Blood We Did Not Spill, a historical political novel, begins in June 1997 when a young Indian Police Services officer stops at a small town to visit a retired police officer—delusional and very sick—on behalf of her boss. She sees him briefly, speaks with the family and then leaves. Fifteen days later she returns to the same town to take charge of a prison-in-flux on a temporary basis. She is the first woman in the history of the police force to be given this posting, only for five days while the officer-in-charge is on vacation. The prisoners of K—Jail are being moved to a newer facility and whilst most of them have been transferred, the young officer must oversee the relocation of one small group—dacoits—serving life terms. During the transfer she uncovers a discrepancy amongst these prisoners; an extra man is found. This discovery is further compounded by the fact that none of the prisoners will answer her questions honestly or directly. At the time it becomes difficult for her to find out the true identity of the men through official means. Pertinent files from the records room are missing. Instead, she finds a manila envelope containing illegible papers with blood splatter on them and letters—official and love letters—dating from 1977 onwards till 1996. The country has shut down for an extended religious holiday so she cannot get duplicate records that are kept at headquarters. What she learns from these men helps her put together some of the pieces of the puzzle that involve the retired police officer she visited, now deceased, and his twin daughters. Other events that play a part, especially those that happened during The Emergency of 1975-1997, a period that is considered one of the most controversial of Independent India’s history, come to light. With limited time on her, and pressure building, her investigation leads her to events historically rooted in the mistakes made by another pioneering woman—Indira Gandhi, India’s first female Prime Minister—and her allies. How the police officer conducts her investigation and what she chooses to do with the results of the discrepancy irrevocably changes the lives of all the people involved. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of English in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester 2017. / April 27, 2017. / Feminism, History, Mystery, Novel, Politics, Transnational / Includes bibliographical references. / Diane Roberts, Professor Directing Dissertation; Charles Upchurch, University Representative; Bob Shacochis, Committee Member; Robert Olen Butler, Committee Member; Jennine Capó Crucet, Committee Member; Jerrilyn McGregory, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_552335 |
| Contributors | Rai, Misha Rai (authoraut), Roberts, Diane, 1959- (professor directing dissertation), Upchurch, Charles, 1969- (university representative), Shacochis, Bob (committee member), Butler, Robert Olen (committee member), Crucet, Jennine Capó (committee member), McGregory, Jerrilyn (committee member), Florida State University (degree granting institution), College of Arts and Sciences (degree granting college), Department of English (degree granting departmentdgg) |
| Publisher | Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text, doctoral thesis |
| Format | 1 online resource (114 pages), computer, application/pdf |
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