The India Focus component of the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) is proving to be quite a hit, attracting a large number of people particularly from the large Indian Diaspora settled in the UAE. Meet the Author initiative has emerged as one of the star attractions of the book fair as young and old people from different walks of life throng to the Sharjah Expo to share the experiences of their literary heroes.
In this context, In Conversation with Dr. Shashi Tharoor, hosted by award winning journalist Anita Sethi proved to be a very engaging discourse, worth an hour and a half wait, the jam packed audience had to endure. Dr. Shashi Tharoor straddled with eloquence, the various worlds that he has inhibited as part of his career, punctuated with immense success as a writer, columnist, diplomat, human rights activist and currently as a politician. The audience reflected a high level of intellectual maturity and understanding of Dr. Tharoor’s work through questions that broached on an array of subjects including his literary journey, work and critiques, Indian history and politics.
The book fair’s tag-line, In Love of the Written Word, formed the opening premise of the discourse as Anita Sethi asked; “What is the relevance of the written in your life?” The answer was a voyage right into the world of a young child battling physical pain and limited avenues of play due to asthma.
“As a child I had very little distractions. There is not much one can do while struggling to breathe. Books became a refuge. As a voracious reader, I rapidly devoured books available to me. I started to write to keep myself amused.
My tryst with the pen became a succour from the reality of my painful physical existence,” reflected Dr. Tharoor.
“But the impact and the absolute power of the written word dawned on me the day I saw my first published work, Operation Bellows-a World War II adventure story in Bharat Jyoti. My words frozen in print and name in the byline, was a huge experience at the age of ten, one that steered the course of my life,” he elaborated.
The rest as they say is history and Dr. Shashi Tharoor, went on to write twelve successful books including the Great Indian Novel and The Elephant, The Tiger and the Cellphone which have gone into several reprints. His novel Riot set against the backdrop of 1989 riots and the demolition of Babri Masjid, a multilayered narrative, unfolding through a prism of thirteen different perspectives was declared- a necessary novel by Penguin-a work completely anchored in political necessity.
Dr. Shashi described Riot as an exploration into the collision of political argument, social and historical contexts, and above all a collision of truth. ‘The novel provokes you to think.’ He reinforced the argument by recounting an incident experienced as the head of the peace-keeping force in Yugoslavia wherein the Croats and Serbs butchered each other on the pretext of cruelty, by flashing the same image of murdered babies.
“How was it that they rejected and forgot their basic humanity? Do all human beings not aspire for same things-security, prosperity, love and a better tomorrow? ,” pondered Dr. Tharoor.
“Hatred, terrorism, violence and collision brews out of our inability to perceive others as ourselves. We need to remember that more than what divides us is the humanity that unites us.” said the author.
Commenting on an audience query as to why he has not written a novel since the last ten years, Dr. Shashi said; “Politics does not give me much time for fiction”.
“Writing fiction is so very different from writing non-fiction or a column. You need time and space inside your head, populate it with characters, dialogues, situations. You need to live that magical space. You can revisit that space if the spell is broken,” he elaborated.
Declaring the reason for joining politics, Dr. Shashi said; “I wanted to belong to the world of conclusion. I am an idealist anchored in reality.”
Applauding the contribution of three million Indians in the UAE he said that Indian Diaspora across the world represents the best that India can be.
In his now famous comparison of India’s "thali" to the American "melting pot" Dr. Tharoor had said; “If America is a melting pot, then to me India is a thali- a selection of sumptuous dishes in different bowls. Each tastes different, and does not necessarily mix with the next, but they belong together on the same plate, and they complement each other in making the meal a satisfying repast.”
Concluding his discourse by reinstating his belief in Indian pluralism, he said that India is many things in one things and that’s the magic of Indian identity. “India is the only narrative that is common to all my works. Moving backed to India has fleshed out the details and despite the challenges that we face as a country, my fundamental belief in the country has strengthened.”
“Let us not forget how easily we could have lost democracy amidst the carnage and violence of partition and that’s the legacy that we all need to cherish,” concluded Dr. Tharoor.
