Part memoir, part reportage, journalist Siddharthya Roy takes readers on a harrowing journey through the dark world of terrorism, extremism, and mafia in South Asia.
Not everyone is in pursuit of hard facts and reality. Truth, perhaps myth, perhaps fiction, appeals to a few. In The Company of Violent Men, Siddharthya Roy shares his personal experiences of the dangers and challenges that lie in wait for political journalists and the vulnerable communities that they cover.
An independent journalist covering political strife and insurgencies in South Asia, Roy quit a cushioned programming job in investment banking to become a ‘real journalist’ in 2011. For this, he went to study MA in politics and global affairs from Columbia University, USA, and graduated in 2018. He, then, bagged the Pulitzer Centre in Crisis Reporting Grant for his reporting of neo-jihadist groups in South Asia, investigating human trafficking and narco trade in the Rohingya camps. He has introduced India’s first data and computational journalism programme at the Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune. His stories can be read at thediplomat.com
Life-threatening encounters with dubious characters, cold-blooded mercenaries and religious fanatics, Roy bares his decade-long journey in these 270 pages. He talks about scammers, fixers, charlatans, misleading informants, and even a run-in with the police in Chhattisgarh and terrorists in Bangladesh.
From alias names to stepping into sleeper cells, Roy’s memoir spells out the deadly underworld. It moves through the murky waters of the Rohingya genocide. It addresses the lost cause of Maoists and Kashmiri militants. It also covers drugs, weapons, and warring lords. Mangled idealism with lack of civil rights, cases of rapes and mutilations, Roy has seen it all.
There are heart wrenching tales of torture of poor people in villages of Bangladesh, loss of childhood and innocence in the Rohingya refugee camps and the fight for survival in the mountains of Kashmir. Morals, ethics and law, all crumble under the hands of cruel and heartless leaders.
Death follows Roy, but he escaped its clutches by narrow margins. Distrustful tribals, cobra attacks and betrayal by sources, even cross-border threats and cold calls, Roy’s passion for journalism has been his bane and boon at the same time. Remaining grounded and sticking to the ethics of sound journalism, Roy’s narrative is peppered with pointers that would help many aspirants.
He points out the value of good networks and best practices such as insurance and security for journalists, supportive professional clubs, sound editors and all the due diligence that goes with high profile reportage. A political journalist’s work involves the same sensitivity and due diligence as a lawyer’s. All truth must be based on hard facts supported by indisputable and reliable evidence, more so in today’s world where deep fakes, AI and social media trivia rule. Sharing the final quotes with sources, keeping the source safe and the material authentic are some of the major key points. Above all, an alert mind, never throwing caution to the wind and trusting your instinct are important. Sometimes, a backup is good.
Roy also gives us an insight into the world of ‘brown journalists’, hired by foreign correspondents from first world countries to do the ground reporting but never getting credit for it, though cash does come through. His experiences make the reader realise that it isn’t easy to keep a sane head, stay objective and neutral, yet holding your ground is the only way to progress. Roy neither runs a blog nor does he believe in freebies, as he stresses that journalism is his bread and butter that pays his bills.
The book leaves a lot to ponder upon, such as the perils of herd mentality, blind faith without studying the pros and cons of any ideology, or non-acceptance of social changes. With all the ‘isms’ that make up the world–idealism, racism, narcissism, communalism, extremism, and more–the upper hand lies with capitalism, money makes the world go around. Do read the book to understand geopolitics from the man who’s been there, done that.
Book Details
Publisher: Ebury Press (an imprint of Penguin Random House)
Language: English
Hardcover: 272pages
Price: INR 599 (Kindle edition available)
This review is powered by Blogchatter Book Review Program
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This post is part of the Bookish League blog hop hosted by Bohemian Bibliophile
Queen of Treasures 
OMG, this memoir is totally different than other memoirs. Siddharthya Roy chased the deadly underworld and discovered so many crucial facts. I am imagining how many times did you have goosebumps while reading this book? It’s a thriller cum memoir I believe. You have written the review in such an interesting way that it surely intrigues the readers to pick the book.
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Yes. I am amazed how he went through those hair raising incidents of attacks and cross border threats
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Seriously, even thinking about this gives us goosebumps and chill.
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Sounds like an extremely risky profession. As Swarnali mentioned above, the review does read like a real-life thriller! Can only imagine how packed the book must be with such details.
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It’s scary and thrilling at the same time
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“The company of Violent men…” seems quite an absorbing and thought provoking read. I just wonder how he could squeeze a decade of dangerous living in just under 300 pages.
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Am sure he didn’t talk about everything. Probably the major moments only
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Brown journalism is new to me. I’d like to read this book to know more about journos like Roy.
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I cannot even imagine the kind of courage and keeping your head it must take to be a political journalist in today’s climate where everyone is only spouting approved dogma. This book sounds like a scintillating read.
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Sounds like a very interesting book! Investigative journalism, especially covering terrorism and the various refugee crises are not for the faint hearted.
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I’m sure this is an inspiring and eye-opening read but I’m one of those, who (for this genre at least) would say, “Put this in a movie/show and I’ll watch it. Pretty sure I’ll end up loving it too.”
Great respect for the author and for readers like you too, for writing about such a life, and then sharing about your experience of reading about it.
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Brown journalism is a new term for me.A memoir that sounds like a thriller. Sometimes journalism too is a risky affair, and some journalists are really brave.
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Ambica, you have a great taste of books and every time I can see that you read books of so many genres and that too of great value. This books indeed matches my taste and when its your recommendation I must read it… I am already feeling thrilled reading your review.
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You will like it!
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Ah hasnt the genocide in Palestine taught us quite a bit about brown journalism…
Journalism as a profession seems to losing its sheen in today’s day and age of vitrolic TV debates. It would certainly be interesting to read a memoir about journalism done with integrity and honesty.
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TV really ruined it. However, good people are everywhere and in every profession. We just need to make our choices who to see in this conundrum 😊
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Journalism is tough, if one really gets down to reporting from the field, the experiences are harrowing and life changing. So would really like to read this book and understand some of the incidents from his angle. Thank you for this post!
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It seems that the book throws light on the various unknown facts in the society.
In the life of a serious journalist, coming across violent men is a norm, which this book reinforces.
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This review beautifully captures the intensity and gravity of Siddharthya Roy’s journey in The Company of Violent Men. The dangerous path he chose, leaving behind a comfortable career to dive into the volatile world of political journalism, is both awe-inspiring and terrifying. The detailed exploration of his encounters with extremists, mercenaries, and the underworld sheds light on the courage it takes to report in such high-risk environments. The mention of “brown journalism” is especially thought-provoking, making this memoir not just a thrilling read but also a significant commentary on the realities journalists face in South Asia. A must-read for anyone curious about the intersection of truth, danger, and the ethics of journalism.
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This is such a well-balanced and informative review. Would love to read The Company of Violent Men.
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This is a very well-balanced and informative review. I would love to read The Company of Violent Men.
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I have seen the book around and also added to the TBR. But after reading your review, it has moved to right on top on my list. It seems like the memoir reads like a thriller. Investigative journalism is more difficult today than ever before.
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You would like it.
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