Inside a hall full of people holding Amitav Ghosh’s Flood of Fire, moderator Sriram Karri quizzed the author on writing tips and influences. a few excerpts:
Do you think writers have the power to influence public policy?
Amitav: Writers feels the pressure to influence policy, but the truth is perhaps they aren’t equipped to do that as all. So they write a book, and they might not really be well informed about policy. But you can engage the world by writing worlds that impact change.
Hungry Tides spoke about the Sunderbans that not many people are aware of. And that’s one thing writers can do effectively.
You were once titled a “fierce feminist” by a blogger who pointed out that you portray women in such strong roles decades ago. How do you manage to speak like a woman?
Amitav: I really don’t claim to speak like a woman, there are of course, certain limitations I can’t surpass (laughs). I also believe the whole thing has got to be with being surrounded by really strong women — mother, grandmother, wife etc. —that really is the fate of every Indian man.
Speaking of your school days, how did teachers react to your answers?
Amitav: I was never an elite student, while many of my classmates scored effortlessly, I had to work very hard.
Are you on Facebook where the modern world is leaving evidence of every day history?
Amitav: I am not on Facebook, but I do have a page. I am on Twitter and that I find more useful and interesting. There is so much of the world with me that the question is how do you hold the world back.
Do you plot a book before hand?
Amitav: The characters come to me in bits and pieces. Diti, I always felt her powerful presence and appearance. And so on.
What’s the foremost advice for someone who wants to be an author?
Amitav: Read, read a lot.
Will we ever see Amitav write short stories?
Amitav: I’m a marathon runner not a sprinter, but with age I might become one.
