It’s been a busy year for Vikram Chandra with marriage, a teaching job and finishing his new book ‘Sacred Games’ all at the same time. “Though Bombay features in it, I wouldn’t say it’s a ‘Bombay book’,” he describes his newest venture, “It is a strange animal which started when I wrote about Sartaj Singh in ‘Love and Longing in Bombay’.” He wanted to develop this character further in this current venture.
Due to be published in Fall 2006, the work has already generated publicity for the high sums it has commanded from publishers. “It feels great but I didn’t really expect it,” is all Chandra will say after citing that things have changed since the days when his mother didn’t get paid enough for her writings. “Now it is possible for an 18-year-old to dream of taking up writing as a profession,” he smiles.
Labelling himself an ‘introvert’, Chandra feels his recent appointment as a teacher of fiction writing within the English department at Berkeley will stand him in good stead.
“Apart from forcing me to come out of my room where I stay holed up with my computer and books, it is also a great opportunity to come in contact with young minds which always challenge and question,” says the man.
Chandra is also excited about his wedding celebrations. “I’m marrying the same woman twice,” he jokes. “Melanie and I were married in a ceremony in America and we’re in Mumbai to have our pheras. It will be fun to meet relatives and friends whom I haven’t seen in a while.” A writer cum teacher like him, Melanie’s first novel was published recently. “Since we both write and teach at Berkeley, we have the same vacation time-tables.”
Salman Rushdie has been quite sceptical about Chandra being able to take a year long break. “He claims that a writer is never really able to switch off completely,” says Chandra. Though Chandra agrees with this belief, he is all set to prove Rushdie wrong.
Summing up some of the perks of being a writer he says, “It allows you such great liberties. You can be a voyeur and justify it!”
c_shalinee@dnaindia.net
