Tina Biswas has a degree in politics, philosophy and economics and she is an amateur pianist too. But at the heart of her hearts she is an author. Her new bold work of fiction, The Antagonists, published by Fingerprint has been lapped up by the book lovers and critiques alike. An intriguing political tale, The Antagonists assumes significance especially because of the forthcoming general elections. Set in West Bengal, the novel tries to unearth what is going on in contemporary politics, fusing facts with fiction, and also weaving personal dramas like the breakdown of a marriage into the main story. The book literally demands your attention. Excerpts from an interview:
The book’s characters are based on people in real life, what all did you keep in mind for that?
One of my main characters is based on a public figure — that’s very different from writing about a private citizen. Public figures have chosen to put themselves in the public, so they have to withstand far more public scrutiny.
Secondly, even when a fiction writer writes about a public figure, it has to be understood that it is not a literal rendering of that figure but a characterization which aims to expose the essence of that person. On the other hand, so far I have never based a whole character on a private person even — I have just taken aspects of an individual’s personality and given them to a fictional character.
Considering that you don’t live in India, how do you keep yourself abreast of the happenings here and also stay connected with them at such micro level?
I visit whenever I can. Although in the recent past I have not been able to come as much as I would like, as I have a young child — and long plane journeys and young children are not much fun! But I’ll be in India very soon!
Moreover, the advent of the internet and social media has made connecting quite easy — anyone and everyone has an opinion which can be found on the web in blogs, tweets, online forums, YouTube, etc. and of course, I also read Indian newspapers online and watch NDTV like everyone else! My parents also stay in Kolkata for a few months annually, so I know from them what’s happening on the ground, and I learn from relatives who live in West Bengal what is going on locally. So it is possible to keep very well-informed and take on board a whole variety of viewpoints.
On whom should the onus be when such accidents take place as it happens in The Antagonists – the authorities or the people?
The authorities absolutely have an obligation to put in place stringent and effective rules and regulations to ensure people’s health and safety. The key is to make sure that these rules and regulations are comprehensive not convoluted that it makes them difficult to comply with. In the same vein, businesses have a moral duty to make sure that health and safety is of paramount importance — it’s actually about valuing life rather than just placing a value on it.
Do you think common people are aware of their rights?
People think of their rights only when something unfortunate happens. I feel there should be independent organizations to impart information about rights to people. It is up to us to hold both governments and businesses to account. Living in a democracy means we have responsibilities as
well as rights.