Red Jihad: Battle for South Asia is a political/military thriller by Sami Ahmad Khan. It was published by Rupa & Co. in June 2012. Red Jihad was hailed as one of the first novels to fictionalize the Maoist-Mujahideen nexus in the Indian Red Corridor[1] and for dramatizing the links between religious fundamentalism and political terrorism in India.
.jpg) First Indian edition cover | |
| Author | Sami Ahmad Khan |
|---|---|
| Series | Red Jihad #1 |
| Genre | Conspiracy fiction, Thriller |
| Publisher | Rupa & Co. India Pvt Ltd |
Publication date | June 2012 |
| Publication place | India |
| Pages | 280 |
| ISBN | 9788129119872 |
| Followed by | Aliens in Delhi |
Red Jihad was Khan's debut. After its publication, Businessworld magazine said Khan might have started a genre that will lead many youngsters to learn the English language the way an earlier generation learnt it through our own Robert Ludlums and Fredrick Forsyths.[2] Khan has also been labelled as the Indian equivalent of Tom Clancy by the Millennium Post.[3]
Plot
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In 2014, Pakistan becomes a democracy and seeks peace with India, but faces opposition. Yasser Basheer, a Pakistani Jihadist leader, travels to the Red Corridor and teams up with Agyaat, an Indian Naxalite commander. They plot to unleash India's experimental missile, Pralay, to attack Pakistan, leading to war between the two nations with other countries threatening to join the conflict.[4]
Awards and reception
editRed Jihad: Battle for South Asia garnered generally positive reception and the novel went into a reprint within months of its release. It was praised by Think Tank Policy Research Group for its "impartiality and sensitivity towards complex geo-political relations and ideologies" and "being able to crystal gaze into the future of Indo-Pak relations"[5] and for extrapolating from contemporary scenarios.
Literary Awards: Red Jihad won the "Muse India Young Writer (Runner-Up) Award" at the Hyderabad Literary Festival 2013[6] and "Excellence in Youth Fiction Writing" at Delhi World Book Fair 2013.
Sequel
editKhan is now working on his second book, a science-fiction sequel to Red Jihad, that is themed around time-travel and alternate history.[7] The working title of the sequel is Aliens in Delhi.
References
edit- ^ "What if Naxals and jihadis join hands? - Rediff.com India News". Rediff.com. 2012-10-25. Retrieved 2013-10-15.
- ^ "The Story Of A Rogue Missile". Businessworld.in. 2012-10-30. Retrieved 2013-10-15.
- ^ "Of war and peace | Millennium Post". Millenniumpost.in. 2013-03-23. Retrieved 2013-10-15.
- ^ "Red Jihad: Battle for South Asia | Rupa Publications". Retrieved 2024-06-18.
- ^ "Strategic Insight - Red Jihad in Fiction". Policy Research Group. 2012-07-14. Archived from the original on 2013-08-06. Retrieved 2013-10-15.
- ^ "Welcome to Muse India". Museindia.com. Retrieved 2013-10-15.
- ^ "In conversation with Sami Ahmad: Author of "Red Jihad" | Transition of Thoughts". Aseemrastogi2.wordpress.com. 2013-02-19. Retrieved 2013-10-15.