The Heart of Donna Rai

Author: Sumita Dutta Shoam
 
‘He hadn’t finished. “Repentance and second chances—that’s just an act to fool idealistic saps like you. Get it into your head—we DO NOT live in an ideal world. Those boys you saved today? They’ll be hungry again tomorrow. They’ll again be tempted. Weakness of character will lead them to search for the easiest route. Your trying to save them today did nothing more than postpone the inevitable. Spending a few nights in the lock-up will teach them a harder lesson they won’t easily forget.”’

It’s the summer of June 1975, and repercussions of government decisions are affecting every stratum of society. Bengal, a hotbed of Nationalists, has seen more than its share of bloodshed in the past, but the police have cracked down hard to maintain law and order. Now, a charismatic young police officer is on the hunt for the Nationalist named ‘Debu Rai’ who was seen with home-made guns.
Donna, a thirteen-year-old tomboy, is in a lot of trouble. She flounders through misconceptions and misadventures as she awakens to the reality of her world and tries to save her loved ones from the consequences of their actions. Only she and her family know that one of those guns is missing. Donna’s sharp sense for the ridiculous glitters as she races to find the gun and escape its catastrophic influence.
Will Donna and her family save young Debu Rai? Where is the gun that Debu lost? How much harm can it cause? What about the real Nationalist in the family? And, why is Donna mad at her parents?