See-saw, hurry up and down (50)

That Antara's name could have been added to a New York law firm was not a vain assertion. It implied that that particular Indian name-surname pair was registered with several governments, including in India. It might also be connected to the House. 

In high school (Asansol AG Church), Antara was often allowed to keep the class attendance register with her, even take it home. It was a privilege allowed to her, not to any of her classmates, who were probably envious but didn't say anything. Therefore, the possibility that Antara was 'registered' was quite high.

There were obvious implications: a certain set of circumstances had made it necessary to 'register' Antara. Those who tortured her, harassed her, ridiculed her were therefore torturing, harassing, ridiculing a government-recognised entity. It was a constant provocation of the authorities, lasting a decade now. 

For example, it would be possible to approach the Agency or British intelligence and inquire why someone who was 'registered' was being treated in such a ghastly manner, at the insistence of those that were nothing but agents of the Czech Communist Party, even if they enjoyed tycoon status.

Nor could anyone argue that such practises were unknown to the Mumbai financial world, given so many of the Mumbai business sorts and their businesses were 'registered' with the United States Government, a fact that was regularly used to throw their weight around Washington DC.

So if Mumbai or Ahmedabad tycoons were 'registered', it allowed them to control the White House in DC. If Antara was 'registered', it was the reason for horrifying torture, without end. 

It had repercussions as well: in case some of Antara's relatives had also been under duress, the narrative of persecution would become more widespread, as if someone was systematically attacking a particular 'registered' group, following an agenda.

Mumbai tycoons would argue that they had decided to humiliate Antara after careful perusal of the Bureau's records. Had they learnt the narrative of the RMS Titanic before deciding to become tycoons, they would have known that the one entity that would never be allowed to hold those documents was the Bureau. 

If all of the above reminded the Mumbai tycoons of Britain, let it be known that Sound was not the same as the Smileys. Nor were the Smileys eligible for military decoration.

April 7, 2025.