The Proof Diaries

‘The Proof Diaries’ is set in present times- at a remote, beachside colony pounded by tidal waves, on the Odisha coastline in the Bay of Bengal.

The novel is about Kaysar Singh, an explosives consultant working in the sea-based firing range. He develops illicit relations with a local tribal girl, Kasturi; and gets falsely implicated in her rape, when he stalls an import contract involving defect-prone ammunition, earning the ire of people who have a stake in it. Kasturi meanwhile, has mysteriously vanished.

The investigating officer, Padhy gives him a chance to prove his innocence.

Kaysar embarks on a journey that sees him wading through crocodile infested swamps, hobnobbing with Aghoris, taking on the naxals, and finally entering into a gunfight with ISI agents out to steal classified secrets.

Along the way he runs into weird as well as interesting personalities: such as the oppressed yet lively Kasturi; the equivocating CEO; the failed-romantic Senapati; the alcoholic but loyal Padhy with his eunuch whores; the cross-dressing contractor; and the scheming cook Lola in an incestuous tangle with a long forgotten cousin.

In the end there is both retribution and redemption for Kaysar; helped along by his morally challenged, yet steady, circle of friends; for whom extreme is the new normal.