arbaaz fell in love with Paromita and she fell in love with him too. This is another thing which makes us believe that these two characters are the two sides of the same coin. The third timeline now starts in 1970 and depicts the main characters in their late adulthood. This time frame shows that both the characters have successfully tread on the path of success. Arvind Bagadia is now a successful businessman who now owns huge enterprises to camouflage his various fraudulent and illegitimate dealings. He is now a respectable man who commands a lot of power and influence. He is also a married man now but experiences a turbulent with his wife Abhilasha. Here is the first instance that the two meet on a flight from Bombay to Hyderabad.
However there has not been any sort of competition between the two. Arbaaz too has become very successful and after the death of Abdul Dada has now become the sole head of operations. He has started a company called Dhanda Holdings Private Limited as a front for all of his illegal and illegitimate activities. Arbaaz Sheikh is a married man too. He has married the love of his life Paromita, who is a successful Bollywood actress. Arvind had started a company called B. Ravi and I. Daga Private Limitied (or BRAID). This name has a catch as it is an acronym for his name Arvind Bagadia itself. Arvind states that the purpose of his company was not to buy and sell things but was to buy and sell businesses. However at this point there has started a real war between Arvind and Arbaaz. Both of them were owners of huge businesses at this point and therefore there was bound to be some friction between the two the market. So Arvind had duped Arbaaz of a chunk of his money by making him invest in a scheme of his. In reply to this, Arbaaz had orchestrated many raids on Arvind’s various strongholds through his influence in the government. So they both are even right now and are eager for renewing their hostilities. Now the timeframe of the 1980s starts with both the main characters portrayed in their late thirties and early forties.
This is the timeline where politics has also become an important and significant element of the hostilities between the two. Arvind, though not directly in the political theatre has a lot of influence in that area due to the moral (and financial) support that he had to offer. Arbaaz on the other hand was the government. He had stood for election and had won comfortable due to the fear, respect and awe that he commanded. This timeline is set in the backdrop of the fiasco which occurred due to the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and all the Anti-Sikh Riots that occurred in the aftermath. Arvind was the father of twin boys Vinay and Vinit. Arbaaz was the father of a daughter named Alisha. In this timeline Arvind is portrayed as someone who wants to reach even greater heights in the business arena while Arbaaz is shown to be hugely ambitious to grow in the political theatre. In this timeline there is not much development and the historical references that Sanghi gives are also simply related to how the secret was efficiently passed down from one generation to the other.
One reference was set in 817 CE during the reign of Nagabhata and the other reference is set in 1521 during the rule of Krishnadevaraya in Vijayanagara. Now the fifth timeline starts in 1990 and renews the action of the whole novel. Both the main characters are here portrayed to be in their late forties and early fifties. Arvind’s two sons are students in Stanford University. However, Ashwin Sanghi has placed a very nasty and sad twist in the story at this juncture. The Bombay bombings in 1993 took the lives of Arvind’s mother Shakuntala and his son Vinit. This leaves Arvind completely shattered and broken. However he is a strong willed person and therefore moves on for the sake of his other surviving son Vinay. Arbaaz too is made to send his daughter Alisha to Stanford University which makes him very sad as he loves her dearly. Now in this timeline, there is a slight shift of focus from the two main characters towards their offsprings. Both Alisha and Vinay are in the same university and before anyone knows it, love starts to blossom between the two. However, the enmity between their fathers makes them apprehensive about whether they should reveal their love to their parents. After graduating however they get married and start living together.
This however is the last straw and both their fathers become angry at them. However an important even changes this. the 9/11 attacks almost killed the two of them but they survived due to a stroke of luck. This makes their fathers realize of how much they love Vinay and Alisha. Vinay had a very close friend at Stanford named Karma Tshering who would turn out to be highly important in the next and final timeline. The final timeline starts with the Kumbh Mela. Karma is shown to be working on something which turns out to be the secret information that Ashoka and his nine special men were working on and was passed down from one generation to the next. This was the secret of being immortal. This final timeline, though not strictly happy and warm, solves all the tension and mystery that the author has so far created. Both Arbaaz and Arvind have had their skirmishes and they finally decide to call a truce. They decide to jointly fund Karma’s research. However both the sixty six year olds finally fall to the bullets of the terrorists that had attacked the Taj Hotel in 2008. Both the adversaries fall together.
