About the Author

B R Bhanu

Journey to Storyteller

Delve into the narrative tapestry woven by B R Bhanu, an emergent storyteller who has transitioned from a career in commerce to the venerable craft of writing. Bhanu’s foray into literature is marked by a dedication to crafting narratives that captivate and resonate deeply with his audience. He possesses a unique talent for conjuring stories from the obscure recesses of history and the chilling voids of the human psyche.

Bhanu’s literary creations transport readers into atmospheres laden with suspense and shadow. His settings range from the ghostly silhouettes of ancient manors and the luminescent expanses of desolate heaths to the serpentine alleys of bygone eras where whispers of secrets abound, and perils lurk at every turn.

His narratives are a homage to timeless folklore, cryptic enigmas, and the limitless realms of his imagination, resulting in tales that are as exquisitely crafted as they are thrilling.

The characters crafted by Bhanu are memorable and complex, featuring detectives with a touch of old-world charm and villains whose sinister plans are as deep and dark as the ocean’s trenches. These characters leap off the page, ensnaring readers in a whirlwind of feelings, suspense, and intrigue.

But Bhanu’s identity extends beyond his written words. He is a voracious seeker of hidden stories, reviving forgotten sagas with renewed vigour and contemporary flair. To Bhanu, every shadow tells a story, every dilapidated structure whispers secrets, and he is the medium through which these silent voices find expression in our world.

Dedication

The book is dedicated to my dearest son and daughter who represent the best of me.

Copyright Information ©

B.R. Bhanu 2024

The right of B.R. Bhanu to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781035863631 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781035863648 (ePub e-book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published 2024

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd®

1 Canada Square

Canary Wharf

London

E14 5AA

Acknowledgement

I would like to thank my family for their endless support and encouragement.

Special mention and thanks to: Shakuntala Ratha Krishnan, Saji Raghavan, Sri Nair, P. T. Navendra and Asok Raghavan.

Historical Context

In the tapestry of history woven under the imposing shadow of the British Raj in India, a colourful yet underrepresented thread belongs to a remarkable group of sailors, known as the lascars.

This distinct cadre of maritime workers emerged prominently during the operational years of the British East India Company, playing a pivotal role in bridging the vast expanses of ocean between the British empire and its prized colonial possession, India.

Rooted deeply in the territories of British India, lascars were an amalgamation of diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds, primarily consisting of Indian sailors. Despite being considered British subjects, their professional lives were markedly overshadowed by glaring disparities.

Governed by the distinctly tailored Asiatic or Lascar articles, their contractual terms significantly deviated from those of their British counterparts. This bespoke set of regulations permitted a system that was conspicuous for its inequitable compensation structures and differential treatment methods.

Lascars found themselves grappling with diminished wages, scant dietary allocations, and cramped living conditions aboard the vessels they served.

The recruitment landscape for lascars were meticulously mapped around the British East India Company’s industrial bastions located across various Indian locales such as Bengal, Assam, and Gujarat.

Recruitment strategies were chiefly orchestrated by pivotal figures known as ghat sarhangs and their aides, the tindals. These individuals wielded substantial authority and responsibilities, acting as indispensable linchpins in the maritime operational machinery.

They functioned as crucial conduits of communication and coordination, linking the lascars with their white superiors and mitigating linguistic and cultural barriers.

The influence of ghat sarhangs and tindals was not merely confined to the spheres of recruitment and translation. Their roles were imbued with an expansive range of functionalities, extending into the realms of operational management and disciplinary administration aboard the ships.

They were instrumental in managing a plethora of shipboard activities, ensuring the smooth navigation of daily routines and exerting authoritative control reflective of the hierarchical paradigms prevalent in the maritime dominions of the era.

Upon arrival on Britannia’s harsh shores, lascars were often left adrift in a tempest of neglect and desolation. The labyrinthine streets became the theatre of their desolation, where the dance of survival unfolded in the freezing winds and amongst the shadows of indifference.

There, a tapestry of multiracial communities began to weave stories of struggle and existence amidst the harsh symphony of adversity. So, in the gloom of foreign skies and in the suffocating embrace of merciless seas, the saga of the lascars unfurled—a tale woven with threads of survival and struggle, love and loss, dreams haunted by the spectre of cruel fates, and hopes flickering in the relentless storms of destiny.

