Dipak Basu

A Flight of Green Parrots: the Absorbing Saga of One of Mankind's Great Tragedies Dipak Basu

Bound to a naval officer in a loveless marriage, Pauline Wainwright comes to India against her will and finds herself thrust into the turmoil that surrounds a remote English outpost threatened by the Bengal Army. In her adopted land, during forays into the idyllic countryside, between encounters with wild animals, amid chaos of war preparations, Pauline strangely finds peace. She makes several friends and wins the admiration and love of two strong men. As their military situation deteriorates, the three draw strength from one another and throw themselves into a mad scramble to avert a terrible catastrophe. Heroic efforts to defend the garrison and acts of incredible bravery are counterpointed by squabbles, spineless direction, and ultimate desertion by the fort's leadership. Misfortune after misfortune haunt the survivors. Still the fortress holds, inspired by memories of an England which they may never see again. The climax of A Flight of Green Parrots occurs in a suffocating dungeon where Pauline desperately attempts to save her men and a hundred others from a fate history only knows as the Black Hole of Calcutta.