Raw Secret Agents Thrilling Stories Of Intelligence Operations By Indian Spies

The emotional stories of the secert agents compiled in this book unveil the tragic fact that the agents mentioned therein were rewarded with hellish lives in their sunset years after they returned having ruined their youth in jails for years at length. For their livelihood, some of them had to pull rickshaws while some others had to work as labourers. Some of them were so traumatised that they lost their mental balance. But, as has been explained earlier, this is what the rule of this game is and that probably may not change in the years to come. The life of a spy is not like that of James Bond. They are just ordinary people performing extraordinary tasks. They are never required to disclose to anybody that they are secret agents, as they are not permitted to do that.

The Research and Analysis Wing, India's shadowy external intelligence agency, is one of the country's least understood institutions?at least in part by design. Perhaps fittingly for a spy agency, there is very little information about R&AW in the public domain. What is this organisation, its structure, its role and vision? Why was it set up? Who are the people that run it?Set up in 1968, as a reaction to India's massive intelligence failure during the war with China, R&AW played a crucial role in the formation of Bangladesh. It has since carried out highly successful covert operations in Fiji, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, and has countered and foiled Pakistani spy agency ISI's machinations in the subcontinent. R&AW has operations in other parts of the globe too; it played an important role during the Iran?Iraq war, for instance.No country can increase its global reach without intelligence support. That India has made enormous strides in its stature and influence is testimony to R&AW's success. Yet, public accounts of its work exist only in highly romanticised fictional stories. Investigative journalist Yatish Yadav follows the lives of real agents and maps their actions in real situations. His conversations with Indian spies provide insight into how covert operations actually work. RAW: A History of India's Covert Operations is the first comprehensive account of Indian spy networks and their intelligence gathering, and their role in securing and advancing Indian interests.Read more

On operations of the Research and Analysis Wing.

Arya is a young RAW recruit, pumped up about his first assignment as reinforcement to a veteran spymaster – Virat and his team. In a mind-boggling turn of events, Arya finds himself being interrogated by the very terrorist he is after – Mir. Barely has he escaped that he learns an excruciating fact about Virat and team. They have killed undercover agents of the CIA while hunting Mir. Hunted by the ruthless CIA, he can survive only using his wit and courage. On the run, declared rogue, he fights lone battles with enemy intelligence agencies. He creates a vivid deception, not only to throw CIA off the track, but also to get the actual traitor out in the open. He eventually gets his man, but then realizes that a much more devious plan is at work, with the real mastermind attempting to blacklist RAW as revenge for their role during Bangladesh liberation war of 1971. Arya evolves into the perfect weapon, but will he be in time to save RAW and his country’s repute? Or turn out to be a pawn in the game of master spies and espionage?

Pointing to the horizon where the sea and sky are joined, he says, 'It is only an illusion because they can't really meet, but isn't it beautiful, this union which isn't really there.' -- SAADAT HASAN MANTO Sometime in 2016, a series of dialogues took place which set out to find a meeting ground, even if only an illusion, between A.S. Dulat and Asad Durrani. One was a former chief of RAW, India's external intelligence agency, the other of ISI, its Pakistani counterpart. As they could not meet in their home countries, the conversations, guided by journalist Aditya Sinha, took place in cities like Istanbul, Bangkok and Kathmandu.On the table were subjects that have long haunted South Asia, flashpoints that take lives regularly. It was in all ways a deep dive into the politics of the subcontinent, as seen through the eyes of two spymasters. Among the subjects: Kashmir, and a missed opportunity for peace; Hafiz Saeed and 26/11; Kulbhushan Jadhav; surgical strikes; the deal for Osama bin Laden; how the US and Russia feature in the India-Pakistan relationship; and how terror undermines the two countries' attempts at talks.When the project was first mooted, General Durrani laughed and said nobody would believe it even if it was written as fiction. At a time of fraught relations, this unlikely dialogue between two former spy chiefs from opposite sides--a project that is the first of its kind--may well provide some answers.

Packed with dastardly details, this collection shares thrilling tales of spies from the ancient world of Sun Tzu to the latest cyber threats. From James Bond to Mata Hari, in scores of books and movies, and on the front pages of newspapers, spies have always captured our imagination. But what’s the truth behind the fiction? The Secrets of Spies sheds light on the mysterious life of the spy, explaining the real-life origins of spying, examining some of history’s most notorious spies and spycatchers, and revealing the role espionage plays today in business, politics, and everyday life. Filled with lavish illustrations and hundreds of full-color photographs, this book provides hours of fun and entertainment for any reader. Narrated in an engaging, compelling style, The Secrets of Spies is a thrilling, in-depth global investigation of the hidden history of espionage. From ninja assassins to computer hackers, the book uncovers the tools, tricks, and techniques that make up the daring art of the spy.

The name is Bond – JAMES BOND. I am sure you’ve seen at least one, if not more of the 26 films made on fictional British spy 007. You may’ve also seen TV shows like The Americans, Blindspot, Chuck, Covert Affairs, Homeland, Nikita, Quantico, The Blacklist, and/or The Night Manager. I wrote this book after I realised that the average person may not know even one-sixth of what I know about spies and spying. Almost each of the Top 50 nations (by GDP, population or military power) has a spy agency/service. Many countries have more than one ‘secret service’ or ‘intelligence agency’. USA has 16. Some countries’ spy agencies are more powerful than entire smaller nations, with annual budgets larger than their GDPs. This books attempts to tell the story of 20 of the world’s largest and most powerful spy agencies, details their important missions, reveals their darkest secrets, and gives you an inside perspective of the often quite gory but thrilling ‘world of spies’. It gives you a 360º view of those spy agencies you only read about or see in a movie or TV show. With one chapter per agency, you can read only chapters you may be interested in. The life of most spies is not as glamorous as it is made out to be. You may think it is all about high-tech and guns and car chases and ‘hot’ women, but that’s not the case. In the real spy world, the techniques boil down to the interpretation of basic human psychology. Even though a spy learns several action techniques on how to get out of a dangerous situation, including how to withstand torture, if he/she is resorting to car chases, it means they’re doing something wrong. Spies don’t get paid very well. Gambling at a casino or flying on a private jet may be part of the job, but a spy doesn’t get to spend this kind of money on personal expenses. Spies cannot disclose the nature of their work to their family and friends, to maintain secrecy. Many have to live away from home for weeks, months, even years. Married life is a mess, as the spouse starts suspecting the spy of having an affair. Who can become a spy? Do you need a law enforcement (police) or military background? Not really. Spies have degrees as diverse as law, political science, finance, economics – even professional athletes have become successful spies.