Andy Karan is an agent with The List.
When we first meet him, Karan is a reporter gainfully employed by the New Delhi Today magazine. 30 years old at the time, Karan has worked there happily and successfully for three years, coming there after he had left his previous occupation serving in the Indian army for five years.
It was actually when he was leaving the military that he, when conducting his exit interview, was asked if he "wanted to work for the country if it was threatened by national emergencies. He said yes and was immediately asked to fill out a form and take an oath of secrecy. He had never thought much about it until last year, when they had tested his alertness and suitability".
"Andy had never told anyone at [work], not even Monica [his boss], about his agreement with Army Intelligence. The truth was he himself wasn't sure about his role. He was also under oath not to speak of it. So there was no guilt. In any case, his employment status was only when needed. And this was only the second time he had been approached like this for a meeting. The first one, a year ago, had turned out to be a practice run."
What he was told when approached was, "You will be tasked when necessary. Only when our national security is compromised and we are not convinced the police and other peacetime intelligence agencies are capable of tackling the situation on their own". He would learn that there were others in the group but as it was a secret organization, each operative tended to work independently and were called upon only when truly needed. The unofficial department was known as The List and counting Karan, numbered around two dozen agents, each an ex-army officer like him.