Reaping a rich harvest of rewards from the crop of modern writers - my takeaways from Times LitFest Bangalore 2019

I was at the #TimesLitFestBlr, and my thoughts got thoroughly piqued. It all started with my crashing in Devadutt Pattanaik’s badinage with Shobhaa De. Here was someone who has made mythology and legend come alive for this generation. Kind of on the lines of what C. Rajagopalachari did for my generation, if for no other parallel. I entered into the spirit of things by asking a question of Anand Neelakantan if he ever bothers to be politically correct. And he said no. It’s impossible to be PC. For someone who created a whole fleshed-out story on the mythical character of Tara, the wife of Vali and Sugreeva according to the Ramayana, twisting words around to not really put too fine a point on anything wouldn’t have been too tough. But he chose to give it up and say what he really wanted to. It isn’t surprising that he got young Indians to start reading up on the nitty-gritty of Indian mythology through his forthright narrative style.

Despite the sweltering way that Bengaluru gets into in late February, and the heat being turned up by the literary minds young and old, it was a stimulating time for anyone who’d ever read a line of poetry or prose and thought, hey, could I have written that myself?

It was my first brush with the people behind the nom de plume. I am not one for selfies. I carry the words and the pointers. Quite likely that the memory of the experience will last as long as I write.

 Here are some of my observations on how the pow-wow went:

1)     They are extreme realists: Not to say they do not have the literary airs. They do. And these airs lend authenticity to the ambition they nurture. I would liken this to those serious actors who’re both consummate performers of the craft of acting and also are ‘stars’ in terms of popular fanfare. They have a definitive style which they combine with the allure of glamour.

2)     They market: They are not above following the prescription of the Marketing Mix. They take the trouble to develop awareness of their target audience. Then, they develop their writing with each subsequent publication to challenge, surprise and engage with the audience. There is method and calculated risk. It’s not tough to see why the modern writer is a win with the reader in these times of evaporating attention spans.

3)     They reach out, connect, and engage: They write meaningfully. In short, snappy sentences. They love to create characters that you’d meet every day. They let their flights of imagination make sense to the reader. They have Facebook pages and Twitter handles, where fans can comment and share opinions. They reply to comments and make them feel heard. They are unfazed by trolls, and show consistency in the way they present their opinions.

4)     They are fiercely systematic: These are people who have tried the hard way – to write free verse and prose – and found that the system works better. I’ve heard several prolific young writers like Harshali Singh, Vani Shivashankar, and Sutapa Basu mention that having deadlines, reminders from the publisher, and a personal framework of discipline work well in producing good manuscript.

5)     They don't rant too much about the system: They agree that ruthless censorship, trolling and rejection are part of the craft. They even agree that this is essential to filtering out the best of writing talent. I never once found the young guns whimpering over what’s not fair and how hard it is to write despite all. They just say, “write anyway!”

6)     They have a lot of humour: They’re good with words (duh!) they’re witty, and uber cool! The energy of the participants and presenters (hello there, @saranya_f ) at the Times Literature Festival Bangalore 2019 was infectious. It makes you want to find a quiet corner and start typing your thoughts down. If it were not for the excellent repartee that I’d have missed, I would’ve done the same thing.

7)     They stick to their guns: Sreemoyee Piu Kundu had this anecdote about how she was asked by her publisher about changing certain aspects of characterization, setting for her later novel, and how she stayed true to her original idea. It goes to show how much dichotomy exists even for an oft-published, media-savvy author. The anecdote reiterates how someone who writes has just got to know when to take an opinion and when to leave it be.

8)     They take one for the team: Contrary to what one might think, these writers want their tribe to proliferate. They want more people to get behind the writing (and reading) habit and they are ready to extend helpful advice.

After taking a good week to get back down from the literary high, I have finally keyed in this blog post. I will end with an ode to the WriteIndia campaign. This is not in the least bit promotional or sponsored by Times of India. In fact, I am yet to check out the proposition myself. But it sounds like a solid idea. It may be right for you, all ye who write, or it may not be. But knowing that it’s there feels capital!

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