In a tête–à–tête with Ayesha Singh, 50-year-old Mita Kapur, the co-producer of the upcoming Noir Literature Festival in Delhi, shares her experience of putting together an event that celebrates crime stories.
How did you conceive the festival?
Namita Gokhale and Lady Kishwar Desai, founders of Crime Writers’ Forum for South Asia, approached Siyahi, the literary consultancy that I head, to organise the festival. It was first held in 2015.
What prompted the name change from Crime Writers Festival to Noir Literature Festival?
We wanted the festival to reach a larger audience and ‘noir’ conveys the entire spectrum of the genres.
There is a lot on the cards this year. Take us through some of it.
The Noir Literature Festival is devoted to celebrating crime writing from India and abroad. The highlights are the diverse sub-genres being represented. You have writer Surender Mohan Pathak’s session, Vibhuti Narain Rai discussing his Hindi novel, Shahar Mein Curfew, Puja Changoiwala speaking about writing true crime stories, Paromita Vohra and Urvashi Butalia discussing crimes against women.
How is the festival helping the genre grow?
Along with Namita Gokhale, the festival director, Alka Pande, the creative director, Ashwin Sanghi and Priti Paul, the advisors, I want to make the forum grow as an organisation. Take for example Chetan Mahajan, author of The Bad Boys of Bokaro Jail, who will conduct a noir writing workshop. We’re also screening Bonnie and Clyde, a 1967 American crime film.
Literary festivals these days are becoming more about themselves than about the authors.
All festivals should try their best to reflect the region and yet appeal to the world through the content.
Does crime writing mirror our society?
All writings seek inspiration from reality. Crime writer Mario Puzo was inspired by the Italian mafia families in New York to create The Godfather, which in turn, inspired generations of crime writers. In recent times, white-collar crimes are generating interests among writers.
Are these stories often about moral problems?
They’re not always about being evil-spirited, torturous or negative. They could be based on a figment of the writer’s imagination.
How does the genre succeed in exploring the grey areas of human conscience?
It compels us to take a long, hard look at the way we are evolving/retrogressing. It brings out the layered nuances of the human mind. Given the way the world is getting polarised, various sub-genres of crime writing give us a feel of the situation.
Is it getting the right kind of attention and respect?
Crime writing has always been one of the most read genres in literature, more so in the West. It is still nascent in India, but we are growing steadily.
How can we ensure a steady supply of intelligent content from the genre?
This is dependent on how authors research their books and negotiate the journey. It’s for publishers to ensure that quality work gets published.
How can India adapt to crime writing?
Moral policing and censorship need to stop. We need to accept opinions of people.
January 27-29. Sessions to take place at the Oxford Bookstore, N-81, Connaught Circus; Workshop and film screening at antiSOCIAL, 9-A and 12, Hauz Khas Village. Free entry. For details, log on to
www.noirliteraturefestival.com