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theStack HAIR IS THE PROBLEM OF

cOMMOn IRAnIAn WOMEn
Me AgAinst the MuMbAi underworld The Wind in My Hair is the extraordinary memoir of
by Isaque bagwan; blue Salt an Iranian woman who overcame enormous adversity
to fight for what she believes in
On some days, you are no less than Sherlock Holmes. But on others,
you are just a regular policeman on bundobast duty. “Me Against the The book The Wind in My Hair is an extraordi-
Mumbai Underworld” is the story of Isaque Bagwan, nary memoir from an Iranian journalist in exile
three-time recipient of the President’s Police Medal about leaving her country, challenging tradition
for gallantry and a small-town boy who pursued his and sparking an online movement against com-
big-city dreams and ambitions as an upright police pulsory hijab. It all started with a photo on Masih
officer. Bagwan, who is credited with carrying out the Alinejad’s Facebook page: a woman standing
first encounter in the history of Mumbai Police, was proudly, face bare, hair blowing in the wind. Her
witness to several of the city’s defining moments — crime: removing her veil, or hijab, which is com-
the 1980s, when smuggling was at an all-time high, pulsory for women in Iran. This is the self-portrait
the blasts that tore through Bombay in the 1990s, the that sparked ‘My Stealthy Freedom,’ a social
gang wars that marked the city, and the devastating media campaign that went viral.
26/11 terror attack. His life, which has captured the Masih, however, is so much more than the
imagination of many writers and filmmakers, is presented in all its arresting face that sparked a campaign inspiring
gut-wrenching detail. women to find their voices. She’s also a world-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- class journalist whose personal story, told in her
unforgettably bold and
the unending gAMe spirited voice, is emotional
by Vikram Sood; Penguin Random House and inspiring. She grew
up in a traditional village
A former chief of India’s external intelligence agency, the Research where her mother, a tailor
and Analysis Wing, deconstructs the shadowy world of spies, from and respected figure in the
the Cold War era to the age of global jihad, from surveillance states community, was the excep-
to psy-war and cyberwarfare, from gathering information to turning tion to the rule in a culture
it into credible intelligence. Vikram Sood provides a where women reside in
panoramic view of the rarely understood profession their husbands’ shadows.
of spying to serve a country’s strategic and security As a teenager, Masih was
interests. As a country’s stature and reach grow, so do arrested for political activ-
its intelligence needs. This is especially true for one ism and was surprised to
like India that has ambitions of being a global player discover she was pregnant
even as it remains embattled in its own neighbour- while in police custody.
hood. The Unending Game tackles these questions When she was released, she
while providing a national and international perspec- married quickly and followed her young husband
tive on gathering external intelligence, its relevance to Tehran where she was later served divorce
in securing and advancing national interests, and papers to the shame and embarrassment of her
why intelligence is the first playground in the game of religiously conservative family.
nations. Masih spent nine years struggling to regain
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- custody of her beloved only son and was forced
into exile, leaving her homeland and her heritage.
eleventh hour Following Donald Trump’s notorious immigra-
by S Hussain Zaidi; Harper Collins tion ban, Masih found herself separated from her
child, who lives abroad, once again.
New Delhi, 2017. It is nine years since the 26/11 terror attacks in Thus, a large portion of the book focuses on
Mumbai and the wounds have still not healed. Especially not for Masih’s struggle against incredible odds, poverty,
Superintendent of Police Vikrant Singh, who ends up landing a slap political repression and personal crises. The book
on the High Commissioner of Pakistan’s face when exposes how vexing it is to disentangle the veil
he meets him at an event. Meanwhile, in Bhopal, from the context in which it is worn and thus to
five members of the Indian Mujahideen, arrested by wage a transnational fight either for its permis-
Vikrant, break out of the Central Jail. Vikrant, sus- sibility or its elimination. Now in exile, Alinejad,
pended for the diplomatic disaster, is unofficially a woman of exceptional courage, must face the
asked to assist the team tracking the escaped terror- tragedy of being territorially torn from a strug-
ists. In another part of the country, a retired tycoon, a gle that is uniquely Iranian and also crucially
heartbroken ex-soldier and a young woman deal- feminist. The Wind in My Hair is the extraordinary
ing with demons of her own embark on a journey of memoir of a woman who overcame enormous
self-discovery aboard a cruise liner from Mumbai to adversity to fight for what she believes in, and to
Lakshadweep. encourage others to do the same.

Tehelka / 31 august 2018 65 www.Tehelka.com