My characters come from people I have met over the years: 'Ruffled Feathers' author Sanjay Kumar

Tell us about the significance of the book’s title, Ruffled Feathers.

I would like the reader to connect the dots––in this case, 12 stories. In the times we live in, especially the online world, where the offence is easily given and taken, ‘ruffled feathers’ has become a common phrase. For me, it is more the idea of observing change and the idea of the invisible impacting our lives in small but significant ways.

In ‘The Writer’, the narrator describes himself as a “creature of habit” and a “visual eavesdropper”, among other things. Was this a somewhat autobiographical story?

I was stricken when the incident the story refers to, happened. There was a feeling of helplessness, and
I wanted to convey that in some way. The only way I found was to look at a common person, his simple daily life, his unnatural fear. I wanted to end with the realisation that this improbable thing could happen to you. Writers are given very little importance otherwise.
 
How did your prior experiences of setting up a finance company,  a software enterprise, and running an art gallery shape your sensibilities as a writer?

I would credit the art world experience for my writing. Artists introduced me to poetry, forms of music and cinema, and this served as a ‘back to school’ experience. A business school experience doesn’t help in becoming a fiction writer, but running a business does. My characters come from people I have met over the years, who were from different backgrounds and managing them helped me understand people better.

Politics and religion are recurring themes in your stories. Tell us why.

I write about the times I have lived in. It is natural that religion and politics feature in my narratives. I respect my readers. I don’t begin with an agenda in these matters. I let my characters speak from the situations they find themselves in, and I like it when they question received wisdom.

What have been your learnings in your decade-long journey as a writer?

One thing I have learned is that belonging is overrated. I am happy where I am, still on the fringe of
the literary world, busy deep-diving into other worlds that will fuel my journey.