Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince

Author: J.K.Rowling

This is the sixth Harry Potter book, and like the earlier ones, it has created publishing history, surpassing itself. I am sure many of the readers will be surprised that a popular children’s book like Harry Potter should be reviewed in the pages of a serious news magazine.

However, I urge you to pause a second.

Harry Potter deserves to be discussed. The book is a fantasy where the issue of security is central to the story. And, if you remember, after 7/11 the most security conscious country in the world, the United States of America, turned to Hollywood script writers. They were commissioned to develop the most fantastic terror scenarios which would help security agencies prepare themselves for situations that were beyond the ken of ordinary people.

For the uninitiated, Harry Potter is a child wizard extraordinary. The power comes to him from the love of his parents who gave up their lives to save him from the dark wizard Lord Voldemort. It is a story of the fight between good and evil. What is of interest to us is the use of magical powers to penetrate the Hogwarts School, more secure than Fort Knox or Alcatraz. The evil powers make every attempt to breach its security but cannot penetrate the ring of hexes, jinxes and charms that make it impregnable.

In a parallel to the human world which we inhabit, the only way to enter the school is through an agent in the inside. Draco Malfoy has been suspect from the first book. Professor Snape is a double agent. But they are defeated over and over again, till they device an ingenious method of transporting the dreaded Death Eaters, the terrorist army put together by Lord Voldemort, into the school itself where defenses are the weakest. Isn’t this what the modern day terrorist has to do - gain admission and strike where the victim is most unprepared?

The book provides insights into the psyche of the evil forces, what makes them tick as it were, and the twisted logic that guides them. There is little difference between these fantasy characters and real world terrorists.

I would say, this is a must read. While it entertains it also provides pointers on security issues. It is as pertinent to the world of Muggles, which is us, as the wizards that have come to life through the imagination of the author.

Reviewed by Jayanti Ghosh, Director, Dipayan Mazumdar and Associates, India.