A call for change!

Anna and his team may have won the first round against corruption, but there are several battles waiting to be fought in India. Anuradha Varma asks some eminent voices to tell us about the change they want to see.


Anna, broaden your battles!
Gurcharan Das, author & management expert

"Anna Hazare has been successful because he has focused single-mindedly on one issue — corruption. The Lokpal is only a beginning. It will catch crooks after the act. What you need is to prevent the disease. To make a real difference, you need to reform the bureaucracy, the police, the judiciary, and the electoral system. These reforms should be next on Anna Hazare's agenda. He should not get distracted by other problems, such as education, health, drinking water. Obviously, there is corruption in the delivery of these services — one in four teachers is absent in a state primary school; two in five doctors are absent in a primary health centre. But the answer is to make civil servants accountable — government teachers and doctors are civil servants, after all. The overhaul of the bureaucracy, for example, will entail reduction in administrative discretion; swiftness and certainty of punishment in disciplinary proceedings; reduction in rent seeking opportunities; penalisation for delays; elimination of the seniority system. These ideas are not new —every administrative reforms commission has recommended them ,but the bureaucracy has sabotaged them. So, we need Annaji to focus on them."

Let Kashmir be heard

Shobhaa De, writer

“The sudden cancellation of the much looked forward to Harud Literature Festival in the Kashmir Valley once again proves how divisive forces win over those advocating a peaceful dialogue via non-political platforms. Pressure groups are overactive these days, and free speech comes with inbuilt reservations about security issues and safety. This is ridiculous and a real threat to the democratic process which guarantees plurality and liberalism in all walks of life. That a handful of protestors could browbeat organisers to cancel what would have been an important exchange of vibrant ideas and voices, is an indication of growing intolerance, not just in Kashmir, but across the board. I am fundamentally against browbeating of any kind... no matter how ‘noble’ the intentions. There is no room for suppressing the freedom of expression through such bullying tactics. The more one gives in to such elements, the weaker we become as a nation.

What about healthcare & education?

Sohaila Kapur, theatreperson

"The country has focused on corruption, but there are several other issues that need to be addressed and speedily. For instance, health and education. A visit to any of the municipal hospitals confirms that. Pregnant women, wounded men, diseased children await attention and rooms. And why just government hospitals? The problem is not much better in private hospitals. You have to make a down payment before a patient is admitted. My father once experienced a heart attack while I was away from the city and our driver rushed him to the very hospital where he was once a senior and respected pediatrician. The receptionist refused to give him a room, even while the poor man was gasping and in great pain, until Rs 2 lakh was deposited there and then. Someone should move the RTI in hospitals. As far as our education is concerned, things have not changed much from our time when we learnt everything by rote. Instead of droning on and on about matter that is already in text books, teachers need to challenge young minds through relevant questions, quizzes, experiments and yes, even theatrical exercises. One could go on and on about what needs to be done, but it's time it all jumped out of the paperwork and worked itself into active agendas."

Stop sexual violence

Vidya Reddy, child rights activist

“The Bill to Protect Children from Child Sexual Abuse has been put up before the parliamentary standing committee, but it hasn’t even been introduced in the Parliament for passing. I recently recommended that the police in Chennai start a training module on handling such cases. We have decided to call it ‘Investigating Sexual violence’ — it needs to be said outright. We must stop using euphemisms when dealing with sexual abuse and stop clubbing them under crimes against children or women and trafficking. Nobody sees it as a standalone problem. When it comes to sexual violence of children, first of all, very few cases get reported. Nearly 88 per cent of the victims don’t talk about it. We lack an effective response mechanism in society or in the system. Forget sensitivity, at least put protocols in place that can be followed. According to a 1996 study, even judges, MPs and the police are uncomfortable around cases of sexual violence. We need a special prosecutor in court to address such cases. Doctors are also not trained in these issues. Recently, a boy who was sodomised was tossed around an entire day in the hospital from departments of neurology to paediatrics and finally psychiatry. Whether it’s men, women, children or the LGBT groups, everyone has to be protected from sexual violence.” 

Fight for the environment
Raaja Bhasin, author & historian

"Every time there is a problem, a Gandhi, a Jai Prakash Narayan and an Anna Hazare cannot be pulled out of the woodwork. Systems must be strengthened — systems of redress and systems of appraisal. Of all the issues that now face our country, the biggest fight is yet to come. This fight is for our environment that will decide how we will live, and if we will live. The interventions that have taken place have been too severe and too irreversible. This will have to stop, if we do not want to create two nations within the same geographical space (as happened in England during the Industrial Revolution), the rich and the poor."

