(continuation of Dr. Arindam Sen's story)
The rain began before dusk, a slow, silver mist over College Street.
Dr. Arindam Sen packed his notes into the leather satchel that had followed him through every lecture for years.
On top lay the proof copy of his upcoming book:
"Dynasties of Democracy: The Anatomy of Indian Power."
Its thesis was simple—and dangerous. It showed, with decades of data, how India's political ecosystem had evolved into hereditary franchises; how opposition and ruling blocs mirrored each other in funding, messaging, and patronage.
He knew both camps would hate it.
---
1. Messages in the Rain
He started the engine of his old sedan, wipers fighting the downpour.
His phone pinged.
Unknown numbers. Anonymous messages.
> "You think the system will let you publish that?"
"Some truths are better left buried, Professor."
He sighed. "Always the same cowardice," he muttered, tossing the phone onto the passenger seat.
Years of speaking against any entrenched order—left or right—had earned him a gallery of invisible enemies.
He'd been warned before. He'd never stopped before.
---
2. The Road Out of the City
The streets of north Calcutta glimmered like liquid glass. Rickshaws crawled past shuttered bookstores; neon reflected on puddles like molten ink.
As he drove toward the Howrah bridge, he rehearsed the evening interview he was supposed to give—about academic freedom and the cost of honesty.
Another message flashed.
> "Retract your chapter on the 1970s emergency and the campaign nexus, or you won't see the launch."
He laughed under his breath. "You're proving my thesis for me," he said aloud.
---
3. The Skid
The rain thickened into sheets. The headlights ahead blurred.
He slowed near the tram crossing, but a truck roared out from the side lane, its taillights smeared crimson through the storm.
For a second, the professor saw nothing but water and light.
He hit the brakes.
Tires screamed.
Metal met metal with a hollow, ringing certainty.