prakash bansod

World leaders are under pressure to deal with Climate Change and invest in green industries that would curb Green House Gas emissions. However in Asia, a nuclear duel between neighbouring nuclear armed adversaries is much more of an existential threat. A newly elected Indian Government has a mandate to deal with down to earth issues such as education, healthcare and job creation in order to retrieve the millions of impoverished citizens that have been left behind. To raise funds, they turn to defence cuts and in particular nuclear disarmament. Arms dealers, who see this movement as a serious threat to their multi-billion dollar munitions business, engage terrorists to stop the disarmament movement. Terrorists attempt to destroy the disarmament team by blowing up a Canada to India bound commercial airliner. But some members of the team miss the flight and one of them, a Sikh intelligence officer, Commander Gill, pursues the terrorist, Anil Godsé, who flees to England. Godsé now focuses on disrupting a Carbon Abatement and Nuclear Disarmament conference scheduled to be held in Lincoln City. The U.K. authorities search for him in vain and refer to him by the code name Canadian Visitor.

In Lincoln, the main character, Cynthia Amis, a special education teacher struggles with the school board to provide resources for her two orphaned special needs students. After a chance meeting with a newly arrived Canadian professor at Lincoln University, Paresh Naik, she persuades him to help her. He is an expert in virtual reality simulations and creates avatars that can teach. However, Prof. Naik turns out to be mysterious and reclusive. His only hobby appears to be crossbow shooting. Cynthia is drawn to discover more about him. He hates talking about his family but is drawn to her students, Lisa and Patelji. Moreover, he is prone to bizarre flash back episodes, symptomatic of a person suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. As Cynthia works with Paresh to develop the virtual reality technology, their relationship deepens and so does the bond between Paresh and the children. But unbeknown to Cynthia, Paresh’s troubled past comes with a hidden agenda.

Will  Commander Gill catch Canadian Visitor? Is Paresh and Canadian Visitor one and the same person? Will the relationship between Paresh and Cynthia ever amount to anything or will it be a case of unrequited love?  You'll have to read the book to find out!

The book also offers novel solutions and debate including an innovative approach to nuclear disarmament called Nuclear Escrow. This method incentivizes the escrowing of nuclear weapons by investing in green technologies.

Children with learning challenges, both gifted and learning disabled, have a major role in the plot of this story. Their problems, such as bullying, are dealt with by virtual reality therapy.

The book includes humorous cross-cultural interactions, which should appeal to a wide international audience, as the story progresses from India to Canada and then on to England.