Shelter land rights of poor
Usha Ramanathan, legal expert

"The vexed question of land is seeing a churning around the country. It is now at least 25 years since coercive acquisition, forced evictions and mass displacement reached national attention. It is local resistance, in multiple locations around the country, which has forced the state to rethink its strategy of how it will use its power to take over land. There is a draft Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation Bill 2011 currently up for debate. It reveals a remarkable lack of understanding of why there are all these mutinies all around us, and that a new law will have to limit the powers of the state to acquire, not expand it like this Bill will do. In the meantime, the urban poor are having their shelters demolished ruthlessly, and the state is acting as if the poor are responsible for their poverty and must pay the price for being poor! The persistence of 'extraordinary' laws is a scandal. Chhattisgarh, Kashmir, the North-East see them in their rawness, to which the unmarked graves bear testimony. Irom Sharmila has become a symbol of a state that does not care either for its people or for the rule of law. These laws have to be systematically, and urgently, weeded out."

Radhika Vaz — Unladylike!

Born in Mumbai, Radhika Vaz moved to New York and realised she wanted to be a stand-up comedian. Touring India, with her popular show Unladylike, she talks about what gets her going

Do you remember the moment you realised you wanted to do stand-up comedy as a career?

I probably wanted it all my life. What woman doesn’t want a room full of people to sit there and pay close attention to her every word. 

 
How much of the script for Unladylike is written by you? Do you generally write your scripts? 

The first draft of the show was mine, my director Brock Savage stepped in after that with a lot of suggestions. And yes, so far I write all my own stuff. 

Tell us about some popular lines from your shows that have tickled the audience. 

The line about how I hate giving blow jobs gets a laugh; it goes something like this: As far as I am concerned a blow job is like cooking, I have no natural flair for it and on top of that I am operating from a recipe that was handed down to me years ago by another woman who didn’t know what the f*** she was doing either.

How did the Indian audience react to the humour, ‘obscenity’ and four-letter words?

I use “f***” once the entire show, the show isn’t obscene to be honest — politically incorrect is more how I would describe it. Indian audiences, especially the women (who I expect will be the bulk of my audience) are quite sophisticated...I think they can handle it.

How unladylike are you in real life? 

I am just barely a woman.

What do you think of Indian men?

I am married to a Jat. I am too afraid to say anything. 

Anything you experienced here, while in India, that you would like to use as part of your routine later?

Definitely. Conversations with my girl-friends always lead to material.

Have you watched any Indian comedians, such as Vir Das, Papa CJ, or any others? Internationally, which stand-up comics make you laugh the most?

Only on Youtube. I’m a fan of comic actors - Anupam Kher in Khosla Ka Ghosla, Paresh Rawal in Lucky Oye (or whatever that film was), Lillette Dubey in Monsoon Wedding... As far as stand-up goes, my opening act in Bangalore is a funny lady Aditi Mittal. I am a big fan of shows like Little Britain, The Catherine Tate Show, Curb Your Enthusiasm; the writers and performers on those shows are just terrific.

How is it being a woman in a field that's largely associated with men?

It’s what it is. Like any other field, we have to make a little more noise to be heard, but I never had a problem with that.

Often comedy makes a serious point. What’s the point of Unladylike?

Don’t let anyone define your role as a woman.

Tell us what else you enjoy… what are the books you like and movies? What about Bollywood?

I love reading - fave book of all time is The Jam Fruit Tree. I love movies and TV shows — one of my favorite shows is called Six Feet Under. Bollywood is changing fast; there seems to be more smart comedy (like the two films I mentioned) — I like that.

How much do you keep in touch with India? Has it changed much since the last tiem you were here? 

My family and friends live here – it’s home. I would say the biggest change is the flyover they built near my parents’ home in Bangalore; it has changed our lives!

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/people/I-am-barely-a-woman-Radhika-Vaz/articleshow/10038937.cms

Born again!

If you’re looking for spiritual purification and release of personal traumas, try rebirthing.

Are you suffering from anger, fear or sadness? Could it be related to the trauma of birth? Like many others, you can get relief through rebirthing — a therapy which uses breathwork to release negative emotions. Rebirthing is a term coined in the 1970s by American Leonard Orr. He called it “the most powerful form of prana yoga”. This New Age technique has many takers in India.

