Cattle trafficking is one of the burning issues, that produces many social and economic repercussions in the country. Suchitra Rao a first time author and a daring activist in the field has now chronicled the many facets of the evil called cattle trafficking through her gripping style of writing in a political crime fiction ‘The Highway Mafia’ which is published by Notion Press, Chennai.
The book was formally launched by Hon’ble Justice B. Rajendran, Former Judge Madras High Court, at a grand launch event on 11th July 2018 at Hotel Ambassador Pallava, Chennai. The key note address was delivered by Ms.Jayanthi IAS (Retd.), Former Member, State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) and the special address were by Mr. Sugal Chand Jain, Chairman Emeritus, Sugal Group, Mr. Mark Van de Vreken, Consul General of Belgium in Chennai, Mr. R.Parthiban, Actor, Director and Writer and Mr. Jatin Sethi, Founder and Director, NAAD Group, Mumbai.
Gist of the Book
The content of the book throws light on the very serious issue of ‘Cattle Trafficking’. According to a recent report by FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) of the United Nations, India is the third largest exporter of beef and exported 1.56 million tonnes of beef last year. This has made India a very prominent hub for ‘Cattle Traffickers’. This multibillion dollar worth organized crime is carefully planned and executed by the most deadly cattle mafia, who in the process commits vicious crimes to satiate the hunger pangs of this money minting trade. Such a gruesome crime goes unnoticed as the issue is often politicized without giving solid solution to the actual problem at hand. The book addresses ‘Cattle Trafficking’ as a political and macro economic crime. The total value of the cattle trade is estimated to yield over 5000 crore as income per annum for those involved in it. Most of the income generated in this cattle trade is not accounted for and circulates in the economy as ‘Black Money’.
Through this book, the author Suchitra Rao has aimed to highlight on the above mentioned issues by narrating an exciting political crime fiction story which revolves around its protagonist Arjun, who fights against cattle trafficking and abattoirs. He is a billionaire youngster, who leads an extravagant life and has a huge circle of friends, until destiny had other plans in place for him. He unexpectedly encounters an organized crime chain and has a clash with the chief of the most lethal mafia in the nation. The chief, Prabhu Thirumaran, is the overlord of cattle trafficking and has a lot of political clout. He has made his fortune from this despicable trade, and was the mastermind behind most of the gruesome crimes. He planned and carefully executed most of the crimes on behalf of greedy commercial operations.
The protagonist has a carefully planned strategy and he executes it in an orderly fashion with a keen eye for detail. This story also talks about the criticism faced by the youngster in his battle for justice and how the mafia vandalises his attempts of ruining their business. Arjun turns into an activist, who raises his voice to receive justice for cattle and his determined spirit helps him in this journey. Triumph or defeat, loss or gain he pays a heavy price for choosing to follow the right path.
About the Author
Suchitra S Rao was born in Chennai, but spent her early childhood and education in Madurai. She holds a Post graduate Diploma in Planning and Entrepreneurship from the Indian Institute of Planning Management Chennai. She has immense experience of over nine years from various industries such as Insurance, Banking and Freight Forwarding. Belonging to a family of Doctors & Medical professionals who had dedicated themselves to the community for generations, Suchitra is also zealous about community service. Right from her school days, she has actively been volunteering for various social causes. In her early twenties, she began advocating reforms mainly for environmental issues and rural development. One of the causes she has been deeply engrossed in is animal welfare, directly being involved in various risky operations including a midnight rescue at a slaughter house, and interception of trucks that were trafficking cattle illegally. She feels modern day activism, especially spearheaded by youngsters in India, often ends up being a battle with corrupt bureaucrats who are often backed by political clout. ‘The Highway Mafia’ is her attempt to transpire the combat of such activism in India in a more narrative format and reach out to a larger audience.
The book ‘The Highway Mafia’ is currently available on Amazon, Flipkart and other ecommerce sites. Grab a copy of the book at the earliest to know all about less discussed but an intriguing topic.
The book is available online on Amazon & Flipkart
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