However the action has still not been resolved. Their children find out that the kadas which their fathers had, have a huge connection to Ashoka and the secret research which was undertaken by him. It is found out that they were carriers of highly secret and important information without even knowing about it. Vinay and Alisha finally decipher this information. And they find out that Arvind and Arbaaz were adoptive brothers of Adhyapika Jyoti, from whom they had become separated during the Partition. They were then raised by their respective adoptive parents in Kolkata and Mumbai respectively. Adhyapika Jyoti was a hidden character throughout the book who appeared as a simple Guru but turns out to be instrumental in explaining what was the ultimate secret. She turned out to be the Preserver of Ashoka’s Secret who was looking for a worthy successor. She finally finds Karma Tshering and the complex secret is finally solved. It was all about the Ashta Chiranjeevi that are famed in all of Indian Philosophy.
Characters
Arbaaz Sheikh- He is the adoptive son of coolie Ayub and housewife Shabana. He has been adopted by them but he never finds out about it in his entire life. He is a shrewd and cunning person. From his very childhood he showed signs of achieving greatness. An ambitious man, Arbaaz lived by the philosophy that he is an animal who hunts while he hides. From being a local thug, Arbaaz Sheikh comes a long way throughout the book to be a Cabinet Minister. He is a clever man as evidenced by his various business endeavours to mask all his illegal and money making schemes. He has an ambition to be the best and the most powerful. For this he works hard and diligently and ultimately achieves all his dreams. He is married to Bollywood actress Paromita and has twin children Vinay and Vinit. We can very safely conclude that Arbaaz is a shrewd businessman, a ruthless thug, an ambitious entrepreneur and a compassionate human being.
Arvind Bagadia- Arvind is the adopted son of Marwari businessman Brijmohanlal and his wife Shakuntala. He is the long lost adopted brother of Arbaaz Sheikh and is his main adversary throughout the story. He is a very cunning and intuitive businessman. Through his highly potent schemes, he is able to legally fleece money from people under the nose of the authorities. As he says himself, his business was not to sell things or services, but to sell businesses. He has a greed for money power and success. His aim is to feature in the Forbes Richest Indians List. And he does so. He becomes enormously successful despite all his setbacks and skirmishes with Arbaaz. He faced many failures in his personal life despite all his successes in the professional front. His best friend had an affair with his wife Abhilasha. This drove him to the limit that he got his best friend and advisor killed. All in all it can be very easily said that Arvind is really short tempered and loses his calm easily. He also talks in riddles to his associates and is portrayed as a cryptic and enigmatic person.
Abdul Dada- He is a don and a father figure to Arbaaz. Abdul Dada is the biggest inspiration in Arbaaz’s life and he tries to emulate him. He is a feared and venerated person in Mumbai and commands almost the whole of the Mumbai underworld. A compassionate person, he tries to solve the problems of anyone who comes to his door.
Yash Dhar- He is a Cabinet Minister and a close associate of both Arbaaz and Arvind. He is shown to be a diplomatic character who helps in bringing a truce between the two. It is his decision to make them meet at a location to neutral to both of them. Yash Dhar is a Kashmiri Pandit and is an important cabinet minister. He is the one who kick started Arbaaz Sheikh’s political career and made Arvind Bagadia give his financial support to the various politicians.
Adhyapika Jyoti- She is probably one of the most mysterious characters in the entire book. In the end it is revealed that she is the mother of Arbaaz and Arvind whom she lost during the Partition. She appears in the entire book as a simple religious Guru and ascetic. However at the end the author tells the reader that she is the guardian and the preserver of Ashoka’s secret to immortality.
Vinay Bagadia- Arvind Bagadia’s son. He has inherited his father’s sharp mind, creativity and innovativeness. Vinay is a Stanford University graduate and handles his father’s business in the United States of America. Vinay is married to Arbaaz’s daughter Alisha which estranged him from his father. Vinay along with Alisha deciphers the secret which his father and father in law were unknowingly carrying, that is, the secret of immortality.
Alisha Sheikh- The daughter of Arbaaz Sheikh and Paromita, she is also a Stanford University graduate and is married to Vinay Bagadia. She has inherited her mother’s good looks and her father’s sharp mind. She assists Vinay in understanding the secret which Adhyapika Jyoti holds and how her father and father in law were holders of this secret without even knowing it.