Spiritual Purification

Sujata Malik, who took this therapy, sums up its benefits: “As part of the spiritual process, it’s important to shed emotional baggage and relieve knots from the past. As we revisit an experience and go through the pain again, it helps in resolving the problem forever.”

Practitioners tell you that rebirthing unravels all human trauma in our present life as well as from past lives, and helps optimise our skills and talent. Rhythmic breathing is the key to releasing negative blocks and filling one with an abundant life force. The process accesses subconscious realms, leading to spiritual purification and a feeling of connectedness with the world around.

Sheeba Loganey was introduced to the art by Orr one fine day, 15 years ago. She remembers, “I took my first rebirthing session the same evening and the experience was profound. I felt my whole body pulsating with energy, the breath having taken over after the first few minutes, and I relived my entire birth process which had been very traumatic because of the umbilical cord wrapped around my neck.

I actually saw the whole birthing process, the layout of the hospital room, along with the people present in the room at the time, the doctors, my father and my aunt. My mother later confirmed the details. I had finally released my birth trauma and my claustrophobia disappeared completely. I felt calm and energised. After this, I was ready for the second session the next day!”

Loganey explains how it happens: “Almost everyone who undergoes this therapy feels a tingling or vibrations all over the body after about 10 minutes and this continues for one to two hours. It then gradually recedes and leaves a person feeling calm and tranquil. Every physical ailment has a psychosomatic reason behind it and when we heal the mental and emotional reasons, we heal the physical problem too.

A client was looking for a life-partner and it was after only the sixth session that she met her would-be husband at the airport while travelling from Delhi to Bangalore.

Another, who wanted to sell his property which was under dispute, resolved all issues with his siblings amicably. One, who had aches and pains all over his body and the doctors found nothing wrong with him, healed completely after 10 sessions.”

Rohini Chopra also witnessed miracles during her rebirthing sessions, she says, “Past-life regressions, which have sorted out issues in this lifetime, profound insights, a deeper connection with the self, a deep sense of well-being, an effortless letting go of blocks without intellectualisation, facing and transcending fears…and so gently and effortlessly. It’s an honour to be a rebirther and witness it hapen, with minimum interference on one’s own part.”

Who Can Undergo Rebirthing

There is no age limit; anyone suffering from fear, anger or emotional problems can take recourse to the therapy, but pregnant women should avoid it. Also people suffering from diagnosed depressive disorders should choose rebirthers with care say practioners.

Can one undergo rebirthing on their own, unsupervised? Says Rohini Chopra, “After doing a few sessions under supervision, you can do regular sessions on your own to keep the energy system clear.”A good rebirther should teach you how to continue at home, she says. According to Loganey, a person needs 10 to 20 sessions with a rebirther before they attempt to do it on their own. Each session is five to seven days apart.

The sessions involve using the elements of earth, air, water and fire. Says cosmetic surgeon Sandeep Bhasin, who came across rebirthing in 1999, “We use this breathing technique in dry sessions or in underwater sessions. The same breathing can be done near fire or by being under earth, and with each element, the release of emotions and issues is different.”

He maintains, “Rebirthing is a highly revolutionary method as it releases memories of childhood and past life at a tremendous speed, which can take psychoanalysts years to explore. It has really changed people’s lives. I, too, used to be very submissive and found it difficult to express myself.

Rebirthing made me assertive.” A client, he claims, went from being meek to gregarious and positive, after recalling and releasing the trauma of being sexually abused in a past life.

The key lies in breathing right and in consciously working out troublesome issues!

http://www.speakingtree.in/public/view-article/Born-Again

Back to school!

“I dreamt about you day and night those days,” mediaperson Monojit Lahiri told his former classmate, who blushed. He was meeting her after a gap of 45 years at a school reunion in Lonavla.

He recalls, “We last met as 10-year-olds and were now in our late 50s. We were children then and most of us had grandchildren now.” His wife, initially hesitant to accompany him was embraced in the all-inclusive warmth. He adds, “In a cynical, sceptical world, a reunion is a journey into the days of innocence. It’s a reaffirmation of the human spirit and makes you believe in all that is warm, true and genuine. You meet at a purely emotional level, with no vested interests. You don’t care how much money the other’s making.”

