The Indian Emergency

Set against the grim backdrop of the Indian Emergency, this poignant novel brings together four individuals from vastly different walks of life—Dhiraj Sahay, a principled professor; Umar Farooqui, a soulful shayar; Rajendra Agarwal, a pragmatic businessman; and Rajan Pandit, the jailer—as they are bound by fate within the walls of a prison during a time of fear, censorship, and vanishing lives. As the state tightens its grip through repression, forced sterilisation, and silenced dissent, personal struggles intertwine with national upheaval, including the fragile love story of Deepak and Guria. Told through Umar Farooqui’s evocative Urdu poetry, the novel offers a subtle yet powerful exploration of resilience, friendship, and shared humanity, revealing how unity and compassion endure even in the darkest chapters of democracy.