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ADRISHYA

Launched in November 2014, EPIC Television Channel is Indias leading factual entertainment platform. An India-centric content-driven destination, EPIC has redefined the infotainment genre by being the only native Hindi language medium in its league. The channel has been bestowed with several accolades, including the prestigious 12 PromaxBDA Award across various categories as well as the Indian Television Academy Award for the show Stories by Rabindranath Tagore. Famed for its inaugural history and focus on mythology, EPIC has recently elevated its brand proposition and now showcases a wide array of original content across various genres. This critically acclaimed channel has expanded the scope of its offerings by including within its programming repertoire an eclectic mix of non-fiction content that aspires to imbibe the diversity of India.

EPIC has an extensive catalogue of original programming and a reputation for excellence in premium factual content that celebrates, explores, discovers and inspires India through untold stories, facts and possibilitiesa channel which tells the story of the people, for the people and by the people of India.

ADRISHYA

True Stories of Indian Spies

Published by

Rupa Publications India Pvt. Ltd 2017

7/16, Ansari Road, Daryaganj

New Delhi 110002

Copyright EPIC Television Pvt. Ltd. 2017

All images courtesy EPIC Television Pvt. Ltd.

Transcreated by Chandni Mathur

The views and opinions expressed in this book are the authors own and the facts are as reported by him which have been verified to the extent possible, and the publishers are not in any way liable for the same.

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in a retrieval system, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

ISBN: 978-81-291-????-?

First impression 2017

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated, without the publishers prior consent, in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published.

Contents

Prologue

This book is based on EPIC Televisions popular show by the same nameAdrishya: True Stories of Indian Spies. It features select stories of the greatest Indian spies from the times of the Mahabharata to RAW spies during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, and many other interesting ones in between.

Adrishya: True Stories of Indian Spies makes you experience life from the point of view of Indias greatest spies, living through danger and possible death, fear and anxiety, the triumphs and the captures. It narrates the spies heroic acts and follows them as they travel through dangerous landscapes, slip into disguises and hoodwink the enemy. We become privy to their thoughts as they inch towards fulfilling their mission.

Featuring stories from different eras, the book begins with a lesser-known tale from the master of all epicsMahabharata. Guru Brihaspatis son Kacha, the spy of the gods, was sent by Lord Indra to learn mrit sanjeevani vidya from Guru Shukracharya, a knowledge which would make the gods immortal. While he achieved his mission, it came with a heavy price.

Next is Jeev Siddhi, Chanakyas spy. He assisted his guru Chanakya in saving Chandragupta Mauryas life and expand his kingdom by strategically defeating King Nandas minister, Rakshasa.

The work of a spy can be varied. They need not always be warriors. Like Chand Bardaiwho served under Prithviraj Chauhan, the king of the Hindu Chauhan dynasty that ruled over Ajmer and Delhiwas a court poet, a jester and a master of disguises. Faithful to his master, Bardai was involved in helping Chauhans beloved Sanyukta escape from Kannauj on the day of her swayamvar. Later, when Prithviraj Chauhan was blinded and imprisoned by Mohammad Ghori of Ghazni, Bardai plotted a way for Chauhan to seek revenge from the cruel Ghori.

Bahirji Naik, Chhatrapati Shivajis chief intelligence officer, was a master of disguises and one of the early practitioners of a form of guerrilla warfare called Ganimi Kawa or Shiva Sutra.

Then there is Sharan Kaur, who was saved by the army of Hari Singh Nalwa, the great commander of the Sikh empire of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. She returned the favour by becoming a warrior spy, helping Nalwa counter the ferocious attacks of the Pathan tribes and their cruel leader Dost Mohammad. Sharan braved to go where no Sikh man would go.

Aziz-Un-Nisas and Durga Bhabhis stories are of exemplary courage. Aziz-Un, a courtesan, who had travelled from the cultural city of Lucknow to the gritty reality of Kanpur, just to maintain the independence of her choices, turned against the British and started out as a spy. But after the British killed the man she loved, she didnt hesitate from actively participating in the planning of the uprising of 1857. Durga Bhabhi is another revolutionary Indian woman spy. Married to a freedom fighter at the age of eleven, Durgavati Vohra was actively involved in the planning and execution of several of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Armys (HSRA) activities. She is best known for having travelled undercover with Bhagat Singh when the British police was on the lookout for him in relation to the murder of Saunders.

The story of Noor Inayat Khan is equally interesting. A Sufi poet, a princess by birth and a childrens author, Noor, despite her Sufi background, becomes the sole link between the rebel groups of France and their support system in England during World War II. How she gets into the elite secret services of Womens Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) accounts for a fascinating story.

Saraswati Rajamani was Netaji Subhash Chandra Boses spy in the Indian National Army (INA). Saraswati joined the INA at a young age and infiltrated British army ranks to gather intelligence for Netaji which helped him in his active resistance to the British Raj. The story also captures her escape when she was caught by the British forces.

The story of the creation of Bangladesh is incomplete without the mention of two Indian intelligence officers, R.N. Kao and K. Shankar Nair. While Kao planned meticulously from Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) headquarters in New Delhi, K. Shankar Nair was on the field as the freedom struggle in East Pakistan raged. The chapter details their heroic deed in saving countless lives and achieving freedom for Indias neighbouring country.

These myriad cases give us a glimpse into the dangerous lives of the unsung heroes of wars while reaffirming the importance of their roles in the safety and security of the nation. These are stories that will inspire and entertain at the same time.

The information in these chapters is based on critical inputs provided by scholars and experts for the TV show. In a few chapters, the spies, who are still among us, have shared their experiences too. This book doesnt claim to be a history book but gives us an insight into the lives of spies, told in these very interesting story formats.

Kacha

The Spy of the Gods

(Adi Parva, Mahabharata)

Kachas story is from a time when both gods and demons were mortals, existing as warring tribes. Then one day, the preceptor of the demons (asuras), Shukracharya, was blessed with the knowledge of mrit sanjeevani which he used to bring dead demons back to life. Blessed with immortality, the demons became invincible and the power of gods (devas) came under severe threat. To learn the secret that had been bringing their enemies back to life, Brihaspati, the guru of the devas, sent his son Kacha into the land of the asuras. Unlike any other spy, Kacha walked into enemy territory as himself, risking his life to fulfil his promise made to the devas. However, when Shukracharyas daughter Devyani fell in love with him, Kacha realized that perhaps the only way he could gain the knowledge of immortality would be through his own death.

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