Monojit’s in regular touch with 40 of his former Rishi Valley classmates now, mostly over email. He’s not the only one. In the age of social networking, it’s easy to bump into old friends in cyberspace. It’s not uncommon to have former classmates go down memory lane in groups on Facebook as they lock dates for a reunion. The batch of 1988 from Bangalore’s Sacred Hearts Girls’ High School goes down memory lane, recalling eating ‘stick-jaw’ in the school canteen, salted green mangoes and eagles swooping down to make away with their lunches. Another remembers the little experiences that made school special, when a teacher handed her the exam paper, having given her five extra marks. After a moral tussle, she decided to tell her teacher. “But surprisingly, Mrs Clement said ‘Honesty pays’ and I was back to my seat with the same marks and a lighter heart. God bless her.”

Actor Amitabh Bachchan blogged about the whirlwind of emotions he experienced when he met up with former classmates at Sherwood in Nainital. He wrote, “This is a lifetime. A lifetime of incredible passage of time. Of incredible moments and events. Events that built you into what you are today.”

He adds, “..We are back to addressing each other by our pet names — Tich and Baj and Zaf and Gingi — nothing’s changed. We are grey-haired, spectacled, bald and wrinkled, generously paunched and heavier, our movements slow and laboured, we have our wives with us and some of us, our sons and sons-in-law and grandsons, but… We are the Class of 1958 and we are back in school!”

Putting up videos of past reunions online or photographs in school t-shirts, revisiting the age of innocence was never easier! Before her primary school reunion after 25 years, Thanga Mani Mudaliar worried about whether she had put on too much weight or was doing well enough professionally, but finally realised it didn’t matter. “I realised that people put on airs at the workplace or when meeting new people but with friends who go back a long way, we remain ourselves. We had a great time!”

Says designer Preeti Ghai, “I passed out in year 1994 and we had a reunion after 16 years. There, we were not designers or professionals, just kids back in school. Now, we’re in touch regularly and a few of us often get together for coffee.”

Shares Sumita Thapar, “It will be 25 years since we left school next year and the batch is planning a grand reunion. For over a decade, we’ve been in touch first through e-groups, then Facebook. Many of us are in touch, and we span the continents.” Adds Shirin Abbas, “The Loreto Convent batch of ’84 organised our 25th year reunion two years ago. It was a blast with friends from India and all over the world coordinating their vacations to be a part of the bash.”

An emotional Ganesh Ranganathan recalls celebrating Teachers’ Day after 40 years in his alma mater, “It was not a mere reunion, but a homage that we paid to our teachers. The gesture of an over 60-year-old man bending down to touch the feet of his former teachers (now in their eighties) was very moving. The programme started with my taking the mike as the MC. And, when I started to speak, I noticed that it was 10 am, when the school would have normally started its working day with the bell. I said to the audience ‘Friends, it’s 10 am and, if you recall, the bell is struck at this hour. ..What would you have done at this moment…?’ One voice from the back said, ‘We would have wished ‘Good morning’.” That’s when nearly 500 voices rose in crescendo to recreate the moment, to wish their former teachers. When it ended after several minutes, the entire audience burst into tears.

Nothing like a trip back in time to connect with what made us who we really are! 

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-08-21/man-woman/29911632_1_school-reunion-classmates-memory-lane

In Search Of The Big 'O'

Sohaila Kapur talks to Anuradha Varma of her new production which explores the journey of two women saints

Conceived by Sohaila Kapur and performed by Gilles Chuyen and Shilpika Bordoloi, the dance-theatre production ‘O’ explores the spiritual journey of two extraordinary saint-poets — Rabia the Sufi from Iraq and Karaikkal Ammaiyar, the Shaivite from Tamil Nadu. Both women chose a life that incorporated struggle, bending rules in the bargain and were finally revered by the very men who subjugated them.

‘O’ as a symbol encapsulates multiple meanings — Shunya or the great Nothingness, the Primordial Egg from which all life emerges. It also represents the Feminine Principle, the circle of emotions, the water element and orgasm. It is also the Primordial Universe and the Divine Absolute. The playwright talks about the two women saints who inspired the production.
What inspired ‘O’? What is the thought behind it? That women have had to struggle against patriarchy even to lead spiritual lives.

What kind of research did you do for the play? What was the experience you all went through? I had to read books on Rabia, as there is no chronological account of her life, only anecdotes and third-person accounts of miracles. Karaikkal Ammaiyar’s biographies were in Tamil and, therefore, inaccessible. We had a scholar help us here.

I have experienced a sense of euphoria and inner strength; my actors have experienced physical and emotional purges during the preparation. One actor found herself drawn to cremation grounds and dargahs and even danced in one of them, which in itself is unprecedented. The other actor has deepened his meditative practice and has had visions that he has made part of the creative process. There are many small incidents, which have added up.

