Chapter 31
Life as a double agent was taxing. He would live out his days as usual, attending public meetings, managing Jammu remotely, planning for the Health Ministry that he was going to lead when they came to power.
The latter took up most of his energy, and he doubled down, pushing even more into laying the groundwork for the health infrastructure of the state.
Currently, Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh were among some of the most downtrodden when it came to health emergencies and responsiveness.
Just opening up clinics with one doctor-two nurse combinations and small diagnostic centres across the districts would bounce the state up in numbers on mortality.
Adding connectivity via air ambulance, particularly for remote, landlocked pockets of Ladakh would bolster the rates.
And yet it was not enough.
His time still had big, gaping holes. His militia, which had once occupied the majority of his nights, was now gone. He had gotten an update that Faris was directly reporting to Atharva for now. Faris had stopped responding to him after that last update on Adil. And that had been it.
These big, gaping holes at night were dark.
And making his double agent life even more difficult to bear.
Because now he had so much more time to think.
To answer calls. To pass on nonessential information from KDP to Awaami and try to find as much as he could from them.
Up until now, he had been unsuccessful in figuring out Sayyid Butt’s game. What was he going to do to Atharva?
They were already down to their last rally in Srinagar. Voting day was coming closer. And yet, Sayyid Butt had done nothing. If half of Kashmir already voted, how would his eliminating Atharva or discrediting him work?
But then Samar realised, that Atharva’s popularity in Kashmir was not going to translate into a big vote share for him anyway.
Even though KDP was projecting him as a Kashmiri leader, and even though he was popular, it was a foregone conclusion that religion would play a part in it and push him down because he was a Pundit.
People liked him, but they would still vote for a Muslim.
That is why Qureshi was their vote-magnet in Kashmir, that is why they had so many Muslim alliance partners in the valley, that is why Atharva had fielded strategic dummy candidates across constituencies so that even if they got fewer votes because of his Pundit background, Awaami would get even fewer, and change the margin of victory for them.
That is why Atharva had a safe seat from Jammu. Akhnoor was going to be his.
Which meant, Sayyid Butt’s game would go through Jammu. But what? And when?
Samar kept trying to find out.
“Lal Chowk,” he informed Sayyid Butt. “The permission is only for the road show to pass Lal Chowk but Atharva plans to slow down and speak.”
“You call this intel?”
“Atharva can stop riots by speaking.”
Butt’s side of the phone went silent.
“As I said,” Samar intoned. “Lal Chowk has been the symbol of dissent in Kashmir. It still does not hoist the Indian flag. A man like Atharva can turn tides in such an area. Not just for that area but for the rest of the valley and the country where it will be telecast live.”
“I thought you are also an India-loyalist, Samar sahab.”
“Make no mistake about that,” Samar asserted.
“Even after your SFF stripped you of everything?”
“Hmm.”
“Thank you for this…”
“I need Atharva out of the way,” Samar cut him off. “Sooner rather than later. It is becoming difficult to work under his suspicion. If he doesn’t oust it to the working committee, they will figure it out soon with the way he has been behaving around me.”
“Patience, Samar sahab, patience.”
“Voting is three days away.”
“So?”
Samar’s eyes opened wide. Butt was not going to discredit Atharva. That would give Atharva a chance to rebut. He was going to… stop him… or… end him.
“What are you planning?”
“You’ll know it sooner rather than later.”
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“Scale up Atharva’s security.” Samar proposed at their founders’ meeting the morning of their last roadshow in Srinagar.
“His security is anyway tight,” Qureshi pointed.
“Yes, but we are talking a road show through Lal Chowk.” Samar looked at Atharva.
“They won’t get too far by targeting me,” Atharva clipped. “Kill me and three days later my party sweeps every vote. It’s still a KDP CM,” he pointed his chin at the two of them. Samar swallowed.
“But Samar is also right,” Qureshi tapped his pen. “No harm in being vigilant. We are at the tail end of the campaign. Let’s not tempt fate.”
Atharva shrugged.
Qureshi stood to his feet. “Today’s roadshow might be taxing for Adil, but will he be able to come for the final rally tomorrow?”
“He is getting discharged tomorrow. Let him rest,” Atharva droned.
“This accident came out of nowhere. Is he good to campaign for Jammu?”
“Yes.” “Hmm.”
Qureshi glanced from Atharva to him, his eyes telling them that he knew something big was amiss. But Qureshi was not a man to obsess over the small things. He played the big game, the long game. He sacrificed small battles for the larger war. Samar couldn’t learn to do that.
