In his book, Ajay, additional commissioner of income tax in Mumbai, mentions some unimaginable technological methods being used by intelligence agencies as well as terrorist groups for communication. He chats with Darpan Mago
There are numerous ways terrorist organisations communicate with each other. Phone calls, emails or text messages are a few easily traceable ones. Then there is also another method, which is unheard, unique yet simple. An email account is used for communication without actually sending an email, which otherwise runs the risk of being traced. As an uncomplicated trick, one party saves the message in drafts of the email account for the other party to read and leave a reply at the same place. Thus, a communication is facilitated between terror groups, escaping the risk of being caught.
Ajay is the additional commissioner of income tax in Mumbai. His debut fiction novel Resonance is woven with many such instances of technology and much theorised concepts of Physics. Sounds (resonance) can be used to shatter or destroy an object, or even the whole planet. Sound is a form of energy, and as some noises are capable of breaking a glass, the same principle is played on by terror groups to destroy a nation. The book is full of some real and imagined technologies, that are adopted by the intelligence agencies as well as terrorist groups for their mission. Resonance is a fast-paced thriller and the story revolves around a man, Imran Shah Malik, who is on a mission to cause a catastrophe of biblical proportions. Ajay informs, “Though my book is completely fictional but some inspiration comes from real incidents. Imran is a soldier of Pakistani Army of 1971 war between India and Pakistan. He is taken as Prisoner of War (PoW) in India and put in Alipur Jail in Calcutta. later, he isn’t returned to Pakistan as per the Shimla agreement but handed over to Mukti Bahini of Bangladesh. Those people took the advantage of his captivity, tortured him and forced him to reveal the strategic locations of Pakistani army. The man is a patriot and refused to divulge details. After a torturous treatment for five years he escapes and makes his way to Pakistan, here Imran is reinitiated in Pakistani army. In Pakistan, he rises to become the chief of ISI (Inter State Intelligence) and takes a pledge to avenge the wrongs done to him. He plans a vengeance of an unimaginable scale.”
The book took Ajay almost nine months to complete. He says that he had completed the raw script in 40 days, but it took him nearly eight months to research the details and gather facts. Ajay is an avid reader and his favourite authors are Anand Neelakantan, Ashwin Sanghi and Amish Tripathi. “I used to read a lot of books and tell stories to my sister, Mini. But she searched and often located the original authors of the stories. Once I made up my own story and narrated to her, and this time she wasn’t able to find the author. Then I told her that this was my original and she appreciated me and pushed me to write my own stories,” says Ajay. The author feels that Indian fiction is experiencing a change and his book positions itself differently in the genre. Ajay says, “Most Indian novels are associated with some or the other experiences from the author’s own life, some have played with mythological themes and yet another segment represents only the known facts about India and win accolades.”
Interestingly, Ajay’s book includes some of the actual conversations that have taken place between terror groups world over.