Many people want to know how Shamik Dasgupta had planned the parallel series of Dhruv.
This War Master Dhruv an idea of Mr. Dasgupta but it was not
developed as a series. On the request of Aman Kumar, I sharing the story
of the first three issues of this planned series.
Before I share this story, I want to make it clear that I DID NOT write this story. Shamik Dasgupta wrote this story.
Young Dhurv was born and brought up in Empire Circus. His parents
were the legendary trapeze artists whose skills became a myth. When
Dhruv was eight years old he started performing with his parents, and
with time became even better than them. Dhruv’s father Jagdish was a gem
of a man with his entire soul dedicated to the Circus, the owner Mr.
Arora had a lot of affection and confidence on the family and they
became the star attraction of the circus. But time went by Circus as an
industry suffered serious set back as the new generation are no more
interested in the antics and shifted their interests in other modes of
entertainment. The show of live animals was restricted by the government
and the responsibility of keeping the show on fell heavily on Jagdish
and his family. Jagdish was getting old and too much strain started
taking a toll on him. One day an exhausted and stressed Jagdish made a
mistake while swinging on the ropes and plunged to the ground. Dhruv
tried to save his father but he was too young and his strength was not
enough. Jagdish became paralyzed after that incident.
The Circus was already suffering from heavy losses, and Mr. Arora was
being unable to keep it alive anymore. Moreover he could not put
Jagdish on a pension payroll for the rest of his life since he became
useless. The Circus was dissolved and Dhruv and his family found
themselves in a distressful situation. There was no money no shelter,
nowhere to go. Dhruv’s mother had to start all over as a maid servant to
support and keep her family alive.
A few years later Dhruv finally got a job in a supermarket in a mall
somewhere in Rajnagar. Since he did not receive any education as he
never had the chance to go to school this was the best career option he
had. But Dhruv started educating himself. He spent hours in the book
section of the mall reading every single book of all the sections on the
other hand handling the customers. Among all the books he found
instruction manuals of martial arts and physical and mental wellbeing
the most useful and interesting. Unknown to anyone he stated practicing
in whatever free time he managed for himself.
One day a bunch of Robbers attacked the supermarket with intention of
looting it. Dhruv with his superb training in acrobatics and martial
arts fought against the robbers and defeated them. Police came and
arrested the robbers and Dhruv became an instant hero among the
employees and the officials of the store. Unknown to everyone a man had
been observing Dhruv and the way he moved and fought against the
robbers. This man is Colonel Robert D’souza a legendary military
personnel who is involved in a secret government project. After seeing
Dhruv he immediately decided to recruit him.
Robert visited Dhruv’s house which is a meager place in a chawl, and
after seeing the condition of his ailing paralyzed father and overworked
mother he gave Dhruv an offer to serve his country. He saw what an
excellent physical specimen Dhruv is, by the way he fought and he wants
to draft him in the army. His yearly salary will be Rs. Twenty five
Lakh. Dhruv cannot believe his good fortune, not only he finds a proper
job but he is being able to serve the nation and then again such a huge
salary for his services and he is just twenty years old. His family
becomes very happy and as Dhruv leaves for the training his mother gives
him a star shaped locket with the pictures of his parents inside.
Dhruv begins his training, under the tutelage of the finest
professionals in the commando force. He is taught six different forms of
Martial arts including, Taikwando, Hapkido, Jeet kun Do, Kallari Payat,
Burmese Boxing, and Krav Maga, Dhruv with his acrobatic skills and past
training mastered in all of them. He is trained to use all sorts of
weapons and survival tactics. But Dhruv is tormented because he is not
allowed to go on a leave to meet his parents. A year passes by with his
training and then he is initiated to the final phase of the program. He
is taken to a secret facility with his eyes blindfolded and led into a
laboratory under strict surveillance. Dhruv is distressed and fights
back and then Colonel Robert arrives.
He tells Dhruv to calm down so he can explain why he is there. He
tells him in the recent years the Government of India is neck deep in
trouble dealing with the various Terrorist organizations and cells
operating within the country. The Army most of the time fails to deal
with such nuisances and there are many parameters, protocol and decorum
that bind the hands of the armed forces in India to aggressively wipe
out the terrorist organizations operating all across the nation. They
have tried and failed several times. Now it is time to unleash a force
that can match the ferocity and tactics of the terror cells.
‘North Star’ is a covert operative paramilitary cell, a black ops
sanction the Indian govt. has employed to sweep out the terrorist
organizations in and outside India who poses a threat to the country.
They search and hunt out terrorists and kills them, with extreme
prejudice; no arrests, no trials no judiciary ruckus. Colonel Robert is
the head of this military cells and he personally has selected Dhruv to
join the ranks. But before he joins the rest of the team he must go
through a series of tests which are routine and harmless. Dhruv trusts
the Colonel and the tests begin.
Unfortunately the tests were not routine neither harmless. The
scientists start injecting serums in Dhruv’s body which genetically
enhances him, making him stronger, faster and more aggressive anf
finally they brain wipe him. Dhurv remembers nothing of his past life.
