Silicon, Scams, and a Spy Named Solly

The narrative explores a complex case under the Rajiv Gandhi administration

- ILA KUMAR

Ramjee Chandran's debut fiction contains a cracker of a story, infused with generous doses of wit, guile, and daring. The story is set in New Delhi when Rajiv Gandhi was the prime minister of India and when India came under the watchful lens of journalistic scrutiny.

First, we are taken to the nondescript town of Mettur in Tamil Nadu. We are privy to an in-house chemical factory there, run by RV. The factory has the technology and the ability to produce silicon metal. Silicon was crucial to the defence needs of the country. India at the time used silicon metal for making solar panels, while the world used it for electronics-grade applications. To put it into perspective, this is quite an extraordinary achievement for a newly set up Metkem. But there was a problem, of course.