Books / The Sound of Water

In this dark and remorseless world, there are no winners or losers.There are only survivors...’ Loosely based on the disastrous flooding of the Bagdighi colliery (now in Jharkhand) in 2001, which trapped and killed dozens of miners, Sanjay Bahadur recreates the eventful hours of a disaster in this fast-paced and intriguing narrative that moves between the real and the surreal. Raimoti, an old miner, trapped hundreds of feet below the surface of the earth, struggles to save himself and his fellow miners. Meanwhile, the officials from the mining company and the government, more concerned about their careers, launch a ‘rescue operation’ of their own. And Madho, Raimoti’s brother, and his wife Dolly eagerly anticipate compensation. The Sound of Water is a searing fictional exposé of the conditions of mining in India. The story is as much an exposition of despairing minds as it is about the high voltage drama of a mining accident. But pitted against constant fear of death, mindnumbing work, greed and the establishment’s apathy is the power of spiritual strength and conviction that enables one to survive the odds.