In A. S. Dulat’s First Novel, Kashmir Is a Tragedy and the Head of IB Has a Break Down

Former foreign secretaries and former army chiefs have written novels but A.S. Dulat is the first former Head of R&AW to do so. The book is called Our Kind of Games. Set in Kashmir, it’s the story of Ranjit Soni, the Head of IB in the territory, as well as about Kashmir itself and its impact on Soni. Dulat says 50% of Soni is modelled on himself.

In the book, Kashmir emerges as a tragic place and Soni, as an IB officer who becomes disillusioned with his job. Everyone who helps Soni dies. As Dulat puts it: “Working with Ranjit Soni was lethal. Being useful to him was fatal. Trusting him was suicide.”

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