Is there a connection between the feminine and the Divine?
There is a connection between all life and the Divine. Interesting that you asked this question, because Sufis don’t distinguish between a man and a woman in the service of God.

What spiritual lessons does Rabia’s life hold for us?
That all human beings are equal and society creates the distinction. That ultimately, life itself is ephemeral and that it is love that gives us the strength to tide over difficulties.

Karaikkal Ammaiyar was part of the Bhakti movement, which denounced religious rituals. What are the lessons to be learnt from her life? That one can progress spiritually even as a householder. There need not be a distinction between a housewife and a bhakt. And that one’s life is what one makes of it. And that Kailasa is not on top of a mountain, but within this world and in our hearts. Both women saints denounced religious rituals.

How did the struggle shape the spiritual growth of these women?
Struggle burnishes the spirit and strengthens the resolve to succeed in one’s goals. If they had not struggled, they may not have been able to achieve an understanding of the world, and reach beyond it, into the world of the spirit.

Tell us about their poetry…. They are both beautiful and lyrical and share the same theme; that of love for the Divine. While Rabia’s is more in the form of a conversation with God, laced with her philosophy, Karaikkal Ammaiyar’s is more sensual...it is a loving description of Shiva. Here is a sample of verse by Rabia and Karaikkal Ammaiyar:

Rabia: O my Lord/ If I worship you/ From fear of hell, burn me in hell/ If I worship you/ From hope of Paradise/ Bar me from its gates/ But if I worship you/ For yourself alone/ Grant me then the beauty of your face!
Karaikkal Ammaiyar: In all our births we are /His slaves./Only Him do we adore on/ Whose dense matted hair/ Shines the unbroken chip of the moon/ Let Him rule us forever!

Were women saints discriminated against?
Yes, and that is what the play is all about...their struggle against male domination. Rabia was a slave, initially. Owned by a wealthy man, she went through many hardships. Karaikkal Ammaiyar’s husband was self-centred and he was the trigger for her eventual renunciation of the world and her subsequent sainthood.

What lessons do these two women saints hold for us today?
The lesson is that patience and forbearance are important in today’s highly materialistic and increasingly robotic world. So is inner strength, to fight exploitation of body and spirit.

http://www.speakingtree.in/public/view-article/In-Search-Of-The-Big-O

Pulp fiction is back!

It's time to rewind to regional pulp fiction as over-the-top heroes, villains and outlandish plots make for a quickie read. Anuradha Varma reports

Lyricist and scriptwriter Javed Akhtar credits reading Ibne Safi's novels for helping him creating eternal celluloid villains like Gabbar Singh and Mogambo. Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap grew up wanting to be either Amitabh Bachchan or writer Surender Mohan Pathak. Actress Gul Panag even invited her favourite novelist Pathak to the premiere of her film Rann.

Besides Bengali detectives Feluda and Byomkesh Bakshi, Hindi, Urdu and Tamil pulp fiction heroes can keep many readers up at night turning pages of their slim detective novels. "Pocket books" or novellas, these became popular at book stalls at railway stations over 50 years ago.

Publishing houses are now giving the books fresh airing. Westland, along with Blaft, has published four translations of Ibne Safi's Jasusi Duniya series. Ibne Safi, the pen name of Asrar Ahmad, was once described as "the only original writer in the subcontinent" by Agatha Christie and wrote 125 novels in his lifetime.

Back in business
Says Shamsur Rahman Faruqi, who has translated the titles into English from Urdu, "Ibn-e-Safi provided humour, fast action and later invented some of the most bizarre characters in Urdu literature. And his hero (the Oxfordeducated Col Faridi) was all that young people of that time desired - a man of action, intellectual, aristocratic, amateur yet highly professional, apparently all knowledge was his province. And he wasn't interested in sex. So, a truly superhuman type with a great lot of humanity."

Says his son Ahmad Safi, "'Abbu termed Faridi his dream hero. Faridi was a complete personality, over the years this character developed in such a way that he was very careful in writing about him. One small mistake and the fans would go berserk."

Adds Bilal Tanweer, who did The House of Fear (Khaufnaak Imaraat, first published in 1955) based on Safi's spy and crimefighter hero Imran or X-2, for Random House, "Many writers have compelling plots, but Ibn-e Safi wrote prose, which was literary yet accessible."

