Kiran Desai
A literary inheritance
She bought laurels by bagging the Man Booker Prize 2006. The last year belonged to author Kiran Desai in more ways than one.
I like staying grounded. The past is an integral part of the present. When I left India I felt like a foreigner. But not anymore. I eat Indian food, look at Indian art, take part in readings and conferences, all to do with India. Also, watch Bollywood movies, wear my chappals and kurtas.
Putting yourself in the shoes of others helps. I spent a part of my childhood in Kalimpong and the first stirrings of insurgency were felt then. I had no real understanding of the issues involved. I was concerned only with my own world. But the realization that we may never understand what life is for others dawned soon after.
Sparing thoughts. I spend a considerable part of my time thinking about ways to reach out to people. Writing helps as you can touch various emotions and people at the same time.
I respect my individuality. My mother, author Anita Desai, didn’t want me to choose writing as a career because she felt that writers didn’t get noticed for years and that it was a lonely exercise. She didn’t want me to go through what she did. But, her style of writing grew on me. I just had to write. Imagine, we still live the same house, but I live upstairs and she’s downstairs and we still write differently.
Never forget to look up to people. I am an avid fan of my mother’s work. I draw inspiration from her writings and imbibe her virtues in me. It helps me grow as a human being and as a writer.
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