RAAT Ka Reporter is set during the emergency imposed by Indian prime minister, Indira Gandhi, in 1975. Nirmal Verma has skillfully painted the horrific environment prevalent throughout the country without mentioning any particular political personality or movement.

The protagonist of the novel is Rishi, a journalist with close contacts with political activist Anoop Bhai, a dissident picked up by the agencies. An air of fear hovers over the people hit by the emergency. The press is under restraints and life has become a living hell. Even the foreign press is under strict vigilance and Rishi has a feeling that he is being followed. Dayal Sing, a former activist who has undergone the traumas of torture warns Rishi and offers his help while the owner of the magazine where Rishi works also advises him to move away from Delhi and lie low.

However, it would be wrong to asses the novel merely on its political merit. Raat ka Reporter also reminds us of the existentialist writers with a continual emphasis on feelings of loneliness and pathos. It reflects the psychological aspect of almost all the characters: their dark side, feelings of guilt, but also love.

The book’s English translation has been published under the title, Dark Dispatches.

Raat Ka Reporter (NOVEL) By Nirmal Verma Translated by Haider Jafry Syed Scheherzade, Karachi ISBN 978-769-568-058-5 148pp. Rs150