Pranav Singh of Ponytale Books has published English versions of Sunil Gangopadhyay's Kakababu Adventures and Suchitra Bhattacharya's Adventures of Mitin Mashi, of the Third Eye Detective Agency and who surfs the Internet, makes extensive use of her mobile phone, is adept with Sudoku and always ready to rush to the scene of action. She is assisted by her chess-playing, school-going niece Tupur.

Highly prolific
Says Sudarshan Purohit, "Hindi pulp is not as popular today as it was in the 80s. Even today, people like Anil Mohan write a book every couple of months, so they manage to capture the zeitgeist. I wouldn't be surprised if books on the killing of Osama Bin Laden came out in the market in the next few weeks."

Coimbatore-based Rajesh Kumar publishes five novels a month. Says Blaft's Rakesh Kumar, "Rajesh has written around 1,500 books. Other Tamil authors have written hundreds of novels. In Hindi, it's hard to tell, because several authors use pseudonyms, with five people writing under the same name... but there are surely some very prolific writers. Bengali also has some madly prolific pulp writers."

Where are the books?
Archives are poorly maintained. Readers will be hard put to find a collection of their favourite writer's books. Pathak admits, "You won't even find 50 of my 275 novels."

Sudarshan explains, "There are hundreds (if not thousands) of Hindi pulp books that deserve a larger audience. Writers like Surender Mohan Pathak, Ved Prakash Sharma, Om Prakash Sharma, Parashuram Sharma, Gulshan Nanda, Kushwaha Kant, Colonel Ranjeet and dozens of others have been popular in their times. Anil Mohan writes a series of books about a professional thief and the heists he commits. And Agent Vinod, of course, was a pulp character before he became a movie." Time more publishing houses took up the challenge to give indigenous pulp fiction its place in the sun!


http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/people/Pulp-fiction-is-back/articleshow/9564007.cms

Surinder Mohan Pathak: The King of Hindi Pulp

Surinder Mohan Pathak looks every bit the kindly grandfather as he whips out family photographs and declares that anytime now, his grandson will order him to turn on the Power Rangers for him on TV. It’s only the books on the bookshelves behind him at his house in Delhi’s Krishna Nagar that give away his identity as the king of Hindi pulp fiction, with over 275 books to his credit. He rues, “Earlier, housewives spent their afternoons reading ‘jasoosi’ novels. Today, they watch serials. My wife sleeps at 1 am after watching all her television serials.”

Having retired over 13 years ago from government service, Pathak continues to write four months in a year, working nearly nine hours a day, churning out about three novels a year. “It’s the first 100 pages that take time, the rest of the story just flows.. it’s all about the resolution of the crime.” His book The 65 Lakh Heist (or Painsath Lakh ki Dacoity in Hindi, featuring popular detective Vimal) has been mentioned in the Time magazine among the all-time bestsellers and once, notoriously, a bank robber took tips from one of his crime novels.

His readership remains steadfast, but Pathak admits, “There are not too many new readers.” There are issues with publishing houses, who are not honest about returns, he says. Besides reading his favourite Jack Higgins and other detective fiction, he enjoys watching old Hindi movies. As for new ones, he says, “Sometimes, my son drags me to the multiplex. But, in between, I wish I had a torch so I could read a book.” Interestingly, he gives away all the books he has read and only keeps the ones that he hasn’t.

Having published his first book at the age of 23, while still holding a government job, he still enjoys penning the adventures of Sunil, a debonair and upright investigative journalist. “When I write about him, I feel it’s me I’m writing about. And sometimes, when I read my earlier works, I’m amazed at what I have written!”

New age filmmaker Anurag Kashyap grew up wanting to be either Amitabh Bachchan or Surender Mohan Pathak. Actress Gul Panag even invited her favourite novelist to the premiere of her film Rann. Recent English translations of his book, such as The 65 Lakh Heist and Daylight Robbery, have won him fresh fans. However, archiving is poor in the pocket book industry. Pathak admits, “You won’t even find 50 of my 275 novels.”

He’s open to Bollywood, but has never been keen on pursuing the life. He would rather they meet him on his terms, which he says may be happening soon… Let’s wait and watch!

He remarks, “Today’s English publishing houses can’t boast of a single bestseller, except Chetan Bhagat — it’s garden variety fiction but the lingo clicked.”

And, what is pulp fiction ultimately? He chuckles, “If literature is the wife, pulp fiction is the wh***!”

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-06-30/news-interviews/29721355_1_novels-book-fiction