Set in Bangalore during the pandemic in 2021, Biman Nath’s The Whistleblower’s Wife features two unlikely women – one who had accused a scientist of sexual harassment and the accused man Dr Aditya Sen’s estranged wife, Madhuri. The duo, who come together following Sen’s uncharacteristic suicide attempt, find themselves at the intersection of bureaucracy, power politics, and scientific research, even as they attempt to process their personal feelings and failings.
The story begins with Aditya Sen, a virologist working on the Covid-19 vaccine, being in a coma. His wife Madhuri had left after a student accused him of sexual harassment. Officials at the university where Sen worked claim his personal life — separation from his wife and five-year-old son — had left him depressed, which, in turn, had forced him to take the drastic step. A confused Madhuri is shocked to find solidarity in the student, Swati, who had accused Aditya of harassment. Swati reveals her recent interactions with Sen and claims he hadn’t been at all depressed.
One of Sen’s colleagues tells Madhuri that, in research institutions, “What matters most is not your work, but your network.” And so, a book that begins as a whydunnit reveals the rot within scientific institutions that are supposed work for the benefit of the people but end up...
White House border czar Tom Homan fired back on Sunday's "State of the Union" after Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., accused U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ("ICE") of targeting parents at sch...