Sailor Twenty One

About The Book-Anita and Tanveer Bhatia are on a Dubai–Singapore cruise Anita as staff captain andTanveer as a passenger. This cruise holiday is an attempt to heal their relationship strained byTanveer's recent incarceration in a foreign prison and Anita's affair with a colleague.Imagine Anita's surprise when her lover Sudarshan Panchal joins the Asian Queen as thirdofficer. Second officer is Rahim Khan a Pakistani acquaintance of the Bhatias. But Rahim's sexygirlfriend Benazir is more than just an acrobat entertainer. She blackmails Anita into allowing herluggage on board without the mandatory checks and even tries to seduce Tanveer. As the AsianQueen leaves Dubai Captain Bilimoria has a heart attack. Anita has to take charge. At Muscat sheevacuates Bilimoria and boards Pakistani movie star Javed Khan. Movie-buff Sudarshan helpsBenazir get the actor’s autograph. Meanwhile Captain Devgun replaces Bilimoria; Anita issurprised—the company hasn’t informed her.In Mumbai Anita gets more troubling news from RAW agent Anand Sanyal. He claimsBilimoria didn’t have a heart attack he was drugged. The ISI haven’t forgotten Uri and Balakot. Theiragents are on the Asian Queen. Who are they and what’s their game?Can RAW checkmate the ISI? Is Rahim a friend or an enemy? Will Anita and Tanveer'smarriage survive this cruise? What is the secret of ‘Sailor Twenty-one’?Bestselling authors A.K.Srikumar and Rupa Srikumar take you on an exhilarating voyagethrough the mesmerising green waters of the Arabian Sea.About The AuthorRupa Srikumar is a Hindi and English poet translator and novelist. She has also written for radio and thestage. Rupa’s first Hindi novel Qila Kothi published by Fingerprint (2023) is a bestseller. Her second Hindinovel is under publication (Fingerprint). Rupa has also translated into English Guru Dutt’s Hindi critiqueon the Ishavasyopanishad.A.K. Srikumar is an English language novelist poet translator playwright and screenwriter. Srikumaralso writes fiction for children. Most of his nine children’s books won prizes in the Children’s BookTrust’s annual competition. Operation Polo (1997) was adjudged the ‘Best Children’s Book of the Year’.Many of his stories has been published in Children’s World magazine. Srikumar’s novels The WonderfulWorld of Nilayam Swamy (1981) and Conversations with a Motor-cycle (1984) were published byWriters’ Workshop Kolkata. His historical novel The Begum’s Secret (Penguin 2010) was long-listed forthe Vodafone-Crossword Literary Prize. Srikumar’s English translation of T.V. Varkey’s Malayalam classicMaanju Pokunna Thalamurakal (The Vanishing Generations) was published in September 2017 (AmazonWestland) and shortlisted for several awards. His novel The Eighth Bullet is under publication.Rupa and Srikumar together translated Yasmin Khalid Rafi’s Mohammad Rafi: My Abba – A Memoir(Westland) from Hindi to English (2012). Their English translation of Mahatma Ramratna Thapaliyal’soriginal Hindi spiritual treatise Vishwadarshan (1932) was published by Fingerprint (2021).Rupa and Srikumar jointly authored the novel Mahaveer on the 1962 India-China war (Rupapublications 2019) followed by the novel Mercy set in the COVID-19 Pandemic (Book Street 2022).Sailor Twenty-One is their third co-authored novel.Rupa and Srikumar live in Mumbai. Their son S. Shankar is a filmmaker and screenwriter. His debut film‘Alpha Beta Gamma’ (Hindi) premiered at IFFI Goa 2021 and featured at Amerta (2022) Berlinale 2022and March du Cannes (2023); daughter Rohini is a Hindustani vocalist playback singer and socialscientist.