The world of Indian fiction never had it so good, for voices from the sidelines making it to the larger, international stage. As Arundhati Roy proffered in The God of Small Things, “Little events, ordinary things, smashed and reconstituted. Suddenly, they become the bleached bones of a story.” Since her debut novel of 1997, Roy’s surmise has spurred an increasing number of homegrown - and expatriate - Indian writers to craft volumes of fiction in their backyard.
Roy’s next book The Ministry of Utmost Happiness is expected later this June, even as the Jaipur Literature Festival 2017, later this month, is primed to have crowds flocking to examine the works of new Indian writers - in English as well as Indian languages.
“The names are endless,” as award-winning author Anand Neelakantan puts it, reflecting on the multitude of releases in Kerala alone, over the last 15 months, the bulk of them by young and emerging writers.
“The list ranges from Jeet Thayil to Manu Pillai, whose book The Ivory Throne is on Travancore royalty,” notes Neelakantan, speaking about narratives founded in the Malayali context. Get a taste of how they went about crafting their incredibly individualistic chronicles.
Laila Zafar
Astory takes shape only when one dares to look beyond the usual traps of daily comfort. That’s how, Zafar, a lawyer-turner-author, views the creative process that goes into the making of a literary work. With her first writing venture getting ready for print next month, this Kochiite warns the readers that her writing style is “absolutely morbid with a flash of sunshine and joy in some parts.”
Themed around a kidnapping involving a fictitious terrorist organisation, Zafar’s upcoming work, belonging to the genre of adventure-drama, offers a humorous take on religion.
“This theme demands that I toss my approach, not just to writing but to life itself, far, far away as I have never done comedy or light writing,” shares Zafar. An avid traveller whose previous itinerary includes major cities including Paris, Zafar opines that travelling, with its experiences including dealing with things that are out of your control, humbles the writer in oneself. She adds that it’s especially useful when trying to find a decent publisher. “After my 13th rejection, I was finally broken. So, being picked up by a publisher is the greatest joy I have ever known,” she concludes.
Sreyus Palliyani
Age: 25
Work: Gabriati: Rise of the Preceptor, 2015
A good story never glamorises itself or its protagonist. So believes Palliyani, who is currently based in Singapore where he’s pursuing his PhD in Transport Policy.
Originally from Thrissur, his inquisitive nature combined with a love for folk tales and conspiracy theories (think secret societies) resulted in Gabriati: Rise of the Preceptor, a 406-page thriller that deals with religious terrorism.
“My antagonists are capable of as much benevolence as my protagonists are capable of malevolence,” says Palliyani, who follows a morally ambiguous tone of writing.
But, he feels that the biggest struggle when writing, is to deal with publishing hassles as opposed to writer’s block.
“Many publishers and agents rejected my work on the grounds that my tale of the Preceptor was too controversial to print. But luckily, my acquisition editor Malini Nair from Leadstart Publishing believed in my work from the start,” shares the author, whose work portrays how religious conservatism varies across the countries in West Asia.
This millennial is presently involved in developing a period novel set against the backdrop of Kerala during the 1970s emergency declaration period.
Manu S Pillai
O nce his sister Indrani—to whom The Ivory Throne is dedicated—initiated him into the world of books, Pillai discovered a whole new realm. “Soon, I found that I was interested in writing. I remember upsetting a schoolmate with a poem that compared her to a flying cow,” he laughs.
Having spent his time between Pune and London’s King’s College, this bureaucrat’s debut book is the result of a massive research project which took him over six years to complete.
“Most important phase was the final six months circa 2014, where I sat at my desk for 12-18 hours a day, taking over two rooms in my parents’ house,” shares Pillai, whose work illustrates the life story of Sethu Lakshmi Bayi of Travancore.
With his research sprawling across three continents—most critically London’s India Office Archives—Pillai elaborates that he still hasn’t lost interest in unearthing more material.
“A set of three diaries that I spent years trying to locate finally came into my hands most unexpectedly many months after the book came out,” adds the author, who recently collaborated with journalist turned photographer Serena Chopra on her work centred on Bhutan.
Favourite reads
Manu S Pillai : The God Market by Meera Nanda
Sreyus Palliyani : Works of Edgar Allen Poe
Mary Zareah : The Wild Water Walking Club by Claire Cook
Laila Zafar : White Teeth by Zadie Smith
Sreejith Sai : The Naive and Sentimental Novelist by Orhan Pamuk
Guidelines for aspiring writers
Like everything else, writing too is a skill that needs to be developed through constant exercise. Focus on building a knowledge base. Your tale is only as strong as its credibility. Learn from rejections — be receptive to constructive criticisms. Keep your mind open to ideas