“Formal security plus the militia,” Samar spelt out, staring at Atharva, effectively ending the topic.
“No.”
“Yes,” he fought.
“Why militia?” Qureshi frowned.
“Let’s be safe.”
“No,” Atharva asserted. “They are for our dirtiest work. They don’t come in public eye.”
“They won’t,” Samar debated. “I will make sure they…”
“No.” Atharva’s terse command made him snap his mouth shut. His body snapped too, reflex ingrained from old days. Atharva stood to his feet — “Extra security, fine. Nothing more. Let’s move.”
Without a second glance, Atharva opened the door and walked out of the conference room, the noises in the headquarters loud and cheery.
“What happened between you two?” Qureshi asked.
“Usual, nothing worth worrying about.”
“Adil and Atharva have fought, you and Atharva have never been like this.”
Samar produced a smile — “There’s a first time for everything.”
————————————————————
Just when Samar thought Atharva was returning to normal, he went crazy all over again. The reason?
Samar gnashed his teeth, looking at him escaping the crowd at Lal Chowk.
An entire roadshow, their final roadshow was culminating, Sufiyaan Sheikh had cut their path and made a scene, and Atharva was sneakily pulling away, having whispered something to Amaal.
Samar followed him with his eyes as he slipped out, went behind a shop, and came out wearing a helmet.
And then he disappeared. It was disguise in plain sight, in a crowd this big and charged. Anything could happen.
Samar stepped close to Amaal and bent his head to her ear. “Where did he go?”
“To find Iram.”
Fucking Iram. Always Iram.
“Why?”
Amaal glanced at him, smiling at the KDP members around as they celebrated right there in the middle of the street, dancing as Sufiyaan Sheikh’s road show passed. Her mouth rose to him and he turned and bent his ear.
“That’s what men do,” she said.
He scowled at her.
“That’s what men in love do,” she reiterated.
Samar pulled away, seeing her face angry but flushed in the grand gesture she thought Atharva had pulled by running after Iram.
Granted, it was natural for Iram to get scared of Sufiyaan after what he had done to her.
Samar did not expect anything else. But Atharva had a roadshow to finish!
“He will be back in a while!” Amaal yelled into his ear over the noise.
“Great.” He sniped.
“Why are you snapping at me?!”
“I…” he startled, turning his eyes down to her. “I am not snapping at you.”
“Try harder!”
“Don’t yell, I can hear you!”
“You are yelling now!”
He shut his eyes, unable to hold onto his temper. He didn’t want to aim his firing at Amaal.
Samar dipped his mouth to her ear. “I am not yelling at you,” he whispered.
A shove hit his back and his mouth touched the shell of her ear, his nose getting that whiff of lilies that he had been trying to avoid.
Her hair. Samar knew he had to pull back in a millisecond.
His nostrils flared, inhaling it all before pulling back — “Sorry.”
He widened his stance and held himself tighter, absorbing the shoves before they reached her. But Amaal turned away, her back rigid. And he realised what she must see when he turned his back on her, every single time.
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RESCUING HEAVEN TAKES FLIGHT IN SRINAGAR WITH ATHARVA SINGH KAUL IN THE FRONT ROW
HT Cafe
Nagma Siddique
Srinagar
On a day when Srinagar’s streets were still echoing with chants from his final election rally, Atharva Singh Kaul chose to step into a quieter, more intimate space.
The chief ministerial candidate of the KDP was present at the launch of Rescuing Heaven, the debut novel by Kashmir-based author Iram, at a packed bookstore in the heart of the city.
Kaul, often referred to by supporters as a messiah of change, admitted he is no longer an avid reader. “I don’t have that luxury anymore,” he said with a smile, before pointedly addressing the author, “With this book, who knows? I hope you can bring me back to reading.”
Iram, whose literary journey spans a library in Leh, years of blogging, and now a full-length novel, described Rescuing Heaven as “a tale of love, loss, and human emotion that is strong enough to conquer mountains,” set against Kashmir’s politically charged backdrop but free of ideology.
Kaul echoed the sentiment, clarifying that the book does not profess any political stand.
Yet it was not just the literature that drew attention.
From Iram’s stint at KDP’s communications department to persistent questions about their appearances together at a recent typhoid camp, whispers about their closeness hovered in the room.
Both declined to elaborate, maintaining public distance.