The recent, stunning success of a covert operation to capture a foreign head of state has reignited a timeless debate: what is the true foundation of such daring feats? Military analysts point to technology and strategy, but a deeper truth lies in the ancient wisdom of Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar and the silent, shadowed lives of intelligence operatives. The real architects of such missions are the unseen, unsung spies whose work begins long before any commandos are deployed.
Ancient Wisdom: The Timeless Art of Espionage
Spying is not a modern invention. Its history is as old as conflict itself. Egyptian scouts once moved like ghosts through enemy camps, while the legendary Chinese strategist Sun Tzu, around 500 BCE, declared in his Art of War that all military success must begin with gathering secret intelligence. He emphasized the critical need to know the enemy's inner circle through espionage.
Nearly two millennia ago, the Tamil poet and philosopher Thiruvalluvar, in his classic ethical text Thirukkural, distilled this concept into a potent couplet. The text, comprising 1,330 short couplets divided into books on virtue, wealth, and love, offers profound insights into human conduct, including warfare. In Kural 585, he captures the essence of the perfect spy: "Of unsuspected disguise and all-unfearing eyes, who lets no secret out, are trusty spies." This ancient verse, written over 2000 years ago, highlights the timeless virtues of impeccable disguise, unwavering courage, and absolute secrecy.
Shadows of Sacrifice: The Untold Stories of Indian Spies
These are not just philosophical ideals. They are principles lived and died by real individuals whose names seldom grace history books. Their stories, sometimes echoed in films like Dhurandhar and Raazi, are grounded in raw, perilous reality.
Take Saraswathy Rajamani. At just sixteen, inspired by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's call, she joined the Indian National Army (INA) with five other girls. Disguised as boys, they infiltrated British households as servants, their invisibility their greatest weapon. They served tea and gathered priceless information, each carrying a gun and orders to use it on themselves if captured. When a friend was arrested, Saraswathy executed a breathtaking rescue, drugging a British officer and escaping under gunfire, bullets wounding her legs.
Not all tales end with escape. Kashmir Singh crossed into Pakistan on a mission and was captured. He spent 35 years in Pakistani prisons, 17 of those years shackled in a dark, solitary cell. Ravindra Kaushik, a deep-cover agent for India's Research & Analysis Wing (RAW), achieved the unimaginable: he enlisted in the Pakistani army and rose to the rank of Major, feeding intelligence back to India for years. His cover was eventually blown, leading to his capture, torture, and a death sentence in a foreign land.
Legends in the Dark: From Sehmat to Doval
Some stories have only recently come to light. The novel and film Raazi tell the story of Sehmat, a young Indian woman who, at her dying father's request, married into a Pakistani military family in 1971. As a spy, she relayed critical intelligence that is credited with saving the Indian aircraft carrier INS Vikrant from destruction. The personal cost was immense, requiring her to eliminate threats within the household, including a suspicious servant and her own brother-in-law. She returned to India, carrying her Pakistani husband's child, who would later serve in the Indian Army.
Other legends operate at the highest levels. Ajit Doval, India's current National Security Advisor, once undertook a perilous, clandestine journey into China to negotiate with the chief of the Mizoram Liberation Army, showcasing the diplomat-spy's role in national security.
These individuals, and countless others whose files remain classified, are the invisible warriors Thiruvalluvar honoured. We may never know their real names or see their faces. Their victories are silent, their failures buried, and their sacrifices often unmarked. Yet, as the ancient Kural and modern history both testify, the freedom we breathe in the light is secured by those who choose to operate, and sometimes suffocate, in the darkness.