As a puppet of the Colonel, Dhruv joins the rest of the North Star
team. We find Chandika, Bona Vaman (who is a short stout midget, but
extremely dangerous warrior and engineer, he makes weird toys to kill
his enemies in his spare time, the North Star benefits from his
inventions hence he is a valuable asset. But Bona Vaman lives with an
inferiority complex due to his ugly features, and hates Dhruv for being
good looking), Natasha (The daughter of Colonel Robert), Mahamanav a man
with a super powered brain who has telepathic abilities and
telekinesis. The other members of the North Star team are also
physically enhanced human beings and they are called ‘The War Masters’
Dhruv is given the new Title, ‘War Master Dhruv’. The North Star is not
answerable to any govt. or military officials and they act
independently, the only person they are answerable to is the President
him/her self.
Hence these new age super commandos are engaged into extensive
sweeping operations, but Dhruv one day finds out there is too much
collateral damage engaged with this work as he accidentally killed a
little girl while raiding a terrorist cell in Ladakh. Before this
incident Dhruv was just a machine only obeying commands of the Colonel,
because he had been brain wiped, but this incident brings back his
emotions. One day he takes off the locket on his neck and opens it. He
can see the photo of his parents. He cannot recognize them but this
pictures brings forth a plethora of emotions. He cannot remember and the
frustration is almost driving him mad added to the guilt of the death
of the little girl.
He tries to run away from North Star, but that is simply not allowed
Colonel Robo wants him back because he is a very valuable soldier in
this war, and moreover his monumental ego will not let him pardon any
soldier who is AWOL.
Dhruv runs away one day and he is attacked by his own team mates
before he escapes on a running train he is shot. However he loses
consciousness after that, and later finds himself drenched in rain,
sitting in a railway Platform somewhere near Benaras. His pulls out the
bullet with his own hand and slowly it starts healing.
The next part of the story starts from the railway station where the
station master will find him sitting there...he looks lost, and
helpless. The station master asks where does he want to go, and what’s
his name Dhruv answers he cannot remember anything his mind is fogged.
The sympathetic station master gives him tea to drink, by that time a
train comes and Dhruv gets on it. As the train starts leaving he can
here someone shouting 'stop' 'stop'.
He sees a girl running towards the train with a lot of luggage...she
is about to fall when he pulls her inside the compartment. So this girl
tells him her name is Tanaya and she has run off from her family and
travelling to Haryana where her boyfriend is waiting for her, she is a
Hindu Brahmin girl, and he is Sikh, so her family is not allowing her to
get married to the guy.
On the other hand we can see a military vehicle approaching the
station. Natasha, chandika, Bona Vaman and a few other agents of North
Star gets down and starts questioning the timid station master about
Dhruv. He says he saw the guy but he caught the train to Haryana and
after that he doesn't know anything. Since he has seen Dhruva's face
Colonel Robo immediately orders via satellite com link to kill the poor
man. Natasha does not want to kill the guy but Bona Vaman who is a
midget freak and extremely evil and jealous of Dhruva kills the man
happily.
After that we can see some incidents in the train, this girl Tanaya
buys Dhruv his ticket since he has got no money and tells him he can
come with her to Haryana to her boyfriend’s estate, they are very nice
people and they will give him a job in the farm. Dhruv has nowhere to go
and his mind is too confused and hence he agrees.
So they arrive in Haryana, Manjeet, Tanaya's boyfriend and his whole
family welcomes her and is sympathetic towards Dhruv. Manjeet has got a
big family and a farm he gets a job there and Manjeet's family finds out
that he is a very hard worker, he is strong like an ox, and do the
chores of five men alone. Though Dhruv is a loner they welcome him as
one of their family members with love and affection, Dhruv who never had
a family finds out how valuable such a possession is. But in the night
he cannot sleep, whenever he tries to sleep he is haunted by the dreams
of his misdeeds in Ladakh, the residues of the memories sticks to him
like a leech, he has forgotten but in the subconscious mind those
memories haunt him, torment him. Tanaya finds out his miserable state is
symathetic towards him, he seems to be lost, and his hidden guilt is
eating him alive and slowly a bond forms between them.
The day comes with a week after their arrival to Haryana when Tanaya
is about to be engaged, and there is a great family party thrown for the
soon to be wed couple Manjeet and Tanaya. And then in that fateful
night the war masters attack the farm and the family in search of
dhruva. The family of Manjeet are surprised by the sudden attack of
these mysterious assailants but they also starts fighting because they
are Jaats of Haryana, a fierce and warrior race. But they are no match
for the high tech physically advanced War masters and they fall like
chaff to scythe. Manjeet is killed before Tanaya’s eyes. Dhruva cannot
understand who these people are, but he is surrounded and he fights back
trying to save Tanaya’s life. Slowly he starts remembering who he is
and what he has become.
This series did not see the light of day and considering current scenario, it would not be published.