Endeavouring across vast oceans and turbulent seas, the lascars cast a formidable legacy that resonated across the corridors of maritime history up until the 1960s.

Their journeys, imbued with tales of courage, perseverance, and hardship, stand as a testament to the robust contributions made towards the maritime enterprises of the British empire, despite the shadows of inequity and hardship that loomed over their professional odysseys.

Prologue

In the tumultuous tides of 1856, an epic saga unfolded on the vast, thunderous seas and in the murky, cobbled streets of Britannia—a tale woven in the dark, merciless looms of the East India Company.

From the enigmatic shores of India, a wave of lascars, and tireless workers were summoned, pulled from the warm embrace of their native soil and thrust into the bone-chilling winds of an indifferent land and the scorching fires of steam-powered monsters.

Their sinewy bodies and weathered souls became the cogs and gears in the monstrous machinery of a maritime empire, as vast as the unfathomable oceans they traversed. The labour of the lascars—a symphony of sweat, blood, and unyielding perseverance—breathed life into the mighty British merchant fleet.

They were the unsung architects of a wealthy realm, their toils casting shadows on the empire’s gleaming towers of prosperity.

Among them stood Arun Varma. On the surface, he was a mere cook aboard the HMS Bengal. But delve deeper, and one would find the story of an educated junior clerk from a shipping firm in Chittagong, a man whose sharp intellect and fluency in English set him apart.

Dreams of pedagogy and poetry danced in Arun’s mind, a future illuminated with promise and aspiration. Yet, the cruel hands of fate had another design. A year prior, the sudden and devastating loss of his father, his beacon, had eclipsed Arun’s ambitions.

With his dreams now in shadow, responsibility weighed heavily on him. As the family’s fulcrum, the responsibility of providing for his grieving mother and three siblings fell squarely on his shoulders.

It was amidst this turmoil that Kabir Khan appeared. With sugary promises of prosperity, this agent and overseer whispered of opportunities too tempting for Arun’s desperate heart to resist.

But unbeknownst to Arun, behind those sweetened words lay chains of bonded labour and a destiny with the East India Company that would alter the course of his life irrevocably.

Arun’s memory vividly cradled the indelible first impressions of the day he encountered the HMS Bengal—monumental and foreboding in its stature. Anchored amidst the noisy orchestra of the docks, the ship loomed like a formidable beast, shrouded in an aura of ominous malevolence.

The chaotic symphony of the port’s hustle and bustle seemed to bow in subtle acquiescence to its imposing presence. Nudged by the relentless hands of destiny, Arun found himself on an irreversible journey as he scuttled up the ship’s plank.

Arun stood solemnly on the cluttered deck, amidst heaps of tangled ropes and weather-beaten wood. His tall frame navigated the limited space with a quiet grace, his deep-set eyes reflecting the intelligence within. A torrent of emotions surged through him, his stomach churning with anxiety.

The world around him seemed blurred, a whirlpool of hurried shadows and sounds as he was swiftly ushered into the mysterious belly of the vessel. It was here, amidst the dim labyrinth of its interior, that the ship unfurled its dark recesses to reveal what would be his new dwelling.

The air within was thick with the essence of exertion and sweat, bearing witness to the multitude of lascars already immersed the toil of their work. Blanketed by layers of heat and dust, they moved with a rhythm shaped by necessity, their bodies bending and swaying to the unending tunes of labour, oblivious to Arun’s hesitant arrival.

Amid this canvas, a commanding shout sliced through the air—Khan’s voice, authoritative and unyielding, directing Arun towards his inaugural threshold of duties in the realms of the ship’s kitchen.

He was greeted with little joy by the others who were busy toiling away in a crammed and stifling hot room where the air was thick with the smell of unwashed bodies, meat and fish entwined with the aromas coming from the pots and pans that were already being used to prepare the next meal.

As the ship set forth on its odyssey, parting from the warm embrace of his beloved homeland, Arun felt an intimate theatre of terror unfurling within his heart. Each creak and groan of the mighty vessel seemed to reverberate through the chambers of his soul, orchestrating a symphony of trepidation.

The arcs of the ship as it navigated through the embracing seas seemed to mirror the undulating waves of anxiety