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New Indian Express

Collateral damage

' 'So, Arjun, this is what an extramarital affair feels like! This is what your friends do. Happy now?' I asked my reflection in the mirror.' This is 47-year-old IPS officer Arjun talking aloud before spending a night with Madhushree, a singer who charmed him at a police event. Arjun knew he was breaking the trust of his perfect wife, Charu. However, the excitement of 'trying something else', the illicit thrills of a non-marital relationship, could not restrain him. It was the first time he was going to risk a break in his self-crafted image of honesty to explore his grey side. After two non-fiction bestsellers, Bihar Diaries and Life In The Uniform, IPS officer and author Amit Lodha has tried his hand at fiction. His new novel, Police Affairs: Beyond the Call of Duty (Penguin), explores the grey side of a law enforcement officer. Is it drawn from real life? 'Arjun is similar to me in a lot of ways. And not. When I started writing the book, I was the same age-47-as Arjun's. I have a beautiful family like him. Like Arjun, at one point in time, I also liked being appreciated by others. But I learnt not to be swayed. I also do not express my anger towards my subordinates,' says Lodha. The book starts with Arjun's copybook professional and personal life. The novel peels off his other side bit by bit. His extramarital affair, his being influenced by a godman and the conversations men have about the women in their lives to other men. 'The affair that I showed in the book was a bit inspired by the experiences that some of my friends or acquaintances went through. Their girlfriends were not killed, but one thing I noticed is that men in their 40s tend to go for casual flings. Besides, many bureaucrats seek the help of godmen—that's not uncommon nowadays. So, the incidents in the book obviously have flavours of real life,' he says. Madhushree's charm The relationship with Madhushree is at the core of the book. It was love or lust at first sight. 'It was almost as if Lata Mangeshkar was singing live,' is Arjun's response on first spotting Madhushree, a singer working at the Shubham Orchestra, at an official police programme. First glances lead to further developments; he asks the singer to send a song to him every day on WhatsApp, which in turn leads to other conversations. As Arjun was enjoying a staid professional and personal life, his decision to fall for Madhushree raises some questions. Was he a man who felt he was missing something? Lodha answers: 'We cannot say Arjun was missing something in his marriage. The decision to stray was based on an instinct. It's akin to the desire a man may feel for a beautiful heroine once she comes on screen.' A web of mystery On the same day, he brings Madhushree to a hotel, there is a tragedy. How does Arjun escape the personal and professional mess following this incident? How did rjun get out of his own mess? The book shows how an honest IPS officer uses his power to save himself. Lodha's police officer is a pragmatic person; he leaves no trails. 'If a common man has an affair, he has to face only his family and society. For an IPS officer, it is a two-way challenge. On the one hand, Arjun had to face his wife and his two children. On the other hand, he had to deal with official proceedings. And to come out on top of things, his ethics, principles, and morals take a backseat. When the going is good, he does all the right things. The moment he starts to slip, the line between a good cop and a bad cop becomes blurred,' says Lodha. Lodha is a voracious reader. His reading influences include Yuval Noah Harari, Harper Lee, Tom Clancy, and Frederick Forsyth. 'I enjoy reading a wide range of works. Although I do not copy anyone's style, I am inspired by Forsyth,' he says