Heart of Bullets

Nikhil Kushwaha tells a moving tale of love, friendship and betrayal amidst
the background of Indian Army. The story begins with Arpan (who is the first
person narrative). He is an Intelligence officer of the Indian Army, who has
come home for a holiday, discussing the recent encounter that he has had
with the terrorists along with his friend Sameer.
The initial introduction to Sameer, Arpan and their love Shradha creates a
sense of mystery among the readers. There is curiosity as Shradha loves
Sameer, but the feelings of Arpan for her also dont go unnoticed.
Arpan is called back to his post as there is a mounting tension at the Line of
Control. He along with Sameer is asked by General Puri, their senior officer,
to investigate a spy in their midst. Meanwhile, there is an attack on the army
hospital by the terrorists to rescue Shamshad, a terrorist who was captured
by Sameer and Arpan. After taking Dr. Kumar as a hostage in exchange for
Shamshad, there is a raging exchange of bullets between the army and the
terrorists. They manage to escape but Sameer disguises himself as one of
them and goes along with the terrorists.
This encounter injures Zafar, their colleague, who has taken a bullet in his
heart and is in a critical condition. Arpan also gets injured when a bullet hits
his leg, but they have successfully saved Dr. Kumar who, along with Arpan, is
recovering in the hospital. While in the hospital the discussion moves to
Sameer who is aloof, quiet and not very indulgent with anybody. Arpan then
narrates his childhood and growing up years with Sameer, throwing light on
different personalities of Sameer.
The school days, tales of friendship and love have been narrated well,
leaving a sense of nostalgia among the readers. The cunningness, hum, high
spirits of friendship and his battle with his past have been brought out well
by the writer. Moving from school to college, the love between Shraddha and
Sameer deepens. Along with this, the friendship of Arpan, who sticks with his
friend despite loving Shradha himself, is very heart touching. The bond of
friendship is presented very beautifully in the book.
The story comes to the central vertex, the point of betrayal that has caused
a rift between Sameer and Shradha, which has made Sameer what he is
today. Arpan continues his friendship with both his friends, and eventually
joins the army with Sameer. This incident has robbed Sameer of his old
spirits and he refuses to talk about Shradha, despite still loving her deeply.

The story then shifts back to the Army base, where Zafar loses his battle with
life. The soldiers are preparing for his funeral along with his wifes, who has
consumed poison after her husbands death. Sameer has now returned to the
camp and declares that he would avenge his colleguesdeath. Arpan and
Sameer, along with their troop, decide to get into the enemys base. During
this attack, Sameer gets struck by a bullet in his heart and is injured
critically. This leaves Arpan and Shradha shattered.
Here, the book gives the readers the essence of love, friendship and sacrifice
in a very touching manner. The poems in between, are brilliantly written and
bring out the feelings beautifully. The end is heart touching and something
unexpected. Over all, the story has been narrated well, but there are a few
typing and grammatical errors, which act as turn-off.