Forbundsby

Sanjay Dharwadker
Works of: Fiction
Publisher(s): Self-published on substack

Late one Friday summer evening, while some employees linger over a drink, the office of the Federation of Nations in Copenhagen is rocked by a body hurtling down the atrium, where minutes before a crowded international cultural event had just concluded. Vijay Kumar, a distinguished diplomat of Indian origin, dealing with global refugee matters over many decades, had just apparently committed suicide. However, in the coming weeks, while reviewing a shared word document, a hidden message is found, alluding to the death being a premeditated murder.

All of a sudden, several possibilities emerge, each with a strong motive. Recently, funds had been drastically cut-back by a group of powerful nations, and the Federation dismissed thousands of employees, some of whom openly accused Vijay Kumar of being selective. He was also embroiled in field office controversies, that had suddenly deprived refugees of life-changing opportunities like family reunification and resettlement, and was being publically denounced in the media.

Coincidentally, a number of such individuals were present at the international cultural event on the afternoon of his death. All hell breaks loose, as investigators are accused of a lack of transparency and multiple agencies attempt to step in, across the shadowy mix of international diplomacy, humanitarian action and even suspected espionage, while the victim’s family pleads for peace as the departed soul has been barely laid to rest.

As detectives and former colleagues come together and unravel the truth, the astonishing end only helps reaffirm how individuals are often, inexorably swept away by the overwhelming storms in the wake of a disintegrating world order.